The Weekend is Almost Here! Hug a Tree....?

Yes! It's Thursday! What are my plans for this fine evening? Well, I have succumbed to watching my rented films on the computer since our DVD player is still biting dust. Since I was on call today, I had to be at the hospital super early this morning and I got to study for my board exams which leaves me free right now! Tomorrow is a big day for Twinkie (he's the handsome redhead in the photo) because he's going to be checked out by our cardiologists, my classmates, and... me. He's going to have to be in a kennel and out of my sight for most of the day unfortunately, so I already asked Stacy, my vet school partner in crime, to please check in on him when she can. So why hug a tree? Well, you don't REALLY have to hug a tree, but I was just informed of a cool site for those who love internet search engines! If you use Google, instead use Blackle! Blackle is the energy friendly version of Google. According to a fellow blogspot site, a black screened Google site would save 750 megawatt-hours a year. So the folks at Google got keen to the idea and went for it. On an exciting note, his Holiness the DALAI LAMA will be visiting Cornell University this October! Over the past 5 years I have really become interested in Buddhism and hope to be able to practice it one day (again, I need to make some time for my million interests), so for now, I read Buddhist teachings whenever I can...the last time I had time was a LONG time ago, like before veterinary school. But I digress. Back to the Dalai Lama. I tried to get tickets to the event, but they sold out ridiculously fast. I even had the heads up from the local Buddhist Monastery that sends me regular events emails, but it was of no use. The great thing is that his speeches will apparently be streamed live online. I knock Ithaca a lot, but Ithaca and Cornell University really have it going on sometimes. The Dalia Lama, the restaurants, A free Snoop Dogg concert on campus, the fall foliage, and Wegman's of course. Speaking of fall foliage, Marcus and I are hopefully taking a hot air balloon ride around Ithaca and the surrounding towns (no, not in the balloon in the photo!), if the weather and our schedules permit. P.S., would somebody please take the poll in the upper right hand of the screen? I really thought it would be fun for people to "guess that disease", then reveal the answer in a few days.