Urban Dog Fasion

Half of my work week is spent on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. For those not familiar with the different areas of Manhattan and what they are known for, allow me to orient you to the famed UES. Just as 90210 is the most desireable zip code in Southern California, 10021 (i.e. the UES) is the most desireable zip code in New York City. Similarities between 90210 and 10021 include (1) every designer store you've ever heard of/read about in any fashion magazine, (2) lots of very wealthy people who wearing only the finest clothes, carry only the trendiest handbags, live in only the most glamorous homes, have drivers....(you get the picture), and last, but definitely not least, (3) lots and lots and lots of "little dogs" on designer leashes trotting around with their fashionable owners.

Where I grew up, dogs were not a rare commodity, but "little dogs" were. Except for my Uncle's mini dachsund, I really had no exposure to "little dogs" until I came to Manhattan. Sure, I saw them all over the trashy entertainment gossip magazines that I subscribe to, but I figured only the movie stars were vain enough to carry these hairy little creatures around as if they were THE must-have accessory.

Not only do the UES-ers have more of these little creatures per capita than I could ever imagine, they treat them just as they would their children: designer clothes, fancy beds, gourmet food, and only the finest SHOES (refer to photo, courtesy of http://www.glamourdog.com/, on the left) for these little beasts. When I saw it for the first time in person, I thought I was just hallucinating. "No way did that dog have SHOES on!" I said to myself. I'd seen plenty of dogs wearing little coats, sweaters, etc, but I can almost understand the logic behind those. After all, those little dogs weren't made for the cold, harsh, East Coast winter. Without some added insulation, they might freeze while taking their daily walks/poops/pees. But shoes?! I always assumed that the tough bits of skin on the underside of their paws were sufficient to keep them comfortable, even on cold sidewalks. But what do I know?

Don't get me wrong. It is fun to dress pets up like people. But to subject them to public embarrassment like this? My cat, Bennie, for example, tolerates me putting little articles of clothing on him and taking photos (see photo on the right). But, would I ever take him outside and parade him around like this? (posting his photo on the web is an entirely different thing, so no comments from the peanut gallery!).

Maybe a little more time in the NY area will change my mind about this matter, but for now, I'm anti-doggie-shoe, and I'm sticking to it!

Football...to like or not to like?

Last year, I made the mistake of passing up the opportunity to join a fantasy football league. An all-girls, very hip & trendy league started by a great friend that she proudly named the Vagina Mono-League. I had various reasons for not joining, a few of which are:

1. I don't watch football.

2. Even if forced, I don't really enjoy watching football.

3. Only if adequately intoxicated at a pre-game tailgate party will I go to a football game, and even then, I can only take about 30 minutes.

As a psychiatrist, I always have to wonder why I like or dislike things so vehemently. After intense psychoanalytic investigation, here are a few reasons why I think I may not like football:

1. Growing up in Denver, Colorado, I was thoroughly disappointed when the Broncos made it to, count them, THREE Super Bowls in a span of 4 years (1987, 1988, 1990) and were absolutely CREAMED. So embarrassing! (You might want to remind me that they redeemed themselves in 1998 & 1999 when they won the Super Bowl both years, but I say, "Too little, too late!")

2. Though I always enjoyed going to the annual Harvard-Yale "Game" (the yearly battle between the schools' mediocre football teams), albeit for the tailgates (see #3 above), I never really had the chance to cheer for my school team since, well, they SUCKED!

So, you can probably understand why I declined my great friend's invitation to join the league. But, as time went by, I realized I was missing out on a great opportunity to learn more about the game, understand what she was talking about on her blog (http://www.leagueofourown.blogspot.com/), and well, she kind of guilt-tripped me into it this year.

So far, I have no regrets! I even got into football for a millisecond at the beginning of the season. I watched a few minutes of a couple of games on TV, tried to keep up with how my players were doing (when I remembered who my players were...doh!), and thought I may have a chance at doing well at this new hobby of mine.

Oh, how wrong I was about doing well, though! Sure, I now understand that when a player is listed as "Bye" on my roster, that I won't be racking up any points on them cuz they won't be playing that week (thank you to la Commish & her sis for pointing that out!). And I don't feel guilty anymore for dropping a player after only one sucky week (at first, I'd have given him a 2nd, maybe 3rd, chance). But, frankly, despite my climbing the football learning curve pretty quickly, my team has consistently ranked in the bottom 3 out of 12. I keep asking myself, "what am I doing wrong? what more can I do?" I'm stumped.

Suffice it to say, I am a sore loser. Always have been, always will be. Yes, it's just a silly little competition. Yes, it's all just fun & games with friends. But WHY, WHY, WHY can't I at least be in the top half??? Well, I think the chances of that are slim at this point (only 6 more weeks to go, and my team is 3-7-0). So, my new goal, you ask?

I JUST DON'T WANNA BE IN LAST PLACE!

I'll keep you posted.

Not So Down or Out in Jersey

I rarely get my husband to come into Manhattan to have some fun in the big city. Unlike me, he prefers the quiet, laid back atmosphere of North Jersey. So, it was to my amazement that I convinced him to NOT ONLY come with me to Manhattan today, but to come to a 6 year-old's bowling birthday party at Chelsea Piers. It's not that bowling isn't fun (though we didn't actually bowl because the kids were having too much fun), nor that birthday parties aren't fun. But when you're 5 times the age of the majority of the guests, the fun is of a different sort. Nevertheless, he agreed (and, I must add, happily) to join me.

Given these incredibly lucky circumstances, it was predictable that something would have to interfere. Enter the unfortunate onset of cold symptoms that seriously sidelined me from the fun. Despite my best efforts to medicate my symptoms, I was sniffling, blowing my nose, and trying my hardest to keep my eyes open (sinus congestion makes it nearly impossible!) all day long. 10 mg of Sudafed (it would have been more had I not run out), 50 mg of Benadryl, and I was still a miserable sick mess.

In the end, I made it through the party, followed by a visit to the giant used bookstore, "The Strand", and dinner with friends. Now I'm back at home, laying under lots of warm blankets, and having a laid back night at home. With 20 mg more of Sudafed and 50 mg more of Benadryl, I am ready to curl up and fall asleep. As much as I would have liked to stay in Manhattan and have some more fun, I'm truly appreciating my quiet, laid back night in NJ. It only took a virus to make me see the merits of my new home town.

Help Us Save Our Feline Friends!!

On my way to work every day, I pick up the Metro, a free paper that is targeted for commuters who need something quick & easy to read during their trip on the NYC subways. Yesterday, in the Metro's "Voices" section, I came upon a letter from a reader that infuriated the cat lover in me. To quote this reader, Nicki Rivers:

"I sympathize with the plight of the feral cats at JFK [airport] being rounded up and turned over to Animal Control to be possibly euthanized...[airport] officials have determined that the cat food is attracting birds that are dangerous to the airplanes...it isn't worth sacrificing human life on a jet plane because some people want to keep these cats running loose at the airport...it's a sad but harsh reality".

Before I could do more research on this topic (because there was NO question that I was going to blog about this topic), I read another letter in today's Metro, this time, a more conscientious, cat-friendly letter by Susan Davis:

"Nicki Rivers, along with others, has been duped by the Port Authority into thinking that the cats draw birds. On the contrary, approximately 10 percent of those birds will find themselves as lunch meal for the cats. In fact, it is the airports proximity to the ocean, where birds will always flock, and human garbage strewn about that pose the danger. JFK officials are taking the easy way out (for them, not for the cats) after years of lapses in security that allowed people to abandon cats there in the first place."

With the work day over, I had time to conduct my own research on this topic. This time around, I found a more credible source of information (sorry, Metro!): the NY Times. Check out this article for more information on this horrendous kitty holocaust at JFK!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/nyregion/26cats.html

Another NY Times article (10/30/07) provided me with the following atrocity of a memo from Susan Baer, the new General Manager at JFK to all of its employees:

The Port Authority strives to maintain a safe environment for the thousands of people and aircraft who pass through the airport each day. Feeding animals not only attracts animals that are currently on the airport, but also serves as an attractant to draw animals to the airport from other areas. These animals pose many dangers to both people and aircraft. While it may seem harmless to feed an animal outside of a building, that same animal may find its way out to the airport’s runway and strike an aircraft that is on takeoff or landing. Birds and other wildlife that strike aircraft cost U.S. civil aviation over $600 million per year and may result in the loss of an aircraft or human fatalities. These are serious consequences for a seemingly insignificant act that could be easily prevented.
Feeding animals also creates rodent and other pest problems. Leaving food out for animals such as cats in order to control mice and rats also means that there is plenty of food available to the very pests you are attempting to deter. It is much more efficient to keep the premises sanitary and use traditional pest control practices to control rodents and other pests.
Feeding animals also serves to spread disease to other animals more rapidly since animals are more concentrated at feeding stations and may come into close contact. This puts not only the animals, but also people who work or pass through those areas, at a greater risk of contracting a disease.
Finally, artificial feeding by humans hurts wildlife since they become dependent on handouts and less able to fend for themselves. The food given to them may also upset their digestive systems and doesn’t provide the right amounts of vitamins and minerals they need to survive. Some animals may become so dependent on human food handouts that they beg people for food and may mistakenly bite people in attempts to get food.

The last paragraph is particularly offensive to my intelligence...does she SERIOUSLY believe that JFK airport is some kind of wildlife preserve and that "feeding the animals" will disrupt the fragile ecosystem???? Give me a break, Susan. Oh, and don't feed me any more of that BS!

Call me a sappy animal lover, but it truly breaks my heart that after 3+ years of these kitties being kindly cared for in what is probably the most natural environment any NYC kitty could wish for AND not causing any significant problems (I challenge anyone to tell me the last time that an airplane at JFK was put in jeopardy by a rat, bird, cat, etc), that they are being trapped, taken from the only home they've ever know, and likely euthanized (because there are only so many cat lovers who will rescue them from Animal Control). Having flown out of JFK, I can tell you that they have MUCH BIGGER problems than a "happy cat camp" in an abandoned area. Here's my suggestion: Try focusing on your horrendously long security lines, your dilapidated buildings, your slow as hell baggage claim, etc. Leave the cats be!