Up until midnight on Tuesday, packing more stuff, for the final drive to Mildura. Big thanks to Tee for her help packing! (and the fish and chips!!! haha!! YUM!)
Finally in bed and all too soon two alarms are going off letting me know it’s 4:30am (yes, AM! bleh!). I nuke a cup of water and add instant coffee (see the sacrifices I’m making.. don’t even have a kettle any more :S) for a much needed boost. I’m wrecked and I haven’t even left Melbourne yet..
I took Hatchback to the vets the day before and paid ~$60 for a checkup (“Does he eat properly?” “Does he piss and shit?” “Well, he looks healthy.”) and some drugs to knock him out for the drive. Even the 5-minute drive to the vet was a hassle. This cat has serious issues with being in a car!!! He’s a frickin’ strong cat too and it was impossible to contain him in the box I had, so he ended up meowing and scratching and being generally frantic and disturbed until the car stopped. I was going to need these drugs!!
Anyway, I tried putting a pill in his food, but he wouldn’t touch it so I had to resort to the disturbing method the vet showed me. You put little finger and ring finger behind the cat’s head and clamp the other fingers over his ears/head. Lift the cat up by its head (preferably with someone holding his paws – I was alone though) and force his mouth open with the other hand. You then shove the pill right down the back of his throat until he gags on it and it’s gone. He should lick his nose when he’s swallowed it. It sounds horrible for the cat, but it’s also pretty bloody disturbing for me!! Poor Hatchy! 🙁
I locked him in the laundry while I packed and waiting for the drugs to kick in. He came out later and was definately groggy. He staggered around and his eyes look like dinner plates!! (I was going to have to try some of these pills later.. )
I set about transferring the pile of bags from the house into the car. Once all the prepacked bags were in, I started scouting the house for all the loose items that would fit and needed to go back to my parent’s place (thanks for the storage M&D!!!!!!). Once the car was CHOC FULL of crap (again!) I put Hatchy in and we left. It was around 7.45am.
Hatchy wasn’t calm at all. He whined a lot and scampered around the car until we stopped and I could pat him – then he’d calm down. It took about 1:15 to get out of the city through peak hour. I was extremely tired and having to deal with a loaded car and a frantic cat was NOT a fun start to the day. I stopped for a piss and while we were stopped I force-fed Hatchy another half a pill.
Stopped at Malsbury for some stimulants. No, I didn’t deal with some truckies.. just bought some iced coffee and chocolate (and chips, which is odd, because I hardly ever buy chips).
Hatchy was flaked out now and would sleep until we hit a bump or I made a loud noise – then he’d stir and start his sad, drugged-out meowing.. until he faded into kitty snooze land..
The drive was much better once out of the city (duh!) but to keep myself entertained for the next six hours I needed something more.. I decided to prey on a fellow aus.bicycle poster.. and called Tamyka a couple of times.. more than a couple actually because she kept hanging up on me hahaha no, because the service kept dropping out in central Victoria (shakes fist at Telstra..).
Almost out of petrol, the stoned cat and I rocked up in Mildura after 7hrs on the road. I had already arranged with Mum to book the 5.05pm flight BACK to Melbourne, so it was: talk, eat, shower and then off to the airport for a hasty goodbye (Graeme rocked up in his Toll van too) and flight back to Melbourne. (See you in Switzerland, Mum! :)). Another big thanks to M&D who now have to unpack the car and sort through all my crap before packing it. I swear, half of Earth’s resources were contained within the walls of my house!!
1h:10m flight duration. I was so stuffed I actually slept on the plane! That never happens! Not even on the 24hr Australia-Europe flights! $13 Skybus ride to Spencer St. station (construction site!). Wonder when this will be renamed “Southern Cross” station? 1 hour or so on the MET train to Croydon and Bob’s your father’s brother! If that wasn’t enough.. I then go and type all this shite into a blog!!! hahaha 😛
Poor ol’ Hatchy – but he’ll forgive you for this. Afterall this is one multi-skilled cat. His early life was rather traumatic, he has half a tail to show for it. But he’s now working his way up in the world, from the mean streets of Abbotsford, to the milder streets of Croydon. Now residing in a cushy country residence for gentlemen cats. That’s one freakin’ savvy kitty.
Steve’s in Birdsville tonight, the halfway point of the grand ride across the continent. Bet even shite VB tastes good out there in the desert. Oh, and good luck for the Big Trip. Thought I should mention that. I dips me lid to you.
in response to your thanks – no probs,
in response to your please come and help again – sorry dude no can do, some of us gotta work!
"The stoned cat and I" –> does that mean (the stoned cat) and (I) or the stoned (cat and I) hehehehe well I’ve seen the photos…
Did you check a.b? I think marty is in love with you.
Thanks for making me get no work done yesterday. Glad to make your drive more interesting 😛
cfsmtb: It’s not so mild.. Lets just say Tango and HB don’t see eye to eye yet. :S
Hopefully they settle down quickly.
Tee: Thanks again! See you later.
Tamyka: The cat was wasted. I was wired. I’m a little scared to check a.b now.. :S
Any time I can stop people being productive – I’m more than happy to volunteer! 😀 😛
I just read your original post again and saw that you have no kettle, but you still have a microwave (you nuked to make coffee). Interesting. It reminded me of a segment on one of those outrage shows, about superheated fluids from microwaves, and how coffee can blow up in your face.
The microwave is older than me and probably more dangerous than superheated Nescafe. It also weighs a tonne so I left it here but took the kettle to m&d’s.