Author Archives: Janet

A Billion Dollar Business

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A while back I blogged disparagingly about the FDA, how they approve thousands of drugs that end up being recalled, or worse, killing people. Can you believe there are over 20,000 prescription drug products approved for marketing? Commercials list horror stories of side effects, and not the good kind like suppressing the appetite or reducing the appearance of wrinkles. I remember thinking, how on earth did that drug ever pass clinical trials?

The pharmaceutical business is just that — a business. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying everyone associated with creating and/or approving drugs for marketing is only in it for the cash but the yearly billion-dollar-budget pharmaceuticals pay to those who regulate the drugs they’re peddling seems a bit self-serving, don’t you think?

Take the latest push to sell QUVIVIQ, a drug that purports to help with insomnia. Actor Taye Diggs has the affliction (as do I, which I blogged about last Sunday). In the commercial he talks about counting sheep and listening to white noise and nature sounds, all to no avail.

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Mr. Sandman, Where Art Thou?

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I’m screwed (so to speak). And mostly because I don’t sleep. Well, I sleep, just not enough. And therein lies the problem.

You see, I read recently that lack of sleep could result in heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, memory loss, stroke, anxiety, obesity, and a higher chance of injury. But that’s not all. There’s more, but I’m depressed now. Uh oh, that’s one of the symptoms!

Turns out I AM injury prone and my memory isn’t what you’d call stellar. Not even close. But I noticed they didn’t mention crabby and I’m here to tell you, that’s definitely a symptom. Just ask my pets after I’ve had 4 broken hours of shut-eye.

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Spring Has Sprung!

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…in other words, it’s time to haul out the patio furniture (once our monsoons stop), grab the gardening tools, get ready to plant those annuals and gear up for summer.

But for me, this time of year also means organizing every closet, cupboard and drawer in the house. Not because I want to, mind you. I can think of 37 much more interesting things I’d rather do. But since I’ve been lax of late, my cupboards look like we had a recent earthquake. No longer are the cans and bottles lined up facing forward and boxes neatly stacked. It’s what you’d call a…

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Ned, The Target Cat

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About 6 months ago, a woman and her daughter sent me a video of a long-haired tabby racing through the parking lot of Target late one night. The daughter captured him on her iPhone while her mom yelled, “Film him before he runs away! Hurry, don’t miss him!” Followed by, “I KNOW Mom! I’m getting him!”

When Target closes at 9:00 p.m., cats emerge from the marshland that hugs the store on 2 sides, the bay on the other. Shoppers sometimes leave them food, some contact us (Marin Friends of Ferals) and some, I assume, simply look away.

Target isn’t located near homes so these are feral cats or possibly lost or dumped domestics. So my awesome volunteer, Holly, and I placed a feeding station under a bush off the parking lot, locked a motion sensor camera to it, and started feeding.

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A Leap of Faith

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This post was one of the first I wrote 10 years ago, so long ago you don’t remember it, do you? That’s okay. My memory sucks too. So this will be just like new to you (and me!).

While my three friends and I huddled on the cold steel floor of the single engine Cessna, I struggled to remember what possessed me to want to hurl myself from an airborne metal tube.

Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not crazy. At least I think I’m not. But still, I seriously questioned my sanity while checking my parachute pack for the tenth time. My curiosity was not based on its technical construction but simply to confirm that it was still on my back. Continue reading →