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Purple Passion

YAY!

purrrplej | 24 August, 2008 19:14

I got an A in my info technology course!

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Leash-training update

purrrplej | 22 August, 2008 11:00

Well, leash-training with Murray had seemed to be going well, but the cheap leash contraption I had bought for him broke, so I had to take it back. I bought him a better-quality cat harness, but it didn’t fit him because he is a big boy. So then I exchanged it for a small dog harness, but the straps were too wide and rigid, and it wasn’t designed for a cat’s physiology, so it was like a strait jacket on him, limiting his mobility - which, of course, totally defeats the purpose. So, I’m going to take that back.

I raised the question, on a couple of cat discussion sites I belong to, of where to find extra-large cat harnesses. Several people recommended something called a “walking jacket” that is more secure and comfortable than a standard harness, and it comes in extra-large sizes. So I ordered one in the biggest size for Murray. It wasn’t cheap, so hopefully I can return it if he doesn’t warm up to it!

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Cutting back on pet-sitting

purrrplej | 16 August, 2008 16:15

I'm going to cut back on pet-sitting, because now that I can't do my online schoolwork at work (due to the company's Internet usage monitoring), that means I have to do it in the evenings at home, after work, and if I do a lot of pet-sitting after work, I get too tired to do the schoolowork. So I asked that I be cut back to weekends, and maybe some cat jobs during the week (cats are less taxing than dogs, since they don't have to be walked or played with vigorously).

Speaking of cats, I'm going to try again to leash-train Murray. I found some instructions online, and they detail how to proceed, being very patient. The first time I tried to leash-train him, I went too fast and expected too much out of him. So I probably gave up too soon.

I ate some bad melon last night, and so I was sick in the middle of the night. Not fun. It may be a while before I eat canteloupe again.

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Blinded by the light

purrrplej | 12 August, 2008 18:11

My bedroom window in my new apartment faces east, and the sun comes streaming in bright and early, waking me up at, like, 5 a.m. Murray also gets restless when the sun starts lighting up the room, so he tries to get me out of bed early. I had a woman out to give me an estimate on custom-made drapes, and the price was way more than I wanted to spend. So I looked into getting some drapes from Sears and having a handyman come and install them, and that was way cheaper. Within my budget. So, that's what I'm going to do. I ordered drapes with a thermal lining, so hopefully that will help block the sun. And, it may help keep out the heat, which is always a plus in this climate.

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Big Brother is cracking down

purrrplej | 11 August, 2008 20:53

My company is going to start filtering and monitoring Internet usage at work. So that means I won't have as much time to blog. What a bummer. It's not like I neglect my work to fool around on the computer. It's just that, much of the time, there is just no work at all to do. Nature of the job.

Oh well, I can always read the company-approved e-books...

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Favre out

purrrplej | 10 August, 2008 20:46

I'm not sure how to feel about Brett Favre being traded to the Jets. He did so many great things for the Packers over the years, but in the end, he was a traitor (even though he claims he wasn't). He badmouthed the team, so that made it impossible for him to come back. I used to think he had a lot of class, but I've lost a lot of respect for him. The team would have allowed him to at least compete for a starting spot, if he hadn't been such a bigmouth. 

In other news, the shuttle driver who took me to the airport 8/1 told me he had been robbed a couple of times in my apartment complex parking lot. Lovely. Nice to know I can't feel perfectly secure in my own home.

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Vacation is over

purrrplej | 09 August, 2008 14:28

I'm back in Arizona after spending a week in Wisconsin. The weather there was pretty nice, though a bit warm and humid a couple days. It was nice to visit with my parents' cat, who used to be mine. When I took a nap one afternoon, he jumped into bed with me and snuggled up with my feet. This is very, very uncharacteristic behavior for him. So it was a nice surprise.
I took a tour of the Medical College of Wisconsin library, to get some idea of career possibilities in medical/academic libraries, where I might want to seek a career after obtaining my library degree. It was a nice visit, and I learned some things.
One evening, I went to dinner with a former instructor from my master's degree (in history) program. It was a nice dinner. Afterward, we drove around a bit in a nearby park so I could savor the lovely foliage, the likes of which we don't have in the Phoenix area. At one point we saw some deer in the park - a mother and a baby. It was pretty neat.
I ate a bit more during the visit than I probably should have, so I need to get back on the diet bandwagon now that I'm back home.
Murray was happy to have me back last night. He spent the night in bed with me, which he hadn't been doing much since we moved to the new apartment (probably because he likes sleeping in my nice walk-in closet, and perhaps because he doesn't like the fact that the air-conditioner blows directly on my bed, making it kind of chilly). I guess he misbehaved for the pet sitter, swatting at her hand when she tried to brush him, and grabbing her leg with his claws out. I hope he didn't hurt her too much! I guess he was just upset that I was gone, and he took out his aggression on her. I hope she'll be willing to come back in the future when I need a sitter!

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New singlehood website

purrrplej | 09 August, 2008 13:30

I recently published http://hubpages.com/hub/Finding-contentment-in-singlehood

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Murray's eyes looking better

purrrplej | 01 August, 2008 12:04

My kitty is doing much better today. The drops worked - his eyes were nice and clear this morning, so I didn't give him the drops. I'm leaving town tonight for a week, and the pet sitter is supposed to monitor Murray's eyes and give the drops if they start looking weepy again...

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Murray's visit to the vet

purrrplej | 31 July, 2008 10:57

My cat was having some discharge from his right eye (his left eye has always been a little weepy), so I took him to the vet last evening. The vet said he's going to be fine - he just has abnormally "teary" eyes because his eyes are misshapen - they're a bit  too small for his head, and they curve up where they shouldn't (and his left eyelid doesn't meet the eye). Plus, his left eye has a scar, probably from a fight he was in while he was a stray - the injury probably accounts for why that eye is always weepy. The vet gave me some eye drops, which are supposed to be administered three times a day, ideally - though I'm going out of town on Friday, and the pet sitter will only be coming once a day, so he'll only get the drops then. But by Friday there should be some improvement, and the drops can be discontinued when his eyes are looking better (and then given again if they start looking "bad" again).

It surprised me to learn that Murray has "deformed" eyes, because I always thought he had beautiful eyes!

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My new cat site

purrrplej | 29 July, 2008 16:41

I started a new cat-related Web site, which can be found at http://hubpages.com/hub/The-cats-meow

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Birth of a hummingbird - awesome shots

purrrplej | 29 July, 2008 13:41

http://community-2.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM/index.html

Meanwhile, I had a doctor appointment today, and my blood pressure was down to 100 over 70, so the blood pressure med is working. My thyroid tested normal, so the Synthroid I'm taking is also working. She didn't check my cholesterol, so she ordered a new test for that, which I will take when I come back from my vacation in WI (I'm gone 8/1-8/8). Hopefully that test will show improvement, too.

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Upgraded to an "A"

purrrplej | 28 July, 2008 15:46

On our midterm exams for my IT course, we were allowed to go back and correct the items we missed (which was easy, since the system showed the correct answers) - we just needed to find documentation (in our readings/lectures or on the Internet, or wherever, didn't matter) for why these answers were correct. We were able to earn a half-point back on each of the one-point questions. I missed seven questions, so I got 3.5 points back, which rose my grade from 82.5 to 91.5 percent. Which is an A instead of a B. Woo hoo! So I might have a shot at getting an A in that course after all... I had pretty much resigned myself to getting a B. But supposedly the hardest part of the course is over, and hopefully I will be able to get good grades on the remaining assignments; if that happens, I should be able to swing an A.

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Going back to old doc

purrrplej | 28 July, 2008 14:34

I've decided that I'm going back to my former psychiatrist, even though he doesn't take insurance anymore. At least I can always count on him, and he has someone to back him up when he's not available. The cost per 30-minute session is $120, which I can afford if it's only every three months or so. I really like this doc, so it's worth the money. I shouldn't have to put up with an unreliable doc just because he takes my insurance. (And there aren't that many docs in my area who do.)

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Going back to old doc

purrrplej | 28 July, 2008 14:34

I've decided that I'm going back to my former psychiatrist, even though he doesn't take insurance anymore. At least I can always count on him, and he has someone to back him up when he's not available. The cost per 30-minute session is $120, which I can afford if it's only every three months or so. I really like this doc, so it's worth the money. I shouldn't have to put up with an unreliable doc just because he takes my insurance. (And there aren't that many docs in my area who do.)

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