Monthly Archives: September 2008
Friday cat blogging.
No pictures this week.
Another year, another trip to the vet.
Everyone seems happy and healthy, for the most part. Karelia (Kari) does need a dental exam next week, while Nepenthe (Neppie) and Perl could use them soon, too.
We mentioned that it seemed at times that Kari (and to some degree, Neppie) seems “crotchety”, missing jumps up on the couch or the bed. Some of it is weight issues for Kari, but since they both get steroid shots to help inflammatory bowel disease, they may be lacking in potassium that could make both seem “crotchety” at age 11. So, we’re trying out a variety of potassium supplements to see what works best for them. So far, it looks like the powder we can mix in with the wet food that only they devour.
There’s always the possibility that the steroid shots could contribute to feline diabetes. While we wouldn’t expect it of Neppie as a fairly active cat, it is a concern as the sedentary Kari has her pre-dental bloodwork.
Actual pictures will return next Friday.
75 Books Every Woman Should Read (And What I’ve Read).
- The Lottery (and Other Stories), Shirley Jackson – nope
- To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf – nope
- The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton -nope
- White Teeth, Zadie Smith – nope
- The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende – nope, but on my list (and other Allende read)
- Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion – nope
- Excellent Women, Barbara Pym – nope
- The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath – nope, but on my list
- Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys – nope
- The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri – nope, but on my list
- Beloved, Toni Morrison – nope, but on my list (and other Morrison read)
- Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert – nope, but on my list (?)
- Like Life, Lorrie Moore – nope
- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen – nope, but on my list
- Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë – nope
- The Delta of Venus, Anais Nin – nope
- A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley – nope
- A Good Man Is Hard To Find (and Other Stories), Flannery O’Connor – nope, but on my list (and other O’Connor read)
- The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx – nope, but on my list (and other Proulx read)
- You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down, Alice Walker – nope (other Walker read)
- Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston – yes, one of my top 20 ever
- To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee – yes, one of my top 20 ever
- Fear of Flying, Erica Jong – nope
- Earthly Paradise, Colette – nope
- Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt – yes, ehhh
- Property, Valerie Martin – nope
- Middlemarch, George Eliot – nope, but on my list
- Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid – nope
- The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir – nope, but on my list (?)
- Runaway, Alice Munro – nope
- The Heart is A Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers – nope, but on my list
- The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston – nope
- Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë – nope, but on my list
- You Must Remember This, Joyce Carol Oates – nope, but on my list
- Little Women, Louisa May Alcott – of course
- Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill – never heard of
- The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr – nope
- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou – nope, but on my list (?)
- A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith – yes, one of top 20 ever
- And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie – yes
- Bastard out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison – nope, but maybe on list
- The Secret History, Donna Tartt – yes, top 50 ever
- The Little Disturbances of Man, Grace Paley – nope
- The Portable Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker – nope
- The Group, Mary McCarthy – nope
- Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi – nope, but on my list (?)
- The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing – nope
- The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank – of course, top 20 ever
- Frankenstein, Mary Shelley – yes, top 50 ever
- Against Interpretation, Susan Sontag – nope
- In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez – nope, on my list (?)
- The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck – nope, on my list (?)
- Fun Home, Alison Bechdel – nope
- Three Junes, Julia Glass – possibly in the future
- A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft – nope, but on my list
- Sophie’s Choice, William Styron – nope, but on my list
- Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann – nope, but on my list (for fun)
- Love in a Cold Climate, Nancy Mitford – never heard of
- Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell – of course
- The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin – no, but other LeGuin and possibly this in the future
- The Red Tent, Anita Diamant – nope, but on my list
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera – yes, one of my top 20
- The Face of War, Martha Gellhorn – never heard of
- My Antonia, Willa Cather – nope, on my list
- Love In The Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez – nope, on my list, other Marquez read
- The Harsh Voice, Rebecca West – never heard of
- Spending, Mary Gordon – never heard of
- The Lover, Marguerite Duras – possibly
- The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy – possibly
- Tell Me a Riddle, Tillie Olsen – never heard of
- Nightwood, Djuna Barnes – never heard of
- Three Lives, Gertrude Stein – possibly
- Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons – nope, on my list
- I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith – never heard of
- Possession, A.S. Byatt – possibly, other Byatt read
When I’m Not Here.
I can now be found writing about chronic illness (in general) as well as type 2 diabetes (more specifically) at Capessa. Excited to be able to share my thoughts on both subjects with a more mainstream audience!
I can still be found writing about diabetes at Rachel’s Diabetes Tales at Diabetes Daily or in my Viewpoints column over at dLife. (By the way, take a look at one of the newest type 2 columnists over there, Kalimah Johnson. I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed.)
That is the end of my latest need for shameless self-promotion.
Monday mish-mash.
- Managed to get tickets for yesterday’s Broncos-Chargers game. And what a game it was, 39-38 Broncos with a last minute touchdown and 2-point conversion.
- After the game, we went to Wynkoop Brewing Company for dinner. We each tried their special Maibock style beer called the “Obamanator”. My venison kabobs with pineapple, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and mushrooms were delicious, while Greg enjoyed his shepherd’s pie. Eating at Wynkoop is never disappointing.
- Back at our car, we happened upon a certain situation in the car next to us. You know, the kind that involves two people and nudity. (Greg swears there was only one person, but I’m skeptical.)
- Woo-hoo, Carlos Zambrano threw the Cubs’ first no-hitter since 1972!
- Tina Fey was freaking hilarious as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live.
- For the fifth time since 2002, we are participating in the Komen Denver Race for the Cure in honor of his mother (and many other breast cancer survivors). On October 5, Greg and I will walk the 5k once again.
Friday cat blogging.
We found ourselves in the need of a new refrigerator last weekend. The cats were curious, yet a bit scared of the thing:
A Food Meme.
(Thanks to Julia.
In an omelette, please. Mushrooms, Swiss, maybe artichokes too.
2. How do you take your coffee/tea?
Coffee – with a splash of soy milk and a dash of stevia. Tea – nothing.
French toast. Le sigh.
4. Peanut butter:
None thanks.
5. What kind of dressing on your salad?
Balsamic Vinegarette.
6. Coke or Pepsi?
Diet Coke, please. (Or even better, diet Dr. Pepper.)
7. You’re feeling lazy. What do you make?
Either linguine with clam sauce or pork chops and applesauce.
Canadian Bacon & Pineapple.
9. You feel like cooking. What do you make?
Lasagna. Anything in the crock pot.
10. Do any foods bring back good memories?
Flank steak. Fresh fish.
11. Do any foods bring back bad memories?
Baked potatoes. (Something I just don’t eat anymore with type 2 diabetes.)
12. Do any foods remind you of someone?
Nope.
13. Is there a food you refuse to eat?
Foie gras.
14. What was your favorite food as a child?
Linguine with clam sauce.
15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like?
Calamari. Red meat.
16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate?
Anything too sweet.
17. Favorite fruit and vegetable:
Strawberries, pears, kiwi. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus.
18. Favorite junk food:
Brownies, Doritos, mac & cheese.
19. Favorite between meal snack:
String cheese.
20. Do you have any weird food habits?
I don’t think so.
21. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on?
Fish & seafood.
22. You’re off your diet. Now what would you like?
Cheesecake, brownies. Or cheesecake brownies!
23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai?
Medium
24. Can I get you a drink?
Yes, please.
25. Red or White Wine?
Red, zinfandel to be precise.
26. Favorite dessert?
Anything with the word “chocolate”.
27. The perfect nightcap?
Port, a rich chocolate dessert, followed by coffee.
An Insomniac Posts.
A little football, a little politics, and some other stuff in between:
- I know week 1 of the NFL season isn’t quite over yet, but I’m pretty excited that the Bears managed to beat the Colts. Though I know that this was almost like a pre-season game for Peyton Manning and his offense, so I’m not absolutely confident that this streak will continue for the Bears. I heard that Brett Favre played decent for the Jets and that Tom Brady might be out for the season (OH NOES BEST QB IN THE UNIVERSE…gag!). Can’t wait to see how the Broncos do tonight (and to see if I’m correct about Minnesota demolishing the Packers).
- The fridge we bought when we first moved into the house stopped functioning properly. We took the opportunity to buy a shiny new stainless steel finish fridge. Of course, now we want to upgrade the dishwasher and stove, too…
- I’m looking forward to the presidential and vice-presidential debates just as much as any football game, but could we possibly slow down the amount of political ads around here? I know we’re a battleground state here in Colorado, but come on, enough is enough.
Hurray for Friday cat blogging.
Too early for Halloween cats? Maybe, but don’t Perl and Kari look awfully cute being somewhat symmetrical?
