bizzaro vet

today missy had to go to the vet because she has a little bump on her front elbow (yes dogs have elbows and knees) and her mom waited two weeks before taking her in.  i, her mom,  must have had $200 burning through my wallet because as i predicted, i walked in, dropped $200 and missy was allowed to be seen by the vet.

i started thinking, going to the vet is like bizzaro monopoly.  instead of passing go and collecting $200, we pass through the threshold and pay a minimum of $200. 

naturally i'll pay anything to protect my baby - i mean she is "the miss" but i have never walked in without walking out a couple c-notes lighter. 

what is the point?

i don't have one but i need to look into pet insurance!

Update on Friday, June 5, 2009 at 9:38PM by Lori Luna

finally, a phone call from the vet (bizzaro vet)...

"the miss" is fine - the bump on her elbow (again, i say, yes, dogs have elbow and knees) is benign and the the it could be's followed:

it could be...an ingrown hair that got infected

it could be...a bug bite that got infected

it could be...insert big vet words that mean nothing to me

it was like a charlie brown cartoon, all i heard was, "it's benign...wah wah wah".

next steps:

topical antibiotics (shocking eh?)

steroids for the inflammation

i ask you this, universe, could we have not started with this course of action?

so, my next business adventure...a parking structure in San Francisco or a vet hospital, either way you get screwed!

Update on Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 4:37PM by Lori Luna

saturday morning, p-a-r-k with 'the miss' then to the bizzaro vet to pick up meds, $38.00 - i say again, why couldn't we start with this?

Update on Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 10:37PM by Lori Luna

medicine working famously - next time, straight to the meds, no drama!

who what why where when?

Why 'run don't walk'?  as i write this (pen to paper in the beginning) i want to be clear, this is NOT an 'i hate men' tirade, that would be too easy.  instead it's a comedic recap of stories - mine and others' who have been faced with the bad dates, relationships, etc.  these stories come from men and women alike. 

these bad relationships (for ease of explanation) were visible from miles away but we, the collective we, decide to ignore the signs, the smoke signals, the red flags, THE BURNING MESSAGES!  we refused to admit.  refused to face.  so these stories are various accounts to help you, the reader, identify the signs, much earlier than the rest of us.  you'll see signals and traits that are entirely too familiar to you - i hope you will listen this time.  you should also laugh, a lot, when you read these stories, because in the end they are really funny!

relish your all too fabulous life if none of this has happened to you and if it has, reminisce.  keep your eyes open so you'll know when to 'run don't walk' from an obviously bad situation, even if it's only obvious to someone else...listen!

now is not the time for selective memory or as i would call it 'labor memory'...you know, the memory mom's have when talking about their kids...'i love little johnny so much - blah blah blah' that they forget to tell you they were in labor for 900 hours and all of their insides came out with darling little johnny - ya, no more of THAT memory!!!!

now is the time to face your 'run don't walk' stories and like i said, if you don't have any, laugh at mine!

lx

disclaimer: yes, i will change names to protect the guilty ;-)

lime & coconut

1998. new friend. old friend. forever friend.

a movie came out that year, practical magic, and it had the famous song "coconut" by harry nilsson; it was a silly movie with a great soundtrack.  coconut and i were in a few classes and desperate to finish college, something both of us had put off for too long.  we were living in the south bay (los angeles south bay) she in redondo beach, me in hermosa.  we were fast friends.  we both liked wine, martini's... any excuse to avoid school work - though both committed to graduating (which we did). 

one day, at a bar in redondo beach, we were having lunch (and dirty martini's) and coconut told me of a vacation she was going on, a private yacht to the bahama's for 7 glorious days - why don't i come along?  yes, just like that, why don't you come along?  like it was a shopping trip to nordies.  oh sure i thought. i'll just pick up and go on a vacation to the bahama's - i mean doesn't everyone do this on a moments notice? 

the practical (no not practical magic) part of me said, "don't be ridiculous" but the adventurous part said, "hell ya!".  So the following day i went to work and said, "i'm going to the bahama's i'll be back in a week".  i think my boss said yes because he was so surprised i would make such a statement.

needless to say the vacation was an adventure.  an adventure that would last a lifetime.  coconut and i (limey) would become the best of friends.  we would share a lifetime in a mere few years and then we would lose touch...until 2008. 

in 2008 the planet's would re-align and the magnetic powers would reconnect us.  who knew it would be at a time we both needed that friend?

today, she remains my coconut and i her limey.  we laugh when we think of that silly song because it can bring us back to simple times.  times where everything wasn't so critical and a dirty martini would be the solution to what ails us.

and so my coconut, tonight i write this because i miss you daily and am so grateful that we do go together - the lime and the coconut.

Limey

yes, no, maybe?

another facebook connection.  another blast from the past.  this time it comes from the unexpected.  the ex-boyfriend.  the one i spent so much time with in my most formidable years - when it comes to relationships.  the one i loved more than i could handle.  the one who took my heart and tore it in pieces and then tried to put it back together.  the one who said he would love me forever.

he's back.

we are years older, years wiser (presumably) and maybe more forgiving.  forgiving of our flaws and youth.  forgiving of our shortcomings - all of them.

the email he sent was kind, sweet and honest.  he said he was sorry for some wrong doings of the past.  he said he would be okay if i didn't write back - and i thought, maybe that would be the smarter thing -don't write back.  but i must admit, curiosity did get the best of me.  i "had" to know, what is he doing? how is he doing?  and so i took the leap.

now, we are catching up.  a few text messages, a few emails, one phone call.  but the question is sitting on my shoulders, heavy and strong - is it okay to talk to him?  is it okay when he is now married (happily? i don't know) and has a lovely child who he adores.  am i crossing some invisible line?  or is it okay if it's all innocent?

the questions is - is it innocent?

if i said i didn't reminisce i would be a liar.  of course the old memories have flooded forward.  of course i hold on to the fun and push away the sad, hurt, and angry memories...I mean isn't that what reconnecting with old friends (and boyfriends) is all about.  you put on your rose colored glasses and remember what makes you feel good and not that which brings tears to your eyes and an ache in your heart?

am i the bad guy for engaging in conversation with my first love, who is now married? 

so dear universe, i put this out to you...what do you think?

old friends

so thanks to the magic of facebook i have managed to reconnect with so many old and dear friends.  the other night i had dinner with a friend from high school.  we were never 'close' when we were in school but time changes everything and here we are having a great dinner and a few cocktails.  when we left he called me to say he was upset with me because we didn't take a picture (this was one of his vacation stops) together to add to his collection, so above is what he created to substitute for a real photo.

i laughed until i cried!

p.s. that is me drinking champagne