Can You Hear Me Now?

So, I’ve been cut off all home care. I knew that OT would do that! He said “we don’t do housekeeping stuff” which I know is total bullshit, because my home care lady told me she has clients that are strictly housekeeping calls. We argued about it, but he insisted. He gave me a number for a family support place that offers services for a small fee. Turns out they have a huge waiting list and only come once every two weeks anyway, so there is no point, since I get monthly light housekeeping services from the City anyway. I was hoping for a little help around here a few days a week, for like, half an hour. You know, the stuff my helpful husband would do if I had one. Some things I CAN do, it just takes me forever and uses up so much of my energy resources. Someone else can run my garbage out in 30 seconds and change my bed just as fast whereas for me that’s half my morning gone on some days. Ahhhh well, at least I don’t have to listen to my home care lady talk and talk and talk, and one-up everything I say because she is so damn insecure, anymore.

Speaking of running out of energy resources, my friend Sylvie updated her health diary. She has MS and just had a baby 11 months ago… talk about difficult times! I admire her so much. Reading about what she has been through this past year gives us all perspective. That being said, she is still going to the Florida Keys and South America and is skinny, so there are reasons to hate her too. Heh

Speaking of light housekeeping, I was supposed to be getting that on Monday. But they called yesterday and two housekeepers just quit, they’re understaffed to begin with (like everywhere else in the city) and need to train new people. So I don’t get anyone until October 16. It’s okay though, because until my brother gets back working full-time, he is being a great weekly help to me!! He’s been taking courses online and working a bit here and there, but he has the time for me right now so I’m really grateful. The other day he scrubbed my bathroom for me, including the floor and baseboards (mom will be happy!) that the City housekeepers never do (silly rules… they’re not allowed to get on their knees and scrub anything).

My friend Andrea came by the other day and brought me more clothes!! I told her I was getting good wear out of the ones she gave me over the summer, but “you do realize some of them still had tags on them. You are giving me new clothes!!” She says she buys them, puts them away, piles other clothes on top and around them, then comes across them months later and since she never actually wore them, they go in the “Donna” pile. Her husband bought her a purple jean jacket, and she said “That’s really nice, but I already have a jean jacket”, so he said “give it to Donna”. I say, why not keep that one and give me the purple one?!? Oh, and on the subject of new clothes, I ordered a couple ugly front close bras from Silverts. But, you know, if they’re easy to get on and fit, then I’m happy. I ordered the cheapest they had, just to try out.

It’s been about two months since my gallbladder surgery, and my wrist is healing really well too. I have come a long way! I can shower and dress myself, walk better, get my scooter to the mall on my own… almost back to normal, but not. My energy is not quite the same and my right side and vision are not as good as they were, but hopefully that will come. If not, that’s okay too, I have a good portion of my independence back and I’m in a place where I can “handle” it like this, I’m not frustrated a million times/day. One thing I will continue to do though, is use my four-wheeled walker around my apartment. Although I am now able to walk a bit without it, since using it consistently I haven’t fallen once. That’s a pretty big selling point. With the basket and tray that fits over the seat I can use it to carry everything around here, like my coffee mug to my office, and it’s so much safer. No spilled coffee! I would like to get comfortable with just using my cane when I go out, though. Patience, patience.

I’ve been getting a lot of work done at home this week. That can be quite the challenge, when you’ve got cute cats. Pita will jump up onto my keyboard, and I’ll tell her “mommy is working, not now” and put her on the floor. She jumps up again. This routine continues for a few tries until she finally jumps up, plops herself right down on the papers I am working on, and rolls over to reveal her tummy and curled up paws and that “look” that makes me want to DIE from the cuteness. Then Pepper will jump up and situate herself between the desk and the bottom of the monitor and show off HER tummy. It’s all about the tummies these days.

Look, look, look!! I downloaded this the other day. How cool is that? Mine looks like the first picture now. And of course, I put it on the Automatic Care system, because I suck at taking care of plants, even if they are virtual. Cats are easier than plants, I swear. They’re more fun, too!

Lisa got her this while she was caring for them over the summer. Pepper suffers separation anxiety if this ball is missing for too long. I find this ball in my bed several times a day. She loves this thing, and it’s starting to leave little pink and green fuzzies all over my apartment as it is slowly ripping to shreds. I need to find another one, stat!

And here’s my tummy! My tummy!

Alrighty, so I left off after eating at Dunn’s with Lo. She drove me back to the hotel and helped me get my bags upstairs. She left to return the wheelchair and I was meeting up with Emma and her Dad for dinner later, so I just rested for a few hours. Lo and I made plans to meet up early the next morning so we could go for breakfast before she drove me to the airport.

Emma and her Dad arrived just before 7:00, and it was off to St. Hubert’s. When I first started talking to Emma a couple few years ago, she must have mentioned St. Hubs in almost every conversation. It was her favourite restaurant. Of course, now she’s all grown up and her tastes have ventured into more ethnic and varied cuisine, but good ‘ol St. Hub’s is still on the list and I wanted to check it out.

I didn’t get to meet Emma’s dad on my last trip to Montreal, because he was off on vacation to some warm and beachy place. So this time I was happy to meet the man who is so supportive of Emma’s musical adventures, taking her to see bands and going to shows with her and picking her up late… he’s a cool guy, and obviously quite patient! I really liked him, he is very much into the “power of the mind” stuff so we had lots to talk about. I briefly met Emma’s stepmother on Friday when they were at the Yellow Door, but she unfortunately could not make it for dinner.

Anyway, after eating a yummy chicken sandwich and mashed potatoes (my favourite comfort food! St. Hubert’s is like a classier Swiss Chalet, which I am all too familiar with), after dinner coffee and talking, they drove me back to the hotel. Emma came upstairs with me so we could hug goodbye for an hour. Snifffffff! Then she was gone. WAH!!! Emmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! By the way Emma, YOU ROCK. You are so amazing, brilliant, funny, cute, sweet, smart, witty and wise and you’ve got great hair. I realize since we first met that you have made a LOT of new friends and all these other people are realizing how cool and amazing you are, and your own personal fan base is growing bigger every day. But always remember: I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN!!!! I love you to bits and pieces. xoxoxo

The next morning I got up early, packed everything up, and Lo came to get me around 9:00. I checked out and we went for breakfast… Chez Cora, of course. I ordered a latte because it would be “my last latte in Montreal” for awhile. It wasn’t soy or vanilla, but it would have to do.

Then it was off to the airport, where Lo was able to get a pass to go through security and hang with me until I boarded the plane. When you’re “wheelchair assistance” they would rather you have a friend help you than use one of their much needed staff, so that’s a good deal. I wanted to stop at a souvenir shop to buy something for AH to thank him for looking after my cats while I was gone. You’d think I would have thought of this while in the mall the day before, but, no. There were a couple cute shops when you entered the airport, but someone told us there were more stores once you went through security, so I decided to wait and see what they had. That was a mistake because all the nice stuff was in the other stores… past security was only the typical airport Relay store with magazines and candy… and one T-shirt stand where I ended up getting him a very basic “Montreal” T-shirt. Bo-ring! Oh, and some maple candies called Moose Droppings that came in a cute tin. Yeah, the choices were limited. But as I soon found out he didn’t scoop the cat litter boxes, so he was deserving of Moose Droppings. Heh!

Anyway, we approached my gate and wouldn’t you know it, a Second Cup! Okay, so, THAT was my last latte in Montreal. And it was soy and vanilla.

Lo sat with me right up until I boarded. She had by this time given me my new cell phone and a couple of her CDs, which were safely stowed in my suitcase. Lo heard me singing along with some songs over the past few days and decided she wants me to sing on her next CD. Crazy person. I CAN NOT SING. I used to be able to, but I lost it with old age and no practice. Now I can sing along with other people, and only certain (limited) ranges and styles, but she seems to think that is enough. Crazy person.

Anyway, after hugs and kisses goodbye I was off. Sniffffff again! By the way, Lobelia, I am soooooooo glad we met. I feel like we have always been friends and were just plain meant to be friends. Thank you so very, very much for everything you did for me while I was in Montreal, all the driving me around, renting a wheelchair for me, airport pick up and drop off, etc. Thanks for the rose, the awesome cell phone, the CDs, the great talks, the compliments you gave me and being a true friend. I just know I can count on you and you have no idea how good that makes me feel. I miss you too, and can’t wait to hang out with you again! xoxoxo

My flight home was longer because we stopped in Toronto, and the flight I was on was full from Toronto to Calgary, so I was bumped to the next one. (I was using a Westjet Buddy Pass to fly, which is stand by). I had a couple hours to waste in the Toronto airport so I sat in the bar, drank a very expensive pint of beer, and called Lindy. I also text messaged AH to make sure he could still pick me up at the later time.

I arrived in Calgary just before 8:00 p.m. and AH picked me up. I had him stop at a Tim Horton’s drive thru because I was starving and figured a couple Everything bagels would do the trick. We got to my place and AH carried in my suitcase and put it on my bed so I was forced to at least do a little unpacking before I went to sleep. I kissed and smooshed kitties and scooped cat litter and was in bed shortly after that!

So, that was Montreal for me this time. I hope to go back next year… I had up until now been keeping all my loose change in a jar, but have moved it to a large vase and I’m including any loonies and toonies I get in there too. That is my travel fund. Next October is Lindy’s wedding, which he wants me at, so I’d like to combine Toronto and Montreal next fall… would that not be awesome???

I have no Montreal pics for this entry so let me throw up a couple cat ones:

Hanging out on mom’s bed

Sunday, September 17 ~

I woke up around 9:00 a.m., I think. I just can’t sleep in no matter how late I go to bed. But, I can certainly stay in bed, which is what I did until about 11:00. Emma and I both took our time getting dressed and stuff. Lindy called at some point, but it was later than 11:00 as I expected, and he had just woke up and was having his first coffee. We’d meet at Chez Cora later? Yeppers!

Around 1:00 I called Lindy and said “we’re heading over now, we’re starving… just meet us there when you can.” He said he’d be about an hour… maybe an hour and a half.

It was closer to two hours by the time he arrived. I kidded that he’ll be late for his own wedding, but he didn’t deny it. Except “Sally would kick my ass” hehe Our food arrived shortly after Lindy did, and I decided I would be happy if I could eat this meal every day of my life: French toast made with zucchini breakfast cake instead of bread, tons of fresh fruit, and chocolate-hazelnut spread to dip it in. OMG. Lindy said “well, we’ll have to find you a personal chef then.” I now have one, she just doesn’t live close enough!!

Me and Lindy at Cora’s

Me and Emma at Cora’s

After eating, we headed back to the hotel. The night before Lindy stashed his guitar and boxes of CDs in our room so he didn’t have to lug them around. Also, it was extra security for us that he would eventually get his arse moving and meet up with us! I joked that “Emma slept with your guitar last night” and Lindy said (I may get in trouble for repeating this… but it’s funny!) “I sleep with my guitar every night. The sound hole is a little big for me, though.” Then he looked at Emma and pondered, “why do I say stuff like that?” Hahaha

Emma had to get home to study and prepare for school the next morning, so after tons o’ hugs and kisses Lindy drove her to the Metro station and they were off. Sniff.

I laid down for a little while and rested. I called Lo, who was in the studio, but offered to pick up some dinner or get something delivered to the hotel when she was finished. She came over, and after leafing through the yellow pages trying to find the number for this great pizza place close to me, we decided to just go to the restaurant in my hotel. The French yellow pages are no help when English is your first language! (Lo is from West Virginia so she’s pretty new to French. She does really good, though!) So, we had a nice dinner downstairs and did our best to ignore the little boy whose parents let him run wild all over the restaurant.

It was an early night because it had been a busy weekend, and Lo and I had plans to hang out the next day so I needed my sleep!

Monday ~

Lo picked me up in the morning, and we put both the wheelchair and walker in her car. The W/C had to be returned, but we still had use of it for the day and intended to do just that at the mall! Lo had to take her car in to a place close to that mall I can’t remember the name of, so she dropped me off in the coffee shop while she took her car in. I got my vanilla soy latte and a muffin, and Lo was back pretty quick and had a coffee and a scone. Which made me wish I had a scone instead of a muffin, but whatever.

Her car would be a couple hours, so we took off to wander the mall. I bought those cute shoes I mentioned the other day, as well as a rusty red coloured hoodie (a thinner material, not thick and fleecy… that would come later) that grabbed my attention. I think that’s all. We looked for Crocs, but they were sold out of Ladies sizes. Lots of baby Crocs (soooo cute!) and men’s, but they knew of “nowhere” that had any ladies left. They are just too popular now! Anyway, it was a nice way to pass the time until Lo’s car was ready, at which time she went to get it while I waited outside (the weather in Montreal was beautiful while I was there).

Then we had to go eat, somewhere Montreal-ish. We chose Dunn’s downtown, because they are famous for their Montreal Smoked Meat sandwiches, and even though Lo is a vegetarian, she was willing to take me for MEAT. We actually started with a Parisienne Poutine – with peppercorn gravy instead of regular – and that was delicious. Then I got the biggest, yummiest smoked meat sandwich ever!

Dunn’s Downtown Montreal

Me and Lo at Dunn’s. The attempt to show off the menu failed!

I left with a fleecy Dunn’s pullover. It’s too small, but I am hopeful for next winter.

Okay I have officially procrastinated away my morning and I have a ton of work to do, so I’ll finish this up later!

I’m taking a break from Montreal entries to talk about other stuff and post cat pictures because I know you miss them.

I’m nursing a cold. I KNOW better than to come home from a trip and get lazy with my supplements. It always hits me when I’m down. I was so careful to take all my vitamins and stuff while I was in Montreal, but as soon as I got home I didn’t get right back into it, so a few days later it hit me. I ran out of the usual stuff I take to attack a cold before it gets bad, and couldn’t buy more because I can only get it from my chiropractor (who is away). So I decided to muster up the strength to hit the mall on Saturday and pick up Cold FX. I think it helped… not as good as my other stuff, but I’m on day three and feeling a lot better. It’s almost as if it made me worse for a day, to hurry the cold out of me… nose running like crazy, sweating, aches… and then gone. I’ll probably feel almost completely better tomorrow! I can live with that.

While at the mall, my plan was to avoid Wal-mart because all I needed was Cold FX and Vitamin C. I figured I’d go to Shoppers Drug Mart for that and then leave. But a woman saw me looking at the Cold FX and said “it’s a lot cheaper at Wal-mart”, and knowing Vitamin C would be cheaper too, I sighed and went in that direction. Of course, that means I left with an extra $20 worth of stuff I HAD to buy.

Oh, speaking of shopping, I bought the cutest shoes in Montreal. I have been wearing them every day and will continue to until the snow falls. Lo pointed them out, and for $29.95, I had to. They’re perfect for me because they have velcro straps and are super cute AND comfortable. Sort of like these:

Only better.

I watched the season premiere of “Desperate Housewives” last night. Damn, Bree, you have worse taste in men than I do. I may like them “unavailable”, but at least they’re not obsessed, controlling psycho killers. See, Susan has the unavailable man now. That’s my type. Hehe (But how funny is it that Bree saw a doctor because she thought she had a stroke, when she really had an orgasm??)

This morning my Home Care kicked in again. I had to leave by 10:00 for a doctor’s appointment, so I was up and in the shower by 8:30. I wasn’t sure what time she was coming… it’s usually by 8:00, so I figured I better get started in case she forgot about me. I was actually dressed before she got here, which puzzled her. I explained that I’m able to do the personal care stuff on my own now, I’m just slow, but would still like Home Care to come and help me with other stuff… making my bed, the cat litter, garbage, light housekeeping stuff. She said I’d have to call home care to discuss any changes to my care plan, because she is here for “personal care”, and if something was to happen… say, she poked her eye out with a coat hanger while hanging up my clothes… they would be all “you’re not supposed to be doing that! It’s not in her care plan!” The nurses/OT’s need to know and you may be sent the same person, but just with different instructions about what to do while here. Ahhh rules and regulations, so time consuming.

I called and left a message with my OT. He didn’t seem to want me to have care for long when he came over a few weeks ago, so I dunno, he may cut me off. Probably because I’m not a senior with a disability. I’m more capable than a lot of his clients, but still, I need help with some stuff, and my brother can’t take the bus here every day!

He’ll be here tomorrow though. Woo hoo!

After home care left this morning, I had about 15 minutes to spare before my Access ride would be here to take me to the doctor. So I made a coffee and sat myself in my La-Z-Boy and watched the cats playing in front of the patio doors. Suddenly an Access car pulled up, and it was AH. I walked to the doors and yelled “you’re early! I’m just having my coffee!” He was aware he was early, but figured he’d come hang out, plus use my washroom. He looked SO HOT. Whyohwhyohwhy. He played with the kitties until it was time to go then drove me to my doctor. My new doctor that I just found, who is so nice and close to me, until October 2, at which time I found out he is moving his practice to the other side of the city. ARGH.

I just needed some prescriptions re-filled, and I figured I should let him know that since he last saw me I broke my wrist and had my gallbladder removed. There was nothing in my file about that stuff. The care facility said they had “all these forms” to fax my doctor when I discharged, and at the hospital they are always asking you who your family doctor is so they can advise him. Total bullshit. It’s like the time I broke my ankle… while shoe shopping, downtown, at the Bay. The ambulance picked me up there, so there is no disputing that. But in my file? “Donna slipped on a loose piece of carpet in her home and fell”. All you can do is shake your head and be as in control of your own issues as possible, because you can’t trust the system!

Anyway, I’ve got a grocery delivery coming soon so it’s time to sign off. Ciao!

Hee!

How, exactly, is that comfortable?

Princess Pita

And the Montreal adventures continue… 600 million pictures in this entry, you have been warned.

Saturday, September 16 ~

I think Emma and I woke up around 9:00 a.m.? I can’t remember exactly. All I know is we did the whole showering/dressing thing while exchanging phone calls with Rob, Lo and Lindy (well, I was leaving messages for him to keep him updated on our plans because he was still sleeping) and eventually Rob, Dave and Natasha (Dave’s beautiful friend and back-up singer) went to Chez Cora where Emma, Gaby, myself and Lo met up with them. Lindy finally called and said he had just woken up and would like to meet us “somewhere else, a little later”. So our group minus Lindy enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. This is what I had:

How excited am I that NINE Chez Cora’s are apparently opening in Calgary??

And of course, the cameras were going steady: Read the rest of this entry �

I have so much to talk about regarding my trip to Montreal that I don’t even know where to begin!! It’s overwhelming to think about writing it all out. I had the best time of my life and I love everyone that was there so much I want to burst. I’ve been through a hell of a lot of shit in my life, A LOT, but I tell ya, everything I have been through played a part in my being in Montreal with these people last weekend, so it’s all been worth it.

I guess I’ll just do a day-by-day account and as it gets too long I’ll break it up into separate entries like I did in February ’05.

Thursday, September 14 ~

I arrived at about 1:30 p.m. My friend Lobelia picked me up from the airport. We only knew each other from MySpace before, but I wasn’t worried about us getting along because she’s good friends with Emma and Rob too. She had a rose for me She was awesome. We totally hit it off and I love the internet even more now for bringing me so many great friends.

Once we got my suitcase and walker loaded into her car, we needed to figure out where to go for lunch. Downtown Montreal is not the most accessible place, and I really needed to be somewhere that I didn’t have to walk much from parking, do stairs, handicapped bathroom, etc. I avoided the little airplane bathrooms and asking everyone around me to move so I could struggle to get up and make a scene, so I really needed to pee by now!

After driving around who-knows-where for who-knows-how-long (and after a bus tried to push Lo’s car out of the way when she legally parked downtown for a moment to check the accessibility of a restaurant) we decided on a Boston Pizza near some mall I can never remember the name of (it’s French). Not exactly an original or different Montreal establishment, but that is okay, that would come. We ordered food (including a poutine to share; our Boston Pizzas here don’t have poutine; but I bet even McDonald’s in Montreal would! It’s everywhere) and ate and talked and talked and talked. Lo didn’t have to be anywhere until her rehearsal at 7:00, so our next stop was the coffee shop in the mall so Donna could get her vanilla soy latte, and we talked and talked and talked some more. Then she brought me to my hotel, which was in a great location in the heart of downtown on Avenue du Parc, across the street from the famous breakfast place Chez Cora which would soon become my favourite… I could eat there every day. YUM.

Once settled in my room, I blasted the air conditioning and spent the rest of the evening resting up for the big weekend. I called Emma to let her know I had arrived safe and sound, ordered a sandwich from the Pita Pit up the street, watched TV, and slept.

Friday ~

Emma had class until 10:00, so the plan was that she would run home, grab her stuff, take the Metro downtown and be at my hotel by noonish, and then we’d go eat. At about 12:20 I called her to see where she was, and unfortunately she had missed her first bus. Which meant she missed the connecting ones, and would probably be another 90 minutes. So I wandered down to the restaurant in my hotel and had a late breakfast. I have to laugh at myself for ordering oatmeal, toast and peanut butter, as that is what I ate every morning at the care facility when I broke my wrist. Hehe. This was better though, because it had fresh fruit and maple syrup, and it was in Montreal.

Emma finally arrived, and after a ton ‘o hugs we decided to find an internet café so I could get a latte and check email and stuff. There was one just up the street, so we headed in that direction, when I noticed a Second Cup on my corner. Okay, screw the internet, I can get my usual latte here! So we went in there instead.

Emma’s friend Gaby was in a panic, calling Emma every 1 minute and 43 seconds, because the girls had made T-shirts for Lindy, Rob and Dave Martel (the music of the weekend) and her mom had washed them and ruined them, so new shirts needed to be bought, but oh my god what colours should I get, ask Donna what Lindy’s favourite colour is (?), oh my god what sizes should I get, then words needed to be ironed on, but oh no Gaby’s iron broke, but it’s okay Donna’s hotel room has one, and we don’t have much time so why don’t we just do this tomorrow, NO WAY, okay fine, and okay sure we would love you to pick up some Tim Horton’s bagels, Timbits and coffee on the way, and how are you going to carry all that on your bike, and okay it was fine until you were rear ended and the coffee went everywhere, that’s okay just hurry up, we need to be at the Yellow Door by 6:00. ‘Whew.

Gaby made it to the hotel in one piece and immediately set up the ironing board to work on the “Good Tunes, Good Times” T-shirts for the guys. Emma and Gaby volunteer at the Yellow Door, so we did need to be there by 6:00 to let the musicians in to set up. Emma and I ended up leaving Gaby to finish up the shirts or we’d be late, and grabbed a cab. It was the only cab I would take the rest of my trip, so that was pretty cool! We arrived at the Yellow Door about the same time Rob did. Hugs and kisses ensued, and Emma went around front to unlock doors and stuff. Then Lindy and Dave arrived and many, many hugs and kisses with Lindy followed. It had been almost a year since I had seen him in the flesh! It was my first time meeting Dave, and I had never seen him perform before, but Rob told me he would “blow my mind”. He was right.

So, after helping me and my walker down the stairs, the guys set up their guitars and did sound check while Emma and Gaby (who had arrived by this time and presented the guys with their T-shirts. And wine gums, because Rob has a silly song called “Wine Gums” that we all wanted him to play. That was a direct hint) set up the room for the show. The Yellow Door is a non-profit organization, and the coffeehouse, where the live music happens on weekends, is actually the basement of a house downtown. It was a very intimate setting, and we all know how much I love to be right down in front. You can’t get much closer than this:

Lobelia, Rob and myself watch Dave Martel blow our minds

Then Rob played an amazing set

Followed by the incomparable Lindy

And it was the second best show ever. Because the next night was even better.

After the show, lots of pictures were taken:

Me and Lindy

Me, Lindy and Emma

Me, Rob and Emma

I love Rob Szabo and I don’t care who knows it!

I had the opportunity to meet a lot of Emma’s friends that she talks about all the time over that weekend, including the very cool Catherine Vidal (check out the hair!) a young musician/singer/songwriter that made it down both nights as well.

What a great looking group! Lindy and Rob are the tall ones in the back, and front L-R we have Lobelia, Dave, Me, Gaby, Emma and Catherine. This is my new family.

Emma will have a ton of pictures from that night in her blog soon, too. She’s just a little too busy going to Toronto to see Rob again as well as Peter Katz and Scott Cooper to post yet. Whatever. (I’m NOT jealous!)

Around 1:00 a.m. Rob gave us a ride back to the hotel. I wanted to go straight back to the hotel and get into bed because I knew the next day was going to be super busy!

Next up, we have Saturday. A very full day featuring the above people and Old Montreal, followed by the best live show on earth featuring the above people, followed by hanging at the bar until 4:00 a.m. with the above people. So check back soon! (Of course, those on the notify list will be the first to know!)

Montreal stories and pictures are coming soon. There’s so much to talk about it’s going to take me awhile to get it together. I will say, that it was the best time of my life so far, it just keeps getting better every time I take a trip! I’m pretty sure that was the best weekend of my life. Big hugs and kisses to Emma, Lo, Rob and Lindy for being amazing friends and taking such good care of me. So before I get around to all that, you get the usual random babble from me.

This morning my phone company called and woke me up. “Oh, sorry to bother you, we just want to save you some money on your monthly bill”. How, exactly, do you plan to do that? I get these friggin’ calls all the time and the result is the same – “oh, it looks like you’re already getting the best deal we can offer you! Sorry to take up your time!” But this guy seemed pretty adamant he could find a way to save me money. “Let me pull up your account, and we’ll see”. Oh brother, he hadn’t even looked at my account yet. “Hmmm… it looks like you’re paying X amount of dollars for this bundle… do you use it all? Call display, voice mail, call screen?” Yes. “You have Smart Ring. Do you have a fax machine or something?” Yes. “You don’t have a long distance plan with us, is that right?” Right. Don’t want/need one. “You’ve got high speed internet. How’s that working for you?” It’s damn slow and choppy these days. “Oh. Do you live in a remote area?” No, I’m just used to it now. “How long have you had high speed?” Since the day you came out with it, mid 90’s or whatever. “Oh. Well, it looks like you’re already getting the best deal we can offer you.” I KNOW. “If we ever find a way to save you money, we will let you know.” Okay, but make sure you actually look at my account first and really do have a way to save me money, because you just wasted my time AGAIN. Thank you. Click.

So what’s this I hear about my favourite old fat girl outfit being back in style? Leggings are back in style? And not just leggings, but leggings with “the right top – a long one that covers your butt”. Please, please, please don’t say “with a big belt around your hips” or I fear 1984 all over again and stirrup pants will be just around the corner. It’s bad enough gaucho pants are back. Ack! I still have some leggings in my drawers. Leggings and long tops. I think that’s all I wore back in the day. However, I’m not so sure my old Cotton Ginny leggings are what they’re talking about. Whatever! I’m set for the season, as far as I’m concerned.

I got home on Tuesday night and I called to put my Home Care on hold until Monday. I knew I wouldn’t feel like getting up early, and I did okay in the bra department on my own in Montreal. (Emma helped me the days she was there, but that is because I didn’t feel comfortable hanging around the room naked to dry completely with her there! It was easier to just get her help and then I could do the rest and she didn’t have to suffer the sight of my flesh too long). My regular home care lady is on holidays until Monday so rather than deal with a stranger, I figured I would just wait. I am going to cut down on my services anyway… I don’t really need them anymore for personal care, but I could use the light housekeeping a few times a week – change my bed, take out garbage, slice vegetables for me. So I’m going to see what I can work out with them.

My brother came over again on Thursday. Thank goodness. I needed help putting my clothes away from my trip and after the mess that was the cat litter area, a good vacuuming was needed in there (AH didn’t scoop the poop ONCE. I came home to well fed cats with overflowing litter boxes; they had even figured out how to get the lid off of the container of fresh litter and were going in there, their boxes were so gross. AH thought, “oh, how bad can it get in just a few days?” PRETTY BAD. That needs to be done every day, mister. Ugh.) But because he didn’t smell anything, he thought it was okay. That is because I found Fresh-O-Bowl to hang in that closet. They actually work. But if you are feeding them, they are going to poop. There is no getting around that.

Anyway, when Darren was here we went to the mall to pick up a few things and so I could set up my new cell phone. I have been using an ancient Nokia with no cool features for years because I can’t be bothered to get a new one. I hardly use it anyway. But, while in Montreal, Lobelia gave me the cutest cell phone that she no longer used. It’s adorable and blue and has the nicest ring tone and I love it! It’s a basic flip phone, no camera phone or anything, but is so much better than what I had and it’s so CUTE (have I mentioned that?) and I love it. I got it all set up and have a new number (it was a Fido phone so I just went there, better deal than what I used to have anyway) and immediately started playing with it and text messaging people.

Donna leaps head first into the year 2003

Yesterday I worked at Troy’s. Because it was Friday, Melanie was planning to leave early anyway, so we decided to work through lunch and just leave at 2:00. I cancelled my Access pick up and we went to the Olive Garden. Yum yum. Then I talked Mel into running into Safeway for me to grab some sliced pineapple. I was placing an online grocery order for delivery, but you can’t get the pre-sliced stuff that way. A whole pineapple, yes, but how the hell am I going to get in there? So she went in for me and I spent a fortune on pre-sliced pineapple. Rob has inspired me to have pineapple for breakfast every morning. I don’t think he will ever inspire me to go without wheat, however, but one step at a time, right?

When I got home I finished up my grocery order, and was planning to get it delivered today. But when I saw their delivery times, they had nothing available until Monday! I guess other people have discovered what was once my little secret. So aside from the pineapple, I won’t have any fresh fruit or vegetables in my home until Monday.

Oh well, what’s a girl to do, except go the mall for a latte. Ciao!

Pita, Lisa and Donna… Friends for a Lifetime.

Are those other cats in there? Huh?

Where’d they go!?!

I think I will fit. Montreal, here I come!

Today is… cloudy and dreary and very rainy and very cool… and I feel SO GOOD. I feel human! My windows are open and it’s cool in my apartment. I am walking around here sometimes with just my cane, and I don’t feel like I am going to fall with every step. I’ll be out of here when the forecasted snow falls by the weekend, though. No snow in Montreal’s forecast! Haha!

You may think I have lost my love for the sun, but you would be wrong. It’s just temporary, I am sure of it! I’m getting better every day and eventually the mild heat won’t affect me quite to the extent it does now. Of course by then it will be winter, but whatever. I still love sunflowers. I’m sitting here drinking a cup of coffee out of a pretty mug with a sunflower on it. I have no idea how that ended up in my possession yesterday, I really don’t!

Yesterday my brother came over again, late in the afternoon. I was pre-occupied, typing away in my office on my last entry. As he was approaching my patio doors, I heard him from outside: “Donna! Did you know your cats are outside??” WHAT?!? They were out on the grass right beside my patio, just sitting there watching everything. I was freaked. I guess they figured out how to open the screen door, so now I am going to have to be very careful that it’s pushed in hard and get some sort of a lock on it as well. If I can get a lock for that type of sliding screen door! Anyway, they didn’t go far, and as soon as my brother arrived they came right back inside without any cajoling, but now they know the life beyond the screen door they have been watching is real, and it includes grass. This could pose a problem.

I am so lucky my brother arrived when he did. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened.

So Darren was here, and he once again vacuumed like a *superstar* (man, he is GOOD at that) and took out my garbage and stuff. Then I took him for dinner. He asked me how I was going to handle my suitcase and get to the airport in the morning, and I said “balance my suitcase on my walker and take a cab. I’ve done it many times before”. He said “you’re not going to be able to do that easily now, why don’t I come meet you and help?” “At 4:00 a.m.?” Gulp. Hehe. So, he decided he is going to come over tonight and spend the night so he can get up early with me and help me get to the airport in the cab. Then I’ll give him cab fare to get home. That is SO AWESOME of him! Because I have to be at the airport by 4:30 a.m., I didn’t have the heart to ask anyone I know for a ride and help. So, you know, whew! I actually was a little worried about doing it alone.

I’ve been talking with AH a lot the past couple days, making up for lost time while he was away in BC for the past 10 days. I missed him! He is just starting to realize how *hot* he is. Apparently some other ladies he drives regularly have been telling him, and one older woman he drives pointed to a few young girls outside her house and said “see those girls? They think you are SO hot and want to meet you.” They came over and were all giggly, “hiiiii!” So now I always ask him, “has anyone told you you’re hot yet today?” He says he doesn’t want it to go to his head. It totally won’t, he is far too humble. But he IS “the hot driver” and I said it first!!

I asked him again about that that John guy he told me about months ago, and he said “oh yeah! I haven’t seen him! I think he’s moved away or something.” He said the last time he drove him, it was from Church. He was seriously getting into the whole going-to-church-thing. So, that’s not really my thing, so probably just as well.

I am, by the way, still in my own learning process though, trying to learn about and understand religions, specifically Islam because it’s so misunderstood. I finished reading the Qur’an and am right now reading a book about the history of Islam that is much easier to understand than the Qur’an. And I will tell you, there is a lot of misunderstanding out there about Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad and what he wanted Islam to be about and how other people have messed with it in their interpretations. It’s quite fascinating, really. I guess Catholics have a Pope and Buddhists have a Dali Lama, but Islam doesn’t have a Leader like that who would have the final word about something in the Qur’an. So there are many Muslims interpreting parts of the Qur’an to work to their advantage, to suppress women and justify suicide bombings, whereas others interpret the same revelation to mean empowerment for women, forgiveness and peace. AH asked me yesterday if I had ever heard that Islam states something like “if your neighbour isn’t a Muslim, kill them” and I said yeah, pretty much. He was shocked because someone just told him the other day that was in the Qur’an, and it was the first he had ever heard of it. And he was raised on that book. My translated copy has verses I have read translated differently by other people, so it’s very frustrating. Those trying to justify killing also take just a snippet of the verse to do so - this article explains that.

I want to make it clear I am not for or against any particular religion, just interested in learning, especially with all the fear out there right now. However, that said, I will not be bringing my book about the history of Islam in my carry on luggage to read on the plane!

Anyway, I need to get some work done here today (now that my office is cool! Woo hoo!) get to the mall and return something, and finish up packing and getting ready to go to Montreal. Emma, Lobelia, Lindy and Rob, I’m coming to hug you alllllll!!

I’ll be back next week with all my stories and pictures!