my 1997 model

poor, poor willy.

with less than a week left before the semester starts, i've been going through my summer to-do list, seeing what i can do by way of getting as much of the left-over, fallen-by-the-wayside stuff crossed off the list as i can. last week's oil change was part of this to-do frenzy. i had actually planned to take the car in as soon as i got back from c and w. oops.

bracketing off the completed book manuscript (item #2 on the to-do list, listed right after the oil change), the only thing left on the summer to-do list was willy's summer fructosamine test. so i call the vet's office and learn that my account (i.e., willy's account) has been flagged for a "wellness visit." when i ask what, specifically, the wellness visit will involve, what it cost, etc. the person i am speaking to check's willy's record and refers to him as a "1997 model." "oh" she says. "yours is a 1997 model, right? we want to make sure everything looks and feels okay, especially since he's getting up there." had she known about my issues about pets, aging, and death, she might have thought twice about suggesting that i have an old cat. yikes. that's the way to set me off. (as an aside--i'm not sure what happens in maryland but in the midwest cats often live to be 18 or 25.) and had she known how much i dislike driving, cars and/or, more generally, anything (including analogies) that brings to mind cars or driving, she might not have said that. i mean, asking what model year cat i had was a bit kinder, i suppose, than asking when i anticipate willy will pass on, but still. man, wait till i pull up for tuesday's appointment in a 1993 model saturn with no a/c.