abigail414's diaryland diary
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The Week in Review
Above are some signs from the local Ralph�s (a Kroger affiliate). I have no idea what a New Age beverage is � nothing looked particularly mystical in the beverage section. Perhaps they were trying to fill the sign up, since soda, soft drinks, and colas could all mean the same thing. And Cat Sand? Yes, they mean cat litter. I wonder if English was a 2nd language for the signmaker. (I think Ralph's was founded by hispanic immigrants, btw)
Living around so many gay men, I feel like an outside observer - curious, but not wanting to know too much. There are two older gay men who live down the street from me. I pass their condo when I walk the dogs and it is full to the brim with antiques and furniture. One of them used to live in Asia and thinks anything below 80 degrees is cold. They entertain pairs of attractive young men regularly, sometimes bringing them in their car and the young men leave on foot. I also notice a preponderance of Mercedes convertibles driven by what look like living Ken dolls. Picture Ken in Barbie�s convertible, but with another Ken in the passenger seat. We have a lot of gay clients, and I always feel so butch around them - many are way more feminine and definately better groomed than I am.
This week, I saw a 1970 Ford Maverick, the car in which I learned to drive. My dad had an orange one with black & white plaid upholstery � his version of a mid-life sports car (sad, but true). Yes, there are 30+ year old non-classic cars being driven here as general transportation. (They would have dissolved into rust in Michigan years ago).
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Saturday was poodle day. I had two different patients who were lap poodles and in the hospital, so they sat on my lap while I worked on files, etc. They were initially very reserved, but we became fast friends after having some lap time together.
Earlier this week I saw a 3 lb chihuaha with a blown anal gland (ouch). It felt much better while soaking in warm water. My mom�s solution to problems when I was a kid was to put me in the bath, and now I�ve transferred that to my patients.
I also saw a bulldog with seizures post-brain surgery. Yes, there are people who do that � not here in Palm Springs, but in Lost Angeles where many of our seasonal residents also live. Nothing like looking at a disoriented dog with a huge seam down his head and wondering �what do I do with this?�
Wednesday started out with 2 mangy dogs in a row - a type of mange that is contagious to people so I scratched all day. It was also a death day with 2 euthanasias back to back. One was with the entire family sobbing in the exam room and the other had the entire family in a van outside the clinic because the dog was afraid to come in. I had agreed to do it that way, and my co-workers thought I was a bit tetched � especially since it had gotten dark and I had to use a flashlight, but all went well.
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I fell in love with a painting at the SW Art Fair last weekend, spent a few days resisting it, and then succumbed on Thursday. I kept seeing it in my living room, and now it is there in reality. The artist lives about 30 minutes away, and I got a better deal buying direct from her � using some of the funds I had designated for a TV. So, now I have an original oil painting that brings me joy, but no TV. Priorities.
Supposedly I have some furniture arriving this week, including something to put my non-existent TV in. I�ve been really slow to get things because I don�t want to spend money unless I really like it. My landlord said it looks like a college student is living here (plus commented on my scary black dog) � how would she know unless she was snooping around?
Speaking of which, my landlord is obsessed about the ducks being poisoned and taken away and wants me to become involved. I�m trying to keep my poodle patients alive, suffering from compassion fatigue (a common veterinary burnout), and am now supposed to become a duck activist? I illegally feed them. That�s it. I told her I�d call her cell phone the next time I saw duck trappers here. It is hard for me to get worked up about them, unless they keep me awake at night.
What did keep me awake the other night was someone's grandchildren out at the pool. The people here are very quiet, but these kids weren't so I was the grumpy lady walking out in PJ's telling them to keep it down. Then, an hour later I went out and said I've heard them for an hour, the pool closed at 11 (it was 12:30) and I don't want to hear any more. I felt like an old crank, but it worked.
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Last week I watched Mondavino, a foreign film about the globalization of wine. It made me sad, for two reasons. First, the �modern� way of making wine has spread from California to France and Italy so that we can have drinkable wines within 3-5 years rather than wait 20 years as was tradition. I�ve never drank a 20 year old wine, but understand that a good one is sublime. I do remember buying wine in the 1970's with the intention to drink it in 10 years or so (but it never made it). Second, I used to work professionally with winegrape growers, and turned down a position with the growers association in Napa Valley to stay in Michigan, finish my masters degree, and be with the man I loved (all of which are no longer a part of my life). My job opportunity was in the 1980�s, when California wines were just taking off, and grapevines remind me of that life not lived. (You know, the one where I marry a vineyardist or winemaker, raise a family, have lots of money, host large animated Sunday meals on the long table under the veranda, etc.)
This is a typical statue in downtown Palm Springs. I liked it being surrounded by pineapples and tomatoes (my car is in the background). FYI Barry Manilow lives here and our clinic treats his pets.
9:24 a.m. - 2006-02-12
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