Keyboard woes

My keyboard keeps dying.  Replacing batteries only works for a bit.  Time for a new one.  I am typing this on my Netbook.

Found 6 caches today NE Vancouver & Burnaby.  The owner of one watched from a picnic table for a while and then took pity and came over with his dog to help.  Very clever hide inside a tree but I couldn't reach it.  He had trouble getting out through the hole - the tree must have grown!

Had a delicious bowl of chicken soup at Swiss Chalet for lunch.  Was feeling a bit sick and it hit the spot.  

Home by 4.  All my teams won tonight - Women's Worlds curling, Canucks & Whitecaps.  Kept flipping channels to watch them all.

Mail run

Picked up some arthritis tools (reacher, jar opener, bracelet closer, shoe horn) at Point Roberts.  

Found a multi near the beach and then took a circle tour home to find 3 caches in Beach Grove, White Rock & Surrey.

Picked up groceries at Price Smart and dumped cardboard boxes at recycling depot on the way home.

A to Z in Bellingham

Picked up Lori and we headed for Bellingham.  I logged 35 today.  We found a new series of the 26 letters of the alphabet that was really easy.  Stopped at the Shrimp Shack for lunch.

Traffic at the border was really light for the NEXUS lane.  The worst part was going through the tunnel this morning.  I was home quickly coming back.

Had another GERD attack after dinner but it was short.  Hope that means the pills I'm taking are having an effect.

Stormy day

I did have plans to go out but was so tired this morning, I stayed in.  Glad when I saw the stormy weather.

My partial is fitting better and I ate a painless dinner.

Teeth again

My repaired lower plate hurt too much to wear so went in to have it adjusted.  Not much to take off.  So glad I said I'd get a new one made.  I am leaving it out for a bit to let my mouth heal.

Picked up groceries at Safeway and was home before 9:30.  Pam can't blog from China - they are just too paranoid and the upcoming generation won't stand for it much longer.  She is sending the blog entries by email and I am posting them (see side column).

Used my Magic Bullet to make broccoli soup for dinner.  Not bad.

Birthday dinner

Had a quiet day inside while the storm raged.  Reached 90km/hr and took out a lot of trees in Stanley Park.  The one outside here was really bending but it has been pruned properly and is still standing.

Sadie turned 7 yesterday.  I went to meet them for dinner and found them cooking.  Much better than going out.  Took some books for the girls.  Sadie thanked me for knowing what she wanted.  Love seeing her reading to Lily.  Great dinner and good company.

Lynden again

Feeling much better today.  Not perfect but close enough.

Picked up Lori and we went to finish off the caches around Lynden.  She logged about 35 and I had 11.  Many were just drive ups.  Did walk about 1.5 km and drove 250 km.  

Bought some wine in Fred Meyer's - seems you can bring a single bottle across with no trouble.  Found a letterbox in Bellingham before heading home.

NEXUS got us through the border easily in both directions.

Win one, lose one

Enjoyed watching the Whitecaps win their first game of the year.  Too bad the Canucks didn't do the same.

Stayed in bed until 10:30 and didn't do much today.  Missed Jane's wedding!  Think I'll be back to normal by tomorrow.

Sick

I heard a quote I liked the other day - I am too sick to be well and too well to be sick.  That certainly wasn't the truth last night.  I am assuming it was another GERD attack.  Spent most of the night in the bathroom trying to decide between kneeling and sitting.  Was pretty shaky all day and slowly started drinking and eating - tea, ginger ale, crackers, digestive cookies, soup.

Had to cancel 2 appointment with phycial & occupational therapists.  Not sure about tomorrow.

IWD 2012

Met Pam and Lori in Surrey for a day of caching.  Tackled a few multis this time.  I logged 10 all together.  Had a really good lunch at John's Greek Taverna on King George Blvd.  More food than you could eat for $8.99.

Made it home with just enough time to change and get to the Flamingo on Cambie at 5 for a celebration of International Women's Day with VESTA.  There was a union meeting so the dinner was delayed by an hour.  That gave more time to visit.  Jane made a wonderful speech and we all sang Bread & Roses.

 

I had been going since 8 this morning and was getting really tired, so after we finished our banquet at about 8 pm, I headed home. Knew I couldn't last through a speaker.  

U.S. pickup

Large metastatic group this morning at the Cancer Agency.  I was last to speak and time had run out.  Always forget what I want to talk about.

Drove to Point Roberts to pick up a couple of parcels - adapted nail clippers.  Filled up the gas tank.  It was about 14 cents more than usual/litre.  Tried for a multi cache but ran out of energy.  Did find one near the Ladner Leisure Centre.

Dedided to have a late brunch/early dinner at Dave's in Steveston.  Have to stop going so long without eating.  The time just gets away from me.

Leather working splints

Spent a couple of hours at Mary Pack and now have my two black leather working splints for my wrists.  They are pretty impressive and should help with some of the pain.  I was to wear them for an hour today as a start.  Didn't bother me at all.  It's my partial that is causing some pain.  I'll leave it out for a bit.

Found a cache near 42st & Dunbar and another on Cambie.

Canucks did not entertain tonight.  Many open net opportunities missed.

What day is it?

What a weird day!  I thought I had three things to do.  I started for the dentist at 10:45 but they called to say they were behind and couldn't take an impression for a new plate today.  I did get them to let me come in for the repaired one.  

Was looking for a quick lunch but couldn't get parked near anything interesting.  Gave up and went to the food fair at Cambie & 12th.

Was sitting patiently reading my KOBO at Mary Pack when my OT came out to find 2 of us.  I must have made the mistake when writing it down.  My appointment is Tuesday.

Did some shopping at London Drugs & then went home for a bit.  Arrived at the Flamingo House for a banquet at 5 to find that it is on Thursday.  Of course it is since Thursday is March 8th - International Women's Day.  Once again, it me who put it on the wrong day.

Retreated to the safety of my apartment!

Paper

Actually made it to the bottom of several piles of paper.  Found all my income tax stuff and receipts for my lawyer re Oakridge lawsuit.

Seemed to be playing an endless number of word games with several people - from BC to Tunisia.  

My own stew for dinner.  Soft enough for my mouth but the gums don't like the heat.  I'll get my plate back tomorrow morning.

Headachy day

Had a headache through the night and it stuck half the day.  Still slept pretty well and dozed a bit this afternoon.

Did some work but couldn't stick to it.  Gave up and read most of the day.

Poor Canucks!  No one wins them all.

New Teachers

Met Chris at the New Teachers' Conference at the Radisson in Richmond.  We set up a table advertising the BCTLA.  Managed to find soft food for breakfast and lunch.  It was better than previous years but the WiFi connection was pitiful and we had to share our table.  Lots of energetic young teacher made up for it.

Drove Chris home and stopped at Safeway.  Cooked a pot of macroni & ground round that was easy to eat.  Am really tired and have dozed off a couple of times.  Time for bed.

Dental woes

Started off to pick up stuff at Amanda's school in Richmond.  Was enjoying my Starbucks lattte & oat fudge bar but disaster struck in the middle of the Oak St bridge.  My lower partial plate broke in half and was all stuck in the bar.

Got to the school and called my dentist.  She wasn't in today but her father would see me.  Picked up the packages and cancelled geocaching with Pam.  

They took an impression of my top teeth but the plate still fit on an old impression.  They sent it off to the lab to see if it could be fixed.  I got a call a couple of hours later to say it would be ready on Monday.  I'll still get a new one made as this one is obviously on it's last legs.  Soft food for a few day.

Picked up groceries at Granville Island & Safeway so I could cook.  I have an app on my iPhone with all my favourite recipes that will make a shopping list.  Put a stew in the crock pot for 9 hours and just squeezed 8 servings in the freezer.

 

Leap Year

Found a couple of caches along the river in Burnaby.  I now have a find on every day of the year (366)!  

Met Pam at Queen's Park for a Leap Year caching event and a couple of caches.

Had dinner at the Waffle House on the way home.

Blustery day

Windy and dreary all day.  Stayed home and did laundry.

Was really tired all day even though I slept well.  Had an bout with GERD after lunch.  Wasn't as bad as the previous ones and I was able to doze off as it eased.

Another 100

It was cold this morning (1 degree) but I went out for the 2 I needed to get to 100 for the 27th.  The first was at Queen Elizabeth Park.  Glad I had my cane as it was rough in amongst the trees.  The next one was a park and grab at 23rd near Dunbar.

Did some shopping at IGA & Characters on the way home.

Still having mild GERD attacks.  Tea does help.

My teams lost!

The Canucks played at noon and were robbed by the ref just before the end of the 3rd.  They lost in overtime and looked tired.  Then the BC rink finished 2nd in the women's Scottie's.  Taped it and watched when the hockey finished.

Enjoyed most of the Academy Awards.  Some of the humour was just stupid.  Cirque du Soleil stole the show.

Weird weather again.  It was snowing while the sun was shining.

Car insurance

Had to go through Air Care today.  The whole visit was under 15 minutes and my car passed easily.  Regular maintenance pays off.  Then went to BCAA to renew my insurance.  I am a few days early, but it is one less thing to worry about on Monday.

Stopped at Granville Island for groceries on the way home.  Got some tea that is recommended for GERD attacks - has anise, peppermint and lavendar in a mix with a bunch of other stuff.  Drank some after dinner and I think it did help.

Mary Pack

Appointment at 2:30 with my Occupational Therapist at Mary Pack.  My new black leather wrist splints are in and she began fitting the right one and adding the straps.  Should be finished on my next double appointment.

Moved on to my Physical Therapist at 3:30 and she worked on my knees and hands.  Put my hands into hot wax and had them wrapped up for most of the time.  Did a bunch of exercises for my knees and legs and then had ice packs put on top and heated pads below.  After that, she put strips of black tape around the kneecaps.  It should last for about 5 days.

Picked up some dinner at Max's on the way home.  It was a funny day with big snowflakes mixed in with the rain.  Felt out of step in my shorts.

Canucks actually won tonight after last night's big game.  Sure helps having a hot backup goalie.

Had another Gerd attack tonight but it wasn't as severe or as long as the last ones.  Maybe that expensive drug is working.

Choo Choo

Pam and I met at Sun God and headed for Langley.  I found 13 caches and Pam logged 19.  We stopped at Choo Choo for a great hamburger lunch (feta & bacon).  Found a gift I needed a couple of doors away at Ten Thousand Villages.

We found a couple that had eluded me last week but had a couple of DNFs.

Listened to the Canucks on the radio and made it home in time for the start of the 2nd period.  What a game!

Checkup

Just waved hello to Karen in the hallway and was seen by another oncologist, Val Geddes.  Really liked her and know that when I do not see Karen it is because she is not worried (cannot do an apostrophe on my keyboard - it is an accented è).

I have a lot of pain on my lower left abdomen that I did not notice until she started palpating it.  She was satisfied that there was no mass and my organs felt normal.  My lungs also sounded good so hope that means the cancer has not come back into them.  The tumour in my groin is about the same size so we will continue to ignore it.  The one on my shoulder is almost gone.  I complained about the GERD so she wrote a prescription for a strong drug for 6 weeks.  Then I can go back to the over the counter brand if I am not having attacks.  

The good news was my tumour markers.  They dropped from 120 to 96 - the lowest since last May.

Picked up some apples at Granville Island and then remembered to go to the Cancer Agency to drop off my Tamoxifen prescription.  Stopped at Safeway for the GERD medicine.  Cost $100 for 6 weeks!

Found it

Lori picked up Pam & I at Pam's house and drove us to deepest Surrey.  We had all tried finding a cache near King George Blvd & Fraser Hwy a few times.  This time we had hints from others.  A homeless man has been under the trees for weeks and we decided he just wasn't going to leave.  He actually pointed us in the right direction and Lori found it!  I gave the man some money and he didn't seem bothered by us.  We then went to another nearby one I had failed at before and Lori found that one, too.  Enough rain so we headed home.

Stopped at IHOP for pancakes since it is Pancake Tuesday.  Went to Winter Tonic at John Oliver Secondary's new Learning Commons.  The room really looked good and I liked the sessions I attended - Learning Commons at Livingstone & Adult Reads.  Came away with a reading list.  Nice to visit so many old friends.

Cancer Group

Spent the day sorting bills and reading.  Caught up on some shows on PVR.

Met Louise at the Cactus Club for dinner and we then met Gwen at the Cancer Agency for our meeting.  Not sure what is going to happen to the actual group as we don't have a leader but enjoy the monthly meeting with the 3 others who still go most times.

My knee has been almost painfree today.  Finally realized the GURD is a side effect of Tamoxifen.  Will talk to oncologist on Wednesday.

Luncheon

Met with several members of the old VESTA Status of Women Committee at the Cafe Deux Soleils on Commercial Drive.  Our lunch took 2 hours and we could have stayed longer to catch up.

Came home after shopping at Safeway.  Headed out again a while later when I got a Tweet announcing a new cache at 57th & West Boulevard.  I actually made it to be First to Find.  Only my 3rd of these.

After I got home I was sick like I was earlier in the week.  Assume it is my Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) from a hernia.  I am taking the daily pills and it subsided after I took one.  Didn't last as long as the last one and I was able to eat some chicken soup for dinner.

Quiet Saturday

Spent the day reading the newspapers & my Kobo.  Enjoyed the Canucks whipping Toronto.  Liked the new version of Midsomer Murder.

My knee was really good today so hope this is it.

Beating the rain

Headed East this morning to find some caches before the big storm came in off the ocean.  Found a couple of puzzles along King George Blvd and then went to the Campbell Valley Park area and Langley.  Logged 8 before stopping for a late lunch.  

The rain was quite hard for the drive home.

Surrey puzzles

Raining this morning but we found a dozen or so caches in Surrey.  Most were puzzles solutions.  We got every one on our list.  I parked illegally for the last 2 while Pam and Lori made a dash for them.

Stopped at the mall by Scott & 72nd for cash, Cobbs & London Drugs.

My knee is still sore but I think it is getting better.

Funny day

Went to my metastatic group this morning.  I am sure a lot better off that some of the others.  I don't feel guilty about that since I know that my disease is slowly progressing.  

Grabbed a couple of quick caches and had lunch at the Sunshine Diner.  My GERD struck and I needed to head home, with a quick stop at a gas station bathroom.  Took a pill and it settled down quickly.

My knee still hurts.  It is worse than yesterday but a lot better than the weekend.  Ice and Tylenol!

Matt's 40th

Picked up a birthday cake at the Bon Ton and had a scrumptious lunch - croissant with ham & cheese, loose tea & pastries.

Bought a Kobo Touch on sale at Chapters.  My OT says I should avoid holding books for too long. Picked Kobo as you can load books for free from the library and you can't in Canada with the Kindle.  Already reading a book on it - Half-Blood Blues.  Haven't been reading much lately and think maybe it was because it hurt my hands.

Stopped at London Drugs for a knee brace.  Got a smaller type than the one the OT lent me and it is much easier to put on.  My knee is almost better today.  Don't know how it could change so quickly - ice, Tylenol for Arthritis, rest, elevation...

Found some caches including one using a CHIRP.  Love driving over the Golden Ears Bridge.

Great dinner at Matt & Andrea's to celebrate their birthdays.  Have some in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner.  Found a cache in a busy parking lot on the way home.  No one around at 8:45 to see me in the tree.

OT

Had blood drawn at the Cancer Agency this morning.  So easy with the port!  Went to the cafeteria for a scone & tea and read the paper someone had left.

My OT at Mary Pak had forgotten to record my appointment at 11 but was free so took me in.  I now have a splint on my middle right finger.  Also have some bandage for wrapping sore finger joints.  She lent me a big brace for my knee but I think it is too big and I can't keep it in place.  I am still icing it and it is quite a bit better tonight.