Press release tips

As someone who receives a lot of press releases for my job - and writes them occasionally, too - I have some tips to make sure your release (or memo or story or whatever) actually gets read and used. And not as the butt of an office joke or an example of what not to do.

• Send it electronically. We're not going to retype your release. We're going to cut and paste. We're lazy. Help us help you. If you send it as a PDF, send some sort of text file as well to facilitate this.
  
• Spelling counts. Use spellcheck, but also actually read it for homophones. If you can't be bothered to spellcheck, why would I think that you bothered to factcheck?
  
• Grammar counts. Know when to use a comma and when to use a semicolon. Know where punctuation goes in regards to quotation marks. Check your work for frequently confused words. Avoid the excessive use of exclamation points! Really! Unless you want to sound like a teenage girl!!!
  
• Include a descriptive title, but don't make it so long that it becomes a full, run-on sentence. Feel free to add a subtitle, but don't feel bad when it gets ignored. If it's not headline-worthy, we pretty much don't care.
  
• Include any photos as attachments, not embedded in the body of the release. We can't magically make those low-quality photos into print-quality photos. And even if we could, we wouldn't, because it annoys us.
  
• Corollary to the above: if you provide a photo, provide a cutline. We're not psychic, and the odds are we don't care enough to call you to find out who that guy is in the photo. We'd rather just leave it out. And we will.
• Put all the important info in the first paragraph of the release. If you can't summarize it, we probably won't bother to.
• People say things; they rarely state things. Using "stated" instead of "said" with your quotes just makes you (and whoever you're quoting) sound incredibly pretentious. Unless that's the effect you're going for, use "said."
• Don't use fancy fonts or colors or graphics. You're writing a press release, not an ad for a circus. Keep it professional. (Unless it is an ad for a circus - then go for it!)
• Proofread. Then have someone else proofread it. This may seem obvious, but you really do want to keep your mistakes to a minimum. Proofreading can help accomplish this. Really. Trust me on this one.

I'm sure I could come up with a whole bunch of other things, but then they start devolving into pet peeves - and, OK, I admit the "said/stated" thing falls into that category - and every one has different ones. These are the basics. Use them. Get better responses to your releases.

Go now and proofread.

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Technorati tags: press releases, tips, writing, business, news,

Happy Halloween!

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Technorati tags: dogs, halloween, costumes

Squash not-quiche

I had a bunch of random leftovers in my fridge and needed to make something for dinner. I came up this this yumminess.

1/2 cup cooked squash, finely diced
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup scallions, finely sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
2 eggs, beaten

1. Mix together all ingredients, except for eggs.
2. Add in eggs and mix well
3. Pour into a lightly oiled dish and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until done.
   

Yum!

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Technorati tags: recipes

No superpowers

So, the nuclear scan didn't get done. Apparently, my doctor didn't know that I needed to be off my levothyroxine for 4 to 6 weeks before they can do the scan. I've left a message for my doctor telling her no way in hell am I going off my meds for that long. I can't live like that again. I mean, I was so exhausted all the damned time. I just can't do that again.

So. probably no superpowers. Dammit.

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Technorati tags: thyroid, medical

"Best" books since 1923 (according to Time Magazine)

Time Magazine has come out with a list of the 100 best books since 1923 (the year they started publishing). While I think there's a lot of good stuff on there, there's also a lot of stuff that's overrated, too. And I was pretty surprised at how much stuff I hadn't read (mostly the more contemporary action/mystery type novels, so I'm not really worried about missing them).

My thoughts on some of the books on the list:

Animal Farm, George Orwell - You know, I've never actually read this. It's on our shelves at home, but in a way, I feel I don't need to read it, since I know the story. I'm sure I will someday, though.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Judy Blume - An excellent book. I re-read it recently, and it still holds up, even as an adult.

Beloved, Toni Morrison - I am not a big fan of Toni Morrison's writing style, but I liked this book. However, I've tried to read a couple others of hers and not gotten more than 20 pages in.

The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood - I'm not sure why this is on the list, but The Handmaid's Tale isn't. Of course, The Handmaid's Tale is a little more politically charged and frighteningly possible, these days.

Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh - Hysterical, but not for everyone.

The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger - This is one of those books that I'm told I'm supposed to like, but never have. I like several other of J.D. Salinger's books and stories, but not this one. Maybe it's because I was never forced to dissect it in high school that I never learned to "appreciate" it.

A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess - A frightening - and excellent - book. Infinitely better than the movie, which was all about shock value.

Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell - Why is this book on here? It's not particularly well-written or seminal.

Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison - Excellent book. Go read it.

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis - I have never liked this book (or any of the others in the series). Even as a kid, I thought the Christian symbolism was heavy-handed.

Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov - An excellent book, though his short story "The Nose" is infinitely better. On the other hand, "The Nose" didn't become part of the culture.

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien - I like The Hobbit better. Always have.

Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf - I can't stand Woolf's writing. That notwithstanding, I've read this and To the Lighthouse, which also made the list. In fact, I've read a great many of Woolf's writing, including some of her letters. But that doesn't mean I think she should be on the list twice.

Naked Lunch, William Burroughs - Overrated. Read it as a teenager and shock all your friends with how cool you are (even though you didn't understand any of the drug-addled ramblings).

Neuromancer, William Gibson - Excellent. I wish his more recent stuff was as good.

On the Road, Jack Kerouac - Much like Naked Lunch, vastly overrated. Kerouac was a hack.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey - Very good. I even have a copy he signed for me. :)

Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow - If you haven't read it, you should.

Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson - This is a good book, but I don't think it deserves to be on the list. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, but I don't think it's one of the "100 best."

Ubik, Philip K. Dick - It's a shame they're only including novels, since his short stories are so, so much better. And I'd still vote that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is better than Ubik.

Watchmen, Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons - Very good, but where's Maus? I'd put that on this list before Watchmen.

Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys - A book that I enjoyed, but I'd really never want to read again. But I'm glad I did.

What books were, in my opinion, missing from the list?

• The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Phillip K. Dick
• Maus, Art Spiegelman
  
• Grass, Sherri Tepper
• Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
• To Say Nothing Of the Dog, Connie Willis
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein
• Alienist, Caleb Carr
• Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury

...And I'm sure there's more, but that's all I could come up with off the top of my head. How about you? What should have been on there? What shouldn't have been?

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News about the list via PopWatch

Technorati tags: books, lists

Separation anxiety in dogs

Provided as a public service for those with dogs who have separation anxiety. Indy, our coonhound, has severe separation anxiety, so, unfortunately, I've got a lot of experience with this. I am not a dog trainer or vet, so if your dog is showing signs of separation anxiety, GO SEE YOUR VET FIRST!

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Barking. Chewing. House-soiling.

Those are three of the most common signs of separation anxiety, one of the least pleasant dog behavioral problems - for you and the dog.

If your dog shows signs of separation anxiety, what should you do?

First of all, visit your vet. Your dog could be ill. In addition, anxiety can be a symptom of thyroid problems, so make sure you test that, too.

Next, here are some tried and true methods for a happier separation for everyone:

Exercise: The more the better. Thirty minutes of hard exercise a day are a minimum for most healthy dogs. This means jogging, running with a bike, or, in miserable weather, playing chase or fetch in the house can be an OK substitute. This is in addition to any walks. Alternately, if you can't get your dog to jog (and there are those who can't, won't or shouldn't engage that hard of exercise), at least a couple hours of walking daily should help. After all, a tired dog is more interested in sleeping than you leaving.

Kongs: Make your leaving the best part of the day by providing Kongs stuffed with goodies the second before you leave. We like to put our dogs' regular kibble and add moist food as a stuffing, then chuck it in the freezer - at least overnight. We make sure we deduct this from their normal food ration so they don't get fat.

You: You may need to change the way you do some things. Make leaving and coming home no big deal. Take your dog to her crate, give her a kong, and leave. No long goodbyes, maybe just a "be good." When you come home, let her out, say hi, but then basically just ignore her for a half hour. Nothing good should happen in the half hour after you get home: no snuggles, no dinner, no walks (except a brief one for elimination if you don't have a fenced yard), no playing. It's not cruel, it's just making sure that your homecoming is not something to be wildly anticipated as the best thing ever.

Obedience training: Not only is a dog who has formal obedience training just generally easier to handle, they are more willing to take direction from their people, and that includes believing when you act as if nothing is wrong when you leave for the day. Also, the mental exercise of daily practice is wonderful for tiring dogs out. There are a lot of great dog trick books out there if your dog has already mastered the basics. Find a reputable positive-reinforcement trainer and get started now.

Nothing in life if free: A dog should have to work for everything that she values: food, treats, toys, attention, walks, going outside, going in the car - anything that she thinks is good. She should at least sit before she gets any of these things. A sit is the doggy way of saying "please." Your dog should say it frequently if she doesn't already. This reinforces obedience training and reminds her that you are in charge. This is a good thing.

Practice separations: This sucks to do, but it really does make an enormous difference. To practice, put her in her crate, shut the door, leave the room, then immediately turn around, come back in and let her out. Don't make a big deal of putting her in or letting her out. Just do it. Then walk away and go about your day as usual. Then, later on, do it again, this time, taking a little bit longer. Then again, a little bit longer. If at any time she shows any signs of anxiety, you've moved too quickly and you need to shorten the time that she can't see you. Usually, once you get up to twenty minutes, your dog should be fine (most of the dog's anxiety is in the first 10-15 minutes that you're gone). This is a hard task and requires that you spend basically a whole weekend doing nothing but this. If your dog doesn't like her crate, start feeding her in it (no need to close the door); this creates very positive associations.

A few final things:

• Getting another dog won't help. Your dog is missing you and having another dog won't lessen that.
• Having someone come over during the day sometimes makes things worse since that's just that many more separations for your dog to deal with. Also, we've found that there are very few people who are willing to make entrances and exits as low-key as they need to be.
• There are medications that your vet can prescribe, but they must be used in conjunction with behavioral therapy.

A dog with separation anxiety can often overcome her problem with consistant training. Just stick with it and don't be afraid to ask for help from your vet or trainer if you need it.

Good luck!

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Technorati tags: dogs, separation anxiety, dog training

Productivity

We had a very productive, if busy, weekend.

Friday, took Cordy to be groomed. This is a fabulous thing. She looks so pretty now. :) And the place moved so it's even closer and more convenient.

Also did the grocery shopping and made pizza crust dough (including extra that I froze for dinner this week). My pizza was divine: pesto, faux chicken, semi-carmelized onions, sundried tomatoes and an Italian cheese blend. Yummy!

Saturday, we ran errands in the rain, hitting Target (for gloves and dog treats), Wild Oats (failed search for Tuno - cannot find it anywhere!) and Half-Price Books (semi-sucessful search for an exersize dvd) prior to a run to a couple liquor store (in a failed search for macadamia nut liqueur for a drink recipe we found in a library book). We also made five different types for spiced nuts as practice for the holidays (I'm not baking this year, just making candy - more bang for the buck, and Jeff helps with the candy). Did random around-the-house stuff before walking up the block to see Serenity at Studio 35.

Sunday was the cooking day. I made Kaylee's food, carmelized some onions, made granola bars (second try - not working out so well), made dog treats and made tomatillo-rice stuff with the almost-the-last tomatillos from the garden.

We also dug up the damned cannas. Six boxes. We had three when we chucked 'em in the ground in the spring. We're pondering treating them like surplus zucchini and just leaving them on peoples' unlocked cars and front porches. And I repotted and brought inside the remainder of the herbs. In addition the the bananas and palm tree, our dining room now houses cilantro, basil, mint, thyme, garlic chives, rosemary and flat-leafed parsley (I know you'd love it if I shared, buns, but I don't think they'd survive the needed plane ride all nice and fresh!).

I have a list of stuff that didn't get done, including planting bulbs, but hey, we still accomplished a lot!

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Technorati tags: home, misc

Public Service Announcement

With the rising gas prices, I have noted many new faces on the bus lately. As a public service, I present Tips for the Bus:

Tips for Pedestrians

1. Don't walk in front of a bus. Even when it's stopped. In case you hadn't noticed, they're very wide and take up pretty much the whole lane. When you poke your head around the front of the bus to check for traffic, you're in the next lane. And that's not good, in case you were wondering.
2. Don't run for the bus. It rarely helps.
3. If there is more than one bus at a bus stop, you have to walk back to the other buses. I know you're taking public transportation to avoid walking, but this really isn't that far, OK?

Tips for Car Drivers

1. Don't drive in the bus lane. Buses will not be nice to you.
2. Don't park in the right lane when the signs say you can't. You hold up the bus, making the people on it angry and late, and thereby spreading just a little more low-grade evil in the world. Plus, if the bus just happens to clip your bumper when changing lanes, miraculously, not a single passenger will have seen it happen.
   
3. If you're at a stop light or stop sign, stop at that helpful white line the government paints on the road for you. That way, when a bus has to make a right turn, it won't run into your car. And if it does run into your car, the passengers will cheer because they've been hoping for it to happen for a long time. But they'll still be pissed because an accident will make them late. So stop behind the line, OK?

Tips for Bus Drivers

1. When someone signals that they want the next stop, actually stop at the next stop. I know it cramps your style, but other people have schedules, too.
   
2. Don't try to be chatty. Your passengers are taking the bus and not pleased about it. Just shut up and drive.
3. If you're running late, don't make your passengers suffer for it. Don't brake suddenly, accelerate quickly or run red lights. You know what? We'd rather be late than dead.
4. Don't take any shit. If that guy won't shut up, kick him off. If that car cuts you off, honk, dammit! If some idiot is in the bus lane, come real close to hitting him. Your passengers will cheer you on.
5. We don't care about your opinions on football, traffic or the government. See "Tips for Bus Drivers" #2.

Tips for Passengers

1. Have your money or bus pass ready. No one wants to wait for you in the frigid cold or steaming heat while you fumble around in your bag. You had plenty of time while you were at the bus stop to get ready. Be ready.
2. Don't want to be bothered? Wear headphones*, read a book or stare out the window intently. If the bus is very full, also wear sunglasses. Pretend not to know English. Under no circumstances should you make eye contact.
3. If there are available seats that aren't next to another passenger, sit there. It's just creepy if you sit next to someone and you don't have to.
4. If you have kids, keep them under control, please. I know they're cranky and tired and don't want to be on the bus, but neither does anyone else. Try not to make it worse for everyone else.
5. You know those signs that say that certain seats are reserved for the handicapped and elderly? They're reserved for the handicapped and elderly. Don't sit there. Unless you'd like to be handicapped and don't care about living to be elderly.
6. Use your cell phone wisely. Your fellow passengers will have no qualms about telling everyone they know about your conversation. And since they only heard half of it, they will feel free to make up the other half, usually to your detriment.
   

These tips are not meant to be comprehensive, but just a starting point. Basically, don't be such a jackass, OK?

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*This actually failed me once. The guy bugging me was deaf.


Technorati tags: public transportation, bus, buses, advice, idiocy

Home (dog food) cooking

So, in our eternal quest to get and keep the Kaylee-girl healthy (and lower the vet bills!), I decided to start cooking her a homemade diet, reasoning that the fewer preservatives the better, and anything I make should be more easily digested than hard kibble.

I did some research and finally found a really good book at my library, Better Food for Dogs: A Complete Cookbook and Nutrition Guide by David Bastin, Grant Nixon & Jennifer Ashton. Except for some of the propaganda in the front, it's an incredibly well-researched book. It lays out recipes by dog weight, as well as nutrient needs, so it's very easy to use. It also gives lots of options for substitutions, which is great to add a little variety to Kay's diet.

Since I'm looking for an easily-digestible diet, I stuck to the basic diet, with some variations. The recipe I use for Kaylee (a forty-pound dog) is:

Protein (pick one):

4.25 cups white-meat turkey
4 cups white-meat chicken
12 scrambled or hard-boiled eggs
4 cups 1% cottage cheese (no additional salt)

Grain (pick one):

3 cups rice
3 cups barley
4 cups oatmeal

Plus:

2.25 cups fruit & veg mix*
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp iodized salt
1/2 tsp potassium chloride
2 tsp bonemeal
4 tsp each multivitamin & multimineral**

She's supposed to get one fourth of that at each meal, but it took her too long to eat and she would get frstrated and give up. So now she gets one eighth at each meal and gets a half cup of Nature's Recipe Easy-to-Digest Lamb Meal, Rice & Barley kibble, too. I'd prefer not to feed her the kibble at all, but since the homemade stuff is soft, it just takes her a long time to snarf it out of the bowl, and she doesn't finish it.

We tried salmon as a protein, but not only was that expensive, it was a little too oily for Kaylee's digestive system to handle. So that's out. We're sticking to the poultry and eggs for now. I try to keep at least two different types of meals in the freezer so I can rotate what she's eating to make sure she's getting all her nutrients.

As for cost, it really hasn't been all that expensive. Poultry goes on sale all the time, and three split chicken breasts provide 4 cups of chicken, and a 7-pound bone-in turkey breast provides at least 4.25 cups of turkey. And a dozen eggs, even free-range, are pretty cheap. If it can help keep her healthy, then it's sure as hell cheaper than the vet bills!

I wish I could do this for the other dogs, too (they do get about a tablespoon hidden under their kibble at each meal, just to placate them), but it's pretty time consuming, even for Kaylee, and they'd probably eat even more, since they're both bigger than her. If I didn't work, I'd probably do it - Kaylee seems to be doing really well on it! (Knock on wood!!!)

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NOTE: I am not a dog nutrition expert by any means, and I won't answer questions that you may have about dog nutrition. Go ask your vet or at the very least, go read the book referenced above. This diet is good for Kaylee, but probably won't be right for your dog. Talk to your vet, like I talked to mine, before you start your dog on a homecooked diet.

*Made by cooking and then processing the more easily digested fruits and veggies. I use frozen stuff, mostly, since it's cheaper. Kaylee usually gets 4-5 different veggies, including green beans, yellow wax beans, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, peaches, apples and strawberries.

**I've forgotten what brand of multivitamin/multimineral I use, but I found it at Whole Foods. It's a liquid and it's in two separate bottles. I'll try to remember to look at the bottle sometime soon. It's called Nature's Answer.

Technorati Tags: dogs, recipes, dog food

Balsamic mashed sweet potatoes

Yum! I'd better write this down before I forget how I made them...

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste

1. Scrub, but don't peel, sweet potatoes. Chop and boil in medium pot, just covered with water, until soft.

2. Put potatoes and remaining ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

3. Add salt to taste.

Also a tasty filling for little turnovers. Adding walnuts is also good. Generally, just pretty darned tasty!


Technorati Tags: recipes

WooHoo! Superpowers!

OK. Not yet. But by Halloween, I full expect to have superpowers brought on by exposure to radiation. Cool.

See, I have an autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is no big deal. I take my levothyroxine and as long as I don't forget it for a few days in a row, it's no big deal. Recently, I had an ultrasound of my thyroid because, well, it's one of those things that should be done and it just never was. Until last week, of course.

Turns out, I have a nodule. And that's really not a huge deal. It's very small, but it does mean that I get superpowers! Yay!

Well, maybe I'm not guaranteed to get superpowers, but since I have to have a nuclear imaging scan, I do get to drink some radioactive material.

So yay! (Potential) superpowers!

Bugtastic!

It's fall, and that means bugs. I found this on a sunny corner by the side gate.

Buggy

This cool-ass bug has been haning out on my window, high on the 11th floor, for most of the work day:

Nifty little creepy thing. And tenacious.

You bet he was "ill-fated"!

China bear bile farmer eaten by own animals

Getting stuff done

This weekend was about getting stuff done. Not all of it was terribly exciting or important, but a lot got done nonetheless.

I have chayote! That's what those freaky little spiny things are. Unfortunately, there won't be enough time before frost for them to mature into baseball-sized fruit. I'll try to sprout them starting in February this time and see if I can't get them to grow a little bit more before I even put them out in the spring.

I harvested the rest of my peppers, but I still have some tomatillos left on the plants. They're not ready to pick yet, so I'll just let them go. Even if there were a frost, they should still be fine.

We dug up our sweet potatoes and they were tasty! Still not sure how I feel about them for next year, though. They were very sweet and creamy, but, in the long run, it might just be better to buy them.

We also re-potted some plants and brought them inside to reside in our pseudo-greenhouse - the corner of our dining room. We brought in the bananas and some herbs and Jeff's poor aloe and cactus. We have a palm that has to come inside, too, but it should be OK on the porch for now. And I've still got more herbs I want to try to bring in, too.

(Yes, the bananas are in cat litter buckets. Mom gave them to us for free. The dogs find them fascinating.)

I stopped by Oakland Nursery today to redeem my 10 free tulips coupon. I got them in oranges and yellows, but, to be honest, I really don't like tulips. But they fill a spot in the spring, so ... [shrug]. I got some other random bulbs, too, for my half of the front garden. Next week, we're going to dig up the cannas, put in the bog and plant the bulbs.

I also made fabulously-simple apple sauce. Core and slice 3 pounds of apples. Put them in a slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours. Blend in the food processor until smooth. Try not to eat all at once.

While we insulated and caulked this weekend, the dogs chilled, Kaylee in particular. While she was interested in what we were doing, it seems that shar pei aren't much for energy efficiency. At least, not of the gas and electric sort. She was more than happy to preserve her own energy. (And she's been eating pretty well, so she should have plenty of it!

All in all, it was a pretty damned productive weekend. And I didn't even mention my trip to the thrift stores where I got 5 pair of trousers without trying them on and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM FIT!

It was a magical weekend. :)

New crochet book reviews at jcrochet.com

• Simple Crochet
• Candy Babies
• Cozy Crochet
• Learn to Crochet

Banana Cookies for Pups

Now that the weather is cooling down, I can bake cookies for the pups again without overheating the house. Here's a new recipe that's very pupular. ;)

2 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup water
1 egg, whisked
2 Tbs. molassas
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups whole wheat flour

1. Mix all ingredients together. The dough will be very stiff and dry. You will probably need to use your hands.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4" thick.
3. With a fork, prick the dough all over with a fork (this keeps the dough from getting too puffy).
   
4. Using a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 1" peices (I like diamond shapes).
5. Put close, but not touching on parchment-covered cookie sheets.
6. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
7. Remove from the oven and cool completely on cookie sheets (while you're waiting and the oven is on, bake some Pumpkin Dog Cookies or Happy Pup Muffins).
8. When the cookies are completely cool, reduce the oven to 300° and bake for another 30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, and when cool, feed a few to the pups, then store the rest in an airtight container.

Quick Kaylee update: She seems to feel better for the moment. The lump is gone, she's eating, and she's beating the crap out of Cordy on a fairly regular basis. Hopefully, she'll feel better for more than a few days this time!

Why one shouldn't hunt

HA!

Quick Kaylee update: Her temperature is back to normal and her lump is shrinking. However, she's still not eating properly. We'll be talking with one of her vets tomorrow to see where we go from here.

Quick update re: Kaylee

Kaylee come home on Friday (with a 14-pill-a-day regimen) and did fabulous until she had a fever at 12:30 Sunday morning. It's really been hard on her since we can't give her anything for it (because of her liver, ulcers, and one of the medications she's taking). Her temp is down to 102.7 (her normal temp is about 99.9) this morning, though this is the longest, hottest fever she's ever had.

To top that, I found a mass on her abdomen on Sunday. Took her to the vet on Monday and he's not sure what it is. We're going to try hot compresses (on a feverish dog. Fun.) for a few days and see if it's just a reaction to the fever. If not, it might be a tumor. Or something. He's pretty sure it's not an abcess.

She's down to 35 pounds now and is heartbreakingly skinny. She's not eating much, but she is eating a little.

My poor little baby.