I am not sure no news IS good news.

"Is no news really good news?"

At least not for C's sister-in-law, Kellie, and brother, Jason. We haven't really heard anything!

She was due to give birth to her baby (?girl/boy?- no one knows!!!) on the 5th!!! Since she hadn't yet, they planned to induce her monday morning. When monday morning came, she and hubby were told that they couldn't induce her that morning because there were already 4 women in labour!

On tuesday, they attempted to slowly induce her, in hopes of kick starting labour, but the baby's heart beat became distressed, or something like that, and so they had to stop.

Kellie and Jason both spent the night in the hospital and so far that's all I know!

So, I am asking everybody to pray for Kellie, Jason, and their (so far) not yet born baby. For Kellie, I am praying that she have a quick labour, and soon!. I am hoping that the baby hasn't grown too large, so that she can heal quick if she delivers vaginally, and I am also hoping she doesn't need to have a C-section, since it's a longer healing time!

I hope that Kellie and Jason soon bring home a healthy baby!
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"My no news"

So far, no news from the doc. Also no news jobwise. Very depressing. But I have a couple of new options I am checking out, and hopefully something will work out soon!!! I need to start making some money!
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"Should I stay or should I go?"

Not sure if I am going to visit my Gramma down in St. Paul this weekend for Easter.
Also not sure when I will be able to go up to Hinton to see the new baby! Chris and I are a little (lot) short on $$ and I can't stay with his relatives. (J + Kellie have a cat, Chris's parent's have 2!) Even on antihistamines, I can only be around cats for about a half an hour before symptoms start. They usually stay for days, too. It's great, really.
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"Fear of the unknown"

I am thinking about doing a detoxification. I want to try this 'treatment' I saw @ Dr. Kopala's office. I think it is called EB-305... I might be really wrong. Basically you stick your feet into this foot soak massager looking thing, and they turn it on. It charges electrons either negative or positive, and it draws out the impurities from your body, through your feet. Looking at the pictures, it works well, but looks disgusting!
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"It's in the details..."

The only issue I have with doing any kind of detox program is that I am on a daily medication that can mean the difference between my being happy or sad, positive or depressed, feeling great or absolutely miserable. Lately, I have been having a lot more days with bouts of anxiety and depression than usual. However, the good days are really good days! On the good days, I go for a drive, enjoy the sunshine, and the last 4 times I did that, I saw wildlife! (I LOVE seeing wildlife! It is one of my favorite things. Ever.)
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"Derailed"

You want to make me happy? Bring me to the zoo. Bring me for a drive down a country road where and when we'd be most likely to see a bunch of deer grazing, or geese, or moose. I get especially excited when I see moose, bald eagles, antelope, fox, coyotes, bobcats. I've even seen a lynx less than 2 km from my parent's house.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand: detoxification.

As a result of taking a dose of setraline daily (LCA of Zoloft), it is not really a recommended idea by any doctors or pharmacists to do a detox plan. Detoxing encourages emptying of the body, which can mean that the medicine might not have a chance to work properly before it is gone. So, basically it would almost be like missing a dose, or taking a half dose. The side effects are, well, f*cking horrible. If you really want to know, leave a comment, maybe I will post them, maybe not. Long list that basically means 'Blaine will be miserable'. Missing a dose can cause the side effects to last for a few days, so I don't know what detox could do. I am hoping that this might be a good thing to try, but I am going to look into it more, and as my doctor AND pharmacist. Two trusted opinions are better than one.

If anyone has any recommendations for detoxing, it would be nice to hear them, hint hint!
Is there anything you should absolutely do, or not do?

I have about 6 years of daily medication(s) built up in my system, and the problems aren't going away. As well as detoxing, I want to eat healthier - lots of fruits and veggies, drink more water, and exercise.

Hmm... Sounds like I want to feel better, right? RIGHT!
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"My kind of diet is the hardest kind to do"

However, unlike most people who diet, I am not doing it because of the number. (I don't care how many pounds I weigh. I really don't.) I just want to feel better. I want to have more energy. I want to sleep better. I want to enjoy my life more, rather than doing stretches all day, because my back is sore, my joints ache, my head is pounding...

I know it won't be easy. It wasn't last time. But then I moved to EDM. and got back into old habits. And then some. I had some encouragement, too, but my will power was still packed in a box somewhere! :) And so, we succumbed to the ease of the numerous hellish drive thrus, and our bodies have paid for it.

Now, I want to try to undo the damage, and get back in shape. Anything other than round!
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"The zoo formally known as Mother Nature"

I love living in and around Cold Lake for the simple reason that I see wildlife on an almost daily basis. Wether it's driving home at night, seeing deer in the ditch, seeing coyotes in the fields looking for mice, or looking up and seeing birds circling overhead.

Like I attempted to start telling you above, the last 4 times, I saw wildlife- significant wildlife- whie I was out and about.

1- Bunch of deer (10-12?) grazing in a field on the back road from Cold Lake South to North.
2- A couple of young deer, not babies, though, just outside of Pierceland, on the back road from Cold Lake, not the highway. We drove in from the highway, and were going to take the back road back home, but there was fresh gravel, and I hate gravel, so we turned around. In just enough time, too! If we hadn't turned aound, we'd have missed the beautiful 3 deer we saw!
3- On the way to St. Paul, when I went with Chris when he was helping out their short-handed store, we saw a bunch of deer in the fields on the way there!
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"Moose, moose, moose, moose, moose!"

4-I saw a young moose!!! Pretty close to town, not far from the road, and he/she didn't seem bothered by my presence, calling "Moose, moose, moose, moose! Where's your mommy?" from the car! I got LOTS of pix of it, not many that great, though. I will post some next time, if remember.

Going to go to bed, though. Been writing through yawns for a while now!

TAK.

As of now

I have no news. Monday morning, I will be at the doctor's, asking for any little opening to talk to my doctor about what the hell is going on with me!

:)

Spring is here, Patches is daily 'getting it on' with his favorite teddy bear slipper... used to be either Joy's, mine or Willy's. Can't remember. Either way, he loves it, and I mean, loves it.

Going to go attempt to make spinach dip. I've searched online and found a very wide variety of recipes, and have had to basically combine two to get one that sounds good to me. I am trying to make one that isn't mayo+sour cream+canned spinach. We have fresh baby spinach here, and cream cheese, and whipping cream, and fresh onions, fresh grated parmesan, etc. so I want to make it fresh.

Does anyone have a good recipe for spinach dip? Preferably a tried and now infamous-type recipe? Or tips and advice? If the one I am going to make today turns out good, I will post the recipe...

Hey, Chair, can I have the recipe for cake that you were talking about last October, that you made for Theya's birthday, and your wedding???
Pretty, pretty please?

And, is it one of these blenders that you have? Does it work good? Do you like it? Mom's thinking of getting a new blender, and I suggested this one...

Anyway, gotta get cooking!

TAK

P.S. Chris is going to be an uncle any day now!!!

A puzzle

http://five.flash-gear.com/npuz/puz.php?c=v&id=1222764&k=71808733

That link will bring you to my puzzle! It is a picture I took!

T.A.K.

I guess it is okay to tell you

After being vague in my last post where I mentioned the doctor visit, I figure I might as well just write it. It isn't that big of a deal (as I realized after reading a detailed email. You know who you are! Thanks!).

Basically, been having some female part issues (I AM NOT PREGNANT!) and finally went to the doctor, and was informed of some inflammation, (as well as tenderness), and some samples were taken and tests results are not yet in. Apparently the doc's not expecting the results to come back positive for most of the tests he did, because I do not have the other usual symptoms of those things. But he's testing anyway.

If they all come back negative, I will be referred to a gynocologist, and have a pelvic exam to check for cervical and ovary cysts. Not sure what the steps would be after that, but hey, who cares if you don't need to, right?

In other news... hmmm... what else is there to report...?

Not much. Patches says hi!

I wasn't sure about posting this, fearing it might be too much information, last September I was pretty graphic in regards to my pink eye. While I didn't get any 'complaints' I did get a few comments on how disgusting it was. (Sorry to bring back horrific memories...) Anyway, I won't be posting pictures of my more recent issues, because, well, just NO!

If anything, I have been trying to post some really cute pictures of Pookie with Patches, when he was just a baby. For some reason, it isn't working! So, whenever it DOES work, you'll see the two cutest dogs in the world!!!
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Going to leave while on a good note! B

Went to the doctor

And might have some bad news in a few weeks... not sure. Have to wait and see what I hear, then maybe go for some more stuff...

Sorry if I am being obscure, just not sure what to say that won't worry people... Don't want my entire personal history posted for the world to see. That is, if anyone is looking...

So email me if you really wanna know, or leave a comment and I will email you.

*Sniff*

This is a bit of a venting post. Because: I'b sik. I hate being sick. :(

(Sniffle, cough, sneeze.) I am just glad the nausea went away a few days ago.

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon because I have had this nasty cough and sore/raw throat for almost a week now, with no sign of it relenting, plus it has gradually become accompanied by headache, body aches and pain, fever, chest, throat and head congestion, and of course, lots of sneezing and sniffling, and to top it all off, I am sooo sick of pretzels (or as I used to pronounce them, "prent-zels") and juice, and chicken soup , and other chicken soup , and crackers, and 7-up. I want to eat real food again. Drink milk without coughing. I haven't had milk in 5 days... :(

My head feels about 3 times as big as it should be. I can't sleep properly. I am tired and sore and sniffly and cranky.

I was supposed to go to Edmonton yesterday w/Chris, but, as a result of my above-mentioned issues, I decided it would be better for him if I didn't. (Can you imagine being cooped up in a car all day with someone as sick as me??? You'd be sniffling/coughing, etc. in no time.) Besides, Chris already sed he's feeling achey and is beginning to cough...

Sigh.

Hey, when everyone else is really sick, if you are coughing and sneezing a lot, do your shoulders and collar bones get sharp excruciating pain running through them after you sneeze? No? Just me? Hmmm....

Another question for the doctor.

Okay, I am about done whining now. I figure it was my right to whine, being sick and all.

In other news, Mom and Dad are with friends, approximately 1286 miles, or 2070 kilometers, (or 81,530,726 inches) south-west of our house. That's right, they flew to San Francisco, with flowers in their hair... (Disc 2, song 3) or something. :)

Anyway, they'll be flying back on friday nite, and staying in Edmonton til the next day.

Until then, we are fending for ourselves around here (not as difficult as it sounds). Oh, and feeding the puppy. 6-years-old-on-April 7 puppy, but whatever. He was sooooo sad after Mom and Dad left with their luggage!!! He was panicking when they left, so Mom brought him to see me, (then sleeping off some nausea). Even now, he sits all day waiting for them to come home, in his bed by the door. Poor puppy. The only time he gets distracted is when there is food, or Chris or Willy comes home. :)

I am just killing time until my doctor's appt. Hopefully, my doctor can recommend SOMETHING that I can actually take.

Because of the prescription medication I am on, I can't take cough, cold, flu, congestion, etc. medicines, besides the otc cough drops that I hate. The only ones I like are these. And they don't really have much in the line of medicine in them. They're like candies... :)

But, even so, they only soothe my throat. They don't do anything for my headache/aches/pains/fever (taking acetaminophen -can't take ibuprofen, same reason as cough, etc. medicines), nor do they help with congestion/sneezing... :(

Oh, yeah, I said I would stop whining. My bad.

:)

I am going to go have a bowl of soup (agaaaaaiiiinn), and maybe a long hot shower...

Or maybe I should just make Ranger cookies, my faves!!! (Not like I can taste them...)

Hmmm... tough decision.

Cookies it is.

I can shower after I get flour all over.

Oh, I updated the wedding watch site, too. Not much, but it's updated at least.

Anyway. ttyl.

Sickly, TheAnyKey...

Valentine's Day surprise

Here's a pic of what I woke up to:













Chris is so sweet!!!

My photo sharing page has been updated (you need to have a login to see my pix)

http://flickr.com/photos/theanykey

How's life?

-B

My Valentine's Day

Chris woke me up at about 7 a.m. this morning, and told to come upstairs. He had already run back upstairs by the time I was dressed, and so I opened the bedroom door to find a trail of Hershey's Kisses leading through the hallway, up the stairs, and into the kitchen.

As I came up the stairs, I saw Chris sitting at the kitchen table, smiling.

I went into the kitchen, and saw what Chris had set up: A big white teddy bear holding a red heart pillow, a heart shaped pillow covered in red hearts on a black background, a square pillow with pink hearts on a red background, and each corner has a little pom pom on it! (Oh, these pillows are incredibly soft!!!)

There was a BEAUTIFUL card leaning up against the teddy bear. And everything was candlelit: on the left hand side in front of the teddy bears was one tall pillar candle, and one smaller pillar candle, both 'romance' scented, on square glass plate candle holders. There was a lead crystal goblet style candle holder filled with more Kisses on the right. Just centered from those, was 6 votive candles that came in glass holders, 3 on each side of another Kiss.

That was my Valentine's Day present from him!!!

We had a great day, too. We drove to Glendon to have tarot and palm readings done, and Pat (The psychic) got a lot of things right about each of our 'past's'. We learned a lot from her, of what we may or may not be able to expect, and so we will probably forget all about it until a few years from now, when we'll find the papers we wrote stuff down on. Then we will see how accurate her predictions were!!!

Some of it was cooler than other parts, but for the most part, was good!

I have pics of the above gifts set up, and will post them when I have time...

:)

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Yay!!!

After a few days of pain and swelling, Patches is doing tremendously better.

Unfortunately, until his sutures are removed, and probably after for a few days, we still have to carry him up and down steps to make sure he doesn't tear his wound, or bleed, or anything else. I am sure he feels like he is being punished, because not only have we not been letting him sleep up on beds, for fear he will jump off and hurt himself, we are feeding him MUCH LESS human food, and the stuff we give him is meat, lean of course.

Even when he tries to tell me he is okay with chocolate, I still won't give it to him...

And the little porker also tried to convince me he didn't get fed this morning. ( Dad gives him his morning pill(s) and feeds him his morning and evening meals, so that we can accurately keep track of how much food he eats ( he is a little overweight... for his mix of breed) and he sat by his food dish and kind of looked at me then at the dish, and back at me, as if to say, hey, Dad disn't feed me, so you better...)

For the record, I checked his pills (I marked his twice daily antibiotics with the date and a.m. and p.m. respectively, so that we could make sure he doesn't miss any... just in case!), and I figured if he got his pill, there is no way Dad didn't feed him.

So I cuddled him instead.

I am not sure that made a difference in his appetite!

* * * * *

In other news, we are now settled in M&D's basement...

...awaiting and continuing to search for jobs...

and I am actively trying to get my health back into a more, well, healthy range.

I have an appointment to talk to a dietician, and a therapist... just to deal with random life crap, help figure out my mental blocks, you know?

* * * * *

Thanks to everyone who found their way here from Illustration Friday (or otherwise) and who commented on my last post, and wished Patches a speedy recovery. With all the people thinking of him, he has recovered spedily, but, not quite done yet. On the 13th, sutures come out, and I am sure he will not be a happy puppy after that.

I use the term 'puppy' loosely, considering Patches will be 6 on April 7th!!!

* * * * *

I find I have been thinking about Pookie a lot in the past few weeks. The thoughts come and go, bittersweet memories that bring tears to my eyes.

(Anyone who missed the back ground on Pookie - a.k.a. 'Boo', click here to read more.)

It is starting to feel weird how well we've all adjusted to life without her, although I am certain she is on our minds often. We still have the toy dog she treated like a baby when she was in heat, and would chew in between cycles, and her collar on it. Together, they sit atop the t.v. in the living room, where I am sure we all glance at it from time to time and pause to remember her.

Sigh. :) I can't wait to see her again. She was so good!

Anyway, I am tired, and have a nasty hedache, and am going to try to sleep! I can't believe how late it is! Crap! I will have to get up early and suck it up through tomorrow...

Moi.

I miss Patches

This morning, I had to drop off my [parents'] little dull-black coloured fur ball to the v-e-t to get knocked out.

He had to have an x-ray taken of his bladder, because we noticed he has had blood in his urine the last few weeks. The last few weeks consisted of the following: The v-e-t gave him antibiotics but they didn't do anything, or at least nothing to fix the real problem: he had a stone in his bladder. They used a sample of his urine (another story) to determine that this was the issue, by doing a urinalysis to see if there was crystals in it. Then they informed us our options:

1) try to do a regular x-ray while Patches is awake, to try to see if there was stones in his bladder or not;
2) anesthetize Patches, inject air into his bladder, x-ray. The air would show up dark on an x-ray, and make it easier to distinguish between the white-appearing stones, and normally white appearing organs.

Since if we were to go with option #1, and it didn't show anything, we would have to go to step #2 to ensure there wasn't anything, we skipped #1, and (easily) arranged it so that if they did indeed find the stones, they would call me and let me know, before just going right into surgery. They did call, and let me know that they found a large stone, and that they would be taking it out soon.

While I had the v-e-t/s-u-r-g-e-o-n on the phone, I also asked when I could take him home, and what other steps would be required to prevent another one from forming. (It was obviously diet- related, and when I called at 5:30 to see how he was doing, they asked me all sorts of questions about his diet, food intake, treats, etc). I was informed that we should be cutting back on the amount of treats we give him, and also NO MORE HUMAN FOOD!!!

Anyone who has ever been in our house has undoubtedly noticed the two beady eyes that stare up at you if you are eating, or are in the general vicinity of the kitchen. Mostly, it will be hard for us to not feed him extra food, because the steroids he is on for previous breathing-related problems makes him hungry. Knowing that alone makes it difficult not to give him small pieces of meat... cheese... bread... veggies... okay, okay, anything we happen to be eating, including very rarely, a small bit of chocolate.

Yeah, so to fast-forward to today: Patches ended up having surgery to remove the stone, and I can't pick him up until tomorrow afternoon.

I wish animals didn't have to go through this crap. They just don't understand why they have to go to the "evil" vet who knocks them out and makes them hurt when they wake up...

I wish I could feel the pain instead of him having to. At least they would give me meds for it if needed. For Patches, it must be like being tortured.
I know it is the best thing for him, to get the surgery done, but still. He doesn't know and understand that. I think he thinks we are doing this to him because he was bad or something.

I will feel better when i see him tomorrow.

:-)

-B

Oh, and we are out of our house in the south... got full dd back!! yay, pay bills...