Thursday, November 30, 2006 , terribly early in the morning

Farewell, NaBloPoMo

Whew… it’s over.  National Blog Posting Month has finally drawn to an end, and I’ve managed to successfully write at least one post per day.  I feel like I’ve written so much that you’re probably tired of reading, so I promise to cut back to my usual 3-or-so times per week in December.  It’s been extra-challenging because I’ve had my new “computer blog posting” job all month as well, so my poor little hands are screeching at me to put down the keyboard.

Next month, December, I’m going to attempt “NaBloCoMo” (National Blog Commenting Month), where I post a comment on a different blog every day for 31 days.  That shouldn’t be nearly as tough to keep up with, although I hope I won’t get distracted by the holidays.  I’ll try to keep track of where I comment, too—I’ll eventually post a list of the blogs I’ve visited.  Then in January, I’m taking a break!  Sheesh.  We’ll call January “NaBloNoMo”.

On an unrelated note, what’s with the weather, people?  Our overnight low is 29 degrees tonight, 26 degrees tomorrow night.  I had to put burlap sweaters on the Queen palms to (hopefully) prevent them from freezing.  Our sumac, eucalyptus, and jacaranda trees are at risk, too.  Give me back my 60 degree weather and I promise to stop complaining about having to wear pants.

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UPDATE!  CALL FEAR FACTOR!  Our little weather sensor says it’s 27 degrees on our back patio, and I nevertheless took the trash can to the curb while wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt, and flip-flops.  I then casually strolled back into the garage and slowly closed the door, as if the temperature didn’t bother me at all.  (If you happened to be watching and saw me, yes, I was the person racing back into the garage like a little kid being chased by a monster).

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/30 at 03:07 AM
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Wednesday, November 29, 2006 , the wee hours

Pet Masks Help Massachusetts Firefighters

I love this story!  What a wonderful donation this would be to a community firestation, especially when the cost is a minimal $50.  By the way, the first sentence seems to be missing from the story, but that’s how it was in the original.

Pet Masks Help Massachusetts Firefighters

ANNA L. GRIFFIN
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE (Massachusetts)

The city can be added to a growing list of communities that have received specialized oxygen masks to be used in the rescue of cats and dogs.

“We’re trying to reach out to every community within Worcester County,” said Kathy Haskell, president of the Worcester County NEADS Lions Club, during a recent presentation at the Central Fire Station where two masks were donated to the Leominster Fire Department, a larger-sized one for big dogs and a smaller one that will be able to fit cats and smaller dogs.

“One of the ways we’re raising awareness is to work on this service project,” Mrs. Haskell said. “This is a very worthwhile endeavor. These masks are specifically designed to fit over the muzzles of dogs and cats, so if they are rescued from a fire and in need of oxygen, the firefighters will have the appropriate equipment to use - rather than try and use a mask for a person on the animal.”

NEADS (National Education for Assistance Dog Services) Dogs For Deaf and Disabled Americans, is a national nonprofit organization that trains dogs to assist people who have disabilities. Based in Princeton, the organization was started 30 years ago with seed monies provided by the Medfield Lions Club.  Now, 30 years later, the organization has its own Lions Club. Worcester County NEADS Lions Club is the newest Lions Club in Massachusetts. It is dedicated to spreading the word about the work that NEADS is doing.

A set of the masks costs $50. “We rely on donations and other methods of fundraising in order to purchase these masks,” Mrs. Haskell said.

Mona Blanchard, a member of the Worcester County NEADS Lions Club, made the $50 donation so the masks could be given to the Leominster Fire Department. “I would hate to see an animal die because the firefighters didn’t have the right equipment,” she said.  Masks have been donated to fire departments in Princeton, Sterling, Westminster, Southbridge, Auburn, West Boylston, Fitchburg and Northbridge.  “We would like to equip every community in the county with these,” Mrs. Haskell said.

Those who would like to learn more about the project, or Worcester County NEADS Lions Club, can call Mrs. Haskell at (978) 537-0071 or Sheila O’Brien, executive director of NEADS, at (978) 422-9064, ext. 11.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/29 at 02:12 AM
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Tuesday, November 28, 2006 , lunch time

Bye, bye Bose

So yesterday, I mentioned our cash flow was a little slow.  It might seem very hypocritcal of me to now post that I recently bought a pair of disgustingly expensive Bose Quiet Comfort headphones.  It wasn’t so much a luxury as a necessity—I needed silence to keep up with all the writing jobs I’ve had lately.  I just can’t think when it’s noisy, and with a house full of animals, it’s always noisy.  These headphones were a last-resort purchase (12 months no-interest, plus a free MP3 player) to try to help me work more efficiently.

On the plus side, they are quiet.  They use some sort of noise-cancelling technology which generates a “noise vacuum”—it’s like “audible silence”.  Unfortunately, the noises which are cancelled are things like hums and buzzing, so regular sounds like barking dogs and the television come through loud and clear.  That’s how they’re supposed to work (you’re supposed to be able to still have conversations while wearing them), but that’s not really what I needed.  I wanted total silence.  These would be dreamy on an airplane, though, and would make a great gift for a loved one who travels frequently (if you’re rolling in cash).

On the negative side, they’re actually a little bit “too good”.  They’re supposed to be the most amazing headphones for listening to music, so I plugged them into my computer, but they’re so sensitive that I can hear all the static and line noise from inside the PC case.  Also, they don’t have their own volume control, so I have to set volume by using the sound card on my computer.  Everything through the headphones is so loud that I need to turn my sound card nearly off to avoid deafness, but at the “nearly off” level, I can hear all the background computer noise along with the music.  These headphones are just too good and not good enough for me.

Bose had one chance to redeem themselves (because frankly, it’s a pain to return things).  When I ordered the headphones, they sent me a free MP3 player preloaded with music so I could hear the amazing sound quality of the headphones.  Unfortunately, the MP3 player doesn’t work!  There’s no audio, I swear!  It’s like the fates have stepped in an told me to return these headphones before my 30 day trial period is up, and so I shall.

I’ll probably eventually end up at Home Depot, buying whatever the guys with the jackhammers wear on their ears.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/28 at 12:01 PM
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Monday, November 27, 2006 , late at night

Garbage in, garbage out

This week, I’ve again been reminded of the results of my old “cat food experiments”.  More than once, I’ve written that I think better-quality cat food makes for reduced-quantity poop, but I sometimes forget old lessons when money is tight.  With the three foster kittens in the house we’ve been stretched a little thin in the cat food department, and I’ll admit, I bought some cheap crap food.  It wasn’t until I bought a case of Avoderm that I was reminded of my former observations.  Wow, what a difference I’ve seen.  While the cats poop less on poor-quality canned food than they do on any type of kibble, their output is still drastically-reduced once they’re eating a quality wet food again.  The foster kittens were a constant litterbox chore on cheap food, but now that they’re eating a combination of Avoderm and Natural Balance, the litterbox is almost a pleasure.  I’m quite sure that if I calculated how much cheap food the cats consumed vs. how much less they needed to eat of a high-quality brand, I’d probably notice that cheap food isn’t much of a savings.  Still, when money is tight, it’s tough to shell out $32 for a case of premium food when the sub-premium case is just $6.  I hope the money flow will pick up and be normal again, because the cats thrive on the better foods, and I know it isn’t my imagination.

Oh, Chelsea says that Natural Choice tastes gross, but that Avoderm is dreamy.  All the other cats think both brands are pefectly fine.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/27 at 11:49 PM
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Sunday, November 26, 2006 , mid-afternoon

Dick Proenneke

The television in the bird’s bedroom is always on PBS, so I occasionally wander in on some interesting documentaries.  Earlier this week, I caught the first few minutes of a show that was so engrossing, I had to run out to the “big TV” to tape the rest of it on TiVo.  I had no idea what I was watching until I played it back yesterday—it was a documentary called “Silence and Solitude”, and was about a man named Dick Proenneke.  Long story short, it’s about a mechanic/ranch-hand man from the midwest who retired and moved to Alaska, out in the isolated wilderness.  He built his own cabin and furniture, filming his progress with a 16mm movie camera.  The documentary I saw was a combination of Dick’s original movie footage, and footage from a documentary made 30 years later.  It’s a fascinating contrast to see the man in his 50s and then suddenly in his 80s, having lived this life of isolation all those years.

Dick enjoyed living with the wildlife around him, and what originally caught my eye in the documentary was footage of wild birds flying down to eat out of his hands.  He’d walk for miles each day just to look for moose or mountain sheep, and he’d observe them.  He did some hunting of small game, but in his own words, he said he’d never shoot a deer or a bear or anything large, because it was too much meat for one man and it would be a waste.  He seemed to mostly live on beans which I guess were delivered periodically by plane, and some other staple items like oatmeal, raisins, and honey.  I was so impressed by his respect and admiration for the wildlife, and how he went out of his way to not harm them.  He’d even feed them if food was scarce during the 7-month-long winter.

When the documentary film ended, I was saddened to see that it was dedicated to the memory of Dick Proenneke, who died in 2003 at the age of 87.  I’d sort of hoped he’d still be alive, perhaps living in the wildness well into his 90’s.  In the end, it was too painful for him to live in the cold and he spent his last few years in California, so I guess arthritis can hamper even those of us in the best of physical and mental health.  He was an incredible, quirky man, though—I wish I’d had time to jot him a note while he was alive, telling him what fun I had trying to imagine living amongst the animals, enjoying silence and serenity and my own thoughts.  I bet he had tons of stories to tell about the animals.

I’m going to order a published book of Dick’s journals, One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey, and I can’t wait to read his writings.  Writing and photography were his main hobbies, so he’s got tons of material to work with.  If you prefer visuals, though, and are interested in this story, you can buy the DVD of “Silence and Solitude” from the website of the film’s producer.  If you poke around that website, you’ll see other videos for sale as well, including the original, ”Alone in the Wilderness”.  If there’s someone in your life who enjoys camping or dreams of one day living in a cabin in the wilderness, they’d love these movies.  I loved them because they made me feel peaceful, and happy.  Not one frame of these films went by when I didn’t imagine how wonderful all the trees must have smelled!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/26 at 03:05 PM
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Saturday, November 25, 2006 , late at night

Well *that* was stupid

I felt so horrible last night.  I started with a headache earlier in the day and barely any appetite, but I forced myself to eat a little anyway.  Then I felt worse, my headache continued to throb, and I was nauseous.  I sort of blindly stumbled around the house trying to put the cats to bed, feed the foster kittens, give Eli her eye meds, etc., so I could fall into bed.  It was just before bed that I realized our schedule was so messed up that I’d neglected to take at least two different medications the previous night, and they’re both medications which can cause “withdrawal” symptoms if you try to quit them cold turkey.  By going 48 hours without them, my body had started to react in a “cold turkey” manner, and that was a big reason why I felt so horrible.  I tried to rectify the situation by taking all my meds (although I was worried I’d end up tossing my cookies *and* my pills), and I took 1mg of Ativan and went to bed.  That was great, for half an hour.  I woke up after 30 minutes and my body was a jumpy, jittery mess.  I was hot, I was cold, I was sweating, I was shivering, I thought I’d throw up, I had stomach cramps, yada yada yada!  I added another half mg of Ativan and tried to sleep, and finally at about 4am (3 and a half hours after I’d woken up) I took a final half mg of Ativan so I’d taken 2mg total.  That seemed to do the trick—I slept.  When I woke up, I mostly felt fine (Ativan causes a person to feel very fine), and although I’ve been bit drowsy today, I’ve also been relaxed and mellow.  I must stick to my medication schedule!  Someone needs to give me a pill dispenser equipped with a timer/alarm.

I feel rather dumb because when I posted my quick and brief blog entry last night I thought I was either dying a slow death or had a horrible case of food poisoning, and it turned out what happened was my own fault.  Well, mostly my own fault… the leftover steak that kept returning to haunt me and caused me to take Breath Asure and Maalox to make it go away didn’t help the situation at all.  Thanks for all the good wishes, and I promise to be more careful in the future (or at least, more aware).

A lot of the blame for my trials and tribulations must be placed squarely on the shoulders of Thanksgiving day and Black Friday.  On Wednesday ("Thanksgiving Eve"), Flippy and I went out for a nice dinner with her family.  We got dressed up, we drove down to the Strip, and we got home around 10pm.  Once home, I was caught up on my freelance work and finally had some time to myself, so I had fun playing online with our new cell phone (getting ringtones for it, wallpapers, learning its quirks, etc.).  It was so much fun to just goof around that I stayed up very late.  When I finally dropped into bed, I had to set the alarm to get up in time to put the turkey in the oven for “family dinner” on Thanksgiving day.  That meant I only had about six hours of sleep, had to stuff the turkey, cook the turkey, make gravy, and do all the things one needs to do to take a turkey to someone else’s house to eat.  We drove to Flippy’s parents house for Thanksgiving dinner and it was nice.  Here’s how the camera phone viewed my 18 lb. turkey:

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We got home from dinner around 11pm, and on a lark, decided to be one of the crazy 5am shoppers at Best Buy on “Black Friday”.  There was no point going to bed, so we just stayed up until we left the house around 4am.  We foolishly thought that maybe a few dozen people would show up at Best Buy for 5am bargains, but this is the scene that greeted us when we arrived at the shopping centre:

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The section of people you see lined up represents about 5% of the length of the entire line—it was unbelievable.  We’d hoped to maybe snap up one cheap laptop computer (18 per store), but knew it was pointless to even try when we saw the line.  We went to Starbucks (it was just opening) and got two peppermint mochas.  We then decided to try Circuit City, because it was closer to home, and there was no line outside the store.  There was, however, a huge line of 100+ people inside the store, waiting in the checkout line, and the shelves had been cleaned out.  There were people with shopping carts filled to overflowing with every gadget you can imagine—each cart must have contained a few thousand dollars worth of merchandise.  I can’t imagine any thought went into the purchases—people just got into the store and grabbed as much as their carts would hold.  I know this is correct, because today on eBay I see many of the sale items from Best Buy and Circuit City.  I don’t begrudge people the opportunity to earn a living, but seeing Black Friday up close and in person wasn’t very pleasant.  There was no “shopping fun”, just a lot of greed and selfishness, and we’ll never, ever leave the house for post-Thanksgiving Day shopping again.  We prefer to shop online, anyway, and this experience reinforced that fact.  Oh, we also thought of going to our local Target for one gift item for Flippy’s parents, but again, line out the door and wrapped around the entire building.  We eventually made it to McDonalds (where the TV was showing the news from Mexico, in Spanish—take that, Pahrump), bought breakfast, and came home to eat and read the newspaper.  We fell into bed around 8:30 in the morning, and got up around 3:30.  Here’s a photo of a Las Vegas sunrise for you… enjoy it, because I don’t even want to see that hour of the day again:

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So, we’ve really been hustling and bustling and running around and not sleeping (or medicating) properly over the last few days.  Today was just a nice, quiet day, and I hope tomorrow will be the same.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/25 at 11:00 PM
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Friday, November 24, 2006 , late at night

Green on Black Friday

I’m not green with envy today, I’m just… green.  I feel sort of nasty and blechy, and I just ate some leftovers from Wednesday night and that made things worse.  I must go to bed… I’ll write about my lack of Black Friday adventures tomorrow.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/24 at 11:25 PM
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Thursday, November 23, 2006 , terribly early in the morning

Thankful for healthy kittens

I’m thankful for many things (although not so thankful that it’s almost 4:30am and I’m still up and on the computer), but one thing I’m definitely thankful for this year is healthy kittens!  Look at these guys—I looked at their photos from seven weeks ago and it’s like night and day.  They’ve grown *and* they look healthy.  I’m still confused about their ages, because they all must be at least eight weeks old, yet they seem younger—poor nutrition during their first two weeks of life really stunted their development.  In any case, here are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the top photo, and TJ in the bottom photo:

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The photos are practically to scale, too—TJ is about one-third larger and heavier than his two siblings.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone—here’s a wish for no cat hair in the turkey stuffing!

P.S.  Here’s a wonderfully creepy Thanksgiving ecard my sister sends me every year, in hopes I have nightmares, I think.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/23 at 04:20 AM
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Wednesday, November 22, 2006 , terribly early in the morning

The Wall of Love

One of my favourite animal charities is the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and they’re currently raising funds through their ”Wall of Love”.  You print out and send in a certificate honouring or memorializing a furry friend, and ALDF will hang it on the wall in their office.  It’s a simple gesture, but a nice way to solicit donations without depending on the usual address labels, keychains, notepads, etc. (one charity just sent us a personalized coffee mug, sheesh).  I think ALDF is one of the lesser-known charities, yet they can elicit change on a huge scale, so you should check out their website and read about their work if you have a moment.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/22 at 04:20 AM
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Article about pet consciousness

There was a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago about “pet consciousness”.  I wanted to link to it here, but it’s next-to-impossible to find, so I’m going to copy and paste the entire thing for your reading pleasure.  Author Sharon Begley and the WSJ, please forgive me.

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From the day they brought her home, the D’Avellas’ black-and-white mutt loathed ringing phones. At the first trill, Jay Dee would bolt from the room and howl until someone picked up. But within a few weeks, the D’Avellas began missing calls. When the phone rang, their friends later told them, someone would pick up and then the line would go dead.

One evening, Aida D’Avella solved the mystery. Sitting in the family room of her Newark, N.J., home, she got up as the phone rang, but the dog beat her to it. Jay Dee lifted the receiver off the hook in her jaws, replaced it and returned contentedly to her spot on the rug.

Just about every pet lover has a story about the astonishing intelligence of his cat, dog, bird, ferret or chinchilla. Ethologists, the scientists who study animal behavior, have amassed thousands of studies showing animals can count, understand cause and effect, form abstractions, solve problems, use tools and even deceive.  But lately scientists have gone a step further: Researchers are providing tantalizing evidence that animals not only learn and remember but also might have consciousness.  In other words, they might be capable of thinking about their thoughts and knowing that they know.

In the past few years, top journals have published reports on self-awareness in dolphins and wild chimps whose different nut-cracking technologies constitute unique cultures. Others argue that rats have a sense of fun, mice show empathy for cage-mates, and scrub jays are capable of mental time travel that enables them to remember where they stashed worms and seeds.  While researchers have yet to attain the field’s holy grail—proving animals are self-aware—the findings already have broad implications.

For the 69 million U.S. households that own a pet, such knowledge might lead owners to question their animal companions’ awareness of what they are fed, how they are housed and how often the kitty litter is changed.  All of that would be a boon for the pet industry, which generates $38 billion in annual revenue, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

Drug companies already are addressing animals’ feelings. Some 15 million dogs have taken Pfizer Inc.’s animal pain-reliever Remadyl. The company’s Anipryl targets cognitive dysfunction syndrome in dogs (symptoms include failing to recognize people or respond to its name and getting lost in the house.) Experts expect a steady stream of drugs aimed at pets’ minds instead of bodies.  The research also is coloring thinking about everything from science labs to farms and food-production facilities.  Having demolished concrete cages in favor of naturalistic enclosures, many zoos are offering animals environmental enrichment, designed to exercise their minds and housing them in social groups where they can express their emotions.  Federal animal-welfare acts have long required researchers who use primates to take into account their psychological well-being, and researchers say more institutions that use lab dogs, rabbits and other small animals are voluntarily adopting the rules.

read the full entry...

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/22 at 01:00 AM
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