Quiet day

Here we see little Amber resting up between meals. She has a voracious appetite and is eating like never before. She must be trying to regain her original weight thereby sending the 10 lb pledge into a tizzy. The vet called this afternoon to tell me the tests for feline leukemia and immunodeficiency viruses were negative. No surprise here and cost a fortune. So now we're thinking toxoplasmosis since many of her symptoms are classic. The only thing is that she's an indoor cat and would not be exposed to the parasite. Geez, maybe I gave it to her. Since Amber loves the anorexic food, I'm going to run over to the vet tomorrow to pick up some cans. The vet is both shocked and pleased by Amber's quick recovery.

This morning I was savouring my coffee while listening to CBC Radio 2. Or rather, the radio was on in the background. I have been reluctant to accept the change in programming from strictly classical to...something else. Much of it I can't stand but I suppose it's time to get with the program and open my musical mind to the new and interesting. As I am thinking this, a beautiful song is being played - Sometymes Why is a group made up of 3 women whose beautiful heartfelt harmonies grace each song. There seems to be some difficulty in categorizing their music - contemperary folk, folk noir, and who knows what else.

The song played this morning :Your Heart is a Glorious Machine is from the album of the same name



On the myspace page there is a short list of songs from this new album to the right side which can be played .
.

Of course I've tried 300 times to create a link to the myspace page. Nothing is working so this is the manual version: http://www.myspace.com/sometymeswhy

Amber needs a nursemaid

A get well orchid for Amber

After failing to develop a successful 'medicating'plan for Amber with that L-Lysine ,the 3 month old upper respiratory tract infection continued to flourish. And then there appeared to be an additional problem. . She stopped eating entirely on Monday night and did not move from the sofa at all. She had this look on her face...depressed, uncomfortable. She dropped a lot of weight - 2 lbs in 2 months. This is like a person losing 30 lbs in the same period of time. So she actually met Carmi's 10 lb Weight Loss Challenge whereas I'm still struggling. Her entire head is so much smaller. She looks great at this weight but illness is not the way to lose. The blood work offered no indication of something systemic. But I had noticed that her pupils were not equal and apparently this can be indicative of one of 4 different problems, most notably being FIV or FLV (aids virus, leukemia virus). It's very unlikely that she has either since she's 12 years old and these are young cats'disorders but I'm having the testing done anyway since the lab has enough blood left to do it.

During the exam the vet opened a can of 'anorexic diet' food, placed it on the table in front of Amber and she ate like she had been starving for days (very funny). So I have 2 cans at home and I am following Amber around the apartment like a stalker. As soon as Amber is finished with her bowl, Tayoh comes running to clean up the leftovers but so far I've been very quick. I'm running into the bathroom whenever Amber goes inside to use the litter box and I'm monitoring her activities there to make sure everything in that department is working. She's been so much better today - maybe from the injections of an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory.
There's nothing that solidifies and bonds a relationship like an animal suffering. I feel so badly for her. But tonight she asked for her Greenies treats and that's encouraging.
I should hear about the viral testing at the beginning of next week. So for now, it's a lot of TLC.

Reading to the subtle beat of the fire alarm

Yes, it's the annual fire alarm test where the technicians enter the apartments to examine the speakers,the wiring, and the volume of the ringing. Every time the ringing begins again, I jump from my seat. No warning and really loud.I'm sure I'm going to develop high blood pressure before the testing is finished. I don't know if they actually came here yesterday. There's nothing to indicate it but they have 25 floors to do before packing up tomorrow afternoon. So that would tell me that they have to hustle. I'm on the 20th floor.

I just got this book from Chapters/Indigo which was released at the beginning of the month:
Mixed Media Collage Jewelry, New Directions in Memory Jewelry. The author is Janette Schuster. She devotes a chapter to each topic including tools and materials as well as techniques, At the end of each chapter/section she includes a gallery of the works of 12 artists including herself. She showcases a variety of works: necklace, bracelets, earrings and pins and gives detailed instructions for making the objects. The pictures are great too.

Just a quickie

I just wanted to post this for Leslie. I did find the high school Honour Society prize. It was where it always was. Ha! Nothing like missing the obvious. The medallion is very heavy, made by Birks, and on the back is carved my name. If the picture is small, click on the image to enlarge.

Fashionistas

I know you'll be saying: 'this girl is nuts'. And you'd be right. There has been much exposure to the world of canine fashion. Some people are opposed to this claiming that it is humiliating to the dog. I disagree. Dogs love attention and this is surely one way of capturing the attention of the owner and others. Boots/shoes should be mandatory in winter given the amount of salt on sidewalks.And small dogs with fine hair should have some protection from the elements.
Anyway, here is a video that is comprised of dog portraits with them wearing their favourite outfits. Or someones favourites.

Leslie the Archivist

When I finished the questionnaire posted first by Marissa, I never would have thought that I could give so much pleasure to someone who has an amazing memory of things past. Unfortunately I couldn't share her thrill since I have no recall of any events of high school. Actually I'm like that for most things which may be why I'm constantly losing art supplies in the apartment. If only I would clean up. I may do that one day. Leslie emailed me within minutes of my completing the post. She attended the same high school in Ottawa and was a year ahead. Also, she informed me that I was a member of the Honour Society whatever that was. I was sitting on the lower left with my Mary Tyler Moore flipped out hair. (In those days I used to straighten my hair to banish the frizzies.) I can't believe that she still has year books. Once I saw the other students in my class (11G) I remembered them all. And once I saw Leslie, I knew exactly who she was but can't remember meeting her. What fun that was even if I'm an amnesiac.

Continuing about the cats taking their medication dose - I've been outwitted. They have detected the drug in the wet food. Now they're holding out for only the hard stuff. I guess it's time to admit defeat.

100 things

This could get boring!
100 Truths! After you've filled this out, tag people and have them do the same. -Over my dead body

1. Last beverage → Starbucks mild
2. Last phone call → parents.
3. Last text message → To Eeee
4. Last song you listened to → Dr. John the Night Tripper - Walk on Gilded Splinters
5. Last time you cried → Dec. 2001 over the death of my first cat
HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Dated someone twice → Yes
7. Been cheated on? → Yes.
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? → Yes
9. Lost someone special? → Yes
10. Been depressed? → Yes
11. Been drunk? → Yes

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS
12. Periwinkle Blue
13. Green - any hue
14. Black

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU:
15. Made new friends → Yes
16. Fallen out of love → Not applicable
17. Laughed until you cried → Not yet.
18. Met someone who changed you → Every day.
19. Found out who your true friends were → Yes.
20. Found out someone was talking about you → Don't know
21. Kissed anyone on your tagged list → No
22. How many people on your friends list Small but mighty
23. How many kids do you want to have → None
24. Do you have any pets → yes- 2 cats
25. Do you want to change your name → Yes
26. What did you do for your last birthday → Nothing
27. What time did you wake up today → 10:30am
28. What were you doing at midnight last night → Getting into bed.
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for → .Winning the lottery
30. Last time you saw your father → Sunday March 8
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → My health
32. What are you listening to right now → cjrt jazz fm
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → can't remember
34. What's getting on your nerves right now? → Countless telemarketing calls on phone
36. Whats your real name → Sharon Dianne
37. Relationship Status → single
38. Zodiac sign → Capricorn
39. Male or female → Female
40. Elementary → Anthony Road Public School.
41. Middle School → forget the name
42. High school → Nepean High (Ottawa).
43. Hair color → Black/brown dye job cause pretty gray underneath now a few highlites
45. Height → 5'2".
46. Do you have a crush on someone? → Nope.
47. What do you like about yourself? → Creative at times; good sense of humour
48. Piercings → Ears.
49. Tattoos → a few for medical reasons
50. Righty or lefty → righty

FIRSTS:
51. First surgery → tonsils and adenoids
52. First piercing → Ears.
53. First tattoo → 1994
54. First best friend → Julia
55. First sport you joined → never
56. First pet → a dog
57. First vacation remembered → the state of maine.
58. First concert → Jonny Winter.
59. First crush → David Poulin in grade 6

RIGHT NOW:
61. Eating → Nothing
62. Drinking → coffee
63. I'm about to → get dressed
64. Listening to → cjrt fm jazz
65. Waiting for → nothing.

YOUR FUTURE :
66. Want kids? → no
67. Want to get married? → no
68. Careers in mind? → Something Artistic.

ONE OR THE OTHER :
69. Lips or eyes → eyes.
70. Hugs or kisses → How about hugs WITH kisses
71. Shorter or taller → Taller.
72. Older or Younger → Younger
73. Romantic or spontaneous → both
74. Nice stomach or nice arms → Neither
75. Tattoos or piercings? → Tattoos.
76. Sensitive or loud → Sensitive
77. Hook-up or relationship → relationship
78. Trouble maker or hesitant → Neither.

HAVE YOU EVER :
79. Kissed a stranger →yes
80. Drank hard liquor → No.
81. Lost glasses/contacts → Glasses.
82. Sex on first date → Nope
83. Broken someones heart → No
84. Had your own heart broken → Yes
85. Been arrested? → No
86. Turned someone down → Yes
87. Cried when someone died → Yes
88. Liked a friend that is a girl? What is this 'like' business. You mean sexually attracted?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
89. Yourself → On occasion.
90. Miracles → No
91. Love at first sight → Yes, depending on how you define 'love'
92. Heaven → No
93. Santa Claus → Not anymore.
94. Kissing on the first date? → Sure.
95. Angels → No
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
96. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → No
97. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? → No
98. Do you believe its possible to remain faithful forever? → yes.
99. What's the one thing you cannot live without? → ice cream and coffee. Maybe wine gums too
100. Posting this as 100 Truths? → I'll post it, whoever chooses to read

Well that wasn't too bad once I figured out that I should copy and paste.

Chef or Pharmacist

Since Monday I have had the dubious pleasure of preparing a supplement for each of the cats. Amber has had a cold (or some sort of virus versus bacterial infection) for about 2 months and since it hasn't cleared up on its own I am now given the task of dosing each girl twice a day. The big problem is that the supplement comes in huge capsules that must be cut in half twice a day to deliver the proper dose. L-Lysine is an amino acid (I think) designed to stimulate the immune system. I tasted the powder in the capsule and it's gross but not too gross. Cats have a more refined palate than I do so they would likely disagree with me. The company that makes the hard Greenies that taste and smell so good also make these pill pockets which have a little hole in them for shoving in the pill or capsule and then you squeeze it closed. Since the volume of powder is so large, I had to add another pill thingee to shut in the meds. The first 2 days were fabulous. I was so proud since they both ate the pockets with relish. Then Tayoh started to eat Amber's dose. And then I started to fail at my technique. I even tried to put the junk in a wad of peanut butter (a great success with dogs)but there was no interest there. Tonight I whipped up a version that looks like a small meatball and neither cat has any intention of even looking interested. I thought they would at least try to please me. The joys of motherhood....