I'm sorry, sweetie. Just from hearing you talk about your class and your students, I can tell that you are dedicated teacher. I hate that our system does not prioritize education and teachers the way that they should.

libkitty best wishes for you in your situation. If they have given you formal notice you have to move in 5 weeks, there may be stuff you can do to delay. If it was just notice and not eviction if you fail to move after five weeks and eviction process will take time. That is a negotiating lever you might use to extract more time, because you can mutually agree on a move out date later than five weeks but sooner than they could get you out through and eviction process, plus they don't have to go through the eviction process. The way to put it is never to explicitly say you won't move. More on the lines of "Wow! I don't know how I'm going to get out of here in five weeks. I'll certainly do my best." And if they don't the bait or say something along the lines of "well you don't have a choice honey" you could say "well I will try. It is a shame you can't work with me on this, because if it ends up in the hands of lawyers we all come out worse than if we can come to a reasonable accomodation." Before you say anything, contact a local tenants rights group to find out exactly what your legal rights are. If your landlord stands firm then you have to decide if it is worth going to a lawyer.

ChiKat, I totally get all your frustration. I'm so sorry.

I kind of get it, Chikat. My mom works at a high school, too. Fuckers.

Chikat, I'm so sorry. Job~ma for you.

That's so shitty, Chikat. I hate them for you. I just can't imagine that this is any way to recruit people to a teaching career.

I'm very bummed that both of Matilda's pre-K teachers got pink slipped. One will probably be rehired, but the other will almost certainly get snapped up at another school, or probably district. It sucks because she's awesome. Completely dedicated and loving and thoughtful. Matilda wouldn't have them next year anyway as she's moving up to Kindergarten, but its a huge loss for the school. I feel like we really lucked out this year with Matilda. We had a real all-star staff.

Argh, I'm so sorry, Chikat.

This would be taught by Clovis the Devilbunny, right?

hahahaha. And Owen.

Wow. That would be a lot of fun, and only a smidge frightening.

Gah, Chikat. I am so sorry. That just sucks.

bonny, I have a dog question (to which there might well not be a black-and-white answer): could a consistent pattern of licking/nibbling at his paws and other joints mean that a dog is experiencing the inevitable aging and should get on glucosamine right away?

Kato is 9, so not a geezer, but not a pup, and we've been walking him a lot since we had Chloe put to sleep. Frankly, in the winter, we almost never walk him, so this is like a couch potato suddenly starting a workout program. The walks are flat sidewalk, generally under a mile or maybe just a little over a mile, usually 15-30 minutes. Not every day, either -- probably 4-5 days a week. So nothing strenuous, no running, etc.

To my eye, when he walks he seems kind of stiff (although he is *extremely* bow-legged, comically so, and that might be affecting his gait), and I know that aging joints are an issue. I've been trying to research glucosamine for dogs, and one site I found (but only one) mentioned licking paws/joints as a possible sign of joint discomfort. And he certainly does that, all the time.

I know he *could* be licking his paws just because he's a licker. (Seriously -- he licks the floor, his bed, our shoes, our pants [possibly a sign it's time to do laundry] -- so licking his paws could just be because they happen to be the closest thing.)

Actually, I guess maybe my question is -- if he doesn't need glucosamine, would giving it to him be harmful or problematic? I know I should ask the vet, but we just haven't gotten him in this year -- he's due for shots some time before summer, but it's not urgent, so we haven't gotten in there.

Absolutely not. I began giving Bartleby a glucosamine supplement (Nupro silver) a couple of years ago as an immune support and joint problem preventative.

I did GOBS of research, as one does, and asked a couple of vets if pre-dosing was a problem. Everything pointed to NO, it's actually a good thing.

The bow-leggedness concerns me a bit. Have you had a conversation with a vet about disproportionate weight on Kato's joints? I know a bow-legged dog (who almost became Bboy's brother...I intended to name him Gimli) who had to have his front legs straightened. It worked great, but was a pretty harrowing recovery.

About the licking. If it is not a recent onset sort of thing, I would not worry too much, but I WOULD keep a very close eye on his paws and legs to make sure he is not creating hotspots due to stress/grieving/under-exercise or being overweight.

Try giving him the glucosamine supplement for a month and see what happens with his gait. If he does not have prominent hips, get him on a diet right NOW. He's not old and keeping him slim will keep him young for much longer than you can imagine.

Also, make sure his teeth are in super shape from this point forward. Brush them and give him Plaqueoff to keep his mouth healthy.