Snowy is very sick

He hasn't been eating very well for about a week, and the past 3 days has been very lethargic - not himself. I took him to the vet this morning and it is not good. The bloodwork didn't give a complete diagnosis, but his red blood count is very low and he has a fever. The vet said this is either caused by infection or cancer. I'm giving him antibiotics at home. If he can survive the weekend, the prognosis is better. Basically I have to prepare myself to let him go.

Fancy - January 30, 2009

I decided not to wait, and went to the SPCA to adopt another cat. I thought about getting a kitten this time, but I am good with full grown cats. Kittens are cute, but they grow up to be cats anyway, and cats have "personality". There were only a couple of kittens there, and they were already spoken for. And so many cats that need homes. I picked a beauty. A 2 year old, all black female, long haired named Fancy. She is a real sweetheart, who had been tossed out & abandoned by her previous owner and brought to the shelter by a neighbor who felt sorry for her. I know these things often happen when people separate, particularly in domestic violence situations - but I can not imagine why anyone would have abandoned this sweet kitty. She has already adjusted to her new home.

Brandy is gone

I knew she was suffering and I had to make the decision. 18 years is a long life for a cat. She has now crossed the Rainbow bridge. Good bye Brandy.

Online Diet Programs - December 29, 2008

I was a skinny child, a skinny teenager - weighed less than 100 lbs until I turned 30. Three things happened. My metabolism changed, I quit smoking, and changed from a standing job to a sitting job and gained 40 lbs. I never thought I'd have to diet. I've done the Weight Watchers program several times, and it does work for me to lose weight, but I have problems maintaining it. I used the WW online program 2 summers ago, and lost 19 lbs - and have gained most of it back. So if I'm going to pay for an online diet program, I'll rejoin WW online.

I'm trying out some of the free diet tracker programs. What I'm looking for is a food tracker with a large database, ability to add custom foods and foods made from recipes. And I also want a fitness tracker with the ability to add custom activities. I'd like to know what the targets are for % of daily food intake for fats, carbs & proteins. So far, I've tried FitDay.com. There is a premium version, but the free version has a lot of features. I also looked at the Special K site and ShapeFit. I tried looking for reviews & comparisons, but couldn't find a comprehensive comparison of the online diet tools.

College Credit for Prior Learning - December 08, 2008

When I decided to work on my Bachelor's degree after a 28 year gap in education, I looked at the local 4-year colleges in the U of MD system since there are several campuses within easy driving distance, and also some online colleges. I already had 75 credits and my Associates degree in Psychology from Davis & Elkins in WV, but found I was missing some lower level General Education requirements that I could take at Anne Arundel Community College, and then transfer all of my credits to a 4-year college. This is where things got muddy. Advisors at AACC were not really helpful, since they could not know if/how my 55 transfer credits from D&E would be accepted or applied, and each college had slightly different General Education requirements. I narrowed my list of transfer institutions to 2 - Coppin State, because they have Psychology program with an Addictions Counselor track, and they are close to my office, and UMUC - because everything is offered online, though the campus is still within driving distance. UMUC also offered a Prior Learning program where you can get credits through portfolio for life learning outside the college classroom. I had my official transcripts sent to Coppin, and UMUC did an unofficial evaluation from my student copies. Once I had these, it became easy to choose UMUC. Coppin was only going to accept 22 of my 55 credits from D&E, which essentially cheated me of an entire year of prior education. UMUC was not only willing to accept all of my credits, they will also help me get additional credits for those 400+ hours of Addictions counselor training I've accumulated, and for other on the job & life learning. I am excited about this. I have one more class to take at AACC - Statistics - and then I'll be ready to transfer for the Summer term.

Brandy - November 19, 2008

Brandy is my tortoise shell cat who has been my constant companion for 18 years. I got worried when she had stopped eating and wasn't socializing. We coaxed her to eat some rice & tuna, and I took her to the vet. She has chronic renal failure, and had to spend 2 nights at the animal hospital. This is not curable, but it is treatable. She will be on a special diet and I will have to give her fluid therapy. The kidney disease and old age will eventually take her, and I will have to decide at what point she is suffering. It is hard to let go.

Thoughts about the Election - November 07, 2008

After reading some other blogs & message boards, I'm not sure I even want to comment. I didn't vote for Obama. I did not make my choice based on race, on politcal party, or on whether I liked the candidate. I am Pro-Life. And Obama's agenda is very much against the Pro-Life movement. McCain was an OK candidate - could have been great, but not great, however, his record on Pro-Life issues has been good. Sarah Palin was "in your face, practice what I preach" Pro-Life, and I truly appreciated that about her. That being said, I believe that the election went the way it was meant to. On some levels I'm pleased. Pleased that an African American was elected President and pleased that so many young people participated in the process. I've had to process what it means to me personally, and I've decided that I need to be more active in Pro-Life issues, and speak out. I've also been praying a Divine Mercy Novena for our President-elect.