Many studies have been published recently that show pets are good for their owners health. People who had to speak in public, for example, had less (dis-)stress if they were able to stroke their pets before speaking. Pet owners have lower blood pressure overall. Blah blah blah.

This kind of calming effect is, however, seen only when there is both an affinity for the type of animal, and some sort of positive bond between the pet and the owner. This bond is most typically seen when the owner chooses the pet, instead of having it foisted upon him (say in the case of marriage or other live-in relationship).

Well known is my struggle with Kris' dogs.

Oh, so now they're Kris' dogs, eh?

Well, for this moment, yes.

I'm not a dog person. I'm a cat person. I like cats. Cats are cute. They're cuddly. They're quiet. Except for their litter boxes and their butts, they smell good. They're small. In every way they are superior to dogs.

However, Kris is a dog person. And this round (this round!), Kris chose the pet. We have dogs. And they annoy me. They hover around me whenever I'm in the kitchen. They never quite beg, but they definite whine for food when Kris isn't looking. They vomit on the floor. They pee in the bed. Yes, that's right, our dogs pee in the bed. And the scrounging. Argh!

So, best to make the most of the situation, right?

I've recently trained Annie to dash out of her crate, spin a circle and dash back into her crate before she gets her food. Her dashing is hysterical. She surprised me by running around me this evening. Oh, so entertaining.

Better yet, while making my smoothie today, I offered Bella the yogurt container. She was far too tentative about the container, so I offered it to Annie. When she, too, was too dainty with the container, I shoved it onto her nose.

  

Ah, much more entertaining.

Me:  "How are you doing in the standings?"

Kris: "I dropped to eighth. But today is the first full games of day."

*pause*

Me:  "Uh huh."

Last Wednesday, when working out at ASA, G came up to say hello and visit with me. Kris and I haven't seen him in forever (also known as two months), so it was great to see him. He's been working overtime at Cabrillo, and had to cut back on time at ASA. Sucks big time for us. But things have been going well for him. He has a potential job offer as a head coach, one where he can actually play, too. How cool is that?

I asked him about Pat Frost, too. Pat was one of the other trainers at ASA. He was working at ASA while he was training for spring training. Pat had a walk-on tryout with Kansas City as a pitcher.

Well, it turns out he pitched really well, and landed a contract. He goes out in spring training to pitch his first game ("all excited like," says Kris). Throws a pitch, and *ow* he tweaked his shoulder. The doctors looked at his shoulder and, yep, sure enough, tore his rotator cuff.

Boo.

The good thing is that he had a contract, so his medical expenses are covered. The bad thing, it's his rotator cuff. So, Pat's back in the Bay Area.

So, anyone who knows me knows that I don't drink caffeinated beverages. Nor do I typically drink carbonated beverages. The former is because I was told caffeine can trigger migraines, the latter because I was told the phosphor in carbonated drinks contributes to osteoporosis.

This second connection is actually dubious. The original observation was that women in recent generations have more osteoporosis than older generations, and, hey, they drink more sodas, so there must be a connection, a link between the rise in soda consumption and the rise in osteoporosis. The first theory that developed was that the phosphor in the soda was leeching the calcium from the bones, causing the osteoporosis increase.

The link, however, is that the increase in soda consumption resulted in a decrease of milk consumption, and therefore a decrease in calcium consumption. This decrease in calcium consumption meant less calcium in the bones of the latest generation of women (and men, actually), and hence an increase in osteoporosis.

There are probably a larger number of factors, such as reduced sunlight exposure (vitamin D!), increased toxin consumption, less weight bearing exercise and the other factors we don't know about, but the one I kept with me (quite irrationally) is the phospor in carbonated beverages can cause oestoporosis, so don't drink it!

So much did that stick with me, that ten years later I actually recall an otherwise unremarkable hike with Hester Bell. Hester and I were hiking in the San Gabriel mountains, on a hike similar to hikes where the idea for Amerigon was fostered by Lon Bell. I very much enjoyed spending time with Hester. Lon, on the other hand, intimidated the hell out of me.

And I still don't drink many sodas. I will on occasion, however. Take last week, for example. Kris was at work until after 4:00 am. I stayed up as best I could waiting for him. The next day, I was tired. So tired. So, at lunch, I had my first full Coke in years. Yes, years. Not just a sip from Kris's cup. Not a shared Coke. A full Coke.

Caffeine and all.

My first moblog! This is going to be fun.

Kris bought me a new phone last week and I'M PRETTy excited about it. Though I seem to have fatter fingers than I thought I did.

We'll see how this goes. I have a camera phone so maybe more impromptu pictures. Or maybe not. I am sure I'm going to need to streamline my blog entry process though. I can't even find the freaking comma key.

Update! Kris found the comma key for me! blob-M. Whoo!