14 November 2005
Pilling the Cat
Good news from the vet: Sasha's latest blood test looks great, which means his current one-a-day pill dosage is doing the trick. Conveniently, he's a very cooperative cat who easily submits to pilling, sometimes even purring throughout the procedure. For those unfamiliar, I present my personal technique for pilling a cat:
- Choose a time and place where your cat is relaxed.
First thing in the morning works well for Sasha, after snuggling and before breakfast. - Get out the pill and place it on a table or counter, ideally with a slick surface.
This positions the cat at a convenient height and prevents him from getting traction if he struggles. - Place the cat on the table, facing away from you, with his ass under your arm.
This prevents him from backing up, which will be his first instinct when you mess with his face. - Tilt the cat's head all the way up while prying his jaws open.
Use two fingers on his upper jaw, behind the long fangs, and one finger on his lower jaw, between the long fangs. - Drop the pill onto the back of the cat's tongue where it meets his throat.
Placement is important. Do not drop it on the tip of his tongue or near his cheek; he won't swallow it. - Shut the cat's jaws and continue holding his head back.
Hold him steady until he swallows. - Release the cat's head (but don't let him leave yet). Watch the cat carefully.
Cats are sneaky! Make sure he doesn't spit out the pill. This is why I don't believe in the "hide the pill in the cat's food" method. - Give the cat a reward, such as praise or a treat.
For his cooperation, Sasha gets his coat smoothed, followed by a tasty breakfast.
There's another good cat-pilling tutorial with illustrations here. And this man appears to have a special cat-pilling tool that he demonstrates in a little video. And finally, I really enjoy old-school instructional graphics like this one.
11 November 2005
Skagen
There are some items of personal gear about which I'm really picky. My watch is one of them. For about five years, I had a Skagen watch that I absolutely adored. When I broke it last May, my heart broke too; Skagen doesn't make that model anymore. I bought a couple of cheap watches, but my criteria are just too specific to be met by a cheapie:
- analog display
- round face
- Arabic numerals
- clean, readable design
- non-absorbant strap material
(Otherwise, the strap becomes smelly from my daily bike sweat. Ew!) - lightweight
- luminous hands
- doesn't snag on stuff
- no audible ticking, or very quiet ticking
- durable enough to last a long time
- looks cool
My watch problem has been bugging me for six months. But finally I picked out a suitable watch, and last night I bought it! It's another Skagen, and it's pleasing me immensely. That itch is now scratched. Bonus features: date indicator and military time.
9 November 2005
Proposition H
The SF handgun ban passed? Are you people crazy?
Obviously, only law-abiding people are going to turn in their handguns. Who does that leave with handguns? The very people you might want to defend yourself against—if only you had a handgun. Even the SF Police Officer's Association thinks this is a stupid idea.
The New York Times article about this includes an amusing quote from Supervisor Chris Daly, who authored the proposition:
Mr. Daly, a self-described far-left progressive, quipped of his critics: "I know I'm crazy, but they're crazier than I am."
It's always a contest between crazies around here. So I guess the answer to my question is, "Yes!" Hopefully the courts are not so crazy.