I sent out a couple resumes the other night in anticipation of the possible upcoming events, and I got a bite back from somewhere I was pretty jazzed about hearing from. I talked with their recruiter today, only to find that the salary range on the website is indeed not what they�re looking to pay and that the actual salary is less per week than my current take-home. And although I�d get a good place to work, plenty of paid days off, holidays also covered, matching in the 401k, and actual honest-to-goodness insurance, I�d still be losing thirty percent of my salary.

The next time you look at your pay stub and groan about the difference between your salary and your take-home pay, keep in mind that the amount missing from your check to pay Uncle Sam is just about thirty percent. This is the magnitude of a pay cut I�m looking at in considering this company�s position.

This isn�t something I can do unless I have clear signs, flags, and flares that the ship here is indeed sinking. Even then, I�m not too thrilled at the thought of losing that much salary.

Speaking of large amounts of paychecks disappearing, Hambone had to go to the emergency vet last night.

Yesterday morning he wasn�t feeling well, squatting and straining. I know I have three days until it�s poisonous, so I went to work, promising to check on him when on my lunch break and call the vet then.

At lunch I went to the condo, but Hambone didn�t greet me at the door. I checked in the usual spots, assuming he was too lazy or too hurt to run to the front, but there was no Hambone. I overturned every box, moved all of the furniture, opened all of the cabinets, and looked under, above, around, and behind everything I own.

I went back to work, clearly upset that either my kitty found a good place to curl up as his final resting spot or that he was lost. I printed up some LOST CAT posters and left work early to knock on neighbors� doors to see if they spotted him that morning.

There was no sign of Hambone, but my neighbors all seem pretty nice.

Back in my place, I spotted one final spot I hadn�t checked. I climbed onto my kitchen counter, leaned over the top of the fridge, and opened the unused cabinets up there.

My kitty let out a cry, and I carried him down from his spot and set him on the counter. Instead of jumping to the floor, he leaned over and moaned. I placed him on the floor as I got my shoes on and stuff together, and he crawled into the kitty carrier without any prompting.

A $14 cab ride later, we arrived at the ER vet clinic. Palpitating the bladder did no good, so the vet was called in. We talked a bit about Hambone�s recent history and the medications he took and the changes made.

They escorted Hambone to the lab and me to the lobby, and I could hear him scream as they continued to prod at him from three rooms away. After a few minutes, they came out to relay the results: Hambone stays for another few hours while I go home.

I didn�t want to go. I was fine reading my People magazine and twiddling my thumbs. I even brought a Diet Coke to help with any sleepiness I might encounter. But instead, knowing that they were already busy so early in the evening, I took the kitty carrier and headed to the el.

I called back at 9 p.m. and was asked to call back at 11 since he hadn�t yet peed by himself.

I called back at 11 as he was being admitted to the hospital. I could only wait things out until 7 a.m.

Benito (the dear, sweet man that he is) left work at about then and came to get me. With the ER vet�s odd location, I would have to leave my house at something like 5 a.m. to retrieve Hambone. Instead, I slept at Benito�s place, and he drove me to the vet to pick up my kitty and then back home.

At work until 11 p.m. Up at 6:30 a.m. Driving me all over in the morning traffic. Dear, sweet man.

(Speaking of him, I also got to eat lunch with him -- BONUS BENITO TIME! Yahoo! -- since he was giving some career day talk to some eager college students and their apprehensive parents who think that this newly offered, up-and-coming major is just a trend instead of a crazy-profitable, tech-related business.)

Hambone seems fine right now, but I have to keep an eye on him for a while.

I�m really ready for this to be over.

In brighter news, I just received a phone call from my dad. My heavily pregnant sister Jenna had a doctor�s appointment this afternoon to check how everything was coming along. With two weeks to go until her due date, the doctor was quite surprised when she found Jenna to be five centimeters along.

Despite having no pain whatsoever, taking her prior history of popping Branden out after just a few hours of notice and the centimeter evidence into consideration, she�s staying at the hospital until she spontaneously sprouts this kid.

She and her fianc� have no name picked out yet, so think of something pretty to go with �____ Alizabeth Keena� and send it as a mental shout-out to my sister in Houston. If she chooses your name, I�ll send you a slinky.

All right. I�m outta here. G�nite all. �