Nancy's Mom is having surgery this morning (Thursday), so keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
****UPDATE*****
Surgery went great. I won't post the post-op picture Nancy sent me.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
New Truck
Okay, so that wasn't really the new truck I got. I don't think that truck is really my thing.
Here it is:
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
My New Ride
My truck was 7K miles past the warranty running out, and it started to hesitate getting into gear, as well as make a few funny noises. So we decided I needed to trade it in before it petered out on me. We ended up getting a pretty good deal on a new one...and Nancy cleaned my old truck really well- so it fooled the guys into thinking it was in good condition :) So they actually paid ME for it. We were afraid we may have to pay them to take it off our hands. It has been a great truck, and despite some really BAD luck with it, I loved ol' Blue.
When I bought ol' Blue 5 1/2 years ago (9 months out of vet school), my Dad went with me, since it was my first car purchase. The first place we went, Planet Ford, was less than friendly in general, and the salesman was a real ass. I told him what I was looking for, and he came back with their "deal", which happened to be a lease. Upon hearing the terms of the "deal", my Dad bangs his fist on the table angrily, stands up, and yells to the salesman, "You can do better than that. Damnit, he's a DOCTOR!" And with that, he stormed out of the showroom into the parking lot. There I was still sitting there at the little table with this salesman, trying to figure out what just happened. I stood up kind of sheepishly, looked at the guy and shrugged, and followed him out the door. We ended up going to Lone Star Ford instead.
The new truck is a little flashier than ol' Blue, but we like it.
The new truck:
When I bought ol' Blue 5 1/2 years ago (9 months out of vet school), my Dad went with me, since it was my first car purchase. The first place we went, Planet Ford, was less than friendly in general, and the salesman was a real ass. I told him what I was looking for, and he came back with their "deal", which happened to be a lease. Upon hearing the terms of the "deal", my Dad bangs his fist on the table angrily, stands up, and yells to the salesman, "You can do better than that. Damnit, he's a DOCTOR!" And with that, he stormed out of the showroom into the parking lot. There I was still sitting there at the little table with this salesman, trying to figure out what just happened. I stood up kind of sheepishly, looked at the guy and shrugged, and followed him out the door. We ended up going to Lone Star Ford instead.
The new truck is a little flashier than ol' Blue, but we like it.
The new truck:
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Back in the Saddle
I am finally getting caught up after missing 4 days of work. 4 days doesn't seem like alot, but you would be surprised at the number of phone messages, computer problems, staff problems, and drama that can pile up in that short amount of time. Luckily, there was nothing too serious. Nancy is glad too, since I told her on our way back that if there were any disasters while I was gone that we may never go on another vacation.
Like I said before, Costa Rica was awesome. I didn't know much about the country prior to our visit, but we were thoroughly impressed. Our original plan had been to go to Mexico, but it made some of our friends a little uneasy to go there with all of the drug cartel stuff going on. So we decided on Costa Rica. For those that don't know, it is a tiny country between Nicaragua and Panama in Central America. It is a fairly mountainous country with alot of jungle and farmland as well. We stayed at the Occidental Grand Papagayo Resort on the northwest Pacific coast, in the province of Guanacaste.
We flew into Liberia, a small town in Guanacaste...a 3.5 hour flight from Houston. We met Derrick and Bjorn (friends of mine from vet school), Bjorn's wife Devin, and Derrick's fiancee Tiffany at the Houston airport. D and Tiff flew in from DFW and Bjorn and Devin from San Antonio. The airport in Liberia was interesting. It was very small, with open-air and no AC. Our plane did not pull up to a gate, but instead had portable stairs right down onto the tarmac.
We realized soon after our arrival that Nancy's leopard-print suitcase did not make it to Liberia. So we had to go through all the red tape of reporting that to Continental and waiting on the rep to make a copy of my passport...which took almost an hour. Needless to say, the ten other people who were riding on our shuttle to the hotel were getting pretty irritated b y the time we finally left. One crack whore even suggested to the shuttle driver that he should leave us in Liberia. Luckily, we got it all straightened out and our bag arrived at our room later that night.
The resort was very nice and all-inclusive. Basically that means all the drinks and food you want are included in the deal, so you don't pay for anything while you are on the resort. Needless to say, we took full advantage of both food and drink, and got our money's worth and then some.
We spent alot of time just relaxing on the beach and in the pool. It was great to catch up with good friends who we don't get to hang out with nearly often enough. And unlike sometimes when a group of people go on vacation together, there was no drama. It helps that all of us are pretty laid back individuals.
We also rode some jet skis, rode four-wheelers through the jungle, and went on the previously mentioned "Canopy Tour"...another name for ziplining. Bjorn and I did not particularly enjoy the Canopy Tour as much as everyone else did. In fact Bjorn quit about 1/4 of the way into it. I stuck it out for some unknown reason. It wasn't necessarily the fact that we were 100 feet off the ground that bothered me (well, maybe some), but it just wasn't very enjoyable to me. Everyone else, besides the two of us, enjoyed it alot. Here a few pictures of my first and last ziplining adventure. You will notice Nancy is smiling and I am not.
Like I said before, Costa Rica was awesome. I didn't know much about the country prior to our visit, but we were thoroughly impressed. Our original plan had been to go to Mexico, but it made some of our friends a little uneasy to go there with all of the drug cartel stuff going on. So we decided on Costa Rica. For those that don't know, it is a tiny country between Nicaragua and Panama in Central America. It is a fairly mountainous country with alot of jungle and farmland as well. We stayed at the Occidental Grand Papagayo Resort on the northwest Pacific coast, in the province of Guanacaste.
We flew into Liberia, a small town in Guanacaste...a 3.5 hour flight from Houston. We met Derrick and Bjorn (friends of mine from vet school), Bjorn's wife Devin, and Derrick's fiancee Tiffany at the Houston airport. D and Tiff flew in from DFW and Bjorn and Devin from San Antonio. The airport in Liberia was interesting. It was very small, with open-air and no AC. Our plane did not pull up to a gate, but instead had portable stairs right down onto the tarmac.
We realized soon after our arrival that Nancy's leopard-print suitcase did not make it to Liberia. So we had to go through all the red tape of reporting that to Continental and waiting on the rep to make a copy of my passport...which took almost an hour. Needless to say, the ten other people who were riding on our shuttle to the hotel were getting pretty irritated b y the time we finally left. One crack whore even suggested to the shuttle driver that he should leave us in Liberia. Luckily, we got it all straightened out and our bag arrived at our room later that night.
The resort was very nice and all-inclusive. Basically that means all the drinks and food you want are included in the deal, so you don't pay for anything while you are on the resort. Needless to say, we took full advantage of both food and drink, and got our money's worth and then some.
We spent alot of time just relaxing on the beach and in the pool. It was great to catch up with good friends who we don't get to hang out with nearly often enough. And unlike sometimes when a group of people go on vacation together, there was no drama. It helps that all of us are pretty laid back individuals.
We also rode some jet skis, rode four-wheelers through the jungle, and went on the previously mentioned "Canopy Tour"...another name for ziplining. Bjorn and I did not particularly enjoy the Canopy Tour as much as everyone else did. In fact Bjorn quit about 1/4 of the way into it. I stuck it out for some unknown reason. It wasn't necessarily the fact that we were 100 feet off the ground that bothered me (well, maybe some), but it just wasn't very enjoyable to me. Everyone else, besides the two of us, enjoyed it alot. Here a few pictures of my first and last ziplining adventure. You will notice Nancy is smiling and I am not.
Despite that insane, uncontrolled, near-death experience... it was a great vacation, with great friends, in a beautiful country.
Some random observations about our trip:
- Our Bubba Kegs were the envy of the resort. While we were lounging on the beach or in the pool, sipping on our drinks out of these gargantuan, insulated cups, all the other guests were drinking warm beer out of small plastic cups, with constant trips to the bar. A couple of us even sold our Bubba Kegs to other guests before we left.
- A guy, who we named Frank, was the only one who seemed to have a problem with our drinking vessels. Frank was a cross between the gay guy from the first Survivor and Vlade Divac. He stared at us constantly, making snide comments to his grotesque wife (who we named Bertha...a cross between Grimace and a large, wrinkly beach ball), and acting like a total dewshbag.
- The shuttle drivers in Costa Rica would make good kamikaze pilots. The trips in the van made the zipline look like a siesta. Daredevil passing on two-lane narrow roads, nearly driving off the side of the mountain, and a blatant disregard for ALTO signs made this the most dangerous part of the vacation.
- When in Costa Rica, it would be wise to find the air-conditioned lounge area BEFORE spending two nights sitting outside in the open-air lobby with its 124% humidity and breastfeeding Europeans.
- Devin is going to find some interesting, possibly slightly graphic, photographs on her waterproof disposable camera she brought.
- Derrick is the sunset Nazi. Do not even think about leaving until 5 minutes AFTER the sunset, which is when every seasoned photographer knows you get the best shots.
- Bjorn (The Sexual Manatee...don't ask) was stung or bit by something while we were in the ocean. He will still be complaining about this horrible wound at his 1-year-old son Gavin's high school graduation.
- Just below ziplining on my "future things to do" list is eating sushi. If you force me to try it, I will then vomit it up. Once bitten, twice shy.
- Non-American males have a strong desire to accentuate their boy parts for everyone by wearing speedos. Really tight speedos.
- They actually make thong bikinis in size XXXXXL. Who knew?
- We witnessed our first Caribbean-mullet. Business in the front, braided reggae party in the back.
- The Grand Papagayo does not, nor will it ever, sell a shot called a Costa Rican Car Bomb...no matter how many times Bjorn asks for it.
- And finally...Full glasses of liquor do not stand up on angled, beveled table edges. Derrick learned this by accident. Then while trying to demonstrate what caused the spill, he spilled drink #2. You had to be there.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Costa Rica
We made it back from Costa Rica, after a far-too-short vacation. We had a great time, and I will write some more about that tomorrow...when it's not past midnight.
We flew from Houston to Liberia, Costa Rica on Wednesday and flew home today. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort called the Occidental Grand Papagayo. Here are a few pictures of our resort:
A Costa Rican Sunset:
Nancy's favorite view:
Me, about to display some mad snorkeling skills:
There was a whole lot of this:
Group picture, from one of our more civilized moments:
On the Canopy Tour (which is another name for careening at 400 mph to your near-death, way too high in the freakin' air, with way too little holding you onto a cable tied between two trees):
Looking civilized again, at dinner:
The crew on the beach:
During the ATV Excursion
After a great time riding ATVs through the jungle:
Some hottie I found in Costa Rica:
The Liberia, Costa Rica Aeropuerto. Open air and no A/C.
We flew from Houston to Liberia, Costa Rica on Wednesday and flew home today. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort called the Occidental Grand Papagayo. Here are a few pictures of our resort:
A Costa Rican Sunset:
Nancy's favorite view:
Me, about to display some mad snorkeling skills:
There was a whole lot of this:
Group picture, from one of our more civilized moments:
On the Canopy Tour (which is another name for careening at 400 mph to your near-death, way too high in the freakin' air, with way too little holding you onto a cable tied between two trees):
Looking civilized again, at dinner:
The crew on the beach:
During the ATV Excursion
After a great time riding ATVs through the jungle:
Some hottie I found in Costa Rica:
We were sad to have to leave:
The Liberia, Costa Rica Aeropuerto. Open air and no A/C.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Costa Rica
Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we are off to Costa Rica. When we get back and recover, I will post some pictures. Nancy plans on bringing home a pet howler monkey...but I'm not sure that's legal.
Oh, and I am not at all looking forward to that 3.5 hour flight. Ugh.
Oh, and I am not at all looking forward to that 3.5 hour flight. Ugh.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Just a flesh wound
Never a dull moment at Lakeside Animal Clinic.
Today, a man came in, without a dog or cat, and walked up to the front desk. Our receptionist could smell the liquor on his breath as soon as he stumbled through the door. He teetered precariously with each step as he walked toward us. Now this guy is about 6'6" and about 300 lbs, so if he falls over, he's doing some damage to someone or some thing. But luckily he kept his feet long enough to grab ahold of the reception desk.
Then, he started telling his story. It went something like this:
He was walking his dog (a boxer) in his apartment complex about 30 minutes ago, when a large pit bull, not on a leash, approached them from the front. His boxer barked at the pit bull, which set him off. The pit bull bounded at the man, showed his teeth, and chomped down...ON HIS CROTCH. The guy freaked out, kicked the dog multiple times and it ran off. The man and his boxer managed to escape with no further confrontation. Fast forward 30 minutes to the lobby of the clinic.
The guy has a large blood stain on the left side of his crotchal region, and would likely have been in much more pain if he wasn't three sheets to the wind. He just stood there, cheerfully relaying the earlier events as if he wasn't bleeding profusely from his nether regions. After telling his story, however, he then thought it appropriate to show us his wound. He literally followed several employees around for ten minutes trying to get them to look at his injury, which I hear involved a missing hunk of groin flesh and a bloody testicle. I say "I hear" because I ran to my office and shut the door when he started playing show-and-tell. But a couple of girls got the whole show.
Why he was even at the clinic was my big question. He did not have a pet with him. We all originally assumed that the reason for his visit was that his dog had also suffered some sort of grotesque injury and he wanted advice...but was too cheap to bring him in to get checked out. Yet, he never even brought up his dog again. As far as I could tell, his sole reason for coming in was to tell us the story and show us his oozing crotch wound. After he had flashed everyone, he happily went on his merry way...hopefully to a human doctor. We like to form a bond with our clients and all, but this might have been a little too much.
Today, a man came in, without a dog or cat, and walked up to the front desk. Our receptionist could smell the liquor on his breath as soon as he stumbled through the door. He teetered precariously with each step as he walked toward us. Now this guy is about 6'6" and about 300 lbs, so if he falls over, he's doing some damage to someone or some thing. But luckily he kept his feet long enough to grab ahold of the reception desk.
Then, he started telling his story. It went something like this:
He was walking his dog (a boxer) in his apartment complex about 30 minutes ago, when a large pit bull, not on a leash, approached them from the front. His boxer barked at the pit bull, which set him off. The pit bull bounded at the man, showed his teeth, and chomped down...ON HIS CROTCH. The guy freaked out, kicked the dog multiple times and it ran off. The man and his boxer managed to escape with no further confrontation. Fast forward 30 minutes to the lobby of the clinic.
The guy has a large blood stain on the left side of his crotchal region, and would likely have been in much more pain if he wasn't three sheets to the wind. He just stood there, cheerfully relaying the earlier events as if he wasn't bleeding profusely from his nether regions. After telling his story, however, he then thought it appropriate to show us his wound. He literally followed several employees around for ten minutes trying to get them to look at his injury, which I hear involved a missing hunk of groin flesh and a bloody testicle. I say "I hear" because I ran to my office and shut the door when he started playing show-and-tell. But a couple of girls got the whole show.
Why he was even at the clinic was my big question. He did not have a pet with him. We all originally assumed that the reason for his visit was that his dog had also suffered some sort of grotesque injury and he wanted advice...but was too cheap to bring him in to get checked out. Yet, he never even brought up his dog again. As far as I could tell, his sole reason for coming in was to tell us the story and show us his oozing crotch wound. After he had flashed everyone, he happily went on his merry way...hopefully to a human doctor. We like to form a bond with our clients and all, but this might have been a little too much.
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