Greetings from the world’s largest veterinary conference!
Yeah, I know I didn’t post yesterday. Forgive me, it’s just that I’ve been here at the North American Veterinary Conference trying very hard to take in all the sights and the sounds––not to mention the data (scientific and otherwise). All this while suffering what is arguably the most disorienting blow to one’s modern sensibilities: the violent loss of a cellular telephone...
...which happened yesterday morning when my cell phone took a dip in my hotel room’s toilet.
Yes...the commode. Bye-bye iPhone. Bye-bye personal communication data. Bye-bye cruel world. Hello infernal confusion in the midst of a crazy conference. But I do have plenty to be thankful for while in Orlando. Here's the list:
1. Betsy Saul, founder of PetFinder.com...because PetFinder is still responsible for 65% of pet adoptions in the U.S.
2. All those who accommodated my last minute madness...because the cell phone thing threw me for a loop and left me scrambling to sort out out my schedule without my handy iPhone's iCal.
3. My alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine...because they offered up the best food and swag at their alumni reception. (So that’s what I get for my $100,000...hmmm.) I loved the ginormous shrimp along with license plate holders, lapel pins and the plethora of decals (just call me easy).
4. Dolittler follower extraordinaire, Hobson...because he graciously stopped by, “just to say hi.”
5. Hugh Jackman (or a very close look-alike with an identical Aussie accent)...because this X-man “hyperslept” with me in Epcot’s Mission Space ride. (I love celebrity sightings when they involve irresistibly hot men––especially when they happen in extremely close quarters.)
6. Disney, (aka, “The Evil Empire”)...because it made the above experience possible and because it lured me into a zillion yummy restaurants, unnecessary shopping expeditions, and superfluous (but oh-so-fun) character embraces. This, along with meticulously tended animals, and the best stomach-churning roller coaster I’ve experienced since Space Mountain (if you love coasters, you MUST check out Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom), gives them my thumbs up...again.
7. The pet health insurance industry...because they're finally getting the memo the microchip industry missed: It's better to cooperate than to trample our patients in an effort to beat out our competition. A new organization, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) and their collegial approach to serving pets is giving me the warm fuzzies right about now.
8. The Gralen Company...because this E-collar distributor introduced me to what may be the best T-shirt design ever offered by a pet product company. DogIsGood.com designed the shirt. It can be had on their website if you just HAVE to have one (and I do).
In case you have trouble reading it, it says: "It's all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone." Brilliant, right?
9. PetFirst Pet Health Insurance...because they invited me to come talk to a motivated bunch of shelter vets about a subject near and dear to me. (Anyone willing to pay me to offer my opinion has effectively earned my eternal gratitude.)
10. The boyfriend...because who else is going to put up with a wacky stress-fest like me on a working vacation? OK, so maybe Donald will have me should all else fail. ;-)
