FWIS3

code monkey wrote:very funny, fisher. one needn't go the full 'fur baby', 'animal companions' route to be attached to and feel responsibility for an animal.

swift, I hope that the cats are ok. as for the speeches, it's possible that the people were saying what they felt was expected or that they were fortunate enough to have had no major difficulties at work. I do remember the talk given by the hr rep at the separation meeting just before I took my trip through the revolving door. she urged us to be proud of ourselves because we had made Pfizer what it was. right, I thought. and that's why we're getting the boot.

She was actually blaming the victims for the cold heartless bean counter approach to business. Nice.

Swift wrote:And then I get home and we have a message from the vet - the cats had their annual check-up last week and there is something a little off on their blood tests and she wants us to come back in next week, but don't worry. Uh uh.

I owe everyone a follow-up. Don't worry, it is all good news.

Grandpa: She doesn't get eaten by the eels at this time.
The Grandson: What?
Grandpa: The eel doesn't get her. I'm explaining to you because you look nervous.
The Grandson: I wasn't nervous. Maybe I was a little bit concerned, but that's not the same thing.

Anyway, our first visit back to the vet was canceled for a power outage at their office. We went back Monday and both of them were retested (same blood tests, one for Feline Leukemia, the other for low platelet count). The vet left us a message yesterday and both retests came back negative.

She also left a reminder that "we'll see you in a year for their annual and another blood test".

I am almost completely uninterested in redoing these blood tests, particularly on cats without any apparent symptoms. Blood tests that give false positives 50% of the time are worthless, except as cashflow for vets.

Swift wrote:I am almost completely uninterested in redoing these blood tests, particularly on cats without any apparent symptoms. Blood tests that give false positives 50% of the time are worthless, except as cashflow for vets.

I am 100% with you on that. Especially since the likely issues often aren't anything you can do about anyway.

geonuc wrote:

Swift wrote:I am almost completely uninterested in redoing these blood tests, particularly on cats without any apparent symptoms. Blood tests that give false positives 50% of the time are worthless, except as cashflow for vets.

I am 100% with you on that. Especially since the likely issues often aren't anything you can do about anyway.

We have two Pomeranians. We keep them current on their vaccinations and we feed them a decent brand of dog food. We have never done routine tests on them. They are both healthy. I remind them often that they need to stay healthy because they are emergency rations if the Zombie Apocalypse should arrive.

SciFiFisher wrote:

geonuc wrote:

Swift wrote:I am almost completely uninterested in redoing these blood tests, particularly on cats without any apparent symptoms. Blood tests that give false positives 50% of the time are worthless, except as cashflow for vets.

I am 100% with you on that. Especially since the likely issues often aren't anything you can do about anyway.

We have two Pomeranians. We keep them current on their vaccinations and we feed them a decent brand of dog food. We have never done routine tests on them. They are both healthy. I remind them often that they need to stay healthy because they are emergency rations if the Zombie Apocalypse should arrive.

You just ain't right in the head.

SciFiFisher wrote:

geonuc wrote:

Swift wrote:I am almost completely uninterested in redoing these blood tests, particularly on cats without any apparent symptoms. Blood tests that give false positives 50% of the time are worthless, except as cashflow for vets.

I am 100% with you on that. Especially since the likely issues often aren't anything you can do about anyway.

We have two Pomeranians. We keep them current on their vaccinations and we feed them a decent brand of dog food. We have never done routine tests on them. They are both healthy. I remind them often that they need to stay healthy because they are emergency rations if the Zombie Apocalypse should arrive.

I am sure they feel pretty concerned, just like when I tell our dog that she's the worst manipulator animal in the western hemisphere

Sigma_Orionis wrote:

SciFiFisher wrote:

geonuc wrote:

Swift wrote:I am almost completely uninterested in redoing these blood tests, particularly on cats without any apparent symptoms. Blood tests that give false positives 50% of the time are worthless, except as cashflow for vets.

I am 100% with you on that. Especially since the likely issues often aren't anything you can do about anyway.

We have two Pomeranians. We keep them current on their vaccinations and we feed them a decent brand of dog food. We have never done routine tests on them. They are both healthy. I remind them often that they need to stay healthy because they are emergency rations if the Zombie Apocalypse should arrive.

I am sure they feel pretty concerned, just like when I tell our dog that she's the worst manipulator animal in the western hemisphere

If you want a potential food source, I wouldn't go with pomeranians... I mean that's hardly a snack. You need something big and beefy. That way, it either hunts down the food (like a nice deer) or it is the food - a win either way.

I still can't get over the fact that one of your Pomeranians is still alive. I'll never forget that night we witnessed him having a stroke and said nothing to the previous owner.

SciFi Chick wrote:I still can't get over the fact that one of your Pomeranians is still alive. I'll never forget that night we witnessed him having a stroke and said nothing to the previous owner.

The vet says we have managed to keep him amazingly healthy. I think he is doing it to spite me. Because he knows I have a special place in my heart for ankle biters who bark incessantly and think they are as big as a Great Dane.

SciFiFisher wrote:The vet says we have managed to keep him amazingly healthy. I think he is doing it to spite me. Because he knows I have a special place in my heart for ankle biters who bark incessantly and think they are as big as a Great Dane.

What do you know, Fisher is a Cat Person

SciFiFisher wrote:
The vet says we have managed to keep him amazingly healthy. I think he is doing it to spite me. Because he knows I have a special place in my heart for ankle biters who bark incessantly and think they are as big as a Great Dane.

in my experience it's the small dogs who are constantly barking and carrying on. the large ones tend to be quiet and easy-going.

code monkey wrote:

SciFiFisher wrote:
The vet says we have managed to keep him amazingly healthy. I think he is doing it to spite me. Because he knows I have a special place in my heart for ankle biters who bark incessantly and think they are as big as a Great Dane.

in my experience it's the small dogs who are constantly barking and carrying on. the large ones tend to be quiet and easy-going.

You haven't met mine

Sigma_Orionis wrote:

code monkey wrote:
in my experience it's the small dogs who are constantly barking and carrying on. the large ones tend to be quiet and easy-going.

You haven't met mine

no, I haven't. small, quiet dog or large, constantly barking dog?

Sigma_Orionis wrote:

SciFiFisher wrote:The vet says we have managed to keep him amazingly healthy. I think he is doing it to spite me. Because he knows I have a special place in my heart for ankle biters who bark incessantly and think they are as big as a Great Dane.

What do you know, Fisher is a Cat Person

Yes I am. I really like them. They taste just like chicken.

I see your time at the Chinese Restaurant was educational

code monkey wrote:

Sigma_Orionis wrote:

code monkey wrote:
in my experience it's the small dogs who are constantly barking and carrying on. the large ones tend to be quiet and easy-going.

You haven't met mine

no, I haven't. small, quiet dog or large, constantly barking dog?

Medium sized frenetic (when she wants to) dog.

Sigma_Orionis wrote:I see your time at the Chinese Restaurant was educational

Yes. Yes it was.

Painting the outside of a house is a pain. I'm only doing the 'easy' parts (i.e., no extended ladder required), but damn. Chipping the paint, filling the cracks, priming the repairs, painting, all in summer heat & humidity. This is gonna fucking kill me.

geonuc wrote:Painting the outside of a house is a pain. I'm only doing the 'easy' parts (i.e., no extended ladder required), but damn. Chipping the paint, filling the cracks, priming the repairs, painting, all in summer heat & humidity. This is gonna fucking kill me.

that's a task I wouldn't dream of doing myself. best of luck with it.

geonuc wrote:Painting the outside of a house is a pain. I'm only doing the 'easy' parts (i.e., no extended ladder required), but damn. Chipping the paint, filling the cracks, priming the repairs, painting, all in summer heat & humidity. This is gonna fucking kill me.

Or make you stronger.

Ok, so this is a really selfish and insignificant thing to BMR about, but here goes.

Since I was about 11, I was a HUGE Tigers fan. Still am. Huge to the extent that my friends somewhat made fun of me--not quite, more like enabled my obsession. I had two friends in middle school who shared my obsession, but by high school I didn't have any comprades to root for the Tigers as much as I did--only my parents.

So now, I see a few of my high school friends on facebook, who showed little to no interest in baseball while we were in school, raving over the Tigers. And what do I think about that? Not--yay, new fans! But instead--hey, that's my team! You can't root for them! Where was your support back then?

I know, stupid, right?

I get it.

I get it too. I've never been a sports fan, but I used to work in downtown Atlanta, and one year the Braves either won the World Series, or they were just going to the World Series, and Atlanta decided to have a parade for them. All I had to do to attend this parade was walk outside the building I worked in, so I did. And I cheered for them, and I felt happy for what they accomplished, but I also felt like a big fake.

SciFi Chick wrote:I get it too. I've never been a sports fan, but I used to work in downtown Atlanta, and one year the Braves either won the World Series, or they were just going to the World Series, and Atlanta decided to have a parade for them. All I had to do to attend this parade was walk outside the building I worked in, so I did. And I cheered for them, and I felt happy for what they accomplished, but I also felt like a big fake.

Enthusiasm is contagious.

pumpkinpi wrote:Ok, so this is a really selfish and insignificant thing to BMR about, but here goes.

Since I was about 11, I was a HUGE Tigers fan. Still am. Huge to the extent that my friends somewhat made fun of me--not quite, more like enabled my obsession. I had two friends in middle school who shared my obsession, but by high school I didn't have any comprades to root for the Tigers as much as I did--only my parents.

So now, I see a few of my high school friends on facebook, who showed little to no interest in baseball while we were in school, raving over the Tigers. And what do I think about that? Not--yay, new fans! But instead--hey, that's my team! You can't root for them! Where was your support back then?

I know, stupid, right?

I completely understand. My only problem is that your loyalty is to the Motor City Kitties, as we call them around here. Go Tribe!

My childhood team was the NY Mets and I still have a soft spot in my heart for them. Luckily they rarely play the Indians (I've lived here since 1987, so I feel no hesitation about being an Indians fan). Once in a great while someone will ask me "Who will you root for when the Indians play the Mets in the World Series". I usually just look at them like they just asked me how I'm dealing with the unicorn invasion (which I consider has an equal probability).