sniff sniff a choo.jpg

sniff sniff a choo.jpg
Originally uploaded by jntrowley

He is so photogenic. This is in happier times,

Poor Bob

Our cat Bob is 12 years old. He hasn't gone to the doctor in 10 years. I think his last visit is because he had walked over my ceramic cooktop and burned his front paws after Danielle made macaroni and cheese. He screamed and ran upstairs and ended up at the vet to get an antibiotic for the mishap and hasn't been in the car since.

We didn't take him to the vet when he fell out of the second story window and landed on the deck. We didn't take him when Stef left him on the deck with a color and leash on and he ran between the posts and hung himself when she had gone inside to take a phone call. He was fine after both incidents.

For the past year, his taste in food has changed, he has lost weight, and is constantly hungry. We have noticed all the changes but he was happy, healthy, and playful. I had to stop buying cheap cat food as all the inexpensive brands made him barf behind the couch. I just chalked up all this to the fact that he is older and he needed to lose weight anyway.

This past week things have changed. He hates all the food I try serving. He is sleeping more. He is not playful and we are worried. Today he sees the doctor. They used to have his chart with a big DANGER sign on the front of it. He had to be muzzled at the door. I don't think this visit is going to be pretty.

I bought his first cat carrier at Walmart tonight after work. I used to to just wrap him in a towel and hope for the best when he had to visit his doctor. He was neutered in that office many years ago and declawed too. And then we just stopped going. Way too stressful for him (and me). He did bite or scratch one of the workers there. She showed me the red mark on her arm. He would growl everytime someone walked past his cage. Stef is going with me. She is worried that he will have to be put to sleep. I did tell her that I can't spend a lot of money on this.

I'm thinking now that maybe he has a urinary tract infection. Wish he could tell me if it burns when he goes to the bathroom.

My appointment is at 7 so here goes nothing.

Skinny Bitch

Danielle read a book recently and she asked me if I was interested in reading it too. I always used to read books that she recommended when she was a kid. She hasn't offered me any reading material in a long, long time. So of course, I said yes. Well, the book was Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Danielle had mentioned that she was interested in becoming a vegan and I just made a quick comment to her on how I could NEVER do that.

I had noticed that strange vegetarian and organic products had been showing up in my refrigerator but thought it was a passing fad.

I read the book and enjoyed it. And I am still eating meat but I have lost 4 inches off my hips by cutting out alot of meat, trying to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and cutting out junk food. I do still drink coffee (because I love it) and I am still drinking diet pop (because it is a habit).

Danielle and I have both lost weight. She of course, was never fat but she thought she was. I on the other hand have been told by Danielle, "Mom, you and I are riding the chubby train". That was her comment to me last spring before I started my usual spring walking routine.

I am still waiting for someone to say, "Wow. you have lost weight"! Stef told me that she sees me everyday and doesn't notice. Danielle told me, "Well, actually I only notice when you gain weight". My husband says that no one has noticed at work because I wear baggy scrubs and a very unflattering lab coat. So I'm still waiting for someone to notice. And my family keeps me humble.

Stefanie has tried eating more healthy lately too. She lost interest in Skinny Bitch halfway through but at least she tried. She is trying to cut out the fast food and eating alot of Lean Cuisine products and has actually gone to a gym a few times.

Anyone interested in eating healthier and eliminating or cutting back on meat products check out http://www.skinnybitch.net/ or read the book. I don't think a book has changed my life in a long time.

I Am Paying Attention to the Road!

So, I'm driving on I-696 this morning talking to my husband who is driving a semi through Ohio to make his delivery. We talk for about a half an hour and hang up so I can listen to the radio for a few minutes before I arrive at work. I need a few minutes of news, etc. just to get my mind-set for working.

As I am listening to how much the stock market went down the previous day I begin to look around my car for my makeup bag. Watching the car in front of me I casually get out foundation, mascara, blush, lip brush and lipstick and eyeshadow. One by one I start applying each item to my face. I actually feel guilty about doing my makeup in the car as I am driving but each day I find myself doing it again. I can't help myself.

I take a sip of coffee and see my phone lying innocently on the seat beside me. I reach for it and press one button that immediately puts me on the world wide web. One more button and I can see my email. Hmmmm. One new email. I don't take my eyes off the road but I can see a new forward full of ridiculous Halloween costumes. Just one more as I peek at the next picture. Ok I think that is enough.

I change my selection from the news to a book on cd and start in where I left off yesterday. I am in the middle of a book. My thought are interrupted by an incoming text message. I carefully read a query from a daughter asking me if I can order her some contact lenses. Quickly I get a response back to her. All the while observing all the rules of the road. Some people think that I-696 has no rules but they are there I'm sure.

I arrive at my destination. Work. I leave my little habitat and head through the parking lot. I slip my cell phone into my pocket where it will remain until the next text message arrives.

Long gone are the days when you drove to the destination without any interruptions from the outside world. Now everyone you know is just a fingertip away. Send me a text. And pass the mascara.

Waiter Rant on Oprah

I mentioned that I took Wednesday afternoon off and happened to catch the last half hour of Oprah. I love her show (usually) and just never get to see it. Anyway, her show was on rudeness. What a great topic. I could go on for hours but I'm sure you would stop reading in a few seconds. So. . . I won't.

Her guest was the guy who wrote "Waiter Rant". Very interesting for anyone that has worked in the service industry. His blog is http://www.waiterrant.net/. I liked it so much that I have been trying to catch up on all his old entries. Both of my daughters work in restaurants as bartenders and servers so I hear these stories all the time. He has written a book that has been on the bestseller list for a while. I highly recommend the blog if you aren't too busy.

We as a nation are rude. We treat servers and clerks and health care workers like slaves. We tip poorly mainly through ignorance and we don't care. When I moved to Michigan I was quite surprised how rude the natives were. We promote tourism and tell people we are friendly. We are not. Today at Walgreen's I saw a cart of clearance items and I said to the two ladies searching through the cart, "Anything good in there?" They continued looking and ignored me. Ok, so I remembered that the other day in Costco, a man behind me in line stated, "Gee this place is nuts. And people are so rude!" He proceeded to tell me how he tried to be nice to someone and let them go ahead of him and someone else just butted in front of him too. You can't be nice to some people.

Mitch Albom's column in the Detroit Free Press last Sunday told how we need to be nicer to each other to get through these tough times. People got through the Great Depression by helping each other and showing kindness and understanding. I keep thinking about that article and hope I can make things better for the people I come into contact with.

And check out the new blog. Pretty entertaining.

The Afternoon Off or I Hate Cars

Ok, so I took the afternoon off. I have a lot of unused vacation days, personal days, whatever that I can use before the end of the year. And I needed to pick up my car from the shop anyway. I have been using Stefanie's car (actually my car too) to get to work these past few days while the repair shop replaced two belts in my car and removed my axle from the transmission to get a plastic bag out of there. I guess I drove over a plastic bag and it got sucked up into my car's moving parts and wrapped itself around whatever and knocked both of my belts off my car.

Only I could do that I'm sure. But I'm back on the road again. Bought a new car battery last month. And I need some new tires too. Figures, I am getting ready to make my last car payment. So, if I could stop paying for car repairs I could finish paying this puppy off. Grrrr!!!!

To Walk or to Blog?

I arrive home from work, hit the garage door opener from the driveway and it opens. I breathe a sigh of relief. No one is home. The twenty-somethings are at work and Dan is safe and sound alseep in his truck in Arkansas. The cat greets me. So does the floor with cat prints all over it. Is that poop? Lovely. Cat litter is scattered across the kitchen floor. The washing machine is pushed back to the wall. Evidently the last wash load was out of balance and no one stopped it and redistributed the load. I would have if I had been home. The sink is full of dirty dishes. I rinse them off and put them in the dishwasher.

Then I pull the full trash bag out of the container, scoop the litter, sweep the floor and go outside with two extra trash bags that must have come from someone's room upstairs. I must be the only one that knows where the outside trash cans are. Then I feed the cat, and get the swiffer out and give the kitchen floor a once-over. I wash the kitchen counters and vacuum the floor in the foyer, kitchen, dining roon, and living room. I put the vacuum away as the phone rings. Dan wants to know why I am at home already and what time did I leave work.

Do I fix myself something to eat and watch the news? I already know the stock market fell another 600 points. Do I put on my walking shoes and head out the door for some fresh air and exercise? I bring in the mail. The water bill is overdue. Swell. The plates on the Kia are due to expire soon and bonus, my driver's license expires on my birthday. Can't renew by mail. Does that mean I get to take the test? This day gets better and better.

I grab my purse and keys and head for the car. I pass by the washing machine. I look in and see someone's laundry all wrapped around the agitator. Hmmm. Looks like some clothes are all stretched out. I reclose the lid and head into the garage. I drive to the library and sit down to blog. I feel better already. The cat can wait. Dinner can wait. This is my time.

Addictions

I think I am addicted to blogging. My family doesn't know. My husband thinks I am at the post office buying stamps. My kids don't know but then they have their own additions. Danielle is addicted to FaceBook. Stefanie is hooked on MySpace. They have their own addictions to deal with. That gives me more time to deal with my own.

Took the day off to be with my husband. He's at home and I'm at the library blogging along with all these other addicted lost souls. I see the same people here everytime I come in to update my addiction.

Finally figured out how to add some pictures to my blog. I'm getting there slowly. Check back in with me next month and I might have my picture on this thing. Just give me a chance. Too bad I have to work tomorrow. Cuts into my addiction time.

First Day of October Leads to Winter

As I was driving home today from work with my empty gas tank I noticed the trees along the expressway are starting to change from lush green to typical Michigan fall colors. Sometimes we forget to notice and all of the leaves are on the ground before we even can appreciate them. Life just gets in the way sometimes. The financial crisis, the election, gas prices, office remodeling going on in the midst of caring for patients, etc. all gets in the way of our slowing down and enjoying the too brief fall.

I love fall. I love the colors and the smells. Yates Cider Mill and Halloween candy. I love it all but it all leads to winter. As I get older, I dread winter more each year. But then I realize that I need to stop and look at the colors, smell the apples, drink the cider and enjoy life. Tomorrow we can worry about filling the gas tank, and hoping the senate will pass the bail out and evert financial crisis for the country. Today, I will look at the colors, take a deep breath and hope we have a mild winter.