How to trim your cat's claws with minimal loss of life or limb

For some cat owners, trimming a pet's claws can be a dreaded experience. Frankly, some cats just do not appreciate the service, and would really prefer to hide in a box under the bed for two days than get a manicure. However, trimming a cat's claws is a simple and necessary chore, and with the right tools, methods, and approach, even the most reluctant cats can be safely and effectively groomed.

If your cat is used to being handled and stroked, it is much more likely to relax when you settle into the big chair with it in your lap and reach over for the nail clippers. However, a young kitten or a cat that is not used to being clipped, is likely to throw a fit and try to scramble away. Cat claws that need a trim are very sharp! It is best to consider your approach in advance for such a cat.

Here are some tips for the best approach...

A few tips on preventing seasickness

Ever been seasick? If so, you probably have some vivid memories of the experience, and don't need to be reminded what it was like. Would you put yourself in the same situation again?

If even the thought of going back out onto some big water has you clinging to the edge of your desk, these tips are for you. They may not prevent all nausea, but they are sure to help you the next time you are considering "paying homage to Neptune".

Why do some people get seasick?

When the brain and inner ear argue over whether the environment is stable, or not, the result is often mal de mer, or seasickness. The brain sees solid cabin walls, but the inner ear senses a completely different situation. This confusion results in disorientation, confusion, and sometimes extreme drowsiness, nausea, and a cold sweat - classic seasickness symptoms. In bad cases, nausea to the point of extreme dehydration may occur.

Strangely enough, not everyone who sets out on a rough voyage at sea will experience seasickness. In fact, only about 25% of individuals experience symptoms of seasickness in rough seas, according to some research.

A relevant study of 1,741 tourist volunteers on a whale watching expedition published in 1993 ("Comparison of Seven Commonly Used Agents for Prophylaxis of Seasickness") offers a few clues...read more

How to rig a windsurfing sail

Windsurfing is an addictive sport. It requires balance and finesse rather than brute strength, and it involves flying over the water at immense speeds (the world record is over 50 mph). Although it takes some practice to learn to balance on the board once the wind hits a sail and to steer into or away from the wind, the rigging of a sail is relatively easy.

2012: What if the Mayans had it right?

Let’s just say the world as we know it ends on December 21, 2012.

On the bright side, maybe that means that Goldman Sachs will no longer control the financial markets and the NY Federal Reserve. Maybe children in schools will be safe, and will be respectful to teachers and do all their homework and even (haha) turn it in on time. Maybe that means that corporations will place a few manufacturing facilities in Haiti, so that the poor sops who live there can make a decent wage and afford to build themselves concrete block homes. Maybe the media will quit being the lapdogs of the politicians. Maybe the drug dealers and alcoholics in the world will suddenly be motivated to get real jobs and become pillars in society.

See? Maybe it won’t be so bad.

Well, what if the magnetic poles also coincidentally shift, and we end up coping with worldwide famine and disasters of epic proportions? Should we prepare for that?

You betcha. First thing, sell your homes (unless you live out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere close to the equator, with a productive five-acre garden and dozens of egg-laying chickens). Next, buy canned and dried goods with your cash (beans are supposed to be marvelous foods that stay viable for a long time). Of course, if you don’t have property to store them on, you’d better invest in an armored truck of some kind. With all those beans on board, make sure it’s got good ventilation.

Speaking of armor, ask anyone, you’re going to need guns of all shapes and sizes. Don’t forget ammunition. I understand there’s been a veritable run on ammunition, and it’s getting more expensive by the minute. Better not wait.

Meanwhile, you might as well stockpile gasoline, because that armored truck is going to need a lot of it.

How about fresh water? Well, you’d better invest in some great filtration systems and be able to filter rainwater. Tarps (for collecting rainwater) are going to be in demand; stock up on tarps. They’ll be the new currency.

Let’s see, food and water are taken care of. Shelter: check (armored truck). What’s next?

There’s the rub, I think. After food, water, and basic shelter are taken care of, there is little else to plan for except the Eventual Demolition of Everything, including fighting for the basic right to survival.

If the Mayans had it right, and assuming that some major astronomical event causes a chain reaction of catastrophic proportions, there is nothing we can do to improve our lot. In the event of a global catastrophe, we’re all screwed. Even the bankers.

Back to work, everybody.

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What are your thoughts on 2012?

How to form a new school booster club

It may seem like a simple task: organize a parent group or booster club to raise some money for a high school athletic, musical, or drama program.

But actually, there's more to it than you might think. Read what I wrote about this topic at Helium.

The joys of docking a sailboat

When you are relaxing in your cockpit in the shade with a gin and tonic clasped firmly in hand, there is nothing quite like the pleasure of observing the entrance of a polished 40-foot-plus sailboat into the marina. The more polish, the better. The bigger, the better. If there's an unfortunate wife taking shouted, convoluted directions on the bow, all to the better. If the current catches their long full keel and swings them into another boat, we tsk, tsk. We sailor folk are a malicious bunch, when it comes right down to it, and egos are pretty fragile when it comes to docking. Not that we won't help! No sirree! We're the first to lend a hand in close quarters, because truth be known, we've been there, and that makes us part of a fraternity/sorority. We've all been initiated, and we're so GLAD to have a new member join our club.

Well. At the risk of foregoing some great entertainment, I'll let you in on a few secrets of docking that big rig.

First: Have dock lines out and tied off properly, ready for deployment, before you even near the close quarters of a marina. That means lines at four corners of your boat, because you never knowyou might just be glad to have that extra line ready, even on the downwind side.

Second: Have fenders ready on both sides of your boat, just in case.

Third: KNOW which direction the current is running, and how strong it is running. As you are coming up to the dock in a large sailboat, you are probably under power (unless you are a Tristan Jones or Robin Knox-Johnston, but then you don't need MY help). If the sails are furled, you don't need to worry as much about wind as about current (exceptions do occur, as in storm conditions). Ideally, the current is with you or against you; your boat is not at cross-angles to the current. If it IS with you or against you, it is fairly simple to gauge its strength against your progress and accommodate for it. If it is at cross purposes to your intended course, then you have to factor it in and make Steering Adjustments. If it is a fancy marina, then I would suggest making a couple of practice turns before you make that turn that goes up the Aisle. It's sort of like living together before you make the final plunge into matrimony. It's amazing what can happen in those final moments before Commitment really grabs hold.

Fourth: Stay calm. What's the worst that could happen? Well, forget I asked. Don't think about that. Try to stay focused on the task at hand. Sheesh. That would never happen, really.

Fifth: Allow people on the dock to accept your lines and tie you off. Remember that you are in charge until you cut your engine. Some people like to cut their engine early. I don't recommend it; it usually involves a lot of yelling at the last minute.

Really, that's all there is to it. By the way, I'll be at the St. Petersburg Marina on the northern dock. I'll be happy to help out when you get there. I'll be the one with the gin and tonic in hand. It's OK; I'll have one for you, too.

Treating ringworm in animals (and your home)

When we recently adopted a couple of kittens from the local animal shelter, we discovered shortly after we settled them in at home that they had ringworm.

We survived, and so did the cats. But let me tell you.