Poor, Poor Pitiful Me

I know that I’ve been strangely silent of late.  I’m still at home recovering.  I went to see both my surgeon and infectious disease doctor last week.  The surgeon found another area, near the first, that caused him concern.  He excised more skin and there was additional drainage from that area.  I go back to see him this Wednesday.  The infectious disease doctor doesn’t seem as concerned.  At my urging, he continued my IV antibiotics for another week, then is switching me to oral antibiotics.  He didn’t change the IV antibiotic even though the first area is still draining and a new area has cropped up.  I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on tv, but it seems logical to me that the current IV antibiotic not only hasn’t cleared up the infection, but also hasn’t stopped it from spreading.  Hopefully the results of the culture sent out by my surgeon will result in trying a different antibiotic.  

PICC line for IV antibiotics - not me in picture

I had planned to put up a post following the massive tornado strike in Moore, OK early last week.  It’s written (mostly), but I just lost my motivation.  The focus is on the plight of animals in all types of disasters.  Following the unexpected minor surgery last Wednesday, I was in a lot of pain and, frankly, feeling sorry for myself and down in the dumps.  Yes, I can be ridiculously self-centered and pissy.  I really don’t make a good patient, maybe because I’m an impatient person and I despise being held back by infirmities.  

I haven’t felt like watching my favorite “political” programs on MSNBC or even Jon Stewart’s show.  The crap going on both on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the country is so overwhelmingly horrible that it is demoralizing, at least for me.  The firm grip that major corporations and uber-wealthy activists (yes, Koch Brothers, I’m talking about you) is unbelievably maddening.  Often times it leaves me feeling hopeless, which is much easier to accomplish in my doom and gloom mindset.  Instead, I’ve spent much of my time napping, playing Cat Herder – an online game, or watching television.  On the television front there is some good news.  Both The Glades and Longmire are premiering tomorrow night.  Major Crimes on TNT will be back on later in June (bad news, these shows conflict with each other).  In the fall, ABC has picked up the Joss & Jed Whedon/Melissa Tancheroen show, The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – WHOO HOO!  There is the problem that it’s opposite one of my favorites – NCIS.  Love me some Mark Harmon.  

I will make a shout out to the incredible women of Sky Dancing.  I have been getting my political fix from them.  With their amazing posts, a couple of times each day, I am able to keep up with not only the rancid news of the day, but amazing stuff happening as well.  Sky Dancing has been my lifeline to the real world through the eyes of like-minded bloggers and readers.  Thanks to one and all there for giving me a modicum of sanity in this insane world.  And, of course, my darling kitties and crazy dog, Maggie, have kept me smiling…..except when Maggie insists on barking at absolutely nothing.  

Jackson Galaxy, I Love You

So, who is Jackson Galaxy and why do I love him?  

First, Jackson is a man who LOVES cats.  Second, he is a man who understands and respects cats.  Third,  he helps people resolve seemingly impossible behavior problems with their companion cat.  Jackson isn’t formally trained as a behaviorist.  There are no initials of higher learning following his name.  His knowledge is based upon personal experience (he worked for many years in a kill shelter), his skill as an incredible listener and observer, and his very strong desire to prevent the needless killing of cats who are viewed by their guardians as impossible to live with.  

Jackson Galaxy is the host and expert on Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell, which airs new episodes on Saturday evenings.  I must admit, as someone who is catcentric, I was leery of watching this show when it premiered.  The demonization of cats is everywhere and I am, frankly, sick to death of that mindset.  Add to that the fact that many of Animal Planet’s latest new series focus more on the bad/nasty/evil side of animals or truly stupid reality shows, I figured this show would fall into that category as well.  Oh My Cat was I surprised, pleasantly surprised.  Jackson’s show should be mandatory viewing for every living person on the planet.  

Each week, Jackson visits two different homes and helps the people better understand their cats and the reason for the cats’ behavior.  Nearly every person he works with, while glad to see him initially, are skeptical and often rebellious toward the advice he gives them.  He is amazingly patient with these people.  I, on the other hand, want to yell, scream and punch these people for their utter stupidity.  While not directly saying it to the people, he shows them that they and not the cat are the PROBLEM!  It is obvious to me that, unlike me, Jackson keeps his eye on the prize – keeping the cat alive and happy in a good home.  None of the people appearing on the show are bad or evil people, they are just utterly uninformed and have unreasonable expectations for their cats.  Often they attribute characteristic human behavior to their cat because they simply know nothing about non-human animal behavior and are especially ignorant of cat behavior.  

Each new episode becomes my new favorite.  The July 21^st episode was no exception.  The first cat we meet is Finn, a handsome gray and white domestic short hair.  He cries incessantly during the night, preventing Lara and David from sleeping.  To remedy “the problem”, they close him in the guest bathroom, which they call putting Finn in “kitty jail.”  The couple is arguing over Finn and they are on the verge of splitting up.  In the second half hour, we meet Molly who lives with a very stylish couple and a young Abyssinian cat.  The husband is frustrated with Molly’s behavior and talks of possibly having to “terminate her.”  

In addition to Finn’s nighttime vocalizing, he urinates on the rugs in front of two bay windows.  The woman tells Jackson that Finn goes outside on the patio and recently stopped venturing over the wall surrounding the patio.  He no longer disappears for hours at a time.  They attribute Finn’s vocal “misbehavior” to Finn “not getting what he wants”, and David says Finn is simply “a spoiled brat.”  David feels they are bending over backwards to accommodate Finn.   

Jackson suggests putting litter boxes in both of the areas where Finn is urinating.  He also suggests building a catio (an enclosed area outside) while also adding a motion sensor sprinkler to deter intruders.  Jackson’s diagnosis is that Finn is exhibiting territorial behavior due to a cat or cats “invading” his territory on the patio.  Lara assures Jackson there are NO ANIMALS coming into the patio area.  The fact that Finn is “marking his territory” in response to an invading challenger is greeted with skepticism from both David and Lara.  Despite the protestations of Lara, Jackson baits a trap to catch the outside cat or cats.  His intention is to trap, fix and return whoever he traps.  And that’s just what he does.   

When Jackson returns in a couple of weeks, Finn is using the litter boxes instead of the rugs and David and Lara have put up a screened enclosure for Finn to enjoy.  Jackson is pleased with the progress and makes a final suggestion:  mimic the natural hunt, catch, kill behavior of cats by playing with Finn to burn off some energy, feed him and then let him groom and then sleep.  With his final visit, Jackson sees a happier and more relaxed Lara, David and Finn.  Once again there is another happy ending, thanks to the insightful counseling of Jackson Galaxy, The Cat Daddy.

In the second half of the show, Jackson visits Nancy and Jim whose 10 year old cat, Molly, has become a terror to both humans and their younger cat, Mimi.  From the beginning, it is obvious that Nancy loves her cats but she also loves her stylish home just as much.  Jim defers to Nancy’s design style, but is barely tolerating Molly’s unpleasantness and talks of termination as a possible solution to the problems created by Molly’s disruptive and nasty nature.  It is a classic case of “the cat” not meeting human expectations.  Molly scratches and bites, she chews on cords and she poops outside the single litter box.  In a tightly controlled environment, Molly is clearly “out of control.”   

Jackson listens to the list of violations, inappropriate behavior and then takes a tour of the home.  He observes Molly alone and then with Mimi.  He gets scratched by Molly.  Jackson sits down with Nancy and Jim and gives them a “homework” list to complete before his next visit.  To stop the cord chewing, Jackson tells them to get flexible plastic tubing to cover the cords.  He suggests getting several new scratching posts, towers or surfaces to substitute for scratching on the furniture.  Jackson also wants the litter box moved from the hallway, and says to add a couple more boxes as well.  Finally, he wants to rule out any physical or health problems that could be causing Molly’s aggressive behavior and inappropriate potty habits.  

When Jackson returns, Nancy and Jim have only done two of their assignments.  There are no new scratching surfaces, nor has the litter box been moved.  They did take Molly to the vet where she was diagnosed with arthritis, which caused her to be in pain and exacerbated her aggression.  She also had impacted anal glands, which added to her pain when defecating.  They have witnessed some improvement in Molly, but the situation is still untenable for all involved.  Jackson is clearly unhappy with their unwillingness to follow his instructions fully.  As is usual with the caregivers Jackson tries to help, this couple is balking at instituting changes in their behavior.  Jackson, however, is not about to give up.  He goes to his car and returns with a litter box, which he puts in the living room.  Nancy visibly recoils at seeing a litter box in their space, not hidden away in an unused hallway.  He also brings in two modern looking scratching surfaces.  Both Jim and Nancy are surprised and delighted when they see these more aesthetically pleasing pieces of cat furniture. 

Jackson returns in a couple of weeks and is greeted by a smiling Nancy and Jim.  It’s obvious that their seemingly irresolvable problem has been fixed.  With the addition of extra scratching surfaces and litter boxes along with Molly’s medical problems being treated, everyone – including Molly and Mimi – are living a much more harmonious life.  Jackson does it, once again.

There are recurring themes throughout the episodes of My Cat From Hell.  You can almost hear the clients thinking “but I’m the human and this animal should behave as I see fit.  I am the boss here.”  Jackson helps his clients realize several things:

     - Every cat has a distinct personality, meaning just like humans each cat is a unique individual.

     - Cats do not behave in certain ways for no reason.  It is important to understand natural cat behavior to determine the cause of the seemingly inappropriate behavior.

     - Living in harmony with your cats is not a battle where the  human must seek to triumph by subduing their opponent, the cat.

     - Jackson knows what he is talking about.  LISTEN TO HIM!

Even if you don’t have a cat, watch this show.  You just might learn some lessons about personal relationships.  It’s all about listening, observing and trying to understand each other.  If we all took Jackson’s advice, we might be well on our way to world peace.  At the very least, it’s bound to be a better world for cats.  

Oh, and check out Peter Wolf's coverage of Jackson & TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) on his blog, Vox Felina: TNR in Prime Time

Land of Confusion

As an avid NPR listener I am rapidly approaching political overload.  Add to that the television programs I watch on a relatively regular basis:  The Daily Show, The Rachel Maddow Show and occasionally The Last Word and The Ed Show.  Not only are the candidates making quite a few statements that I find disturbing, in the very least, and outrageous, at their worst, but they keep changing their position or are making statements that I find have no logical explanations.  

 

One of the things I like best about The Daily Show are the dueling clips for various politicians.  Current clips are shown followed by the politician stating an opposite position months prior.  It certainly makes me wonder – do they actually believe in anything they are saying?  Apparently I’m in the minority in thinking this since most of them score relatively high in all of the polls taken.  Maddow, O’Donnell and Schultz have started doing similar segments as well.  

I can’t help wondering why people support these folks who one day like trees and a month later say trees are limiting our oxygen supply and should all be cut down.  (I just made that one up – but, hopefully, you get my point). 

There are quite a few issues where this is happening.  Bloggers and the aforementioned media sources can do a better job of pointing out these seeming discrepancies or outrageous positions much better than I.  However, since this is my blog and my opinion, I shall proceed anyway.  Since the list continues to grow, I plan to tackle each issue as a separate blog post.  And, I might even throw in a gratuitous cat post here and there, just to keep this from becoming too serious and mind-numbing.

So here’s the list so far:

·         DISASTER RELIEF

·         SMALLER GOVERNMENT

·         FEWER REGULATIONS

·         NO TO SHARIA LAW

·         SOCIAL SECURITY/MEDICARE/MEDICAID

·         JOBS

More later………….the litter boxes are calling.

Facebook!

I've become hopelessly addicted to Facebook.  I end up spending more hours on the computer than anything else that I do.  It's not like I don't have anything else to do.  The list, should I write it, would probably take at least 2 days to complete.  And that's without doing anything on the list.

I tried to avoid Facebook starting on Friday.  FAIL!  I did, though, spend less time than I normally do and shared fewer posts from friends.  Yesterday I don't think I spent more than an hour on it and have avoided it all day today.

I simply need to get off my butt, turn off the TV, shut off the computer and get busy.  I epitomize that law of physics:  an object at rest, stays at rest.  I need to get in motion - unfortunately, I don't seem to have the energy to sustain motion for very long.  Too old, too broken down (this old body is simply falling apart) and unable to sustain the motivation to JUST DO IT!  Would a pair of Nike's make it happen?  Doubt it. 

Gratuitous cat photo:  my beautiful, but overweight Chow-Li

I'm off to feed the cats and dogs, wash some dishes, wash my hair and get ready to meet a friend for dinner.  Then later tonight, the Golden Globes  hosted by Ricky Gervais.  He is amazingly funny.  I don't really care who wins (hopefully not Glee or the Temple Grandin biopic) - I just want to see what all the female stars are wearing and watch Ricky be irreverent and make me laugh out loud.

Aaron Sorkin, I love you!

Once upon a time, many, many years ago my movie buddy (who was mad crazy for Tom Cruise because of Top Gun) talked me into to seeing A Few Good Men. I wasn’t vaguely interested in seeing it because I wasn’t much of a Cruise fan and I couldn’t stand Jack Nicholson. But, I LOVED the movie. The writing, the dialogue, the wit just blew me away. Unfortunately, I don’t remember taking particular note of the screenwriter’s name.  Years later I discovered that Aaron Sorkin first wrote the play (his sister is/was a JAG lawyer) and then the film script.  He also penned The American President.

Several years later, although not a fan of sports or ESPN, I started watching Sports Night on TV. I immediately fell in love with the show. So smart, so funny, and just wonderful. And, thus, I discovered the amazingly talented Aaron Sorkin. His words flow from the actors’ lips, much as a ballerina or ice skater flows across their stage or the ice. His words were musical, poetic and moving. Shortly before the demise of this terrific television series, Aaron began scripting The West Wing. Politics, the White House, oh my. Be still my heart.

For those of you who haven’t seen The West Wing, this is what television COULD be and so rarely is. So much of what is on the small screen speaks to the basest, most juvenile, uneducated and/or disconnected natures of the human beast. Some of the most popular shows elicit either rage, promote violence or are just plain stupid humor. In most cases you can turn on the TV and disengage your brain. Not so with anything that Aaron Sorkin scripts. That’s not to say that Aaron’s work doesn’t inspire emotional responses, it most certainly does. His humor is wry, sometimes sarcastic, other times subtle and occasionally slapstick. His words can elicit righteous anger and the deepest, most profound sorrow. Most notably, he can take you on an emotional rollercoaster, moving through each of these emotions, in the span of less than an hour.

His follow up to The West Wing was the short lived Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Unfortunately, it debuted the same year as 30 Rock. Both series are backstage looks at a Saturday Night Live type television show.  Critics loved 30 Rock, but not so much Studio 60 (the far superior show, IMHO). Studio 60 paired Matthew Perry (of Friends) and Bradley Whitford (of The West Wing), a match made in …….a perfect match! I recently watched the entire series on http://www.hulu.com/ and enjoyed the show even more the second time around. Absolutely brilliant writing, character development, touching storylines and laugh out loud scenes. So sad that so few watched this wonderful series and that it didn’t get a chance to reach more viewers.  BTW, it is available on Netflix, so rent it.  You will love it.

On vacation this past Friday, I watched 2 episodes of The West Wing on Bravo. The spark was rekindled. Oh, Aaron, I could listen to your words 24/7. Your talent at creating a world I want to live in, populated by people I want to know blows me away. For a moment in time I am transported into that world and I relish each and every visit there. Amazon offered the complete series at a ridiculously low price that very same day, and although I really couldn’t afford to spend the extra money, I ordered it. I cannot imagine a time when I wouldn’t want to watch, rewatch and then watch over and over again this incredible series, with marvelous actors and delicious dialogue. Who needs chocolate when you have Aaron Sorkin?  The box set is on its way to me and I can’t wait for it to arrive.

Thank you Mr. Sorkin for enriching my life, making me laugh, making me cry and breaking my heart. I really do love you!

Really nothing exciting to share………………..

I really do live a very boring, drab and routine life. I live in the Land of Perpetual Litter Box Cleaning as well as a seemingly 24/7 Laundromat and Discarded Cat & Dog Hair Removal Service.

I went back to work last week after really enjoying my week off (? – that’s debatable to some of my friends – it was actually a week off from paid work, not unpaid LIFE work). Don’t let anyone convince you that the recession is over. Working for a nonprofit, it’s quite obvious that folks just don’t have the disposable income to donate like they did just over 2 years ago. It’s slow at work, with not as many phone calls coming in and the incoming mail diminishing as the year progresses. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like during our traditional slow season – the summer months. I realize that there are a lot of really good “causes” out there but it’s saddening, especially at this time. Last year was the worst year on record for the number of manatees who died in Florida’s waterways. With Florida’s extended winter season this year, the number of manatee deaths reported has already surpassed all those from 2009. I don’t even want to think what the final numbers will be by the end of this year. While more and more groups have jumped on the manatee bandwagon in recent years, it still remains a FACT that Save the Manatee Club is the only organization working day in and day out to protect this precious, endangered species. The Club has a small, hardworking staff, along with a very small annual budget (compared to well known groups with from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in their budget ). Even after nearly 17 years at the Club, it still amazes me how much the Club has accomplished in nearly 30 years of effort dedicated to manatee protection. To find out more about manatees and Save the Manatee Club, visit http://www.savethemanatee.org/.

I honestly wanted to rant about something, but I just can’t seem to get really riled up about anything. There certainly isn’t an absence of crazy people in the news lately that are worthy of ranting about (Newt Gingrich calling the President a secular socialist; Glenn Beck joining PETA; and John McCain announcing he NEVER considered himself a maverick – ‘nuff said). Am I getting mellow in my old age? Am I becoming used to the lunacy that permeates the media? Do I just not give a darn or am I going through a down cycle? Check back later to see if this worm has turned.

Any Designing Women fans out there? I adored that show and never missed it. Of course, being prone to get on my soapbox and share my opinions (normally), Julia Sugarbaker rocked my world. I was known to cheer and clap when she went off on someone or something. Dixie Carter played Julia brilliantly. Ms. Carter died yesterday at the age of only 70. She leaves behind 2 daughters and her wonderful, equally brilliant and talented husband, Hal Holbrook. I loved seeing the two of them together, whether as themselves or working together. When LOVE works, it’s a sight to behold.

To wrap up, some recommendations for my current favorite television shows. CHUCK is on Monday nights at 8PM. I’ve loved, loved, loved this show since its debut. Zach Levy, who plays Chuck, is totally adorable, funny and charming. IN PLAIN SIGHT has recently returned to the air with new episodes on Wednesdays at 10PM. It’s about the witness protection program and is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The lead character, Mary, can be caustic and difficult, but I LOVE her. I like a good dose of sarcasm and snark whenever I can get it – especially from a smart, strong woman. Also on Monday night (at 10PM) is CASTLE, starring the lovely, funny and marvelous Nathan Fillion (Captain Tightpants to the Firefly fans out there). Great show, watch it. Sunday nights from 8 – 10PM, LIFE is on the Discovery Channel. It’s from the same filmmakers who did Planet Earth. The cinematography is incredible and the science is accessible to everyone. Maybe if everyone knew more about the rest of the amazing species we SHARE this planet with, they would treat OUR HOME with more respect and place more value on the amazing assortment of lives surrounding us. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone treated every day as Earth Day? And, finally, BONES which is on at 8PM Thursday night on Fox. They have just aired their 100th episode, and the show is in syndication on TNT nearly every weeknight. It’s a smart and witty show, with a great cast that includes three very intelligent and strong female characters, along with David Boreanaz (of Buffy and Angel fame).