Can You Hear Me Now?

I love Jim Carrey. You may already know that about me. What you may not know, is how far back and deep my love for Jim Carrey goes. It started 26 years ago, at the ripe old age of 14. I’m not even sure where I saw him. Some TV show on CBC, I think. He was cute and funny and I started crushing on him. Then, devastation: I open People magazine and flip to a gossip page where I see a photo of Jim with Linda Ronstadt captioned: “Linda Ronstadt and her boy toy, Canadian comic James Carrey”. He would have been about 19 or 20 at the time. I remember pulling out my mom’s Linda Ronstadt record and playing it, holding the album cover in my hands, staring at her picture and crying. She was sooooo lucky, she had my man!! I couldn’t wait to see movies like Once Bitten and Peggy Sue Got Married. Anything My Jim was in, I’d watch! I was thrilled for him when he got In Living Color. Finally he would receive the fame and recognition he so greatly deserved.

I always knew My Jim was super talented. He was not only hilarious, but he could act, baby! I knew he’d make it as a comedic actor as well as a dramatic one. I have stood firmly in my belief in that man over the years, even through the bad movies, my faith in him prevailed. Although I may have been a little quieter about my love for him during the really bad movies and that marriage blip; that was a difficult time in our relationship. But I knew, deep down, that he would always come out a winner in the end, My Jim. I know a good thing when I see it.

Yesterday, My Jim appeared on Oprah, with his love Jenny McCarthy. (Who, by the way, I LOVE, and was so happy when they got together). The show was about Mother Warriors and was very inspiring. Jim was not there to promote a movie or be silly, so we got to see a deeper side of him (one I always knew he had because I have loved him for 26 years).

Jim said the most amazing thing, when they were talking about women with challenges (whether it be themselves or their children) and how these women (like myself) often think they will be alone forever because no one would want them with all the troubles they come with. This is what came out of the mouth of My Jim:

Jim says women should keep in mind what they do want—not what they don’t want—from a partner. “If you go around saying, ‘It’s impossible. No one will ever love me. A good man is hard to find,’ then you’re saying to the universe that you don’t believe in abundance,” he says. “This universe that created the stars, galaxies, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon and the duck-billed platypus is quite capable of finding someone for you that has the capacity to love you, no matter what your situation is, and think of it as a blessing.”

POW. I love you, Jim Carrey. Even more now, than 26 years ago, if that’s possible. Thank you.

Things are moving along in the Home Care department. Today was my first visit with my new lady. It looks like I may actually end up with 2 or 3, because Janice can’t do Wednesday or Thursday mornings, and she doesn’t work weekends. I’ve got a woman named Anna for Saturdays; I’ve met her a couple times before when Harpal was sick and she is a sweetheart. Janice will be coming Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings for personal care, Monday and Thursday afternoons for range of motion exercises, and every second Thursday for housekeeping. Hopefully a good routine will be put in place soon, maybe Anna can even do the Wednesdays and Thursdays. Janice is a great lady, I think we’ll get along just fine. And no language barrier! We actually chatted for a long time this afternoon after my exercises, to the point that my speech started to slur!

I’m really liking my Chi Machine. I’m up to 10 minutes/day, and I can tell it’s going to get better and better over the weeks as I work up to 20 minutes. I really feel like I’ve worked out afterwards, yet it’s relaxing at the same time. I feel good after I use it, too, which is what you’re supposed to feel like after exercise, right? Energized, and all that? What I find interesting, is that when I asked the Occupational Therapist who’s been over a lot lately if he’s ever heard of a Chi Machine, he said “no” and played dumb. The next time he was over he noticed I actually have one, and it’s set up on the table, so he then told me “many of my clients have those, and they love them. But because they are not an ‘approved’ form of exercise or therapy, we are not allowed to recommend/discuss them or help clients use them”. It’s really a shame, because I think they would make a huge difference for people who are paralyzed. Paraplegics have physiotherapists to move their limbs and exercise their legs. This machine would help so much, just lay their ankles in it and turn it on and let the machine do the work to keep the circulation going throughout the body and strengthen leg muscles. What a shame that the medical profession won’t even consider the many uses it could have.

Oh, speaking of my OT, he was here on Monday with a motorized wheelchair for me to try out. I wasn’t allowed to keep it here because there isn’t really room in here, plus I can’t open my building doors by myself. With one hand on the controls and the other un-useable, I don’t have any way to open the doors and of course, they’re not automatic. I can do it on my scooter because I’m positioned differently and can use my left leg. So, no motorized wheelchair for me unless I move into a 100% wheelchair accessible location. Which is sort of on the agenda, but between you and me, I don’t wanna. I want to get stronger and get back to the strength and mobility I had at least before I broke my wrist in June/06. If I move, and get a motorized wheelchair, I’m just setting myself up for worsening health and mobility, as far as I’m concerned. Law of attraction, and all that. I need to think healing, positive thoughts and ignore the alternative. “One’s perception of their own health is more important than their actual health”. Perception becomes reality. And I perceive that I am getting better, not worse. Right? Right.

SEASON PREMIERE OF THE OFFICE TONIGHT OMG.

I needed to post something happy to push Ms. WhineyPants further down the page.

My friend Sheldon made this video for me because he’s SO AWESOME. If you’re on Facebook you should be able to view the original here, but the only way I could post it for everyone was to play it on my monitor and film that. So it’s rather crappy quality, but it gets the point across. And that is: Sheldon is awesome, and my friends love me, and for that I am hugely grateful. The opening that was cut off said “this is a song for Donna, for all the Flight of the Conchords stuff she’s been giving me” (I gave him my DVDs months ago when I realized he’d never heard of them, because I knew him and Jason would LOVE them, and be a little jealous that they haven’t been given the opportunity to have their own show which would be even better, and have emailed him a few songs from their hilarious CDs). I recently purchased another DVD set of the series because I don’t expect I’ll ever get those ones back!!

p.s. I realized after posting this that I have another previous entry already titled “THIS Makes Me Happy”, and wouldn’t you know it, it features Jason and Sheldon. Those boys are truly happy medicine!

I missed yesterday for the same reason I almost missed today. I am SO DAMN TIRED, I am not getting any sleep, and I’m simply dragging myself around. I don’t have the energy to worry about this blog or anything else, for that matter. So I may not continue with this project or updating until I get some proper rest and sleep for more than an hour at a time!

I went looking for flax seed today to put in fruit smoothies. I found this organic stuff with DARK CHOCOLATE SLIVERS!!

Pretty, pretty, pretty Pepper.

A completely reorganized kitchen that should make life and healthier eating a bit easier… toaster oven, microwave, juicer and blender all set up on one side. The coffee/espresso machine is put away because there isn’t room for everything. I figured juicing vegetables and fruit smoothies are a little more important right now.

Thin crust spinach pizza in the oven!

I am fresh off a weekend in Carstairs, Alberta for the Mountainview Music Festival, and I’m in dire need of sleep. I wish I could say I’m so tired because I attended all the late night activities and parties with my friends, but the truth is I just haven’t been able to sleep. Sitting in a wheelchair all day is actually very tiring and I would be back at my hotel room and in bed by 10:00 pm, but sleep would not come. Even with the assistance of medication.

The festival was amazing, I just really wish I was in better health, energy and mobility so I could have enjoyed everything! I am, however, so very grateful to my friends and family that made it possible for me to be there at all!

Instead of uploading my photos into an album, I made a little video. “The Office” fans will get how this was inspired by Michael Scott.

Thanks to the amazing help of great family and friends, I will be attending (and volunteering) at the madness that is the Mountainview Music Festival all weekend, so I won’t be able to post from there. I will be, assuming I can find my camera battery charger today, taking LOADS of happy pictures to show off upon my return, however.

Until then, enjoy my super cute kitties as they play about the house today, and also check out my photo album from when the Good Lovelies were here. I never did write about that, did I! They played at the Ironwood here on July 20, and the following afternoon came to my place to spend the night. We went for coffee and a bit of a mall walk (me on my scooter, of course), then across to Safeway so they could buy groceries to make the best stir-fry I’ve ever eaten. We drank wine, hung out, I forced them to watch Walk Hard, and generally had a nice, relaxing evening. They are the sweetest gals and super fun. All three of them found room to sleep, although I’m not sure if Kerri ever actually left the computer. On Tuesday afternoon, they left to spend a couple days in Banff, while I held all their instruments and gear captive to lighten their load (and leave them no choice but to swing by again on their way to their show in Nanton on Thursday). I got my CD signed and downloaded a couple “sneak peak” tunes from their next CD. Sooooo awesome! Kerri also sings a duet with Rob Szabo on his next album (coming this fall! He’ll be in Calgary November 7!!!) which is amazing. (Rob sent me the mp3. *dies*).

Have a great weekend, but not as good as mine unless you’re at the festival, and see you Monday!!

If I was as clever as Robyn, I would write a story to go along with those pictures. But I’m not.

I do have a happy picture, but first I need to get some complaining off my chest. I’ve had a bad few days with delivery services and I need to VENT.

For starters, my mat table/platform still isn’t here. It was supposed to be here last week. In fact, one of the customer service reps, when she called to confirm my order and freight costs, told me it would be here “next week”, which was the week before last. The website said 10 days shipping when I ordered, and two different customer service people I spoke to said the same thing. So where is it? I called them late last week to ask about it, and was told “oh, that item ships in FOUR to SIX WEEKS”. Excuse me??? She didn’t care that the website and two other people told me differently. I wrote a nasty email to them last week, and since they haven’t responded, I followed it up today. I’m pissed.

One of the reasons I’m pissed, is that I can’t use my Chi Machine without that platform. The Chi Machine that finally arrived yesterday, which would have been here last week, if my friggin’ apartment buzzer worked. It has been out of order for almost two weeks. The first time UPS attempted delivery of my Chi Machine, they assumed I wasn’t home, when I was. I saw the notice on my mailbox. So the next time they attempted delivery, I saw them drive up, and went right to my buzzer to unlock the door (that part works, I just can’t hear buzzes and talk). He did not realize I was unlocking the door for him, I guess, because he left. I went to my patio doors as fast as I could and yelled “HEY, UPS GUY!!” as loud as I could and waved at him getting into his truck, but nothing. If I could run, of course, I could have gotten his attention. So I was left with another notice and rather than have them attempt delivery again with the same results, I asked them to leave it for pick-up and my dad was able to get it for me yesterday.

Of course, I asked my office when, exactly, they planned to fix the buzzers, and their answer is, as always, a resounding “we’re on it”. Sure. They said the same thing about my leaky taps and it took 2 weeks and 3 phone calls (and a zillion litres of water wasted) to get that fixed. You know what my landlord said, when I expressed my concern about the amount of water being wasted (as it wasn’t just dripping, it was full-on RUNNING)? “Oh, no, it’s not wasting water. It’s good for the pipes, it cleans them out”. Hm.

Also, on Friday, my groceries never showed up. They “deliver until 10:00 pm” so I literally watched the window all day and night for them (and for UPS/Chi Machine… argh!) and nothing. It was a long weekend, so my phone call and email was not responded to until Tuesday, with an “according to our records, they were delivered at 4:00 pm.” Uh, NO. To this day she swears she doesn’t know what happened (please… as if the driver doesn’t know if my bin is still in his van, or where he delivered it instead of me? I get the same delivery guy every week!) At least they are giving me a credit (they charge your credit card automatically every week) but that still leaves me short a few food items I wanted and can’t get any other way.

Let’s see, what else can I bitch about… oh, at 4:00 am Tuesday morning I was startled awake by a loud banging on my bedroom window (which was open a tad) and a guy yelling at me. I was pretty much scared shitless, frozen… you know, when someone is at your window, and your bed is RIGHT THERE, it feels like they are standing right next to you with nothing in between. I could tell by his voice and the outline of his ball cap that it was one of the three Jamaican dudes that live in the complex and have caused many problems for my neighbour Richard (scared him into moving out, he is looking for a new place). I tried to yell “I’m calling 9-1-1!” but all that came out was a stifled attempt at that sentence as I picked up my phone and started dialing. He mocked me with a “oooooohhhh I’m calling 9-1-1!” and kept banging, until he could hear that I was actually on the phone with the police, describing him. Then he was gone, but the police said they’d send a car out anyway, in case he was wandering around looking for a place to break into.

I did not fall back asleep without the aid of a sleeping pill, I’m not ashamed to say.

I called the office today and told them what happened, so they are aware these guys are causing problems and scaring the shit out of people. They park their vehicle(s) in the stall beside mine, and I swear I have already seen 5 different vehicles parked there this week. They’ve scared Richard into looking for another place by throwing things at his patio doors, hanging out on his patio being jerks when he is right there in the living room, and taping dirty underwear to his door with a note that said “look out, whitey”. Classy. Richard also has MS and is in need of subsidized/accessible housing, so I’m not sure how soon he will be able to move. He is working with Calgary Housing to find something. I hope it doesn’t come to that with me, that this was a one-off incident, and those guys will move along and move out on their own like the drug dealers across the hall from me did awhile back.

Ahhh, life in ‘da Hood.

And on a happy note,

Super thin crust, pineapple, green peppers, diced tomatoes and “easy on the cheese”. My new fave, a step up from “Pepperoni Lover’s”.

Shawna coming over, and bringing me Tim Horton’s,

And the arrival of my Chi Machine!

Another thing that made me super happy today, that I can’t take a picture of, is the fact that it looks like things are working out so that I can go to the Mountainview Music Festival for the entire weekend!!!