Can You Hear Me Now?

I’m falling behind on this thing again. I have a lot of time to update, but I’m still sosososo tired it’s difficult to function enough in order to do it. On a positive note (I hope), Mary is leaving on Wednesday. Now I just have to hope that my new roommate will be quiet and won’t need to be checked/changed several times/night, so I can SLEEP.

Nick and I have definitely become friends. I mean, he’s not an open kinda person so I may never find out everything I’d like to know about a friend, but he is definitely going to make my time here more bearable. Even though he probably loves Sarah Palin and has some pretty strong (opposing) views on things that are important to me, he doesn’t seem to push it on ANYONE so that’s cool. He lent me The Butterfly Effect DVD (I had never seen it! Man, that was freaky. I wasn’t sure I’d make it through, after that bit with his dog) and he has an awesome sense of humour. It turns out he has the exact same EMS/TENS machine as me! He had never even used it and doesn’t have anyone to help him with it, so I went into his room the other night to show him and get him set up. It was like the blind leading the blind! Between me only having use of one hand and him having limited use of his, not to mention it’s a small space and we’re both in big power wheelchairs, it was… difficult. We somehow managed to get both his arms/hands hooked up, but I’m not sure if it’s going to do much for him. No matter how high we turned it up, he couldn’t feel it in his arms. That’s not good. I don’t know anything about cerebral palsy and if EMS is safe, but I’m going to see a physiotherapist tomorrow and ask him.

That’s right, I’m staying in a place that has physio on staff, yet I’m going out to see another one. This one apparently has good knowledge of EMS/TENS and supports its use greatly, so that’s why I’m going. The physio here don’t have time to give me guidance if they even care about that, so I’m going to see someone who will. My dad will be with me and considering he hooks me up 90% of the time, it will be good for both of us.

My mom and Bob came by on Saturday, and I honestly can’t remember if anyone else did. Gah. On Sunday, however, my brother’s girlfriend came by early in the morning and gave me a SHOWER! It worked out great, because she dropped my brother off at work at 6:30 am (ugh) and then she came here and I was showered and ready to be dressed around the time the NAs would be coming by for my morning routine, anyway! She said she would come every Sunday to do that, so YAAAAAAY! Two showers/week and a hair wash from the salon another day, I can just squeak by with that. After I was dressed we went down to the cafeteria for coffee. I ate a tea biscuit but I also bought a muffin, because I thought I was so hungry, but that muffin is still in my drawer. Of course when I mentioned to Nick I have a muffin in my room, he repeated it back to me as a question. Which brought up the story that I’m on Twitter, and one of my friends once tweeted something about eating too much muffin, to which I replied “you can never eat too much muffin”, after which a bunch of lesbian groups started following me. He laughed, and laughed.

See, I could never have that conversation with anyone else here. Thank God there is someone here my age with a sense of humour. Tonight Chuck asked me at dinner if I ever ate a weiner. “I sure do like that,” he said. It’s a good thing he’s blind, because Nick and I were about to lose it. The other day over his breakfast sausages Chuck went on about his love for weiners. “They’re so easy, you don’t have to fiddle with them much”. Okay, STOP.

Back to Sunday. At lunch time, my friend Kim came by with her husband Rob, bringing with them not only a latte and some lunch, but a fancy cupcake from Babycakes!! So I can wipe that item off my 101 list. Kim and Rob were in town to host a sweet 16 birthday party for their daughter the night before. Lucky for me! I sure hope they can get into Calgary again soon, they’re awesome. I also forgot to give Kim her Christmas present, so she HAS to come back.

I have a cold. Lovely. All the lack of sleep has caught up with me, I’m so run down. Shoveling back Cold FX, and my dad came by today with the GOOD kleenex. And a cheap comforter for my bed, I finally decided I want to sleep with something besides their crappy blankets.

So I’m going to do that now, nighty night!

I do realize I am LONG overdue for an update. And I will get to one… I’m just so far behind that every time I think about updating I feel too overwhelmed to actually write it. So I’ll get around to a bulleted version of an update soon. But for now, I have decided that the following is important and worthy of the time it takes me to put one of these together.

In 1982, I was 14 years old. And 14 year old girls get crushes on cute, famous boys. For me, it was Christopher Atkins. I loved him with every ounce of my being. I was only 12 when Blue Lagoon came out, which my friend’s mom snuck us into the theatre to see, but it wasn’t until I was a little older that I saw The Pirate Movie (many times) and realized what LOVE was and how this beautiful boy was my one and only. I mean, check it out, can you blame me??

Seriously. I was 14. He had it all.

Flash forward, 27 years. I’m a 41 year old woman who just happens to like hanging out on Twitter. And, Christopher Atkins is a 48 year old man, who just happens to have a Twitter account. And the Tweeting goes a little something like this:

Christopher Atkins: Pet peeve - No parking spots - I turn around and go home.

Me: Haha you need to go out with me, I use a wheelchair and get ALL the good spots!

Christopher Atkins: lol! Yes I should!

And there you have it. Dreams do come true, girls. It may have taken 27 years, but Christopher Atkins asked me out on a date.

Sorta.

Never lose hope.

(I seriously teenage-girlie-screamed when I got a response from him… *sigh*)

Thursday, March 20 ~

Did you know my babies are two years old now? I don’t know their exact birthdate, but I know it was the first week or so of March. And I still love them more than anything! They make me laugh out loud every day. It’s awesome. I highly recommend at least two cats per household.

Ah, yes. I remember it well.

And so do they.

I’m insanely busy with work at the moment, but today is full of other stuff, and I don’t have time to devote to work before I have to do something else, so I’m writing this. It’s much easier to be interrupted during a blog post and then pick it up where I left off, than it is work. You see, today I had Home Care at 10:00, a Home Care nurse/supervisor is coming by at 12:30 for a meeting/assessment, and then my friend Shawna arrives from Winnipeg sometime after that and will be heading to my place straight from the airport. I get her for a few hours before she goes to another friend’s to spend the night, and then I’ll see her again on Sunday. In between, she will be with her boyfriend. Remember, the guy AH brought out with him, like, 3 years ago, when we were dating, and I wanted to go out when Shawna was in town, so I told him to bring a friend? Yeah. That guy. They’re still together!

Hmmm… reading that old entry reminds me that I used to have a life. I really miss Christine, too! She’s living in Ottawa now, going to law school! Who’d a thunk it? Ahhhh, the days of only needing a cane to get around. Before all the surgeries and falls and broken wrist and extended hospital stays and weight gain and anti-depressants… God, I’m working on getting back there, I sure hope I can.

Speaking of AH, yes, we still talk and stuff. I actually got rather short with him on the phone the other day, when he called me in the middle of the day when I was knee deep in work. My head was wrapped around what I was doing, and he asked me “has the government made new laws or something?” Huh? “my (brother/nephew/cousin I can’t remember) received a bill for $500 for filing his taxes late. Why?” How should I know? Is he incorporated? Yes. When’s his year end? Don’t know. Well, it depends on when his year end is, how late he filed, how much he owed when he filed… I can’t help you if you don’t know all that, the CRA charges penalties and interest to late filers when they owe. Duh. I’m busy, I gotta go.

I haven’t heard from him since then, can’t imagine why. I get stressed when I’m really busy and the phone rings off the hook for all sorts of reasons. It’s that time of the year…

My psychologist at the Clinic for Mind/Body Medicine has moved her office over to the hospital close to me!! I’m sooooo happy. No more sitting in a car for over an hour each way. Best of all, both my weekly commitments (to Troy’s for work, and this appointment) are in the NE not too far from me, so none of my regular trips will be long ones. AND I get AH as my driver a lot when I go to places nearby. AND, this is the hospital with a Second Cup right in the entrance I use, so I think I literally cried tears of joy when Jennifer told me she was being transferred there.

The Home Care nurse just left. Wow, we went over a lot of stuff! I’m really excited. She’s referring me to a foot clinic, where they can make a bunch of stuff to help me walk better, including fixing up the ankle/foot orthotic I had made a couple years ago (when I broke my wrist and was staying at Carewest, where the physio dept. got one made for me - to help my right foot lift up when I walk - but I have never been able to use it because I can’t get it on by myself or even with help!) and special shoes and a lift for my right leg, which is shorter than my left leg. My gait is so messed up from all these years of funny walking (and breaking my ankle in 2002). She’s also going to check with their volunteer centre to see if she can find someone to go to the pool with me twice/week!!! Someone to help me get in and out of my bathing suit. She said it may take a couple of months, but there is hope that I can get back in the water. YES!!! Next week my Home Care worker, Harpal, is getting training and supervision to exercise with me 3 mornings/week, so if I get that exercise M-W-F and then can add in water exercise Tues. and Thurs., PLUS stuff to help me walk better and safer (so I actually will walk more), I am ON MY WAY. I’m so excited. She’s also referring an occupational therapist to get me a new walker… mine is wrecked up and an old model. Pita has pretty much ripped the foam off the handles, and the plastic tray I use every day is cracked and broken.

I LOVE SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE!! There, I said it. We may not have a perfect system, but until I saw Sicko I didn’t realize just how GOOD we have it. I’d be living on the street if I lived in the U.S. with the amount of health issues and hospital stays I’ve had! Plus I’d probably have to buy my own walker. Which are, like, $600. Now, if we could just get air conditioners for persons with MS made a medical necessity instead of a non-medical appliance that isn’t covered by Aids to Daily Living, that would be nice.

My friend Sheldon made the funniest video ever, but he recorded it on Facebook, so I don’t think you can see it unless you have a Facebook account.

Please go here to laugh now.

If you’re unable to see that, I filmed it off my computer using my camera and uploaded to You Tube, but obviously the sound and quality is not nearly as good as the original. I’m hoping Sheldon will start a comedy channel on You Tube and upload videos so we can all watch his silly antics on a regular basis.

Friday, March 21 ~

Shawna showed up yesterday afternoon, and we went to the mall. Big surprise, huh? I bought Easter stuff for Jason and Sheldon ’cause we’ll be seeing them on Sunday, including a singing duck which I hope will become the official mascot for their Kitchen Radio. Anyway, we ate, shopped, and talked. Then I ended up getting caught up in Thursday night television without finishing this up. I think I’m going to like that new show Miss Guided, unless it’s on opposite The Office when it comes back. There is no contest. But Miss Guided was funny, and I love Judy Greer.

Okay, well, I better get my ass in gear and get some work done today! Happy Easter everyone, enjoy your weekend.

The litter boxes were cleaned and aired out to dry.

“Okay, let’s trade”

We have a winner!

Jason and Sheldon just left. I asked them to try and interpret things for Dietgirl’s Scavenger Hunt, 3rd Installment by me, just because it’s fun. They didn’t think they could do a wedding dress or Greek Yogurt, but here are the others. Videos are short because I started laughing too hard. Photos are blurry from shaking with laughter. Just the usual, when these guys are around…

Sigh… I love those guys.

I just filmed this a few minutes ago… sitting in my chair, minding my own business. I decided to grab the camera because Pita was looking excited about something. It’s getting harder and harder to keep that cat inside, and you can see why. There’s LIFE out there!!

No animals were hurt during the making of this video, but my belly was, from laughing so hard!

I’m supposed to be filing and organizing in my office but I would much rather make stuff like this:

At least I’m staying off Facebook!

I found this in Facebook and just about pee’d my pants, so I felt the need to share.

So, I am talking with AH about the cute Access driver I met on Wednesday. I tell him he is also from a culture where family is a big part of your life and they all live together and everything, but, his entire family is in another country so THAT is great hehe. I said “they’re in Peru.” He said “Peru? Where is Peru?” Uh – I dunno, I’m geographically ignorant, I couldn’t have even pointed out Lebanon on a map before I met AH. I said, “all I know is, he looked sort of Lebanese, so when he was talking about family and his culture I asked him if he is Lebanese, and he said’‘no, but close, I’m Persian’”. AH laughed his ass off. “PERU! He’s from Iran“.

Doh!

“It’s okay, momma. We still love you.”