Our sweet little cupcake....

The last few days have been hard on us as our precious little cupcake has been ill. She has what is known as Lipidosis, which is a "fatty liver". Cats don't metabolize fats very well, so when they lose alot of weight (for whatever reason) the molecules of fat go into the liver and aren't metabolized/or excreted properly. This puts stress on the liver and impedes its function. The result is a very jaundaced looking black kitty who doesn't want to eat anything because her tummy hurts. The treatment seems to be to slowly get the cat to eat again and while she won't, make sure she is getting vital nutrients and liquids. This can be done by force feeding (which is what we are doing), tube feeding, or other ways done by a vet. They say that if you can keep the cat's nutritional needs supplied for 2 to 3 weeks, the cat has a 90% recovery rate. If not, the cat will probably die. This is what we are facing. Besides the jaundace, she is very weak and vomits alot. We are praying for her recovery.

Today she got a whiff of Sharon's Christmas present (catnip) for the cats and that was encouraging. It was the first time she was curious about anything in weeks. I plan to use the catnip to make her exercise a bit as she lays around all day long. Not much though, as she need her rest. If you'd like to read more about Lipidosis, here is the link:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_hepatic_lipidosis.html

On a lighter note, today's movie was "An American in Paris" with Gene Kelly and Leslie Carron. Had a good storyline, but the 17 minute opera (more of a dance number) at the end was a little too much for me and really strayed from the story. Funny that the info about the movie mainly talked about that number....guess no one had seen anything like it before.

Happy Anniversary!

Julie and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary Saturday (it's actually Monday) exchanging gifts and going out to dinner.

According to tradition, the 5th anniversary is the gift of wood. After 5 years, the marriage has been tested and it stands tall like an oak tree, full of strength and able to withstand any ill winds thrown in it's path. Traditionally, the couple plants a tree or exchanges wooden objects to commemorate the accomplishment.

Naturally, because we are avid baseball fans, the wooden bat would be our gift of choice. I got Julie a MLB card with 2 baseball bat chips in it (known in the hobby as a 'dual bat card') from Hall of Fame player Arky Vaughan. That puts our HOF collection up to 89 pieces of game-used memorabilia. (We collect ONE card of each HOF inductee...there are currently over 200 inductees) Julie got me the best gift I could have asked for....an autographed Edgar Martinez full size bat!

He's my favorite Mariner ever, and a futurer HOFer, at least in our opinion. He's eligible for induction beginning in 2010.

We went to Snohomish for dinner, and ate at the BBQ Shack. It's locally known as the home of the Naked Pigs, because the outside walls are painted with dancing naked pigs. Somebody tried to get the pigs removed (saying they were obscene) a few years back, and somehow the story even made the Jay Leno Show (probably part of his Headlines segment)...anyway, the pigs went to court and the court ruled they were not obscene and so they remain even today.

Finished the evening watching another Oscar winning Best Picture, this time it was 1947's THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, which told the stories of 3 returning GIs who find things quite different at home from how they remember them. Another very good movie.

A NEW DAWN FOR AMERICA

This was the sunrise at 7:30 am this morning. Julie and I woke up early to see Barack Obama sworn in as our 44th president.

It was an amazing speech. I am so happy to be able to say President Obama! A historic day for our country and one that years from now people will remember exactly where they were at this moment in time. I'd like to share a quote from our new President: "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

Bowling and Casablanca

Julie and I went bowling today for the first time in over a year. All she wanted was at least a 67 game, as this would beat her sister Kelly's bowling score when she went. After 4 consecutive gutter balls, I really doubted it would happen, but somehow she improved throughout the 10 frames and finished her first game with a 100. Not to be outdone, I managed a 131, that should have actually been scored 150. Before frame #9, the bowling maintainance man asked if we could stop a moment while he waxed the lane. He knocked over the pins while waxing and they reset. I didn't notice the scoring mechanism was on 2nd rack and when I bowled a strike, it didn't score it. I could have manually corrected it, but everyone there said just call it a practice shot with the new wax and let me bowl again. Which was fine with me since I wasn't bowling very well anyway. But then I got 2 more strikes in a row and I suddenly I wanted my Turkey!

In the 2nd game, Julie bowled much better and actually beat me 122 to 112. She got 2 strikes in a row and has decided she likes fresh wax on her lanes. We thought about playing a 3rd game to break the tie, but decided against it. It was time to go home and have dinner.

Julie cooked boiled shrimp, potatoes, and corn on the cob Southern style...all in one big pot...and we dined while watching the 1943 Best Picture, Casablanca.

"Here's looking at you, Kid"

WIND, RAIN, AND FLOODING

Well, the snow has stopped, but now we're dealing with a pineapple express! Temperatures have risen to nearly 60 degrees and we've been having a huge storm come in off the Pacific yesterday and today. Winds have been from the south, steady at 35 with gusts to near 60 mph. Along with the wind (which is breaking tree limbs and causing power outages throughout the area) we have had record rainfall. Alot of areas have had 1 to 4 inches of rain and the ground is 100% saturated from all the melting snowfall. It has no where to go but down slope toward the creeks and rivers. There have been numerous mudslides throughtout western Washington and 23 rivers have flood warnings on them. All major roads leading across the Cascade mountains are closed due to avalanches. US 2, Interstates 90 and 84, US 12. No one is going east for the time being!

The good news is that we are safe and warm, our power went out for only about a 1/2 hour. (It helps to live right next to the police station...we're a priority!)

In other news, Julie has another interview with the Snohomish & Island County Libraries (SnoIsle Libraries) for a part-time position at their Millcreek branch library. She is currently working part-time with the City of Everett Libraries and hopes to be able to do both. Jobs are still very scarce here, so we are excited for any position, especially for ones within the libraries as that is the field she wishes to stay in.

Last night's Oscar winning movie was 1935's Mutany on The Bounty, based on a true story. I wonder what Julie will bring home tonight from work?

The Grand Hotel (and my vacation plans)

Woke up this morning and it was snowing again. Luckily it's very light and only a dusting so far.

Last night we watched the 1932 Best Picture which was The Grand Hotel. This one had legendary stars John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, and Greta Garbo in it and told the story of guests checking into and out of the grandest hotel in Berlin, Germany. Very good movie with a surprising ending that no one would expect, but I won't ruin it for anyone who still hasn't seen the movie.

I will be on vacation for 9 days beginning January 24th. Julie and I always take this week off as it celebrates two events in our lives. The first is Seattle Mariners fanfest weekend, when we get the chance to meet the players and coaches, and hear about their thoughts on the upcoming season. It takes place at Safeco Field and includes the chance to see alot of the behind the scenes stuff, including the players lockers, batting cages, weight room, and cafeteria all located underneath the stadium. We can go to the pressroom; even up to the control room for the retractable roof. This year should be especially interesting since we have an entire new organization with a new GM, all new coaches, and many new players.

The 2nd important date for us is January 26th, which is our wedding anniversary. It was 5 years ago on this date that we tied the knot up in Abbottsford, British Columbia, Canada. It has been 5 good years with lots of travel. We've attended MLB baseball games in Oakland, CA; Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA; and traveled all over the USA, from Washington to California to Florida to Maryland. We visited family all over the place: Canada, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Arizona, Nevada, and California. We've gone to Hawaii. We're hoping to make another trip to Louisiana next year to meet the newest relatives....Melanie and Zachary, who joined our family last year.

Here's hoping that everyone is doing well. If you get the chance, please email me or leave a comment on this blog so I know someone is reading these. Thanks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (and our resolutions)

Well, it's that time of year again, and time for the New Year's Resolution. No, I'm not pledging to lose weight...although it's true that I need to as I've gained all 40 pounds that I lost back over the past 3 years. Julie and I are going to try and exercise a little more and eat a little more healthier, but this year's New Year Resolution has nothing to do with food, nothing to do with anything negative. (why is it that everyone resolves to try and fix a negative?)

Our New Year's Resolution is to watch EVERY ACADEMY AWARD WINNING BEST PICTURE! That means that over the next 365 days, we will be watching approximately 80 movies deemed to be the best. Last night, we watched "The Broadway Melody", which won the best picture oscar in 1929. It was the first "talking picture" winner, since before 1929 they were all silent films. It was very good, and really didn't seem to be 80 years old at all. I'd love to know what the costumes colors were, as this was a black and white film. It was considered a musical, but certaintly not like today's musicals. The characters kept singing the same 3 songs throughout the 100 minute show. They'd go into another "number", and I'd go "it's the same song again!"

Before watching the movie, we enjoyed watching our LSU Tigers destroy Georgia Tech in the Chick Fillet Bowl. (I know that's not how it's spelled, but I can't remember how the chain spells it. We don't have them here in Wa.) Personally, I'd rather they had just kept it called the Peach Bowl.

Well, that's all for the moment. Happy New Year's to everyone.