Dear Thursday Blog,
Well, I guess I haven't been here for a few days... funny that, huh? And now I'm trying to remember what all I've accomplished or done over the last couple of days, but of course my mind is blank! :)
I do know that last night (Wed) I went out for dinner with 3 co-workers.. well, co-workers that all used to work together but now work for different areas in the government. We try to get together every couple of months and lately, it's been every couple of weeks (grin). It's great! We have so many laughs... and just when we think we've used up all the laughter we find something else to laugh at. Too bad I can't imbed a sound file in here... there's this ringtone sound clip that has us in stitches whenever we think of it! Anywho, the four of us went just down the street from my place to Milestones for dinner and had a wonderful time... one that we will repeat again ;)
Today (Thurs), I went to the Cancer Agency this morning to have a CAT scan done. This will be the "base" scan. From what I understand, over the course of the treatments I will be monitored with CAT scans and chest xrays. The reason being... if the cancer was to reappear, it would either recur where it originated, in the large intestine OR if it were to spread and start somewhere else, the two common areas are in the lung or the liver. Also, Dr. Brown had put clips in the abdominal wall where the tumour/abscess was attached, and that is where they will be focusing the radiation. So this base CAT scan will be used for a few reasons... and for a comparison for every future CAT scan.
It was great! Because of the snow we had last night/this morning, it was not busy at the CT Scan department. I got there early because I am always leary about what the parking will be like. No problem with parking in the parkade and no backlog of appts. There was one gal ahead of me and she was in getting her scan while the nurse was putting the IV in my arm for the scan dye. They can't use the PortaCath for dye... and I don't really think the PortaCath is quite ready to be used yet anyways (I still have the 8 staples holding the incision closed and there is still sufficient bruising, although it is starting to go away now). Hehehe... the nurse had to wrap my arm in a heating pad to coax the veins to the surface. She did manage to get one finally, so once the IV was in, I went in to have the scan done. That only took about 5 minutes, then they took the IV out and I was able to leave.
So... looking at my handy dandy date book, my next medical appt. is not until Monday... when I get to pop in to see my GP, Dr. Fay, who will take these 8 staples out. I'll be glad to get them out because I think they are ready :)
Oh, and I heard from my friend, Bonnie K. who lives in the Seattle area! We have been online friends for, gee, 4 years maybe?? Anywho, she is going to come up to Vancouver March 12-14th so we can hang out and catch up in person!! How fun is that??? And she is going to show me how to do some scrapbooking... both digital (on the computer) and the manual way... which means (grin) we are going to have to go SHOPPING!! How sad!! (NOT!) (grin)
I just have to jot down this Question/Answer part of an interview of Ellen Degeneres. I really admire that lady... her humour cracks me right up and, even more important, I like how she is just a really together lady who is so positive. Her outlook on life is fantastic and I never could quite pinpoint what it is that I admired so much, but it is how she views her life and life in general (and it doesn't hurt that she is a serial animal lover!) Anyone who is an animal lover has major brownie points in my books!! :)
Anywho, I just loved her answer to this question and it's how I try to see/live my life... but it's still a work in progress for me. The interviewer was talking to her about her hosting the Oscars. This interview took place before the Oscars, so the event had not happened yet. Here's one of the questions:
Question: Any good luck charm?
Answer: No, my good luck charm is my gratitude. Every night I go to sleep and I'm grateful for my life, and I wake up and I feel the same thing. I just accept everything as it is -- whatever happens is what I'm supposed to deal with.
What a wonderful attitude! To be grateful for everything in your life (which I feel I am) and when things are thrown at you that you weren't expecting, or that are challenging, then know in your heart it is being handed to you and you know you are suppose to deal with it.. it's all part of the experience of your life.
So, on that note, I will sign off. Tomorrow I will tackle another small corner of my apartment. Hahaha... I'm trying to get into "Spring Cleaning" mode but it's too overwhelming to think of doing the whole apartment... so I'm doing a corner at a time, a small area at a time and by the time Spring rolls around, I may actually have a good start on it!! LOL!!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday, February 26th, 2007
Dear Blogster,
Ok, who turned off the heat in our early spring weather?? I mean, sure, it's still February and we've been having the typical PNW drizzle and rain, but along with those clouds we had been experiencing lovely, mild temps. Today, it was downright chilly... and rumour has it that outside of the Vancouver area, municipalities were actually getting (gasp) SNOW! Now that's a scary concept!! (grin)
Of course, no snow here in the West End, just rain. My little diva, Miss Bridget, loves to go out, but definitely plays the "poor me" card when she comes home all wet. We then have to do the production number of bringing out the big fluffy towel and rubbing her dry. Oh, but it doesn't stop there... I must leave the towel on top of her so that she can snuggle under it. This is NOT a normal doglet... she is a child in a schnauzer suit!
So now, how many of you did manage to see the Oscars? I LOVE Oscar-mania every year! And I was really impressed with Ellen Degeneres as the host this year. Ok, to be fair, I must admit that Billy Crystal is the all time King of Oscar Hosts and is very, very funny. But since he has said that he won't be doing it again, it's time to move on and find a new King or Queen of Oscar hosts and I think Ellen may just be the one to fit those shoes. Her humour is much more subtle, but she had some wonderfully brilliant moments. When she told Penelope Cruz to lift her "big" dress while she vacuumed under it... classic! Of course when she had Stephen Spielberg take a digital picture of her with Clint Eastwood... and then had him do it again since he didn't centre it to her liking, that will go down in Oscar history (grin).
Ok, now those of you who know me, you know that I really enjoyed the movie Dreamgirls, and yes, I'd go see it again! I know Steve and Jo didn't care for the movie and a lot of others have said the same thing. I had to agree that when the three girls sang the three nominated songs that were up for best song in a movie category, they did a really bad job. These gals can sing, but for some reason, it just sounded like they were screeching. And this coming from me, a fan of the movie! Anywho... when it was over and Ellen was back at the mike, she had us all laughing when she said, "Well, I'd hate to follow that act", which had such a double entendre to it... she is very quick on her feet without ever making anyone feel uncomfortable.
I guess I could go on and on about the various celebs and their reactions. I don't think there were really too many surprises this year, other than everyone thought Eddy Murphy (Dreamgirls) was a shoe-in for Best Supporting Actor and he lost to Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine). That was one of the surprises. The other one was the Most Original Screenplay - Little Miss Sunshine. We all thought one of the bigger blockbuster movies would have taken it. All in all, I enjoyed the show this year... and now it's done for another year :)
Not to much to report on the personal front. The bruising from getting the PortaCath put in last Thursday is really showing up now, but at least the muscle pain is now going away. I don't need to rely on the T3s as much as I was on the weekend (phew!) I will call Dr. Fay's office in the morning and set up an appt. for next Monday to have the staples taken out. I hope the bruising has gone down by then. I can just see it now... I show up to his office all black and blue and have him ask why I didn't come in earlier... uh, cause it's just a big old bruise?? :)
Meanwhile, today I talked to Colleen from CPP Disabilities. She wanted to touch base and had a few questions, then explained that CPP has some pretty strict criteria for qualifying for a CPP benefit. I'm not exactly sure how it all works but she is going to get in touch with me in the next couple of days... not sure if that means she will be able to tell me that I've qualified for the CPP Disabilities pension or not. Meanwhile, I guess it's all just paperwork because whether or not I qualify for CPP does not affect my Long Term Disabilities plan through Great West Life (although, they still have to make a decision on whether I qualify or not). Meanwhile, I do need more copies of the medical reports and since my printer/scanner/copier does not appear to be working (grrrrr), I will have to make some extra copies at the office. Oh well, that gives me a good excuse for another visit to the office to see the work gang :) :) I'm not complaining about that!
Now if it would only warm up a little bit! Doug and I went out for dinner tonight and just went to the restaurant next door to our little park next door. So the walk was not even a block away... but we froze!! We just went to the pub downstairs at The Boathouse. I don't know why I haven't been there more often... they have a nice menu and it's never so busy you feel rushed or crowded. It sure is convenient being so close by!
Ok... time to go!
Cheryl
Ok, who turned off the heat in our early spring weather?? I mean, sure, it's still February and we've been having the typical PNW drizzle and rain, but along with those clouds we had been experiencing lovely, mild temps. Today, it was downright chilly... and rumour has it that outside of the Vancouver area, municipalities were actually getting (gasp) SNOW! Now that's a scary concept!! (grin)
Of course, no snow here in the West End, just rain. My little diva, Miss Bridget, loves to go out, but definitely plays the "poor me" card when she comes home all wet. We then have to do the production number of bringing out the big fluffy towel and rubbing her dry. Oh, but it doesn't stop there... I must leave the towel on top of her so that she can snuggle under it. This is NOT a normal doglet... she is a child in a schnauzer suit! So now, how many of you did manage to see the Oscars? I LOVE Oscar-mania every year! And I was really impressed with Ellen Degeneres as the host this year. Ok, to be fair, I must admit that Billy Crystal is the all time King of Oscar Hosts and is very, very funny. But since he has said that he won't be doing it again, it's time to move on and find a new King or Queen of Oscar hosts and I think Ellen may just be the one to fit those shoes. Her humour is much more subtle, but she had some wonderfully brilliant moments. When she told Penelope Cruz to lift her "big" dress while she vacuumed under it... classic! Of course when she had Stephen Spielberg take a digital picture of her with Clint Eastwood... and then had him do it again since he didn't centre it to her liking, that will go down in Oscar history (grin).
Ok, now those of you who know me, you know that I really enjoyed the movie Dreamgirls, and yes, I'd go see it again! I know Steve and Jo didn't care for the movie and a lot of others have said the same thing. I had to agree that when the three girls sang the three nominated songs that were up for best song in a movie category, they did a really bad job. These gals can sing, but for some reason, it just sounded like they were screeching. And this coming from me, a fan of the movie! Anywho... when it was over and Ellen was back at the mike, she had us all laughing when she said, "Well, I'd hate to follow that act", which had such a double entendre to it... she is very quick on her feet without ever making anyone feel uncomfortable.
I guess I could go on and on about the various celebs and their reactions. I don't think there were really too many surprises this year, other than everyone thought Eddy Murphy (Dreamgirls) was a shoe-in for Best Supporting Actor and he lost to Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine). That was one of the surprises. The other one was the Most Original Screenplay - Little Miss Sunshine. We all thought one of the bigger blockbuster movies would have taken it. All in all, I enjoyed the show this year... and now it's done for another year :)
Not to much to report on the personal front. The bruising from getting the PortaCath put in last Thursday is really showing up now, but at least the muscle pain is now going away. I don't need to rely on the T3s as much as I was on the weekend (phew!) I will call Dr. Fay's office in the morning and set up an appt. for next Monday to have the staples taken out. I hope the bruising has gone down by then. I can just see it now... I show up to his office all black and blue and have him ask why I didn't come in earlier... uh, cause it's just a big old bruise?? :)
Meanwhile, today I talked to Colleen from CPP Disabilities. She wanted to touch base and had a few questions, then explained that CPP has some pretty strict criteria for qualifying for a CPP benefit. I'm not exactly sure how it all works but she is going to get in touch with me in the next couple of days... not sure if that means she will be able to tell me that I've qualified for the CPP Disabilities pension or not. Meanwhile, I guess it's all just paperwork because whether or not I qualify for CPP does not affect my Long Term Disabilities plan through Great West Life (although, they still have to make a decision on whether I qualify or not). Meanwhile, I do need more copies of the medical reports and since my printer/scanner/copier does not appear to be working (grrrrr), I will have to make some extra copies at the office. Oh well, that gives me a good excuse for another visit to the office to see the work gang :) :) I'm not complaining about that!
Now if it would only warm up a little bit! Doug and I went out for dinner tonight and just went to the restaurant next door to our little park next door. So the walk was not even a block away... but we froze!! We just went to the pub downstairs at The Boathouse. I don't know why I haven't been there more often... they have a nice menu and it's never so busy you feel rushed or crowded. It sure is convenient being so close by!
Ok... time to go!
Cheryl
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007 - Oscar Sunday
Dear Oscar,
What a perfect day for Oscar Sunday! It looked like the sun was going to come out this morning, so Bridget and I managed to get in a 1 1/2 mile walkie, but just as we got home, the clouds came back. It's now a couple of hours later and surprise, surprise, it's raining :D But that's ok... today is definitely a lazy Sunday kind of day! Perfect day for watching the hours of pre-Oscar shows. STAR! (channel 88) started the "Countdown to the Oscars!" at 9am, so today is definitely the Super Bowl of Hollywood :) I'm not being too productive today and really was going to work on the theatre's newsletter which has to go out on March 1st... but instead, I'm doing not much of anything. Soon, I'll have to get dressed and take Bridget out in the rain for her afternoon walkie, then I'll be heading over to Steve and Don's for the red carpet and full Oscars :)
Hmmm... interesting... it's only 2:14pm here on the West Coast and they have overhead pictures of the red carpet from the Good Year Blimp and there are actually people going down the red carpet. No stars yet, so one has to wonder... who are these people and why are they walking down the red carpet at 2:00 in the afternoon??? That would be soooo weird, to have to dress up in your Oscar formal gowns/suits/makeup, only to be going to the theatre at 2:00pm!! Hehehe... I swear I should start up a blog on discussing why anyone would be so involved in the Hollywood scene that they get dressed up to be seen at 2pm in their evening finery ;)
Anywho.. today, the Tylenol #3s seem to be working. I'm not sure if it's the dose of tylenol or the actual codiene, but it doesn't hurt the upper chest muscles to breathe today (grin). And, I can raise my right arm higher than waist level now! Still a little hard to reach to the shelves above the sink, but at least I can do it, whereas on Friday I couldn't even lift my arm to the sink.
Here is a picture of Patti's site... Patti the PortaCath is actually right under that bit of a hump you see. The area, today, is starting to bruise and turn that funny yellow, meanwhile, my right boob (no, I am not going to put a picture of that!!) is turning purple! Why it has affected my right boob is beyond me, the line doesn't go into my boob!!! (grin)
Well, that's about it for now. I can't report on the Oscars yet because they haven't happened, but I thought I should write a little in the old blog because I may not get back to it tonight. If I do, well, I'll just add to this entry :) Meanwhile, it's now after 3pm (where did I go??) so I'd best get dressed and convince Bridget she really does want to go for a walk in the rain :)
Cheryl
What a perfect day for Oscar Sunday! It looked like the sun was going to come out this morning, so Bridget and I managed to get in a 1 1/2 mile walkie, but just as we got home, the clouds came back. It's now a couple of hours later and surprise, surprise, it's raining :D But that's ok... today is definitely a lazy Sunday kind of day! Perfect day for watching the hours of pre-Oscar shows. STAR! (channel 88) started the "Countdown to the Oscars!" at 9am, so today is definitely the Super Bowl of Hollywood :) I'm not being too productive today and really was going to work on the theatre's newsletter which has to go out on March 1st... but instead, I'm doing not much of anything. Soon, I'll have to get dressed and take Bridget out in the rain for her afternoon walkie, then I'll be heading over to Steve and Don's for the red carpet and full Oscars :)
Hmmm... interesting... it's only 2:14pm here on the West Coast and they have overhead pictures of the red carpet from the Good Year Blimp and there are actually people going down the red carpet. No stars yet, so one has to wonder... who are these people and why are they walking down the red carpet at 2:00 in the afternoon??? That would be soooo weird, to have to dress up in your Oscar formal gowns/suits/makeup, only to be going to the theatre at 2:00pm!! Hehehe... I swear I should start up a blog on discussing why anyone would be so involved in the Hollywood scene that they get dressed up to be seen at 2pm in their evening finery ;)
Anywho.. today, the Tylenol #3s seem to be working. I'm not sure if it's the dose of tylenol or the actual codiene, but it doesn't hurt the upper chest muscles to breathe today (grin). And, I can raise my right arm higher than waist level now! Still a little hard to reach to the shelves above the sink, but at least I can do it, whereas on Friday I couldn't even lift my arm to the sink.
Here is a picture of Patti's site... Patti the PortaCath is actually right under that bit of a hump you see. The area, today, is starting to bruise and turn that funny yellow, meanwhile, my right boob (no, I am not going to put a picture of that!!) is turning purple! Why it has affected my right boob is beyond me, the line doesn't go into my boob!!! (grin)
Well, that's about it for now. I can't report on the Oscars yet because they haven't happened, but I thought I should write a little in the old blog because I may not get back to it tonight. If I do, well, I'll just add to this entry :) Meanwhile, it's now after 3pm (where did I go??) so I'd best get dressed and convince Bridget she really does want to go for a walk in the rain :)
Cheryl
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)