2003-03-28 - 8:27 p.m. Alright....so which one of you people out there gave me this cold?! Come on...fess up...I'm sure I got this from someone on the internet (since so many of you are sick right now!!) Or wait....this could be the work of terrorists! Yeah...terrorists....that must be it....in real life, I never get sick....but I am definitely sick now! Hmmmm....sore throat....terrorists....cough....terrorists....stuffy nose......yeah, it has to be the work of terrorists! Or wait!....maybe its the war...*cough*....hey, I wasn't sick until the war started....hmmmm....... comments??? (3 so far...) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2003-03-27 - 10:48 p.m. OMG....we ate at the most wacko dive restaurant tonight....complete with Peacocks! For some reason, I have a penchant for finding weird restaurants....especially those off the beaten track. This one was about 30 miles from San Francisco....in an almost rural/fishing kind of town near the oil refinery . (see, I told you it was weird!). And you have to drive over a one lane bridge and avoid hitting the peacocks just to get there! Of course, since we were not "regulars" (like everybody else in there)....we were the *celebrities*! The waitress loved us (translate: could not leave us alone!) She wanted to tell us jokes....and she wanted us to tell her jokes! At one point, she even sat down with us! It was quite odd....but fabulous, in a divey sort of way. At the end when I handed her my credit card...she turned it over and over in her hands and said, "Wow...I've only see these on the Tee Vee." Yes, I do have one of those new transparent credit cards....but still! It was a moment! And the place did have quite an amazing view....overlooking a bay, the oil refinery, and the trains....very picturesque....in an industrial sort of way. But the food was nothing to leave home for....not bad, just average. However....I think everyone should go there at least just once....go for the experience, the entertainment, the silliness of it all.......or just go for the peacocks!! (The Waterfront Restaurant, 13 Pacific Ave., Rodeo, CA 510-245-3637) comments??? (4 so far...) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2003-03-27 - 9:46 p.m. Some super good news about Kitty! I gave her the medicine this afternoon....and already we can see that her eyes are better. At first I thought it was just wishful thinking....but then Alan came home and said, "Wow...her eyes really do look better!" So it appears that the medicine is helping. I'm very amazed, since I didn't expect to see results this fast....and was worried we might not see results at all. But she seems to be back to her spunky self! Thank you sooo much for all your good thoughts! And keep on thinking them!!! I'll let you know how she is when she has her follow up next week. comments??? (2 so far...) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2003-03-26 - 11:34 p.m. Well, I had to take my cat to a cardiologist today. So of course, we are both somewhat traumatized right now. But first, I should give you some background. I've had my cat for almost half my life (and that is a very long time!) Even though she is an old cat, almost everybody is suprised when I tell them her age....she looks and acts like a very young cat. From just looking at her, you'd never think that anything could possible be wrong with her. And we travel everywhere together....we're inseparable. You've probably read about our escapades....sneaking her into various hotels....going where no cat has gone before! But a couple of years ago, she started drinking more and more water....and eventually was diagnosed with kidney disease. So it has become our routine that about every other day, I hook her up to what looks like an I.V. for about 10 minutes to give her the extra fluids she needs. And she has been fine! You've never seen a healthier cat!! Every couple of months she goes in for check ups, and so far, everything has been just fine.....until yesterday. My Vet noticed that her eyes were dilated....she wasn't focusing her eyes. The Vet suspected that there was high blood pressure and that her retinas had become detached. (I have really no words to express how I felt at that moment. I had been to another vet just two weeks earlier for a minor thing....but he did not notice the eyes being dilated. I am, of course, extremely unhappy with that vet....if we had acted sooner there would have been less damage!) Anyway, my regular Vet told me that I needed to get to the cardiologist immediatly....and I got the appointment for today. And as it turns out, Kitty has severly high blood pressure...probably a part of her having kidney disease. The good news is that her heart is still in very good shape...and the ultrasound showed that her heart is stable in comparison with other ultrasounds she's had. This is very good news for all sorts of reasons...but I won't go into all that now. The main thing now, is that I will have to start giving her blood pressure medicine.....I'll have to check back in a week to see how the dosage is working out. The weird thing is, they don't make a "cat" version of the blood pressure medicine...I had to go to a regular pharmacy and get a regular prescription filled! And the pharmacist was all over that...asking me all sorts of questions about my cat. But they did fill the prescription. And the thing that everybody has been asking me is....how do they take a cat's blood pressure?! Well, they shave a bit of hair off the tail or paw.....then they put on a little blood pressure cuff....a mini version of what they use on people! Overall....I just want people to know that they should take their pets in for check ups very regularly. Even if everything seems fine.....there are some things that might be going on that you just don't know. Try and notice every little thing.....are they drinking more....do their eyes look different....any little behavior change should be taken seriously. Trust me it will save you in the long run....even if you think you're being overly paranoid now. Please think some good thoughts for Kitty. Thanks! comments??? (5 so far...) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ previous - next Of course, you know, all of this is copy right protected. None of this information may be reproduced without my permission.