Average Jane

Author: Average Jane

  • Average Jane Switches Veterinarians

    IMG_2523We've been going to the same veterinary office for our various generations of cats and now the dog since 1995. I can't say we ever really liked them, but they were close to home and that's a plus when you have assorted critters who hate riding in the car.

    Over the years, the things I didn't appreciate about them started to add up:

    • The time my cat, Friday, got shot with a pellet gun and was still limping long after it healed. The vet told me they could give her muscle relaxants but, "She'll probably always be like this." I ended up seeking out the only veterinary chiropractor in the area at the time (40 miles away) and getting her treated there. She was good as new after one adjustment.
    • Then there was Xena's spaying ordeal. She wouldn't leave her stitches alone and had to go to the vet repeatedly for a month before she could have her E-collar removed. My husband handled all of that and I recall that he wasn't thrilled with how the vet reacted to his difficult kitteh wife.
    • There were little things, too, like the fact that they never acknowledged the email that I sent to let them know that our cat Velcro had died at home.

    Toby's ongoing ear problem proved to be the last straw for us. He was obviously suffering and yet the vet dismissed his yipes as him being "dramatic." Last weekend I made an appointment at a clinic a few miles further away and brought the dog to see what more could be done.

    I took two things into consideration on my clinic choice. One was that I'd won a $250 credit for any AAHA-certified vet clinic while I was at BlogPaws this year. I also did some crowdsourcing among my pet-loving friends to see which clinics they recommended.

    I ended up choosing one that came highly recommended and was AAHA accredited. 

    Everything about my visit was top-notch. The office staff were all very friendly and interested in Toby. The facility is new, modern and spotlessly clean. The vet tech and vet immediately began taking samples and running tests, which was a far cry from the other vet's "let's try this medicine and see what happens" approach.

    The new medications seem to be doing the trick and I'll be interested in seeing how his ears are looking when we go back for our follow-up visit. Toby is no longer shaking his head and scratching his ears incessantly and it's clear that the new ear drops don't hurt him the way the old ones did.

    After just one visit I'm ready to transfer my cats' records over as well. I'm very glad that circumstances conspired to get me to make the change. I think it will benefit my whole family of critters and make me much happier as well!

  • Average Jane Is Indisposed

    Remember when I predicted that my busy schedule would inevitably lead to a crash? Well, yesterday was the day.

    On Saturday I spent the morning and early afternoon ferrying cats from store to store for my animal rescue group. Then I did my usual cleaning shift at the pet store, went to dinner, drank some coffee and stayed up late watching Being Human episodes with my husband.

    I woke up at my usual time on Sunday (which is to say, way too early considering when I'd gone to bed), took the dog out, fed him, and went straight back to bed for another two hours.

    When I got up the second time and made myself a breakfast shake, I had brief thoughts of doing something outdoors to take advantage of the lovely weather. Instead, I goofed around on my iPad until I got sleepy again and then went back to bed for another two hours or so.

    The next time I woke up, I managed to at least drag myself up to my office, but I didn't get much accomplished. I stayed up until my husband woke up, thinking that we'd get some food, but forgetting that he was going over to a friend's house. Once he left, I went back to bed again for a third long nap.

    Here's what my activity level looked like for the entire day:

    Lowfuel

    The spike you see was when I finally woke up for the day and went outside to clean off the a/c units with the hose. That was followed by dinner and more TV watching which, as you can see, is more activity than pretty much the rest of the day combined. By the way, this is the lowest score I've ever gotten with my Nike+ Fuelband. And yes, I was wearing it all day long.

    Fortunately I feel much more energetic today. I wasn't up for a long walk with the dog, but otherwise I'm feeling more or less back to normal. But I think some coffee is called for. Soon.

  • Morning Coffee With Average Jane

    I am SO getting a latte later.Just felt like stopping in for a quick update on things before I start the day's activities. 

    • As predicted, I'm feeling rather sad about not being at BlogHer. I really miss my friends who are there and those who were also unable to make the trip this year. However, the $457 electric bill I just paid tells me that I made the right choice. Boo.
    • The band thing may or may not be happening. I'm just going with the flow and waiting it out. 
    • The good news is that every time a practice gets canceled, that gives me another evening to stay home and watch Being Human with my husband. We started season three yesterday and it just keeps getting better and better.
    • The heat has been murder on my exercise routine, but I'm still trying to get at least three or four walks in each week. 
    • I did a bunch of baking last weekend, which was fun. The Lemon Chiffon Pie was a huge hit with my husband and I'll have to make another one soon. I also made a Vinegar Pie for a book club (mostly to find out what they were like). Eh. I doubt I'll make that again. And this reminds me that I have some Molasses Cookie dough left in the fridge from another book club last week. If it rains this weekend and cools down, I'll make them as well.
    • Toby's ears are still bothering him, so I'm taking a chance and switching to another vet to see if a new perspective might help. I crowdsourced recommendations from my Facebook friends and went with an AAHA-certified clinic that's not too far away.

    That's it for now. I need to go make my breakfast shake and get Toby ready to go. Have a lovely weekend!

  • Average Jane Wants To Help

    Cat Proof Your Computer - Click to enlargeMy husband lets Trillian and Dr. Jones visit the studio for "field trips" away from the main part of the house. That's all well and good, except that Trillian gets a little overly enthusiastic about saying "hi" when I'm at my desk, which has resulted in at least once instance of a file on my desktop being renamed something along the lines of: s;lkjdffd;ljk.

    However, it turns out there's a company that has it all thought out when it comes to computer backup needs, including cat-related ones.

    SurDoc offers cloud storage for file protection, online access and sharing. They've given me a free 30GB account in exchange for writing this post and you can get one as well using the code CATPROOF. (Obviously you're welcome to get an account to use even if you're in no danger of cat-initiated data loss.)

    They do automatic backups for PCs, and Mac users can do easy manual backups of vital information.

    I don't know about you, but I'm pretty terrible about backups in general, even though I've been a computer user for decades and should know better.

    Think about all of the cat photos I'd lose if something happened!

  • Average Jane’s Next 5K Event

    Logo - ColorIn addition to my frequent 5K+ walks through my neighborhood, I've been averaging one "official" 5K event per month for the last several months. However, I didn't have one lined up for August until I got an email last week from a PR rep for Head for the Cure. They were getting in touch with active social media types in Kansas City to help promote their event.

    According to the materials they sent me, "Head for the Cure seeks to raise awareness and funding in the fight against brain cancer. Each year, nearly 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with a brain tumor. Through fundraising and donations, Head for the Cure is able to donate 90% of the proceeds from events to the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative. By doing this, Head for the Cure is working to find new treatments for those diagnosed with malignant brain tumors."

    The event will be held on Sunday, August 26th at 8:00 a.m. at Corporate Woods, which sounds like a great location for a race and I'm surprised I've never done one there before. This is their 10th year, so they hope to exceed the 4,000 participants and $300,000 raised last year.

    Register by August 6th and the entry fee is only $25. You can find more information on their Facebook page.

    So who's with me? 

    Note: In exchange for this post, my registration fee for the race is being waived. I have received no other compensation for my participation.

  • Average Jane Has Some Really Cool Friends

    I can't look at my Facebook news feed lately without being incredibly impressed by what my various friends are up to.

    MissingmirandaFirst there's Liz Rizzo. Her dream has always been to direct a feature film and that's exactly what she's working on right now. "Missing Miranda" is a romantic comedy which is being supported by a Kickstarter campaign. Judging by the weekly video features, it's going to be amazing! It's worth being a supporter just to get the email updates. I am so happy for Liz and can't wait to see the finished film.

    Then there's Kelly Wickham. Where to start? I'll just let her tell it. And as if starting a non-profit, writing a book, getting into a doctoral program, learning to ride a motorcycle, traveling to Alaska and going on TV to be interviewed by Katie Couric weren't enough, she also put out a fire in her neighbor's back yard this week. Damn, woman! 

    Also part of the same Katie Couric interview is Erin Kotecki Vest, who is impressive in so many ways that it's impossible to keep track. Apparently she has something special planned at BlogHer this year, and I'm very disappointed that I won't be there to see what it is. I'll be keeping a close eye on Twitter, though.

    Vicki Boatwright has just launched a fundraiser for her charity Okey's Promise—named for a cat she rescued—which she describes as "a public art initiative designed to create awareness about the connections between animal maltreatment, child abuse and domestic violence." She's making plans for her third public mural.

    Last but certainly not least is Mir. When she learned that teen girls at a residential treatment center had to go without basic hygeine items such as tampons and acne wipes, and had nothing but icky, industrial versions of antiperspirant, soaps, hair care products, lotions, etc., she put a call out to her blog readers for donations. Two days later, she'd already received dozens of boxes of supplies. Now all of these girls will not only have nicer things, but they'll know that people care about them.

    Then there are all of the people making exciting career changes, moving to different parts of the country, and generally grabbing life by the arm and steering it where they want to go. Over the past several weeks I keep finding myself introducing friends to other friends I know in the cities to which they're relocating.

    I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention other forward-looking and fascinating things that people I know are up to, so way to go all of you! Even if I don't see you in person for a while, I'm watching with great interest from afar. Best of luck in all your endeavors!

  • Average Jane Learned Nothing from Her Last Post

    Lead singer's eye viewSo it looks like I'm in a band again. I went to an audition yesterday for a band called Frisk, which currently consists of its original drummer and the bass player from my last band. They had also asked our former guitarist to audition and since he and I live in the same neighborhood, we carpooled.

    The audition went well and the four of us should be on track to cover their currently booked gigs for the rest of the summer and fall. We'll practice on Saturdays at noon, which is actually perfect for me because I'm usually free then anyway.

    It's your basic classic rock band. They're hoping to add someone who plays keyboards and/or rhythm guitar. The drummer also sings lead vocals, so that should open up some good song possibilities.

    So there's one more activity added to the list. Still, I've missed singing so I don't mind making room in my schedule for a band.

    The rest of my day yesterday was pretty low-key. I took a nap after the audition and got up just in time to do my cat volunteer shift at Petco. Then my husband and I went out for pizza and watched "Burn Notice." Quite a relaxing day, really.

    This morning I took Toby on our usual 3.4 mile walk and then spent the next hour and a half cutting down volunteer trees all over my yard. I have a huge thumb bruise to show for it; apparently my loppers need to be sharpened.

    Now I'm showered, almost finished with my breakfast shake, and trying to decide what to do next. I think coffee needs to be on the immediate agenda and I'm thinking I could use a pedicure once my favorite nail salon opens at noon.

    Beyond that, I'm looking at another day without much in the way of plans. See? I can do that sometimes!

  • Average Jane Does Too Much

    Dr. Jones says less video game playing, more pettingI don't know what it is about me that drives me to view every open calendar square as a personal challenge, but I really need to stop filling every spare moment with activity. 

    Aside from having a full-time job, here are some of the other things I do regularly:

    • 3.4 mile morning walk/runs, almost daily.
    • Twice monthly meetings with my community service organization (not including committee meetings and volunteer projects).
    • At least two social media club events per month. I just rolled off an 18-month board term as vice president.
    • Weekly cat care and cleaning for my animal rescue group (plus more sporadic work such as volunteering for events, helping with adoptions, posting things on social media or updating their website).
    • Membership and participation in 3-4 book clubs.
    • Keeping an eye on my dad and making sure his bills get paid.
    • Dog-related activities, which would ordinarily just be walks and feeding, but lately have included weekly vet visits, twice-daily pills and ear drops, and miserable shampooings every few days.
    • Cat-related activities (snuggling, petting, waving the feather wand, facilitating fetch games and dispensing treats).
    • 5K events – the more gimmicky the better. So far this year I've done a yoga-themed one, the Color Run and the Glow Run. I'll probably continue doing them monthly until it gets cold outside.

    Then there are those people I like—what do you call them?—oh yeah, friends and family members. It would be nice to see all of them more often. That can get to be a challenge.

    I have a hard time getting around to basic household stuff. The laundry tends to sit so long it's not unusual for me to be unloading the dryer and have a happy reunion with some garment I'd almost forgotten about. We have volunteer trees as tall as the house that need to be cut down, and I've been meaning to scrub and re-seal the slate floors in our kitchen since the beginning of the year.

    I always say I'm going to slow things down, but I probably won't. I'll keep going at this pace until I crash. Then I'll cancel a week's worth of commitments, take a lot of naps, get things under control at home and jump back into the fray.

    Just imagine how much stuff I'll be doing once I eventually retire!

  • Average Jane Finds Something New To Buy Online

    As far as I'm concerned, online shopping is among the best inventions ever. These days, Amazon is pretty much my general store (especially since I have an Amazon Prime account) and I go to malls so infrequently that I'm starting to remember each trip as if it were a special occasion.

    PoshBrownUp to now, however, there was one type of clothing that women really needed to buy at a department store: bras. I'm here to tell you that things have changed thanks to the launch of True&Co.

    I first read about them in late May and I was instantly intrigued by the possibilities of a bra fitting algorithm based on the fits of top brands that would allow you to order without having to measure.

    Because I was in the market for some new bras anyway, I went ahead and signed up, went through their questionnaire, paid the $45 deposit, and waited for my shipment of five bras (three I chose from the selection produced by the questionnaire results, two they chose for me) to arrive.

    MontellePurePlusBThe questions revealed that the company has done thorough analysis of the specific fit of pretty much every bra brand on the market. They asked you to really think about your own fit needs and how they could be improved upon.

    The popularity of the new site meant that my order was delayed until late June, but that was fine. When the box arrived, I waited until a convenient morning and proceeded to check out what they had sent.

    Just being able to try on the selections in my own bathroom rather than in a dimly-lit dressing room was a huge selling point all by itself. I made my way through the different styles, rejecting one because the fit was a little off, another because the lace was too scratchy. Two of them were pretty much perfect, albeit quite different from one another. A third was really pretty, but just a little too fancy and in a hot pink color that I would never have chosen. I almost kept it anyway, but decided to let it go back.

    At $45 each, I thought the price was quite reasonable. I'd been spending $60 on my heretofore favorite style at Nordstrom and these new ones fit considerably better.

    I was very impressed at every stage of the process and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be ordering from the company again. Score one more point for online retail!

  • Average Jane’s Favorite New Pet Products

    The BlogPaws Conference sponsors brought out the big guns this year when it came to new product releases. I've had time to use and evaluate many of the things I brought home, so I'd like to share my favorites.

    Sentry Calming Collars

    CollarI've long documented the cat drama in our household perpetrated by Trillian and Xena. When the Sentry reps showed off their new line of pheromone-based collars and sprays designed to curb anxiety and bad behavior in cats and dogs, I was quite intrigued. They sent me home with one cat collar and one dog collar and later sent me another dog collar, some calming and "stop it" sprays and other miscellaneous related items.

    I put a collar on Toby right before a vet visit and I really felt there was a huge difference in his anxiety behavior compared to his previous visit (which had been a nightmare). Trillian got the cat collar and it seemed to make her less fearfully aggressive toward Xena. Since then, we've purchased one for Xena as well, and I'm interested in seeing if it ratchets down her grouchiness level.

    The most impressive result I saw with the calming collar was A Librarian's cat, Spike. I spent Independence Day at her house and was surprised to see Spike hanging out in a crowd of people. He is ordinarily a nervous wreck and has always gone off and hidden from company. The collar completely transformed him and I think I saw as much of him that day as I have over the past several years combined.

    The collars last about 30 days, so Toby and Trillian will need to have theirs replaced soon. I'll definitely keep using them. Not only do they seem to make a significant difference in the animals' behavior, they smell quite nice (lavendar!) and they're rather pretty (purple for cats, aqua for dogs).

    Zero Odor

    Pet-stain-removerThese guys had me with their first demo. They sprayed straight ammonia in a petri dish, let me smell it (ugh) and then sprayed their Litter Spray over it. Wow. In just a matter of seconds, the odor was almost completely gone.

    I don't have any Litter Spray yet, but I used their Pet Stain Remover to clean all of the litter boxes and it did an amazing job. It is also better than any product I've tried (and believe me, I've tried just about everything) when it comes to getting urine odor out of my slate floor. It is now my go-to product for pet mess clean-ups in the house.

    They also have some general household odor sprays. I gave my BlogPaws sample bottle to my husband to help him combat the odor of Stinky Musician in the studio (sweat, cigarette smoke, beer, etc.). It's nice because it has no perfume or other odor of its own.

    Their product line is available at Bed Bath & Beyond, so I'll definitely be heading there for more when I run out.

    Rachael Ray Nutrish Dog Treats

    Treats_cranberryIf I'd known how much Toby was going to enjoy the Oatmeal & Berries dog treats I brought back for him, I'd have snagged some more.

    He gets a lot of treats every day because we use them as positive reinforcement for good potty behavior, so I liked the idea that these were all natural and low calorie. I thought the strong berry scent might not be his cup of tea, but he chows down on them eagerly. I'll be shopping for more soon.

    Pet Armor

    Finally, I wanted to give Pet Armor a shout-out for being so blogger-friendly. We have indoor cats and the dog gets his flea and tick protection via his heartworm tablet because Italian Greyhounds are hyper-sensitive to topical medications, but I appreciated the cat flea protection samples I got from Pet Armor and so did my sister, who happily took them for use on her outdoor cats.

    My cats love the comfy bed they sent me after the conference and I've placed it on our table so they can sit on it to look out the window during the day. Dr. Jones called dibs before it had been out of the box for five minutes.

    Jones_bed

    I'm still making my way through some of the other items I received at the conference, so I may do additional reviews later. A big thanks to all of the sponsors who made it such a great event!