This has been one of the worst weeks in a long time.  Saturday afternoon, I was delivering Christmas gifts to foster kids when some jerk ran a red light on Penn Avenue and actually plowed a second car right into my CRV.  I wasn't hurt beyond the usual whiplashy things and my car isn't terribly damaged, but the poor guy in the middle has toast for a car and didn't look too good as he stumbled into the ambulance. 

Then Saturday night, I am petting my dog and find an enlarged lymph node so I know that she is out of remission.  I take her to the Emergency Vet on Monday to verify (yep) and it takes two friggin hours for the clinic to process my bill and take my money.  Two hours.  That's after she saw the vet. 

Then Monday night, I take my family out to dinner at Sassy Marie's on the Northside.  They typically like Olive Garden for xmas eve, but agreed to a change.  We get there and the waitress tells us that they are serving from the lunch menu, a fact no one mentioned when I called for a *dinner* reservation.  So we had sandwiches for xmas eve dinner. 

I actually laid my head down on the table and sobbed for a good five minutes. 

The good news?  Chemo is a good option.  I saw the Polar Lights at the Pittsburgh Zoo tonight.  I have rental coverage.  Ledcat is taking me out to Six Penn for New Year's Eve dinner. And, yes, we are confirming that it won't be the sandwich menu. 

Plus, today I walked into the Theater Square and snagged the last two tickets to see Gab Bonesso's Interactive Comedy Show at First Night Pittsburgh. That's right, baby.  We got smart this year and ordered tickets for all the inside stuff in case we have another cruddy weather situation on NYE. 

Next week has to be better, right?

The tree in front of our house died a tragic death nearly two years ago.  I was sad, nearly as much as when PennDOT and the Redd Up crew slaughtered the perfectly healthy trees in the alley behind my home. 

In the ensuing two years, Ledcat and I, along with several neighbors, have dutifully dialed 311 to report a dead tree.  We reported when branches fell onto the sidewalk.  We reported when a gigunda piece of bark fell onto the sidewalk.  We reported to the tree people when Agent Ska blogged about them.  

This past month, a small postcard arrived informing us that the tree is scheduled for removal.  There's a small stamp "We regret no definite date can be promised."

Here's what the tree delivered to us as a Christmas present:

That's a giant piece of bark.  I dragged it off the street and it weighs at least as much as the giant container of cat litter I was carrying -- 15 lbs?.  At least, it missed my neighbor's car. 

So I'm regretting that no definite date can be promised, either.  Even if we park elsewhere, the tree looms over our rowhouse and is likely to take a few electric wires with it should it fall. 

Sadly, there are no Costas living on our little Avenue on the Northside.