NYC Here I Come...

Well I just booked my flight to New York for May 11th. Going for a week this time (more duty-free to bring back!). I had such a fantastic time last year that I'm a little apprehensive - how can it be that much fun again? But I have a feeling it will be great. I'll be staying with my friend Mark again and will try to get in touch with a cousin I have who lives in New York - somewhere! And do more wining and dining, a show or two... oh yeah and maybe some shoe shopping!

The cat came back

Well actually he never left. We've been trying to get rid of Smokey for about 3 weeks now but he's just not leaving. First the SPCA called asking if we were ready to give him back but I wasn't sure. Waited a couple more weeks then called to say I was bringing him in. Is he still sneezing? Well (I cannot tell a lie) yes maybe once or twice. No good, he has to go for five whole days without a sneeze. So this week goes by and I never hear him sneeze so I call again yesterday and we have all his stuff packed up. Sorry we don't have any room, can you call back on Monday? No - it'll have to wait till next weekend then. sigh. I mean he's a really lovely cat but requires a LOT of maintenance which we're just not into. So perhaps next weekend he will be a goner...

gimp

So it wasn't middle age (well sort of), flu or whatever else I said. Bursitis! aka 'frozen shoulder'. Suddenly on Tuesday I found myself unable to move my left arm above my waist. Wednesday it wasn't toooo bad and I went to the doctor & got a referral to physio. The doctor also gave me some Celebrex, take one a day she said. Well it's one of those drugs (anti-inflammatory) that takes about 2 weeks to kick in and does absolutely NOTHING for acute pain relief. Wednesday night I'm in absolute agony and can't take anything else for it. So I stopped that and Thursday went back to good old ibuprofen (and the occasional muscle relaxant just for fun). So now it hurts and I don't care.

But after 3 days of non-stop Space Channel (it actually hurt to hold a book) I was bored out of my mind and so today went back to work. As one of my co-workers said "dearie you look like shit, why aren't you at home?". Well I can be in pain here as well as at home (plus it was only one day!) And I have to confess I deliberately didn't wear any makeup just to play up the sympathy angle. I was totally unable to blowdry my hair, had to wash it one-handed (interesting experiment) and going to the bathroom is no longer something to be taken for granted.

But - off to physiotherapy tomorrow and I'm hoping for some quick relief (I know, totally unrealistic). In the meantime, as Tara exclaimed in horror at lunch today: "I can't scrap!!!!"

too much fun

at the crop Friday night! I was amazed at how much I got done - several pages in my New York album. Not that they're anything fancy, not using any patterned paper, and it is only 8.5 x 11 so not many pictures either! But still I would like to get it done before I go again. Which I still can't decide about, but looks like May some time.

Felt pretty much like crap the last couple of days - migraine, middle age, flu - who knows? So today I stayed home. And I watched TV. To be precise I stayed in bed till nearly noon when Greg came home & scared me half to death (didn't hear him come in). He left shortly thereafter and then I got dressed and moved to the couch where I stayed for the rest of the day. I watched The Moonstone (DVD from the library), Andromeda, Stargate, and some British forensic pathologist/cop show. It was actually very pleasant. And now it's just about time to go to bed again once I nag Holly to finish her homework.

Oh I also nearly finished eating the leftover asiago & artichoke dip from Friday...

one good read

This is the book we did for book club last night. I LOVE this book. That was my 2nd time reading it and of course as I'm the one who picks the books I do have a certain advantage. Which I try not to abuse ;)

Most of us at the club loved the book, but there were a few who just didn't 'get it'. The discussion helped some, but not all. I just think it's so clever, the language, storytelling (story within story within story) and it all fits together. Plus it's hilariously funny. At least I thought so!

However I've been fighting a cold all week and last night just burned me out so today I'm at home. Although apparently it may snow tomorrow so I might have to bundle up and head over the bridge to my favourite scrapbook store for a little shopping therapy this afternoon.

How can you not love this face?

Smokey really enjoyed hanging out under the Christmas tree, chewing on the branches (artificial - go figure) and then sneezing his head off. Well we've taken the tree down now and Smokey will be returning to the SPCA (or the bad cat house as Greg calls it) one of these days. I'm quite enjoying him but Vespers just hates him. Holly says she doesn't like him either. Guess it's just Timmy and I who are on his side.

He's just so damn cute!

Old Friends

This is me and Ruth, my oldest friend in the world. (It's a standing joke between us) We've known each other since Grade 7, when I was the 'new girl' at Dixon Elementary. She now lives in Australia, where she's been since I don't remember when, Expo '86 some time I think. Luckily for me, when her parents retired they moved to the Okanagan so when Ruth and her family come to visit, it's not hard for us to see each other. This only happens every couple of years or so. But this year - bloody winter! They're only in Summerland but you'd think it was still Australia with all the difficulty we've had getting together...so near and yet so far.

My phobia about winter driving, and lack of snow tires. Their lack of snow tires and, indeed, much in the way of winter driving experience at all. And all this snow and cold weather!! Ruth and I did have a nice lunch last week when she drove up but then it wasn't until today when I took the bus to Summerland (wussy I know) that we saw each other again and now it's back to work for me and back to Vancouver for them before flying home. sigh.

But it was great to see her, her parents, her husband and 2 lovely daughters. Their kids are incredible - both beautiful and clever. And if Holly had come with me I'm sure Kay and Stan would have felt like they were looking at Ruth and me 35 years ago.

It was only after I got on the bus home that I got a bit weepy. There was still so much catching up to do, we never even drank a bottle of wine! Next time guys - come in the summer!

And this was Boxing Day with Greg's mom, his nephew, wife & 2 kids. Fortunately the nephew knew how to set the self-timer on my camera so we were able to get this group shot (after a few tries). 

Fern's got a brand-new 'do!

I got my hair cut on Friday, kept the length but have layers now instead. I think I must have lost a pound or 2 as a result!

And I have to have a mini-rant about Yahoo Photos which I've been using for a long time but since I upgraded to IE 7, it no longer works. I can't upload photos into it at all. So, I went to Picasa instead and I have to say I'm impressed. Especially with the 'Blog This' feature. I could crop, fix my red eye and post it all in one easy step (well just about). 

Happy New Year!

Well last night has to have been the quietest New Year's Eve on record for us. Greg and I had a couple of glasses of champagne, but other than that we watched TV (Little Nicky), listened to Dick Clark painfully doing the countdown and then went to bed at 12:30! Whoopie...

But that was fine, I didn't really feel like doing anything. I've had an extraordinarily quiet & lazy Christmas holiday this year and although I'm starting to get a little stir crazy, it's not unmanageable.

Still and all, a little more motivation in 2007 would be a good thing...