AeroKat!

Oscar, our cat, has been a bit under the weather.

We first noticed that he was breathing very fast when we returned from Taiwan. After a few tests and a chest x-ray, we learned that he had a very severe chest infection.

After much improvement during the first half of his course of antibiotics , he took a turn for the worst, which prompted several trips to the vet and even more medicine.

What I hadn't expected was to be given the AeroKat, an asthma inhaler, and a few words of encouragement.



At first glance, the AeroKat looks an awful lot like Austin Powers' Swedish Enlarger.

Further inspection reveals that it is, in fact, Canadian.






The AeroKat comes with convenient instructions; so convenient, they're printed right on it and seemingly don't require words. While one could read the enclosed insert for further detail. I'm reasonably confident it doesn't include anything about bloodshed.


(note: for our purposes, diagrams are numbered 1 through 3, going from left to right.






As I see it, this set of diagrams is sorely lacking in a few key points about using the AeroKat. It focuses on all thr wrong stuff. Removing the cap on the inhaler (picture 1) and inserting the inhaler into the AeroKat (picture 2) are the least of your worries if you actually have to use the darned thing.

That brings us to picture 3.
In this diagram, the human dispenses the inhaler into the AeroKat chamber using a single hand to discharge the inhaler, dispensing medication to a cat who willingly inserts its face into AeroKat's comfy mask and accepts the medication into its visible set of lungs.

What the directions fail to highlight is that this is the step where it all gets violent and complicated.

The human must hold the mask area tightly on to the cat's face, discharging the inhaler into the chamber. This cannot be done with a single hand on the inhaler, as the diagram suggests. Should the mask lose contact with the cat's face, you get to start all over again.

Once the inhaler is discharged, the human must cling onto the cat for dear life as he takes his next five breaths and sticks his claws in your flesh and wriggles around like mad.

I have found that this task is best achieved by holding the cat against my leg. I have also found that wearing my work clothes is less preferable, but in the absence of riot gear, they're not a bad option.

The AeroKat does not come with a supply of Band-Aids; although, it might be a nice effort if it did.

Fortunately, the cat is already back on the mend. The medication via AeroKat has helped him significantly, so perhaps I won't be needing all that Neosporin.

Fish!

As I love fish, swimming, and aquariums, my husband very thoughtfully bought me a fish tank earlier this month.

We set it up in the kitchen, in case you've noticed the Ben & Jerry's ice cream bookbook hiding behind the cutting board to the right.

Two visits to the aquarium shop later, the 30L tank is full!

Introducing in order of aquisition:

• Mimosa: Champagne & orange colored
• Rumsfeld: The speckled one, he kept beating up on Mimosa, until Calippo and Simon joined the tank
• Calippo: The Orange one, named for the British popsicles
  
• Simon: The black one with the bulging eyes, much like my husband's friend, Simon, who we refer to as, "the eyes"

Best at Queuing: Taiwan v. England

I have observed that the English hold the ability to competently queue with the same high regard as that of skillful teamaking.

The BBC, in the article from which I sourced the above photo, even describes queuing as a, "typically British passtime".

My belief that England was the home of a nation of ace queuers was rock solid, and I was proud to join the line and moan about the weather.

That is, until I got to Taiwan.
Queuing lines to board the trains, perhaps to help school the newcomers?
On the MRT (Taipei Subway):
and the High Speed Rail:



















It didn't end there. Even this bathroom, as well as quite a few others visited on the trip, had a designated queuing spot:

England, it might be time to consider yourself served...

Icy Pancake!

I felt compelled to buy the icy pancake when I spied it in the freezer section in a minimarket in Kending, mostly because actually saying, "Icy Pancake" amused me way more than it should.

While the artistic rendering of this snack may look more like a hamburger than a slab of chocolate ice cream sandwiched between two pancakes, that's because the box lies.

Ice cream and pancake should never be united and stored in the freezer. I can only hope I never fall victim to the allure of icy pancake again, as there's only so much disappointment this girl can take.

For the record, I did eat the whole thing.

Wimbledon: Tennis on the Tube

Just in case someone forgot that it's Wimbledon time here in Southwest London, HSBC has kindly jazzed up a local tube stop in honor of the occasion.

I could get used to the astroturf, umbrellas, and flowers.

Signage: Unattended Children

One of the best signs, ever.

This was posted in a barbershop window near Smithfield Market.