Gimme a V! Gimme an O! Gimme an X! What's that spell? VOX!
What better way to tell the world how much you love Vox than to announce it on Facebook? That's right: Vox now has an official Facebook page! Become a fan of Vox.com on Facebook and let your friends know what you really care about: staying connected with friends and family through blog posts, photos, videos and comments.
Once you're a fan, you can also add photos and videos to the page, write on the wall, and connect with other Voxers in ways you may not have previously. Plus, it's a great opportunity to let people know about your Vox blog, or start discussion topics. To become a fan, just visit the official Vox.com Facebook page and click the "Become a Fan" button in the upper right hand corner.
Once you've joined, why not post a response to the current discussion topic? Just post a link (and a brief description, if you'd like) to what you consider one of your all-time best Vox posts.
What are you waiting for? Become a Vox.com fan on Facebook today!
Computer
My new Lenovo Thinkpad arrived on Monday and I love love love love love it! Makes me wonder how I survived on a Dell for so long. The keypad alone on this baby makes it worth it. So easy to type. There are quite a few differences for me since this one came loaded with Vista, so I've been poking around learning this new OS and getting adjusted to a new hardware setup.
I ended up getting a bundle offered through the Penn State bookstore because when I priced the computer configured the same way, it was more by itself than the whole bundle together. Seeing as I'm no dummy, I've now got myself quite a few new playthings. Gotta love the student discount.
What a week with my furry friends. Isabel has been to the vet twice and Dunkin once. Isabel had a bad respiratory thing going on that left her doing this weird sneezing/dry heaving thing that was hard to listen to and actually woke her up several times a night. Poor pookie. She had to take antibiotics which led to five hilarious battles that had me chasing her around and trying to get her to swallow her pill which she repeatedly gagged back up. Heh heh. Neither of us suffered much, but it was quite funny. She eventually got wise to me and took off to hide as soon as I picked up the envelope her pills came in.
As the vet was checking her out she noticed Isabel needed to get several teeth pulled because of a degenerative gum condition called Resorptive Lesions. When they put her under for the surgery her mouth/throat/etc filled with saliva so fast they thought she was going to drown on the table so they intubated and woke her up. They told me later it was scary moment for them. So I had to take her back after the antibiotic had worked its magic and this time the extractions went fine but now the sneezing/dry heaving thing is coming back. Dang it. Poor little Belle Belle. She's going to have to go through the whole antibiotic thing AGAIN.
The other very bad news is that they did blood work and learned that Isabel is getting close to pre-diabetic. She eats the same food Dunkin does - the prescription food for his blockage issue. It's great for Dunkin but is making Izzy blow up like a balloon. The problem is I can't switch foods for fear of Dunkin getting blocked again but I can't keep things going like this because it's affecting Isabel's health. Catch-22, dang it!
This past week I've cut the amount of food they get by almost half in an effort to get them both to lose weight. Dunkin has a decent sized spare tire, so he can afford a weight loss plan too. Izzy lost one tenth of a pound last week which isn't much but it's something. I'm going to keep going like this to see if I can get her to lost 2-3 pounds and get into a healthy weight range without switching foods.
Dunkin went to the vet because he had a big swollen spot above one eye. It went away by itself, I figure it was just a bug bite, but I took him in just in case. He's fine, got a clean bill of health. Yippee!
As a result of all these medical situations in a row, I decided to transition the cats to being indoor-only now rather than wait until the move which has led to a lot of...
Cranky Nights
Zzzzz... Huh? Wha? Whoizzit? Ok, ok, I'm awake. Not that I want to be, mind you, but I suppose actually sleeping is a thing of the past for a while.
Between the stress of trying to sell the house, to stress about money, to stress about leaving JMU and my friends, to all the rest of the stress just in general in my life surrounding this incredibly gingantic change in life, I haven't been sleeping well anyway. But now I've got a couple of nocturnal animals who used to do all their noctural prowling outside, doing their nocturnal prowling inside. That, actually, is not that bad. The worst part is Isabel just won't give up on the cat door miraculously starting to work again. She sits in front of it and pokes and pokes and pokes and scratches and scratches and scratches just sure that one of those efforts will make the magic door open again.
So I barricaded the wall in front of the cat door hoping that "out of sight, out of mind" was true. Ummmmm... no. Now she pokes and pokes and pokes and scratches and scratches and scratches at all the stuff piled up. Sigh... For the past week I have been up several times a night trying to lure or distract her away from the door because she is so darn noisy and never stops! It goes on and on and on for 30-45 minute stretches until I finally get up. Last night I had an epiphany and remembered that I had trained her from scratching furniture and wood railings by putting double sided tape on the surfaces. She won't scratch it because she doesn't like the stickiness on her paws.
It seems to be working. I still had to get up three times to add more tape until I finally got it in the right spots, but once I did she only poked at it for a minute or two before stopping. Fingers crossed... Maybe I'll actually get to sleep all night tonight! Here's the barricaded door and tape boobytrap for your viewing pleasure. Ha ha
Although we typically post on Team Vox to let you know about things that are going on with Vox (to, uh, state the obvious), once in a while, we like to let you know about other cool things that are happening around the blogosphere. And we think the idea of four hilarious mommy bloggers traveling across the U.S. on their way to the BlogHer '08 conference - all the while blogging and video blogging the journey - is one trip you will not want to miss.
Four adventurous bloggers from the Silicon Valley Moms Group were selected to participate in the Summer Road Trip '08 and blog about their travels, hotel stays, media appearances, time away from their families, and life on the road. Six Apart helped them partner up with General Motors, who provided the blogging mommies with a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to help make their journey comfy, safe, and a little more green.
In case you're not familiar with them, SV Moms is a group of over 200 bloggers who showcase the ups, downs, outrages, struggles, victories, and everyday humor of motherhood. There are currently nine regional and demographically tailored sites that give mothers from D.C., New Jersey, the Deep South, Rocky Mountains, L.A., and Silicon Valley a powerful voice and sense of camaraderie across the country. Whether you're a mother, a child, or just a person who enjoys a good blog, you'll really love reading the words of these amazing women.
The moms buckled into their Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV on July 11th and even got an encouraging message from Katie Couric to kick things off! They are currently somewhere in the middle of America making their way to San Francisco where they'll attend an SV Moms Group Party, as well as BlogHer '08.
You do not want to miss these entertaining and irreverent bloggers -- or their spontaneous contest giveaways! -- as they blog from the road. Experience the journey at MomRoadTrip.com.
And let us know about your summer road trip - or plane/boat/bus trip - in the comments! (I like to live vicariously.)
have you ever had a song stuck in your head where you don't know the words but will end up humming the tune for the better part of your day? well a new website called midomi can listen to your garbled hum, whistle or singing to decipher what that song actually is. in addition to their online portal midomi has a mobile application that performs the same function so that when you are in the car or without your laptop you can still satisfy that urge to know.
check it out at midomi.com
Welcome to the first addition of the possible new format for my bloggage. Why a new format? Let me explain...
Vox Habit
Simply put, I am trying to ween myself of my Vox habit. Vox is addicting. Your lives are addicting. And fascinating.
Truthfully, I enjoyed it and have come to respect and care for my neighbors in Vox-land a lot, but have come to the conclusion that I just can't keep it up at that level. My goal and plan is to write on my own blog at least once a week or so because it will be the primary way to keep in touch with my friends and family once I start my doc program next month. I fully expect that posting once a week might be all I can manage. So, to my favorite Vox neighbors, I will do my best to at least check in once in a while to keep up with your lives and adventures, but I don't think I will be as active a participant as I have been.
Polka Dot Patty
At first I thought it was an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients, but antihistamines and Cortisone cream didn't do anything to make it better so now I think it was the supplement working on something internally and trying to push it out through my skin. Lovely. My very intelligent and well-informed health enthusiast brother and mother first clued me in to this idea. Thank you!
But if that's the case, I'm all for it. If it's some nasty toxin and this supplement will get it out of my body, I'll put up with looking like a cheetah for a while. That being said, I'm starting back on it today, just at a lower dosage.
My greatest hope is that it might get at the root of whatever weird malaise has made my life sucky for the past several years. This supplement is an all-natural antibiotic, antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-everything basically, and has actually been called a miracle-worker by people who have taken it. I am hopeful. Let's leave it at that.
Getting Sad
This week I started really feeling sad about leaving JMU and all the wonderful people there. Till now it's been like an
I'm not going to say much about this right now because it will be its own post later on. I need to let it simmer for a while to make sure I can honestly get my feelings on paper. I'm hoping it will be cathartic for me and represent the impact the JMU community has had on my life and development.
New 'Puter
Do you live in or around Cincinnati, Ohio? If so, you're in luck because Scott and the Queen City Voxers Group have organized a Vox user meetup!
WHERE: Ault Park Playground. 3600 Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208. "We'll look for each other at the playground marked by the red X below. If it's raining, head for the shelter to the north of the [red] X."
To RSVP (which is not essential, but is appreciated), reply to Scott's announcement or send him a private message. All Voxers, as well as their friends and family, are welcome to attend.
If you do attend the meetup, have a great time and please take lots of pictures and send them to me so I can post them in Team Vox for everyone to see!
Thank you so much to Scott for organizing this meetup. Wish I could be there!
Happy July, folks!
I am alternating between being tired and cranky and neither makes for uplifting and entertaining bloggage. So I have been practicing avoidance therapy. It works!
What have I been doing lately?
Fixing toilets... check... so proud of myself!
Finding a new home for my fish tank. Here it is at my place and in process of being dismantled...
And in its new home... GORGEOUS!
Since I was silly enough to let it slip that I did synchronized swimming in college, my colleagues honored me with a routine of their own... This was truly one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. The best part is how serious they all are.
according to the wall street journal, wal-mart plans to rebrand themselves with a new logo, leaving behind arguably one of the most recognizable logos in corporate america. not only will they abandon the familiar blue and white they'll also combine two words into one walmart.
while still unofficial word of the revamp spread after, "it
was used for a new store prototype proposed last week for a Wal-Mart
Supercenter in Shelby County outside Memphis. Chip Saliba, a manager with the Memphis/Shelby County
office of planning and development, said engineers for the company told
him that this was the new sign package that the company is unveiling
soon."
...from the Vox Banners group. Steal away!
Although almost every day at Six Apart is Take Your Dog to Work Day, Friday was extra special because it was the official Take Your Dog to Work Day! Plus, as lovers of blogs and animals, we think it's great that active blogger and Human Society's President and CEO, Wayne Pacelle, thinks having dogs around the office is a good reminder of "who we're working for."
We realize some people have it ruff and aren't lucky enough to be able to bring their dog to work, but hopefully these pictures taken at Six Apart last Friday will get your tails wagging... And let me tell you, it's harder than it looks to get all the doggies and their fetching owners in one picture.