It's the yin and yang of life...You can't live with it, you can't live without it. If it's not Siri responding to my questions on my phone, it's my desktop that died (rip) last Friday! Argh....how did we become so dependant on technology?
What's a 2011 woman to do? I grin and bear it...I call, I get referred to another number. I grimace. I call...I feel so out of step when I can't fix the problem...Perhaps I should be dating an IT guy!
What a morning! Getting pulled in 10 different directions, none of which I need to focus on! I wanted to do my 38 minute walk with Oliver, then ride my colt and practice what I learned in my impromptu lesson from Wednesday then have lunch with a friend....WRONG!
My desktop computer went out the other day from a power surge and wouldn't boot up...so I called my Computer fix it guy - Ray Hosseinzadeh - he thought it was my motherboard...but he's going out of town over the weekend, won't be back until Monday...geez...I've got projects on my hard drive that I didn't back up, so...I toss my plans out the window, grab my purse and head down to Santa Clara from San Ramon... an hour and a half later, I'm back in business...(really, if you need a quick fix and you are not handy with computers Ray can fix it for a really great price)
Anyway I was back on the road and headed home just in time to take a shower and come into KOIT!
Now that I'm here, I can relax and breathe and focus on YOU!
A far too crazy stress filled world we live in...even me!
The rainy weather today really brought it home that the holidays are right around the corner...
Everywhere I turned it was either Thanksgiving or Christmas! There is egg nog on the shelves already!
And in a heartbeat, my heart was beating out of my chest,
...I wasn't ready!
What was I thinking when I looked at my calendar and saw November 3rd? Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away? Did I think that some magical genie was going to whisk me into reality and set the holiday wheels into motion?
Not that I mind, I love the holidays...from August thru New Years is my FAVORITE time of year. My brain wasn't ready to be wrapped around the thought of putting away the patio furniture and bring out the firewood, jackets and hats...
I guess time slips away from the best of us....
Now that I got that off my chest...I'm really excited!
It's coming! (Actually, it's here!)
I just received this article via my vet clinic...Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center in San Ramon...
I hope by passing this info along, it will save your dogs life!
Woof!
by Frank Utchen, DVM
Can raisins and grapes really poison dogs? The answer is an emphatic yes, and everyone who owns a dog needs to know it. In this article, Iâll describe the grape-raisin syndrome in dogs and review the basic steps in treating the most life-threatening aspect of this type of poisoning: kidney failure.
If your dog ingests grapes or raisins, it is best to contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435), where they have specially trained staff who provide assistance to pet owners and specific diagnostic and treatment recommendations to veterinarians. Because affected dogs could die, dog owners should stop feeding their dogs grapes, raisins, and any food containing grape extracts.
If ingestion should occur, it is recommended that you seek veterinary assistance immediately to initiate aggressive medical management. For more information on the toxicity of grapes or raisins, see the ASPCA APCC Web site (www.apcc.aspca.org ).
Recently, veterinarians have recognized this new poisoning in dogs: severe acute kidney failure following ingestion of grapes or raisins.
What causes it?
The specific poisons involved in this toxicosis have eluded identification. Fungal, pesticide, and heavy-metal causes have been ruled out at this time. Investigation continues. It appears from recent unpublished data that the toxic component is within the flesh of the grape/raisin, not the seed.
How much is dangerous?
The lowest recorded amounts that caused kidney failure in dogs are, for grapes: 0.3 ounces of grapes per pound of body weight, and for raisins 0.05 ounces per pound. In more conventional terms, this would mean a 50 lb dog could be poisoned by eating as little as 15 ounces of grapes, or 2 to 3 ounces of raisins.
However, smaller amounts could also cause problems - we really don't know exactly what the minimum dose is.
However, not every dog or cat is susceptible. Many animals can tolerate large quantities of grapes or raisins without problems, and at this time no one knows what the main risk factors are that make one animal susceptible to being poisoned.
What about Grape seed Extract or grape juice?
This appears to be safe.
Toxicity has been associated with seedless grapes, so the toxin is unlikely to be within the seeds. It is then possible that grape seed extract is safe to useâhowever, this has not been conclusively proven. The reason this is important to know is that grape seed extract is a powerful antioxidant that may be helpful in the treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions, and some dog owners use this in their older dogs.
There is no information available about grape juice or wine. However, since the toxic agent is not known, current recommendations are to avoid giving grape juice or wine to dogs or cats.
What should I do?
If you see you dog eat grapes or raisins, the smartest thing to do is to make them vomit immediately. A tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide given by mouth will usually accomplish this within 5 or 10 minutes.
However, if there is any chance that some grapes or raisins have not been vomited up, the safest thing to do is take your dog to your veterinarian. The appropriate treatment to minimize the risk of kidney damage is to administer large amount of IV fluids for 36 to 72 hours.
What is the prognosis?
The prognosis in cases where kidney failure develops is guarded, at best. This is medical jargon that means, very roughly: the chances of survival are 50/50. Prognosis is good if caught immediately after a dog has eaten the grapes or raisins.
Here are the facts of the story that I was trying to tell about the song, "Angel" as told by Spence D.
"Run DMC was the first rap group to go platinum. They were the first rap group to sell out a successful arena tour. They were the first rap group to bridge the gap between the decidedly white medium of rock n' roll and the decidedly more urban medium of rap. And they undoubtedly revived the career of a flailing Aerosmith back in 1986 when they reworked their seminal classic "Walk This Way" as a blistering rap/rock crossover. Yet amidst all the success lies the inevitable heart of darkness.
While working on his forthcoming solo album, Checks, Thugs And Rock N' Roll, DMC learned that he had been adopted as a child. Perhaps not a huge revelation, but still nonetheless an eye-opening discovering, especially for a man well into his thirties. The buck doesn't stop there, however. We're all familiar with the de rigueur rock n' roll cliches of drug abuse, sexual escapades and groupie hi-jinx, band in-fightingâ¦tucked in amongst these is the dark specter of suicide.
And hard to believe as it may be, Darryl McDaniels, 1/3 of what many consider to be the greatest rap group ever to grip a set of microphones, command a pair of turntables, and grace the stage, once considered killing himself. Surprisingly enough, it was the intervention of a Canadian chanteuse that saved his life. This is his storyâ¦as told to Spence D. Of further note is the fact that DMC's knowledge of his adoption and the classic Harry Chapin song, "Cat In The Cradle" play an important role in the events that unfolded over the course of the past decade."I've been on this earth for 35 years and 10 years ago I'm sittin' there and I'm like 'Yo, am I here just to be DMC?'
First to go Gold, first to go Platinum, did all of this. Grew up in Hollis, Queens, I went to the best Catholic schools all my life, Catholic elementary, Catholic high school, I went to St. Johns University. Okay, it was Christmas for me everyday growing up as a kid. I was spoiled. Best life a kid could have. Now I become DMC with Joey, who was just Joey, but now we're Run DMC and we go on to spearhead the whole hip-hop movement and we go on to fortune and fame. So I'm sittin' over in Europe 10 years ago and sayin' 'Somethin' ain't right here. Somethin' is missin'.' But I couldn't put my finger on it. So I said to myself--not that I wasn't happy with the way things were goin' and I wasn't grateful for all of my accomplishments, but I said 'Okay, I'm gonna commit suicide.' Why? Probably because I was unhappy with 'if this is all I'm gonna get out of this life, I can't stay here. I'm ready to move on to my next plane of existence. There's gotta be more to this. People were like 'D, you're crazy! You're f-----' DMC. You've got a wife, kids, life is beautiful.' I said, 'All of that is lovely, but there's something else that is missing.'"This was in '97 and I said 'When I get home from Europeâ¦' I was in Europe and Run DMC, without havin' a hit record or video, we're over in Europe getting' a hundred grand a night. Life can't be better than that s---. I don't give a f--- if somebody knows nuthin' about my music, we're the f-----' Rolling Stones, we're the f-----' Beatles of hip-hop. A lotta rappers, after they sell their 21 million two years from now you ain't gonna care about these muthaf-----. It don't get no better than that. Me, Run, and Jay, we were able to tour until we were 85. People would still comes see us doin' "It's Like That" [as old men]. But I said 'When I get home, I'm gonna commit suicide.' So I get home and I get in the car that picks me up [at the airport], I turned the radio on. Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" was on the radio. That recordsaved my life. Wife. Kids. Fortune. Fame. I didn't give a f--- about none of that.
I turned the radio on--and I'm tryin' to express to you how it's so funny. I turned it on and I heard Sarah McLachlan's record and something that day said 'Life is good. It's good to be alive.' "So I go and I buy that record and everything Sarah McLachlan ever made. I listen Sarah McLachlan for one whole year. At the end of the year the Grammy's come around and my manager says 'D, let's go to the Grammy party. We're gonna go to Clive Davis' party.' I didn't want to go. I didn't care about s---. All I cared about was Sarah McLachlan records. So we go to the Grammy party, I get there and who do I see sittin' across the room--'cuz she was on Arista Records under Clive Davis--it's Sarah McLachlan. She was 'that lady.' I go 'Oh my god, it's that lady!' So I'm gettin' all nervous, but then I go 'No, I gotta go over there and tell Sarah McLachlan what her record did for me.'
So I pushed through the red carpet and the paparazzi, I get over to Sarah McLachlan, she looks up and she sees DMC standin' there in his full Run DMC regalia, hat, dressed in black, Adidas on. She says 'Run DMC, I love you guys. I love what you guys represent. Your music is so cool. I'm a big fan.' I'm like 'Wow!' Then I go, 'Ms. McLachlan, thank you for tellin' me that but I was suicidal, I didn't know what life was about, I had a lot to live for, but I was upset and was gonna kill myself. I don't know if I would've really done it, but just having suicidal thoughts. Then I heard your record "Angel." Now the record's name is "Angel," you sound like an angel, people say you're an angel, but you're not an angel to me, you're a god.' And I'm goin' on and on and on and she's lookin' at me like 'Oh-kaaaaay. So I finish and she looks at me and she says this to me: 'Thank you for telling me that Darryl, 'cause that's what music is supposed to do.' She shakes my hand and she walks away."
The young lady in the photo, Monica Plum of Powhatan, Va heard a news story 2 years ago of a dog that survived a fire because of a specially designed oxygen mask for pets. She conducted research and then did some fundraising so the 5 firetrucks in her county could carry the equipment. She met her goal and then some.
As of this week she has supplied nearly 300 fire stations from Maine to Alaska with the pet saving equipment! And I'd like you to continue to help her. You can make a donation of any denomination to help Monica and her quest to save animals.
Click on the picture if you'd like to make a donation...You can even donate to a specific fire station in loving memory of your pet! Â I'll be making a donation of a complete kit to the San Francisco Firestation #1.
The infamous line from Indiana Jones in the 1st movie...
I happen to hate snakes too...only the ones that are poisonous...at first they startle me (for good reason) Â then I check to see what KIND of snake they are and THEN I panic...gopher snake...ok...you can pass...you're cool...go and eat some ground squirrels...but a rattler...I can backpeddle pretty fast. Â I ride out in the east bay hills, mainly Pleasanton ridge, and I'm happy to say that I have yet to encounter a rattler this season, but for all intents and purposes, SNAKES are prevalant this year...
Doug Bell, wildlife program manager for the East Bay Regional Park District, said excellent habitat and feed conditions have benefited snakes and most wildlife. He called it "a spectacular snake year."
It's become common this month to see lots of snakes at Bay Area parks, from the Central Valley into the foothills across California, and in the high country of the southern Sierra.
Heavy rain this spring was the trigger. High forage supported lots of ground squirrels, mice, gophers, small rabbits and lizards. That provided a ton of food for rattlesnakes and gopher snakes. Other critters have shared in the feast, including bobcat, fox, coyote, and raptors such as golden eagles, hawks, falcons and owls.
How can you tell a "good snake" - gopher snake from a "bad snake" - rattler?
Rattlesnakes are important members of the natural community. They will not attack, but if disturbed or cornered, they will defend themselves. Reasonable watchfulness should be sufficient to avoid snakebite. Give them distance and respect.
This is a Contra Costa Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
This is a Contra Costa County Gopher snake.
Here's another snake that confuses the whole situation! The California Night Snake!
Kitchen Nightmares, the FOX program featuring celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay spitting out food and screaming at people, is looking for a new serving of reality television victims in San Francisco.
So if you or someone you know is running a restaurant into the ground, this might be a shot to turn things around -- or at least be embarrassed on cable television.
The online application includes questions like "List Five Things the Restaurant needs Help With" and "Why should Gordon Ramsay pick you and your restaurant?"
Applicants are also encouraged to submit a video audition. Ramsay loves complaining about kitchen cleanliness and lazy chefs serving frozen food, so it might be time to look into the dark corners of the walk-in for some juicy rant-bait.
The heartbreaking story of a puppy that nearly died after being put into a microwave oven in January is turning into more of a happy story of survival.
Thanks to months of dedication and care from veterinarians and volunteers, the tough little pup is ready for a permanent home.
Mighty Mouse, a Chihuahua/terrier mix was just four weeks old when a 4-year-old child put him in a microwave for 15 seconds, causing severe damage to the tiny dog's ears, paws, colon and anus.
Specialized surgeons operated on Mighty Mouse to repair his delicate system, but he will need ongoing care for the rest of his life.
The staff at the non-profit Hopalong & Second Chance Animal Rescue have been helping Mighty Mouse become strong and live up to the name they gave him.
Hard work and the tenacity of the feisty, mixed breed pup made Mighty Mouse ready for his forever home. Check out the video clip below that shows the cute little bundle of energy romping around, fetching a ball and acting just like any puppy should.
If you're interested in making Mighty Mouse your BFF, check out Hopalong's website and fill out an adoption application.
