Gotta Have Coffee

They say there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...but I think it is really a pot of coffee.

At work we are spoiled as we have a company provided K-cup coffee and tea dispenser, with probably at least 20 types of coffees, teas and hot chocolate.  Our company isn't always the most generous, however they do know the way to a nerds heart is through a cup of coffee, or two, or three.

Well today they are renovating the kitchen, so the coffee does not floweth today!  It's such a small thing but yet such a big thing as well.  When its 40 below and you are doing the morning journey to work on the slow icy streets, it is the reward of the heavenly coffee that keeps you focussed.  It is knowing that when you get there, you can power up the PC, sit down, have a nice cup o joe and talk to your pod mates before kicking into gear.

So, instead we went to the local coffee shop, it's pretty good coffee and will get me through the morning hump.  So now I am off to do what it is I do.  I hope you all have a nice morning beverage, whatever that is, and enjoy your day.

Let it Snow? Hell No!

Well, it's here.  It was nice having that extra burst of fall into November, but alas, it came.  Today was the first inaugural shovel of the season.

I have lived in Alberta my whole life, I should be used to it by now.  There was a time when I didn't mind it at all.  When I was a kid i would flop into the snow and make snow angels.  My mom dressed me in 16 layers of clothes so I don't think the cold ever penetrated to my skin. 

But now I have grown to like the winters that don't come until December.  I don't really love walking in the cold windy streets downtown (they are always windy it seems).  I am not loving the long drives in the slow moving traffic.  I am not crazy for getting into a cold car and shivering for the first 15 minutes until the heaters really kick in. Yes, I am being a whiney beyotch.

But its ok, i will get used to it as always.  There will be some lovely winter days where the snow settles and the sun shines bright, giving the illusion that it is warmer outside than it really is.  There is the fireplace, there is hot chocolate and there is cuddling up with the one you love. 

So fine damn it...just snow!

How Societies Succeed or Fail

I am not a doomsayer.  I have a lot of faith in humanity, but I also find myself often shaking my head  We have come up with wonderful inventions, in life saving treatments, in technologies that improve the quality of life.  We also like to tamper with "mother nature" and impact her sweet balance. We are often reactive, trying to fix a crisis rather than trying to prevent it in the first place.  We are also greedy, too greedy.  Our wants have turned to needs and we start to loose track of what is truly important in life. 


Today there was an article in the Journal about an author named Jared Diamond who will be speaking at the University.  Some of his observations really resonated with me.

The lesson -- that new technology creates its own unintended consequences -- has been missed by societies over thousands of years, says Diamond, the internationally acclaimed author of the 2005 book Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.

He has spent years studying why societies fall apart or succeed -- and why they often always miss the signs of their imminent demise.

Societies don't tackle their coming problems if the wealthy, ruling elite can protect itself from the worst impacts of those problems. This problem is "acute" in the U.S. these days where the gap between rich and poor is much wider than in Canada, he says.

"It's not just the fact that the elites have all the wealth in a society, but that they are disconnected from the problems. If the rich and powerful still live the good life as society is spinning downhill, they are not motivated to solve the problems."

In the U. S, where the rich live in gated communities with private health care and private schools, the elites are not engaged with the range of social and economic problems, he says.

The US economic crisis is just one example used by this author, but it is a key and current example of how we plow straight into trouble because we follow the lead of those that have nothing to loose and everything to gain.  I sometimes feel this way about living in Alberta and our dependence on oil and gas. We seem hell bent to pay any price for the money it brings.

Anyway, I think I will pick up this book, sounds interesting.

Feline Diabetes Update

A while back I wrote a post about our Cat Thor who has diabetes.  One day he started drinking lots of water and his pees in the litter were huge.  This was a concern and the vet confirmed he had diabetes.  His levels were 26 mmol which is really really high.  We got the news that we would have to give him two needles a day and switch him to the vet recommended food.  I cried as I really love this sucky cat, but decided to do the needles and see how it goes. 

After months of needles and special food, we would poke him for blood readings.  This failed more often than was successful, but it was evident he was still very high.  I did some reading and found many people had good results with very high protien or raw food diets with cats.  The recommended low carb food from the vet did nothing.

So I went to a local pet store and got some samples and some great information from the owners who obviously love animals.  We switched the cats to a dry food that is smoked venison and vegetables, and has no carbs.  After a short time we noticed Thor's coat was getting better, thicker and softer.  His pee clumps were reducing to normal.  His glucose tests showed his levels going down.  The trick with this is to be very careful not to let him get too low as he can have a hypoglycemia and go into a coma.  Brad had a story of his cat that came close one time.

Well, we are very happy that for the last week now he has not had a single needle.  We tested him tonight after he ate and he was 5.6 mmol - this is perfect!!!  That is really a great reading and hopefully will continue. 

So no matter what the problem its good to educate yourself as best you can and not just think the vets know everything.  They had the concepts right, but still didn't know the alternatives to the few food products that they endorse.

Tam I Spam

No I don't have friends in China and I don't have any deals on IPhones.  So if you were one of the people in my hotmail contact list that got a funny message today from "me" ~ that wasn't me.  It appears SPAM was sent out from my email, how I am not sure, but I have changed my password and will delete my account if it continues.

I will continue to use protection and practice safe surfing, as a girl can't be too careful now adays!