This and That

Running:
I did my second 5 mile run in like 44:40 and I was pretty stoked. “Wow, under 45 minutes! Wahoo!” And then my next two five-mile runs I promptly did them 2 minutes slower. Well, that deflated the ego balloon. LOL. I thought I was supposed to improve on my time as I went along, not get worse! Oy. Well, at least I’m still covering the distance!

At least I think I’m covering the distance. I never did calibrate my Nike+ so watch, I’m probably over here thinking I’m covering 5 miles when really I’m covering like 3. Heh.

Ratchet
*Knock on wood* So far, so good.
He actually hasn’t seemed that sleepy on the phenobarbital like we were expecting. He has seemed pretty normal. We have noticed him walking a little funny. Kind of a limp/hitch sometimes with his back legs. We don’t know if maybe the medicine has caused some weakness in his back legs, or maybe he pulled a muscle during his last seizure. Hopefully it’s not him showing signs of hip dysplasia. I mean, he’s got allergies, he’s got epilepsy … let’s at least avoid the hip dysplasia. He needs a break.

On the upside, we stopped giving him Benadryl (for his allergies) when we put him on the phenobarb because we were worried he would just be super sleepy with both drugs. Oddly enough, he hasn’t been nearly as itchy since we stopped giving it to him. So…we were giving him Benadryl because he was really itchy. Then we stop giving it to him and now he’s not scratching much at all. What the? Maybe he’s allergic to Benadryl. LOL. How funny would that be? I dunno, maybe phenobarb helps allergies and we just didn’t know it. Or maybe his scratching was all mental and the phenobarb is supressig the neurons firing off telling him to scratch.

I don’t know why and don’t particularly care. I’m just glad he’s not scratching himself til he bleeds.

Tom Glavine
He’s in the booth right now for the Mets-Braves game. His first away game of the year! He’s filling in for Joe Simpson who is at a family wedding. I get such a kick out of him being in the booth. Is he the best broadcaster out there? No, but I think he does a good job, especially for this being his first year  and I think if he keeps it up he could be really good. I really enjoy listening to him. I think he tends to start the games off kind of slow but improves as the game goes along and he settles in. He has really good insight.

Since he’s doing the game in New York, I noticed a couple of Mets people tweeting that they wondered if he would make it through the first inning. (In reference to his last game as a Met back in ’07 when he lasted 1/3 of an inning). I admit, I laughed. Hey, it’s more creative than them bringing up the “not devastated” thing for the millionth time.

The Cats
Dr. Nefarious is curled up asleep beside me at the moment. We’re pretty sure he thinks he’s one of the dogs. He’s constantly trying to hang with them, whether it’s curling up with them on the couch, or following them around the house …. He’s just trying to be one of the boys. And Zoni? Oh, she’s a little lover. She gets in my lap and rubs her head on my chin. So sweet.

We got their last round of shots the other day. Now we just have to get them spayed and neutered. Our vet needs to offer a frequent visitor program or something. I tallied it up and we have spent like $860 at the Vet since mid-July. I’ve kind of had to get a little lax with the due dates on some bills, if you know what I mean. lol.

Clank
Clank is top-notch like always. His new gimmick is standing by the backdoor until you open it. Then he literally walks onto the porch, turns around, comes in and expects a treat. LOL. And yeah..most time he gets one. lol. Hey, he’s so persuasive!

September Is …
Did you know that September is Childhood Cancer Awarness Month? A lot of people don’t know that, though I have noticed more commercials related to it this month, and thank goodness for that.

I don’t personally know a child with cancer, but I’ve followed (and still follow) several websites set up for kids battling the disease. I’ve been following some for over five years so, it kind of feels like I know them personally. Some are now happy and healthy kids entering middle school or high school. Some have overcome the cancer but are now dealing with the after-effects of the chemo and other treatments. Some are still battling the disease and some have passed away. When you follow these kids for so long, you catch a glimpse of it all – the heartbreak, the hope, the humor, the anger, the dispair, the grief, the healing …. I’m always in awe of them — both the kids and their parents and siblings. Because I just have NO idea how they do it. I cannot fathom it.

I’ve added a sidebar badge for CURE, an organization dedicated to Childhood Cancer Research. They are a great organization. If you have the means to donate to them, or would just like to learn more about what they do, be sure to click on it.

Another great organization to check out is CureSearch (www.curesearch.org), also dedicated to Childhood Cancer Research.

Hopefully we’ll reach the day where we see a cure in our lifetime….