5 Excuses For Being A Bad Blogger

I realize I'm been a bad blogger the last few months. When we first moved to China, I was posting 2-3 times a week. I'm lucky if I manage 2-3 posts a month lately. So why the decrease in content? Here are my totally valid but still lame excuses for why I've been absent.

1) I got a job. I was unemployed the first few months here which meant that I had lots of time to edit photos and write entries. Now I work, a lot, which leaves me with a lot less free time to talk about myself online.

2) I got a life. I also didn't have any friends or hobbies when we moved to China. But now I've got a thriving social circle and have enrolled in numerous classes throughout the city. So when I'm not working, I tend to spend my time with friends and family.

3) I got lazy. Did you know it takes a lot of time to be this witty online? Seriously though, a blog entry usually takes me a few hours to pull together between the photo editing, writing, and coding. Some days, I'd just rather snuggle my cat and watch Scandal on Youku.

4) Things stopped feeling strange. When I first moved to Shanghai, everything was new and exciting. But sometime over the past three years, my life here began to feel normal. I often don't look twice at things that would have been perfect blog fodder back in 2012.

5) I'm leaving China. We always knew our time in Shanghai was finite and we've come to the point where it's time to say goodbye. It's hard to write about a place you are leaving when you aren't quite ready to say goodbye. So instead of staying inside behind a computer screen, I've been out making the memories that I plan to take back with me to the motherland.

You may be wondering what does this mean for D2D? Not much right now. I still have tons of things to tell you about. There are trips (like a weekend in Hong Kong, a climb up Yellow Mountain, and a glorious return to Cambodia)  as well as daily musing (matching t-shirts anyone?) that I still want to share. My computer is loaded with photos just waiting to be uploaded.  So have no fear my friends, I'll still be around for awhile. You didn't think it was that easy to get rid of me, did you?

Pet Care in Shanghai

When moving to Shanghai, bringing our cat along was non negotiable. If we were moving, so was she.

I previously outlined the steps we took to bring her overseas, but also wanted to share some resources we have found since moving here.

Pet Supplies

Wills Pet: I order all of my cat food and litter from Will's Pet. Their website is bilingual and they offer free same day delivery service. That's right, they deliver 25 lb boxes of cat litter to my door. They also stock a nice variety of imported pet food, treats, and accessories. And they text me when the food I buy is in stock. This is by far one of my favorite vendors to work with in Shanghai.

Pet Zoo: Before discovering cat food delivery, I bought Snowball's food and litter here. And I probably would have continued to buy her food here if they hadn't stopped stocking the food I was using. They offer a number of different imported food brands, all of which Snowball stubbornly refuses to eat. They also have in house grooming and veterinary services, none of which I have personally used.

Mignon Boutique: I loathe pet stores and firmly believe in adopting pets not buying them from stores. So while I do not endorse them as a pet shop, I have found Mignon Boutique to stock imported foods, treats, toys, and litter. Plus, they are around the corner from my apartment which makes it easy to for me grab food if I am in a pinch.

Veterinary Services

Shanghai Pets Are Wonderful (PAW) Veterinary Clinic: Snowball goes to PAW for her checkups for a number of reasons. First, they follow international standards for veterinary medicine. Many local vet training and licensing standards lag behind those in Western countries and I wanted to ensure she got the best care possible. Second, PAW came recommended by Second Chance Animal Aid, one of the animal rescue organizations in Shanghai. PAW takes care of all the shelter kitties which endeared them to me immediately. The staff here speak English and are all well trained.

Doctors Beck and Stone: I have not personally used this vet however, they also follow international standards for veterinary medicine and employ a large number of Western educated doctors. Their staff speak English and come highly recommended from JAR, another animal rescue organization located in Shanghai.

Pet Sitting

I have a good friend who looks after Snowball when we are out of town. She snuggles her, watches movies with her, and loves her as much as we do. However, if she is unavailable, we turn to:

Pet In Shanghai: Offers reasonably priced pet sitting in your home while you are out of town. They come 1-2 times per day and even water plants if you ask them. Very trustworthy and worth the peace of mind when I'm away from my baby.

Do you have any favorite pet vendors in Shanghai? Anything I left off the list? Feel free to leave a comment below with your tips for taking care of our furry friends in Shanghai.

Letting the cat out of the bag

Matt and I were riding our bikes home from brunch on Sunday when I saw this couple zoom past us. Thankfully my husband whipped out his phone and snapped this photo for proof. I doubt Snowball would be very enthusiastic about the dusty, Shanghai air blowing through her whiskers.

Snowball xuéxi Zhōngwén

This is what happens when I pay more attention to my Chinese homework than I do my cat. She simply sits on top of it. Or maybe she just wants to learn Mandarin too?

Nappage

If there is one thing the Chinese know how to do well, it's napping.

 

On the sidewalk

 

 In an alley

 

 Or in Ikea (while using a fabric remnant as a blanket)

 

 Though I still think Snowball could teach them a thing or two.

Asian Tigers

We decided to let Snowball wrestle an Asian Tiger.

I think that poor tiger was in the wrong weight class.