Friendly Fill-Ins

Welcome to Friday! It's the day of the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, for anyone who might not know. Care to join in on the fun? In case you missed them yesterday, I'll share the fill-in statements below. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. 13 years ago, I _________.

2. By this time next year, I hope to _________.

3. One word that describes me is _________.

4. If my life were a book or movie, it would be in the _________ genre.


If you'd like to know how I answered these, feel free to read on. My answers are in bold.

Warning: I really rambled on in these. I feel so bad for you poor souls. I am not a talkative person when you meet me in real life. The online version of me, though, she just can't seem to keep her virtual mouth shut. My apologies.

1. 13 years ago, I was surviving high school.
(In truth, I was very lucky in that high school really wasn't that bad for me. I am blessed to have never struggled with bullying or other unfortunate events that some face in high school. While I had a small group of friends, I was still largely a loner, and I preferred to focus on my studies. I'll admit I was actually one of those obnoxious students who wanted perfect grades. My parents never put that pressure on me, but I sure put it on myself. It's weird when you're freaking out over every future test and it's your parents who are like, "Whoa. Take a chill pill. Getting a B won't kill you." I thought it would kill me, though. I was a really intense student, and I always looked forward to graduation because I drove myself nuts with the pressure I put on myself. Don't worry, though, because every day I had me some therapeutic cuddle sessions with my calico angel Rosie, and angel pups Banjo and Shellie.)

2. By this time next year, I hope to have a clear publishing plan.
(I've mentioned on here before that I have a dream of being a published author, as well as to illustrate my stories. I've had countless story ideas floating in my head since, well, forever. I recently started cracking down on one of my favorite story ideas. It was supposed to be a short story, and I planned on publishing it this year. As it tends to do, though, my mind went wild with this story, and now it's become something much, much larger than it was even just a couple months ago. I briefly tried fighting this, and I tried to stick to my original plan, but then I realized that I simply can't do that. I lost control of my own imagination, and there was no going back. So, this short story is no longer a short story. Now, this weird and wacky world living inside my head is taking some majorly extra planning and plotting and all that jazz. So, I have a new plan to work on it throughout this year and to solidify a publishing plan for next year. This is something I'm doing for fun and because I enjoy it, but nevertheless, this whole writing thing is no joke. I applaud all of the published authors out there in the world.)

3. One word that describes me is solitary.
(I'm perfectly happy spending time with just myself and my furbabies. Actually, I very much prefer that over anything else.)

4. If my life were a book or movie, it would be in the comedy genre.
(This is largely thanks to my furbabies. Would you laugh if you came to a scene in a book or movie with a hind limb paralyzed cat making his merry away down a hallway, looking all happy and proud as he drags his little body right through another cat's ginormous pile of puke, and subsequently painting the floors of the house with said puke with his paralyzed legs? I was sort of laughing when I woke up to that very scene yesterday. Then I got to clean it up, and the laughing was over.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Because April was focused on the A to Z Challenge, it's been a while since Eddy has gotten to take her usual turn to star in a Friday post. Let's remedy that now.

This little lady cat had no desire to look at the camera, but can you really blame her? Window whiffies are far more important!

Wishing you all a fantastic Friday!

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Doodle of the Day:

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Tip of the Day:

Yesterday we discussed some of the potential symptoms of heartworm disease. Today's tip is a simple one grounded in a bit of common sense. And that is, if your kitty or pup is showing signs of potential heartworm disease, or if you have any concern regarding the disease for any reason, of course schedule an appointment for your furbaby to be seen by their veterinarian as soon as possible. Furthermore, this is the time to discuss heartworm testing with your veterinarian, and of course to ask questions as needed to understand the process.

That being said, keep in mind that there is a relatively simple heartworm blood test for dogs. It is recommended that this testing be done at least annually, or as needed. On the other hand, testing for heartworms is not as easily done in cats. We will discuss this a bit further tomorrow, but typical blood tests for heartworms do not always offer as definitive results in cats as they do in dogs. In cats, a heartworm antigen or heartworm antibody test can be done. Another option is to have imaging done, such as chest x-rays. Though not always simple or easy, as long as you and your veterinarian work together, it is possible to determine if your kitty has heartworms. So, if you have any concern whatsoever that your kitty, or your pup, might be risk for heartworm disease, do not hesitate to schedule a vet visit for testing.