My Big Fat Orange Cat

As I was reading a book on illness, I discovered a reference that strikes me as very profound. She talks about Buddhist teachers who remind us that there is no “my karma” and “your karma” but merely karma. My and Your are separations that are only recognized by the ego. There is only karma.
Therefore if someone kills, everyone can pay with for that karma–or anyone can.

What an interesting way of looking at what happens in life.

I found an article on the book Our Daily Meds by Melody Peterson at the office the other day. It looked interesting so I put it on hold at the library.

This is a must read book. It’s terribly scary. I’d have thought it would be saying things that I knew but instead it really expanded upon the problems felt by the medical industry. Melody points out time and time again that radio disc jockeys aren’t allowed to take money from record companies as this could be construed as being paid to play a certain song, doctors are hired as “consultants” all the time by pharmaceutical companies. We are expected to believe that doctors only ever have our own best interests at heart, even when they are given gifts specifically for selling more a certain company’s pet drug.

Additionally her chapters on the research were scary. So much of the research out there is done and reviewed by people on the company payroll. These people aren’t doing the research for the company but are rather paid consultants. Nothing is ever said but certainly the paid consultants know very well they want certain results. Further, even many of the reviewers of these studies are on the payroll of the pharmaceutical companies. So much for over sight.

It’s a scary picture of our lack of regulations costing a lot of people their lives. If you want to enjoy some good discussion, check out the reviews at Amazon and also the comments on them. I hope you will get as much of a laugh as I did out of one that said, “Typical anti-science liberal.” HUH? Did I miss the boat and now the liberals are all believing we ran around with dinosaurs in the Bible?

I’m frustrated with my affiliate sites.   Now I haven’t sold enough on CJ to stay on–unless I buy something from myself. I like the sites they have for My Siamese so I am staying with them. My Siamese is picking up again in Google and I think I found the problem that caused it to not be listed.

Quantum Lifestyles still isn’t making it.  I’m thinking I don’t want to continue with that. I need to keep the domains and the site because I have so many emails linked to that site.  However when this hosting is done, I’ll put up some sort of page and then just leave the emails. I might keep it as a site for the cards. I don’t know.  But it won’t be like it is. I find it a lot of work to keep up on the Acupuncture Marketing Blog.

Although I write Wed Cents and it is a bit of work, it’s more fun.  And I see it as this grand experiment.  It’s a bit lighter for me than the Acupuncture stuff.  I have a book that I am working on as well. It’s about healing and not about acupuncture. I think that healing was more my focus but I know acupuncture. However so many people “know” acupuncture that they don’t want to listen to what one other person has to say–not so much anyway.  I mean some might like it. This comes from a more intuitive side.  It was inspired by Georgia’s comment and her equanamity in this illness that she has. I think it’s worth writing and will be worth reading.

It’s a little sad to let go of my first website.  Still it’s got a generic name and I can bring it back to be anything I want at any time. We’ll see what happens and what I end up doing with it!

However it does leave me more time for this, My Siamese, Wed Cents, and the Ski site I keep thinking I want to do.  My focus right now is more on working on things that can focus my OWN products rather than affiliate products and also advertising on my writing sites.  I hope I get some thing up that people really really like.  It will be a challenge I think.

In my twitter account, I have an animal communicator following my tweets. I started following her as she seemed interesting.  Georgia is getting on in years and I know that decisions will need to be made at some point.

I was thinking I could call this woman, but then I thought, why?  I can communicate with Georgia.  I used to sit out in the back porch at night and think about her when she was out wandering the neighborhood. I’d remind her that I’d be worried if I had to try and sleep before she came in. If she didn’t, I didn’t know that I’d be able to let her out again. I would picture her in my mind very strongly.  Then as I opened my eyes and would be standing up to go in, she was almost always (there was one time when she didn’t) jumping over the fence and giving me her little squeak of a mew.

I knew that I could ask her this.

She tells me she is content right now.  And I am happy. I told her how this was hard because I felt so badly for missing out on what was wrong with Simone. Georgia reminds me, “There was nothing wrong.  She was sick.”

And I press my case, “But she didn’t have to be sick.  Maybe we could have fixed it if we had known what it was. I should have talked to the vet more..pushed her case more…”

Georgia said quite simply, “But why do you think sick is wrong? It just is.”

I was so stunned I was knocked out of the meditation.  And it has been food for thought for sometime.  Why do we think that sickness is wrong?  Perhaps it just another way of living?

One of the difficult things about working in a veterinary clinic is watching other people loose their pets. You can’t not help be affected by it.

People who love their pets and bring them in and find horrible diagnosis’ are always hard. You fight with them and support them in all their decisions because you’ve known them for a long time. You know their pets are loved and they are doing the best thing for them.

Other times disasters happen and emergencies walk in. Sometimes you know these people. Sometimes you don’t.

I remember one evening as we were closing up, a man came in.  He had been in before but not often. His dog wasn’t old. Generally it was healthy. He had just gotten home from a trip and picked the dog up at the kennel. It wouldn’t stop seizing.  He came right over.

We got him into the clinic, helping him carry this large doberman into the back.   I worked the front so I waited there, cleaning and getting things ready for the morning, hoping for good news.  He waited up front hoping for good news.

Our doctor came out and talked to him. Nothing we had done in the intervention had stopped the seizing.  She couldn’t give more without risking the dogs life. He had been seizing for half an hour at this point and given that we couldn’t interrupt the problem, the prognosis wasn’t good.  Seizures become more serious the longer they gone, with the potential to damage more and more brain cells.

She explained all of this to him and he agreed it was for the best to have his dog euthanized.  He signed the papers.

Because it was an emergency, our doctor hadn’t filled out all the paperwork for billing so he and I had to wait once again.  I waited, again preparing for morning and doing some light cleanup around the desk.

He waited sitting in the front office with his head down. One of the techs brought out the collar and leash his dog had on him when he was brought in.  I remember the man holding it in his hands, his knuckles white. He was  big man and perhaps 50 or 55.  He was there alone.   The pressure on the collar as he grasp that, squeezing the life out of that piece of cloth said more about the pain he was in than any tear.

Paying the bill, he did so without speaking much and didn’t meet my eyes.  I had worked in the office long enough to know that to have offered sympathy would have broken through all his defenses and frustrated him.  He didn’t want anyone to see his pain.  His world was one where men don’t cry.

To this day I hope that he had a wife to go home to or someone he could talk to about what had happened.  I really hope he didn’t go home to a lonely house, made even more lonely by the surprise loss. He had come home from a wonderful trip only to find sorrow.   We never saw this man again but his hands haunt me.

I haven’t blogged here for awhile. Busy.  Sick. Lots of reasons. Also I keep thinking I really ought to write about veterinary medicine and everything I wanted to say had to do with politics.  And I still want to talk politics.

I am ecstatic about the Obama win.  I think it’s wonderful.   What I don’t understand is some bizarre energy that I am bringing in.  First I said something to a friend on facebook and a mutual acquaintance started snipping at me about being happy there. Then I was all happy at work and I was told to be quiet because the receptionist really liked John McCain and everyone was all apologetic to her.

I want to know why I can’t speak my truth?  It makes me very uncomfortable there.  But I don’t know what to do.  There is a part of me that really doesn’t want to do acupuncture and perhaps I’m not supposed to do it at all. I don’t know. It might be easier to just go and get a real job for awhile.  I don’t know where and I don’t know doing what but that would be okay.

Around me I hear others who are just too upset to hear about the good news that OBAMA WON!  I wonder what they think will happen?  What is so frightening about him?  Why was it safer to vote for a woman who doesn’t even know Africa isn’t a country but a continent and McCain was far more likely to start another war than Obama?  I just don’t understand and I feel really sad about that.

Welcome to the Carnival of the Cats! We hope you enjoy your stay. Look around. Everything is free but free doesn’t mean it’s not fun!

It started off a bit slow, but boy did everyone show up!

Let’s start out with some good music.

Someone fell over in a puddle–both a Carnival entry and a photo hunt lazy at the Poormouth.

Parker is looking out the door! She’s quite tall.

Playing in the bag is fun over at Manx Mnews.

The furbabies are upping the meds.

Look at this lovely Calico over at Elms in the Yard.

Maus is a terror in blue jeans.

Callie is modeling for fall at the Oubliette

Isegrim has some leaky eyes.

Sisu found a cat registered to vote.

Chica and Pumuckl are touring through Germany

Here’s an adorable Friday Kitten blogging.

A reminder that cats are independent (which Cheysuli believes means should be for her!)

Chey, Gemini and Georgia are all thankful for various things!

Ah sunshine and Temptations from ilnfidel.

Imeowza is up high on Caturday.

Meowza is ready to pounce over at Mind of Mog!

Faith Boo is getting Fractious.

The Railway Kitty keeps cash coming.

Daisy is a special guest at Diamond’s lair.

Harley starts getting trained as a prince.

Diamond’s Castle is haunted!

Look out Lady Cats! The Tabby of Dreams has arrived at Tabbylicious.

Someone is napping before the big house trashing party!

The boys are having a grand skirmish at Purrs.

Fat Eric is getting some wonderful Scritches this Sunday while London has a warm autumn day.

Remember, don’t believe everything you hear.

Check out these Airborne cats

Ah naps in piles at If at First…

Meet Fanny and her kittens at Feline Rescue Inc

There’s also a nested tabby family at Feline Rescue today!

The House Panthers have some great graphics for those wonderful black cats to use!

Miles Meezer gets shrimp on the Futon! My cats are jealous!

Gree is looking magnificent over at the House of Mostly Black Cats.

Kate has claimed her cat tree at No Deep Thoughts.

Ivy won a Nobel Prize for Napping over at Strangeranger.

I suspect that Caitie over that the Good Cats will gave Ivy a run for her prize!

Mom is home for Samantha and Tigger so they are enjoying their Sunday at Life from a Cat’s Perspective.

Kimo and Sabi demonstrate lazy for this week’s photo hunt.

Nina and Victor enjoy prizes from the Monty Q Content.

T’Abby Normal is taking a break for Sunday!

Napoleon over at Cats Goats Quotes is enjoying his food.

Momma Grace and Company are enjoying their Sunday.

Cat Synth is preparing for performances!

Kashim, Othello and Salome are taking it easy (after getting neglected!)

Have you checked out the Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos?

Or Weekend Cat Blogging yet?

Carnival of the Cats is coming here this weekend.

Rocky and his staff are swamped and couldn’t do the carnival so we are taking it on here at My Big Fat Orange Cat!

Submit your articles here!

I was forced to watch the debates last night. My husband is a big fan of seeing things as they are and not the commentary. I’m far more addicted to commentary. Besides, I know that I will just get mad at John McCain.

One thing I noticed was something that frustrated my husband. Obama kept pointing out places where McCain was correct or where he made a good point.   He always stated that this point is right and then went on to say where he differed.   I think that was a valuable thing.

McCain, it was noticed by almost everyone, didn’t even look at Obama.  He said Obama “doesn’t understand” or “is naive” in spite of logical comebacks and very thorough responses to every question.  McCain scowled and hunched and looked mean.

It makes me wonder in the long run, will people vote for the guy who seems to focus on our greatest strengths as human beings, compassion, unity, equanimity, and understanding or for the guy who seems to focus on our basest impulses–aggression, derision, and scorn.  Who do we admire?  Who do we want as a leader?

I can only hope that it’s the former.  We’ve had enough hatred and need more compassion.

My husband insisted upon watching the Republican National Convention. I saw much of Sarah Palin’s speech.  So much of what she said was blatantly untrue.

For instance, Palin says that Obama will raise taxes on individuals. In fact, Obama will lower taxes if you make less than $250,000.  Yes he will raise taxes on interest income and dividend income. He will also raise taxes if you are wealthy.  I do not hear the mainstream media saying anything about the blatancy of such lies.  We can never know what a politician will actually do, but Obama is on record about his tax breaks.

Palin claims, “I told the Congress “thanks, but no thanks,” for that Bridge to Nowhere.”  However before that Palin had been FOR the Bridge to Nowhere.  She had in fact been for it for more time than she was against it.

Palin claims that Obama has never written any legislative reform. Apparently she missed the work he did on improving Walter Reed, and Senate Bill 2349 in which he and Russ Feingold for ethics reform.   In the Illinois Senate  Obama was chief sponsor of bill creating the Health Care Justice Act.  At his fact check site, you’ll find a list of legislation that Obama has either personally written or sponsored or worked closely on getting passed.

Palin says “Victory in Iraq is finally in sight… He wants to forfeit.”

In fact, it’s tough to win an occupation.  In fact, even George Bush has already declared victory in Iraq so I don’t know how Obama can be forfeiting something we clearly have already won.

Palin says, “Al-Qeida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm to America… He’s worried that someone won’t read them their rights.”

Strictly speaking, perhaps this is truthful. What she doesn’t say is that to believe otherwise is to operate outside the current laws of the land. As a potential Vice President, Palin should legally hold no other stance as the job of the Vice President and President is to uphold the current laws.

Why is no one talking about this?  Why does no one care that the rhetoric of the Republicans is no longer just spin but outright lies?  Why doesn’t the media cover this?

Sadly, the media is now corporate owned.

In high school I stood up and was passionate about a Free Press.  If Corporations own the press, it is no longer free. It is held hostage to money making.   In that situation, you see our country falling apart, our constitution being eroded and you see people who think they are standing by freedom giving free reign to those would take away even more rights.  These people do this because they don’t know.  The press isn’t doing it’s job.