Family Time!

My brother came into town late, late Sunday night and will be here for about a week. Today, my sister is coming in from Alabama. It is always a treat to have all 4 of the Reed kids together so I'm hopeful that hubby and I can get Frodo properly sedated, which will allow us to go out to dinner with my family. Fingers are crossed!

Frodo has been doing a little bit better, but he still isn't quite comfortable with being left at home alone. Last night I wanted to see my family some, so I took Frodo with me to my Dad's house. We had a nice time and Frodo didn't really cause any trouble, which was nice. I always wanted to have a dog that I could take with me places, but this wasn't really how I envisioned it working out. I wish it was under better circumstances.

Anyways, I just wanted to share the news that I am excited to get to see my siblings. For now, though, I'd better get back to work!

Puppy Prozac

Yesterday my hubby and I were supposed to meet with the Animal Behaviorist that our vet recommended. We agonized over it because it is expensive, and because even though Charles's experiences with behaviorism are more geared towards children than animals, we felt we were already doing the right things with Frodo behaviorally. We just weren't convinced that we would get $250 worth of advice out of the appointment. So we postponed the appointment indefinitely and instead made an appointment (again) with our vet to get some medication. We might still see the behaviorist after trying medication, but the anxiety problems seem to be getting worse, and have even started manifesting in small ways when we're home. So yesterday we went to the vet and got a prescription for fluoxetine, aka, Puppy Prozac. He's only had one dose so we haven't seen a change yet but I'm optimistic that the medicine will get him to a place where the behavior modification techniques will be more effective. Frodo has been a great dog for so long, and we're hoping he'll remember how to be a great dog and will go back to the way he used to be. We're also hopeful that the medicine won't be a permanent fixture in his life. We'll just have to see. We got a 30 day supply so we're going to see how he's doing after being on it for a month. Maybe just the fact that we're doing something will calm us, and in turn calm him. Here's hoping!

The Avengers

Last week I went with my hubby and some friends to see The Avengers, but I am only just now getting to sit and write about it. I don't want to give away too much, so I will keep it short. The movie was very good, highly entertaining, action-packed, and fun. Many people told me how funny it was, and so in my mind I was expecting it to be a comedy with some action thrown in. In reality it was more of an action movie with some comedy thrown in. That's not to say it wasn't funny, I am just trying to prepare anyone that hasn't seen it yet to anticipate the appropriate amount of funniness. After I saw the movie, I spent the next 24 hours basically trying to decide which Avenger was my favorite. I *think* I have it narrowed down to Thor and Captain America, though others are also awesome. Also, I was never really a fan of the Hulk, but after this movie I like him better. So, go see it if you haven't already! :)

*edit: I included this great Captain America picture for Lola. :)

Separation Anxiety

Charles and I took Frodo to the vet yesterday to inquire about his separation anxiety and how to best handle it. I was a little bit disappointed that there was no magical cure. They asked if we wanted to medicate him, and we said we would prefer not to, but will if that is our only option. They gave us a sheet of paper with 3 licensed behaviorsists' names on it. Luckily we went ahead and got his shots done while he was there, so the $100 vet bill actually felt like it had paid for something. One piece of insight they did offer was that dogs usually get MORE anxious as they age, not less. So at least we learned we have an uphill battle ahead of us. I guess Charles will try to call a behaviorist and hopefully it won't be too crazy expensive. The anxiety has been very stressful on all of us, especially Charles. We try to always have at least one of us at home whenever it is possible, which means we haven't been going out much at all. Good for the budget but a little stifling socially.
On the plus side, Frodo got a lot of compliments at the vet's office for being so handsome. One person thought he was a puppy and was surprised when we told her he was 9 years old! That's our boy.

I'm hoping to go see The Avengers this week, but Frodo's behavior will likely determine that. I've giving a speech in Toastmaster's tonight (about Frodo and his problem, actually), and between that, karate, some reading I need to do for my mentorship program, and some other obligations, things are looking rather hectic. If I don't get to post again before that, I want to wish all you mothers a Happy Mother's Day. :)

JDRF and the Rossini Festival

Well it's Monday morning and I'm recovering from a busy, but good, weekend. On Saturday, my sister Rebecca and I went to the World's Fair Site to walk in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 5K walk. My employer, UT-Battelle, had a team of walkers, so it seemed like a good opportunity to support JDRF and meet some colleagues at the same time. I did get to meet a couple new people, which was really nice, and Rebecca and I enjoyed a nice walk. After the walk, we went up to Market Square and Gay Street for the Farmer's Market and Rossini Festival. My friend, Chrissy, was dancing with her bellydance troupe at the festival. The street vendor food at the festival was super delicious, and we had a good time looking at the vendor booths, listening to opera, eating, and watching the dancing. I got a sunburn on my face from being outside so much, but we had a good time.
In other news, Mister Frodo has been causing more trouble, breaking out of his kennel and just being stressed out. I bought him a ThunderShirt yesterday, but we haven't left him alone with it yet. I am optimistic that it will help since I've heard so many good things about them. The peeing in the kennel and the destroying of blankets is annoying, but the real problem is that Frodo is so clearly distressed, and he scratches his face in these escape attempts. Charles was able to track down the offending pieces of kennel by following the tiny blood trail, so we now know which part of the kennel he is scratching himself on, but we don't have much at our disposal to stop it. So hopefully the ThunderShirt will help.
Well, Happy Monday, everyone. Let's get this party started.

Sherlock

So people that know me know that I love British stuff, and Scifi, and nerd culture and all that jazz. I'm a big fan of Doctor Who-- not a "I know everything about DW" kind of fan, but a fan that gets excited and loves DW stuff. Well... I feel like I am cheating on Doctor Who because I am falling in love with the BBC Sherlock series. Sherlock is so fantastic. Last night I was watching an episode and it mentioned Liberty, Indiana. I got a little giddy. My grandparents lived in Liberty, Indiana! It was neat hearing a town of <3,000 people (thank you, Wikipedia) get mentioned like that.
I change favorites a lot... favorite actors, songs, shows, movies, foods... but right now, Sherlock is my favorite. I'm devouring Sherlock pins on Pinterest like a crazy person. If you like British stuff, or just good TV, or cheekbones, or scarves, or mysteries, you should check this show out. Season 1 is streaming on Netflix. 3 episodes per season, but they are about 80 minutes each. You will love Dr. Watson. What a guy.

Ott's BBQ

I am sure I must've eaten at Ott's sometime in my life, since it was on the road between my family's house and the small horse farm we had in Lenoir City growing up. But I don't remember it. I recall in recent years driving past it and not feeling too compelled to go in. However, Ott's recently moved from Lenoir City/Dixie Lee to Bearden, and a coworker told me that she and her family really enjoy going there, so I thought I'd give it a try. This is a very like-minded coworker; we have a lot of similar tastes, so I figured that if she liked it, I would like it. "What do you normally get there?" I asked, and she said she likes the pulled pork sandwich but that her husband and son like the quesadilla. o_O   You get a quesadilla at a BBQ place? She said it was good.
So last night I asked hubby if I could treat him to dinner at Ott's and he agreed. He got the pulled pork sandwich with fries (fat potato wedge style) and a drink. I got the quesadilla (which had pulled pork and chopped chicken, which I thought was strange, but hey, whatever) and a drink. The total came to almost $20 which was steep, but I brough half the quesadilla home (it was huge!) along with a mound of fries (big portion), so I guess when you consider that we got an extra meal out of it, it wasn't that bad. The food was very tasty. The atmosphere was meh, but I am totally OK with that. I don't go out to eat so I can look at artsy prints. I go to EAT, and the food was good. I will definitely go back.