Dagmar-- I'm thinking no job too! Glad your doggy gave her a spook!

Megan-- so sorry you are frustrated. What did your doc suggest? Meds? I am thankful my cholesterol came way down when I started eating low fat. So I know in my case it was not genetic.

Allison-- congrats to your son! My dd is getting an award from one of her teachers at an awards ceremony next week but she doesn't want to go. We went last year and she got an award from her Spanish teacher. She doesn't know which class it is for but she is suspecting Spanish again (different teacher but she excels in Spanish). She doesn't want to go because she is performing in a play and the schedule conflicts.

I'll try to post pics of Dewey soon. It's a little challenging as he is like a baby. I feel like a mom that wants to put her baby in day care! I feel relieved when I get to work and can check my email! I was bummed yesterday when I realized that I think Dewey is way less housetrained than I thought. I thought he wasn't peeing in his crate, but now I think he has been. I have zero sense of smell (literally) and dd said Dewey was starting to smell a little like pee. I took out his blankets and towels and was fairly sure they were damp. I cleaned the crate and put a new towel in. When I came back a few hours later, the towel was definitely damp. So he gets no more nice towels or blankets to pee on. Just the crate with a few chewy toys in it. He also got a bath and his nails trimmed (screamed like a baby!). I don't understand how he can go all night in my bed without peeing but can't make it a couple of hours in the crate. Sigh. He's just a baby. Last night dd was up with a horrific cough which woke up Dewey and myself. He thought it was great fun to be up and playing at 3 am. Of course, I was paranoid he would pee in my bed so we had to go out in the cold rain at 3 am. Going to be a long day.....

Dh finally comes home from Asia on Sunday and I can't wait for him to take some of the responsibility back!

Oh I forgot to ask Sznn about Bay to Breakers! What did you think of it? I had never heard of it before I moved here but it sounds very interesting! For those of you not familiar-- lots of costumes, naked runners, and this year was the first year alcohol was banned! Have you done it before?

Megan - Maybe the high cholesterol test could turn into the motivation you need to re-lose the re-gain?

And yes, we should totally all get together. Hey, I'm in a central location, right? Too bad there are nearly no direct flights from Indianapolis to anywhere. Maybe we should all go to a spa in Colorado.

To those of you unfamiliar with SF, it is always cold there. I am not kidding. I wear my warmest clothes anytime I go to SF, winter or summer.

The primary cause of high cholesterol is stress. You don't have any of that, do you, Megan?

As far as diet, a low-fat diet is not necessarily the answer to high cholesterol. And statin drugs are terrible. Check it out. I myself will never take them. I like my liver functioning just the way it's supposed to.

Reduce stress any way you can. Keep in mind that OVER exercising just increases stress...

Jay

There are some absolutely gorgeous spas in Colorado. Although any mani I have done lasts about 2 days. And I don't get pedicures due to two broken baby toenails (from high jumping in summer camp) that never healed properly. But I do like to "shop" spas and have seen several amazing ones in Colorado with riding, swimming, yoga, etc. etc.

So one of the things I really like about retrievers is their unflagging enthusiasm for everything in life. Just now I had Javier "singing" and "dancing" for his dinner. Was I giving him foie gras on toast points? A t-bone?

I served him a cup and a half of dry kibble with a sprinkling of chicken wiener slices on top. I think he was extra enthusiastic because, when I got home, he was so glad to see me he forgot himself and tried (briefly) to hump me.

Michele There are puppy "pee pads" you can buy to line Dewey's crate. Or there is also newspaper, which some dogs tend to shred. He shouldn't be peeing in the crate at night though, if he sleeps there. Most dogs do not want to go to the bathroom where they sleep or eat. Maybe try partitioning the crate so it's floor area is smaller (if it's kinda roomy).

Good evening all!

Dagmar

Michele - this was my 1st time @ B2B. It was a fun experience and nice run.
It seems to be a big party w/e primarily for the 20 somethings.
Don't think the drinking was eradicated this yr, just more discreet.

Jessica - I really want to do the open water swim from Alcatraz one day. Need to have at least one season of open water swimming in before i ever attempt it. Don't think i could ever entertain a tri of that caliber.

Spring like weather finally arrived!
It is 5:19AM and looks like a beautiful day on the horizon.
At last!

S

Not spring like at all in Northern California. rainy and cold. We should be having nice, warm sunny days , I am usually wearing shorts this time of year. I am still putting on a warm jacket and long pants when I go out.

Dark gray skies met me this morning as I slept in half an hour later than usual. The cat was not happy about his delayed breakfast, but he's happily sniffing out the open door now. I don't know if it'll actually rain as the mountains have the tendency to halt that action (hence why we're the desert).

I envy those who can open water swim. The last time I tried (about 10 years ago) I felt more like I was sinking. It wasn't pleasant at all and I would have preferred some sort of life preserver! While I CAN do it, it is more work than is comfortable. And no way would I want to do it in SF bay--far too cold!

Down 5 pounds on the new diet. Things are looking up!

We're supposed to get two more inches of rain today here in NY. This will be the third straight day of rain. The place where I park my car sometimes floods during such sudden deluges, so after I got back from the gym at 7:30 AM, I moved my car to another section, on higher ground.

One more day of rain, and I'll start building an ark. We haven't got a lot of animal species around here, so I'm going to have to rely on all the little apartment-sized dogs that live in the area to go in my ark, two by two. So the cargo will include a pair of pugs, a pair of Shih-Tzus, a pair of chihuahuas, a pair of fox terriers, a pair of mini-pinschers, a pair of French bulldogs, a pair of long-haired dachsunds, a pair of Shar-Peis, a pair of cockers, etc.

The Maintainer's Chat: A place for up-to-date doggie news & advice, with a regular thyroid feature. We're your 24-hour information source for U.S. weather, participants' current weight & state of mind, and talk of weekend plans.

How true Saef! You crack me up!!
Does this make us our parents?
Here's my update:
1. doggie news-- Dewey doesn't like to go out in the cold rain. Apparently it is more fun for me to get soaked outside at 10 pm and then go into the house and promptly pee on the dog bed.
2. thyroid-- eyes are still bugging me but I'm still hoping it is a virus that will go away as that happened once before and I have a sore on my tongue.
3. weather-- still cold and rainy but supposed to start improving and turning spring-like.
4. current weight-- okay but creeping up the last few days and not sure why. State of mind-- hmmm... ready for dh to come home.
5. weekend plans-- no clue yet. Dh comes home Sunday but he'll probably be jetlagged. The weekend seems far away right now.....

Following Michele's format . . .
1. doggie news - Considering taking Carter in to the physical therapist to see if there's anything more we could do to help him walk better. He gets around fine but his gait is kind of weird (he moves his same side hind and front foot at the same time, rather than one after another).
2. thyroid - I think the new meds are working. Things still hurt, but not as much.
3. weather - Rain, rain, and more rain here, but at least it's just sprinkles.
4. weight - holding steady
5. weekend - I'll be off at a conference starting Friday afternoon, so my weekend plan is work work work

I think they wear wet suits...

But do folks remember FresnoBeeDude? Guy who lost a phenomenal amount of weight. Decided he was going to do triathlon. Went out to swim in a lake, no one with him, no backup. And he drowned. People on the shore could not get to him to help him. Awful, awful story... and so pointless.

So, let's not forget that the world is not Disneyland.

Jay

Jay, I remember him. Hadn't heard the story. How sad.

also ....

As I've been gone all week working at a new restaurant and am way behind here I'll follow Saef & Michele's format, too, with a few tweaks.


1. kitty news, as I don't have a doggie -my cat is an indoor cat, and our new neighbors have an outdoor cat that is tormenting my cat through the windows and doors and has been peeing all around the outside of my house to mark it as his space. Yesterday my cat was at the downstairs door and the other cat came flying at her and freaked her out - she jumped straight up in the air, started screaming, ripped up my roman shade on the door and peed all over the floor. I am seriously annoyed at that outside cat and have to find some way to keep him away from my doors and windows...
2. I don't have thyroid issues, but will update on my ongoing gassy, bloated-ness - I've been taking a probiotic for the last couple of weeks, and I think it is helping. I've also been taking a stool softener from a recommendation in another thread, which has helped a lot, too.
3. weather - sunny today, but still cool. Overcast and unseasonably cold for the last few days - in the mid 50s with high winds and a windchill in the 40s. Totally odd for May in Atlanta.
4. weight - higher than I would like - I'm working at our new restaurant this week, which is 55 miles one way from my office. The 2.5 hours of driving plus a one hour earlier start and one hour later finish is taking almost 5 hours from my days and is wreaking havoc with my eating and exercise schedule... State of mind - right now I'm just trying to survive...
5. weekend - DSS from Saturday around lunchtime to Monday morning, five mile race on Sunday if I don't collapse by then, birthday dinner invite from our neighbor across the street for Saturday night that we may or may not attend - main plan again is survival

Jay - I remember FresnoBeeDude - that was so sad what happened to him.

In unrelated news - the restaurant I've been working at is in a small town with a lot of unemployment, poverty and crystal meth. I've been working to hire more staff, as we are crazy insane busy. I have interviewed so many people who have been out of work for long periods of time, who are quite desperate to find a job. It is sad to watch some of them, and it has really reminded me how great my life really is. I have fussed about money issues in the last few years, but really I don't have any problems. I have budget problems because I spent too much money on a tv or went out to dinner too many times or bought an appliance or have to help XW with her expenses and I have to shift my budget around, but I still have a house and a car and food. These people have been out of work for long periods of time and their money problems mean that they have to walk miles to work because they don't have a car or can't afford gas, or they have several kids and the parent hasn't eaten in a few days because they have been spending their money to feed the kids. It makes my anxieties seem so petty.