L got a ride to the mall near her school with her girlfriend the other day. The friend had to leave to run a quick errand. It seems her brakes failed on the way and she ran 2 red lights before she had the presence of mind to use her emergency brakes. It was a scary experience but the girl is ok. Fortunately,she didn't hit any other cars. It's an old car that had just been serviced. Needless to say she got rid of the car. L had no problem taking the bus back to her residence, counting them both lucky!
So we need a new refrigerator. The appliance guy made a service call and thinks that is the best way for us to go. He recommended choosing a simple, spacious one. The fancier ones with lots of sensors tend to break more easily. Oh well, first thing is to remove all the magnets and memos I have covering the appliance.
We had a new release day in our step class yesterday. There were 3 instructors for the occasion. One of the instructors happened to be a new dad on paternity leave. I thought that was interesting. I had never met him before.
My sister sent over 2 Easter treat bags of chocolate for L and K. I don't think we realize how old our kids are, and they likely still appreciate getting chocolate treat bags!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Chile
I had a nice walk (in 3C weather, brr) with a friend yesterday. We stopped into a Middle Eastern place for a lunch. We had falafel sandwiches, pretty good and inexpensive. My friend just came back from Chile. They also did a cruise from Chile, thru the apparently narrow Panama Canal and into Ft. Lauderdale, Fla, then back home. Apparently the cruise ships pay a ton of money to go through the canal and they seem to barely fit. It must be hard to make a profit.
My friend reports that the Chileans are very hospitable. They were forced to leave their hotel on the coast one night because the Japan tsunami was headed there. They hitched a ride up into the mountains and a poor family fed them and put them up for the night and refused to take any money. She wants to go back and do the southern portion of the country.
Speaking of travel, my sister was commenting on the experience of a long trip abroad with a couple of good friends. Some people really knock themselves out trying to see absolutely everything there is to see in the short time they are visiting. Rick Steves always says 'assume you will return', in all his travel guides. It's a point well made. You can always go back, it may be better to see some special places and to take the time to savour the experience. Unless everyone in your party is of the same mindset. What do you think?
My friend reports that the Chileans are very hospitable. They were forced to leave their hotel on the coast one night because the Japan tsunami was headed there. They hitched a ride up into the mountains and a poor family fed them and put them up for the night and refused to take any money. She wants to go back and do the southern portion of the country.
Speaking of travel, my sister was commenting on the experience of a long trip abroad with a couple of good friends. Some people really knock themselves out trying to see absolutely everything there is to see in the short time they are visiting. Rick Steves always says 'assume you will return', in all his travel guides. It's a point well made. You can always go back, it may be better to see some special places and to take the time to savour the experience. Unless everyone in your party is of the same mindset. What do you think?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Cleansing and Purging
The weather has been awful and wet lately. We are having some brickwork repaired on our house and the contractor had started the work, then it started raining on and off. It's frustrating.
K has been taking every opportunity to practice his driving skills. He does seem to have a knack for it. And I still haven't booked him in for proper lessons yet.
L will move back home in a few weeks and we're also making preparations for the move into a rented townhouse for the next school year. I'm already gathering a few supplies and planning furniture because I don't like waiting until the last minute like she does. So saying, her dad and I had no such help in our university days. This is the entitled generation.
I've been thinking lately that one shouldn't panic at bad news because it seems there is always some good that can come out of it. For example, our refrigerator stopped cooling after groaning for a few days. It forced me to clear the food out of it ( luckily we have another refrigerator in the basement). The good of it is that I was forced to throw out a lot of old stuff, cleansing and purging the main fridge so we could look into having it repaired. Have you looked at everything inside your fridge and freezer lately? You might be surprised at what you've been saving!
I found some cute videos for you to watch today:
Kohler Numi High Tech Toilet (video)
Walking the Dinosaur - here's a cute video for the little kids
Apple Store Dance - K loves this one
K has been taking every opportunity to practice his driving skills. He does seem to have a knack for it. And I still haven't booked him in for proper lessons yet.
L will move back home in a few weeks and we're also making preparations for the move into a rented townhouse for the next school year. I'm already gathering a few supplies and planning furniture because I don't like waiting until the last minute like she does. So saying, her dad and I had no such help in our university days. This is the entitled generation.
I've been thinking lately that one shouldn't panic at bad news because it seems there is always some good that can come out of it. For example, our refrigerator stopped cooling after groaning for a few days. It forced me to clear the food out of it ( luckily we have another refrigerator in the basement). The good of it is that I was forced to throw out a lot of old stuff, cleansing and purging the main fridge so we could look into having it repaired. Have you looked at everything inside your fridge and freezer lately? You might be surprised at what you've been saving!
I found some cute videos for you to watch today:
Kohler Numi High Tech Toilet (video)
Walking the Dinosaur - here's a cute video for the little kids
Apple Store Dance - K loves this one
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Colonoscopy
Well I had my routine colonoscopy last week. The day before, I had to be on clear fluids, like blue jello (I had heard red is not allowed so thought I had best be safe), beef or chicken broth, apple juice, ginger ale, water, coffee, tea (no milk). I got hungry a few times, but it really wasn't too bad. I discovered that I don't mind the taste of black coffee. I always thought I needed to have it with cream.
The day of the colonoscopy, I had to take 2 packets of laxative at specific times of the day. My laxative was called Pico Salax and it really was one of the milder treatments on the market. I only had to mix each packet with 5 ounces of water and it tasted like lemonade.
M sat with me at the hospital, and I ended up having to wait almost 2 hours for my turn. It seemed there were two difficult cases before me. One older lady had two polyps. The anesthetist wheeled me into the treatment room while asking me some relevant questions. The nurse and doctor were waiting inside. Everyone was really friendly and I felt quite relaxed with my few questions answered to my satisfaction. I was given a sedative called Propofol which put me to sleep during the procedure and I had no difficulty waking up shortly after. I was just confused to find myself already back in the waiting room. I would say it's a better sedative than valium or demerol which are sometimes used. I was given the all clear and told that I was the quick, easy case that evening.
M discovered that the hospital had free wireless internet. This is not the case at all hospitals. The nurse told me that the Outpatient Ward has no night shift and as such, all the employees want to work there.
The other thing I would say is that it seems to depend where you go to have your colonoscopy. M did not have such an easy time when he did his earlier this year. He was given a most aggressive laxative and the valium really hit him out.
My 65 year old hairdresser told me he had a colonoscopy booked and he decided to cancel it. Now that I've had it done, I can say it was worthwhile and not that bad of an experience at all. It's recommended for people over 50. If you are all clear, they won't do another one for the next 10 years.
The day of the colonoscopy, I had to take 2 packets of laxative at specific times of the day. My laxative was called Pico Salax and it really was one of the milder treatments on the market. I only had to mix each packet with 5 ounces of water and it tasted like lemonade.
M sat with me at the hospital, and I ended up having to wait almost 2 hours for my turn. It seemed there were two difficult cases before me. One older lady had two polyps. The anesthetist wheeled me into the treatment room while asking me some relevant questions. The nurse and doctor were waiting inside. Everyone was really friendly and I felt quite relaxed with my few questions answered to my satisfaction. I was given a sedative called Propofol which put me to sleep during the procedure and I had no difficulty waking up shortly after. I was just confused to find myself already back in the waiting room. I would say it's a better sedative than valium or demerol which are sometimes used. I was given the all clear and told that I was the quick, easy case that evening.
M discovered that the hospital had free wireless internet. This is not the case at all hospitals. The nurse told me that the Outpatient Ward has no night shift and as such, all the employees want to work there.
The other thing I would say is that it seems to depend where you go to have your colonoscopy. M did not have such an easy time when he did his earlier this year. He was given a most aggressive laxative and the valium really hit him out.
My 65 year old hairdresser told me he had a colonoscopy booked and he decided to cancel it. Now that I've had it done, I can say it was worthwhile and not that bad of an experience at all. It's recommended for people over 50. If you are all clear, they won't do another one for the next 10 years.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday Sketches - Langkawi
This sketch is from a photograph I saw recently on Ocean Girl's blog. She says it's a sunset in Langkawi, an island of Malaysia. I don't do justice to the photo which I thought was beautiful.
Let's go see what the other Sunday Sketches participants have to offer!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Sweet Saturdays - Lemon Blueberry
It's Sweet Saturdays again. This week I'm featuring a favourite breakfast for me at McDonald's. This is their new lemon blueberry slim sensations muffin with a small coffee (double cream for me). This innocent looking muffin is 360 calories although it's a cheap breakfast at $1.46 including tax.
Do stop by the other Sweet Saturdays participants to see what they did today.
In other news, our refrigerator started making horrible noises a few days ago. We called the appliance repair people and they asked if the fridge was still cooling. The answer was yes, so they told us to basically wait until it dies and they will come and fix it then. They charge $70 for a service call and said they really wouldn't go in until it dies. That sounded reasonable at the time, so the noise is on and off as we wait. the other possibility is that it won't be worth fixing in which case we'd have to get a new fridge.
The daffodils are blooming now!
I have a thirty-something cousin who says the Royal Wedding means nothing to her and her friends. It must be a different generation. I must say I was touched when I heard that Kate will be staying with her mom and her sister in a hotel next to Buckingham Palace on the night before the wedding. My own mother is looking forward to watching the wedding on April 29th.
Do stop by the other Sweet Saturdays participants to see what they did today.
In other news, our refrigerator started making horrible noises a few days ago. We called the appliance repair people and they asked if the fridge was still cooling. The answer was yes, so they told us to basically wait until it dies and they will come and fix it then. They charge $70 for a service call and said they really wouldn't go in until it dies. That sounded reasonable at the time, so the noise is on and off as we wait. the other possibility is that it won't be worth fixing in which case we'd have to get a new fridge.
The daffodils are blooming now!
I have a thirty-something cousin who says the Royal Wedding means nothing to her and her friends. It must be a different generation. I must say I was touched when I heard that Kate will be staying with her mom and her sister in a hotel next to Buckingham Palace on the night before the wedding. My own mother is looking forward to watching the wedding on April 29th.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Paint Party Friday - Patterns
It's time for Paint Party Friday! This week, I drew some patterns from a magazine that caught my attention. The first one is a chevron pattern and the second is a wallpaper pattern called chou chou from Sister Parish Design.
Please stop by the other participants to see what they did today. There is so much talent out there, a visual feast!
Please stop by the other participants to see what they did today. There is so much talent out there, a visual feast!
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