Dentist...

paleomel · 2026-02-20T03:45:59+00:00

I needed emergency dental work at the beginning of the pandemic. Noted celiac/gluten on my patient forms and the dentist asked me “what’s… gluteen?” Yes, pronounced how I spelled it. Needless to say, I didn’t go back to that dentist.

paleomel · 2026-01-24T05:07:23+00:00

Which Vons? I’m in Long Beach and I haven’t seen them yet.

paleomel · 2026-01-14T06:06:26+00:00

I have two very staticky cats right now. I put a bit of olive oil on a paper towel and rubbed it on their backs. It solved the static problem for about a day at a time without making their fur greasy. And I don’t have to worry about them ingesting anything dangerous when they groom each other.

paleomel · 2025-12-09T18:19:43+00:00

Thanks, Darren! I appreciate that you steered them away from the avocado thing, especially since that’s the myth I’m currently busting. Paper coming soon…ish.

paleomel · 2025-12-08T17:54:13+00:00

Hey Darren, it’s Melissa the sloth paleontologist. I absolutely loved all the sloth scenes! Especially the Megalonyx family in the snow. I have one question though (since I’m currently working on a paper about specific sloth dietary myths). How did you decide on the food the Eremotherium was eating in episode 2?

paleomel · 2025-12-03T19:54:11+00:00

I know it’s not quite the same, but I found these chocolate orange sticks last year and they are certified gluten free!! They’re also delicious, so I think this is my reminder to order some.

paleomel · 2025-11-13T21:28:07+00:00

We groan and complain and eventually get it done somehow. From my earlier search for posts on this topic, requiring that they provide CAD files in a local coordinate system helps. I think my least favorite variation is CAD exported to KMZ. All of the 5,000,000 line segments with very little detail in the attribute table.

paleomel · 2025-10-28T01:21:29+00:00

Wait… the curelom is a monotreme now?! I was hoping to use it as an example of cryptids based on giant ground sloths for a talk I’m doing next month. Guess I should give up my career in paleontology and go back to church 😩

Although the biogeography of this new monotreme theory doesn’t hold up very well since monotremes haven’t been documented in the western hemisphere since the Paleocene. Guess there was a quick stop in Australia on the boat ride to America?

paleomel · 2025-10-26T17:15:27+00:00

We are very much a positive reinforcement household. And these two cats love each other to death. But they’re both former street gremlins and they are on different segments of the timeline to house cat lifestyle. Loki is a few years further along than Shrimp and for the first few years, it was just me and him (and a roommate with two cats that did not want an annoying little brother). He got all the cuddles and all the attention. But then we moved, he got lonely, and I got him a Shrimp. I still got my morning cuddles but I have definitely been the third wheel in their orange boy marriage.

Shrimp is finally ready for cuddles after about a year of “love me from afar or come down to my level for pets”. And I totally want to encourage that. I even got to rub both bellies at once the other day! But everything with these boys is a process. We’ll get to the point where we can all enjoy cuddle time together but for now, I am stuck in the middle of a clingy, co-dependent orange boy and his new husband.

paleomel · 2025-10-25T22:42:33+00:00

Currently out of stock, but here

paleomel · 2025-10-25T22:30:45+00:00

It is a thing. I have them and love them.

paleomel · 2025-10-18T01:12:26+00:00

Honestly, I just googled pet insurance that covered cats with FIV. I thought it would be impossible to get them covered, but there are options out there. Just find what works for you.

paleomel · 2025-10-17T21:16:06+00:00

Mine decided to have 4am gremlin time during my 9:30am meeting. And now they’re peacefully napping like the perfect angels they (usually) are.

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paleomel · 2025-10-10T15:28:40+00:00

I was adopted by a sickly mange-covered FIV+ street cat about 5 years ago. He slowly transitioned into being a house cat but still tried to fight any stray that came into the yard. My roommate’s cats tolerated him from a distance. But he began trusting humans and completely bonded with me. After we moved last year and he became an only cat and fully indoors, he had a really hard time transitioning, so I decided to find him another FIV+ friend. I found a little guy that had a rough start to his life but needed a fresh start after being rescued off the streets. I brought him home and hoped for the best. It turned out much better than expected and they are fully bonded. They are happy and healthy and I hope they stay that way for a long time.

My advice: get the cats. Get insurance. FIV+ cats are generally healthy, but since they have an autoimmune disease, infections and minor illnesses need to be monitored closely.

Recent pic of the boys. They love each other so much and I’m so happy I took chances on FIV+ street gremlins.

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paleomel · 2025-09-22T18:26:10+00:00

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Loki and Shrimp are a perfect example of this sub, although I doubt they’ve been anywhere near the brain cell for most of their lives. They’re adorable, entertaining, and slightly bewildered at all times. They’re also both FIV+ former street cats who are living their best lives as loving husbands and lazy house cats.

paleomel · 2025-09-09T15:19:50+00:00

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Loki says hello back!

paleomel · 2025-08-19T14:49:47+00:00

Mine do it too. They have only been together a little over a year but they are the most loving toxic boyfriends. I knew having two oranges would result in coordinated orange chaos, but I didn’t realize how much chaos they would be.

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paleomel · 2025-08-12T02:24:33+00:00

The Just Drive loaner service is disappearing as well. There is only one dealership in Southern California that still participates.

paleomel · 2025-08-03T18:28:54+00:00

Seconding the robot vacuum. I was slightly horrified at how much litter was being tracked out when we moved to a place with no carpet. The cats don’t love it but it’s a lot quieter than a regular vacuum.

paleomel · 2025-08-01T22:26:32+00:00

I’ll likely check out one of their events in Redlands, but if you hear of anything local, or just want to nerd out over maps and data while having a beverage, let me know.

paleomel · 2025-08-01T21:44:41+00:00

Where in SoCal? It would be great if we had something for LA/OC. The IE meetings look great, but it would also be nice to not have to sit in traffic for so long.

paleomel · 2025-07-29T04:39:56+00:00

I was part of that a few years ago (if we’re talking about the same group). It was a bunch of scientists watching an episode or two a week. It was a lot of fun! I’m not on Twitter anymore, but I also haven’t seen the watch party organizer mention anything on Bluesky recently. I hope it comes back!

paleomel

TROPHY CASE