I get on a plane to go back home tonight. This is a good thing. I miss, in no particular order, my kids, my pets, my husband, my bed, and my Keurig. I realized that I am not at all prepared for my role as Art Docent in my daughter's kindergarten class this Friday, so when I get home late tonight I have to immediately launch into tracing 30 yellow construction paper corncobs. There are many things I would rather do after staggering in the front door after a long week of learning, but ... Read more »
Continuing Education Conferences and alleviation of pain
In California, veterinarians are required to complete 36 hours of continuing education every two years. It's a good requirement, one that forces us to stay on top of the constantly evolving field. And, like in other professions with similar requirements, most of us fulfill those requirements by going to meetings and conferences that get big chunks of that educational requirement taken care of. My husband is in his company's business division. Their meetings are racuous, high-falutin' affairs ... Read more »
Roll those credits
Relief! My fingers are again working normally. So onward we go: As much as I would like to take credit for this entire blogathon-thing, the truth is I just kind of sat here and typed. The only reason this was a success was because of all my Fairy Blogparents: Dr. Janet at AboutVetMed, whose mentorship through all of this has been heaven-sent. Moral support, lampwork-beads-of-amazingness support, and the generous usage of tomes of material from her fantastic and much more educational ... Read more »
Still cramping
I started to write a thank you post, and I'm still not done. There are a lot of things I have to thank people for. So hopefully I will have it by tomorrow. :) ... Read more »
Alive!
I just slept for 11 1/2 hours. All better. $2250 appears to be the final tally! All the totals and pledges are in, so the GRAND PRIZE of a $100 gift certificate to PetSquared.com goes to Tonya! Hooray! Send me your e-mail, and I will get it to Cheryl at PetSquared for your e-certificate. Thank you Cheryl for donating the Grand Prize! I have to turn around and get on a plane in a couple of hours to go to a business trip this week. No rest for the weary. Normally I would have written a couple ... Read more »
Hour 24: SuperBrode is my hero
We are all inspired by our pets- to be kind, to give a little more than we take, to play hard and snuggle a ton and enjoy every little moment in life. They encourage us to connect with one another. And they push us to do a little more. Last week, an hour before closing, a family came in with a 4 pound, 10 week old poodle puppy. She was vomiting, had diarrhea, and no history of vaccinations. They had just enough money to confirm the diagnosis of parvo. Her white blood cell count was 1, meaning ... Read more »
Hour 23: Limping towards the finish line.
The Grand Prize will be announced at 5pm PST- in one hour. The tally is at $2080, but you've got one more hour to mess it up for whoever's about to win the $100 GC. 5 cans of soda: $5 Small Brody accident because I was being horrible and didn't let him out in time: 5 minutes of cleaning and one $20 pillow. Cheese for the dog food: $0.05 Raising two thousand dollars for shelter pets when I was expecting to raise two hundred and seeing the best people in the world come out to support? ... Read more »
HOOORAY!
Oh, don't even read that last depressing post. We DID IT! This is just astounding. Most beautiful thing ever. ... Read more »
Hour 22: Onto the maudlin
This is the part where I lay down on Brody and start feeling sorry for myself. Not really. I'm just running out of brain cells to remember things and direct my fingers to type them. I was looking through the files of my old journal and came upon this little gem from last Christmas. Last Christmas was rough. Mulan was very sick (she was euthanized on New Year's Eve) and every death was a reminder of what was coming. I read it today and actually laughed at myself. Boy was I bitter. This year ... Read more »
!!!!!!!!
We are SO CLOSE I CAN TASTE IT! THANK YOU! If someone wants to be the big hero and get me to $2000 I will dedicate my 4:00 post- the last regular post of the event besides the goodbye- to ANY topic of your choosing. Anything. Pontificate on healthcare reform (though I really advise against that one), talk about polar bears, dedicate a post to your child's brilliance.... ... Read more »
Get your Grand Prize Guesses In!
Guesses close at 3 pm PST. $1850!! We're SO CLOSE to $2000! So, so very close! I'm streeeeeetching my fingers out and I can alllllmost reach- that- goal! ... Read more »
Hour 21: Now I’m feeling it
Oh man, doesn't Mile 21 correlate with hitting the wall when you run a marathon? That is about where I am now. My husband took the kids out to lunch to get them out of my hair, and it's strangely silent in the house. The dishes are piled up, the china with the dog food waiting patiently in the sink to be cleaned. In just a bit. Apollo and Brody are keeping me company, like they always do. Apollo looks the same as he did 9 years ago. He is aging quite gracefully. When I adopted him, he was ... Read more »
Hour 20: This is why we’re here
Su (otherwise known as the woman who sampled an entire panoply of canned dog food live on the net) just sent me a link to a really cute guy named Punk Rock. He really takes the whole punk thing to a new level. Apparently Punk Rock felt he was not punk until he had piercings, so he found himself a porcupine to help him finish the look. (Sadly Dad didn't let him keep the piercings.) Punk Rock: living the dream. Rescued from the El Toro shelter in 2002. Stories like this are why I'm ... Read more »
GRAND PRIZE INFO
We will be offering a Grand Prize at 5pm PST to coincide with the end of the Inaugural Pawcurious Stupid Pet Tricks Blogathon. Cheryl from PetSquared.com has donated a $100 Gift Certificate for the winner! All you have to do is this: Guess the total amount raised by 5 pm, PST. Guesses must be made in the comments section of this blog post and will close at 3 pm PST. Don't forget to join us at 4:30 PST (or maybe a wee bit earlier) for the WrapUp chat too! If we (and it ... Read more »
Hour 19: Pet Insurance
Kim asked me what I think about pet insurance. Me? I love it. It means people who would normally be unable to afford an emergency surgery or illness are able to get their pet treatment. Most veterinary clinics don't offer payment plans. We all wish we could. The problem is not that we don't want to deal with it, but that they never work. There are too many people who renege on it and ruin it for everyone else, so the only way we can stay in business is to be paid at the time ... Read more »
Hour 18: Brody Reviews Weruva Cirque de la Mer
Brody very politely asked for the opportunity to do a product review, and so I obliged. ... Read more »
Prize housekeeping
There are now THREE local prizes up for grabs to anyone who has donated $50 (first come first serve): Dallas/Ft Worth Area: Rwan at Learned Paws Pet Services has donated a full day pet CPR/ first aid class ($120 value) Bay Area people: Becky from Casa Caudill has donated a one hour family photo shoot. Orange County: Dr. Hill at the Animal Care Center of Huntington Beach has offered a complimentary office exam as well as a spa day for your pet! And a prize open to anyone: I'm due ... Read more »
Hour 17: Dr. V trivia
Because I need to go eat something- not dog food- and take a shower, here is a quick one. 1. I was born in Massachusetts 2. Until vet school I never owned a cat 3. My favorite color is green 4. I spent a semester in college interning at the LA CountyCoroner 5. The smell of fish makes me gag 6. I wanted to be a human doctor because I thought patients dying on me would bother me less than if I were a veterinarian 7. When I was in vet school I was planning on ... Read more »
