I fell asleep around 5 am last night. By that time, it had started snowing. When I woke up a few hours later, I ran to the window to see if it was still snowing. Not only was it still snowing, but the snow had completely covered the ground. Everything outside my window was this beautiful white. I was so excited. I took Leo upstairs to go potty and made this video. A lot of people say their doggies hate the snow and won’t even go outside to go potty in the snow, but Leo loves it. He’s way psyched about peeing in the snow. He’s such a boy.
It kind of ended up being sort of a rough day, though. I’d been warned not to drive in the snow, because apparently Seattle doesn’t handle snow well, and cars skid on the ice, etc. I’ve had this drilled into me for weeks by Seattlites: don’t drive in the snow! Horrible things will happen! So I stayed in all day, which made it the second day in a row I’ve spent largely by myself, and I’m just not built for that shit. I quickly got really depressed. The snow made it especially lonely for me. I so wanted to be doing fun snow things, but there was nobody to do them with! I probably took Leo up to the deck every half hour, so I could at least be outside and see the snow. I walked to the cafe/yoga studio down the street from me, where there are sometimes people, but it was closed, despite it being normal business hours for them. No sign or anything. Just locked and no one there. I went to Jillian’s, a pool hall/video game place across the street, and they were open, but nobody was there but one employee. I went for a run in the gym in my building, and that helped a little, but, in general, it was really hard to get through the day. For the first time in ages, I really, really, really wanted a cigarette. I didn’t smoke one, but the craving was a huge warning sign for me that this shit is getting out of hand.
It got even more stressful, though. I switched Leo’s food to a less absurdly expensive brand a few days ago, and he’s been having runny poops ever since. I didn’t worry about it for awhile because his energy level was fine and his behavior was normal otherwise, but then today he wasn’t eating, and he was throwing up, and so I started to worry more, but I didn’t take him to the vet because I didn’t want to drive. Then around 8:30 tonight he was just pooping out little clots of blood and so I completely freaked out and I knew I had to take him to the emergency vet. I called a friend of mine and asked how I should get to the vet and he said to call a cab. So I called a cab service. And then another. And then another. No one answered. I called five cab services with no answer. I had to get my little man to the vet! So I scooped up Leo and went down to my car — which isn’t even my car! My car is still in the shop, so this was a crappy loaner with crappy brakes that I hate anyway. I drove it out of the garage and down the little hill of my side street to get to the main street closest to me. The side street hill was covered in ice and when I tried to brake, my car didn’t stop! I completely panicked, but I managed to maneuver the car onto the main street and then get it back under control. At that point I pretty much started crying and didn’t know what to do. But I had to get Leo to the vet! I knew the drive to the ER vet was all on freeways and major streets from that point on, so I decided to take my chances. It was strange being on the freeway — it felt like slo-mo freeway. There are hardly any cars, but they’re all going 35 mph on the freeway. Too funny. I got off the freeway and then missed the turn for the ER vet, so I had to make a U-turn — twice! — in the snow, which was fucking terrifying but I actually did really well. By the time I got to the vet, I’d gotten the hang of controlling the car on the slick roads.
The vet said that Leopold probably was having a reaction to the food, as I’d suspected, but that we needed to get it under control before he got too dehydrated. She gave him subcutaneous fluids and some antiemetics and told me to go buy bland baby food and feed that to him tonight. So I left the vet’s office — involving another U-turn, which I handled like an old pro this time — and drove back to my neighborhood and to the grocery store. I got the baby food and drove back home — revisiting the icy hill that had driven me to tears just hours earlier. This time, it gave me no trouble at all. I owned that hill!
This was my very first time ever driving on snowy roads. I’ve been in snow before, but I’ve never been the driver. I was really, really, really scared, but I feel kind of awesome about conquering that fear. I’m a good little snow driver now! The next time it snows, I won’t feel trapped in the house. I’ll know I can handle it.
Leo ate the baby food quite happily tonight. His stomach’s still not back to normal, but at least we got food in him. He’s sleeping soundly next to me right now, and hopefully by tomorrow my little man will be all better.
I’m still kind of in a rough place, but I’m going to attempt to get a solid night’s sleep tonight, and tomorrow I’m fucking getting out of this house no matter what. I can’t do another day like this. It’s too draining.
