For a longest time I’ve been teaching summer courses, most of the times exciting in positive ways and lately, well. For my position, the summer pay is much lower as we do not teach full loads but actually long hours, so it’s physically demanding and I often stay on campus as much as during standard semesters.
10 years ago I was also out of our Houston habitat when my beautiful black kitty Bishojo was having what appeared to be kidney problems. I tried to have her see the nearest vet office but there was no cat doctor whenever I asked… and we were perhaps too late to get her treated medically. I was dirt poor at that time, but I was willing to pay through my feeble credit for her and Azuki (Chuo),
I lost her on June 22 10 years ago. Then I was gifted Pasho after I also lost Chuo. It’s been 10 years, and to be honest, I’m still full of resentment toward certain things and particular incidents.
Since that summer, I was adopted by Baby Yvette on the dark corner of Badstreet. Then in 2015 we moved to our last Houston apartment. And some other stuff – mostly stability and monetary gains (remember the COVID stimulus checks? mol). I’m driving my own car so we no longer need a ride share like we used to. In our current area, we have multiple vet clinics within driving distance. This summer we might move into our own habitat – not rental but I may be buying!
June is usually long with a lot of work on campus, less of pay so it’s not really worth of my precious time otherwise spent with my kitties, but I need the pay anyway. The summer sessions are as demanding as regular semesters, so I generally enjoy doing this. In many cases, my students are good. But it’s sure demanding, both physically & mentally, and it often seems like there was no end – sometimes an exhaustively long commute on top of that in the South Texas summer heat. Today it’s still June? It seems extra-long without my beautiful girl.
It seems like it’s a long way to go without her.
Ma Vox de Raison 