SIGN UP THREAD: Meats's Reading List: WWhat I Read in 2019

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211 to get everyone excited about this thread again! Fill them spots!
 
Roles are in the last stages of baking as we speak. I will be shooting for:

Lynch deadlines 7:30 PM PST/8:30 PM MST/9:30 PM CST/10:30 PM EST

Night deadlines 5:30 AM PST/6:30 AM MST/7:30 AM CST/8:30 AM EST

does this work for you all or would you like this adjusted forward or back? I am flexible so long as lynch deadlines are after 5 PM MST and night deadlines are before ~7:30 AM MST
 
Roles are in the last stages of baking as we speak. I will be shooting for:

Lynch deadlines 7:30 PM PST/8:30 PM MST/9:30 PM CST/10:30 PM EST

Night deadlines 5:30 AM PST/6:30 AM MST/7:30 AM CST/8:30 AM EST

does this work for you all or would you like this adjusted forward or back? I am flexible so long as lynch deadlines are after 5 PM MST and night deadlines are before ~7:30 AM MST
Maybe a wee bit earlier for lynch close- I’m in EST and like to stay up til writeups are posted, but am also trying to be more responsible about not staying up super late at night. 10PM EST would be preferable!
 
Maybe a wee bit earlier for lynch close- I’m in EST and like to stay up til writeups are posted, but am also trying to be more responsible about not staying up super late at night. 10PM EST would be preferable!
Moving up by half an hour is perfectly good with me!
 
Consolidating, @Ms Procrastinator I am moving you to a larger group.

On Hold at the Library
  1. genny
  2. Sporty
  3. Coop
  4. MsP
Stacked on my Desk
  1. SAR
  2. AM
  3. Dolphino
  4. Doggo
Accidentally Kicked Under my Bed
  1. Pippy
  2. Alissa
  3. Barks
  4. Wondering what these groups are
Actually Made it on a Bookshelf
  1. BigCats
  2. WildZoo
  3. JMoose (Jboo / Moose Hydra) 😍
  4. Nav
  5. miz

Bookshelf (Alternates)
  1. Lawpy
Bookworms (Spectators)
  1. Mutts
  2. Dina
 
Consolidating, @Ms Procrastinator I am moving you to a larger group.

On Hold at the Library
  1. genny
  2. Sporty
  3. Coop
  4. MsP
Stacked on my Desk
  1. SAR
  2. AM
  3. Dolphino
  4. Doggo
Accidentally Kicked Under my Bed
  1. Pippy
  2. Alissa
  3. Barks
  4. Wondering what these groups are
Actually Made it on a Bookshelf
  1. BigCats
  2. WildZoo
  3. JMoose (Jboo / Moose Hydra) 😍
  4. Nav
  5. miz

Bookshelf (Alternates)
  1. Lawpy
Bookworms (Spectators)
  1. Mutts
  2. Dina
Bookshelf power group 😎
 
Is there room for one more? if not, I will be happy to join Lawpy on the Bookshelf!

Sorry, I just saw this thread!
 
I need my role before I see @genny tomorrow so she can see how innocent I look :angelic:
Or if I end up as a wolf I can start practicing my innocent face
If you're a wolf, just position your dog in front of your face the whole time. She'll have to believe you are an innocent child with a pet as cute as that!
 
I love books, I love to read, so am really excited!
 
I need my role before I see @genny tomorrow so she can see how innocent I look :angelic:
Or if I end up as a wolf I can start practicing my innocent face
Funny story, MOOSE and I played a game together as wolves and met each other during it (we shared a photo together on thread). MOOSE flipped wolf and I didn’t say anything like “oMg nO wAyYyY”. I got lynched the next day because of that.
 
This is not even remotely game-related, but I am friends with a lot of you and just need to blab about some stuff from this euthanasia seminar we had today, because just the act of writing it out helps me feel better. May delete later.

Ok, I'm going to vent some sad feelz because during a small group session today, I brought up this one euthanasia I witnessed a few years ago, and was really surprised by how emotional it made me, so I didn't really finish talking about it. I didn't expect it to still make me so sad after a couple years, but it did, and I think I will feel better just acknowledging it and some associated worries.

One of the saddest euthanasias I've ever witnessed was when I worked as a tech in a small college town. There was a family with two small kids (I think they were like 5 and 7) who had been bringing their really sweet old dog into the clinic for a long time. The mom was a school teacher and the family was really active in the community (tight knit town, a lot of friendly people). She also had advanced breast cancer, and despite multiple rounds of chemo, she eventually died.

One week after the mom died, the dog succumbed to an aggressive lymphoma. One week. The thing that set me off while remembering it today was that during the euthanasia, I was out in the hallway and overheard this dad say "It's ok. It's ok. Lily is going to be with Mom. You remember how Lily comes over to sit on your bed when you feel scared or sad? She is going to do that for Mom now so they don't have to be alone. But they both love you so, so much and will miss us, just like we miss them."

The vet who was doing the euthanasia is this really stoic, calm dude who is not emotional, and I could hear his voice shaking as he was telling them what he was doing and confirming death.

... I'm definitely a crier under much less emotional circumstances, so I am worried I won't actually be able to keep it together when I have to be the doctor in that room. How do you even get a catheter in while a conversation like that is going on? How do you keep calm enough so that you don't break down and add to the fear and pain these little kids are experiencing?

And if I start hysterically sobbing now -- years later, when it wasn't even my patient -- how am I going to pull my **** together when it is my responsibility and I need to walk out of that room to go see the next appointment?

I think I'm generally a very happy person who feels there is much joy in this world, but I haven't yet figured out how to channel that into a way of facing poignant situations without turning into a puddle.

So, if anyone has any tips about how to keep a lid on it in the moment, I would love to hear them. (I'm good on de-stressing/decompressing/processing techniques once I get home -- e.g. right now when I feel much better after typing this out -- but sometimes I am just going to have to buck up in the moment for the sake of the patient & their families, and as of now, I feel inadequately equipped to do that.
 
This is not even remotely game-related, but I am friends with a lot of you and just need to blab about some stuff from this euthanasia seminar we had today, because just the act of writing it out
I'm not sure I have any advice, because being the one performing the euthanasia in front of the owner is not something I've done (have only euthanized wildlife). Just wanted to say though that I'm right there with you and it's something I'm concerned about as well. Hopefully some of the vets around here who have been there can offer some words of encouragement.
 
I'm not sure I have any advice, because being the one performing the euthanasia in front of the owner is not something I've done (have only euthanized wildlife). Just wanted to say though that I'm right there with you and it's something I'm concerned about as well. Hopefully some of the vets around here who have been there can offer some words of encouragement.
Yeah, some of the horse & farm animal euths I've been present for have been much more gruesome and objectively disturbing, but I have had no problems with remaining tear-free during those when the owner is not there and/or is not outwardly devastated. The ones that hit me hardest are the ones where the human-animal bond is on full display. Even worse when it's a situation like that one with complicating factors (kids who have already gone through some terrible things, elderly folks who are losing their only companion, family with an FIP kitten who go from elation to devastation on a rapid curve, etc.)
 
This is not even remotely game-related, but I am friends with a lot of you and just need to blab about some stuff from this euthanasia seminar we had today, because just the act of writing it out helps me feel better. May delete later.
So I don't think you have to hold it together every time. There are some euthanasias that just really resonate with you as you're doing them - either the situation, or the pet reminds you of one of yours, or they've been a really good client and now you're not going to see them anymore, or whatever the reason. And I think it's OK to cry sometimes. Not to the point that you're wailing worse than the owners are, but it's OK to show that you are emotionally touched by what's going on. It also seems to help some owners - like it justifies how upset they are if you're also feeling it. There have definitely been times when I've taken a few minutes afterwards to cry and to allow myself to feel sad, and then it's easier when I have to wipe my face and move on to the next appointment. Sometimes I'll also cry about it later at home, and I don't beat myself up over it. It's natural to feel sad about death.

On the other hand, it's also OK to not be affected by some euthanasias this deeply. There are some that I feel relief after - because I know the pet isn't suffering any more. And I don't usually cry for those. Not because they're not sad, it's just not something that I want to carry around in my emotional baggage, so I let it go easily.
 
Also, give me and the voice in my head some slack; we both had to get to 8am class today in horrible road conditions, followed by classes getting cancelled at 10am (WHILE we were in class and everyone had already traveled to school in dangerous weather) and the bus service getting suspended, stranding myself and several others at school while we waited for the roads to clear. :yeahright:
Off topic but I know this life. My university has done exactly this to us several times because their bar for whether or not to have a snow day is based on whether students who live on campus can walk to class. One time they begrudgingly gave us a snow day because the ENTIRE CITY shut down due to weather, and by then a ton of students were already stranded on campus because the city runs the buses.
 
Not to the point that you're wailing worse than the owners are, but
Yeahhhhh. This is my concern lol. I'm not one of those people who sheds a silent, solitary, dignified tear -- I'm one of those people who occasionally will start sobbing at a Disney movie and be unable to physically squash it for like an hour, even if in my head I am like "ok we can stop this now, hakuna matata" after <1 minute of that chowder

also I can't see out of my contacts when I cry, so it is not ideal for tasks like injecting lethal stuff haha
 
Yeahhhhh. This is my concern lol. I'm not one of those people who sheds a silent, solitary, dignified tear -- I'm one of those people who occasionally will start sobbing at a Disney movie and be unable to physically squash it for like an hour, even if in my head I am like "ok we can stop this now, hakuna matata" after <1 minute of that chowder

also I can't see out of my contacts when I cry, so it is not ideal for tasks like injecting lethal stuff haha
Catheters for everything so seeing out of contacts isn't as much of an issue.

And as callous as it sounds, you kind of get used to it. The first few are hard because you want to do everything right for the owners since it's such a significant moment for them and you don't really know how to do that yet. It's not like you get to practice before you graduate. Then it becomes more routine as you develop a script to explain what you're doing. I tend to focus my thoughts on what I'm doing that makes the experience better for the owners - like pushing the propofol at the right speed so the pets go under smoothly. If I'm focused on my tasks, I can distance myself a little more from the emotions of the situation. And I really like being able to take care of the owners during and after the process, since some of them have never been through it before, and none of them are thinking clearly. If I'm thinking and anticipating what they're going to need (a tissue, help getting up off the floor, a hug, a chance to tell a happy story, someone to tell them when it's time to leave, which door to go through, etc) then I'm less caught up in how their sadness is affecting my emotions and I'm less likely to blubber. I don't know if any of that is helpful?
 
Catheters for everything so seeing out of contacts isn't as much of an issue.

And as callous as it sounds, you kind of get used to it. The first few are hard because you want to do everything right for the owners since it's such a significant moment for them and you don't really know how to do that yet. It's not like you get to practice before you graduate. Then it becomes more routine as you develop a script to explain what you're doing. I tend to focus my thoughts on what I'm doing that makes the experience better for the owners - like pushing the propofol at the right speed so the pets go under smoothly. If I'm focused on my tasks, I can distance myself a little more from the emotions of the situation. And I really like being able to take care of the owners during and after the process, since some of them have never been through it before, and none of them are thinking clearly. If I'm thinking and anticipating what they're going to need (a tissue, help getting up off the floor, a hug, a chance to tell a happy story, someone to tell them when it's time to leave, which door to go through, etc) then I'm less caught up in how their sadness is affecting my emotions and I'm less likely to blubber. I don't know if any of that is helpful?
It is!
 
Catheters for everything so seeing out of contacts isn't as much of an issue.

And as callous as it sounds, you kind of get used to it. The first few are hard because you want to do everything right for the owners since it's such a significant moment for them and you don't really know how to do that yet. It's not like you get to practice before you graduate. Then it becomes more routine as you develop a script to explain what you're doing. I tend to focus my thoughts on what I'm doing that makes the experience better for the owners - like pushing the propofol at the right speed so the pets go under smoothly. If I'm focused on my tasks, I can distance myself a little more from the emotions of the situation. And I really like being able to take care of the owners during and after the process, since some of them have never been through it before, and none of them are thinking clearly. If I'm thinking and anticipating what they're going to need (a tissue, help getting up off the floor, a hug, a chance to tell a happy story, someone to tell them when it's time to leave, which door to go through, etc) then I'm less caught up in how their sadness is affecting my emotions and I'm less likely to blubber. I don't know if any of that is helpful?
Actually funnily enough I have had this practice. We get the euthanasia client simulation to practice the speech which help, but what really helps is that I've had to run a few euthanasia appointments at the clinic where vet students are allowed to "be the vet" (it's a lot like clinics). I had this one client where she was sobbing and holding her dog for dear life and her kids were there (they were grown so it wasn't as bad). The vet was doing the actual euth but I was the one that the client knew and I was the one that walked her through everything and checked for death (I was double checked of course). She knew my name and everything so half-way through the euth when she started sobbing hysterically and grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye and begged me to "make it stop" I had to deal with it. We didn't stop the euth because after a second I realized she was speaking about the pain and not the euth but that was still one of the hardest moments of my life. Because I know how that feels. I wanted to cry right there in that room with her, my eyes watered and I can't remember what I said. When everything was over I went outside and sobbed to the point I had people checking up on me for twenty minutes (I couldn't see clients until I was under control again). It was my first euthanasia and it was really hard. But afterwards, it was ok. I know that dog needed to go and he wasn't suffering anymore. I got two more euthanasias the next two months after that and the doctor that ran the clinic now calls me his angel of death. Literally will be teaching some first years about how the clinic works (it's all volunteer) and he'll walk by and be like I've had two things die today and you weren't on either one! And the first years will look at me like I murder puppies, it's hilarious. So yeah gets better, but the hard ones are always hard (in my very inexperienced opinion).

Not sure if that helps but I felt like sharing.
 
I will put it on the list -- greek mythology falls close enough to my exclusively preferred genres to be of interest to me

On a similar note, seeing what other people read always makes me hyper-aware of how narrow my reading list is in terms of genres & authors haha

I try to read other stuff (like that Butter book seems totally like something I would buy in an attempt to strike out into a new territory), but inevitably end up dropping them. The most "wildly new" thing I read in the last year or so was Worm, and that's only "different" because it's an online serial format and superheroes vs. a fantasy book lol

(I can put this in spoilers or kick it to sign ups since I went more off topic than Dubz)
I have my favorite genres and authors but I'll read pretty much anything. Hubz was surprised that I picked it the Bourne trilogy yesterday because "spy thriller doesn't seem like your thing" and I had to remind him how much I love that genre of movies lol

Anyway definitely recommend putting Circe on your list. I've barely been able to put it down since I started it yesterday.
 
Firestar is terrible every year regarding the Christmas tree. He tries to eat the candy canes through the plastic wrap, but of course, in typical cat form, suddenly doesn't want them if I offer it to him unwrapped.
As terrible as my cats are about messing with everything else I own, they actually all leave the Christmas tree alone. It's a miracle! No one climbs it, no one chews the lights, no one tries to drink the tree water, no one bats the ornaments around. I have no idea why. They sit under it on occasion like little angels. They will mess with the boxes of ornaments before the tree is decorated though. Presents are also fair game.
 
As terrible as my cats are about messing with everything else I own, they actually all leave the Christmas tree alone. It's a miracle! No one climbs it, no one chews the lights, no one tries to drink the tree water, no one bats the ornaments around. I have no idea why. They sit under it on occasion like little angels. They will mess with the boxes of ornaments before the tree is decorated though. Presents are also fair game.
Meanwhile I once had to kick my cat out of the tree because he climbed to the tippy top and was tossing ornaments at/to the dog
 
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