Can You Hear Me Now?

I went ahead and purchased a Chi machine. The Canadian website for the Sun Ancon machine never responded to my repeated requests over the past month for more information and price, so they lost my business. I ordered through Chi Now, where they have this lovely video that explains some of the benefits:

Was an opthamologist the best they could do? Seriously, what does that have to do with it?? And I hate the “lose weight” comment, it makes it look like a gimmick. Although, I’ve never seen a fat goldfish hehe.

I’m done shopping now, for a good long while.

My friends The Good Lovelies are in town tonight!! I managed to talk Shawna into going with me. Bless her… she’s not a live music fan, but she is, indeed, a great friend. It’s hard to get people out on a Sunday night!! It’s Caroline’s birthday today too, and since she’s spending it performing tonight, the ladies want to stay an extra day and hang out in Calgary tomorrow to celebrate Caro’s birthday. Then they will all be crashing at my place… I’m not quite sure where I will fit 3 ladies, but I do know it’s been YEARS since I’ve had a slumber party, and it’s going to be fun and giggly. I’m going to need more wine.

I finally got rid of my old computer. It was taking up space on the kitchen table that is going to my brother, and it’s been sitting there for a loooong time. I guess I finally felt safe enough in knowing there is no old data in it somewhere that I will still need. I hopefully deleted every last bit of information on it (I even remembered to delete the Outlook Express folders and address book) and donated it to a non-profit organization that helps get kids off the street by providing them with computers and training so they can get jobs.

So, Green Beaver deodorant doesn’t work, either. I don’t know what to do! Does it take awhile for your body to get used to natural deodorants?? And who wants to go around smelling horrible while you wait for your body chemistry to change?? I dunno. I’m going to try taking 50mg of Zinc every day, because I remember reading if you take that, you shouldn’t need deodorant. Maybe a combination of those things will work. In the meantime, I am wearing my good ‘ol Dove deodorant out tonight!! I am LOVING my JASON body wash, by the way.

Anyway, Shawna is going to be here soon to help me get ready (like I said, very good friend… I don’t get home care on Sundays and since I’m going out, I need help getting into something besides pajamas! Shawna, Kim, Emma, Jason’s mom and my mom have all played this role before. Hell, even Rob once with his eyes closed! hehe. I swear, I have the best friends on earth and I wish I could buy them all Respite vacations!)

I went to the mall today, hunting down organic skin care products. I’d like to eventually wean all my body wash, lotions, shampoo, conditoner, facial care, etc. over to organic/crap free brands. Any suggestions are welcome here! Wal-mart carries a lot of the JASON brand, so I’m going to try some, except the deodorants (I already know those don’t work). I couldn’t find a body wash, though. I bought one bottle of body lotion from Nature’s Gate and a Jason face creme, but no luck with body wash. Shoppers Drug Mart carries some Healing Garden, but not the Organics line. The saleslady kept trying to talk me into all these products that have words like “botanics” and “natural” on the label, so I explained to her that PACKAGING LIES and is very misleading, just read the ingredients. Just because something contains “natural aloe vera” does not mean it doesn’t contain 10,000 other ingredients that are bad for you. “So, how about Aveeno?” she says. Sigh.

So yes, I am slowly leaning into changing everything in my home and body to environmentally friendly and organic products. I still have lots of regular shampoo and conditioner to go through before changing, but I can start bringing in toothpaste, body wash, shower gels, body lotions and stuff. I still like my mud soap from New Zealand and don’t think there is anything so horrible in there that I need to stop using it. But I’ll email the company for an ingredient list, anyway.

So I came home from the mall, and started Googling organic skin care products, and was thinking I’d just order some online, when my mom and Bob dropped by. I told my mom what I was hunting for, and she said, “what about the health food store in the mall? Wouldn’t they have skin care?” Oh my GOD, I had totally forgotten about the Sangster’s in the mall. They’re tucked away, and don’t have much in the way of health food (mostly vitamins and supplements I don’t use from there), but they would certainly have skin, hair and body care! So I made a trip back over to the mall later, and sure enough, there was a huge wall of products. The entire line of Jason products, Nature’s Gate, and tons of other ones. I bought some body wash, and asked the saleslady to tell me honestly if any of the deodorants actually work. She agreed that Jason’s is no good, and suggested Green Beaver. So, tomorrow I’ll be taking another shot at a natural deodorant, and I’ll let you know how it works. If you know of a good one, let me in on it!

On Tuesday, I made a very major purchase. Visa raised my limit again as they tend to every year, and rather than say “oh cool, I can go to Toronto now!” I decided vacations can wait, and this is more important. It is going to change my life, and my home decor, as I know it. I currently have a dining area off my living room, with a table and 4 chairs (and it’s the cat food area). I’m getting rid of that, donating the table and chairs to my brother who has been coveting them for months (since he moved into his new apartment and decided my dining set would be perfect). The empty area will now be filled with a therapy/rehab mat table… just like the ones I have seen in every physiotherapy centre I have ever been to (and there have been many!) They cost a lot more than I thought they would, and tack on several hundred dollars for freight, I’m looking at $1,100 I don’t have. But I did a lot of searching and calling around before I settled on using the supplier all the hospitals in the city use. To order from the US would have cost even more (I could find cheaper tables, but the shipping, broker, customs fees etc. would have added up to a lot more). I have been thinking for awhile that I need to buy some sort of exercise machine that I can actually use, but I didn’t know what… a treadmill? I can barely walk (and certainly not at an even pace). An exercise bike? My right foot won’t stay on a pedal. The Nu-Step and Wave machines are thousands of dollars. I’ve always had the best of luck with strength exercises and stretching, which I really need to be doing daily, and I love floor exercises, but I’m unable to get on the floor unless I fall haha (and certainly not back up!) I gave up the exercises the physiotherapist showed me and my home care worker to do from my bed, because a) my home care worker is unable to help me properly because she’s too small, doesn’t understand english, is limited in the area of basic common sense, and ended up hurting me more than helping, and b) because my bed is way too comfortable for exercise, all that memory foamed goose-down duvet comfort. So I decided on this raised mat table thingy, as I think it will be perfect. I can do tummy and butt crunches and all the exercises many therapists have shown me over the years, that I haven’t been able to do because I didn’t have the proper set-up. I’m also getting a wedge pillow for under my knees to help with leg lift exercises. I’ve got it all planned out! This is long overdue; I have lost so much mobility over the years, I sincerely hope this helps me get some back.

Next purchase, a Chi Machine, which I’ve been wanting for years! I will finally have a firm place to lie down and use it, so I’m going to get myself one.

All in all, I do spend more (errr… charge up my credit card more) when I take my annual trips to Toronto and/or Montreal (because I need to pay for an accessible hotel room as well as airfare, all my friends have stairs and/or unsuitable bathrooms in their *normal* homes) so I’m going to justify my spending that way! It’s for a very good cause, called ME. And, maybe by this time next year I’ll be in good enough shape to impose on friends in Toronto without worrying about the bathroom set-up!

Last on the health-related front, is the Cleanse. I guess you could say I’m weaning off of it. I started up coffee again on Monday (not a lot, and if I have a latte, it’s a plain soy one - no sugary syrups!) and the past couple of days I’ve been introducing some other foods back. One thing I’ve noticed for sure, is that my body does not like dairy products. And I want to keep sugar far away anyway, so until further notice you can consider me a vegetarian who avoids eggs, dairy, and sugar. I’m not going to cut them out completely (i.e. I won’t worry about the bit of dairy, sugar or eggs in the bun that comes with my veggie burger, and I’ll certainly have DQ soft serve and smelly cheeses again) but I’m going to continue ordering my organic groceries, making healthier choices and avoiding processed food as much as possible. The thought of eating meat stresses me out at the moment and makes me a little sick to my stomach, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

P.S. A veggie burrito with no cheese or sour cream from Taco Time is an excellent fast food option for me when I’m in a pinch. Yum!

The best part about looking up from my desk while working.

I got my hair cut and coloured today. I wasn’t going to get it coloured, but when I told my hairdresser that I was just going to buy a box and do it myself because I can’t afford it right now, she gave me a deal I couldn’t pass up. “If you colour it yourself you’ll just mess up”. Thanks for the vote of confidence!! I’ve coloured my own hair a million times before, thankyouverymuch!! Yes, it’s harder with just one hand, but that’s what mothers and girlfriends are for. She told me my roots are a lot darker than when she first met me; a sign that my natural hair colour is, indeed, a lot darker than I want to admit. A part of me wanted to get it coloured a dark blonde and then just let the natural colour grow in so I can see what it is, but I changed my mind when she said she saw grey. I have never seen a grey hair on my head before, and I’d like to keep it that way for awhile.

Last night AND the night before, Shawna and I went out for dinner to a 100% gluten free restaurant called A Tasty Menu, that also has vegan/dairy free versions of their breads and some meals. On Wednesday I had a grilled veggie sandwich with sweet potato fries (YUM), and last night I had PIZZA!! Green peppers and pineapple on a super thin GF/DF crust with soy cheese… it was soooo good! It’s pretty exciting for Shawna to know she can go to this restaurant and order anything off the menu and not get sick, and I’m thrilled to be able to eat out during this cleanse. I’m going to drag my dad there this weekend, methinks.

So I actually clicked on an ad in Facebook the other day. It was for a local pet grooming business. I emailed the manager, Amanda, and asked her if she does or knows anyone who provides mobile pet grooming, and could come by and trim my cat’s claws. She wrote back that she’s not a mobile service, but she does live close to me, and could swing by after work one day and do it. So she came by today. It didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it might, considering my kitties don’t like to be man-handled a lot. But she’s a pro. Pepper took it like a big girl, curled up in her arms and it only took a few seconds to do all 4 paws, she didn’t flinch once! Pita, on the other hand, squirmed and whined and made noises I’d never heard her make before. The second it was over, she raced off, then came right back and jumped up on Amanda’s lap to be pet and cuddled. No fear, there. She also ran into my bedroom to watch as Amanda did Pepper (who was asleep in my room as usual) because she always has to be where the people are and the action is. After Amanda left, both kitties took turns hanging out on my lap, and it was absolute heaven for me when they did their usual kneading on me, to not get poked by sharp claws. Ahhhh!

Since I started this cleanse a week ago, I haven’t been to the mall for a latte or food of any kind, nor have I ordered anything in. So I guess that makes up for the extra money I am spending on organic food. SPUD now carries organic cat food too, so I’m slowly weaning my cats onto it. I hope they like it. So far, their litter boxes have been a lot easier to clean because they don’t go as much! Oh, and for myself, I discovered these spritzers that are sweetened with fruit juice only, no sugar-sugar or artificial sweeteners, so that is a nice break from water water water.

Over the past week, to keep my spirits up and make me laugh, I have been watching my seasons two and three DVDs of The Office. I even downloaded the Dunder Mifflin desktop wallpaper I kept seeing on their computers. And, although I laughed my ass off (and I’ve seen all the episodes several times before), as predicted, I cried after the last scene of the last episode of season 3 (#8 in that Top 10). Gets me every time. Damn you, Jim and Pam!

Other than that, and a few other little outbursts, the crying is starting to subside. I think I have almost successfully completed my withdrawal from Paxil. What great fun this has been! I’m still not sure what my new *normal* is, that may take awhile yet. But the worst is definitely over.

I haven’t taken any photos in ages, so I leave this entry photo-less until another day. Ciao!

Okay, so, over withdrawal or not, I’ve started doing the Quantum Wellness cleanse of no gluten, sugar, caffeine, alcohol or animal products of any kind for up to 21 days. I’m on Day Two. So far, so good! I’m not looking forward to the sugar withdrawals. The only sweetener allowed is agave nectar or Stevia (and fruit is allowed), so not even pure maple syrup. I found an awesome vegan/gluten free/sugar free protein powder with zero carbs that fills me up like you wouldn’t believe, so that’s good! After I’m done the cleanse I plan to stick to being a (mostly) vegetarian and even a quasi-vegan. I’m not so sure I can 100% give up cheese and ice cream…

I was thinking recently, that I haven’t written about AH in awhile! That’s because he’s in Lebanon, and the last time I talked to him was shortly before he left, on my (our) birthday. We never did go out for our annual birthday dinner, and when (if?) he returns from Lebanon (it’s supposed to be in a couple weeks) he may not even go back to working for Access. Since him picking me up for my Access trips is about the only way I’ve seen him in months, who knows if we’ll even cross paths again. I think our friendship may have run its course, anyway. It’s difficult to be friends with a married man in a bad marriage, especially when you know he will never introduce you to his wife because she’s crazy jealous, and especially after you have discovered all these things about him and his caveman attitudes over the years, that you don’t like so much. Maybe the reason he came into my life was not actually for me, but for my friend Shawna; so she could meet Billy and live happily ever after. (So far so good, she moved here last week!)

Yes, my friend Shawna moved to Calgary from Winnipeg. I am so happy she’s here!! She’s living close by, and she wants to do some of the same stuff I want to do but need help in order to do it, and I know she will help me and be an amazing support. Like go to the pool… OMG it will be so nice to get back in the water!!!

I think I’m almost over my withdrawal, I haven’t cried for *no reason* since… Thursday, I think? Nothing else has improved though, like the physical stuff, so hopefully this cleanse will help. The whole purpose of this cleanse is to “eliminate sources of toxins and allergens, giving the digestive system a break from working overtime to process the substances that inhibit optimum performance the most” so your body can concentrate on other stuff, like healing itself. And my body has a LOT of healing to do! I hope I last the full 21 days, but even the author says “Stay on this program for as many days as you can, up to 21 days, as your ambition, willingness, and ability allow. Just do the best you can and don’t worry about perfection. The first time around, you may go just a day or two. That’s fine. Just give it a try. Take one day at a time. Don’t look too far ahead. Who knows? You may surprise yourself when you find yourself on day 14!” I just know I need to stay away from (plain) potato chips because they ARE allowed, but I’ll eat them non-stop if I get into that mindset. That’s what I did when I tried the no wheat/dairy/sugar thing for a couple months awhile back. I didn’t lose any weight because I practically lived off potato chips!! It’s funny to me that people envision vegetarians and vegans as slim and healthy… when in reality, if you have issues with food addiction and your weight etc., you WILL find things you can eat that will still pack the pounds on. That’s why I need to get back to Weight Watchers soon, too.

Anyway, enough about that. I’m not going to fill this blog up with talk about the cleanse and Weight Watchers! There are many other blogs about that.

Let’s see, what else is new… not much. I went to Calgary Housing on Friday to sign forms regarding the renewal of my rent subsidy, and I’ll be getting a bit more now, which is good because my rent went up in January. I’m a little worried that the agreement ends on March 31 “because we’ve only been guaranteed funding until then”. Come ON!! This province has SO MUCH MONEY (we are the only province I think, that totally benefits from the rising price of fuel and oil) and we have a budget surplus in the multi-BILLIONS. I think the government can afford to help out those of us who do NOT work in the oil and gas industry of this city, who are pretty much on a fixed disability income while costs continue to rise around us… sigh. I really hope my health improves over the next year so I can work more, I hate relying on the government to pay my rent!!

Oh, speaking of money, I’ve almost paid off my Bay card (that should be finished by early August) which will cross another thing off my 101 list. Remember that? Yeah, I wasn’t thinking straight when I put that list together. How, exactly, am I supposed to reach my financial goals of getting out of credit card debt, while buying myself all the stuff on that list and taking all those trips?? It cannot be done on what I make/get. Crazyperson. For the first time in years I’m not planning a fall trip to Toronto or Montreal I really need to concentrate on paying off the ones I’ve already taken hehe

I love my Alien Kitty.

And the totally Not Alien one.

And I said YES YES YES!! But, no. I can’t afford a place like Promises. And seriously, if you’re going to go to rehab, don’t you want some place nice?? I’d like to be in a log cabin by a lake in the mountains right about now, with a chef and maid and personal care assistant and all that stuff. Yeah, I know, dream on.

I want to be in rehab because I’m still going through major withdrawal symptoms from going off Paxil. Once I weaned down to 5mg every other day, I had to eventually stop altogether, right? So I did that last Monday, (which was also the last time I updated, see the connection?), and have since been living in hell, to put it mildly. Today is actually the first day I have felt half-human since then, so I think I’m over THE WORST. It just figures that I’d fall into that small percentile that experience severe/extreme withdrawal symptoms. Like I’ve said before, sometimes I’d like to be on the other end of the “special case” spectrum.

I made it through today with only 2 teary breakdowns, (so far hehe) so I know I’ve made progress. Everything has been making me cry lately. Every TV show, every video on You Tube, every thought in my head. I watched “Walk Hard” on the weekend and cried. WALK HARD!!! That’s worse than crying over Enchanted. I also laughed my ass off because it has got to be one of the funniest, in-bad-taste-yet-totally-hilarious movies I’ve seen in awhile, but trust me to find something to cry about. I think I’ll be watching all 3 seasons of The Office this weekend, I can’t possibly cry watching that? Oh, wait… the Pam and Jim scenes will probably set me off.

By the way, I do think Paxil is one of the greatest drugs ever created, I remember when I first went on it what a huge difference it made, and if not for the help of that magic pill, who knows. I mean, when you are depressed, it takes a lot to make you care enough to even want to get out of bed, never mind take care of the things that need to be done. My only mistake was that I stayed on it for too long. If I had taken it for a few months or a year or something, as it’s intended, and then weaned off, it would not be so bad. But no Medical Doctor except Deepak Chopra ever told me they were for short term use and stopped working after awhile anyway, so get off them. It’s an SSRI, so your brain starts to rely on the serotonin rush and stops producing its own; as long as you’re taking the drug it doesn’t feel the need to. So coming off is a long, hard process if you’ve been on them for years, like me, because your brain needs to adjust to producing its own again.

Of course, I am not a doctor and am not trying to dispense medical advice. All I’m saying is, if you are depressed and feel you need something to help, there is no shame in going on a medication like Paxil, but please please please make sure your doctor agrees it’s a short term thing and will work with you to get off them when you are ready!

So there’s my exciting update. Last night when I went to bed, I was thinking about how it was time I updated my blog, even though I have done nothing in the past week except suffer through withdrawal symptoms. But I had all these witty and clever observations I was going to write about. You think I can remember them, now?

I have been going NUTS trying to get work stuff done, and this next week is going to be even MORE NUTS with the arrival of Rob Szabo today and Peter Katz mid-week, so today I’m taking some time to update before Rob arrives.

Okay, let’s get real here… it’s not like I’m working on taxes 24 hours/day. I’ve just got lots to do, but I’m not able to sit here and work as much as I used to be able to, and need to. I take lots of necessary breaks to sit in my big chair with my feet up, and watch TV or read. And then there is Facebook, with its addictive Scratch and Win and Pull Tabs and Roll up the Brim to Win games that call my name… they’re relaxing, and did I mention addictive? And not hard on my vision like the word games are. But then I can’t sit here forever, and Facebook sucks up time that I should be working, but then I need another break, so I don’t get as much done as I’d like to. And then my favourite musicians come to town, and, well, soon I’m 2 weeks behind. I’m just sayin’.

Not that I mind, however! I will still get everything done that needs to be done by April 30. I know the next few days with Rob here will be a welcome break and God knows I’m thrilled to pieces he’ll be staying with me until Wednesday!! I can’t wait. Just between you and me, though, these guys have got to stop touring out West in April! Heh.

So, I suppose by now you’ve heard about the man who is having a baby. This seems to be upsetting a lot of people. Personally, I cried when I saw that, because I thought it was so great. That this couple can have their very own baby. This couple is very much in love, and that baby will be born into a very loving home, to two parents who really want her. Who cares if the man is carrying the baby?? When he went about his sex change, he consciously decided to keep some girly bits for this exact purpose. His wife can’t get pregnant, so he did. I don’t see anything wrong with that, because I don’t think the ability to carry a child makes you a woman any more than NOT being able to makes you a man. That seems to be the biggest problem with most people. That it’s “not normal”. “Women have a womb. That’s what makes them a woman, their ability to carry a child.” (Quoted from some Christian woman on the news). I couldn’t disagree more, because I have female friends who can’t get pregnant. Either because they were born without the ability, or had a surgical procedure by necessity or choice. And they are NO LESS women because of it. My friend Sylvie has half a womb, among other gynecolgical problems (and MS) and was told she’d most likely never get pregnant, never mind carry a baby full term with half a womb, but she gave birth to a healthy baby boy a couple years ago. Miracle! Any time a child is born into this world it is a miracle. Who cares what body it came from.

That said, is the world ready for this? No, I don’t think so. Not when you listen to the shit that spews out of the mouths of people like Sally “gays are a bigger threat than terrorists” Kern or this Fox News reaction to Heath Ledger’s death (thankfully he has since been fired). People can be so closed minded it boggles my brain. According to a member of my family (who has those attitudes, unfortunately) the Bible says being gay is wrong, and punishable by death. Oh, like this? Well, if that is true, I don’t believe the Bible is the Word of God any more than I believe the Qur’an is. I believe there is one God, and he does not hate. Anyone. Period. (Although I’m sure he has a “special place” reserved for child and animal abusers). I believe he created the Laws of the Universe, but I don’t believe he wrote a book. Because if he did, there would be only ONE book and no wars trying to prove which is the right one. My belief, not yours, I know. My blog, my opinion!

Anyway, I just wanted to have my say about that.

So what else is going on… oh, I stopped seeing my psychologist at the Clinic for Mind/Body Medicine. Partly because I’m so busy this month, and partly because I just don’t need to. How many therapists and psychologists do I need to see, before I realize I don’t need to see one??? This time, she is the one who pointed that out to me. It’s like, give me a call when you’ve weaned off your anti-depressants and need help getting off sleeping pills. Until then, there’s nothing she can tell me that I don’t already know. I ‘ve read all the books and listened to all the CDs and I know how to meditate. I know what I need to do to take better care of myself, and the fact I’m not always doing it is nothing she can help me with, ’cause it’s all in ME. So, yeah. I’m going to my regular doctor next week to get a couple more referrals (I’m hoping to get safer/better walking happening here) and I need a refill on my sleeping pills. I have no idea how I’m going to get off those things. I wish I could fall asleep without them!

Last night I watched the movie Hard Candy with Ellen Page. What an amazing actress that girl is!! That was a pretty tough movie to watch at times, but soooo good. And since I saw Georgia Rule the night before (who got one month free of Movie Central when her Telus TV was installed?? Gee, I don’t know) I think I’ve had my fill of the grown men who think it’s okay to have sex with young teenage girls because they “act older and sexy, like they want it”. *shiver*

Oh, speaking of Telus TV, I am REALLY loving it. If only I could figure out my new remote. And I need to do some furniture re-arranging because all these new channels and on–screen guides involve a lot of reading on screen, which I can’t do with the TV so far away (even with glasses). And since I don’t see myself getting a big screen TV anytime soon, I better move the TV closer. I’ll be putting Rob to work this week! The Shaw Cable guy was a snarky asshole when I called to disconnect their cable. That’s right, Shaw, you lost another customer because Telus TV is offering us a deal you can’t compete with right now. He tried to talk me out of it by scaring me that my “internet will be slower” (which it totally isn’t, if anything it is faster, but that may be because the guy gave me a brand spankin’ new modem to replace the original Telus modem I’ve had since they first came out with DSL in the late 90’s) and that “they make you commit to a 3 year contract to get that one year free”… OHMIGOD. I’ve only had cable for, oh, my entire life, I really don’t see a problem committing to another 3 years. Anyway, we argued for awhile, until I finally said “look, I didn’t call here to argue with you, I called to disconnect”. I understand they are frustrated as I’m sure they are losing customers to Telus, but it’s only going to get worse as Telus TV becomes available in more areas. My brother wants to switch, too, but they don’t have it in his part of the city yet. Both Shaw and Telus now offer all 3 - phone, internet and digital TV/cable. Let the price-slashing war begin!

Anyway, I was about to upload some cute cat pics before signing off, but the move to the new server has put a glitch in that for the time being. So until it’s sorted out, here’s an unedited video clip. I’m off to await the arrivals of my friend Kim and Mr. Szabo!!

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!

I found my last disposable camera the other day, one that I was using when I got my digital for Christmas in 2006. I got the pictures developed, and there were a bunch of cute ones on it. These are a couple of my favourites; I’ll upload the others soon, there are some cute ones!! Pita and Pepper don’t hook up like this often, anymore. I miss those days…

Pepper reminds me of the girl in the pink dress in the Charlie Brown dance

Speaking of Pita, it’s getting worse with the trying-to-keep-her-inside. I thought it was getting better, after I accidently shut her out in the hall when I didn’t know she’d snuck out there, and it took about an hour and a lot of her whining before I realized it. I thought, “good! Now maybe she will be scared to go out there again…” but that didn’t last long. Now one of the women who works in the rental office next door (the one who doesn’t get mad at me when Pita is in the hall) has taken to letting Pita into the office to roam around. She just loves her. OKAY, that’s nice and all, but now Pita KNOWS there is all this life out there, other places to go, people to see… today, after it took forever to get her back inside, she walked around whining and moaning for two hours. She kept going to the door and crying. Sigh…

This is the best comeback of the week year:

The woman is now weighing the pros and cons of having skim milk versus two percent milk in her latte, and she says, “God, I don’t know, I just feel so, like, fat today. I feel like such a big fat cow.”

Then she turns to me, and she says, GET THIS, “How do you stand it every day?”

I blink.

The adorable pierced-and-tattooed boy en flambe blinks.

Several heads in the cafe pop up because nobody can believe this woman actually said this to a total stranger. I feel as if the sitcom camera is pulling in tight for a closeup on my reaction.

But the gods of snark are smiling upon me today. I reply, straightfaced, “You know, it’s normally not too bad, but today I’m having one of those days where I feel like a shallow dumb bitch. How do you stand it every day?”

I wish I could have been there! I don’t get comments like that, I think because I’ve got a walker or scooter or something as my shield. People must think I have enough to deal with, without the fat remarks (to my face). But I’ve certainly been subject to them in the past, even when I wasn’t, what I would consider, “fat”. People can be so rude it’s astounding.

Speaking of being rude, I’m trying my best not to be, and to be happy about the fact that a crazy lady is planning to move into my apartment building, and most likely using me as a reference. Brenda has called me a few times over the past year with some pretty crazy stories and cries for help. Now she may be my neighbour. I really don’t want that… she says she will be here on Thursday to look at the place and fill out the application. I may actually talk to the office about her, because she is trouble. You know when your gut just SCREAMS at you to stay clear of someone? Yeah. I’m already worried.

So… work is picking up in a major way, today one big client delivered their entire year’s worth of stuff, and tomorrow another one will… which means between now and the end of March, when their GST’s are due, I’m swamped. I’ll also get a few more tax returns to do. I did my own yesterday, and woo hoo! Decent refund coming. First time in a long time, thank you medical expenses (I wrote off my electronic lift chair, and all those Quantum Release Therapy sessions added up!) I spent over $4,200 on medical related stuff. Ouch.

So what I’m trying to say, is expect even fewer updates than usual.

Pita’s eyes ended the last entry, so Pepper’s tongue ends this one.