Thursday, October 31, 2024

Sidewinder


This is our garden Buddha, which my former co-worker Joanna gave me several years ago. He's been knocked around a bit and his head's been broken off and reattached -- all before we got him -- so I can never take a very good picture of him. He looks like a Buddha from the wrong side of the tracks. But Waterlogue hides his deficiencies nicely.

I suppose in the true spirit of Buddhism I should take him as he is, rather than hold him to my idea of how he should look.

Oga continues to improve. She got up this morning, went outside, explored the garden and came in for a treat. She seems almost normal, except for a sideways tilt of the head and a slightly drunken walk.


Her nystagmus -- the rapidly shifting eyes -- has subsided entirely. We cancelled her walk again today but we might let her go tomorrow if she seems up to it.


See what I mean? Dave called her "Sidewinder" this morning, which made me laugh. He's got a knack for coming up with the perfect nickname.


Remember the mermaid sticker? Well, here are some more stickers from a nearby pole, all across the street from the South Hampstead overground station. The bugs and bear are amusing, but that blue one intrigued me. It looks like the work of the same artist who did the mermaid, doesn't it?

And sure enough, when I looked up that artist's Instagram account, I found a matching image -- someone holding a bouquet of carnivorous flowers. The colors in mine are faded, as they were with the mermaid sticker, so you don't get the full effect of the blood dripping out of the plants' stems. But it's definitely the same picture.

Someone apparently generated stickers of work by this Korean artist, who goes by Kim Sanho, and plastered them on poles in that neighborhood. There are probably others. Don't worry, I won't photograph them all, but I do find the work interesting.

I had a pretty low-key day yesterday. I sat and read "Bleak House" at my desk during down times. I know my boss doesn't love it when I sit and read, but I argue that I'm modeling the behavior we're trying to instill in our students. And several of them did, in fact, ask me what I was reading. They probably thought it would be something hot and trendy! (That is my vibe.)

49 comments:

  1. Bunches of carnivorous flowers sound rather appropriate for Halloween. Very Morticia.

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    1. I actually forgot it was Halloween when I wrote this post, so I'm glad I came up with some Halloweenish content, even if accidentally!

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  2. You are back in my reading list !!
    The Buddha sits fine in the garden, and it's good to see Olga out there too

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    1. Was I out of your reading list?! I wonder why?

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  3. At work, perhaps you should start reading paperbacks with titles like "The Boss From Hell", "My Affair With The Boss", "The Boss Kidnap" and "Burying The Boss". Mind you, she did give you some slack in relation to Olga so she's not entirely bossy.

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    1. Ha! Yes, she's actually been very nice about the whole Olga thing.

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  4. I'd like a job where I could model customers' behavious - in a pub.

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    1. Ha! Yeah, I guess that vision of my job responsibilities doesn't always translate!

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  5. That tilted head and the lean should continue to get better, too. Both got better with Ginger.

    Please give Olga a pat from me!

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    1. She's moving around pretty well now but the head is still tilted! Glad to know that (hopefully) it will improve.

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  6. Olga seems to be adjusting to her new "normal" and that's a good thing. I'm happy that she doesn't have any pain, or almost as good. doesn't seem to. I would have loved a job where I could sit and read, but I got to do that during lunch break at the shoe factory so that's almost as good because I loved that job.

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    1. Yeah, that counts! If I get any reading in during a day it's seldom more than an hour. Wednesday was unusual!

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  7. Hot and trendy! You to a T. Poor Olga. I didn’t know she had been unwell. But she’s still adorable. That final image is amazing in full color.

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    1. Yeah, you've missed the Olga drama. Lucky you!

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  8. She seems to be doing much better, calmer, which probably means the dizziness has gone. Good. What a loved dog she is. Including her blog fan club. Never mind news of you and Dave, it's all about Olga for me!

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    1. Yeah, the fact that her nystagmus no longer seems as pronounced suggests that her dizziness is better, I think.

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  9. Sounds like a dream job to me, sitting and reading to model good habits. Unfortunately, I don't think my wife agrees with that thought!

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    1. Yeah, I'm not sure anyone but me sees my job that way!

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  10. Yes, I think that Olga is our blog community mascot dog and we all care for her a great deal. So good to hear and see she's doing better.

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  11. Yay for the Sidewinder! I kind of walk like that with no excuse whatsoever. I'm unable to go in a straight line.

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  12. What does she expect you to do when there aren't things to shelve or kids to help? Reading makes perfect sense! I love "Sidewinder" as a perfect name. I'm just so glad she is improving!

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    1. That's how I feel too! I hate being assigned things to do just to be "busy."

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  13. Olga walks like me when I have vertigo, poor girl.

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    1. I am so glad I do not regularly deal with vertigo. It sounds very unpleasant.

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  14. Poor Olga must be wondering what is going on with her. Glad she is better each day and hope it clears up soon. She is such a sweetie!

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    1. I know -- it must be scary for a dog for things to go severely wrong so suddenly and have no understanding of what's happening.

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  15. Poor Olga. She probably doesn't understand why her walking is different.

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  16. I do see what you mean about the way Olga is holding her head. I think that is a sign that her ears are bothering her. I hope it goes away soon. She's such a sweet girl.

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    1. Apparently it's a key sign of vestibular disease.

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  17. I had a venus fly trap when I was growing up. Carnivorous flowers do seem appropriate for Halloween.
    I'm glad Olga's improving. Bless her sweet heart.

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    1. We had one for a while but ours did not do well and eventually died. I've found that's one thing I simply cannot grow.

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  18. Your video shows the tilt in Olga's head and walk. Ear infections cause balance issues as the infection resolved, she'll be back to herself.
    My dog's ear infection took a couple weeks of cleaning both ears and applying the antibiotic ointment twice a day. At diagnosis, my Vet said she could not see Ceasar's ear drum... that is how bad the infection was.
    I also like the KS sticker art. The art would make interesting large prints.
    Modelling the act of reading is great. Does the library have a book club for students?

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    1. We have several library or reading related clubs, yes! That ear cleaning routine sounds very similar to what we've been told to do with Olga.

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  19. I am glad to read that Olga continues to improve. Thank you for posting that video of her. I wish I could reach out and give her a pat.

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    1. She would love it if you could! I'll give her one for you.

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  20. Like the others here, I am really glad to read that Olga is getting better.
    How intriguing to find more of the artwork that piqued your interest.

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    1. I love finding these little stickers around town and figuring out what they are or what they mean!

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  21. Poor Olga. I hope it is an ear infection and wasn't a stroke. sounds like she needs to get her nails clipped.

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    1. I think if it had been a stroke she wouldn't be improving so quickly.

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  22. I love Yorkshire Pudding's suggestions--LOL! It's great that Olga is recovering so quickly and well.

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  23. I am so very glad she's better. Doesn't your manager have anything better to do than spy on you at your desk?

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    1. That's what I'd like to know. I really do feel much more scrutinized than I ever felt before.

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  24. I've always meant to ask where this came from: this need to finish a book even if you are not interested in it. You have a stick-to-itiveness that I don't have. I honestly would have never thought of a dog having vertigo before. That's the strangest thing ever, but I am glad that she's improving.

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