Can You Hear Me Now?

I figured I’d put up a quick entry before I take off for a few days, even though I have nothing to write about!

My surgery is scheduled for 1:00 tomorrow, but they want me there by 10:00. What’s up with that?! How long does it take to prep a person? Then after surgery I will be there another 4-6 hours until they think I’m fit to leave. I really don’t like the whole “day surgery” concept. Last time I had surgery at this hospital they sent me home too soon, in my opinion, and I paid for it with 3 emergency room visits and finally a re-admittance for a couple days. I don’t like this hospital… anyone I know who has stayed there or been treated there has had problems, my care there has always been a joke. Well, I hate all hospitals really, it’s the last place you want to be when you’re sick! So I should be glad they only want to keep me one day. I’m bringing what I expect will be a good book and hoping for the best.

Then it’s off to my mom’s for a few days, where I imagine I would rather be hanging out in her La-Z-Boy than sitting upright at the computer! I handed in my rent cheque, finished the work I had here so my client could pick it up tonight, and I’m all packed and ready to go.

Talk at ya next week!

Yeah, I think INXS made the right decision. Hot.

So, I’ve been on this detox for a few days now. I wanted to clean toxins and crap out of my body before heading into the holiday season, and hopefully transition into making better choices over the holidays so I don’t make myself sick again! The plan was to go for two weeks of eating only raw food – fruit, vegetables (mostly juiced), nuts and seeds. Lots of water, lots of vitamins and detox related supplements, colloidal silver, no coffee, no chemicals of any kind.

I have followed that 100% since Monday, and as the toxins, sugar, caffeine and crap is dying off I have ended up with all the flu-like symptoms that can happen when you detox. (I figured, I’m feeling so good again, lets mess it up. Heh). It is commonly known as the Herx Reaction, and with my habit of eating processed foods regularly and dining out a lot, you can only imagine how much this drastic change is affecting me. I went through a box of Kleenex yesterday, my head has been pounding for three days, and I am so weak I had to cancel my swimming today.

Then the hospital where I am going for surgery next week called me with some questions and instructions for me. It got me thinking, maybe this isn’t the best time to be doing this… before surgery, especially since the “feeling worse before feeling better” thing could last awhile. I called my chiropractor/naturopath/holistic everything doctor and he said to stop it now, that my defenses are down and we can’t have that when going in for surgery. So, I promptly ordered pizza. Ha! Kidding. I’m just going to ease back into a regular healthy diet, one that includes my morning coffee. Because, I tell ya people, I think I missed that the most. That, and bread!

I still want to do the full two-week detox, but it will have to wait for the new year. Awwww, poor me, forced to procrastinate again.

I found a new hair dresser. I know, I know, I raved and raved about my old one. And when it comes to colour and highlights, I would bet there is no one better. However, I bought that salon package awhile back and used the second half last week, which was for the hair consultation and cut. 10-12 foils of highlights were included but if you wanted full highlights, you could get 20% off. So I went that route because I was in desperate need of highlights!

I was a little worried about trying someone new, because who isn’t? I have 329,459 cowlicks and curls in my hair (last time I checked) and until I can wash it at home and let it dry, I have no idea if the cut worked out for me. Any stylist can cut my hair and blow-dry it and make their cut look GREAT. Until I get home and have to do it myself. I can’t do the whole blow-dry/styling thing and rely on what I call the “one-handed hairstyle”. (Wash, mousse, run fingers through it, let it dry on its own). Andrea did all this texturing and layering I really liked, and now that I have lived with this new cut for a week, I can say it is the best one I’ve had in years! I called her to tell her that the other day. You could tell she was a little nervous when I called, as if she was worried I was going to tell her I wasn’t happy. I could sense her relief and she was so thrilled! I already booked my next appointment with her.

Life has been really quiet lately. Last week was so busy during the days with appointments, swimming, work and seeing friends for lunches and dinners, that I used the evenings to re-group. This week I started the detox and barely left the house; in fact I have been wearing my flannels for two days and haven’t even checked my mailbox. I better get to it… my Scott Cooper CD might be there!

Remember last year when I wrote about attending the Disability Arts Festival and how great it was? It’s about to happen again. I just want to let any readers in Calgary know about it. The festival runs Tuesday, November 28 to Saturday, December 3 with shows every night at the Epcor Centre for Performing Arts. There’s a great line up of entertainment, including my friend Ruth’s Inside Out Integrated Theatre Project. Great fun, inspiring and thought-provoking, everything the arts should be. Try to make it out!

AND, thanks so much Russ for all your help with my new template and understanding that I must have the question mark in “Can You Hear Me Now?” I love my new template!!!

I feel GOOD. I really, really do! I am really back to normal. It started Sunday afternoon after I got home from swimming. I showered and dressed and everything and just felt energized. Every time I got up from a chair or something I’d look back at the chair and go “hmmm… that was easier!” (’Cause I talk to furniture). I woke up yesterday morning and getting out of bed was easier, walking was better, everything was better, including my mood. The swimming is paying off ten fold!

So I was feeling really good and “bouncy” when my buzzer rang just after 10:00 yesterday morning. Access was taking me to my doctor appointment. I answered and said “I’ll be right out” and I heard an “oooookay” on the other end. As I was putting my coat on I thought, dear God, that sounded like AH. I walked out the door and there he was. My first reaction was “oh, NO WAY!” and then I laughed. Okay I know I said a couple months ago that I’d never mention him in here again, but come on… we haven’t spoken in almost two months and it was his FIRST DAY BACK working with Access. First day since quitting to do other stuff for the summer, and he gets me. For two trips, because he also brought me home. I have never been assigned the same driver to take me both ways before. So, excuse me if I’m a little freaked out by the whole thing.

There’s not much to really say about it though, I’m just happy to see him back with Access because he is their best driver and so good at that job. We didn’t talk about anything personal to do with us, we just laughed about how funny it was that he would get me on his first day back and stuff. (Damn you Universe™, you keep doing this with us and you know I don’t believe in coincidence… am I being tested, or do we still have something to learn from each other, or are we supposed to hook up again, or, maybe, do I THINK TOO MUCH?!?!) He dropped me off at home and I thanked him and said “see ya” and that was about it. I’m glad we got the seeing-each-other-for-the-first-time-since thing out of the way. I saw the old AH yesterday and realized why I liked him in the first place, and now hope that we really can be friends one day. Some day. Maybe. Stop thinking Donna.

And my doctor’s appointment? I am doing the deed… surgery is scheduled for November 30 for my tubal ligation. That’s a LOT faster than I expected, I thought it would take months to get in. Months for me to stress and possibly mourn the fact that I’ll never have a baby, something that years ago I just assumed I would do at some point. I know I’m making the right decision for a lot of reasons, but it’s still weird to think of going through life without having that experience. So I’m glad that the surgery is happening soon and I can get it over with and just be at peace with it. (Believe me, this was well thought out, I’m not jumping into this lightly!)

And then I can get my life sexed up again and not have to worry about birth control. HA!

Ohhh I should mention that I went to a fabulous show on Friday night with Michelle. Jason, Sheldon and Rob from the Polyjesters along with the amazing guitarist Aaron Young (from Sillan & Young and often joins the PJ’s at their gigs) and Rob Young (singer and owner of the Beat Niq, where the show was) performed a tribute to the Beatles. It was a great show… they did some Beatles classics we all know as well as some more obscure stuff. The PolyParents (Barry and Carol) were there too (love love love them). Tickets were FIFTY bucks a pop, but Jason put me plus one on the guest list because he ROCKS. I think they forfeited being paid in exchange for some comps so they could get a few friends in. I am so blessed to be in that category, they are the bestest! Jay and Shell have started a new side project called “Value Village People”, which will include Rob on drums and Aaron on guitar and bass. Jason will play keyboards as well as bass. I don’t think Sheldon will be on ukulele for this (but he can play anything, so no matter), and no Matt on fiddle… it’s going to be very different than the Polyjesters, but still a ton-o-fun. Value Village People?? Jason and Sheldon’s minds?? How can it not be fun??

Wha? What’s that uke doing here? We’re the BEATLES!

Valleau Sandwich #2 (Thanks Emma for fixing my demonic eyes).

This afternoon I did my Major Good Deed of the Week. Month. Year? I feel really good! I know random acts of kindness and all the good/nice stuff we do for others are supposed to be kept to ourselves or it looks like we did it for selfish reasons or to look good to others. Screw that! I already look good to others! Heh. I have a blog, I’m talking about it, because I can, and maybe it will inspire you to help someone in your own way.

Of course, I do many, many, many other random acts of kindness that I don’t talk about. Maybe. You’ll never know.

Anyway, I met Brenda last week, when an Access taxi picked me up to take me to the pub (for work!). She was sitting in the front seat. I noticed she had a white cane. We chatted a little bit, and she made a comment that she hasn’t been blind for very long so wasn’t used to it yet. I asked her what had happened, if she had an accident? Read the rest of this entry »

In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t written about my trip to Toronto yet. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get around to it. Life has been pretty busy and when I’m not busy, I’m too tired to do anything and when I’m not too tired to do anything, I’m in MySpace, my personal jukebox.

So what have I been doing with myself… swimming. Inspired by Michelle after I went with her one day, I started taking deep water workout classes. It was taking over my life because it was all I could do. I’d return home, collapse, and not be able to get up for two days (okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but it really was wearing me out!) and then do it all over again. I kept telling myself it would get better, that as I got stronger it wouldn’t affect me so badly. But today I decided to only stay for half the class and take it easy in the water and ignore the instructor for the most part, and lo and behold, I actually feel pretty good right now. The way you are SUPPOSED to feel later in the day after exercising. So I guess the key for me is to cut it back and go slower. In every area of my life, I am still learning… Read the rest of this entry »