Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sunday Salon: One of Those Weeks!


This week has been one of those weeks! You know, the kind of week that makes you grateful for the quiet weeks when you don't have much going on!

Gustave (aka Gus) is still sick. The vet discovered that he has a terrible tooth infection. She thinks he bit something and broke his tooth which then became infected. The awful think about cats is when they're in pain they don't let you know in some way. They just sort of absorb it into themselves and go about their usual day. They don't meow loudly or complain in any way. Gus slowed down his eating over several days and refused soft foods but continued to eat hard, crunchy cat food. And he started sleeping more and more. His way of trying to take care of himself was a sign to us that something was wrong. He's getting major doses of antibiotics now. The vet also took some blood from Gus. The results showed there may be something more than just a tooth infection. So when Gus is feeling better and the antibiotics have really kicked in, he's got to have a blood panel of his GI tract done. Poor guy! He's staying close by, sleeping on my bed or the computer keyboard mostly. I'm thrilled about this because, very often, cats go off on their own when they feel unwell & find a secluded spot to sleep. It's so hard to see my fur kids sick...terrible. I'm making sure to "mush him up" a lot!

On Friday I planned to see Black Swan while in Manhattan. It was playing close to the Humane Society at a large theater. I was very surprised when the ticket-taker told me the theater wasn't wheelchair accessible. There were 2 of stairs into the theater where the movie was playing but when we checked it out, it was only 6 wide steps all together. Awesome still a go! I really wanted to see this movie! Tickets in hand, we head inside, give in our tickets and start to maneuver the steps. 3 stairs behind me, 3 to go and suddenly one of the employees leans out from behind the concession stand and says, "You can't take the wheelchair into the theater, you have to leave it in the lobby"! Again surprised, I start to ask her a question when the manager comes over and says that he "can't allow me to take the chair into the theater because it's a fire hazard"! By this time, I'm sure there must be steam coming out of my head! Not only is there no ramp into the theater but apparently they haven't made any room in the rows of chairs for a wheelchair! But what really ticked me off was how discourteous the employees where, especially the manager. They didn't offer any assistance or suggestions, such as helping me into a theater chair and taking my wheelchair back out to the lobby & safely storing it for me. When I tried to say something about the chair, what I got was, "You were told the theater is not wheelchair accessible. There's nothing we can do about it." Ugh! I wanted to hit him! I felt as if they were determined to keep me out of the theater. It was bizarre & offensive but also humiliating to me! I told the manager he was discourteous and stupid. (I was angry!) He told me to have a wonderful day. I'm thinking about writing a letter to the head of that theater.

I haven't read much this week. And I still haven't posted my thoughts on Villette by Charlotte Bronte, week two for the read-a-long. I feel so discombobulated this week I started reading an ARC of Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult a few days ago and just started reading Devotion: A Memoir by Dani Shapiro
. I'm hoping to catch up on reading and reviews this week! .

Enjoy your Sunday! Happy Reading!

18 comments:

  1. You certainly do need to write a letter to the theater. That is totally uncalled for and most likely against the law. It didn't even happen to me and it makes my blood boil.

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  2. I am sorry Gus had to go through that. So glad he is doing better now.

    How awful that you were treated so poorly at the movie theater, Amy. I think you should definitely write a letter and complain.

    I hope you have a great week and enjoy your reading!

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  3. So sorry Gus is not well. Poor kitty!

    You forgot the magic words, Amy!! "I'm an attorney; you'll be hearing from me!" Write the letter, Girlfriend. You're right -- they could have been a lot nicer!! There's NO excuse for being nasty.

    And I thought HEW 504 says that all public buildings must be made accessible??

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  4. You are so right about cats. They just tough it out but in the end, they make themselves sicker that way. Hope all is well with Gus once they get the infection handled.

    There is something called the American Disabilities Act. The theater employees are not aware of it, apparently. Oh and was the manager like, thirteen? I find that theater personnel are often very young and not trained properly. I would definitely write a letter. Were you even able to see the movie? I want to see that movie myself and I would have been very upset to have paid for a ticket only to be treated like an invalid.

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  5. I'm sorry it's been such a tough week... and simply amazed at the insensitivity of the theater employees! A letter to the head of the company is definitely in order! Sure hope Gus feels better, too.

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  6. I would seriously write a letter if you feel up to it; IDIOTS! I'm surprised that they are allowed to remain open if not handicap accessible??

    Hope this week is better for you. I hope to start the new Picoult book by the end of the week. enjoy

    Hope Gus is better soon. Take Care Amy.

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  7. Oh my! I can't believe that you were treated that way in the theater! I would totally write a letter, and if there is someone higher up the chain you could complain to, I would do that too! I am so sorry to hear about this and think that rude and arrogant people suck!

    I also hope that your kitty is better soon. I know how hard it can be when an animal is sick, and I will be thinking of you and your fur-baby.

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  8. Hope everything is ok with Gus! About that theater, I didn't know you could even have a public facility any more that was entirely not wheelchair accessible. How often do you come across that in your day to day life? And how awful that those employees weren't more compassionate!

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  9. Poor Gus. I hope everything turns out okay for him. =O(

    You should definitely write that letter. I thought it was the law for places of business to be handicapped accessible? I'm pretty sure all the theaters are here in Nashville. That is just appalling! And please explain to me how a wheelchair is a fire hazard. How annoying!

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  10. I hope Gus gets fully better soon!!

    I can't believe what happened to you at the theatre. You should certainly write something to the manager. When I experience rude and mean people I always tell myself that they must be miserable in their lives to behave like that. That is usually the culprit.

    Wishing you a great week ahead filled with with sweet happy people!

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  11. I agree with the other comments, write a letter or two! I am sorry you were treated so poorly.

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  12. BERMUDAONION: Thank you so much! You know, I was so shocked and surprised by what happened that it took me some time to react. I haven't had an encounter like this in a long time, thankfully, so it threw me for a loop and took me some time to recover!

    LITERAY FELINE: Gus is feeling a little better but he's not the energetic, spirited cat he normally is. Hopefully he'll continue to improve. I am working on a letter, I was so surprised by what happened. Thank you for your kind words for Gus and me!

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  13. KATHYA: I did forget that I'm trained as a lawyer! I know some buildings are excused from being accessible but this is a big theater with several screens. There are a few old, single screen theaters around Brooklyn that aren't accessible but I understand that but what happened on Friday was completely different. Thank you for your support.
    And thank you for your kind words for Gus!

    TI: Exactly, the cats get sicker because it's hidden from us.
    I thought I was back about 25 years when the ADA was unknown. It was as if the employees didn't want my money. No, I didn't get to see the movie....I was so put off by the entire incident that we left there and couldn't find another theater with the right time. Hopefully this weekend!
    Thank you for your support!

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  14. JoANN: I'm working on the letter! I don't understand the theater, why it's like that, but I think the employees behavior is what really upset me! Thank you for your kind words for Gus.

    DIANE: "IDIOTS", that's perfect! I'm surprised they are open too and wonder how they can get away with this, too. I'm going to try to find out. Thank you :o)

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  15. ZIBILEE: Thank you so much, especially for Gus, poor kitty. I can't understand what people get out of being rude to others. And in the afternoon when the place was empty, I thought they'd be happy for the business. I'll see what I find out with a letter and investigation!

    LISA: It breaks my heart when I look at Gus because he looks so fragile and he's so quiet now. Hopefully the antibiotics will do the trick. I didn't think a public building of this theaters size could not be handicap accessible. It's been a long time since I encountered anything like this. Very strange.

    MICHELLE: Thank you so much for your support. I should move to Nashville! That's what's weird, too, in the middle of Manhattan this large public building isn't accessible?! Hopefully I'll get some good answers with a letter etc.

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  16. PESKY CAT DESIGNS: That's a good point about the people at the theater being miserable - otherwise why behave that way. Thank you for your support and for good thought for Gus to feel better.

    NISE: Thank you and thank you for visiting my blog. Thank goodness for a new day! I hope you had a good weekend!

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  17. Wow, definitely write a letter to the theater. That is so unacceptable! And I hope that something gets done about it. How incredibly rude.

    Also, I hope Gus is doing better.

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  18. I'm sorry to hear about Gus. I sure hope he gets better soon. I know what you mean by not liking when our furkids are sick. It really tears me up.

    As for the situation with your wheelchair. I am horrified! If that happened here it would be on the news the same day. Our tv stations tend to take the bad treatment of people with disabilities very seriously. I would definitely follow up. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with that kind of treatment.

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