It's Be Kind to Animals Week! Did you know that? You may know the American Humane Association best as the group that oversees animal use during filming and bestows the "No Animals Were Harmed" disclaimer at the end of shows and movies, but they are very involved in advocacy for not only animals, but also children- society's most vulnerable members. Anyway, they started this special week and it's a lovely opportunity to step back and reflect on what we are doing right, and what we could be doing ... Read more »
Archives for 2012
Stay bloodthirsty, my friends
I couldn't figure out why every single babysitter on our list turned us down for Saturday , and then I realized- oh, it's Cinco de Mayo, otherwise known as A Good Day for Tacos and Cervezas here in San Diego. No self respecting college kid would be at home. In honor of the occasion, I'm going to whip up some Brody's Surf Shack Fish Tacos, crack open a Dos Equiis, and oh yes, put a sombrero on the dog. *cue music* He walks himself...because no one can do it better. Cats hate him ... Read more »
A brief deviation
I'm not really a football fan. Let me say that from the start. I married a hardcore Chargers fan, so I tolerate it out of necessity, but it's never been a game I had an attachment to. But I was a Junior Seau fan. I grew up in Oceanside, Junior's hometown, and our little town couldn't be more proud of his success. He would come to high school pep rallies. He took care of his family and friends and neighbors and was actively involved in philanthropy. You couldn't find a single person willing ... Read more »
Hiking With Brody: The Snack Factor
I can't exercise on a full stomach. I feel gross, unenergized, and dull as all my energy is taken up with trying to digest. But I also can't go on nothing- I mean, I can, but it's not the most high energy workout. I've spent a lot of time testing out different pre-exercise nutritional choices, from nothing, to just coffee, to smoothies and Power Bars and have finally hit upon the right combination. It has to be either the mango macadamia Honest Bar, or half a banana. Nothing else will do. And it ... Read more »
The Realtor, by Edgar Labby Koe
Once upon a midday dreary, home from working, weak and weary, Staring with resentment at the “For Sale” sign perched near the door, While I Facebooked, blogged and Tweeted, on the sofa, softly seated, Suddenly I felt quite heated, heated staring at the floor. “Tis an old juice box,” I muttered, “sitting crumpled on the floor- Garbage there, it makes me sore.” Ah, so clearly I recall that it was in the chill of fall, And each separate messy creature wrought its carnage on the ... Read more »
Dr V at the movies: Chimpanzee- GO SEE IT!
As you all know, I am a chimpanzee fan. I had planned my bucket list trip to see chimpanzees before this movie was ever announced; I've toyed with the idea of making primate medicine a career; I got emotional and weepy when I heard Jane Goodall speak for the first time. I don't think I ever posted this snippet from October because it looks like a bad outtake from Blair Witch: Africa, but my eyes were THAT WIDE because it was seriously that cool. So needless to say, I had high expectations ... Read more »
Happy National Hairball Awareness day!
It's National Hairball Awareness day, and Snooki and I would like to remind you all of the importance of good deshedding on your pets. So to celebrate, here are 3 reasons you should remember to groom your dog or cat regularly: 1. Having to tell a guest "Excuse me, you have a fur tumbleweed on your butt" is really embarrassing. 2. Stepping in a wet hacked up furball in the middle of the night is, short of stepping on a snail barefoot, one of the grossest things that can happen to you. ... Read more »
This is why I don’t travel with family
Passengers on a flight from Detroit were held aboard a plane at Chicago's Midway Airport for more than two hours after a female passenger was suspected of having monkeypox, officials said Thursday. The woman had been travelling in Uganda, according to officials, though they didn't say when. She boarded a flight from Detroit to Chicago and while on baord, developed a rash. A family member told flight attendants that they suspected this woman had monkeypox, so the Chicago Fire Department called ... Read more »
What to do with that leftover Vicodin hanging out in your cabinet (Not Craigslist, people.)
As a medical practitioner, I've been trained from day one to be excruciatingly careful with controlled substances at work. We painstakingly log every tenth of a cc of morphine, keep impeccable logs for the DEA, and keep all that stuff locked up tighter than the gold bars in the US Bullion Depository. We do it not because we like making our lives- and yours- all that more difficult, but because unfortunately controlled substance abuse is a huge problem. And many/ most of the controlled ... Read more »
How his holiness got me safely off the mountain. Kind of.
It wasn't until I almost passed out at the top of a mountain that I really understood how much I underestimated the effects of dehydration. I have the Dalai Lama to thank for this, you know. No, really. Sure, I knew hydration was important for everyone else, but I figured, meh, I can do without for a bit. When I went out hiking last week, I packed a little water bottle for Brody- he hikes with a fur coat on, after all, and filled my little Camelbak running pack and set it on the counter, ... Read more »
Ticky Tacky Town versus Crazy Town
This weekend we went and looked at houses. We can't make any offers until our current one sells- SO HURRY UP SOMEONE AND BUY IT- but we can at least get a good feel for where we want to live. We're moving with two priorities in mind: lessen my husband's commute, and get us into a good public school district. To that end, there are two communities we are considering. Ticky Tacky Town is made up of little boxes on the hillside, and they're all made of ticky tacky and they all look the same. ... Read more »
House Hunting: Go on, look. I dare you.
Well, we've done it. Our house is on the market. I hope it sells quickly, because we've whipped the place into show-perfect condition and trust me, I can only sustain this for a very short amount of time. The pressure of the constant running around after two messy little primates dripping crumbs and two fuzzy big canines shedding fur and one giant ape dripping socks is just a whole lot for one person who isn't that fond of housekeeping to begin with. Every time someone wants to come through ... Read more »
5 Top Earth Day Pet Products
So yaay everybody, happy Earth Day! In the last year I have been fortunate enough to see the majestic Amazon in Peru, the natural wonder of Ngorongoro Crater, and the jaw dropping Mahale Mountains in Tanzania. And living in California, well, I can't complain about our natural beauty here as well. We have an amazing, beautiful, really mind-blowing planet to hang out on. And mess up. I think it's a fairly natural fit for people who love animals, who are fascinated by wildlife, to also be ... Read more »
Hot cat ladies and other misconceptions about animal lovers
I read a great article yesterday on msnbc about the incredible work being done by World Vets under the leadership of one of the most amazing vets I have ever met, Cathy King. Then I read the comments. Comments on news articles are a funny thing. People who like to comment on news sites are very odd, aren't they? It's like they have alienated every human they have come across in the real world so they need to go online in order to find somewhere they can moan and groan. On many blogs and ... Read more »
This stinks
As some of you know, because I haven't shut up about it for the last few weeks, we have our house on the market. It's rough, not only because the market is rough, but because trying to pretend a house full of kids and animals is a pristine model home is an exercise in futility. The furniture has some vestigial bite marks left over from Brody's youth; the grass has some brown spots despite my best efforts; the walls have some stickers I haven't managed to completely remove yet. However, those ... Read more »
Snakes on a plain
Maybe this rattlesnake aversion stuff does pay off. To the left is a shed skin just hanging out on the side of the road. Brody sniffed every single bush in that park but refused to show the slightest interest in the skin. NOT that I'm complaining! We did an aversion training session when he was eight months old, but we are due for a refresher. With spring in full bloom, the snake babies are everywhere and ERs are gearing up for what is looking to be a brisk bite season. If you live in ... Read more »
Speaking of mountain lions…
You all know I am irrationally petrified of getting eaten by a mountain lion. Every time I start to get close to being OK with the risk, someone comes around and says, "Oh yes, some woman DOWN IN SAN DIEGO had her scalp eaten by a mountain lion, I remember reading that in the papers, and she only lived because some guy rode by on a mountain bike and threw the bike at the mountain lion" and then I get all freaked out again. (Thanks, Susi.) Yesterday Brody and I checked out a new-to-us area ... Read more »
3 Dumb Things that Dog Owners Do (That Make Us All Look Bad)
I am a dog person. I think most of you probably know that. I like dogs, a whole lot. I am into them. I can hang with them. That being said, I understand that not everyone else on the planet feels the same way. Dog owners who refuse to act with some basic courtesies grate on me as badly as parents who let their kids kick the back of my airplane seat. With the advent of spring, lots of people are venturing outside again with their pets- and this is a great thing, usually, but it also marks the ... Read more »
