Good morning Jay! Thanks for starting the thread! Perhaps our usual early birds are sleeping in for President's Day?
Michele, how is Jozi doing?
Carter's doing great. We've almost got him transitioned back to dog food (he's at 3/4 C kibble mixed into his chicken, rice, yogurt, and honey) and his legs are improving every day. This afternoon we're taking him in for physical therapy (hopefully he will not bark at the therapist too much...). I'm attaching a photo of him from a few days ago in case anyone's curious. In the photo he is still in his diapers but now he doesn't need them anymore. The bootie on his foot is to protect the one that he is knuckling from getting too scraped up. I'm so glad that veterinary medicine is not as expensive as human medicine. We're out about $5k so far for Carter's surgery, follow-up visits, complications, and supplies, but if he was a human I'm sure the bill would have been more like $100k at least.
The funniest thing I have noticed is that the bland diet is awful for his teeth. Carter has always had very clean teeth. Since he's been on the bland diet instead of his usual kibble they've gotten dirty and stained-looking, even though he still chews his Nylabone which is good for cleaning them up. A friend of mine has a rescue greyhound and she has to feed it a special diet (it was a racing dog) similar to Carter's bland diet, and she says her dog's teeth are just awful.
Last edited by paperclippy; 02-21-2011 at 08:45 AM.
I slept in for an hour. But I didn't sleep well, so it was needed. DS went with a friend to San Diego for the Linkin Park concert and didn't get home until close to 2 AM. I woke up at 1:30 to see the lights still on, went back to sleep, back up at 2 AM to see the lights off (he's home!) then back to sleep. Up at 3:30...cat jumping on bed...dog jumping off bed...you get my drift? Not too restful.
It's still incredibly cold here. I know I complain where you all are worse off than I am, but it just isn't normal. It was 44 when I got up and it's usually 55 or higher. The days should be close to 70 and instead we're around 55. It makes for some cold golfing which we're planning for around noon today.
Carter looks great, Jessica! I'm glad to hear he's healing. Hope Jozi isn't suffering any more seizures, Michele.
Not much to report here. We have the day off, of course, and we're expecting house guests on Thursday, so I have a little planning to get that ready. We're having a little party here Saturday and I might take all or most of Friday off to get ready for that. I'm hoping that it warms up so we can be outside!
Has anyone ever gotten gel nail polish? I decided to try it this weekend. So far I love them! They say the polish will last 2 weeks which is a heck of a lot better than the 3-4 days in a regular polish job (I've been doing French tips). But they say it's a lot more difficult to remove. We'll see.
No President's Day off for me! I'm trying to finish getting my office straightened up from the move. I did most of it but just have a few things here and there to unpack. As usual I've overcommitted my extracurriculars and feel like the next two months will be "survival" mode. I knew that it wasn't the best time to get a dog when I was about to direct my first play, but I'd been waiting for so long, and meeting Emma just seemed to be fate. I have no regrets about adopting her but it's pushed my already busy schedule into overdrive. Last week I had to work late several days and that was too much, thankfully BF is helping out w Emma (of course if he couldn't, I would have just had to put my foot down and said the boat was coming in on time)! I'm already committed to this play, but after it's done I'm going to quietly withdraw from my theatre group and this will definitely be my last year on the board of directors. I must, I will, drop some activities, so I don't keep complaining to you all about being overly busy when I do it to myself! In the meantime, the next two months... ahh! I woke up this morning feeling fat already, so I'm going to the gym at lunchtime today. Luckily I've got an office day so this is possible. I jogged with Emma yesterday and it felt great.
Jessica, I'm so so glad Carter is improving!!! I have been so worried and felt so out of touch with my crazy work schedule last week and network downages, and I couldn't come check on him. He looks very wary of the camera in that picture, lol. Funny about the teeth.
How was everybody else's weekend, or is it still going on?
Due to our holiday, I think it's Sunday; didn't think to start a thread, LOL.
Now I have to remember to go to the gym because it's Monday; likely to forget as a delve deeply into taxes. The butler really should be doing those - you just can't get good help these days.
No President's Day off for me either... DH & XW both have it off, so DH is probably at home playing Xbox and listening to his turntable as we speak. I was bitterly jealous when I left this morning.
Megan - I'm terrible about overcommitment of my time as well. And really, there is never a good time to get a pet. Much like no good time to have a baby.
Allison - I've had gel nails. I didn't notice it lasting any longer, even though everyone said it should. At the time I was still working in the restaurants a lot, so that might have had something to do with it.
Jessica - I'm so glad that Carter is doing better! Yay!
Bill - I need one of those butlers who will do my taxes, too.
Happy holiday to those that have it! Good workdays to those who are working.
Last edited by Shannon in ATL; 02-21-2011 at 10:20 AM.
Great to hear Carter is doing so well Jessica! He is so cute in his picture. You are right about the vet bills. They do vary greatly depending on what part of the country you live in. Your bills would be MUCH higher here in California.
Jozi is doing pretty well I think. No more seizures and more or less back to normal. My dh is home and Jozi loves him so much. She is always happier when he is here. She is still sad and not eating well. We are looking at puppies and breeders. I found an adorable puppy but it will be ready to go in March and we want to wait until June (when we're out of school). I was sorely tempted but I know it isn't fair to get a puppy and put it in a crate right away. We are telling Jozi to hold on a few months for a friend.
Dh and I have the day off (dd too). We are probably going to the Wine Country for the day. Part of us wants to just stay home and relax on the couch but it will be fun to get out and go. I just hope everyone else doesn't have the same idea and the freeways will be a mess.
My weight is still horrible. I get so easily frustrated. I missed a few days of exercise last week when I was sick but I kept to my eating plan. Does that really explain gaining several pounds? I try to blame it on water weight but not sure that is really the case. Sigh..... going to the wine country today probably won't help-- or maybe it will?!
I don't want to admit it but I think I may be starting peri-menopause. I have woken up a few times in the last few months with the sheets soaking wet (night sweats). I'm starting to chart it so I can mention it to the doctor at my physical in a few months. I sure hope this doesn't adversely affect my weight goals.....
I think I slept in on my day off. If I got up at 6 AM instead of 5:15 AM, that's sleeping in, right?
While lying in bed, I couldn't hear traffic. Which generally means it has snowed during the night, and not lightly. This turned out to be so. Maybe four or five inches.
Anyway, I made it to the gym for a 9:30 AM Pilates class that I usually can't take, since I'm in the office in Connecticut on Mondays. We were doing more of that agonizing Lottie Burke stuff for the various muscles layering our butts. Mine could use the work but it's so concentrated that it's painful & leaves me trembling. Today I actually felt something wash through my quad, as though that part of my body was flushing or having a hot flash. I'd imagine that was lactic acid.
I'll be doing some domestic puttering today, but I have so many new writing assignments at work that came through on Thursday and Friday that I need to spend several hours today catching up so I'll be, in effect, working a half day anyway. Maybe I'll bake bread, too, to make the place smell nice.
I'm happy to read of invalid Carter and the bereaved Jozi doing a little better. Carter has very expressive pointy little ears & furrowed eyebrows. Was he partly shaved during his medical ordeal? I'm trying to make sense of his markings. He isn't brindled, right? He looks more shepherd-y. But with the Rottie eyebrow thing. I'm no good at figuring out the individual ingredients in dogs.
I would like to pet a dog right now, but I need to go clear off my car & get to the market for k-cups, apples & something green. Broccoli rabe was on sale, but they ran out yesterday afternoon. Will the truck have come in yet with more? Hope so. I don't care to make yet another trip there. I swear, I must go to the grocery store five times a week.
Saef, yes, that huge whitish patch on his back in the photos is where he was shaved for the surgery. It's only grown in about 1/4 inch so far. Normally his whole back is the same sort of color as the rest of his body that you can see in the photo (dark brown with some variations and a white undercoat, with a darker patch along the top of his spine). We think based on his markings and general shape that he is largely a mix of German Shepherd and Doberman. Dobies have the same tan markings that Rotties do which you were noticing on him, but his face is much too narrow and pointy and his paws too narrow to be a Rottie or a German Shepherd which is why we were thinking Doberman. He also loves to swim and has a curly tail so there is obviously at least one more breed in him somewhere.
Michele, I hope Jozi starts eating better soon. I guess dogs, like humans, just need some time to grieve.
Shannon and Megan, I'm at work too! No President's Day off around here. Although since the schools are out I can drive 45 in the school zone today.
Allison, LOL, the temps got up into the 40's and near 50 here and we were all saying how amazingly warm it was.
Bill You get up at roughly the same insane time I do - sometime before 5 a.m. My alarm is set to 5:30 but I hear it go off about 2-3 times per year. SIGH.
Then again it all depends on what time you go to bed too yes? For me that was 9 p.m, last night. I'm dog sitting and was totally beat by the time I got most things done.
Megan Dogs are a big time commitment but totally worth it for what they give us in return. I basically had no social life during the week when I had my own dog (sheperd/lab mix) due to the 2 walks I had to give her to satisfy her exercise needs (1 hr. a.m., 1 1/2 hrs. p.m.) but she instilled a life-long exercise "habit" in me.
We had a holiday here yesterday - "Family Day" - which is a new stat holiday for us. I have yet to take it off (2 years) but hope to next year. Couldn't turn down the $$$ for the dog sit. DH spent the day installing our new computers. He is trying to quit coffee and man oh man I was glad I wasn't home for the evening. Surly or what!
Due to the holiday all the grocery stores were closed. I found myself scouring my client's fridge and cupboards for something to snack on in the evening. Cookies or apples - hmmm . . .
Got to go let the dog out. Have to call DH this morning and make sure he gets up. He has to take nuclear kitty back to the vet's today for round 2 of the radioactive iodine. I hope the little furry man makes it - I'm quite attached to him. Funny how I thought cats wouldn't be as hard to lose as dogs - ne pas!
Ah, Bill, this particular Pilates class is not a purebred. It's a mongrel, taught by an instructor who also trained in the Lotte Berk Method. (I spelled that wrong in my earlier post.) There's a lot of estrogen in the room in those classes. One needs a mat & a ballet barre, mirrored walls & little toy dumbbells. It's a series of small, very concentrated, excruciatingly painful movements. Typically accompanied by a chorus of class members gasping in pain. There's a lot of talk before class among women who say it has "lengthened" their muscles, which is bullcr@p. But it **is** doing something. My legs feel great for about 48 hours after an hour of leg & butt muscle work & they seem to have a fuller & easier range of motion, as if this somehow oiled my joints. Also, it has helped my abs a lot.
On the cooking front, I'm looking for things to do with crushed walnuts. I just got a couple pounds of them, very cheaply. (Maybe a bakery was going out of business.) I put some in my oatmeal this morning. I think they can be used as crust on fish, chicken & pork. Any other ideas? That aren't related to desserts?
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