Gustaf: A Cat of the Future! And My First Jigsaw

Gustaf was a trooper and made it down to Long Island with us with no complaints. Before we left Ithaca, I enrolled Gustaf in a study regarding cat collars and pet identification. I got a free microchip out of it, too! So that was sweet. I highly recommend anyone with a pet to get them microchipped. We have the Home Again microchip and the beauty of it is, regardless of what scanner someone uses to check if a pet's microchipped, the scanner can read the Home Again chip (some scanners can only read certain brands). And now that we've moved to a smaller space, Marcus and I were faced with the inevitable "where are we going to put the litter boxes?" (remember, for every cat, you need an extra box!). So after realizing that we needed to somehow tastefully hide them in our apartment, we encountered this crazy modern litter box hide and we ordered it. Then we got the bad news that they were on back order for like 3 months. So then there was plan B: that's where me and my new jigsaw come in! I went to Lowe's, got some advice on how to use one of these things, and I created a pretty cool litter box hide, with my power drill, jigsaw, and safety goggles...it was based on the design done on this blog, and it's pretty much identical (but I kept it the natural wood color). I'd highly recommend this easy project for someone in a similar predicament.

Saturday the 24th of May: I'm Done

The past couple of weeks have been busy...we U-hauled everything down to Long Island, and yes, I drove the 17' truck. Jennifer came up for a week and a half to hang out and to help us move. Thank God she was there, because it would have been rough without her help. Then she became obsessed with Gustaf the cat and wanted to kidnap him! Well, we U-hauled a week before we were actually going to officially move out, so we were living the squatter lifestyle---you know, little packets of ketchup and salt, and air mattresses. Then this past Saturday was our hooding ceremony, where we officially become doctors of veterinary medicine, oath and all. My family came up for the event and after we ate at a semi fast food joint called Moe's...good stuff! Now, my little nuclear family (Marcus, Gustaf, and I) are officially in Long Island. I'm still trying to get the place in order and Marcus is busy working in the city. I am SO thrilled to be within a reasonable distance of the tri-state (well actually, I'm technically in the tri-state). But there are certain things I'm definitely going to miss about Ithaca and where we lived---Brooktondale...like our 3 bedroom apartment. Even with all its imperfections and occasional bat invasion, I loved it! Our landlords were great, too. Of course my friends, and the friendliness of Upstate New York. People are so nice up there. Then definitely Wegman's, the mecca of all grocery stores. If you've never been to a Wegman's, well then you haven't lived! Their donuts are THE BEST...and so is their seasonal strawberry rhubarb pie. Hubba hubba. Then my Jeep dealership up there...yes, a dealership. I'd bring in my jeep to get oil changes and tune ups and the service department there was the best. Ah, the memories...

Last Sunday Night's Terrors...

Well a week ago, I was enjoying a quiet night with Gustaf. Then, I saw a black thing flying over head in our living room...a bat...again. The last time we had problems with bats was over a year ago, and supposedly the old landlord had stopped up all the holes. So I had basically forgotten how it felt like to live in fear of these flying creatures. Plus, I've been programmed to associate bats with Rabies...I mean I think bats are really cute, and don't mean any harm, but it's just not cool, you know?!?! So I went into damage control mode (all while the bat was flying overhead): placed the cat in another room, opened all windows, opened the front door, closed all other rooms off, and sat and watched the bat fly around, so I knew where it was at all times...well, the bat started getting desperate and tired, and started flying low...like a couple of feet from the ground and above my head, and even landed on the ground. It finally left...and I finally reached my new landlords, who painstakingly tried to stop up any other holes that may have remained between all the beams and woodwork in our high ceiling...augh. The landlords may look into a bat removal program. I'm so looking forward to not having to deal with this when we move.

Mom's Day, Water, Exotic Textiles, and The Postal Service Did It AGAIN!

First, it's Mother's Day, so happy mama's day to all, including Terry-a, since this is officially her first Mother's Day! As a side note, I recently saw my mom and she looks absolutely spectacular for someone who's about to turn 70 years old...I hope I age like that. Anyway, I told Marcus that I vowed to stop drinking bottled water when we move down to Long Island, in an attempt to be more ECO-aware. But I really will miss my favorite bottled water of all time: Evian. And a close second: Acqua Panna. Delicious. And to all the Evian haters: yes, I CAN tell the difference between Evian and the lesser waters! Evian is so good, they even got Christian Lacroix to design a bottle for them! So today I picked up a Sigg reusable water bottle that I hope to use all the time in place of buying and lugging around bottled (disposable) water. Last night while I was perusing the Internet, I stumbled upon an Indian textile company that makes bed spreads, window treatments, and stuff like that. They have pretty sweet stuff (I like Indian printed cottons). We plan to buy a bedspread from them, and apparently every cloth is individually done by hand in a process called block printing. On their website they have a little slideshow about this procedure. Pretty cool. Final thought of the day: apparently the postal service is upping the price of stamps AGAIN. Tomorrow it'll be 42 cents a pop...and the reason why the postal service is constantly raising prices? There was some bill passed that somehow makes it easier for the postal service to raise prices...great!

Black Bears on the Run and Cat Collars

This morning I turn on the news and the big news up in Syracuse is that a 6-foot black bear was seen running rampant. This was major news...there was live footage and the whole deal, with promised updates if any new developments unfold..it sort of was reminiscent of when O.J. was in his white S.U.V. somewhere in Southern Cali. It was kind of amusing--but of course I want Smokey the Bear to be okay and I of course don't want anyone to get hurt. The news anchor's advice: "if you see the black bear, do not approach it. It could be very dangerous."...um, you think?! I don't understand how anyone in the right mind would even consider approaching a bear, or any wild animal. Even animals that have been in zoos are UNPREDICTABLE and if something goes awry, I don't blame them---they are called "wild" for a reason. One of my professors, a zoo veterinarian, was lecturing on how to sedate and anesthetize a bear, and he described it as seriously dangerous. I've heard from neighbors that there's a local bear that lives here in my town of good old Brooktondale. Anyway, yesterday I got on this kick about how even though Gustaf the cat is an indoor only cat (the way they ALL SHOULD BE for their health and safety...I can give specifics at another time), he should still have some identification in the horrible event something happens and he gets out. I plan to microchip him, but until then, we're going to get him a collar. For cats, you really have to be careful and get a breakaway collar, an elastic collar, or ideally a combination of both. The idea is that with these kinds of cat collars, if a cat gets stuck or caught on its collar, the cat can be released from it or easily slip out and not get strangled. I found a really badass one. But I think we'll going to end up with the boring, but very safe combination collar, and there's only one on the market right now. We're also going to put a slip on ID tag on the collar.

Guilty Pleasures...Oh How We Adore Them

Have you seen Snoop Dogg's "Sensual Seduction" video? I can only describe it as pure perfection! I seriously wish I contrived this video...it's heavenly and ridiculous all at the same time! I mean, damn---he plays the keytar in it! Not to mention that the song itself is out of hand, given that Snoop now sings apparently. Good stuff, good stuff. Here's a link to this great piece of visual art...ha ha. And apparently, I'm not alone in my opinion of this visual mastery. I love Snoop. Well, last night I stayed up till 2 A.M. watching that hip-hop dance movie "Honey". Yes, it's not cinema at its finest, but then again, I was also entertained by "Save the Last Dance". I also recently rediscovered hookah when Stacy and I visited her friend Abdullah in Rochester. I smoked apple flavored tobacco once with Terry-a a number of years ago in an east village restaurant. But I had forgotten all about it. This time, the tobacco was mango flavored! And we sat outside, puffed, talked about random stuff for what felt like hours. I really love hookah---you smoke out of this highly ornate apparatus, if you will, and it promotes socializing and good times...isn't that great? I really want one, a really pretty, highly decorated pipe, especially since our new apartment in Long Island has a big veranda. But I don't want to increase my chances of cancer...although Abdullah argues (well only because he probably loves hookah) that the tobacco used for hookah is not processed with any chemicals (like nicotine), but he also agrees that damage to the airways through smoke inhalation of course could lead to bad stuff down the line...hmm...I'm in a conundrum. Ironically, he's a medical student who's pursuing a PhD and his topic of research involves creating a synthetic drug used to treat lung cancer, I think. But I don't like doing things that are bad for my health, especially smoking anything...I grew up with a smoker.

Cozumel: A Retrospective

Here are some conclusions about Cozumel that may be of interest as I reflect upon my lovely vacation: 1) A rental car is highly desirable. Parking is easy, at least around our hotel. Mopeds are fun in theory, but are the #1 cause of accidents on the island. 2) If you want to dance to any kind of music, you're likely to end up in a place like Senor Frog's whether you like it or not. Or you can get lucky and find a local joint like Zona Zhero (Calle 7 near the water I believe). 3) Karaoke is popular on Cozumel. So if you like the spotlight, there you go. But most selections are in Spanish. I sang a Madonna song of course. I wanted to sing a Selena song, but I forgot part of the tune of the one song I remembered, so I didn't want to screw that up. 4) Locals are very friendly. We spoke with a bunch of people: a local veterinarian, the diving boat crew, and oh, ya---Gustavo the dark character...but still, he was nice. 5) Most beaches with calm waters to wade in are associated with a restaurant. Although you don't HAVE to buy food or drink at the restaurant, you feel like you do. The best ones in my opinion, were Mr. Sancho's and Alberto's. We didn't know this arriving to the island and just pictured vast expanses of desolate beach. But they have that, too--but the water is much rougher. 6) Perhaps coffee is not a priority in Cozumel or in Mexico. I already sort of knew that perhaps coffee is not at its finest in Mexico, but I had hoped anyway, since it's a Latin country. I mean, most latin countries have perfected coffee: hello Colombia, hello Cuba. But I did find one place that made great coffee, so who knows. I don't mean to make mass generalizations, but this is based on my two trips to Mexico in the past few years, and on multiple attempts at getting a great cup of coffee. 7) Although many of my friends and family are probably not certified to go SCUBA diving, this is really the place to do it. Although Stacy and I didn't spend our entire vacation diving in Cozumel, I can't imagine NOT diving there. The reefs are incredible, and it's so much more than what you see from snorkeling. Diving is an experience that involves physiology, control, being aware of everything above, below, and to the sides of you, and of course FUN---and hey---you look really cool with all your gear on, right? So maybe if you have some time on a vacation, you should take a course to be certified! It's a beautiful thing, and it's incredibly safe when done right. 8) Seafood in Cozumel is great. So if you're a seafood lover, go for it. Just maybe not at Lobster House, but I admit we didn't eat seafood at that restaurant...maybe it was just a strange night there. 9) Go to the grocery store! I love going to grocery stores and pharmacies in other countries. The large grocery store in Cozumel was so much fun and the baked goods were yummy. 10) Even though most drugs don't require a prescription in Mexico, you may want to think twice. As I previously mentioned, who knows about the quality control. (Plus, if you're not a doctor of some kind, it's probably not wise to start self medicating and possibly contributing to antibiotic resistance!...sorry my plug...)Interestingly, I asked if veterinary drugs required a prescription and the guy at a pharmacy counter said he didn't know, but directed me to another place who could get me "what I wanted"...and finally, thank you so, so much Marcus for an excellent graduation gift! He knew how much I wanted to go diving and have a final hurrah with Stacy before we leave vet school.

Another Cozumel Sidebar: Lia the Dog

On Sunday night, walking along the main drag, we encountered the Humane Society of Cozumel. They had great advertising: dogs on leashes with little jackets that said "Adopt me" on them. Stacy was IN LOVE! She quickly zoned into Lia, a little white dog. She soon became obsessed, and then the next day, before we met with the wedding planner, we went to the shelter to see her again, and of course do a more thorough physical exam...hello, we're about to be vets! Things were too hectic for her to decide right there and then to bring Lia home with her, but she's still considering it and talking with her fiance about it...so who knows, maybe Lia will immigrate to the States! I hope so!

Day 6 in Cozumel: Denial

At this point, we were dreading returning back to Ithaca. If we could have somehow transplanted all our friends and family to the island to somehow continue this parallel lifestyle of swimming, warm weather, and stalking the Dr. Simi dancing mascot outside the pharmacy, we would have. But all things come to an end. So denial turned to acceptance and new goals of reaching our final destination in a timely manner. We said goodbye to Azteca, the Hotel Pepita cat. I gave the bag of cat food I bought to the hotel's owner and asked him to please give her the rest of the food. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. We tried to eat at this really good restaurant across from the hotel called Fritz Restaurant, but it was unfortunately closed. We then ate breakfast somewhere else. Then we headed to the airport and of course got lost. Along our misguided route, we passed the Lobster House and we shivered at the thought. We got directions from an old man working the land. So we finally made it to the airport. Hasta luego, Cozumel...te quiero tanto!

Day 5 in Cozumel: Casa Gordon, A Place of Caviar Dreams...

Stacy (seen to the right with her husband-to-be, Casey) (and yes, it's Stacy and Casey) is going to get married on Cozumel in a year, so we agreed that she should check out the villa she's going to have her ceremony at. She's also going to be staying there before and after the wedding. It was incredible and very well taken care of. Her wedding planner met us there, and then we sampled some food from the restaurant that would be catering the event. That restaurant also happened to be at the beach where Stacy and I were going to swim and sit on the beach almost every day. Then we sampled a mini wedding cake, chocolate of course. It was a very typical latin type cake, in that it's frosted with a merengue type icing, not butter cream. So it ends up having a marshmallow-like taste. And the cake is layered with an almost gel-pudding like filling. This completely brought me back to my childhood when we'd go to the Cuban bakeries in Fort Lee, NJ. These types of cakes are great! Well after the wedding stake out, we went back to the beach to swim and frolich among the fish in the blue waters...oh, and just to diffuse any confusion, Casey, although pictured in the photo above, wasn't on vacation with us. That was there to provide a visual of the people I was referring to, etc.

Day 4 in Cozumel: Gustaf Y Gustavo

On Sunday, we first went to Cedral, a town which was once the hub of Mayan life on Cozumel. It's also the first site found by Spanish explorers in 1518. These days, it's not bustling much at all, unless it's May---once a year there's a festival there with a bullfight, horse races, cock fighting, and carnival type stands. So we went during the day and ate some food. We were not interested in watching what I feel is cruelty to animals (bull fight, cock fights) so we left after that. We then headed to a set of beaches that are not populated because they're further out on the island, and the waves are strong. But the views were truly incredible. We ended up at Playa Bonita. At another beach along the way we had a little too much fun with the coconut drinks and a conch shell...I know, but c'mon, we can all still be silly, right??? Now why the black cat and who is this guy? And who's Gustavo and Gustaf? Well Gustavo is this waiter we encountered in a small "piano bar" called Zona Zhero that we went to that night. It was fun. There was karaoke which I participated in, and there was even dancing! It seemed to be a locals' hangout. Our waiter Gustavo was really funny and told us that if we wanted to check out this restaurant called Lobster House, we could all go the following day. Well, we decided to go to Lobster House the next night. A few things became apparent: Gustavo was a dark character in real life which was a downer, and the Lobster House was gross. So that was that. Gustaf, the black cat, is the new addition to our family that I alluded to a few blogs back. As you know, our little angel Twinkie very, very sadly past away about a month ago. We were not planning to adopt anyone after that...then we started thinking of cats that really needed homes, even if we were not really emotionally up to it because we know that we can give someone a great home. So we adopted him and he's a sweetheart. His arrival of course hasn't made Twinkie's passing any easier, nor did we expect it or want it to, since one can't take the place of the other. So that's the story of Gustaf and Gustavo.

Day 3 in Cozumel: Palancar and Yucab

Day 3 was basically dedicated to diving. We went out in the morning, pretty early. After our night out, we were zombies. But we got our acts together---well, sort of. And yes, I know this photo is partially washed out, but it's one of the very few shots I have of me on the dive boat. First we did our deepest dive of the day, reaching 80' below at Palancar Bricks. I had some challenges with equalizing my ears when I reached the deepest part of the dive, but we lingered around 70' for the most part, and it was fine. We got to go through caves and see tons of stuff like lobsters and crabs. I finally had more weights on my belt so life was great and I wasn't using up tons of air struggling. Then we went to Yucab for another dive...we went down to about 60'. I love diving because you're basically in an aquarium! Next time I dive, the night dive (with flashlights and all) is on! In the late afternoon we went to a beach to frolich in the water and relax. That night we ended up eating dinner and just walking around el centro. No Senor Frog's that night...phew.

Cozumel Sidebar: Dr. Simi and the Dance Party at the Pharmacy

Around the corner from our hotel there was a 24 hour pharmacy that had bumpin' music! After the mishap we had out on the town, we joked that we should just party at the pharmacy, because they would CRANK UP the salsa and merengue and then Dr. Simi, the pharmacy's mascot would be jamming with himself. Click on this link to see Dr. Simi shake it up. This wasn't at the pharmacy we saw, I just got this clip over the internet. But it's incredibly similar. All I know is that Dr. Simi knows how to have a good time and we wanted to go clubbing at the pharmacy! P.S. most drugs don't require a prescription in Mexico...basically just controlled substances...although there are reports that many of the drugs sold in Mexico may not in fact be real. Interesting.

Day 2 in Cozumel: Divin' and Livin' La Vida Loca?

On our second day, we did one dive to Paradise Reef after our short course. It was great. I was having some issues with my buoyancy, which ended up to be because I didn't have the proper weights on my weight belt...for those who don't dive, the way it works is that you want to be weighed down, so you can sink to the bottom of the ocean (of course in a controlled manner), but then you also have a vest called a BCD, which can inflate so you can control how much or how little you float over the very bottom of the ocean. Plus, when you're up on the surface you want to obviously be buoyant and not have to tread water, so you inflate the BCD then, too. On your way down to the bottom, you have to equalize your ears by swallowing, holding your nose and trying to breathe out of it, and chewing. Otherwise your ears end up in severe pain. If that happens, you just ascend a little, then try again, then continue your descent. How do you breathe? With the regulator. This is a device that you have in your mouth and it's connected to your tank. So you breathe solely through your mouth, in slow, controlled breaths. You have a monitor to check your depth and your air supply. You also have an extra regulator in case a fellow diver runs out of air and needs to share. Other basic stuff is a suit, mask, and fins. Once you're down in the deep, you don't use your arms to swim: it's all in your breathing, your fins, and your amount of buoyancy that helps you. Woah, major tangent...sorry. So anyway, after we ate dinner that night, we went out on the town. We had heard of this club called Discoteca Neptuno, so we decided to check it out...we learned that maybe people in Cozumel don't really like to dance, even if the place is called a "dance" club. I later asked a dive master about this issue of non dancing, and he claimed that the Cozumel people weren't necessarily all the dancing types...then another man we met at a local festival confirmed this sentiment about the people of Yucatan. This was news to me, because as a generality, wanting to move was just something the Latino people did or wanted to do! So we sat in this huge club with tables everywhere listening to and watching videos of people like Rick Astley and Old Whitney Houston...I kid you not...so maybe that's why we had the time to entertain ourselves by taking silly pictures like the one above...because we were bored...but we tried, we really, really tried! So we left, tried another place, then ended up in what could only be described as the Bermuda Triangle of American tourism...Senor Frog's...hmm all I can say is that this place was a circus...it had pretty good music for the most part, and people were dancing, so that was good. But it's a place where Americans who want to get drunk and get tequila poured into their mouths while sloppily dancing in a Conga line go....and where the waiters and this American transplant who served as an MC of sorts lead games and orchestrated dances...I never did that whole Cancun spring break....so I guess this was my intro...A documentary NEEDS to be made about this place!

Day 1 in Cozumel: Assimilation

As promised, here goes my day-by-day account of my trip to Cozumel. I'm back in Ithaca right now, but I've got the time and resources to blog! So when Stacy and I arrived, we got the rental car. Driving appears to be a little haphazard there and mopeds seem to crop out of the woodwork--in a bad way! We checked into our hotel, then headed to the dive shop to confirm our reservations to go SCUBA diving the next day. We then learned that because we had not been diving for a LONG time, we needed the "refresher course", or as I like to refer to it: the remedial course. No, but it was really good. We reviewed basic physiology in terms of diving and the ever important diving table and how to read it. Plus our instructor Nemecio was great. And we got to dive after the 2 hour class. So good times, good times. I would highly recommend that dive shop to anyone who was going diving in Cozumel...and I did extensive research to find the right dive shop for us. Then we hit the beach to rampage and relax in the GORGEOUS waters. I brought my swimming goggles with me and one of those one time use underwater cameras so I got to see all the pretty fish in the water with me....see the photo above! That night we ate at a place we called the "Tweedy Bird Place" because there was Tweedy painted on the wall...this place left a lot to be desired..so if you're ever in el centro and see this place, don't do it!