Cat scratch fever

[cleolinda]

Friday: Dandelions on the lawn. Tuesday: Siberian tundra. It was actually 46 degrees this morning, and now it's 34. It's actually gotten colder as the day progressed, rather than warming up with the sun. Damn.

("Feels Like: 25°." WHAT THE HELL.)

Also, and I am asking y'all's advice on this, Bad Cat bit me early Monday morning. S/he got a good mouthful of the side of the hand, so now I have two deep punctures--one kind of where my thumb joins my wrist, and one on the back of my hand at the wrist. The thumbish one hurts, and it's a teensy bit red, but it's okay. The back of my hand has a giant inflamed patch around the puncture. Like, larger than a fifty-cent piece. And it hurts. Is it just because the cat-mouth-bacteria is spreading out over the back of my hand, or do I need to see a doctor about this? It's my right hand, and I kind of don't want to lose it.

Golden Globes: updates, rants, and unanswered questions:

Where was Prince? And did he kick Timberlake's ass? Apparently Prince got a dig in at Timberlake at an Emmy party ("For whoever is claiming that they are bringing sexy back, sexy never left!"), so apparently it was all in good fun. Now, do I believe Prince got stuck in traffic? Hell no.

How good was Hugh Laurie's acceptance speech? So good.

What do I have against Jamie Foxx? Since people asked: long story short, I got really, really sick of that damn acceptance speech he trotted out at every single awards show circa Ray. No, not the part about his grandma, because 1) that was heartwarming and genuine and 2) God knows if I started hating people for dedicating awards to loved ones ad infinitum, I'd have a lot of hatin' on my plate. No, I mean the part where he'd first step up and start that damn call-and-response heyyyyy-o! shit every single time. Winning the Oscar only encouraged the swagger he was developing at the time, to the point where all he's doing is presenting and he starts up with that shit again. He's incredibly full of himself for someone who started out on In Living Color, and meanwhile, all the reviews of Dreamgirls I'm seeing say that Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson nail it to the wall, and Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx are furniture. I'm just saying.

Are we, in fact, ready for this jelly? No. No, we are not. Put it back in the jar, Beyoncé.

What the hell was going on with Maria Menounos and America Ferrera? To recap, as I was distracted at the time and didn't capture the full horror of the moment: Menounos is babbling on when Ferrera walks up behind her for her post-win interview, as she was clearly instructed to do, and stands there helplessly as Menounos ignores her. Someone offscreen beckons to her--you can see it in Ferrera's face--and she walks out of the frame. Finally she's sent back so Menounos can deign to talk to her. First question: "What do you have to say to all the people who said you shouldn't play Ugly Betty?" "I--I don't know who they are," stammers Ferrera, and honestly, I don't either. I've never heard of anyone else considered for Betty, or any controversy about Ferrera's casting. I don't have quotations for the rest of it, but I seem to remember Menounos then asking Ferrera what it was like to work with so many beautiful people, and she ever thought she would ever win an award like this. I have no idea what that was all about, but I have two theories: 1) Menounos is an idiot; 2) Menounos was purposely being a complete bitch. Either way: get her off the stage.

Who knew Sacha Baron Cohen was hot? Dude, seriously.

Why won't anyone give Scorsese an Oscar? I have no idea. I hesitate to say that he's the greatest living American director, but I would definitely say he's in the top three, at least. I swear, I get the feeling that the Academy hasn't given him one on purpose, but I can't figure out why. They seem to have gone out of their way time and time again to snub him--and keep in mind here that the Oscars constantly run on a sort of compensatory logic. Oh, we didn't give it to Russell Crowe last year, we'll give it to him this year, and so on. What the Oscars don't do is try to answer the question, "Who really put out the best work this year?" Because it's a popularity contest, as any democratic vote is. That's the way it is, and I'm okay with that. But here's the thing: if it is a popularity contest, why is it never Scorsese's turn to be popular? I'm not saying he should have won for Gangs of New York or The Aviator per se, but none of this is about any kind of objective "should" anyway. It's more like "So-and-so is umpteen hundred years old, we should give him an Oscar before he croaks," not "But that long-suffering character actor really did put in the best performance, so we should give it to him." These are different shoulds, if you see what I'm saying here. And this is what I'm asking: who did Scorsese piss off? He's a nice guy! He's good to work with! Actors love him! National treasure! "America's Film Professor"! But we'd rather give Best Director to Clint Eastwood, who already has one, for an extremely depressing movie instead of the big glam Old Hollywood epic that the Academy usually rolls right over for. And now, it looks like Scorsese's going to get a pity Oscar for a remake. Yes, multiple people have told me it was the best movie they saw last year. I don't care. A pity Oscar for a remake. Honestly? I want Scorsese to never, ever get one of those goddamn things. I want the Academy to live with the embarrassment that this man made Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, and they never, ever gave him one. I don't want them to fob him off with a pity trophy for a remake so they can sleep at night. They made this bed by not giving it to him for thirty years; they can damn well lie awake in it now.

(/rant)

Why do I hate Clint Eastwood? You know, Clint Eastwood is a bit like John Wayne for me: I had to see the movies where he was really young to get his appeal. And Clint Eastwood, Actor, doesn't bother me, except for the fact that he uses the mumblesquint as a bit of a crutch these days. No, it's Clint Eastwood, Director, and his Cinema of Bleak that turns me off, and it's what I perceive to be blatant award-whoring that annoys the hell out of me. Lord of the Rings steps on Mystic River, and he smarms (he did? Sean Penn did? Someone associated with that movie did) at some awards show that their movie doesn't have to rely on special effects. Because, you know, it's the special effects that made everyone cry through the fifteen endings, I'm sure. Million Dollar Baby is taking Scorsese's Oscar, but Eastwood says that what he's really always wanted was to win for Best Actor. Flags of Our Fathers dropped off the awards radar? Let's push Letters from Iwo Jima up two months and squeak it in under the December deadline! And I'm not even going to touch the issue of Letters winning BEST FOREIGN FILM, for chrissakes, because the rules were recently changed to allow movies in languages that are not their country's official language to compete, and that's a good thing. It just... didn't work out as well as it might have. Look, I'm not saying that Clint Eastwood is an empirical dick. You don't have to hate him. I'm not saying you should. I'm just saying, he gets on my second-to-last nerve. Jamie Foxx gets on the last one.

How did Jessica Biel end up in Hilary Swank's hand-me-down? I have no idea. But it's okay, because as the ohnotheydidnt entry so eloquently notes, "lol pwn."

Go Fug Yourself takes on the Globe fashions:

>> Cate Blanchett in a lovely black dress... until you hit the scrolldown.

>> Sienna Miller's dumbass headbraid.

>> Vanessa Williams wearing the pelt of Chaka Khan.

>> Cameron Diaz's ruffled horror.

Normal linkspam:

Castro reportedly in 'grave' condition; Castro surgery seems to have been botched: experts.

Obama launches 2008 White House bid.

Blair warns against Scottish independence:

Blair's warning Tuesday came as the Scottish National Party (SNP) used the anniversary of their union to launch a fresh drive for independence, while some opinion polls suggested a majority of Scots and English want to separate. "Separation is a retreat into an old-fashioned view of the world that would be bizarre in the 21st century," Blair warned. "It would be an incredibly regressive and reactionary step to break it apart now." Blair, who was born and schooled in Edinburgh, warned that even the prospect of a referendum on Scottish independence would damage economic confidence. However, he stopped short of echoing a warning by Gordon Brown, his Scottish finance minister and heir apparent, of a "dangerous drift" toward separatism in Britain.

Majority of US women living without spouse.

Man charged in Phoenix "Baseline Killer" case.

New 'Hobbit' Galaxies Discovered Around Milky Way.

Jordan's Petra named 7 wonders candidate.

Winning Nobel Prize increases lifespan by two years.

Jolie, Pitt move to New Orleans, report says.

Two from the Costumer's Guide: From The Golden Age, Her Cateness in armor, and rumors that Robert Tonner (remember the really good Harry Potter dolls?) may be putting out Narnia and Pirates of the Caribbean lines. I am so screwed, y'all.

elendiari22: "Hey Cleo, next time you do a linkspam, could you pimp this for me: my sister-in-law is having an art sale to help pay off her student loans, and I thought I'd spread the word. Thanks!"

sternbunny: "Perhaps something for your next linkspam: The Battle of Helms Deep...in scale...in candy."

Comments

[marumae.livejournal.com]

Wow I totally read that article as New "Hobbit" Galaxies found around MIKEY Way (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikey_Way) I was like umm...what...is this a hidden track on the new album or...

[jessica-dwg.livejournal.com]

Sadly enough, the first time I noticed SBC's sexy was when I saw the clip of him in that lime green bathing suit... thing from Borat. If you ignore the horror of the suit itself, you'll notice that he actually has a really nice body under all that hair. And yes, I feel dirty having typed out that sentence.

[levi.livejournal.com]

I would say yes, go see a doctor. Better safe than sorry and seeing as how cats use litter boxes and all, there's always the chance of fecal matter. I know that's ew.

[zolora.livejournal.com]

Who knew Sacha Baron Cohen was hot? Dude, seriously.

For real. That discovery made sitting through the awards worth it for me.

If you start to feel feverish, get to a doctor. My mom got bitten/scratched (I don't remember which, sorry) by a kitten and got some special feline death flu after noticing a rash around the wound. She was fine, but apparently it could've gotten serious if she'd waited too long.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

If you start to feel feverish, get to a doctor

... Uh oh.

[la-petite-singe.livejournal.com]

I have to say, the "sexy never left" comeback is fairly old by now, isn't it? I kind of thought Justin's thing was funny.

Poor, poor America. Maria was so not at all smooth there. But in a way, I liked that America's still sort of new to the fame-game and down-to-earth enough to not be sure...I dunno, it's just cute. She handled it fairly well.

Sacha IS hot!! I've been running around screaming that at people for months, and they don't believe me. It helps that he's about eight feet tall and has a sexy accent. Sign me up. ♥

And I piped up "High on a hill was a lonely goatherd!" at Sienna, to the amusement of my buds. Heh.

[the_powerlines.livejournal.com]

A couple of years ago, my Bad Cat bit her way up my face and left a couple of lovely puncture wounds on my forehead. They bled like crazy for a while, as head wounds do, and then that whole side of my forehead swelled for about a week (and hurt like crazy). Just when I was starting to get really worried, the swelling went down and you can hardly see the marks at all now.

So you're probably just fine. Cat's mouths are dirty places, though, so keep an eye on it. Keep it really clean and watch for changes, and if it does anything other than get red and swell, get thee to a doctor!

[pandaforlunch.livejournal.com]

Not wise! I'm surprised you didn't come down with CSF! And hands are delicate things - if you want to keep them, and you have a puncture rather than just a surface scratch, you want to have it looked at.

My *grumble*brotherinlaw*grumble* was bitten in the joining flesh between his thumb and forefinger, and was warned that he might lose his hand if he didn't have it treated. If I recall correctly, he had to go on a number of medications, as well.

Better safe than sorry. If the area of the inflamation is that large, in proportion to the wound, I would definitely see the doctor - even if just to put your mind at ease.

[threerings.livejournal.com]

I just want to say Thank You for your rant on Clint Eastwood. I hate him as a director and he makes horrible films. What he did to Mystic River (one of my favorite novels ever)was an atrocity.

K, I feel better now.

[ninepointfivemm.livejournal.com]

Word, but to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. You really have to try to make the movie suck, because the source material is so fantastic.

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

That Maria Menounous thing was sooo awkward to watch. She's an idiot.

I thought Scorsase should have won for the Aviator - one of the things I liked about it was the different color processes they used for the different eras of film in the movie. Anyway - I know he's been totally deserving long before, but I thought the Aviator deserved it. From what I've heard, The Departed is a good film, but you're right that it's a remake and I'd hate to see him get a pity Oscar. I don't know why they consistently snub him - does he not play their game or something?

Clint Eastwood - in some ways I like him, but you're right in that he does extrememly depressing films. I saw Million Dollar Baby and I hated it with the fire of a thousand suns. I knew it didn't end well, but I never expected what was to come, and I felt it was very bait and switch. I went thinking I was seeing a boxing movie, and I ended up watching a euthanasia film.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, I personally thought he deserved it for The Aviator, but figured my point would be made better if I left personal opinion out of it. : )

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

When Scorsese didn't win an Oscar for GoodFellas, someone asked Harvey Keitel's opinion, and he said 'Maybe Marty has gotten what he deserves — exclusion from the mediocre.'

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Awww! Bless him.

[sucrelefey.livejournal.com]

Swelling in puncture bites is normal. I got them from our savage all the time. See a doctor if there is gooey gross discharge or the swelling lasts more than a couple of days or if things spread up your arm or you get tingly loss of sensation or you run a fever or your animal was not vacinated. You feel pain, good the nerves are working then. Ice and some asprin.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've had swelling before ("Bad Cat" is for a reason), but nothing that spread quite like this. But yeah, I stood with some ice on it while I was making dinner, and I've dug up the hydrogen peroxide and some Tylenol--I did feel feverish all day. But definitely pain, it's spreading towards my fingers rather than my arm, no tingling, no discharge, and I'm pretty sure the cat was vaccinated. I'm gonna give it until Friday before I really panic.

[alpheratz.livejournal.com]

Well, when a dog bit someone's leg on House, they had to amputate the leg, so I'd make an appointment and get antibiotics or something.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

...

[shoukinkasegi.livejournal.com]

Over the holiday season a friend of mine got his left ring finger bit and had to go to the hospital. Cellulitis. We were kidding that it was "just a flesh wound", but all laughing stopped when he was informed by the doctor that had he not gone to the hospital the inflamed hand - it had ballooned to twice its normal size - would have certainly needed some, what's the word. Amputation? Yes.

He's just now getting the bill and it's USD 2000 and then some. He was given a lot of drugs for the pain, &c. Moral of the story? Don't let your cat bite ya.

[skyblade.livejournal.com]

and he smarms (he did? Sean Penn did? Someone associated with that movie did)at some awards show that their movie doesn't have to rely on special effects.

Susan Sarandon (Tim Robbins's partner) at the Golden Globes when introducing the special effects. However, this is all started when Eastwood himself claims he couldn't get Mystic River made because the studio wanted to make a movie based on a comic book. So he introduced the movie with "It's not about the special effects" back when it was playing at Cannes. What soon happened was, Warner Brother saw a tagline which would make a perfect counter to the Rings juggernaut, and used the footage with his approval. And in turn, even people who didn't like the movie saw it as a horse in the backlash race.

I don't mind that Scorcese is winning for a remake, so much as he's winning by virtue of having no real competition (Should the best picture matchup be the same we've seen at the DGA) The slate of pictures is somewhat weak from a directing standpoint, and if Greengrass, Cuaron or De Toro get nominated, it won't be for picture, ruling them out. He's probably going to win by default.

[conejita-diabla.livejournal.com]

Whoa...when did Susan Sarandon become "Tim Robbins' partner"? I mean, I know they've been together forever, but I think of her as being more famous and recognized than him - or at least on a fairly even level. So that sentence stuck me as really weird...:-)

[bibsy.livejournal.com]

Are we, in fact, ready for this jelly? No. No, we are not. Put it back in the jar, Beyoncé.

THANK YOU.

And a doctor's visit wouldn't be a bad idea; better safe than amputated.

[polly-moopers.livejournal.com]

It's a testament to my defective sense of fashion that I am in love with Cameron Diaz's ruffles.

[angelan.livejournal.com]

Hey, I like Sienna Miller's headbraid! Let those with defective fashion sense unite!

[bardintraining.livejournal.com]

Might wanna go to a walk-in clinic and just get the bite checked out for peace of mind. I'm only saying this because a friend's cat had flesh-eating disease a few years ago. The cat's still around, but...just get a professional to have a look.

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

Jamie Foxx is universally loathed in Hollywood, but his box office clout makes people want to work with him. Even before he won the Oscar he had a terrible reputation: he's pissy, humorless and utterly, utterly full of himself.

The reason Scorsese will never get an Oscar: he's a New Yorker, he doesn't kiss ass, he must have pissed off someone with power quite royally, his films are "difficult," and not in that "uplifting" Steven Spielberg way (I think the Academy never wanted to give him an Oscar either, but his receipts are too enormous).

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Jamie Foxx is universally loathed in Hollywood, but his box office clout makes people want to work with him. Even before he won the Oscar he had a terrible reputation: he's pissy, humorless and utterly, utterly full of himself.

Woohoo! Jerkdar confirmed!

The reason Scorsese will never get an Oscar: he's a New Yorker, he doesn't kiss ass, he must have pissed off someone with power quite royally

I kind of suspected being a NYer had something to do with it--I remember now that someone once pointed out that Clint was mayor of whichever city out in CA and has all that classic-Western cred, so they love him out there. It's the pissing someone off thing that I keep wondering about, because I'm fairly certain you're right, but I can't figure out who.

(I still can't believe he didn't win for The Aviator. A big glossy epic about Old Hollywood--I don't care if it had an odd, haunting semi-downer of an ending [which I loved]--it was still tons less depressing than Million Dollar Baby. I still can't believe they didn't fall for that one.)

[lyricalnights.livejournal.com]

I dislike Clint Eastwood because he wears too much makeup and he now looks like Lord Voldemort. But not the cool Voldemort, 'cause Ralph Fiennes made that guy look good without a nose.

Clint looks like the Voldemort face that they CGIed onto the back of Ian Hart's head at the end of the first movie. *spoiler* ;)

Also, Mystic River sucked, and so did Million Dollar Baby.

[enid-keaner.livejournal.com]

I think I love you.

[narcissa-malfoy.livejournal.com]

Have you ever a had tetanus shot? If not, that wouldn't be a bad idea.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've had one. Of course, I think it was 14 years ago.

[redmapletree.livejournal.com]

Hugh Laurie's acceptance speech confirmed the fact that I may never get over my love for that man.

[bubonicplague.livejournal.com]

See a doctor as soon as possible about that bite. They are puncture wounds.

I had my cat maul me a while back - he escaped and went all feral when I tried to catch him - and he bit my right hand pretty hard. At first it only really hurt, then it swelled up to the size of a damn grapefruit. You need antibiotics in order to prevent major surgery for damaging the hell out of your tendons. The doctors actually considered putting me in the hospital. It's best not to play with the use of your hand.

[shesnotallthere.livejournal.com]

Having been bitten by many, many cats in my years as a vet tech, I wince in sympathy for you. Cat bites always hurt like hell on fire.

I would recommend getting a prescription for oral antibiotics. Yes, you'd probably be fine without them. However, I'd rather you go ahead and take a few pills now, just in case, than wind up with an IV a week from now. Your doctor may even call you in something without an actual office visit. Also, the doc can prescribe a strong anti-inflammatory, and that means feeling better faster.

Whether you get the oral meds or not, definitely apply Neosporin or another topical antibiotic cream to the punctures. Taking an OTC anti-inflammatory like Advil will also help.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was hoping I could get my doctor to call something in. I couldn't find any rubbing alcohol or peroxide when I was first bitten, so I used a facial toner that had tea tree oil in it, because I'm just that lame. Also, I had Neosporin on it from the word go, and it did close up and scab over pretty cleanly. It's just that the inflammation then set in. I've now swabbed both with peroxide (some of the redness immediately faded a bit) and put some more Neosporin on, and I'm going to see how it looks in the morning.

Is Advil or Tylenol better as an anti-inflammatory?

[lady-moriel.livejournal.com]

Friday: Dandelions on the lawn. Tuesday: Siberian tundra. It was actually 46 degrees this morning, and now it's 34. It's actually gotten colder as the day progressed, rather than warming up with the sun. Damn.

("Feels Like: 25°." WHAT THE HELL.)

Whatever, here it's 11°, feels like 0°. And we've got a blizzard warning. Worst part is, it's been colder--came up from fifteen below or so just last week.

[vampirepig13.livejournal.com]

Send your weather to me, please? *pouts* I miss the cold!

[oohasparklie.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with you about Jamie Foxx. I used to be a big fan of his actually, I even had his album back in his In Living Color days, I'm not even kidding. But he has turned into a giant wanking douchebag and I'm so turned off by that. He should have a picture of "Ugly Wanda" hanging above his bed to remind himself every day where he came from.

I agree about Scorsese, too. Though I do think he should have won for Gangs of New York. That movie was amazing, and never got any credit. Who actually won that year? I don't remember if it was Peter Jackson, scratch Scorsese. Heh.

I'm not wild about Clint Eastwood's movies either. Actually, I can't say that for sure because I don't think I've ever seen one of his movies, they all look way too damned depressing. I can see that dour bullshit on the news, thanks.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Gangs of New York? Chicago won that year; Polanski won for director.

[mysticowl.livejournal.com]

A part of me hopes that when they finally do give Scorcese his Oscar, he'll tell the Academy where they can shove it. Because, as Shonda Rhimes would way, seriously!