We had the sense that Max was getting a bit lumpy on his lower belly and he seems to be furiously itching himself, so we decided a check-up at the vet might be in order.
Today was the day of. He has never been fond of visits to the vet. The first in the USA and his last visit had been after he was lost for three weeks. At the time EM and Jennifer went into the practice with him and the vet could check him out as he remained reasonably calm.
We had him under house arrest for the day, which he did not like. Forced him into the carrier and took him to the car. When the drive started, he meowed pitifully, I think more for the discomfort of the carrier than anything else as he does not mind being in the car or driving.
In the age of Corona the process is altogether different. Upon arrival at the practice we called, and a technician came out to pick up the carrier, which Max had resisted getting into. They took Max inside, opened the box and wanted to check him out. The doctor the called us while we were waiting in the car outside. He started his report with “this is definitely a strong cat and my hands show some battle wounds”. It appears that Max threw an absolute hissy fit and the technician could not hold him. After a very brief exam of his belly and checking his vitals the cat jumped of the table and into some cubbyhole. They decided to abort any further checks as Max was very antagonized. They suggested next time we bring him sedated. I think if we had gone in with him, he would have been much calmer, but it is what it is.
All in all, Max is healthy, albeit on the way to obesity so we were told to cut his rations by a quarter. In addition, Max received a prescription of Revlon to be applied monthly against flees and worms. Somehow, they managed to put him back into the carrier. With the words “he is one big cat” he was returned to us together with a prescription for his urinary tract dietary food. He was perfectly calm when he returned to the car. Once home we let him out and he showed his hatred for the box by hissing at it and scrambling away. He is not mad at us though as he came right back into the house where he did get some treats. Diet will start tomorrow.
Otherwise an uneventful day, beyond my severe annoyance at EM. She had submitted an essay requesting change in the curfew rules. The essay was quiet well written and good arguments presented. She made the case that this was her last year at home and she should be growing into independence, curfews would not allow her to do that. She wrote that she and her friends are in class until 15:00 and by the time they are done with their homework it is 19:00, so at 22:00 curfew meant she could only see her friends (three in the pod) for two hours on a week night. She also argued that curfews were infringing her right to freedom.
I was almost willing to let the curfew go. Then I went downstairs to find only half of the bins had been brought in last night. The outside space they had used was not cleaned up, with glasses and litter still there. The S’mores stuff was spread all over the kitchen counter and so on. I made a coffee and returned to bed fuming inside. I tried to focus on the news, but instead found myself writing the below response:
Dear Eva-Maria,
I have read your essay requesting to change or lift the curfew rule. The rule was imposed because you did not act responsibly and requested to have similar circumstances as I had when your age. Note that the curfew times correspond to those my mother had me live up to when I was sixteen. The rules I had to obide by at seventeen were: home at 18:00 and lights out at 22:00 and sleepovers were just not allowed at boarding school. So you see, your times are already more generous than what I lived by.
In your essay you make the argument that the curfew infringes on your liberty. Society only works if the liberty of an individual does not limit the freedom of other individuals living in the same society. So it is critical to respect the liberties and rights of others when exercising ones freedom. To help all of us do that society has and is enacting laws and regulations. One such law is limiting underaged drivers from driving between mid-night and the early hours of the morning. If you find yourself unable to comply with the rules of society, society denies you certain liberties. In this case it would have meant loss of your license. So when you argue curfew limits your liberty, I counter argue that you are not able to enact your liberty as yet, as you do not adhere to the rules society has put in place.
With liberty and preparation for an adult life also comes responsibility, this includes taking responsibility for ones actions, the consequences such action may have as well as ones domestic and work responsibilities, the latter in your case being school work. When you refused to come home, but rather choose to argue, I made it clear that there would be consequences, which you not only acknowledged but were willing to obey by. The curfew is exactly that, the consequence of your action. Unless you are able to demonstrate that you are a responsible person and can not only spend time with friends to create memories and have an enjoyable senior year, you will need to deal with the consequences of your actions.
To conclude, preparing yourself for living alone and going to college, is not just about having fun and the liberty to hang out with your friends until all hours. Every coin has two sides and in this case the other side means doing your part. This means doing well in school as school is your main job (completing assignments on time, complying with all IB requirements such as finishing the CAS project, good grades) as this will set you up with your options for the future. If you do not well it will forever limited the choices you can make. The less money you earn, the smaller and more limited your life will be. Good grades give you choices in what you can be, which translate into income potential.
You and I form our small society and there are some agreements which enable us to live together. Demonstrating that you are responsible enough to exercise your personal freedom means you have to also be able to abide by our society rules, including additional chores each of us have with the departure of Jennifer. I am so tired of asking you to do what we have agreed you to do. I am so tired of asking you to sort through your stuff and put it out on the curb or do a yard sale. One week in I am so fed up with asking you take the trash down, asking you to bring the bins in (and then you only brought half of them, the last one I got this morning), I am so tired of picking up after you, the s’more stuff in the kitchen, things sitting on the stairs forever, and so on. So, I will not ask again, ever. The expectation is, that if you want to enjoy the freedom of a young adult you shoulder the responsibilities that come with it. Until you demonstrate you are able to do your part without me constantly having to beg, your request is denied.
Mum
Ps: Also, I will now ask the listserv for a teenager who will mow the lawn. I will not bother you with this request again.
It did yield results as I think she spend the entire day sorting out stuff in the basement. She was rather depressed when I came home form my swim and was in tears at the vet’s stating she was exhausted with school and college applications and being cooped up in the house. My heart went out. She got the car tonight and rushed off to see her friend J. They plan to hang at NCC ES, which seems perfectly safe. In the meantime, I am trying to get the parent group together to discuss the camping trip the girls have planned for next weekend; three of four are available. Number four is in Connecticut, but has volunteered to join by phone.
Infection rates are picking up in the US. Today saw an increase by 58k (it was 34k just six days ago), this is in line with what I had predicted would happen after labor day weekend, bringing the total in the US to 7.94 million today. Worldwide 37 million cases have been reported.
There is now a convergence between politics and COVId-19 largely resulting out of the WH super spreader event one week ago. Hard to believe that in the course of two weeks so much has happened on the political / virus combination side.
Firstly, the WH is refusing to say when the orange Cheeto last tested negative, giving rise to speculations he may well have had positive test well before the debate and continuing with the debate, his rallies and fundraisers, knowing he could infect others. He is certainly leaving a trail of infections in his wake. Not only are a number of attendees of the WH event and staffers testing positive, but now teachers in the schools their children attend have tested positive, so the Virus has moved from the Rose Garden across the country. 9 attendees of the Moron’s last rally in Minnesota have also tested positive and one of them is treated in intensive care.
Because of the risk of infection, the second presidential debate was to be held in a virtual format, but of course the usurper of the WH refused to participate. As a result, the debate was cancelled completely and Vice President Joe Biden will hold a townhall on ABC news instead.
And while there is still no confirmation that the Covidiot has tested negative a week after being hospitalized for his COVID-19 infection, he is planning to hold a rally for 2.000 people at the WH (!) no masks required, social distancing recommended. It is like he is setting out to ensure the virus can spread far and wide.
And here they are cashing in, the management of Regeneron is wasting no time selling of stock after prices spiked courtesy of the usage of its experimental drug by the Covidiot in chief.
Saturday, October 10th, 2020