I am getting closer to December 1, which is the first day I will see patients in my new clinic. The place still has a long ways to go as far as getting ready - a huge part in the delay being that there was a flood in the place last Thursday thanks to a burst pipe on the 6th floor which made it down to my suite on the 4th. There were driers and dehumidifiers in there all weekend while we were setting up the computer etc. Currently, they have ripped off all my baseboards in 3 of the rooms and the carpet needs to be cleaned in all of those rooms. One of which is my intended treatment room, so I am probably going to have to use the second room for a few days until I get a chance to set up the other one once the workmen are done. It just adds to the excitement, I guess.
So, instead of getting a bunch of things ready this afternoon, I went to see Rent. And now I have that "Fivehundredtwentyfivethousandsixhundredminutes" song stuck in my head.
And now I'm baking muffins. There's always tomorrow, right?
Oh, crap. There's only tomorrow!
November 29, 2005
November 15, 2005
Clinic is Go!
I got the keys to my new clinic today. After months of stress and hassle, I have a location and a lease and now, keys to the premesis. Woot! I'm now filled with all kinds of nervous energy about getting the place painted and furnished and ready-to-go for December 1. You can check out the clinic website - www.serenityclinic.com - and even book an appointment for a treatment through my online booking system. Hooray!
Plus, anyone who wants to help me paint or move stuff in (especially Nov 29), is mighty welcome.
Plus, anyone who wants to help me paint or move stuff in (especially Nov 29), is mighty welcome.
November 10, 2005
Remembrance
Tomorrow is Remembrance Day here in Canada. It is one of those days that make me feel especially Canadian and especially proud to be Canadian. I'm pleased that we have an actual holiday to celebrate our veterans and that a lot of average people go out to the cenotaphs to participate in Rememberance Day ceremonies. And that businesses, events, TV and radio will come to a standstill at 11:11 to observe a minute of silence. As a child in the Brownies and Girl Guides, I marched in Rememberance Day parades every year. My dad was an incredibly proud Legion member - he served in the Australian militia (reserves) during the Vietnam era - and as a Boy Scout leader encouraged us to participate. My brother and I had no problem with the ceremony but didn't like the Northern BC November weather though it was the only time of year I could wear jeans with my uniform instead of a skirt. The cold just made the hotdogs and hot chocolate served after the parade taste even better.
And I love seeing the ubiquitous red felt poppies.
We buy the poppies every year and pin them on our jackets to represent the poppies that grew in Flanders Fields (row on row) over the graves of soldiers who died in Europe in WWI. We almost always have to buy more than one poppy because the poor pin design means they never actually stay where we pin them. If we weren't Canadian, perhaps we'd come up with a new style of pin that didn't fall out but the fact that they don't stay in place is kind of part of the whole ritual to us. They don't work and that works for us. In fact, there was controversy this year because a politician had deigned to put a Canadian flag pin through the middle of his poppy to keep it on. Only Canadians could get upset about something like this.
What I don't like about poppy time is that some people don't seem to know poppy ettiquite rules.
1. The poppy goes on the left side of your jacket - closest to the heart.
2. The poppy is not a decoration to put on your baseball cap or backpack.
3. You take the poppy off after 11:11 on the 11th - because you're supposed to have pinned it on a wreath at the cenotaph after the parade.
I see people on the streets breaking all these rules and really want to yell at them but I don't want to seem crazy enough to scold people for breaking poppy rules. So, I'm crazy enough to want to scold people but not crazy enough to actually do it. I think I can live with that.
And I love seeing the ubiquitous red felt poppies.
We buy the poppies every year and pin them on our jackets to represent the poppies that grew in Flanders Fields (row on row) over the graves of soldiers who died in Europe in WWI. We almost always have to buy more than one poppy because the poor pin design means they never actually stay where we pin them. If we weren't Canadian, perhaps we'd come up with a new style of pin that didn't fall out but the fact that they don't stay in place is kind of part of the whole ritual to us. They don't work and that works for us. In fact, there was controversy this year because a politician had deigned to put a Canadian flag pin through the middle of his poppy to keep it on. Only Canadians could get upset about something like this.
What I don't like about poppy time is that some people don't seem to know poppy ettiquite rules.
1. The poppy goes on the left side of your jacket - closest to the heart.
2. The poppy is not a decoration to put on your baseball cap or backpack.
3. You take the poppy off after 11:11 on the 11th - because you're supposed to have pinned it on a wreath at the cenotaph after the parade.
I see people on the streets breaking all these rules and really want to yell at them but I don't want to seem crazy enough to scold people for breaking poppy rules. So, I'm crazy enough to want to scold people but not crazy enough to actually do it. I think I can live with that.
November 07, 2005
Lousy anterior talofibular ligament
I sprained my left ankle yesterday while walking to my car from a store. Just like the last time I blew out my other ankle, I stepped off a curb I didn't realize was a curb and WHAM! Thankfully, this time is a lot less severe - especially since I had to drive my manual transmission car back from Coquitlam - but it still hurts like a mofo and I still can't go to work. Gah! The timing sucks because I'm so busy trying to get my clinic off the ground and I'm spending tons of money so time off isn't smart. But I guess it gives me time to sit here and work on my website.
Filed in: Work
October 31, 2005
I'm here to announce...there's nothing to announce
I still haven't had any firm action on the lease/insurance front but I think I'm getting closer. After my meltdown on Thursday when I was convinced that this whole "own clinic" thing was the stupidest plan ever, I seem to be coming back around. I'm super-thankful for Annelise who was my insurance phoning hero while I was at work today. It's got to be that I will know in the next day or so for sure. For sure!
I hope.
I hope.
Filed in: Work
October 27, 2005
Leasing Woes
I was totally looking forward to announcing that I'd signed my lease today and knew exactly where my new clinic was going to be but no such luck. The main problem: insurance. I haven't been able to find an insurance agent who does commercial general liability insurance who does all of the following: a) covers massage therapy clinics, b) includes the extensive list of clauses required by the landlord, c) will return my phone calls.
I had a total meltdown earlier because I was so sure I was done with all this. I just can't believe how difficult it has been to make it all happen. And the date I have to leave my current clinic is getting closer without any of this lease stuff getting any easier. *sigh*
I had a total meltdown earlier because I was so sure I was done with all this. I just can't believe how difficult it has been to make it all happen. And the date I have to leave my current clinic is getting closer without any of this lease stuff getting any easier. *sigh*
Filed in: Work
October 23, 2005
New Look
As you can probably see for yourself, I'm trying a new look for my site. I decided having my blog as the main page was a way to get myself to write more often without the effort of all the hand-coding required to do my rants and updates the old way. It will take me a while to transform the whole site but I'm pretty pleased with my start.
October 22, 2005
So I'm sitting in a café tonight eating some pumpkin pie and drinking a latte (I burned my tongue, comme toujours, but that's kind of irrelevant. Okay, completely irrelevant but I needed to mention it because it hurts). The pie arrived without whip cream - whaa? When I asked the server about the lack she explained that they didn't "do" whip cream there. Uh. Huh.
Really, there should be a warning about that sort of thing. I mean, pumpkin pie comes with whip cream. That's just the way it is. It's sort of like being at someone's house and they offer you coffee or tea but don't tell you they're out of milk until a steaming cup of black, undrinkable substance is before you. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the hospitality of being offered a beverage but I would have made a different choice had I had all the necessary information. Given the choice between black coffee and the murkiest tap water, I'd choose the water. Or recently at one of my favourite burrito places they didn't tell me they were out of cheese until my burrito was ¾ made. I'm just too polite to walk away at this point (though not too polite to bitch about it later). If they'd have told me at the beginning of the transaction, I'd have gone for sushi (I think I just realized why they didn't tell me). Eating that burrito made me feel bad for vegans because burrito minus cheese equals suck.
Like the pie. I wouldn't have chosen pumpkin pie had I known there was no accompanying whip cream. It just doesn't taste right. They could have a sign near the pie or the server could have mentioned it when I ordered it. C'mon, have you ever seen a photo of pumpkin pie sans whip? I haven't either. But once it's in front of me, I'm too uncomfortable to send it back and end up munching at it dejectedly. I just want my expectations managed - and apparently, as I read this rant back to myself, a lot of dairy.
Really, there should be a warning about that sort of thing. I mean, pumpkin pie comes with whip cream. That's just the way it is. It's sort of like being at someone's house and they offer you coffee or tea but don't tell you they're out of milk until a steaming cup of black, undrinkable substance is before you. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the hospitality of being offered a beverage but I would have made a different choice had I had all the necessary information. Given the choice between black coffee and the murkiest tap water, I'd choose the water. Or recently at one of my favourite burrito places they didn't tell me they were out of cheese until my burrito was ¾ made. I'm just too polite to walk away at this point (though not too polite to bitch about it later). If they'd have told me at the beginning of the transaction, I'd have gone for sushi (I think I just realized why they didn't tell me). Eating that burrito made me feel bad for vegans because burrito minus cheese equals suck.
Like the pie. I wouldn't have chosen pumpkin pie had I known there was no accompanying whip cream. It just doesn't taste right. They could have a sign near the pie or the server could have mentioned it when I ordered it. C'mon, have you ever seen a photo of pumpkin pie sans whip? I haven't either. But once it's in front of me, I'm too uncomfortable to send it back and end up munching at it dejectedly. I just want my expectations managed - and apparently, as I read this rant back to myself, a lot of dairy.
Filed in: rants
October 17, 2005
As I was thinking about my need to buy groceries tomorrow I got all obsessive this evening and created a master shopping list containing the things we buy most often, layed out in the design of our local Safeway. I tend write out my list in a sectional way to make the shopping more efficient but I seem to be writing out the same things all the time. Voila, the computer. I divided the page up into three parts, printed the list, then cut the pages to create convenienty-sized lists. I then stapled my grocery list pad together and put it on the fridge. I'm almost excited about going shopping now. Almost.
I'm posting the list here in case anyone else wants to adjust it to their own needs and grocery store - no, you don't have to buy Vegemite.
Happy Shopping!
I'm posting the list here in case anyone else wants to adjust it to their own needs and grocery store - no, you don't have to buy Vegemite.
Happy Shopping!
October 10, 2005
I'm pretty much the worst blogger ever. I just don't seem to be able to write about the daily stuff on a regular basis. I'm shocked and appalled whenever I realize how rarely I do actually write. My excuse du jour is that I'm crazy busy trying to get everything together to open my own clinic. Once I'm done with that, I'm sure I'll come up with something else.
I just got back from a fabulous trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I visited my friend Jessica and her fiancé Rob. It was a great trip and I was able to see a part of the country that I have never been to before. Well, considering I've never been East of Winnipeg, Manitoba, (which I considered Eastern Canada) it's not saying much. The day I flew over was incredibly clear so I got to have a good look at the country and the varied landscape from the air. The grandeur of the Rockies, the little boxes of the prairies, the rugged rockiness of the Canadian Shield and the Great Lakes. They're some damn big lakes. I mean, I knew they were big but they're BIG. By the time the plane hit Toronto it was getting dark so I didn't get to see the rest of the country but I sure enjoyed the first half - or 3/4 or whatever.
There are a lot of Tim Hortons in Halifax. I couldn't leave without having a doughnut and while I was there I got to hear my first person order a double-double. Tee hee. In the West, we put our own sugar and cream in our coffee. I love doughnuts but I had to scrape the chocolate frosting off chocolate dip because it was so absurdly sweet.
We had a great time wandering around the city. It's a lovely place. We saw the Queen Mary II cruise ship outside their living room window for a day (HUGE!). We wandered their seawall, saw very fat pigeons eating fries, went to the Citadel, saw relics from the Titanic and the Halifax explosion in the maritime museum, strolled through a gorgeous cemetary with gravestones from 1775, saw the Pastor's silhouette in St. Paul's church window, drank beer, drank more beer, enjoyed "Barret's Privateers" performed live (see previous mention of beer), drove to Peggy's cove and saw no waves, drove to Mahone Bay and hung out with Annelise's dad for the day and made silver rings with him in his workshop, and finally drank too much blueberry ale the night before returning to BC on an early morning flight. There was plenty more stuff but that's enough for now.
So, big thanks to Jess and Rob for being great hosts and tour guides. Hooray! But if I never hear another train making steam noises, it will be too soon.
I just got back from a fabulous trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I visited my friend Jessica and her fiancé Rob. It was a great trip and I was able to see a part of the country that I have never been to before. Well, considering I've never been East of Winnipeg, Manitoba, (which I considered Eastern Canada) it's not saying much. The day I flew over was incredibly clear so I got to have a good look at the country and the varied landscape from the air. The grandeur of the Rockies, the little boxes of the prairies, the rugged rockiness of the Canadian Shield and the Great Lakes. They're some damn big lakes. I mean, I knew they were big but they're BIG. By the time the plane hit Toronto it was getting dark so I didn't get to see the rest of the country but I sure enjoyed the first half - or 3/4 or whatever.
There are a lot of Tim Hortons in Halifax. I couldn't leave without having a doughnut and while I was there I got to hear my first person order a double-double. Tee hee. In the West, we put our own sugar and cream in our coffee. I love doughnuts but I had to scrape the chocolate frosting off chocolate dip because it was so absurdly sweet.
We had a great time wandering around the city. It's a lovely place. We saw the Queen Mary II cruise ship outside their living room window for a day (HUGE!). We wandered their seawall, saw very fat pigeons eating fries, went to the Citadel, saw relics from the Titanic and the Halifax explosion in the maritime museum, strolled through a gorgeous cemetary with gravestones from 1775, saw the Pastor's silhouette in St. Paul's church window, drank beer, drank more beer, enjoyed "Barret's Privateers" performed live (see previous mention of beer), drove to Peggy's cove and saw no waves, drove to Mahone Bay and hung out with Annelise's dad for the day and made silver rings with him in his workshop, and finally drank too much blueberry ale the night before returning to BC on an early morning flight. There was plenty more stuff but that's enough for now.
So, big thanks to Jess and Rob for being great hosts and tour guides. Hooray! But if I never hear another train making steam noises, it will be too soon.
September 15, 2005
We went camping this past weekend to Uceulet (West coast Vancouver Island) with 2 other couples and all their kids. It was super-fun. I was a little nervous about the group camp thing because I'd never done it before but it worked really well. The largest problem with the whole thing was that I drank too much wine on Saturday night and didn't want to hydrate properly before bed because I didn't want to have to get up to pee in the middle of the night. Especially since there had been an ursine visitor (i.e. black bear) to the camp earlier in the day.
On the Saturday our fabulous host Paul - camp at Surf Junction if you're in the Tofino/Uceulet area! - took us surfing. It was awesome! Totally! Dude! We wore full wetsuits with gloves and booties and I was completely warm. I completely sucked at surfing and drank a fair bit of sea water (as well as the stuff that went up my nose) but I haven't had that much fun in the water since, well, ever. I am totally pumped about trying it again. The advantage of the water at Long beach being so cold in the summer is that it stays the same all year so we could go back and surf some other time over the winter. Yay! Surfing without risk of shark attack. If it wasn't for the necessary ferry ride to get there, I think I'd be heading over once a month or so. Thanks to the ferry ride, maybe twice a year.
On the Saturday our fabulous host Paul - camp at Surf Junction if you're in the Tofino/Uceulet area! - took us surfing. It was awesome! Totally! Dude! We wore full wetsuits with gloves and booties and I was completely warm. I completely sucked at surfing and drank a fair bit of sea water (as well as the stuff that went up my nose) but I haven't had that much fun in the water since, well, ever. I am totally pumped about trying it again. The advantage of the water at Long beach being so cold in the summer is that it stays the same all year so we could go back and surf some other time over the winter. Yay! Surfing without risk of shark attack. If it wasn't for the necessary ferry ride to get there, I think I'd be heading over once a month or so. Thanks to the ferry ride, maybe twice a year.
September 01, 2005
The fact that medical helicopters aren't able to land due to armed groups on landing pads and nursing home buses are being held-up at gunpoint is one of the strongest arguments for gun control in the US I've ever heard. I'm not saying there wouldn't be thugs in this kind of emergency in Canada but it certainly wouldn't be this out-of-hand because the majority of us aren't armed.
July 12, 2005
We had a great time at Jeff and Tea's wedding on Saturday in Chilliwack. The weather was great. The food was great. The company was great. The karaoke was great - well, the neighbours didn't think so and they sent the cops to shut us down at 7:30pm. LAME! I can see that they might not want to be listening to Pantera and Slayer all afternoon sung karaoke style, but come on! It was a freaking wedding, folks. Plus, my "Goodbye, Earl" is always a highlight. Okay, maybe a lowlight, but I like singing it.
You may notice the RCMP officers in the background when Theo and Jeff are singing. Apparently it takes 4 officers to shut down a heavy metal karaoke wedding.
June 28, 2005
If you'd like to see photos from our Australia trip without any pesky explanations about where we are and what you're looking at, there's a gallery up here http://www.vertigogirl.com/australia_gallery/. I'm still hoping to do a more detailed gallery with explanations but it takes a long time. So, don't lose hope, but don't hold your breath either.
I spent Saturday up in the attic replacing more insulation. Now we just have to get some of those pull-down attic stairs to make access a lot easier. Insulation is gross stuff. Even with a respirator, I was coughing up some scary stuff later. Plus, my butt bones got all bruised from sitting on plywood all day - it's too low to stand up there. I would have thought I had plenty of my own padding, but I guess not.
I spent Saturday up in the attic replacing more insulation. Now we just have to get some of those pull-down attic stairs to make access a lot easier. Insulation is gross stuff. Even with a respirator, I was coughing up some scary stuff later. Plus, my butt bones got all bruised from sitting on plywood all day - it's too low to stand up there. I would have thought I had plenty of my own padding, but I guess not.
June 16, 2005
I crawled around in the attic today trying to redistribute the insulation more effectively, as well as putting some slats of wood across some beams so that we can start using it as a storage area. It is really nasty and dusty up there, though less stifling since we installed the roof vent last summer. Despite wearing a respirator mask, I feel like I inhaled several pounds of cellulose dust. Yick!
I bought a passion fruit plant today. I really hope that it will eventually bear fruit because I got addicted to passion fruit in Australia. It is wonderful with yogurt and especially wonderful made into gelati. Mmmmm.
I bought a passion fruit plant today. I really hope that it will eventually bear fruit because I got addicted to passion fruit in Australia. It is wonderful with yogurt and especially wonderful made into gelati. Mmmmm.
June 15, 2005
Annelise and I went for a walk last night around the Sea Wall in Stanley Park. I always forget how fabulous Stanley Park is. In the 15 years I've lived in the lower mainland, I've probably been there less than 10 times. It's kind of shocking. I've decided to embrace it as part of my Vancouver and go there on a regular basis. And last night definitely made the effort worthwhile because...
We saw an otter! An actual wild otter sitting on a rock eating a fish. Then swimming around for a while. Then sitting on a different rock eating a different fish. We're pretty sure it was a river otter rather than a sea otter (despite its whole ocean location) because it was brown and sleek rather than white/grey and fuzzy. Plus, it was sitting on a rock to eat rather than the classic lying on back and eating that the sea otters tend to do.
Man, I was excited. I never actually see mammals in the wild, probably because they're afraid of my squealing, "soooo cuuuute!" I was quite restrained, despite my better judgements and we got to have a good long look at him/her swimming, diving and eating. It was awesome.
Other stuff we saw:
- many blue herons
- a mama duck and ducklings
- an elaborate engagement on a bridge involving rose petals, Andrea Bocceli music, champagne, a video camera and a smooching couple
- a peacock (obviously escaped from somewhere) sitting on a post
I am definitely going to Stanley Park more often. And I'm taking the camera.
We saw an otter! An actual wild otter sitting on a rock eating a fish. Then swimming around for a while. Then sitting on a different rock eating a different fish. We're pretty sure it was a river otter rather than a sea otter (despite its whole ocean location) because it was brown and sleek rather than white/grey and fuzzy. Plus, it was sitting on a rock to eat rather than the classic lying on back and eating that the sea otters tend to do.
Man, I was excited. I never actually see mammals in the wild, probably because they're afraid of my squealing, "soooo cuuuute!" I was quite restrained, despite my better judgements and we got to have a good long look at him/her swimming, diving and eating. It was awesome.
Other stuff we saw:
- many blue herons
- a mama duck and ducklings
- an elaborate engagement on a bridge involving rose petals, Andrea Bocceli music, champagne, a video camera and a smooching couple
- a peacock (obviously escaped from somewhere) sitting on a post
I am definitely going to Stanley Park more often. And I'm taking the camera.
June 11, 2005
Australia was amazing. We had such a great trip. We took a ton of photos and I'm busy processing them and getting them ready to post into an update. I will get it online as soon as I can. It's nice to be back to spring weather, though (it should be summer weather but it's Vancouver). The short Fall days in Oz were a real shock to the system after getting used to it being light for so long in the evenings here. I like that it's only beginning to get dark at 9pm.
Since I've been back things have been pretty quiet. Just getting back into the swing of work and home life etc. I rearranged the bedroom today but I'm not sure it's any better than it was. The small rooms in this house are incredibly frustrating when it comes to furniture arranging. If we didn't have the enormous Ikea wardrobes we'd have more room but then there'd be no place to keep our clothes. Alas...
Since I've been back things have been pretty quiet. Just getting back into the swing of work and home life etc. I rearranged the bedroom today but I'm not sure it's any better than it was. The small rooms in this house are incredibly frustrating when it comes to furniture arranging. If we didn't have the enormous Ikea wardrobes we'd have more room but then there'd be no place to keep our clothes. Alas...
April 12, 2005
March 31, 2005
I've been going through a box of old mementoes that I found while organising the laundry room. I was meant to deal with it when we moved in - it was stuff stored in my mum's basement in her old house. I'd forgotten all about it until I cracked it open the other night and it was pretty weird to see most of the stuff.
There were a pile of old letters that I'd gotten from old classmates when I moved to Port Coquitlam from Dawson Creek. I didn't remember getting nearly that many letters. I guess I must have been a better penpal than I thought considering how many people were writing to me. My lack of memory of most of the information in the letters or the circumstances they referred to, like "thanks for the amazing talk the other night" really freaked me out because generally I have a great memory for details. I couldn't even remember who a couple of the people were that were writing thanks to their use of obscure nicknames. I eventually puzzled it out then thought, "she wrote to me? were we really that close?" Apparently I even had penpals in both France and Austria (which I vaguely remember) who wrote to me in French and German. And they wrote often!
As great as the memory trip was I ended up putting most the letters in the recycling box because I just can't keep carrying all this stuff around with me. I kept a couple out to show to friends I keep in contact with so we can laugh over them together. The blackmail photos of the mall/rocker-bitch hair are also keepers.
Also amid the piles of paper were a ton of certificates of various academic awards I got in school ranging from the French 12 award to something from Grade 2 congratulating me on doing well on a spelling test. It was all kept tidily in a Duran Duran folder, no less. Again, it's cool to look through all of it but do I need to keep any of it? Gah!
And I haven't even cracked the box of letters from old boyfriends. Wish me luck...
There were a pile of old letters that I'd gotten from old classmates when I moved to Port Coquitlam from Dawson Creek. I didn't remember getting nearly that many letters. I guess I must have been a better penpal than I thought considering how many people were writing to me. My lack of memory of most of the information in the letters or the circumstances they referred to, like "thanks for the amazing talk the other night" really freaked me out because generally I have a great memory for details. I couldn't even remember who a couple of the people were that were writing thanks to their use of obscure nicknames. I eventually puzzled it out then thought, "she wrote to me? were we really that close?" Apparently I even had penpals in both France and Austria (which I vaguely remember) who wrote to me in French and German. And they wrote often!
As great as the memory trip was I ended up putting most the letters in the recycling box because I just can't keep carrying all this stuff around with me. I kept a couple out to show to friends I keep in contact with so we can laugh over them together. The blackmail photos of the mall/rocker-bitch hair are also keepers.
Also amid the piles of paper were a ton of certificates of various academic awards I got in school ranging from the French 12 award to something from Grade 2 congratulating me on doing well on a spelling test. It was all kept tidily in a Duran Duran folder, no less. Again, it's cool to look through all of it but do I need to keep any of it? Gah!
And I haven't even cracked the box of letters from old boyfriends. Wish me luck...
March 10, 2005
I went to see Duran Duran on Friday night, which was pretty awesome. I loooooved them when I was around 11-13 years old. My whole room was plastered in posters and I was planning to marry John Taylor as soon as I figured out a way to meet him, and have him wait for me to be old enough. The concert was really fun, although our seats sucked. Next time, if I'm shelling out for someone I really want to see, I'm going to shell out more and get some decent seats. We rented binoculars, so we could see them okay on stage, but it would have been much better to be closer.
I discovered that John hasn't aged as well as I thought he might have. I actually wonder if he's had surgery because his face doesn't just look older, he looks way different. And Simon really can't dance. People say he never could but I didn't notice it back then. It's pretty damn apparent now.
But the show was really fun, and they played almost all my favourites (except The Reflex - maybe they're just sick of it). Since I never got to see them in their heyday, it was pretty awesome to get a chance to do it now.
I discovered that John hasn't aged as well as I thought he might have. I actually wonder if he's had surgery because his face doesn't just look older, he looks way different. And Simon really can't dance. People say he never could but I didn't notice it back then. It's pretty damn apparent now.
But the show was really fun, and they played almost all my favourites (except The Reflex - maybe they're just sick of it). Since I never got to see them in their heyday, it was pretty awesome to get a chance to do it now.
February 22, 2005
I spent a very sleepless night last night doubled-over with cramps. And most of the plans I had for today have gone out the window due to the pain. Dammit! I really didn't expect miracles from my surgery but I did really hope that I'd be done with the 3-5am crampathons. I'm taking fewer drugs than I did previously, so that's a plus, and I know it's very soon after the surgery to know the full effects, but I gotta admit, it's pretty disheartening.
February 19, 2005
Valentine's Day is a really lousy holiday. It's a lousy day for singles and it's a lousy day for couples because of the pressures put on them to perform perfectly to their particular partner's needs. Aside from all the usual stuff about how the whole holiday has evolved into the conspiracy of flower and greeting card corporations to pad their bottom lines, Valentine's day can do a lot of damage to relationships. It can make you completely re-evaluate the stability and happiness of your relationship based on how your partner performed at the tasks (implied or expressed) that you have assigned to him/her for the day. A holiday should not have the power to mess with the value of everything else in a relationship; to make all the preceeding romantic dates or kind gestures seem less meaningful. And I am a total romantic but I am seriously considering saying "fuck it" to Valentine's day. It's just not worth the anguish.
February 12, 2005
I had surgery a few weeks ago to clean out the endometriosis and uterine polyps that have been squatting illegally in my body. They're gone now and I am very happy. The surgery itself wasn't too bad - a general anaesthetic which didn't make me puke thanks to the anti-nausea meds they gave me in advance (that knocked me out before they even got to giving me the anaesthetic - lightweight!). I was in and out of the hospital within 4 hours and I got to have the surgery in a private clinic because the local hospital doesn't have enough rooms or staff to accomodate all the necessary procedures. I got a warmed-up gown and robe. This ain't your regular hospital!
Theo stayed home from work to look after me for a couple days because I was pretty sore and tired. We had fun lying on the new sofa bed in the living room and watching movies. The cats thought it was pretty awesome too. As the sore decreased we progressed to sitting on the couch and watching movies, which the cats still thought was pretty awesome. It was amazing for them because I was home and I was sitting still. Those two things don't happen in combination all that frequently.
All in all, I was off work for nearly 2 weeks, which was nice for recovery. And I know that I was feeling under the weather because I didn't go insane being that inactive for all that time. I've been trying to make up for it now, being on high-alert bustle. I've painted living room cabinet doors and cut a bunch of baseboards with my beautiful mitre saw. I really want to paint the whole living room but Theo is having none of it. Stupid Theo! Instead I will put up new curtains which should help the rest of the room look less in need of a change of colour.
We've also started planning our trip to Australia in May. It will be 11 years since I've been there to see my family and this will give Theo a chance to check the place out too. After visiting family for a few days we're going to play full-on tourists and travel to all the exciting parts of the country like Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and the Great Barrier Reef. I've never seen any of these areas myself so I'm totally pumped. There's also a little island outside Adelaide that has penguins. I am sooooo going to see those penguins! Screw kangaroos and koalas! PENGUINS!
Theo stayed home from work to look after me for a couple days because I was pretty sore and tired. We had fun lying on the new sofa bed in the living room and watching movies. The cats thought it was pretty awesome too. As the sore decreased we progressed to sitting on the couch and watching movies, which the cats still thought was pretty awesome. It was amazing for them because I was home and I was sitting still. Those two things don't happen in combination all that frequently.
All in all, I was off work for nearly 2 weeks, which was nice for recovery. And I know that I was feeling under the weather because I didn't go insane being that inactive for all that time. I've been trying to make up for it now, being on high-alert bustle. I've painted living room cabinet doors and cut a bunch of baseboards with my beautiful mitre saw. I really want to paint the whole living room but Theo is having none of it. Stupid Theo! Instead I will put up new curtains which should help the rest of the room look less in need of a change of colour.
We've also started planning our trip to Australia in May. It will be 11 years since I've been there to see my family and this will give Theo a chance to check the place out too. After visiting family for a few days we're going to play full-on tourists and travel to all the exciting parts of the country like Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and the Great Barrier Reef. I've never seen any of these areas myself so I'm totally pumped. There's also a little island outside Adelaide that has penguins. I am sooooo going to see those penguins! Screw kangaroos and koalas! PENGUINS!
January 27, 2005
I can't believe it has been since before Christmas that I wrote anything in my journal. I was sure I'd written in the New Year. Damn, I'm a slacker! I guess I must summarize.
Christmas:
My brother came down to visit for the first time in years over Christmas and we had a great time because he actually spent time with us. We had Christmas morning on the 24th then went to see "The Compleat works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged)" at the Arts Club Theatre (a hoot!). After the show we made and ate the traditional Christmas eve lasagna, then James, Theo and I went to the Railway club to a sing-along with the Hard Rock Miners. A busy but awesome day.
Christmas morning we caught the 9am ferry to Victoria to see Theo's family. We had a good visit there with our nieces, who were both sick, unfortunately. The family had good laughs at me trying to keep child snot off me. Ahh, good times. The children were remarkably well behaved considering how late their Christmas morning was delayed (until after lunch, which was cruel and inhumane to all of us). We had fabulous meals and a really great time visiting with his family, who we really don't see often enough. I wish they lived closer.
It was awesome to be off work for 10 days. I expected to bustle around the house a ton but barely got to anything on my list. I was sick as usual and hung out with my brother the rest of the time. It was really great (the visiting, not the sick).
New Year's Eve:
I wanted a fairly quiet night so we went to Chris & Annelise's, played board games and drank too much. Waaaayyy too much. Blackouts too much. Soooo, I was having a good time and vaguely remember getting in an argument with Chris at midnight about the brilliance of Green Day and their status as punk rock. What I don't remember so well was attacking him when he didn't agree with me and phoning Mark and Allice at midnight to rant about it (and wish them a Happy New Year, I hope). Yikes!
New Year's Day:
Hooray for drive-thru Starbucks and Burger King croissanwiches.
Christmas:
My brother came down to visit for the first time in years over Christmas and we had a great time because he actually spent time with us. We had Christmas morning on the 24th then went to see "The Compleat works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged)" at the Arts Club Theatre (a hoot!). After the show we made and ate the traditional Christmas eve lasagna, then James, Theo and I went to the Railway club to a sing-along with the Hard Rock Miners. A busy but awesome day.
Christmas morning we caught the 9am ferry to Victoria to see Theo's family. We had a good visit there with our nieces, who were both sick, unfortunately. The family had good laughs at me trying to keep child snot off me. Ahh, good times. The children were remarkably well behaved considering how late their Christmas morning was delayed (until after lunch, which was cruel and inhumane to all of us). We had fabulous meals and a really great time visiting with his family, who we really don't see often enough. I wish they lived closer.
It was awesome to be off work for 10 days. I expected to bustle around the house a ton but barely got to anything on my list. I was sick as usual and hung out with my brother the rest of the time. It was really great (the visiting, not the sick).
New Year's Eve:
I wanted a fairly quiet night so we went to Chris & Annelise's, played board games and drank too much. Waaaayyy too much. Blackouts too much. Soooo, I was having a good time and vaguely remember getting in an argument with Chris at midnight about the brilliance of Green Day and their status as punk rock. What I don't remember so well was attacking him when he didn't agree with me and phoning Mark and Allice at midnight to rant about it (and wish them a Happy New Year, I hope). Yikes!
New Year's Day:
Hooray for drive-thru Starbucks and Burger King croissanwiches.
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