alternativekitten

UL6 OUT

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Thu, 3 Mar 2011 16:18:00 GMT

This is not a political protest, read on and you will discover what UL6 is.

On Tuesday 01 March 2011 I had a tooth taken out. This tooth has quite a good story, so I though I would share it with the world (translation, I have suffered, I want the rest of the world to suffer with me).
CONTAINS GRAPHIC PICTURES - LOOK AWAY IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH.

The tooth, upper left molar tooth 6 (where teeth are counted down from the wisdom teeth which are no. 8, to the incisors which are no. 1), had been slightly oversensitive for a while. I had a checkup appointment with the dentist on 15 Feb 2011, who had a good look at it, and said it was fine, did not need filling or anything. The gums were receded, this made it more sensitive. I have always had sensitive teeth, i.e. I have to eat ice cream carefully. But this does not stop me eating it.

2 days later, I scraped at the tooth to clear some debris, and one third of the tooth came out. Tooth became less sensitive, was still functional, so I thought I would leave it, no immediate reaction required. 2 days later, the rest of it came out in 2 pieces and the filling. Did I mention that the tooth was mainly made of filling? All of my molars are. At this point I felt that action did need to be taken.

So, one week after the checkup, I returned to the dentist, hoping for a crown. Crowns are the best kind of teeth - I have 2 on top of root canals - never any pain, no decay, no further fillings. One fell out last year when it was about 15 years old, but the dentist glued it back in, no problem. Anyway, the dentist had a look at the tooth currently causing promblems, and said it would have to be pulled, as there was not enough left to fit a crown to. Fair enough, made the appointment for the extraction.

On 1st March 2011, went to the dentist to have the tooth (or the remains of it) pulled. This is where the story starts. Dentist made relevant local anaesthetic injections, got out the autoclaved sterile tools, and made a start. First part is where they push at the tooth with a metal implement to loosen it from the socket. Then she takes the big pliers, and pulls at the tooth, jiggling it around to further loosen it. No joy. Takes the larger big pliers, and carries on. Tooth is not shifting. My jaws hold onto their teeth very firmly. After 2o minutes, the dentist, who is not a skinny little thing and has experience of pulling a lot of teeth over the years, calls her husband in to give her a hand. Her husband is also a dentist at the practise. He comes in, gives the tooth a firm prod, jiggles it around some more, applies the pliers and pulls. The tooth loosens. I can feel this despite the very effective anaesthetic. He takes a firmer grip, pulls again. It takes a process of more jiggling, and about three pulls, but the tooth comes out. This dentist is taking no crap from my tooth. Tooth 0, dentist 1. Felt a bit shaky, body has of course gone into mild shock, a tooth has been ripped from the bone of my jaw.

I asked for the tooth, of course, kind of like a trophy. And I kept the bits that had fallen out originally. I went home, took a couple of painkillers before the anaesthetic wore off, cause I knew it would hurt. Despite the painkillers, the whole area felt very tender for the rest of the day. The next morning, my face was swollen from the experience. The pliers had of course contacted the gums inside the mouth, hard to avoid, and the tooth had been extracted by force, so all attached bits of face were sulking. Did not need painkillers until the afternoon though. Spent Tuesday evening and Wednesday consuming only soft foods. Today, Thursday, face is more swollen, and very tender to the touch. Hamster have nothing on me in terms of swollen left cheeks. Have, however, not had to take any further painkillers.

On the whole, I am perfectly happy, it had to be done. Doing the usual correct wound management, rinsing my mouth with salt water, cleaning very carefully around my upper left teeth. Here are the gory pictures:

The Offending Item in All Its Parts

Did I mention that the roots of the tooth are HUGE? No wonder they had difficulty in getting it out. Top yellow bit is the root of the tooth. Less than 1mm of the tooth was showing above the gum. Left most - the original piece that came out. The rest is the other 2 pieces and the filling.

Tooth Extraction Smacked in the Face Look

The Gory Socket Left Where the Tooth Was
(taken a couple of hours after the extraction, socket is clean now)

Excuse the bad angle. PJKProductions is responsible/gets the credit for the pictures.

Moral of the story - there is none. As I stated at the top, I just thought I would share my discomfort with the rest of the world. Oh, and I can't chew on the left anymore, as lower left molar no. 7 was extracted a couple of years ago, so there are not enough teeth to come into contact to chew. I am now missing 4 teeth (lower right wisdom tooth no. 8 went a number of years ago as it was pushing at the teeth in front of it, lower right no. 7 went in the last couple of years, much the same problem as this tooth), but as I am 4 days short of 41, I do not yet want to go with the false teeth. Soup is a wonderful thing, and I can still chew with the fillings that have replaced the molars on the right side of my face.

PS - have you figured out what UL6 stands for?

Random Rant

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:41:00 GMT

Just looked up Aleister Crowley. Typical case really. Middle class, parents had money, parents were Quakers, born in 1875 when everyone was rebelling against the Victorian way. The way of the Occult is the only way to go in those circumstances.
And Emos and Goths and kids into heavy metal think they invented rebellion. Crowley makes even Marilyn Manson look like he has nothing to say. And I respect Marilyn Manson's art, very deep lyrics.
Not that anyone should take Crowley as a role model. I think even the fairies turned this guy down (as in, off with the fairies).
Why the interest? Someone asked me what I know about spiritualism, so I looked it up on Wikipedia to get an idea (I did not know anything about spiritualism). Which leads to the Golden Dawn, and to Crowley, and it occurred to me that I knew nothing about Crowley, so I looked him up. And modern kids think they invented rebellion!

Unexpected MS Side Effect

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:49:00 GMT

Here is the recipe for an unexpected MS side effect:
Take one person with MS who suffers spasms at night
Take one plush, cuddly cat who sleeps on the pillow next to the head of the PwMS (person with MS)
Take one day after which the PwMS is very tired

Sleep comfortably, facing the plush cat. Deep in the night, suffer a whole body spasm rather than just spasming legs (see MS Yes Project for example). This wakes and startles the cat before it wakes the PwMS. The cat skitters, wheeling its back legs and catches the forehead of the PwMS and scratches it. This wakes the PwMS.

Result:

This occurred Thursday 14th January 2010, in the middle of snowy and icy weather. Of all the injuries I could get in this weather, falls, broken bones, this is the only injury with a visible effect that I suffered.

Overpriced Mutts!!!

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:05:00 GMT

Hello. You will be ecstatic to hear that I have discovered more 'designer dogs' to rant about. Also the point I have not made before: not only are people calling their mongrel puppies by new breed names, but they are charging a lot of money for these. I will now be giving the prices that people are asking for these puppies.

This weeks offerings:

CHIHUAHUA POO (Chihuahua cross Miniature Poodle)
(also known as Chi Poo, Wapoo, or Paul suggested Chiwoodle)
Two images to show the cross can look.

Chihuahua - bred originally in Mexico, it is thought by the Toltecs, where the ancestor of the modern Chihuahua was called a Techichi. Temperament loyal, ferocious and loads of personality. Worlds smallest breed of dog,height of 6 - 9 inches. Tend to neurotic if not properly trained and socialised. Can tend to fits and epilepsy.
Miniature Poodle - Bred from Standard Poodles, which are water dogs. Miniature Poodles are lap dogs. Based on personal experience of the Miniature Poodle my Austrian grandma used to have, neurotic and hysterical at the same time.
Result - tiny dog, neurotic tendencies, can be aggressive due to being small and having a complex.
In the ad in the paper sold as a non-shedding dog. I was not aware that Chihuahuas were know for shedding. Price asked: £400

SHIH-POO (Shih Tzu cross Miniature Poodle)

Shih-Tzu - one of oldest breeds of dog, cannot find much on temperament. Chinese breed, related to the Pug. Have temperature sensitivity issues, and tend to be sickly dogs. Very long haired.
Miniature Poodle - Bred from Standard Poodles, which are water dogs. Miniature Poodles are lap dogs. Based on personal experience of the Miniature Poodle my Austrian grandma used to have, neurotic and hysterical at the same time.
Result - see picture, note these are clipped, I cannot find images of the unclipped version - a spiral perm springs to mind. You would get a dog that is both sickly and neurotic. An animal that would not get out of bed before consulting it's Tarot cards, analyst and life style consultant. It would not leave the house without sunglasses (with UV filters), factor 70 suncream, and carrying an oxygen tank so as not to have to breathe the air which might make it feel ill. Price asked: $500

Once you start to Google poodle crosses, you discover that miniature poodles will cross with anything else small. Crosses come with Bichon Frise, Maltese, anything of that size. See this Wikipeadia page for a list of some of what has been done: Bich-poo
I suggest you be shocked, I am. Some of these breeds are not meant to be crossed deliberately.
Per PJKProductions, poodles seem to be the sluts of the world, they seem to be sleeping with anything now.
What next?
What's this?
Its a Ratoodle, half rat half poodle. Looks like a rat, smells like a rat, but it has short permed like fur, it doesn't shed and likes to be called "Hyacinth"

NB: I have googled the work Ratoodle, and it comes up as a Rat Terrier cross Poodle, where a Rat Terrier is an American breed, not unlike a Jack Russell but a little more sociable. Not a thing I would cross with a poodle. See the link below for pictures of the evil things they do to dogs by crossing experimentally in the interests of producing "cute".
Puppy Shop

MALCHI (Chihuahua cross Maltese Terrier)

Chihuahua - bred originally in Mexico, it is thought by the Toltecs, where the ancestor of the modern Chihuahua was called a Techichi. Temperament loyal, ferocious and loads of personality. Worlds smallest breed of dog,height of 6 - 9 inches. Tend to neurotic if not properly trained and socialised. Can tend to fits and epilepsy.
Maltese Terrier - toy dog, associated with the island of Malta. Happy friendly dog, but can get lonely if left alone too long. Do not have problems with being a small dog.
Result - this might work, but as one breed has smallness issues and one does not, I am not sure that the resulting personality would be. Price £200. More sensibly priced, possibly reflecting the unknown quantity?

CHORKIE/YORKIHUAHUA (Yorkshire Terrier cross Chihuahua)

Yorkshire Terrier - bred as a ratter, now also a toy dog. Very intelligent, and it's a terrier - bold, tenacious, and if it thinks it is right, it will fight its corner.
Chihuahua - bred originally in Mexico, it is thought by the Toltecs, where the ancestor of the modern Chihuahua was called a Techichi. Temperament loyal, ferocious and loads of personality. Worlds smallest breed of dog,height of 6 - 9 inches. Tend to neurotic if not properly trained and socialised. Can tend to fits and epilepsy.
Result: small, intelligent dog, with smallness issues and an inbred certainty this IT IS RIGHT. Could go well, could go horribly wrong. Price £275.

BICHON FRISE CROSS JAPANESE SPITZ CROSS (no name yet)
no picture available, but follow this link for a video: Video

Bichon Frise - bred originally as small dogs from water spaniel and poodle, ex working boat dogs, to meet and great people at ports. Generally friendly, happy dogs, but tend to allergies
Japanese Spitz - first bred in Japan in the 19th century as a companion dog.
Result: probably not bad, breeds seem compatible. However, I find the asking price of £445 excessive for an untried hybrid. Longevity, health, etc for this are all unknown.

I accept that I may be getting repetitive on this, but my issue is not so much with crossing the breeds, although research on Google suggests that many of the breed clubs are not happy with it. My problem is with the obscene prices that are being charged. As it is, dogs seem to be very expensive these days. Especially considering that mongrel kittens will stiff go for as low as £20. But any dog, even if not an official breed seems to fetch at least £100, frequently much more. I disagree with this.

More Mongrels!!!

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:23:00 GMT

I have discovered more 'new breeds', previously known as mongrels.

COCKER POO (Cocker Spaniel cross Poodle)

Cocker Spaniel - gun dog, bred to flush woodcock, based on some cocker spaniels I have know - neurotic at a Freudian level.
Poodle - I am assuming the crosses are with Miniature Poodles, as those most closely match the size of the Cocker Spaniel. Bred from Standard Poodles, which are water dogs. Miniature Poodles are lap dogs, and again based on personal experience, can tend to the neurotic.
So what you get is a cute, small dog in a permanent state of nervous breakdown.

SCHNOODLE (Schnautzer cross Poodle)

Schnautzer - bred from herding, guarding and ratting breeds. Very terrier like, lively and intelligent. Territorial.
Poodle - assuming the crosses are with Miniature Poodles, as those most closely match the size of the Schnauzer (middle and miniature). Bred from Standard Poodles, which are water dogs. Miniature Poodles are lap dogs, and again based on personal experience, can tend to the neurotic.
Result - neurotic, intelligent, territorial, likes chasing things. All I can think is that it would drive you insane.

GOLDENOODLE (Golden Retriever cross Standard Poodle)

Golden Retriever - waterdog, retrieving dog, love swimming, shed lots, gentle, used as guide dogs.
Standard Poodle - water dogs, gun dogs, retrievers, good watchdogs, intelligent.
This one may actually work. Looks like you would get a sensible dog out of this.

PUGGLE (Pug cross Beagle)

Pug - toy dog, sciable, playful, clever,stubborn
Beagle - hunting dog - hares, rabbits, single minded, friendly. I have personal experience of a beagle. He was a lovely dog, but I have memories of my mother spending hours out calling for him after he had run off chasing something and got so focussed that he forgot to come back. A breed that Barbara Woodhouse described as untrainable.
Result - dog that likes exercise, singe minded, stubborn, playful. Lovely dog, but YOU will do what the PUGGLE wants, not what you want.

As before, when I stumble across them.

Rachel

It's What They Called A Mongrel!!!!

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:46:00 GMT

You remember when there used to be sch a thing as a mongrel, or a mutt? A dog of very uncertain origin who could hold its head up and know it had street-cred. Well, they are now a very rare thing, and should be protected.
It started with the labradoodle, see this link for an example. Even the dog looks embarrassed.

Dog breeds used to have a purpose or function. That breed was for something, it worked, although, yes, in the case of the toy breeds that work involved looking cute and/or decorative. But they had some kind of purpose.

There is now a new thing. People have discovered that by giving their ’accidents’ (dog got out and mated with totally the wrong thing) breed names that they have invented, they can charge serious money for the puppies, rather than having to beg people to take them out of the goodness of their hearts.

I spot these in the pets for sale section of the local paper, and as I discover them I will share them with you.

To date:

JACKERANIAN (Jack Russell cross Pomeranian)

Jack Russell - Incredibly intelligent, needs attention and training, and remember, it’s a terrier. Bred to chase rats.
Pomeranian -Companion dog, small, cute, bred as a companion dog, more personality than size.
So what you will get is an incredibly cute small dog, with way much intelligence and all the stubborness of the terrier that will run rings around you. It will chase everything. dig up everything, protect you (its property) and be convinced it is twice the size it is.
No practical use, but an expert in training human beings.

SPRINGERDOR aka LABRADINGER (Springer Spaniel cross Labrador)(see Wikipedia Springerdor)

Springer Spaniel - Gundog, bred to flush out game, very boingy active dogs.
Labrador -Very laid back but intelligent dog, love affair with water and retrieving things.
Give it loads of exercise and plenty to chase and retrieve.
More useful than the Jackeranian, but may be a little confused since half of it is a laid back Labrador, and half of it has the word spaniel attached. You will note how the dog has the face of the Springer Spaniel and the coat of the Labrador and a bit of a gormless look to it.

Please note that pictures of all these "breeds" can be googled if you want more information. The original breeds can be googled, and appear in Wikipedia.

Ratties

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Fri, 8 Feb 2008 17:32:00 GMT

Ratties
Uploaded by La_rangee_avant

Some antics by Beta and Blocker, the theft of nuts and they tidying of a piece of parsnip

Bath Rats

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Wed, 3 Jan 2007 20:30:00 GMT

Dailymotion blogged video
Bath Rats
Video sent by La_rangee_avant

It was time to wash the rats, good job I had the camera ready.

The Herbert

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Sun, 21 May 2006 18:06:00 GMT

Dailymotion blogged video
The Herbert
Video sent by La_rangee_avant

Mon Hamster - 'The Herbert'

Eulogy for YumYum

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Mon, 8 May 2006 20:19:00 GMT

Dailymotion blogged video
Eulogy for YumYum
Video sent by La_rangee_avant

Click Here To Download
This is a eulogy for Yum Yum, who was the first cat I ever had. She died April 29, 2006 after two months of illness.

Msyes rk

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 17:04:00 GMT

Dailymotion blogged video
Msyes rk
Video sent by La_rangee_avant

My MS YES PROJECT CONTRIBUTION. SPASMS, MUSIC BY RACHEL KNIGHT ON GARAGEBAND

Richard Dawkins and the Root of All Evil

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Mon, 9 Jan 2006 21:26:00 GMT

Hello all, felt the need to get on my soapbox. No video on this, just me ranting in words.

I have just finished watching the first episode of the programme The Root of All Evil, on British Channel 4, presented by Richard Dawkins. He argues that religion narrows the mind, and harms society. He has interviewed only extremists, and has not done all of his science homework.

My shock is as follows: this is the man of the Selfish Gene, ie the purpose of life is to create more life. And religion helps with this. Religion is about keeping the local community together and strong. The breakdown of the local community is a recent thing. As evolutionary psychologists would tell you, human behaviours have also evolved, to help propagate the DNA of the tribe/the family unit. This way, YOUR DNA is propagated.

Yes, religious extremists can cause a lot of harm, but Richard Dawkins of all people, should understand how this came about, and what it's evolutionary purpose is. I agree it can be wrong, but he really shouldn't be so surprised it happens. He is one of the people that told us that the only thing DNA wants is to create more DNA, preferably of itself. Why does he think culture does the things it does? I am shocked at the narrow mindedness of such a god of science, and very disappointed.

Thanks for reading. Alternative Kitten

Alternative Kitten Philosophy 101 Episode Two

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Sun, 8 Jan 2006 19:21:00 GMT

Click Here to download

Here it is, the second episode of Alternative Kitten philosophy 101 - my response to creationism.
At this point I must make my apologies to members of the Islamic and Judaic communities, as my argument is based on a Christian ethos. This is only because this is the one I am most familiar with. I also recognise the Muslim point that the Koran is not as interpreted by man, but directly dictated by God, which would invalidate part of my argument.

However, this is a vlog, a place where we all excercise our right to freedom of speech, so this is my pennorth/nickel's worth. I hope people will like it. Next time, hopefully something on human behaviour and communication, alternately something on social structures. Not sure yet.

Alternative Kitten Philosophy 101 Episode One

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 22:49:00 GMT

Click on Picture to download
This is the first of a series of episodes of philosophical discussion, Alternative Kitten Philosophy 101. This episode is about Multiple Sclerosis, Reality, and Human Consciousness.

Cat Chess

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 22:31:00 GMT

Dailymotion blogged video
Cat Chess
Originally uploaded by La_rangee_avant

Click here to download
C'est mon deuxieme vlog, avec les chat jouez le echecs. Pardon, il n'y a de traduction, mais c'est un peut complique.
This is my second vlog, cats playing chess.

The Adventure of the Dog Grimm

rachel.mycat@btinternet.com (Rachel Knight) — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:37:00 GMT

Dailymotion blogged video
The Adventure of the Dog Grimm
Originally uploaded by La_rangee_avant

Click here to download
A walk in the Forest becomes a bad dream, witches are staring and following me, this is my only escape from it all, watching a film or a dog on the prowl.

C'est mon video premiere, j'espere que vous tous l'aimez. Pardon pour le Francais mal, c'est de Babelfish.
This is my first video, I hope you all like it.

And yes, we are working on Sidney's acting talents. Special appearance by Schming as the witch.