Shoes

Saw an ad for a shoe that I thought I'd like so headed out to try it on. The true thing looked nothing like it's picture!

Ended up at Kintec Footlabs and ordered 2 pairs of shoes - one walking and one for light hiking. My current runners were worn out and causing pain. New ones should be in next week.

Poor Canucks!

Coughed a lot last night. I've started my Nasonex to see if it helps.

Granville Island

Picked up Mae and took her to Three Bags Full for some wool. We had lunch at Dockside Restaurant in the Granville Island Hotel. Then shopping in the market.

Took Mae home and then did some more shopping. Realized when I bought a new jacket at Mark's Workwear World that I didn't have my credit card. Called the hotel & they had it put away. Sidetrip to pick it up and then swung by London Drugs on the way home.

All settled in with a martini and Moira called. Dinner at Three Brothers Chinese Restaurant and Cafe on Granville. Took back due library books so I don't have to go out tomorrow.

Just spent 2 hours on the phone playing Facebook Scrabble with Jane.

Squamish

Met Matt early at Starbucks and he got in my car with with a latte for me. The right way to start the day.

We drove up to Squamish. I hoped to see some eagles but there were only a couple. We stopped at Britannia Beach and shopped at the CRS Trading Post. Lunch was halibut & chips at Troll's in Horsheshoe Bay.

Dropped off Matt & continued to shop in Richmond for a bit.

I've booked my room in the Traveller's Inn - Downtown on Douglas Street in Victoria for Monday and Tuesday night next week - Road Trip!

Duh

Wrote down the time of my physio wrong and showed up 1/2 an hour late. They thought it was their new computer but when I got home I saw it was my mistake. Let's blame the drugs, not my age.

Stopped at Safeway for groceries and forgot the main thing I went for - too befuddled to look at the list.

Met Moira at White Spot for Tuscan Pizza. Went to Japanese first but it was closed for the week.

Found my way home successfully.

Still haven't heard how my tumour markers are doing.

Checkup

Woke up to snow. It was beautiful - I missed all the snow earlier. Checked with Pru about driving and decided to drive my car to the Cancer Agency. By the time I went down to it, the snow had changed to drizzle. I had to clean several inches off the windows.

The lab was really busy but I had my Obama book, The Audacity of Hope, to entertain me. The nurse found a vein with no trouble. Ate a sandwich in the restaurant and sat in the lobby reading until my appointment with Karen.

My bloodwork wasn't back so she'll call with the numbers. We agreed to do no tests unless it shows a change in the tumour markers. My aches and pains are probably arthritis and the car accident. She suggested that the swollen foot might be a result of the compromised lymph system - the node that they cut out was at the top of the right leg. I'll try wearing support stockings the next time I fly.

The snow was gone when I came out so I went to have my glasses adjusted. They were still crooked after the car accident. The somehow went from my face to the floor.

Odd job day

Finished watching the videos I had taped while away. Did a couple of loads of laundry.

Cleaned up some piles of stuff (it grows during the night) and took out the garbage & recycling.

Created a couple of new blogs. One to replace the cranky website I had set up for my Lesbian Cancer Support Group and the other for Mel Lehan's campaign against Gordon Campbell.

Sunny day

Didn't even get dressed Sunday. Watched programs I taped all day. I am almost caught up.

Still have the cough.

Long Day

Met at the hotel for breakfast and made myself a waffle. We then met from 9:30 to 3:00. Got through the whole agenda with no fuss at all.

Moira then took Heather & I to COSTCO and then to dinner at Brown's Social House. Great ribs!

Still have the coughing part of my cold.

BCTLA Executive

Spent the day reading newspapers and catching up on taped TV shows.

Met the BCTLA Executive at 17:30 for dinner at the Jade Seafood Restaurant in Richmond. We had a wonderful meal! We then met in a small room off the lobby of La Quinta Inn & Suites. Free wireless always pleases me.

Fog

Met Nancy at Granville Island for lunch and then wandered around the stores. We then went to Book Warehouse on Broadway where I spent a gift certificate.

I drove to Cypress Bowl to photograph the fog and spent an hour sitting in the hot sun on a bench talking to a woman from North Van. There was a steady stream of photographers. Unfortunately the fog was thicker today and you couldn't see any building tops.

Vancouver Fog

Had dinner at Matt's and did the Christmas present thing. The girls were happy with their gifts.

NFB has made over 700 films available on their website www.nfb.ca Here is one of my favourites

Out and about

Felt pretty good today. Still have a cough and a bit of a sniffle.

Dropped some stuff off at Weir. Picked up my Purdy's order from before Christmas and visited for a while.

Went shopping at Chapters in Metrotown. Bought a couple of papers in the mall. The last Globe & Mail and the last Sun at 2 different stores. Thought they would be keepers. Bought groceries at Price Smart at Byrne Road & Marine Way.

Obama

The Earth shifted today with the election of a black president with the middle name Hussein!

I was up at 7 and watched most of the day along with the biggest TV audience in history. Sorry about Teddy getting sick but at least he saw the important part. McCain never would have survived the pace of the day.

Out for physio at 2. Tried to figure out the billing. ICBC isn't paying so I should have been paying $50 instead of $25. The bus insurance has to pay the cost, not ICBC. My neck was quite sore but the physio quickly loosened it.

Stopped at Oakridge for a walk and groceries and then back to the TV. I still have a bit of a cough and sniffle.

Long Day

I did a lot for my first day out in a week. My cold is almost gone but not quite.

Picked up Vancouver: Stories of a City that I had ordered from The Courier months ago. Tried to get my glasses straightened but it there was only one person working (lunchtime) and the woman ahead of me was obviously going to be a painfully long time.

Went to the Hearing Clinic at St. Paul's Hospital. A resident tried cleaning out my ear and only succeeded in hurting me (a lot!). I then had a complete hearing test which I passed. The doctor then said to go home and use olive oil for a couple of weeks.

Stopped at Mae's for a bit to exchange presents and then drove her to the bus.

Attended the Status of Women Committee meeting at the VESTA office from 4 to 5. Always a pleasure! I took minutes and emailed them to the President before leaving.

Met Louise for dinner at Cactus Club and we then walked to the Cancer Agency for our support group.

Took some stuff to Pru and picked up the presents that Lucas had carried in his suitcase for me. Watched House before finally going home.

We Are the One

Watched the We Are the One concert today. Finally a concert where I actually liked all the musicians and found the speakers inspirational. They even managed to avoid the "ghetto" music.



Checked out my car tonight and the tire is still inflated. Must have been a problem with the mounting.

I feel better today. I still cough a bit but it isn't so bad.

Obama is on the way

Didn't get dressed today. I'll check the tire tomorrow to see if it is flat again.

Watched the big train trip to Washington. I guess I'll be setting my alarm Tuesday morning.

Flat

I went to Safeway for groceries this morning and someone pointed out my flat front tire. I still got the groceries and then drove to Firestone. I had a coffee and read the Globe & Mail while they took it off. They couldn't find anything wrong. Maybe they didn't fill it at Open Road yesterday?

Home for the rest of the day with my cold. It is a week old now and I am tired of it!

Snow tires

Cancelled physio today because of my cough. Having problems with the billing. Hope my lawyer can sort it out.

Took my car for a regular service and to have the snow tires mounted. It probably won't snow again because I've done this, but I need to go to Whistler next month. Also had them do a good check of the repairs.

I am feeling better today but the cough is worse.

Coughing

Stayed in today. My cold had progressed to the coughing stage.

The blog I do for the VESTA Status of Women Committee is heating up. I posted some stories on the Bountiful arrests and have 653 hits from all over the world, especially Utah! 23 are from Colorado City where others like those in Bountiful are in control.

Sniff!

Cancelled going to Weir for lunch today. Won't have my snow tires on until Thursday and the side streets are still bad. Mine is clear and they even came to scoop up the leaves today.

Was going out with Matt today & then going back to do Christmas presents but felt so bad after gettting dressed that I cancelled. I am winning the battle of the cold but it is still in there!

I got an appointment with the ear specialist at St. Paul's for Monday. Eh? until then.

Eh?

Still fighting off Pru's cold. Had physio at noon. I am walking a bit lopsided and have exercises for my hip. My right foot is nearly back to its normal size. I still needed work on my neck and back. I really torqued my body in the crash.

Went to my GP later in the afternoon to get my ears cleaned out. It helped some but he couldn't get to some of what is blocking the right ear. It might be infection so I have to go back to the Ear Clinic at St. Paul's. At least I could turn down the TV a bit.

Eh

Deaf all day today. A cold or just my waxy ears? Can't make up my mind. I get feverish but that could just be hot sweats from the Arimidex. Life is too complex.

Caught up on programs I taped while away and read all day. Like lazy days like this.

More snow?

I went to Richmond to pick up photo disk at London Drugs, picked up a couple of reserves at the Marpole library (and bought their neat new book bag), then finished my shopping at Safeway. Have to split shopping up into manageable loads.

Was meeting Moira at White Spot at 6:15. Got a scare when the 6:00 news was showing snow falling again. Looked outside and could only see rain.

My ears are a problem tonight. I hope I'm not getting Pru's cold! Drank some Cold/Flu tea I had bought in the Valley a few months ago.

Friday

Took disposable camera I used in Mexico to London Drugs on Steveston Highway. No snow left on the road or in the parking lot - except the odd pile higher than the cars. Got some meat at M & M as my freezer was getting empty.

Actually hung up most of my clothes.

What snow?

Totally disorriented this morning when I woke up. Couldn't figure out whose house I was in or where the bathroom was. Need more sleep!

Drove (yes, drove) to physio at 41st and Cambie. My car and snow boots never touched snow! I timed my holiday perfectly. Physio was pleased that I wasn't stiffer after all that travel. My foot is still swollen and my right shoulder & neck needed a lot of work.

Then went to my Safeway on Granville - still no snow. Bought what I could carry and then home again. Must do something soon with what I have unpacked.

Home in the Snow

We drove from Austin to Brownsville on New Years Day, stopping at Black's Barbecue in Lockhart for a lunchtime feast. Beef brisket rules!

We stayed with Patience's brother-in-law and his wife in Brownsville.


On January 2nd, we drove to the Mexican border a ways west of Brownsville and parked the cars. We then walked to Nuevo Progreso, Estado de Tamaulipas, Mexico across a bridge over the Rio Grande - thought it would be wider. We were met by soldiers with automatic weapons. One was in a sandbag bunker with a mounted machine gun facing down the middle of the street. Solders were everywhere but I never felt unsafe. There were a lot of people selling small things on the street (like gum) but they usually took no for an answer. I have never seen so many dentists! People come because of the cheap gold and silver. I would never have anything done in such unsanitary conditions!

We ate lunch and dinner at Garcia's - I had Chateaubriand ($27 US for 2). Even tasted Lucas's frogs' legs. Surprised by how good they tasted but probably will never order them for myself. I bought a lot of silver jewellery - yes, me - and some Christmas presents in Angel's Store Restaurant and Bar. One of the best moments was sitting in a tiny bar with Pru & Patience drinking beer & tequila. The worst was getting lost. Luckily there were 7 of us so I found 2 others by wandering up and down the main street.

The next morning we drove to South Padre Island, TX, the longest Barrrier Island in the world and the largest stretch of undeveloped ocean beach in North America. It as truly spectacular. My feet were still swollen and I had developed a ring of red around the ankles the night before, so wading in the Gulf seemed like a good way to spend the morning. I even got photos of pelicans. We could have stayed lying in the sun all day but had to visit another town.

We parked the car on the U.S. side of the border and walked over another bridge to Matamoros. This town was quite different. There were a few police around but no soldiers. We took a local bus into the town and there were a lot of booths set up in the street. Didn't buy much as it the quality was pretty cheap. Tried buying T-shirts for the girls but everything was stupid or rude. We ate in Patience's favourite restaurant there so she could have goat. I tasted it but, like the frogs' legs, probably wouldn't order it. Can't get past the idea of it.

We took the bus back to the border and spent a couple of hours shopping in Garcia's. What a treat! They even let us into the "back room" where the really good stuff was since Patience knew the owner.

It was a long walk back over the border for me and by the time we drove home the bottoms of my feet were quite painful. The right ankle was also swollen.

The plan was to drive home to Houston in the morning. Our problem was we just fit into the car going down and we had SHOPPED! After talking about several possibilities, Lucas and Jesse agreed to take a bus to Houston. Patience, Pru and I set off ahead of them. I enjoyed the ride as the scenery was totally different from that I'd seen before. We went through 3 zones during the week - Gulf Coast, Prairies & Lakes and Hill Country. We unloaded the car and Patience & I went to the bus depot for the men. Their bus was late leaving so it was 8 before they arrived. We had eaten at Abe's Cajun Market & Cafe and had take-out ready for them.

By Monday Pru's cold was getting bad so she stayed in all day. Patience and I went to the NASA store so I could spend more money. We then left Pru sleeping and had dinner at Mike's. Packing our stuff was an adventure!

We were finally ready to leave at 8:30 in the morning. I left one box with some glasses behind for the next traveller to Vancouver to bring. Our flight was supposed to be 10:45 (Central) but the plane was used to replace a broken one and the new one was late. We had rushed breakfast at the airport for nothing. I had a biscuit and tea - a mistake! The plane left at 12:20 and so was late arriving in Oakland. Luckily the next plane was also late and we got to the boarding area shortly before the boarding began - no time for lunch. Southwest gives you cookies, crackers and nuts. Also free tea, coffee and pop. We nibbled and drank all day. The flight arrived in Seattle with enough time for us to gather all our bags and walk to the Quick Shuttle to Vancouver - I had booked the tickets in Houston. No time for dinner! The ride was perfect and we arrived at Granville & 41st at 10:00 (12 Central).

Maryka, John's caregiver, was there with his van and took us all home. Pru was sicker and slept most of the trip. We had asked someone to turn on her heat and stopped for milk so she wouldn't have to go out today. Lucas & Jesse carried all my stuff up to my apartment. I had a hot shower to get rid of the dust of the day. Then heated up a cinnamon bun and dug the bottle of Tequila out for my dinner.

My health was pretty good through the trip except for the swelling foot and eczema. My neck was sore for the first week but then seemed fine. It hurt last night after all the carrying I did but is fine today.

Today was a quiet day. I unpacked and caught up on the news. The snow we missed was awe inspiring. 37th was like a one-lane country lane with piles of snow on both sides. There wasn't as much around my apartment. The rain took care of most of it last night. Maybe I can drive tomorrow.