Happy New Year's Eve

Picked up my drug at Macdonald's and took it to the Cancer Agency at 9:30.  It took a long time to get my shot as my file was at Fairmont.  By the time they tracked it down the porter had left.  Finally they just faxed the one relevant order.  Takes a while to give the injection as the drug is so thick.  Just hurt a little.

Picked up a reserve at the library and bought groceries at Safeway.

Enjoyed the Junior game and the Canucks.  Now watching Lincoln Centre concert.

This would have been Dad's 100th birthday!  Born in a log cabin in Manitoba in 1910.

Perfect Geocaching Day

Met Lori & Pam at Queen Elizabeth Park for our first cache of the day.  We then headed for UBC and spent the day in the forest.  I counted 12 finds for a total of 1246.  Lori passed 1300 and Pam reached 1000!

We had great halibut & chips at the Cheshire Cheese Inn on Dunbar.

I was so tired when I got home I just sat without even taking my shoes off for a couple of hours.

No snow

Snow in Metro Vancouver this morning but none here.

Spent the day reading, making payments and tracking down my drug for Friday's injection.

New shoes

Tried for a new cache in Queen Elizabeth Park but was stymied by a creek.  Pam and I worked out the puzzle last night but it turns out we were wrong.  I got the right answer tonight so will try for it again.

Kintec had a shoe sale that they have just advertised to customers.  I went to the Broadway store but they didn't have my size.  I had to drive to Langley for it - saved $70.

Went to a couple of Best Buy stores for a Sony radio but they are all sold out of it.  Even the online store is out of stock.  Not meant to be.  

Ended up near the Waffle House so stopped for Lunch/Dinner at 3:30.

Shopping

Matt and Andrea delivered my bag this morning.  Felt weird without my iPhone and iPad last night.  Had to read the papers on my computer this morning.

Bought a DVD drive for my netbook at Best Buy.  Picked out some stuff in Home Sense but when the woman who went to a till said she wasn't opening and said I had to get back into the single long line, I said "No I don't!" and dropped the basket as I walked out.

Really too tired to do any more shopping so headed home.

Boxing Day

Even though I went to bed early and was really tired, I didn't sleep well at all. Didn't have to get up early which helped.

Picked up Pru at 12:30 and we headed to Matt's in Port Moody. One of his friends cooked us a Newfie dinner. We ate at 4 so the were home by 7:30. I left my bag behind - iPad, iPhone, camera, ID... They are going to Andrea's parents tomorrow so I'll meet them on 33rd as they go by. Duh! At least I didn't forget my goodie bag of cookies and Nanaimo bars.

Merry Christmas

A quiet day - listening to Christmas music, reading and talking to friends on the phone.  

Arrived at Pru's at 4:00 for dinner.  Perfect food as always.  Total of 11 of us opened presents and then most played poker.  I lost badly!

Really tired by 10:00 so was the first to leave.  Don't have the stamina anymore.

Wet Night Before Christmas

Stayed in most of the day.  Wrapped presents and made the cranberry sauce while watching Christmas movies.

Had pot roast for dinner at IHOP and filled up the gas tank.

Shopping done

Matt has a cold so we didn't go to a movie again today.  Instead I went to Ironwood Plaza and London Drugs, the Liquor Store & Canadian Tire.  Found exactly what I needed at each so finished with a takeout lunch at Tim Horton's.

Home by 12:30 and managed to avoid most of the heavy rain.

A day of dining

Rode Canada Line to Yaletown and transferred to a Main St Station bus Nelson St.  Then walked to the William Tell Bistro to meet Rum and Nancy.  Too bad they are closing at the end of the month since the food and service were really good.  

Got tired waiting for a bus in the cold so grabbed a cab to Connie's in Yaletown to see Mae and meet the twins, Leland and Hudson.  Quick ride on the Canada Line home.

Met Moira at Applause for dinner and then stopped at Safeway.  Love shopping there at night as there are no lineups.

Safety Check

This morning I had to be at the Cancer Agency at 7:45 for bloodwork.  The nurse drew 13 vials!  The lab said it should have been 1 more but decided to make do.  Hassle to go back and use the port again.  They flush it with saline (through a BIG needle today) and then flush again after the blood draw and add epinephrene.  I have to use the port every few weeks or have it taken out.

Then I went to Fairmont and saw the head clinical trials nurse, a resident and my oncologist for a "safety check".  Karen talked a bit about my new drug.  It is 10 years old and went out of popular use or testing as it is a shot in the muscle of the butttocks.  Now they are looking at it again.  She said they are trying to broaden the protocol so I won't have to pay.  So just who is the Health Minister this week?  She said not to worry that there is now cancer in the adrenal glands and they seem to be able to cope with it.

I had been fasting since last night so I had brunch at the Sunshine Diner.  I decided to buy myself a Christmas present since the insurance money will be in my hands soon.  Patrick recommended Watch It! on 4th.  The clerk spent a good 1/2 hour advising me and we settled on a Casio G-Shock.

Two more nearby stores and my shopping is done.

Glad to get home and dozed a bit this afternoon.  Glad that Matt cancelled going to a movie as I would have fallen asleep.

Once in a lifetime

The last time there was a total lunar eclipse during Solstice was in 1638.  To bad it's raining.

Got up early to make shortbread.  Have to put the dough in the fridge for an hour and then wait for it to warm up again. Took hours to cook as I quadrupled the recipe.

Almost did not have our support group tonight as Jean died last night and Sarah was too upset to come.  I met Louise at the Cactus Club and the four of us who showed up at the Cancer Agency met in the lobby for about from 7 to 8:30.

David's party

Chris had the family over at 1:00 to celebrate David's 31st birthday.  Stayed until about 4:00.

Loaded up with groceries at Safeway while listening to the Canucks on my iPhone.

Making crockpot of stew tonight.  I have the makings of 2 other recipes to load up my freezer in the next couple of days.

Granville Island

Picked up a reserve at VPL and then went to Granville Island in search of the last elusive present (unsuccessfully).  Picked up some groceries and then drove straight home.

I am so behind in everything this year.  Just don't have the energy.

Day with friends

Met Georgina and Marilyn at Anni's house at 10 this morning.  So many decorations made it feel like Christmas is nearly here.  I am so behind in doing things this year and her shortbread was just like mine.  Must make some on Sunday!

Discovered the Gourmet Warehouse and bought a bunch of stuff for myself.  What a neat place to shop.  Realized there was little point in driving all the way home so went to Metrotown.  Wandered around but didn't buy anything.  Finally sat a while in Chapters.

Met Pam at 4:45 in Nando's Chicken on Kingsway.  Must eat in these restaurants more often as the chicken is delicious.  We then went upstairs to the board room of Metro Vancouver for a meeting on parks and geocaching.  They introduced the new rules for MV parks and showed a couple of apps. 

iParks Explorer has information and maps for parks they manage and Tap Map which shows public drinking fountains.  Saw a few people I knew.  It is always nice to put faces to the geocaching names.

My lawyer left a message to say I can pick up my settlement cheque for the bus crash next week!

Via Veneto

Took Canada Line to the Cancer Agency.  Forgot the Metastatic Cancer meeting was 10:30 & arrived at 10:00.  Good group today.  I must go more often.

Someone donated money so we could go out for lunch.  We went to Via Veneto which is where the Capricorn used to be on Broadway.  The food is really good.  I had Veal Paillard: grilled milk-fed Veal scallopine with salsa verde.

I was going to take a present to the twins but Connie & Mae weren't answering the phone so I just went home.  Managed to avoid rain but it was cold.

Purdy's

Went to Weir at lunch to pick up my Purdy's order from Rum.  Stayed and visited for a couple of hours.

Picked up a book I had ordered at Kidsbooks.

Weird weather.  Caught in a hail storm and later some snow was hitting my windshield mixed in with the rain.

Elf for the day

Landsharkz sent a couple of geocoins with my last order and asked me to hide them.  I put one in Vancouver and the other in Richmond.  The coordinates have appeared on Facebook & Twitter and cachers will try to find them.

Did a bit of shopping and had lunch at Dave's in Steveston.

Dr. Gelmon called tonight to talk about my PET Scans.  They show no cancer in any organs except a bit in the adrenal gland.  She seemed quite positive.

Soggy Sunday

Stayed up late to finish (in 1 day) Susan Boyle's autobiography.  Kept hearing Mary M's voice throughout.  Nice to see Mary's daught acknowledged for the help she's been.

Didn't wake up until 10:45 and spent a lazy day.  Enjoyed Canucks win.

Callanish

Attended Callanish Holiday Open House with Diane Loomer and EnChor Choir.  Great music and old friends.

Loaded up with presents at Kidsbooks and groceries at IGA.

Christmas shopping

Woke up at 8:15 and turned the computer on.  Went back to bed to listen to the news and woke up in time for the 10:30 broadcast.  

Picked up Pru this morning and took her to pick her car up from the repair shop.  We stopped for a latte on the way.

Took my list to Lee Valley Hardware & Chapters to get a good jump on my Christmas shopping.  I am using an app called Gifts to keep it all straight.

Picked up a prescription & groceries at Safeway on the way home.

Harrison - Day Three

Had another long sleep.  I went down to the outide pool for a good soak.  It was chilly out but not raining.  It poured as we put the luggage in my car and we were soaked.  Dripped into the Lakeside Cafe for our 2nd free breakfast.

Shopped at The Farmhouse for fresh cheese, Limbert Farms, The Back Porch and Kilby's Christmas Shop for presents and treats.  There were eagles in the trees in Kilby and dead salmon on the beach.  Weather alternated between sun, rain, downpour, hail, thunder, drizzle... all the way home.  Filled up my gas tank for $1.04/litre just east of Mission.

Got to Pru's house at 5 and Jesse cooked us a good dinner.  Pays off having a chef in the family.  Now we just need a scullery maid.  Their box wasn't working so I stayed and so we could watch our news shows on my iPad.

Very glad to get home.  Only carried the essentials upstairs. 

Harrison - Day Two

We stayed up late in the bar talking last night so slept in.  We had our free buffet breakfast in the Lakeside Cafe and it was pretty good.  The sun was shining so we headed out for a walk along the lake.  Failed to find a nearby geocache.  Shopped in some of the stores and headed back.

We sat in the lobby playing crib for the whole afternoon. I don't think I won a game!  After the afternoon tea we went to sit in the hot tub.  It was pouring outside so we stayed in the inside pool.

Our free dinner in the Copper Room was not a success.  The soup was delicious but the meals mediocre.  My turkey stuffing was yucky and Pru's Yorkshire pudding was cold and deflasted.

Back to the room for most of the Canucks game.  Can't get MSNBC on the TV so we watched our MSNBC news shows on my iPad.

Harrison

Off to use my prize trip to Harrison. Picked up Pru at noon. Stopped in Haney at 50's Diner. Car wouldn't start! Several men offered suggestions as we waited for BCAA. Finally one mentioned the key fob and I realized my new Geocaching keyring had unscrewed and the fob was gone. Finally found it in the road a few feet in front of the car. Disaster averted!

Arrived just in time for the free afternoon tea. Plate full of large chocolate covered strawberries were in the room. Soaked in the pool for a while after opening a bottle of wine.

Hardly rained at all after we left home. Bit of drizzle as we walked to Bavarian restaurant for Schnitzel dinner -far too much food. Watched our 2news shows from MSNBC on my iPad. Spent a few hours in the bar drinking Monte Cristos and talking to a young fellow who just moved here.

Life is good!

Geocaching Monday

Met Pam by Guilford Mall this morning and we found caches in the area.  My count for the day was 12 for a total of 1,233.  We had lunch at De Dutch.

Wanted to go to Wal-Mart and Mark's Workwear and was wondering where they might be in Surrey.  Turned out our meeting place was right by both so I was able to do my shopping and be home by 5.

Didn't sleep well last night.  Had a bit of a headache but feeling better tonight.

Slow Sunday

Slept until 10 this morning.  Decided to have a day to recover from a hard week.  Watched The Assasination of Jesse James - very odd western.  

Canucks looked as tired as I felt.

Funeral

Mel and her kids came to clean this morning.  It has been a while so there was a lot of dust.  I did laundry on Wednesday so they only had 1 load.

Went to Lillian's funeral at 1:00 in Holy Trinity Anglican on 12th.  Finally found a parking spot 3 blocks away just as I was giving up.  It was a long service.

Came home and fell asleep.  Glad I don't have to get up in the morning.

FASLODEX (fulvestrant)

Went to the 2nd floor of the Cancer Agency for my first injection today.  The nurse was new from England and excellent.  The shot was in my buttocks - many years since I've had one of those.  She explained all the side effects to watch for and did everything smoothly.  I decided it was probably better to keep moving for a bit so did some errands before heading home.

Finally took Amanda's bottle of wine to her school in Richmond.  I carried it home from Kelowna in October as she couldn't carry it on the plane.  Picked up some things at COSTCO and lunch at Tim Horton's.

I've felt fine all day.  The injection site hurt a bit but didn't need to do any of the things suggested to deal with it.  Next one will be in 4 weeks.

2nd PET Scan

Had to be at the Cancer Agency at 7:45 for a PET Scan using glucose this morning.  Painful being up that early but the fasting is easier.  Sat for a while and then they hooked up an intravenous.  Another wait until the isotopes were ready.  I then had to sit quietly for an hour.  No reading but I brought classical music on my iphone.  The scan was shorter than Tuesday's and they put me through head first.  That way I could move my arms as soon as they were clear.  It is really hard lying on the skinny little strip of metal with my arthritis!

Picked up my FASLODEX (fulvestrant) at Macdonald Pharmacy.  The cost is $700 an injection and I paid 30% of that.  The drug company will pay part of that for me.  Had to have it in my fridge within the hour.

Needed to stop at a coffee shop for the bathroom on the way home.  The line was slow so I went to Characters for a latte & cinnamon bun.

Didn't do much the rest of the day.  

Connie had her twins - 6 lb 1 oz and 4 lb 15 oz.

Washing

Did a couple of loads of laundry today.  Love those stairs.  Forgot to push the button on one of the driers so had to make more trips.

Go Canucks!

PET Scan

Set my alarm so I could eat something at 7:30 and then had to fast until my PET Scan at 1:45.  First one of these I've had.  The isotopes stung a bit but only for a few seconds.  Always glad when they can find a vein in the elbow joint! I've lost about 10 pounds according to their scales.

The scan itself is nothing, it was having my arms above my head that hurt - a lot!  I have another on Thursday and they will put me through backwards so I can lower my arms when they are clear of the machine.  Got back to my car at 5:00.  The parking was $15 but they are going to pay for it this time.  The money is from the U.S. and there is enough for this.

Had to eat right away to get my organs moving again to clear out the radioactive stuff so stopped at Max's deli for take-out.