Swine vs. MRSA

Swine Flu. Swine Flu. Swine Flu. Pandemic. Its out of control. A guy on my bus this AM had a mask on. I was afraid to cough b/c I didn't want people thinking I had the swine flu.

Well, I was watching Oprah tonight and Dr. Oz was talking about the super bug & MRSA. Do you know if you get MRSA, you will pretty much be dead in 10 days.

MRSA infection is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — often called "staph." MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a strain of staph that's resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it. MRSA can be fatal.

Wash your hands. A million times per day. This will help you fight the regular flu, swine, MRSA, etc.

Did you know...

.....Under California law, dog owners are liable for damages related to many injuries resulting from dog bites.

This past owner will pay up.

Evie update

Erik called to say that she was interested in playing with a dog while they were at a different park so I guess she is not scared of dogs despite what happened to her. To be continued...

Finger

I think I sprained my finger in the battle last night. It is all ripped up around the nail but a bandaid will heal that. But, its sort of swollen and hurts to touch and bend. I once sprained a finger when I volunteered at the dog shelter; the tip of my finger was bent one way for a few months & I had to wear this little brace thing when I walked the dogs.

Jobs in CT

I have been contacted 3x in the past week for jobs in Connecticut. Recruiters have positions available....Isn't that strange.

Needless to say...

I never made those scallops last night. This happened at like 6pm and we were at the emergency vet until about 9pm. Maybe next week.

Wednesday

Well, Evie seems to be Ok. The bite holes closed up last night. I didn't sleep that well. I was worried about her. She got off the bed and was laying next to the bed and then whining to come back up. I wanted to make sure she was comfortable & not in pain....

I am still really upset about this whole thing. I feel like I was not watching out for her well enough or something. And, I couldn't get her out of the situation. I was talking to this girl Michele who was at the vet & shelter when Evie came in & rehabilitated her. She said that sometimes, you just cannot see the signs that a dog will do something like that. There are obvious signs like stiff body, hackles up, etc. But, they go from rolling around to biting in an instant.

I feel like I don't know who to trust out there in the park anymore. Maybe she can play with Wasabi and that's it. I don't know....We are going to just chill in one of the other parks for a few days to calm down & just regroup. I'm sure she will bounce back from this sooner than I will.

You aren't going to believe this

Evie got bit again. I have had her for 2 years without any bites and now 2 in 3 weeks.

Who: This female dog named Bella who is 3x the size of Evie. She looks like an overweight Pit/Mastiff type dog.

Where: The same park we go to multiple times per day where the Biting Dog bit her

What: Bella is a big dog & is always on her Gentle Leader. She is on a short leash and can't play really. We see them probably once per week. Her and Evie kind of bounce back and forth and that's it. Bella wasn't on her leader today.

How: Today, they were bouncing around like usual. Suddenly, Bella has grabbed onto the back of Evie's neck. Thankfully, Evie has a ton of extra skin and she only had the skin. Bella would. not. let. go. It was one of the scariest things I have ever been involved in. The owner of Bella was grabbing her and pleading with her. I was holding Evie and trying to keep her from turning her head into Bella. I started screaming - Help us. Please help us. Somehow, He got Bella off. He is lucky he did not get bit by his own dog.

I was shaking and my finger was bleeding(i think from her collar and how I was holding her). This woman had come over and asked if I was Ok. He had Bella laying on the ground. Evie was hopping on me like 'Pick Me Up'. Once we all calmed down, we left & went right to the Vet. THIS time, the owner gave me his business card to let him know what happens.

Vet: Evie gets ANOTHER patch of hair shaved. She has 2 bite holes. Thankfully, they flushed them out and gave us antibiotics. She didn't need the drain. Now, we watch her and make sure she is OK and everything is not infected.

I don't get it. I really really don't. Over the past 2 years, Evie has gotten better. She is calmer around other dogs. Backs off when they are too crazy or shy. Is s a better behaved dog. And, now that she is better behaved, she gets attacked TWICE. Now, I am worried she will start to hate dogs or be really scared to be around them. We'll see.....Of course, I am like rethinking everything like - what did I do wrong? How could I let this happen again? How do I prevent this?

Tomorrow, this claim goes to Pet Insurance.

Ohhhhh Jon

Wow. Check out the cover of US Weekly. Dirty Birdy Jon Gosselin

Tuesday

Aw what a nice day the May has lounging

Dinner Tonight

I am going to make Citrus Scallops tonight. I found the recipe in Good Housekeeping & it looks so good!

80% off again

Cold & Coughing

Ah I am coughing. I got some mucinex type stuff to help. I could really do without going to work tomorrow but there is soooooo much work. I might try to see if I can work from home. We'll see.

Tonight, out in the park, we saw the Biting Dog. He was hanging out with some dogs we didn't know so we didn't go over. However, if he was with Evie's friends, we would've gone right over and played. Anyway, we were walking around the park and saw some of her friends show up so we went to meet them. Biting dog left. This woman we know was like, Oh God - are they avoiding you? I said probably & she said, well she should be avoiding you if she isn't going to pay the bill.

Anyway, Evie had fun playing with a new dog named Jack. He was a cattle dog mix and teased her with the ball but she loved it. We also met a shepard/cattle dog mix named Lucy. Lucy is 8 and just got adopted. She was a little shy and really wanted nothing to do with Evie's crazy ways. But, she was sweet.

Crazy of the Day

These signs are in the window of an apt building a block away.

Home Sick

After the vet this AM, I went to work. I am coughing today & still stuffed. I went home around noon and went to sleep. I was sleeping on the couch & Evie joined me. Look at her -

I got this stare when I got up to get something and disrupted her....

Back to sleep.

Vet this AM

We went to the vet this AM for Evie's checkup. It's been 10 days since she was bit, is done with her antibiotics, and looks great. She was nervous today waiting to see the vet! She was shaking. She hops up on the bench and sits with me and just wanted me to hold her. Once she realized she wasn't having surgery though, she was fine.

Evie - waiting at the Vet

Evie was so good getting on the scale. She walks on and sits and stares at me. When the Vet comes in, she just loves her and is so happy. She sits and waits to be looked at. I am impressed by her when they tell us how good she is. The baby is growing up. hahaa

Evie in the Park

Here are some pics of Evie the park last week:



Miss Froggy May

Swine Flu

OH my god. What if my cold is Swine Flu????? Look at some of the symptoms: coughing. Some patients also report experiencing a runny nose, sore throat,


I had a sore throate, i have a runny nose and a cough.

Sunday

Today, Erik & I walked 10K for MS. MS is something I have been fundraising for, for many years. This year, I raised $1,250!!! It was a beautiful day & a great walk along Crissy Field near the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Presidio

A guy who is on TV & his Mom who has MS

6.2Miles, here we come!



Picturesque!

We saw a seal in the water near the bridge!

Saturday

We had the best day today. We dropped Evie at camp, then drove down to Half Moon Bay. First, we had a nice lunch outside at Half Moon Bay Brewery. They make a bunch of beers which are very good. Today, I had the Sandy Blonde Hefewizen.

Then, we went to La Nebbia Winery for Bottle & Cork Day. We brought 4 bottles to be filled. It was the best $20 I've spent in awhile. $20 for 4 bottles! Now, get this. The wine is not from La Nebbia. The winemaker at La Nebbia goes up to Napa, Mendocino, etc and buys excess. So, the wine you get bottled is from Napa wineries but they just don't tell you which one. They said they have had big named wineries like Cakebread before. How crazy is that. A bottle of Cakebread will cost you $30+.

Anyway, we had our bottles filled and then there was FREE WINE. Oh yeah. Plus, tastings of 10 wines was only $6. Outside, they have a picnic area where people were having lunch. We will definitely do that next time. We might even go back next weekend because they are pouring white.

Here are some pics:



Erik, really excited about the wine

Free Wine!








Bottles getting filled....


The corking machine!





Half Moon Bay



Surfer in the ocean

Friday

Hooray! It's Friday!

We are leaving work early to go to my co-worker Lauren's house. She is the one with that little Frenchie puppy. We are just having a little gathering so everyone can meet the dog and our old boss is coming.

Then, I am getting a manicure.

Then, chores. I realized if I do the chores on Friday, we don't have to do them all weekend (duh). So I am going to do the laundry & grocery shop tonight. Plus, try to get this Diet Project and Communications paper done.

Saturday - we are going down to Half Moon Bay to the Bottle & Cork at La Nebbia Winery. This is where you bring empty bottles & they fill them for $5!

Sunday - My MS Walk! I raised about $1,200!!

Vet Pricing

I was talking to this girl Emily today in the park. We know her & her dog, Kita. We were talking about Vets and she said she goes to a vet near our house that is cheaper than Pets Unlimited. Anal Glands at PU cost $34. I called this other vet and they are only $24! We are going to start going there for anal glands. The only thing about this closer vet is that they are not open as emergency so Pets Unlimited will stay our usual vet.

Cool Wine Thing

How cool is this!? Too bad it's $100


That pricey wine fridge on your kitchen renovation wish list isn't the only way to ensure that you'll always have a chilled Riesling to sip. The Cooper Cooler ($100 at stacksandstacks.com) is a small countertop appliance that takes a bottle of white from room temperature to drinking temperature in six minutes - and a can of beer in just one.

Salsa Dancing Dog

Weather

Remember Tuesday It was 80 at 10pm. Today, it was 40 and WINDY when I left school at 8pm.

Wow

I have this cold/allergy thing going on right now. I worked from home today and was rushing to leave the house to get to class. I wanted to take cold meds before school. We have a box of meds which half is NyQuil and half is DayQuil.

Guess who took 2 Nyquil at 5pm?

I was sitting in class and felt SO weird. I was so tired, couldn't focus, my eyes were shutting...Then, I realized, oh shit, I took NyQuil. I snapped awake with shock of what I had done. How stupid!!

Do you know who this is?

Ok. I'll tell you. It's Tanya Harding. Remember the ice skater who had 'people' who whacked Nancy Kerrigan in the knee? Can you believe that is her - she looks totally different!! She was on Oprah today.

Recycled Billboards

how cool - these makeup bags are made out of recycled billboards!

Landfills

Oprah had a green show for Earth Day. 2 big things I learned:
1. There are garbage patches in our oceans. In every ocean, there is a 'patch' of plastic. In the Pacific, it is the size of Texas and 100feet deep in some areas. They showed pictures of animals being trapped in plastic bags, suffocating, and trying to eat the plastic. It was all plastic bags from the grocery store and water bottles.

2. In LA county alone, the landfill is 100' deep and they take in like 3 tons of garbage every day. Everyone in LA county produces 4lbs of trash A DAY. The things they found in the landfill were ridiculous. Furniture, mattresses, clothes, paper.

Lessons Learned:
1. RECYCLE. Do not put your furniture out on the street for the trash to take. Bring it to GoodWill or a shelter. DO you know how many people out there have nothing and would die for a free dresser or bed?

2. RECYCLE. Put plastic bottles in the recycle Bin.

3. RECYCLE. Give your old clothes to Goodwill. Send your old shoes to a charity like Souls4Shoes or Nike!

4. DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS. Bring your own bags to the store, always. If you don't have them with you, don't take a bag if you can.

5. Get a Nalgene and do not drink out of plastic water bottles.

Those are my lessons for the day.

The best news all day

A Pet Airline!!!! And its reasonable - $149 ea way. I pay more than that for dog camp. When it comes to SF, I am doing it.

Clueless 2

Oh my god. Could it be true??? How awesome. Speaking of Clueless. I only had it on VHS and I got rid of the VHS tapes so now I don't have it. I bet I could get it on half.com for like $5.


Thirteen years after her blockbuster movie Clueless debuted, Alicia Silverstone is finally reprising her role as ditzy Cher Horowitz in a sequel to the 1995 hit.

Alicia, 32, was recently spotted shopping along Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana, Calif., with her good friend, Clueless writer and director Amy Heckerling, 54.

“They were talking about the script they’re working on and how exciting this is for them,” an eyewitness tells Star.

Explains a source, “It’s been a dream of Alicia’s to bring Cher back to the big screen. Amy is writing it, but Alicia is giving her tons of ideas.”

Cheap Flights

Quote

Interesting...

The mother of excess is not joy but joylessness.

―Friedrich Nietzsche

Class tonight

...was more group therapy. We were talking about romantic relationships at different stages/ages. The Prof told us how his parents sleep in different rooms. Another girl said that she has been engaged for a few years but won't get married because her fiance is an alcoholic. On and on....I guess it's good that people feel comfortable to open up in class but honestly, when they are rambling on at 9pm, all I can think about is getting home because I am so tired.

Tomorrow - class again. Oh and I can sign up for summer/fall at the end of the month at the SF schools. I am trying to take this online Pharmacology class online thru a Sacramento school and can't sign up for that until end of May. Here in CA, the schools give you a date when you can register. I guess the community college system is so populated that they have to pass out registration dates to keep it organized.

More dog park drama

Today, we were in the park and saw two other 'usual's that we haven't seen in a week. One dog(Mary)'s father said, What happened to Evie? I said, she got bit. He said, oh by the Biting Dog? Because clearly, he heard what went down. I said, yes, they were playing & then he bit.

Then, Roscoe & his mom came over and she asked what happened. Mary's Dad said, Biting Dog bit Evie. She was like - are you kidding me? Did they pay the bill? They should pay half the bill, its half their fault. I was like, yeah you would think.

I don't know what I will do if I see the Biting Dog's owners again.....

Snowy Fog

Yesterday, it was 85, hot & sunny. Today, 60 and foggy. I sort of like the 60's and fog. Anyway, when I walked outside of school, the fog was so dense. So dense, it was swirling and looked like snow. You know when its a light snow whipping around. That is what it looked like. I couldn't see cars in the further parking lot.

Sore Throat

Ugh I woke up with such a sore throat. I feel sooooo rundown today. I hope it is just allergies. The Claritin helped a little bit. Too bad I have school tonight and have to sit there from 7-9 when I could be asleep on the couch!

Single Ladies Flash Mob

100 women in Picadilly Circus in London burst into dance to Single Ladies. Turns out it wasn't just a flash mob but an ad for Trident!

Crazy of the Day

Take 2

Tiny & Bold

Have you guys seen this tv spot? It's funny. Evie watches it when it comes on, every time!

Sweating

At 10pm, it was still 80 degrees here. It's HOT. Evie is panting and went in the tub twice. She stands in there and drinks from the faucet and likes to be sprayed. Tomorrow, it will be cooler.

On a side note, here in SF, I sometimes hear music blasting outside. Most of the time when it happens near our house, it is a group of bikers with speakers in their bike basket blasting music. Tonight, a group of bikers rode by blasting Journey. It's pretty entertaining.

More Drama

So, I saw this guy in the park today who owns this dog, Ziggy. We saw Ziggy's Dad the other day and he gasped when he saw Evie's cut & asked what happened. I told him. Then, we saw the owners yesterday & they say 'People in the park are saying that our dog attacked yours'

Tonight, Ziggy's Dad said, I saw the Biting Dog's parents and said, I heard your dog was bad. They were completely shocked when I said that their dog bit yours. Was it a different dog?

I said, No, it was that dog. I did speak to them and they think they were just playing & he played too rough but the he bit her. I don't want them to think I am out here talking bad about them & their dog but they need to realize their dog bit mine.

He was like - No, I totally understand. Things can definitely happen no matter how calm a dog is.

So - whatever! I feel like this isn't the end. We will keep seeing these people and it will be akward. Oh well. They should get a grip on their dog.

Crazy of the Day

It's hot here. It was like 80 last night at 1030pm. I walked Evie in a tshirt, shorts & flip flops when normally I have on yoga pants, sneakers, and a sweatshirt. As I've mentioned before, since it's not ever really hot here, when it is - no one can handle it. Check out this pic of someone yesterday. haha.

I guess she was so shocked by the weather that she didn't know what to wear so she chose hardly anything.

DRAMA

Well, i saw the owners of the Biting Dog yesterday. There were a group of dogs/owners in the park, as usual. I just had a feeling I would see them. I walked right up into the group and told the owners what happened. They were in disbelief that their dog did this. They kept saying - he was playing. I was like, well, he bit her. Another owner who saw it all go down last week said, No, we had to pull them apart. He bit.

The Biting Dog owners were like, People in the park said they heard our dog attacked another dog. I said, (again) that your dog bit mine. They just kept saying 'He was playing' over and over. I said, you know this was a very expensive vet bill. They apologized, leashed their dog, & left. I think they are scared I am going to ask them to pay the bill or report them to the city. I wonder if we will keep seeing them in our park or if they will move parks. Now that the word is out that their sweet, passive dog can also bite.

People need to realize that no matter WHAT type of dog you have - whether it is a golden retriever or a little tea cup dog - it is an animal. #1 - an animal. If it has to, it will defend itself and bite. Even the sweetest dogs can turn.

Monday

Well, today it is gorgeous outside. I can't wait to get home and take Evie out. The day she got bit, there were two other owners/dogs out there with us & the biting dog. The 2 others were people/dogs we see all the time. Well, I saw one of those girls/dog and she was like, you need to ask the biting dog people to pay that Vet Bill. She was like, that dog definitely attacked Evie.

Well, it was one week ago today that she got bit so maybe we will see them. We'll see what they say.

Anyway, I think this week will be a good one. Back to school. A little gathering on Friday with our old boss. Half Moon Bay on Saturday.

Weekly Weather

Check out our weather for the week - gorgeous, amazing, pretty good, ok, crappy. So strange!

Weekend

Well this weekend was very uneventful but that is because we had such an eventful week. Evie is doing much better. On Saturday, we went to the vet to have that drain removed. The slots where the drain went in & out are closing up and look great. She is trying to play but I think she realizes that if she runs and rolls around, that it will hurt her arm and then feels tired and lays down.

Saturday, it was so nice out- sunny & in the 70's. We went to lunch, then laid out in the park. We got chinese and stayed home Saturday night.

Today, it was literally like 85 out. I was down at the gymnastics gym, which is south of the city, and it was even hotter. It was hot in the gym and the kids were sweating. Gross. It was an easy day though. Now, we are just chillin' and going to go food shopping. I made rice & beans today too and they came out pretty good. Not as good as Erik's Mom's though.

Tonight, I'm going to make strawberry rhubarb crisp. Yum-o!

Bump Its

Wow. Have you guys seen this thing on TV? Bump It's. You put them in your hair to 'bump' up your hair. Funny!


So your hair can look like this -


Not sure what is cooler. The Bump It or the Hairdini....

Foot

I'm calling a podiatrist. Remember that fall last Friday? My foot still hurts. I am favoring it by walking on the outer edge. I'm worried I have a hairline fracture or something.

The 2 Mr. Kissels

I watched this Lifetime movie on Demand last night, The Two Mr. Kissels. It is based on a true story about two brothers who were murdered. They were both extremely wealthy yet one had a crazy wife who killed him. She gave him date rape drugs in a milkshake and he fell unconcious. Then, she bludgeoned him to death, rolled him up in an oriental rug, and put the rug in storage.

The other brother was a con man & coke addict. He conned millions out of people and eventually was killed. They still don't know who the killer is.

It was pretty good. Plus, it's free on demand right now.

I have no say

Now there are 3 of us in this office. We are contemplating moving down to another floor to sit with another agency. I said I didn't want to. Can't we just stay the 3 of us together in our own area - the one freaking constant we have had for the past year? So I state my peace. My boss is like, we have to decide as a team if we want to move. Why is she saying this to me? I already told her, I dont want to move. So annoying. Its like - just decide waht you want to do and I will just do whatever. Don't tell me I have a say when I really don't.

Pet Insurance

I signed up for Pet Insurance yesterday. After a lot of research, I decided on Trupanion. They had great reviews, I chose my deductible, and they pay 90% of the bill.

Hi from Evie

Hey Everyone,

I'm feeling better. I get this tube thing removed tomorrow. I want to run and play already!

(Me, today, chillin in the bathroom)

Crazy of the Day

Windy much? This fishing trawler got blown into, and under the San Mateo Bridge on Tuesday night and, uh, it's still there. After this morning's commute they're planning to close a lane and finally yank the poor little thing out of there. Meanwhile, it may be leaking 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the bay.

Evie - Feeling Better

Well, Evie is feeling better. Here she is today -