New Venture

Howdy,
Well I decided to do something crazy and publishe a video on Youtube. If anyone wants to see it, it is under "snowcat 730" on youtube search. After watching it, please forward all virtual money cards and gift cards to seancebird@yahoo.com so I can further my film career! Or, any contributions will help me survive to do more videos until I get my student loans paid off! :-)

long time

Wow, can't believe it has been so long since I posted! I am getting ready to do a Youtube post later this week. Wanted to make sure I still had my blog site! Belated Happy Thanksgiving! Still in school. I am in MT III and taking an elective. Time is getting close......getting more anxious as the moments tick by about being in the real world as an MT.

Hello!

Current kitties!
Meanie


Siegfried



Delilah

Meanie, again.

Hi everybody!

I haven't been on this site is quite a while. I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying their classes this term. Best wishes and success to all of you! I am in Diseases and Conditions of the Human Body and Keyboarding II this term. I am enjoying both classes. Can't believe it is mid-term already.

I'm really looking forward to getting caught up on reading these blogs and keeping mine current. I've suffered my usual unorganization with the new term and am back in the groove now. I don't know why I do that, I guess it is the week of being out of class that gets me out of whack.

Our little black and white foster kitten, Athena, was adopted. I really miss that little one (I've posted her pics before). She got lots of hugs and kisses when she left. I also made sure she knew that if her new home didn't work out, we would be there in a flash and bring her back. However, her new humans seem to be just crazy about her!

Been getting warm here, in the 80's. I get out and walk 2 1/2 miles every other day. I used to jog but got shin splints one time and every time I try to sprint a little bit, that pain comes right back. I guess it would help if I had better shoes. I'd really like to try the new Reebok Easy Tone shoes.

I didn't read my old blogs, so forgive me if I repeat myself. One of my babies passed away in February. She was 15 years old. Her name is Pywackett, my cute little gray tabby girl. She went into renal failure. If that wasn't bad enough, one of my mom's cats had to be put to sleep for the same reason last month. He was 16 years old. She took it pretty hard. I never do seem to get over the losses. I think I've just learned to compartmentalize everything, otherwise I wouldn't be able to function.

Anyways, everyone take care!

Happy Endings

Hi everyone!

The pictures above are of Duchess, one of our foster kittens. My sister left to deliver her to her new forever home. Her new Mom lives in Minnesota. This lady saw Duchess on the rescue group's website and she had to have her. After lots of checking references and some phone calls, the adoption was finalized. My sister met this lady at a half-way point between Arkansas and Minnesota. Duchess was delivered to her new Mom about 1p.m. today. Duchess had been rescued from a shelter in another town because her time was up!

This group didn't used to allow out-of-state adoptions because of their return policy. If anything happens during the lifetime of the adopted animal, whatever the reason, and the owner has to give the pet up, this group will take back the pet. But that has changed because of so much out-of-state interest in dogs and cats on the website.

A really fantastic adoption took place last summer. Almost every Saturday, cats and dogs are taken to Petsmart to show as available for adoption. Last year, a little beagle mix was at Petsmart. This young lady fell in love with the little guy but she lives in New York. The policy was explained to her and she was so disappointed she could not adopt the dog. Her brother was with her and after she left, he said to please reconsider and that the dog would have an excellent home. More information was taken in and it turns out that the brother is a military guy stationed at the LR Air Force Base (he was an excellent reference for her). Also, that this young lady is a model in New York and would provide a loving and luxurious home for this pooch. So, she was called and was able to adopt this little dog! My sister told me that this dog even has his own chef! I was floored!

It is these type of endings that help me get through the sad ones.

No can do! and Social networking for dummies!

Thanks to you guys that inquired as to whether or not Athena brought me luck with my Lotto tickets.......unfortunately, no. She informed me that she can give no guarantees on cat spells but gave it her best effort. She also told me that she did not realize this, but cat spells cannot interfer with cosmic destiny. Athena then gave me two suggestions: (1) I gather all my family and friends to be with me when getting my quick picks and use collective thinking; (2) That I get some Chinese take out and play my fortune cookie numbers. She imparted this information with abruptness and I was summarily dismissed as she was growing fatigued with all of this. I think she was secretly upset that even she has limitations on her powers. However, I do know this to be true.....you can't win if you don't play..........

Now, I feel like in am in a friendly atmosphere with you guys, so this won't be quite so squirmy. I have accounts with You Tube, My Space, Facebook, and now blogspot. I know You Tube. With My Space, I have an account but I did activity in it as a cat, pictures, videos, and sorta blogged on it. But I haven't used it in a long time. With Facebook, I am at a total loss. I don't understand it. I would greatly appreciate some enlightenment on why this is such a great virtual entity. I'm not sure how to do anything on it and don't understand the "wall". I had a lot of friend requests or apps (whatever??), but wasn't sure how to proceed. I accepted them and started getting "gifts" like cat art work - which was really cool - but I didn't know if I'm supposed to send these gifts to others. I also got invitations to join places, I think one was Farmville or something like that, but I just don't know what to do on Facebook or really understand its purpose.

I am usually behind the times, I still tape my soap opera on VHS tapes. I do have some DVD's and a player. All this technology can leave you behind so quickly! I'm still amazed at what cell phones can do and iPod blows me away! I am so grateful to William Shatner and the Shatner Effect, Beam me up, Scotty! I get really aggravated that I am so slow to understand all these marvels....I finally have gotten over being afraid of computers and have accepted that they are just like anything else in my life....overwhelmingly affected by Murphy's Law!

$$$$$

Last fall Arkansas finally got it going on regarding the lottery! It has been year after year that this issue has been attempted, but always got knocked out. To date, Arkansans can now play: Mega Millions, Power Ball, Pick 3 (one of my favorites!), and scratch offs. I don't know why it took so long, we've had horse racing for eons. I've been to Nevada a couple of times, but never Las Vegas. Someday I will. Now if only this state would allow casinos, hoping for it! Right now, I occasionally will go to Tunica, Mississippi to play slot machines.

In the photos above, one of our foster kittens, Athena, is attempting to cast a cat spell on my tickets. I promised her lots of toys and catnip for winning tickets! I usually get tickets and check them every week or so. Pick 3 has been my luckiest game so far. I've won twice on that. Pick 3 started in December for us. Now, I am waiting for an actual "Arkansas" lottery. My take on it is this is pretty much a rural state, still got the Bible Belt in force, not a big population in the state. That means that the odds will be pretty good for us degenerates that want to buy tickets. I think the next game on the agenda is Pick 4. We just got Mega Millions this month. Eventually, we will get the state lottery as well. No target date for that yet.

Athena, bring me luck!!

Winter wonderland!

Ok, everybody forgive me, I can't help myself....I love the snow!!! These are some pictures I snapped this morning. When I got up, it was barely light outside, but lo and behold, the ground was a beautiful pristine white! The miracle is ... no freezing rain or ice...that is to be tonight when the melted refreezes. Supposed to get a little more snow tonight as well. In recent history, it has been very rare that central Arkansas receives snowfall. We have the freezing rain and ice storms. But this was glorious snow...only snow. Some of the flakes were about the size of a 50 cent piece. This was not predicted either. I think we will have gotten around 6 inches in my area. Usually, the snow comes from Oklahoma and stays in the northern part of Arkansas, rarely ever in the central part. Little Rock is usually on the dividing line. This would have been so perfect for Christmas. This recent Christmas produced flooding in central arkansas. It was really hideous for some of the people here.

Anyway....let it snow, let it snow.................let it snow!

The Miracle of Sox

These two pictures are of an amazing cat. His name is Sox and he is definitely a super cat! Maybe a little background will explain why he is so amazing.....

My dad spends a lot of time in his garage. He doesn't work on cars, or build things, or do whatever is usually done in a garage....those days are long gone. These days he relaxes with an adult beverage and enjoys fine cigars. Since my parents have retired, Mom is finally getting to do a lot of renovations and changes to her house that she has been wanting to do for a long time. One of the rules is - no smoking - in the house; hence, dad's new room, lounge. It is quite a set up...refrigerator, heater, a/c, flat screen, comfortable chair, and lots of friends.

Since dad began spending time out there, he has had many visitors of the four legged variety. Rabbits, racoons, cats and dogs. Sometimes even a snake. Sox was just one of about 4 cats that started hanging out with dad a few years ago. And other cats started coming to hang out. Some came and went. And Sox brought one friend over who became one of my cats (Meanie). Anyway, nobody knows how old Sox is, but I guess he is about 652 years old. We all knew the cats that came to visit dad and gave them names. He even had a little girl cat (Picasso) come in to visit that had her kittens in "the lounge" last year. Mom and dad already had 3 indoor cats, but they adopted 2 of Picasso's kittens.) Anyway, whoever comes to visit and stays, gets spayed and neutered. Sox was already neutered. One day (I have 2 brothers and one is still at home, he has cerebral palsy), both my brothers went out for a "walk," Paul in his wheel chair and David pushing him. They saw Sox collapsed in a neighbor's yard. They brought him back to the house, and I thought Sox was going to die. (He would leave periodically for days at a time) He was skinny and barely conscious. My sister and I took him and got him fixed up and he is an indoor kitty now. He was suffering from hyperthyroidism and I believe he was just about to go into organ failure. During the years Sox would hang out with my dad, he had been taken to the vet because:

he got hit by a car,

he got mauled by dogs, and

he got mauled by a racoon.

I must say at this point for clarification...Sox had a home, but they never took care of him. Mom and dad had always got him patched up at the vets, and he would hang out till he got better and then go get into somemore trouble. On one vet visit, we also found out that he has also been shot. BB's showed up on an x-ray. The vet said it must have happened a long time ago. And, none of us realized this, but through all this time and the fights and injuries, Sox had been declawed by the nutcases that used to have him. He is one heck of a cat!

These days, he enjoys napping, eating, napping, and eating. He is still skinny and we have to adjust his thyroid med often, he is quite content to finally be an indoor kitty. We have had him at my sister's house for almost 3 years now. The pictures are of Sox in his own "lounge" and the other is him sending greetings to you.

I don't know

This was me a couple of years ago beginning to morph into a werecat. It happens on Halloween every year.
The above pictures are my friends who went out to celebrate with me.

My kitties...

Hi, I meant to have more pictures of Pywackett. I don't know where her other picture went, but she is my oldest kitty...15 years old. She came from the Humane Society.

My Kitties!

Siegfried, 9 years old.

Siegfried

Delilah, 10 years old.

Delilah

Siegfried again.

Pywackett, 15 years old.

Meanie, 7 years old (we think).

Meanie



I've had each kitty except Meanie since they were kittens. All are rescues. Meanie is a cat we were fostering. I decided to adopt him after Tristan died (Siegfried's brother).

What happens when cats' humans go to work.....

My sister sent me these.....I just love them, typical cat reasoning! I hope to get some pics of my babies posted soon. I'm sure each one is capable of all the above!

Getting back on track

Here is where I begin some whining....I have just been feeling so crappy lately. I am prone to depression and (no way out of this one) I inherited the predispositon to high blood pressure from both sides. I've been out of my blood pressure medicine for about 2 weeks, so headaches, major fatigue, elevated BP plagued my days. That compounded the general crappiness with some depression from my little Tristy (Tristan)leaving this earth.

I am one of the uninsured masses and I decided that I need some help quick. I went to a medical clinic at Walmart. That was very cool and convenient. I got scripts for my physical and mental ailments. That was yesterday. So I am looking forward to feeling better and getting out of this blue funk.

The consequences of my medication free days....I have gained 13 pounds since October. My blood pressure was, well let's say very high. I had lost motivation for exercise, school, and pretty much any enjoyable activities I like--except eating!. Everything is just a great big effort!
But, things will get better now, I actually am feeling more like my old self today. Onward................!

About this insurance thing.....I wonder if we (budding medical transciptionists) can insure our hands. I'm not sure if you can specifically insure a body part.....I haven't researched it, but if it is possible, that would be something I would do in the future!

mini bio

I thought I might give a little background on myself. I was born in Ft. Worth, TX. My dad was in the Air Force so we were on the move about every three years. I was overseas twice. We were stationed in the Azores for a couple of years when I was little. One of my brothers was born there. I remember a little about it but not much. The next time we went overseas, I was 13. We moved from San Angelo, TX to England. I spent my first high school 1 1/2 years at an American high school in London. Then the next 1 1/2 years was at an American high school near Oxford. We lived about 30 miles away from each school and I rode the bus to and from school. Talk about culture shock! It was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had! I got to go to a lot of concerts over there. Then we came back to the States and I went through my senior year at a high school in a suburb outside of Atlanta. My dad retired from the Air Force and got a job with the National Weather Service and we were transferred to Little Rock, Arkansas.
I never went to college, however went to Dental Assistant school right after we moved to LR. After a couple of years I went to work at a hospital as a ward clerk on the med/surg floor. I really enjoyed that. I decided I then wanted to go to LPN school. So I worked as a nurse for years, then after getting divorced I worked at an investment firm for 13 years.

Since leaving the investment firm, I worked a little in nursing and then decided to retire from that in the 1990's. I did various jobs trying to find something I really liked doing. Through job hopping, I finally decided that I better figure out what to do that I could enjoy and make decent money at. That's when I decided to try medical transcription. The first school that popped up on my internet search was Kaplan. After that, it was a done deal. I am so very excited about my choice for a new career and going to college!

I don't know that I would have choosen this had it not been for the advances in technology. I had never been a computer person. But the timing was right, I love computers now, although I still sort of have an adversarial relationship with them.
I was married for four years. We had no children; and honestly, I have never wanted any. I think my love of animals took the place of maternal instinct.

My sister and I are involved in animal rescue and we provide and find homes for kittens and cats. I've been able to use some of my nursing skills by helping with the medical needs of these kitties.

I have two brothers and one sister. My parents live in a town about 20 minutes from Little Rock. We finally all live in the same state.

New to blogging

I'm not sure about what to post....first of all, welcome to my blog!

I have been an animal lover all my life. I am particularly partial to cats. This picture is of my kitty, Tristan (tabby) laying next to his friend Delilah. I had Tristan for 9 wonderful years! He had to be put to sleep this past September because he just couldn't win his battle with diabetes. He became insulin resistant. I miss him terribly. He was one of the reasons I chose medical transcription. I wanted a job that I would love and allow me to be home with him to try to manage his diabetes properly. That is, more like humans do....monitoring his blood sugar levels, using a sliding scale for insulin dosage, and trying to find a proper diet he would tolerate. But there just wasn't enough time. I still have his buddies with me, Pywackett -15, Delilah -10, Siegfried (Tristan's brother) -9, and a new addition, Meanie -7. They are my wonderful feline children!