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August 27, 2006

Bunny report: Day three

Bunny Boy is hanging in there, and thanks for all the good wishes.

Yesterday our vet looked at him. She doesn't think he'll be able to keep the eye, but we'll know more tomorrow because they're taking him back into surgery. They'll take out the stitches and reevaluate.

The good news: if he loses the eye or the sight in the eye, he should be okay. He's pretty much adjusted already. The drunken sailor reel has given way to his more usual perky gait. He doesn't even seem to notice the e-collar. And today I caught him humping the George Bush voodoo doll. Good Bunny. Good Boy.


Finally, if he does lose the eye he'll be joining a very select club The Pirate Cat of Doom -- seen here -- has already sent Bunny a welcome note. We'd just have to come up with the appropriate pirate name for him.

Here's a funny fact about Bunny. When we first got him from the rescue people he was very protective of his food, which is only logical. After a few weeks he realized he would always get fed and never have to fight for his food, and he calmed down.

Except when it comes to bread.

Bunny adores bread in any form. If I give him the end piece from a loaf of rye, for example, he will carry it around in his mouth for hours, nibbling now and then and wagging his tail like he's got a side of beef tucked into his cheek. If he's got the choice between meat and bread, he'll take the bread (assuming this is post main meal). And here's the funniest part: Tuck doesn't like bread, shows no interest in bread, and doesn't care about Bunny's bread, not at all.


But Bunny can't quite believe that. So he tries to hide the bread. If he's outside he'll bury it (with disgusting results), but inside he'll prowl around the house trying to find a corner where it can be tucked away out of sight. He particularly likes the couch cushions (results only slightly less disgusting).

So wish the Bunny well, as he goes back into surgery tomorrow. When he's feeling better I'll give him a crusty chunk of day old pane rustica, his favorite.

new versus used books

Here's the summary (and this is my take alone):

1. If you can afford to buy new books, that's an excellent way to support the work of authors you like best.

2. If you can't afford to buy new books, the next best way is to borrow from the library. Libraries deserve support. Libraries also support authors.

3. There are times and situations in which buying a used book is reasonable. If the work is out of copyright or out of print and/or if the author has been dead for a while.

If I buy a copy of a book new, I am then comfortable buying a second copy used if it's for my own use.

If the author is new to me, I will get his or her work out of the library until I decide whether or not I want to purchase the books new.

Once I decide to buy a used book, I will try to get it from a nonprofit. For example, a library or school sale. There are a number of organizations that collect and sell used books for non-profits. The most visible one is Better World Books.

These are my guidelines. Everybody has to decide for themselves how best to proceed.