Sinus problems

Hey, quick tip from a friend over there at ACTCM. Ever wanted to give a back treatment to someone but their congested sinuses start hurting like f--k when they lay down? If you're using one of those adjustable massage tables, put the two front legs (where their head is) up a notch. Simple!

I guess you could also use one of those massage chairs too. We've got one or two in the clinic.

Adopt a Bitch

Her name is Lucy, she's a small pitbull (mix?) puppy and she's very smart and sweet. We're told she's estimated to be about 8 months old, and we're guessing she's about 30 pounds.

We're really only watching her for a night or two for Earth Angels, an awesome local animal rescue organization that is plain out of housing for their animals tonight. However, I want to do what I can to help this girl find a home as soon as she can, because it's hard enough for pits to find homes, and harder still as they leave puppyhood. So here's my plug for Lucy:

Lucy is doing her thing to rise above the stereotype of pitbulls being aggressive, scary, hard-core fighting dogs. She has shown zero aggression towards either Eric and I (lots of licking and love nibbles, but no more or less than any other puppy with new teeth we've ever encountered) OR to Sera, who's a female dominant dog, which is supposed to be the toughest type of dog to socialize female pitbulls with. The rescue said she loves every dog she's met, so far. We've been scolding her when she does nibble, just because that will be less endearing as her teeth get bigger, and when we do she rolls over and makes apologetic faces. She's definitely more lover than fighter. She has not tried, at least not yet, to destroy any possesions other than dog toys.

Moreover, she learned "sit" right away, and she's getting the hang of "no" and "come" and we've only had her since about 7 last night. She has all her shots, very wise eyes, a shiny black-and-white spotted coat that makes her look like a very small dairy cow, and a big doofy grin. She behaved exceptionally well on the cab ride here tonight, and the rescue says she's crate-trained, although I am not really sure what that means, exactly. She appears to be housebroken.

This is not to say that Lucy should go to a home with owners who are inexperienced with dogs. She's very strong, and while she clearly wants to please, I am pretty sure she will need a lot of attention and guidance--as do puppies in general, but especially because we don't know her exact history and because of the fact that many pitbulls have been bred and trained to be aggressive before arriving in the hands of rescues. We were told that she was abused before arriving at the shelter, although she doesn't appear to hold it against people in general. Again, this puppy has been, so far, nothing but sweet, affectionate, and apparently incredibly pleased to find herself in a better situation.

We love her already but we really, really can't keep this one. Everything we've read strongly suggests keeping cats and pitbulls in separate areas, and that's not something we feel up to doing for more than a couple of days in our tiny studio. Lucy is very interested in our cat, and they generally just appear curious about each other, but we're still keeping them apart to be on the safe side. (If you have cats or other small animals, I'm not sure if Lucy is the dog for you. This is not to say that Lucy is NOT the dog for you; she just hasn't been officially tested with cats, so I can't speak for her cat-friendliness).

Please pass this on if you know of anyone who might be up for giving Lucy a home.

Here are some pics:



Mahalo!
Lorelle

We hear...

THAT our own Dr. Olga will be the next academic dean... that PCOM President Jack Miller has a collection of expensive cars - wonder where he got the money for that? Oh right... that the prospect of a certain herbs teacher's impending divorce has PCOM women (teachers and students alike) swooning... that come next semester, we'll be seeing yet again several new faces in the front office. You can't blame them, really - if you think the students put up with a lot, imagine working here... that we may see the recently graduated JP around PCOM again soon, in an advisory capacity... and finally, my chickens, a graduation party will tomorrow night in Brooklyn, at Abilene. Enjoy!

Anybody started studying for next semester yet??

Ah Comps

DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL!!! No it's okay... after tomorrow we'll all be getting right like Jamie...

NYTimes.com Article on Lymphatic Filariasis

The New York Times is doing a series of articles on five diseases that are on the brink of elimination. Take a look - if you missed them in the paper you can still get them free online. Download them now before they disappear into the paid archives...

Diseases on the Brink at NYTimes.com

Dr. Miller's Lusty Poems

Dr. Miller is leaving... for Cornell? Columbia? Good stuff. He's a cool dude. Did you know he's a published poet? See here for an excerpt:

desreida
always wore red when
she sacrificed herself-
she wanted to be just right.
at night she would lace
herself in jewelry
and laud over her breasts
and full buttocks.
this is what they wanted-
and they paid.
desreida was a country girl-
lost, long ago,
in this city;
really in every city
that wasn't hard on
human sacrifice or self-inflicted
bondage.
she was not beautiful,
but she made men smile
with her tricks
and movements of her hips.


More to be found at his website.

Jimmy Carter is a fucking saint

That man just travels the globe doing good shit. See here, sinners:

NYTimes.com story on Jimmy Carter's fight against trachoma in Africa

More on Trachoma from the Carter Center