Tax Day is almost upon us here in the US. Every year for the past few years I've thought to myself, "This is the year I get it all together and DITCH TurboTax." And every year for the past few years my procrastinating ways get the better of me and I end up using TurboTax. This year is no different. Next year will be the year I ditch TurboTax, for sure!
Maya had her 6 month-ish bloodwork and her kidney values are pretty much what they were last November, within a point or two and she's maintaining her 10 pound weight. When she was first diagnosed I was trying to get her to eat expensive prescription renal food and she was having none of it, to the point she lost a couple pounds. The vet didn't want her losing weight like that and we decided that she would get canned regular food (Fancy Feast, Friskies or 9 Lives) and the dry kibble would be the special renal food. Let me tell you, I do not need to fill up the dry food bowls very often. She is definitely holding out for the canned stuff. But clearly this method is working for now and I'm very pleased.
Celine didn't come to the vet with us this time. Partially for money reasons, partially because I still don't know what to do about her thyroid issue. Recap - maybe seven years ago or so she had an I-131 radiation treatment because she had a nodule on her thyroid which was causing her to be hyperthyroid. This was an expensive procedure but it was supposed to be a one shot and done. We had tried medications prior and they would work for a little while but then stop being effective. And it did work and she was doing great! Except over the past year and a half her thyroid levels have been steadily rising, although she isn't showing any symptoms. The vet consulted with the place where she had her I-131 treatment and they theorized that a new nodule was growing on her thyroid. They recommended special imaging to determine if that was the case (with her first nodule it was so big they could actually feel it). And then if she does have another nodule growing it's either ineffective medications or another I-131 treatment. But guys - she's almost 17. I would do anything in the world for my kitties but I think putting her through rounds of testing and constant medication might be more stress than it's worth. So for now I'm kind of in a holding pattern and just seeing how things play out. Is that bad? I don't know. My local cat lady friends understand my thinking and not a one of them disagree which makes me feel better about my decision to do nothing for the moment.
I was going through my browser bookmarks recently. My bookmark collection is like a hoarder situation and even though I have folders, things are very poorly organized. Anyway, I found a game that I had linked goodness only knows when but at least 10 years ago - Black Market HD. The link went to a 404 page but I used the Wayback Machine and found the site but still wasn't able to download the game. But check out the description: Fight or fly, trade or die. Machines scheme, ghosts plot, corporations conspire; space can be a dangerous place. Equip your ship, explore new worlds, and unravel the mysteries of the Market.... Dude, how could that not excite you? OK, now I was on a mission to find this game! I couldn't find it anywhere, either at a legit site or even a dodgy one. I finally found a link to the game in a deleted Reddit thread. It was actually the game creator who gave the link and he said because the game is dead, downloading it isn't piracy. I have since played it a little bit. And guys, it's pretty cool! It's a little bit like Taipan in that you have to go around buying and selling and trying to make a profit so you can afford a better ship and more weapons but there is way more to the storyline and the gameplay. If you want to try it out, here's the link: http://reitzenwebserv.s3.amazonaws.com/BlackMarketGG.zip.
If you try the game, post on my profile and let me know what you think!