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!