It's been a long time since the last entry. I'm thinking it's because so much has happened, but then again, there's always something happening, so that doesn't make it a good excuse. I guess since I keep up with folk on Facebook, I have to admit I slip on the old blogging. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy blogging and just babbling away, but it's the old story of finding the time! Right now, I have the 11pm News on in the living room... even though the plan was to be in bed by 11pm and I could watch it there. Once again, that didn't happen ;)
I was NOT feeling well today. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised... I've just finished Round 6 of the Chemo. That's 6 two week cycles of chemo (aka severe toxins) being pumped into my body, with a one week break between cycles. Actually, I had a 2 week chemo-free break before Round 6 because I had come down with a nasty cold/bronchial/flu bug that was really nasty for a whole week. I thought that was really bad, but then I have heard of others who had the same bug and it has lasted 3-6 weeks, so the fact it only lasted one week for me and supposedly I have a compromised immune system... I think I did pretty good. But my oncologist decided it was worth giving me the extra week break.
So, I finished Round 6 on Sat morning and this week is my "break" week of no chemo. You would think that the break weeks are the best, but I swear my body no sooner gets used to the chemo and then we stop it... so it has a bit of a rough time adjusting for the first 2-3 days after I've stopped the chemo. Last night I came down with what I think is an intestinal bug... and felt pretty crappy all day today. It's quite possible it isn't a bug at all but just a side affect of the chemo. I was feeling crappy enough that I cancelled my plans for this evening. There was a Sondheim fundraiser for one of my favourite young Vancouver theatre companies - Fighting Chance Productions. They were having a fundraiser tonight where they would have 25 performers perform songs by Stephen Sondheim. They are also running a production of Sweeney Todd, which is selling out and they've added 2 performances. So if anyone living locally in the Vancouver area is reading this... try and get to see Sweeney Todd at the Jericho Arts Centre! Highly recommend it :)
It's also been a very sad week. My dear friend, Denis Simpson, passed away on Friday (Oct 22) morning after suffering a major brain aneurysm on Oct 20th in Toronto. He had recently flown to Toronto to do a couple of projects, one of them being in a production of Frog and Toad which is a wonderful children's theatre production. Some of you who have adult children who are now in their 20s and 30s, may think he looks familiar... and probably he is. He was on the children's television show, the Polka Dot Door, so many Canadian children grew up watching the show every morning.
This was taken just last year. It is a publicity shot for a production of The Full Monty which he was amazing in.
Another fun publicity shot of Denis at work.
I'm not exactly sure which year this was taken... about 30 years ago, I would say, give or take a year or two. That is Chris Conti (RIP), me (gee, I actually had legs and feet that worked back then!!) and Denis (RIP). Chris passed away some years ago now... very, very sad... and now Denis has left. 
Denis Simpson (1950 - 2010) Rest in Peace, my friend.I'm not sure when his Celebration of Life is going to be held because there will be one in Toronto and one in Vancouver. Den lived here in Vancouver, so they are going to have to have it at a pretty big venue because I would imagine there are going to be hundreds of people who go to it. It looks like the Arts Club is going to organize it here in Vancouver and are coordinating it with family members of his in Toronto. But it's a real wake up call when friends are passing away unexpectedly... a little too close to home for me. On the other hand, if one has to go (and no, I am NOT ready to go yet), if one believes in an afterlife, then there will be lots of people I know on the other side!
Ok... so what else has taken up my time this last umpteen weeks? The TUTS office is undergoing some pretty hefty renovations... well, hefty to us. We are getting new carpeting, walls fixed and painted, and all the electrical is going to be done up to code. So our little dungeon in the most gorgeous park is going to have a facelift and it will no longer be a dungeon! Pretty kewl!
Bridget is doing pretty good now. Her sprained/strained/whatever was wrong with her foot is all better now. The anti-inflammatories seemed to work and there's been no limping or screaming since. But the one thing I have noticed is that she seems to have lost her hearing... or most of it. She can still here high pitched noises (we know she can hear the squawks of the parrots across the hall) and every now and again if I hit my keys on something, she jumps. But she can't hear voices. When I come home, or Toby comes over, she does not wake up because she can't hear us. Yet, if she's awake, and I get her attention... she totally understands my hand signals, which I have used with my voice commands ever since she was a puppy. The loss of hearing doesn't seem to bother her. She will still act like a puppy... loves playing the game of "Chase Me", either around the apartment or in the carport. She certainly knows how to tell me when she wants something. So the hearing has not interfered with our daily routines.
Her eyes are a little more of a concern. Definitely, she has the starts of cataracts. But when we were at Emergency for her foot, the vet noticed that her left pupil is not responding to stimuli. They can't tell if this is because of a cataract or if it's something else. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be causing her any pain or discomfort... but if it's going to, we need to find out. So yes, Miss Bridget, is going to see a doggy Opthomologist
Haha... meanwhile, a couple weeks after Bridget's appt, I get to go see a people's Opthomologist too! It was one of those things... I was at the Capilano Mall and there was an eyeglasses store. It dawned on me that I really should get a new pair of glasses and a new pair of prescription sunglasses. At that time, in the mall, I only was THINKING I should get some, I hadn't actually made that decision. But you know how these stores are.... next thing you know I have picked out frames for my plain glasses and decided NOT to buy sunglasses. As it is, with no special features, the one set of glasses was going to cost around $300. But, before they could make them, I would have to see an Optometrist to see if my prescription had changed. So, I made an appt. even though before that time in the mall, I hadn't even thought of getting new glasses!
Well, the optometrist checked my eyes the next week and supposedly, my prescription has changed a little. But, she also said that the optic nerve in my right eye is larger than the optic nerve in my left eye. She's pretty sure that it isn't glaucoma and more than likely it is just a side affect caused by the chemo, but to be on the safe side she would like me to see a glaucoma specialist/Opthomologist. If it is caused by the chemo, then we would need a baseline to compare to in future exams. Sheesh... all this just because I walked by a glasses store?? I'm going to be afraid to go to malls from now on!! LOL!
Oh, and I didn't mention, before I stepped into the glasses store, I was actually walking through the mall from Visions Electronics, to get back to where I had parked my car. The reason I was at Visions Electronics (hmmm... Visions... and an eyeglass store all in the same visit?), I decided to upgrade my televisions. I figure, there's no point in upgrading one when I have two. The one left behind would constantly be compared to the new one. But buying two televisions when the two I have work perfectly fine, it made me feel guilty. The good news, one of my neighbour's tv's just went on the fritz so he was more than happy to take one off my hands... and another neighbour had a daughter who was moving out to her own apartment, and she would LOVE to have a television. So that relieved my guilt... I could make two people happy with my perfectly good televisions :) So, I bought a 26" flat screen for the living room (anything bigger than 26" would not fit in my entertainment unit), and a 32" for the bedroom. Of course, then I had to buy a PVR (sort of the equivalent to a TIVO in the States), so I could get the High Def stations and of course all the PVR functions for recording, pausing, etc. Oh, what the heck, I've already rung up the bill, so I also bought a Blue Ray DVD player. The high def tv, all the cable stations, the HD stations, digital music, etc. is in the bedroom, along with the Blue Ray DVD player for watching movies. The living room has the new TV and the old cable box so it gets all the television stations, including all the cable ones, but no PVR or Blue Ray player. Hahaha...maybe one day, but right now I can't justify having a PVR in the living room and a PVR in the bedroom ;)
Suffice it to say, if the severe winter that they are forecasting actually comes, then I certainly will have plenty to keep me entertained in my little cozy apartment. Computers, PR work, television, movies, books... I don't need to face the elements!! LOL!
Ok, it is going on 1am and I am now officially tired... so I'm heading off to bed. Nitey-night!
Cheryl
