Wednesday, February 18, 2009

worried

Last month I took Zeke to the vet for shots and to have his anal glands cleaned out (an absolutely delightful task I assure you, but some dogs need it). The shots went fine, but while the vet was doing the anal gland thingie she noticed a little bump where there isn't supposed to be one. We scheduled a recheck in a month, which was today, and the little bump is still there.

While it could be many things that aren't terribly problematic, it could also be anal sac carcinoma, which can be deadly. So the vet took some blood for some tests which will help determine if it's the carcinoma and next week I'm taking Zeke back in to have a biopsy done. If it is a carcinoma at least it's small (about the size of a pea), so it's most likely been caught early which makes a successful outcome much more likely. Because it's in an area that doesn't usually get a lot of checking, many of these are found in the late stages when they have spread.

Another good thing is there is a very good specialty and emergency vet clinic less than 10 miles away, plus the OSU vet school clinic very close as well, so I have easy access to top of the line vet care if needed. So right now I'm feeling pretty positive about this, but I can't help but be worried. Zekie is a wonderful dog and I want him around for many years to come.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that wasn't even the stuff going on I mentioned in my last post. Thanks for the birthday wishes!

So for my birthday I bought my first wide format printer. Now as wide format printers go, it's just a baby, but it will print sheets up to 13"x19" with eight colours of pigment ink.

"Wait a minute" I hear you say. "Isn't that the type of printer used to make SK's art prints and cards?"

"Why, yes, it is" I say with a big smile.

Yep, I finally gave the woman I've had do the prints (and the photographing the paintings to get the image to print) the boot. Ultimately I could not accept waiting weeks and sometimes months (often with no communication during this time) for work which for most of the time I was doing business with her was supposed to have a week to maximum ten day turn around time. I really should have done it long before this, but she was someone I knew and I felt loyal to her. Unfortunately, I have since realised she did not feel as loyal to me as I did to her.

So the plan now is to have all the paintings scanned and colour corrected and the image files put on disc. Then I will do any final tweaking needed and will make the cards and prints up to 13"x19" (which is our current max size). Because large format scanning usually has much more detail and sharpness than a photograph for making prints, we will also now be able to offer larger sized prints of the larger sized paintings (SK is now doing some 20"x30" pieces -- his previous max size was 18"x24"). These larger prints will only be offered as special orders because I will have to order them which can take a while, but I think it will be good to offer them.

But back to my new printer. Getting this printer is a big step for me because although it is just a printer, it's an expensive little (not so little -- it's approx 2'x2.5') devil. I could have gotten a decent computer for what I dropped on this printer. A set of eight ink tanks (the printer head is attached to the machine) costs a bit over $100 and these printers are ink hogs so the ink doesn't last long. And then there is the cost of the specialty paper....

Still, because we make virtually all of Steve's paintings into cards and prints it would be nearly impossible to set up everything (currently we offer cards and prints of approximately 150 paintings) with another printer. Plus I can print off work when I need it, so I will be able to offer excellent service and not have to carry a large inventory of printed pieces.

The printer is supposed to arrive tomorrow. If I post a pic of me with clumps of hair missing you'll know it's not going well.

8 Comments:

Blogger General Catz said...

Wow, that is so cool to hear about the printer. I didn't even know they existed for mere humans to buy. Send us a card from it, will ya? I'd love to see the quality.

I sure hope Zeke is easily healed and it's not the big C. I'm so sick of hearing that word.

9:21 AM  
Blogger Freddie said...

Hope you lil’ friend is okay.
As for the printer,
I know next to nothing about such things but it sounds exciting!
Good luck with it.
You know, I’m just now realizing that it’s you who does the art prints :-)
And that they don’t have to come all the way from Australia
and that I can probably afford the shipping from Ohio
and I wouldn’t have to wait for them to roll into town for a concert.
Yeah, I’m pretty slow I suppose.

11:20 AM  
Blogger Queen Hatshepsut said...

Ahhhh...I hope Zeke is OK. I know what it's like to wait to find out if a lump is nothing on an animal, or something. I can understand your worry, but it sounds like you've got some good options around you should he need treatment.

I'll keep him in my prayers!

Awesome printer my dear! I also didn't know mere humans could buy such a thing. Naturally, haha, I've seen Steve's cards and prints up close and wow is all I can say! I don't even need to imagine the quality. Now you won't have to be beholden to that idiotic woman anymore. Yay!

3:41 AM  
Blogger veleska1970 said...

i'm sorry about zeke. hopefully he's alright.

what brand of printer is it? i've worked with lots of different brands while in the photographic business.
"I finally gave the woman I've had do the prints ... the boot." thank God for that. it sucks having to be at the whims of someone else, especially someone who doesn't give a shit about how soon you need something. the waiting you had to endure is inexcusable.

11:01 AM  
Blogger Queen Hatshepsut said...

Did you take Zeke back in?? Any news?

5:05 PM  
Blogger eek said...

Thanks for your positive thoughts for Zeke -- he gets his biopsy done this Thursday. Then I guess it will be a few days before I find out the results. He's getting a lot of belly rubs in the meantime. Luckily for him he doesn't know he has any problems.

And I'm taking Oscar (one of the cats) in or Thursday too because he always seems hungry. He's perky and his coat is sleek and shiny, but he always seems to want to eat. While it's possible he just got used to pigging out on Max's and Mitzi's super high calorie food, and now that they are gone he's finding it hard to adjust to a more normal diet, but I also worry he could have hyperthyroidism. So he has an appointment for Thursday afternoon around the time Zeke should be ready to come home.


Yep, Freddie, I'm SK's art rep. While I mostly enjoy it, there are times I wonder why in the hell I ever opened my big fat mouth. :-) And yep, shipping charges and transit times are fairly reasonable for the art -- just please don't order right now! I'm still figuring out this new printer!

The printer -- it's an Epson, Veleska. It's pretty much their entry level wide format pigment ink model, but it's large enough for what we need right now. It uses eight colours of ink. There are actually nine colours, but you choose either glossy black or matte black depending on what paper you are using. I expect to only be using the matte black. And speaking of the ink colours, it's a real rock n roll printer -- of the eight colours, three of them are black! LOL (gloss or matte black, light black, and light light black :-) )

I've been thinking of doing the bulk of the printing myself for a few years now, and I really should have have taken this step years earlier. Oh well, I can't change the past...I'm just glad I took this step now. I think it's going to work out well.

(I still have most of my hair! For a day or so I was starting to wonder if I would though. lol! :-) )

5:18 AM  
Blogger veleska1970 said...

an epson!! those are FANTASTIC printers. i have two myself. (just two regular photo printers, nothing as expensive and fancy as what you have....)

5:51 AM  
Blogger Freddie said...

Sounds exciting! :-)
Let me know when you're ready for orders.

1:40 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home