Our class had it's 37th reunion a couple of weeks ago and I've been self-appointed to post the photographs to Facebook. My 1st reaction is,"Oh my god, who are all of these old people??" These must have been people I never knew. I thought I knew everyone but how can you know 660-plus people? So Rick Bennett says, "Bet you can't guess who these 5 women are?" I thought the faces were familiar but couldn't name one name. Then Rick tagged the photos and I was like, "Okay, wow". Some people have really changed, some people's names sound vaguely familiar and at least one woman I thought, "Who IS that?"
Others photos I had the same response. After the tagging it all made more sense. Some of the women looked really good, totally beautiful and the men, well they looked somewhat like themselves except generally rounder, balder, more worn somehow. Wondering if living in Michigan is somehow wearing because of the economy - but do they even live there? Do I really want to know?
On some level yes - otherwise - no - but yes.
Wishing on some level that I could've gone, heard the voices, heard the stories, laughed at the changes, the samenesses, the... oldness of it all... the oddness of it.
Last night Rick sent more photos - again untagged, and again I saw faces I almost recognized, and then no names come to mind. And then finally - a familiar look, a familiar smile. John Gawlas - untagged - but yes it was him - that smile - that look - just the same as when we were 14 in Project Inquiry and 17 in Knott's class and this time I could read the nametag where in big letters it says, "John Gawlas".
At last, recognition.
So here I sit on an airplane to Hong Kong in my real life, wondering what's coming next and yet thinking of those faces from all those years past.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
TWEETS FROM A PLANE: Manual Tweeting - is that an oxymoron?
No my plane does not have wi-fi but I figured I would Tweet anyway - maybe post it - who knows?
How do we become more global and yet reduce our carbon footprint? This seems to be the conundrum of our age - how do we "stay local" but go global? Or is it "think global"? Have to go look it up. Think global-ly? Maybe.
5/28/09 13:20:45 Seat 53E
Where is the International Date Line? We must have crossed sometime since the last meal (salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and triple-fudge brownie) and the meal that has been presented to me now - Chinese noodles - your basic ramen-noodle bowl in a styrofoam cup and a lemon cookie:
1 Open and allow flight attendant to add hot water
2 Close the lid and wait 4 minutes
3 siir well and enjoy!
(with the smallest set of chopsticks I have seen - so far) - (and a spork!)
5/28/09 17:14:31 Seat 53D
I keep trying to read the Chinese subtitles... kind of disconcerting
5/28/09 18:11:54 Seat 53D
Note to self: On plane - does one waste ipod's questionable battery time or listen to XM radio which basically costs me $1000 for 26 hours of playing-time?
-- Using the XM seems like a wiser bet and I may be grateful while listening to my "favorites" in 3 days when I'm feeling homesick in a strange land (I always hit that "teary homesick" thing in 3 days whether it be Cleveland or Hong Kong).
5/28/09 19:31:21 Seat 53D
Journal is starting to sound like one big Tweet. Oh how 2009! (How Millenial?)
5/28/09 19:31:21 Seat 53D
Watching Steve Martin's remake of The Pink Panther while listening to (insert plinky violin pitsicatto-music of your choice here) oddly amusing. Now a Strauss Waltz... OMG this is getting better and better! 5/29/09 20:43:09 Seat 53D
And better! It's like watching a "talkie"!
5/29/09 20:45:11 Seat 53D
5 1/2 hours to go! Will be flying quite near the southern coast of Siberia soon (is that right? Geography - arrggh!
5/29/09 20:36:19 Seat 53D
5 1/2 hours is vaguely the same amount of time from PDX-NYC, not including sitting at La Guardia for 8 hrs prior to takeoff... 5/29/09 20:41+23 Seat 53D
Outside temperature -57 degrees. Brrrrrrr
5/29/09 20:43:14 Seat 53D
Really bad gas. Was it the tofu in the noodles?
5/29/09 21:09:46 sEAT 53D
On Movie #4. I don't know the title but so far today I have seen cameos by almost every American actor known to Hollywood. What a trip!
5/29/09 21:22:52 Seat 53D
Watching Movie #4 to Beethoven Violin Concerto. Seems very dramatic but secretly I'm happy to not be listening to the dialogue as I think it is really bad.
5/29/09 21:23:31 Seat 53D
Turbulence bad. Is there a tsunami or typhoon or monsoon below us? The paper said "Rain"
Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini. Johnny Weir skated to this one year, earlier in his career. Love it.
5/29/09 21:34:57 Seat 53D
What is this dumb movie anyway? Is that Heidi Klum?
5/29/09 21:37:52 Seat 53D
The transmission of this movie is really poor. Are those individual pixels? Is it from the turbulence?
5/29/09 21:41:01 Seat 53D
OMG is that Bebe Neuwirth? What is she doing in this movie? Do all these actors need work this badly?
5/29/09 21:46:30 Seat 53D
Ooops. It was Kristin Scott-Thomas from 4 Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient. Is she that desperate?
5/29/09 22:03:37 Seat 53D
Time to destination 3:37. Just west of Japan.
5/28/09 23:23:09 Seat 53D
882mph. Whooooosh.
5/28/09 23:25:15 PDT Seat 53D
All the shades are down but the sun is blazing. Won't that mess us up?
5/28/09 23:28:21 PDT no idea what time it is in our present time zone, whatever it's called Seat 53D
John Lennon. Double Fantasy. Love it.
5/28/09 23:36:21 PDT Seat 53D
Poll to all vets:
1. Have you ever refused to treat a pet because the client couldn't pay for treatment including $1500 to unblock a blocked cat or $3000 for GI torsion surgery?
2. Did you feel guilty about it?
3. Would you do it differently if you could go back in time and re-do it?
4. Would you do it differently the next time?
This issue is deeply disturbing to me.
5/29/09 24:24:05 PDT via Seat 53D
90 minutes. 1 more meal. Watching a show about baby elephants in British-English with no Chinese sub-titles as we approach this former British colony. They've finally admitted it is tomorrow afternoon and have turned the lights up.
5/29/09 24:27:44 PDT via seat 53D
Been a long-ass day. hey, it's tomorrow! Night!
5/29/09 04:15:26 HKT via Seat 53D
How do we become more global and yet reduce our carbon footprint? This seems to be the conundrum of our age - how do we "stay local" but go global? Or is it "think global"? Have to go look it up. Think global-ly? Maybe.
5/28/09 13:20:45 Seat 53E
Where is the International Date Line? We must have crossed sometime since the last meal (salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and triple-fudge brownie) and the meal that has been presented to me now - Chinese noodles - your basic ramen-noodle bowl in a styrofoam cup and a lemon cookie:
1 Open and allow flight attendant to add hot water
2 Close the lid and wait 4 minutes
3 siir well and enjoy!
(with the smallest set of chopsticks I have seen - so far) - (and a spork!)
5/28/09 17:14:31 Seat 53D
I keep trying to read the Chinese subtitles... kind of disconcerting
5/28/09 18:11:54 Seat 53D
Note to self: On plane - does one waste ipod's questionable battery time or listen to XM radio which basically costs me $1000 for 26 hours of playing-time?
-- Using the XM seems like a wiser bet and I may be grateful while listening to my "favorites" in 3 days when I'm feeling homesick in a strange land (I always hit that "teary homesick" thing in 3 days whether it be Cleveland or Hong Kong).
5/28/09 19:31:21 Seat 53D
Journal is starting to sound like one big Tweet. Oh how 2009! (How Millenial?)
5/28/09 19:31:21 Seat 53D
Watching Steve Martin's remake of The Pink Panther while listening to (insert plinky violin pitsicatto-music of your choice here) oddly amusing. Now a Strauss Waltz... OMG this is getting better and better! 5/29/09 20:43:09 Seat 53D
And better! It's like watching a "talkie"!
5/29/09 20:45:11 Seat 53D
5 1/2 hours to go! Will be flying quite near the southern coast of Siberia soon (is that right? Geography - arrggh!
5/29/09 20:36:19 Seat 53D
5 1/2 hours is vaguely the same amount of time from PDX-NYC, not including sitting at La Guardia for 8 hrs prior to takeoff... 5/29/09 20:41+23 Seat 53D
Outside temperature -57 degrees. Brrrrrrr
5/29/09 20:43:14 Seat 53D
Really bad gas. Was it the tofu in the noodles?
5/29/09 21:09:46 sEAT 53D
On Movie #4. I don't know the title but so far today I have seen cameos by almost every American actor known to Hollywood. What a trip!
5/29/09 21:22:52 Seat 53D
Watching Movie #4 to Beethoven Violin Concerto. Seems very dramatic but secretly I'm happy to not be listening to the dialogue as I think it is really bad.
5/29/09 21:23:31 Seat 53D
Turbulence bad. Is there a tsunami or typhoon or monsoon below us? The paper said "Rain"
Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini. Johnny Weir skated to this one year, earlier in his career. Love it.
5/29/09 21:34:57 Seat 53D
What is this dumb movie anyway? Is that Heidi Klum?
5/29/09 21:37:52 Seat 53D
The transmission of this movie is really poor. Are those individual pixels? Is it from the turbulence?
5/29/09 21:41:01 Seat 53D
OMG is that Bebe Neuwirth? What is she doing in this movie? Do all these actors need work this badly?
5/29/09 21:46:30 Seat 53D
Ooops. It was Kristin Scott-Thomas from 4 Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient. Is she that desperate?
5/29/09 22:03:37 Seat 53D
Time to destination 3:37. Just west of Japan.
5/28/09 23:23:09 Seat 53D
882mph. Whooooosh.
5/28/09 23:25:15 PDT Seat 53D
All the shades are down but the sun is blazing. Won't that mess us up?
5/28/09 23:28:21 PDT no idea what time it is in our present time zone, whatever it's called Seat 53D
John Lennon. Double Fantasy. Love it.
5/28/09 23:36:21 PDT Seat 53D
Poll to all vets:
1. Have you ever refused to treat a pet because the client couldn't pay for treatment including $1500 to unblock a blocked cat or $3000 for GI torsion surgery?
2. Did you feel guilty about it?
3. Would you do it differently if you could go back in time and re-do it?
4. Would you do it differently the next time?
This issue is deeply disturbing to me.
5/29/09 24:24:05 PDT via Seat 53D
90 minutes. 1 more meal. Watching a show about baby elephants in British-English with no Chinese sub-titles as we approach this former British colony. They've finally admitted it is tomorrow afternoon and have turned the lights up.
5/29/09 24:27:44 PDT via seat 53D
Been a long-ass day. hey, it's tomorrow! Night!
5/29/09 04:15:26 HKT via Seat 53D
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Increase in Pet Euthanasia for no Good Reason?
There was an article in this morning's paper about the fact that there has been an increase in the numbers of animals euthanized because their owners cannot pay for life-saving treatment.
What is wrong with this picture? The article was about the grief that the veterinarians experience doing these euthanasias (killing, in my mind) - but what about the guilt surrounding the veterinarian's inability to lower their prices so that the pet can receive the life-saving treatments? How come no one ever talks about that?
I can totally understand choosing euthanasia if the outcome, after expensive tests and surgeries, would be the same: the pet will not be saved. At a certain point it may be more humane to consider euthanasia.
At the same time, if a cat's life can be saved by unblocking his blocked urethra, why not do it for whatever the owner can afford? You still may make more money than you would have performing the euthanasia and the good-will you have inspired in your client, yourself and your staff would be worth it.
It's easy for me to criticize at this point in my career: I no longer perform the types of life-saving procedures that cost $1500. I may save the animal's life by degrees, one acupuncture treatment, herbal or homeopathic remedy at a time, and the pet's guardian may pay me, over a period of time, $1500. I don't have a staff whose salaries I need to pay, a building that needs repair or lease payments and I don't carry a large inventory. I don't have expensive equipment. It is just me, my bag and my car.
But I still wonder why it costs $1500 to unblock a blocked cat, and whether euthanasia is ever a viable option when the pet's life could be saved for much less?
What is wrong with this picture? The article was about the grief that the veterinarians experience doing these euthanasias (killing, in my mind) - but what about the guilt surrounding the veterinarian's inability to lower their prices so that the pet can receive the life-saving treatments? How come no one ever talks about that?
I can totally understand choosing euthanasia if the outcome, after expensive tests and surgeries, would be the same: the pet will not be saved. At a certain point it may be more humane to consider euthanasia.
At the same time, if a cat's life can be saved by unblocking his blocked urethra, why not do it for whatever the owner can afford? You still may make more money than you would have performing the euthanasia and the good-will you have inspired in your client, yourself and your staff would be worth it.
It's easy for me to criticize at this point in my career: I no longer perform the types of life-saving procedures that cost $1500. I may save the animal's life by degrees, one acupuncture treatment, herbal or homeopathic remedy at a time, and the pet's guardian may pay me, over a period of time, $1500. I don't have a staff whose salaries I need to pay, a building that needs repair or lease payments and I don't carry a large inventory. I don't have expensive equipment. It is just me, my bag and my car.
But I still wonder why it costs $1500 to unblock a blocked cat, and whether euthanasia is ever a viable option when the pet's life could be saved for much less?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I must be getting Altzheimer's disease - I thought of something great to write about - did some paperwork, came over to the blog and promptly forgot the whole thing.
I wonder sometimes if my cynicism gets in the way of really connecting with people and things? Maybe I should try and not be so cynical.
But being cynical is a lot of fun, really and I think it makes me unique - my unique way of looking at the world.
I wonder sometimes if my cynicism gets in the way of really connecting with people and things? Maybe I should try and not be so cynical.
But being cynical is a lot of fun, really and I think it makes me unique - my unique way of looking at the world.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
First posting to this blog
Welcome to the "Blah Blah Blah" blog - where I hope to get started on this blog (as opposed to my Portland Rink Report (now defunct) blog... - hoping to get some writing done...
Wondering about writing a blog vs. pen and paper - I used to keep a journal - always pen and paper - pages and pages of (sometimes hysterical) writing - wondering whether to publish it somehow, or turn it into a blog...
Then there's the idea of doing case reports from my veterinary files. This I find a lot less interesting, although I think maybe people will like it, too. Who knows - so conflicted - and yet so want to write...
Having been back to pen and paper recently - it feels good - maybe pen and paper and then transfer to blog - seems kind of silly somehow. Cumbersome. Redundant.
also of course could add photographs to this blog.
Looking forward to getting started... now... something to blog about...
Wondering about writing a blog vs. pen and paper - I used to keep a journal - always pen and paper - pages and pages of (sometimes hysterical) writing - wondering whether to publish it somehow, or turn it into a blog...
Then there's the idea of doing case reports from my veterinary files. This I find a lot less interesting, although I think maybe people will like it, too. Who knows - so conflicted - and yet so want to write...
Having been back to pen and paper recently - it feels good - maybe pen and paper and then transfer to blog - seems kind of silly somehow. Cumbersome. Redundant.
also of course could add photographs to this blog.
Looking forward to getting started... now... something to blog about...
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