Requiem Diablo

I never considered myself a 'cat person'. I always fancied myself more of a dog type. Dogs after all, were loyal and friendly could be trained to do a great many things. I grew up with dogs, There was a German Shepard at my side from as long as I could remember until I left home. Ever present companions, watchful protectors, and eager playmates, dogs are wonderful Yes sir, I was a dog man!

Cats, on the other hand, are aloof and distant. Cold, calculating creatures that have a need for human companionship that goes only as far as purveyors of their next meal-truly predators at heart; unloving and not capable of the same kind of interspecies bonds that canines make so easily. This is what I used to think anyway, until we got Diablo.

"He's the runt of the litter", my wife said as we looked over the group of kittens. "Yes, that's exactly why we should get him!" I replied, a perpetual fan of the underdog. A few minutes later we were escorting a tiny orange ball of tail-sucking fur back to our home, and into our hearts.

Thus began our relationship with one orange, short-haired member of the species, Felis catus domestica, or as we named him, Diablo. I always say that Diablo thinks he's a dog. He follows me around, comes when I call him, and is always more interested in what I am doing, than any typical 'feline pursuits'. He is sometimes annoying, usually mischievous, and always loveable. Diablo is the perfect companion.

At least he was, until today.

He died today.

Last night I noticed he was a bit lethargic but chalked it up to his 18 hour-a-day sleep habit. Today he began having trouble breathing and started meyowing loudly. This was unusual for him as he is typically a very silent cat. I took him to the animal hospital this afternoon, and while we were in the examination room I somehow knew this was to be his last day. He lay limp on the table staring at me with blank eyes. This was not good. Eyes that were so typically alive, curious, and ful of spunk just stared out devoid of all personality. 3 hours later he was gone. The vet said it was an acute onset of congestiver heart failure- precipitated by who knows what? None of that seems to matter right now.

I miss my little buddy.

Weekend Update

This past weekend began with taking 2 shelf exams. Shelf exams are subject specific tests that our school requires us to take at the end of every rotation. This time I took the Psychiatry and Internal Medicine Exams. Each test consisted of 100 'retired' questions from the USMLE that seem to have to been written by a team of sadists well versed in irrelevant facts, esoteric terminology, and psychological warfare. At the end of the 2 tests, I felt as if I had underwent the equivalent of metal water-boarding of a quality that would make Donny Rumsfeld proud. Hopefully I weathered the storm; I'll find out in a couple weeks.

Things took a turn for the better when a whole gaggle of us headed into Manhatan for some post-test libations, as is the custom. The evening ended at a Karaoke bar on the upper east side called Iggy's Rock and Roll. This place is more fun than a barrell of drunken monkeys. It boasts a 98' long bar, reasonably priced drinks (for Manhatan) and non-stop Karaoke-palooza! Yours truly graced the crowd with a, dare I say, rockin' rendition of Journey's power ballad, Faithfully My performance was met by quite an enthusiastic reception from the teeming masses and even prompted a "Holy shit dude, you naaaiiled it!" from friend and fellow student, Jersey Pete. (delivered at the signature 110 decibles and with that "Fuhgeddaboudit" Jersey accent) A great time was had by all!

Sunday, Kathy and I decided to take Rileigh to Manhatan to do a little Christmas time sightseeing. We met up with Jersey Pete and Grace-who was in from LA to take a couple of the afformentioned exams. We went to Rockerfeller Center and saw the Christmas tree, did some window shopping and ate lunch. When it got dark we took a walk down to Times Square and confirmed that Rileigh is not prone to Seizures- all the blinking lights and crowds were very exciting to her, at least until she passed out asleep. Below are some pictures taken in the afternoon. Sadly my camera's battery died before it got dark.




Jersy Pete and Grace:

Star of Death

This tragic story in yesterday's Washington Post.

A brief summary:

A 39 year old man who was having chest pain and shortness of breath had complete resolution of his symptoms after about 6 hours. The bad news is that the symptoms went away right along with that nagging heartbeat he had.

This man was never seen at a hospital, because a paramedic somehow convinced him he would be better served taking Pepto-Bismol for what they said was "probably reflux", instead of transporting him to a hospital for further evaluation.

6 hours later he was dead. At home.

The article states that EMS "checked his vital signs and performed an electrocardiogram, the results of which they said were normal."

There are at least a couple dozen potential diagnoses that can present with shortness of breath or chest pain or both. Some are life threatening some are not. But I do not remember the part of my paramedic training where the taking of vitals and a "normal" EKG precluded you from a trip to see the smiling face of your local emergency room physician.

The article also reports that the medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. I could save the county a few bucks and the medical examiner some time. Cause of death: Incompetence.

Crap I have Done...

This is bouncing all around the intertubes and makes for an easy mindless post. Perfect.


Things I’ve done are in bold.

1. Started your own blog- (duh)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower ( I'm into cosmic voyeurism and astro-porn; wathcing a meteor take a shower... HOT!)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Dineyworld)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (only connected there...a lovely airport)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (it was closed when we visited)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (The Mona Lisa in France?.. is that a foreign film?)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (think they mean Philadelphia?...or in the strict sense- Africa?)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (Computer languages count!)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke (I'm currently looking to start a Back Street Boys Tribute band ) ;-)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance ( I was working in it.. but it counts)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (being wonderful isn't a reason??)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (does bouncing a check that pays for the helicopter earn bonus points?)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury (that is just mean..what did the poor jurors do to deserve being sat on?)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (well not me personally)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Holiday Shopping Fun

In case you find yourself shopping at the gates of hell this holiday season, you should at least have a little fun with it: (click to enlarge)


It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to cover the entire card.

Practical Advice