mistressofmuses (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mistressofmuses) wrote2026-01-30 04:21 pm
mistressofmuses) wrote2026-01-30 04:21 pm
RIP Clickbait (~August 6, 2025 - January 24, 2026)
Poor Clickbait has finally passed on to the greenbean fields in the sky.
He was the first katydid Alex caught last summer. August 6th was the first day I heard a katydid clicking in the trees, and Alex caught him later that same night.
He was the smallest of the three that we had last year, and the "fussiest." He would make little tiny territorial clicks at just about everything; water running in the sink and cereal bags crinkling were big for him, haha. He acted like he wanted to make sure everyone knew that he was the toughest katydid in the room!
And it turns out he was! Typically broad-winged katydids like ours only live a couple months as adults; the two from last year both died in October, I think, and the two others from this year died in late October/early November. When Clickbait was still going strong, I thought it would be really cool if he made it all the way to December, but I didn't expect it. Then he did. Then I thought "Christmas? Christmas katydid?" And he was here at Christmas! "All the way to the new year??" And he made it to the new year!
I was very sad he finally passed, though a little glad he waited until I was home from the hospital. (I returned late on Thursday; he passed on Saturday morning.) He clicked all the way up through the end, with plenty to say even on Friday night! But he didn't eat his Friday night beans, and then he went down to the bottom of the cage, which is always how it goes at the end. :(
It's hard to even say "aw, poor guy" because he lived more than twice, approaching three times as long as expected! He was just about two weeks shy of hitting six months, which is wild!
I'll miss him. He was a fun little guy to have, and the overnights are just a little too quiet without him click-click-clicking like mad. I hope that some of our katydid eggs (most of which were probably sired by Three, but some of which were sired by Clickbait) will hatch, and we might have some of his progeny roaming around.
(Eating green beans, his truest love.)
For me: I am recovering! The process of trying to gather everything required for the leave application has been the biggest frustration and time sink and stress of the last week. (There will probably be a bigger post about how much I hate government paperwork later.) For now, it at least feels like things are improving. Food has mostly been sitting well, though I'm still trying to be really cautious. (Lots of soup. Lots of yogurt. Some toast.) I would commit minor crime for a pizza or something, but I think that'll have to be a few days out, still. My guts are still not right, but seem to be slightly better than they were. My incision sites still look pretty gross, but are healing well. Trying to walk more, as advised, to deal with the fact that I am still just bonkers bloated.
Thank you so, so much for all the kind thoughts and comments. I'm going to try to respond to at least the most recent ones. I am also going to try to get caught up on the weeks of stuff I've missed here, but it'll take me a while. I hope everyone else has had a better few weeks than I have!
He was the first katydid Alex caught last summer. August 6th was the first day I heard a katydid clicking in the trees, and Alex caught him later that same night.
He was the smallest of the three that we had last year, and the "fussiest." He would make little tiny territorial clicks at just about everything; water running in the sink and cereal bags crinkling were big for him, haha. He acted like he wanted to make sure everyone knew that he was the toughest katydid in the room!
And it turns out he was! Typically broad-winged katydids like ours only live a couple months as adults; the two from last year both died in October, I think, and the two others from this year died in late October/early November. When Clickbait was still going strong, I thought it would be really cool if he made it all the way to December, but I didn't expect it. Then he did. Then I thought "Christmas? Christmas katydid?" And he was here at Christmas! "All the way to the new year??" And he made it to the new year!
I was very sad he finally passed, though a little glad he waited until I was home from the hospital. (I returned late on Thursday; he passed on Saturday morning.) He clicked all the way up through the end, with plenty to say even on Friday night! But he didn't eat his Friday night beans, and then he went down to the bottom of the cage, which is always how it goes at the end. :(
It's hard to even say "aw, poor guy" because he lived more than twice, approaching three times as long as expected! He was just about two weeks shy of hitting six months, which is wild!
I'll miss him. He was a fun little guy to have, and the overnights are just a little too quiet without him click-click-clicking like mad. I hope that some of our katydid eggs (most of which were probably sired by Three, but some of which were sired by Clickbait) will hatch, and we might have some of his progeny roaming around.
(Eating green beans, his truest love.)
For me: I am recovering! The process of trying to gather everything required for the leave application has been the biggest frustration and time sink and stress of the last week. (There will probably be a bigger post about how much I hate government paperwork later.) For now, it at least feels like things are improving. Food has mostly been sitting well, though I'm still trying to be really cautious. (Lots of soup. Lots of yogurt. Some toast.) I would commit minor crime for a pizza or something, but I think that'll have to be a few days out, still. My guts are still not right, but seem to be slightly better than they were. My incision sites still look pretty gross, but are healing well. Trying to walk more, as advised, to deal with the fact that I am still just bonkers bloated.
Thank you so, so much for all the kind thoughts and comments. I'm going to try to respond to at least the most recent ones. I am also going to try to get caught up on the weeks of stuff I've missed here, but it'll take me a while. I hope everyone else has had a better few weeks than I have!
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Glad to hear you're on the mend!
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Happy things seem to be moving in the right direction recovery-wise!
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And good for you that you're doing better! Your job needs to not be a twat about it. I wish there was something else out there for you to do rather than that place - something that has compassionate bosses.
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My job has been fairly understanding, it's the stupid state system that's been the real nightmare. (I mean, the job may only be as understanding as the law requires them to be, lol, but they've been all right.)
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Otherwise I am so, so happy and relieved to hear it sounds like you're slowly but surely on the mend!!! ^_^
Fuck *everything* about how convoluted your leave application process has been from the sounds of it. Seriously.
For other mild foods to try to work up to the holy grail of pizza haha, would warm white/basmati/jasmine rice with milk, honey, and cinnamon be remotely appetizing? Bananas perhaps? A mild pasta dish like fettuccine? Sweet potatoes or squash?
I'm not sure if your incisions have that weird yellowish glue circle covering self-dissolving stitches but you're going to be in for an amazing treat when your doctor gives you permission to wash the glue off and the glue eventually comes off the incision scars themselves after your post-op appointment haha. xD (It's going to look pristine underneath and all the weird iodine staining/gnarlyness will be instantly *poof!* gone haha.)
As for the bloating, I can only imagine how utterly pissed off your innards are being infected and then essentially vacuumed(?) out for said infection, much less the usual laparoscopic bloat that comes with that surgical procedure, but, damn, I hope walking and gently moving around helps settle things and you'll be much less inflated soon!
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Definitely at least starting to feel like things are moving the right direction in terms of healing. Not all the way there, but that'll probably be another month or so, if not longer.
This whole application process can go squarely fuck itself though, haha.
Luckily, food has been staying fairly agreeable *knock on wood.* Lots of bananas, yogurt... Sadly rice has been unappealing since it was the last thing I ate before I started feeling sick. (I know it *wasn't* food poisoning, but my stomach looks at rice and says no thank you, ha. It better get over it, because I love rice, dammit.) Had some buttered noodles. Mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes have been great!
I DO have a bunch of surgical glue over the incisions. It is going to be THE MOST SATISFYING GLUE PEEL EVER. I do have some weird splotchy iodine stain stuff, too, so I'm looking forward to that being gone. The scabs have started to itch a little, so it shouldn't be TOO long... though not quite there yet.
Ugh, the bloating is stupid. But yeah, basically had to get a whole spew of infectious grossness vacuumed out. I can't be too mad at my guts for being displeased about the whole situation, haha.
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Hearing things seem to be moving in the right direction is positively wonderful news though and I very much hope that by this commenting you're starting to feel infinitely more *normal* again.
Though oh damn, ghah, I hate how foods end up on the "perma-banned" list like that even years after you get sick and I hope that rice didn't end up on it eternally for you. :( Have you been able to work up to pizza just yet for that matter?
Seriously, it will be GLORIOUS beyond all gloriousness when it's time haha. For mine when it was time, I just used a warm, damp wash cloth to gently exfoliate the glue that was starting to peel anyway at the edges and wow was it a thoroughly satisfying experience to be rid of it. xD
Oh goodness no haha, like, you're still here with us after THAT magnitude of an ordeal, I grant your guts a HELLUVALOT of grace in the process of returning to any semblance of normal. X_X
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I'm certainly beyond ready to be fully healed, though I know it'll take a while longer. Getting back to feeling almost normal, at least!
I have had pizza! Twice! (Frozen pizza cooked at home, but tasty!) I managed some rice that was absolutely drowned in sauce, which made it "seem" different enough. Hopefully I'll work back up to just regular rice!
I feel like understanding the psychology of that "no, I shall not be eating that again, possibly ever" reaction should let you combat it! Unfair that it doesn't, haha.
I had part of one of the scabs come off today, so I'm hopeful that the chance to really get all the gunk off will be soon!
My guts are taking their time (and can't make up their mind what sort of tantrum they'll throw day to day) but I'm grateful to them for continuing to function!
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Sorry about having to deal with paperwork stupidity with everything else going on. Seems like the worst time to be dealing with nonsense. I hope you feel better and have can pizza soon!
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Ugh, the paperwork has been worse than the surgery! At least I was unconscious for that! For real, such a crappy time to have to deal with it.
Thank you!
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Ugh to all the paperwork! And I hope your guts heal enough for you to have pizza soon. I know from my mom's experience that not being able to eat what you want to really sucks.
*hugs*
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The paperwork has been such a headache.
I got my pizza! Just a little bit, but it stayed where I put it!
*hugs*
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Incredible! I'm glad he held on until you got home. *hugs* And also very glad about the "you're home!" part in general. I hope you keep healing up well.
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*hugs*
Very glad to be home.
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It sucks that you have to deal with loss of a pet at the same time as all of this. Hugs. But it must help that he lived a really long happy life. Glad to hear the guts are beginning to heal up, that's an encouraging sign :)
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Definitely encouraged that things seem to be improving, if slower than I wish!