BC isn't just a territory in Canada

OK, Katy is now fine, I'm better and Janet is still having chills. It's either food poisoning or we managed to get ahold of a 24 hour virus.

Ready to get back to poo jokes because this is NOT funny.

We're just west of 4 corners. Pray that Janet feels better soon...

The plan to get a good night's sleep worked so well that we fell down on the "getting up really early" plan. We got some of the comp. breakfast and headed to Zion Kolub, the northern canyon, then to Zion proper. Such a beautiful place... we did a 2 mile hike then left the park before 5pm so we could get to our hotel near Bryce by 8pm AND have dinner at Thunderbird in Mt. Carmel Junction. This is the joint with the Ho-Made pie. We had to have some of that pie this time and boy did it raise the bar for pie comparison. (Coconut Cream Pie is our yardstick) Perfect crust and filling. YUMYUM! This is now officially a trip dedicated to pie. :-)

It took a while to figure out where the hotel was. We drove all the way to the tip of the park thinking that we were in the lodge inside the park (which was, as it turned out, near the entrance -- we had passed it in the excitement of being there). Stopped and asked for directions and found that it was in Tropic and that we had not passed it by. Finally arrived at the hotel around 9pm and the nice man upgraded us to a log cabin. Yeah! Comfy beds, fridge, microwave and continental breakfast. Folks in Utah are just so nice...

Thursday we got a wild hair and decided to do the mule ride to the base of Bryce Canyon, a 2 hr. trip, so we could see more of the sights. It's an amazing place and sometime, I'd love to see it at sunrise. It was much colder than expected, largely due to the wind, so we drove back to Ruby's General Store to find some warmer pants for me and gloves for Janet (I had my work gloves). We had a great guide named, ahem, John Henry. I even managed to mount with minimal assistance!! No push on the butt needed. Hehheh. It was amazing being down in the canyon and seeing the hoodoos up close. Such an amazingly beautiful place, words just do not do justice to the splendor.

Today we are waiting for Katy to feel better. She's been up all night with what appears to be food poisoning. Can't figure out what could have caused it, though. We'd eaten the exact same things yesterday, the lone exception being her bleu cheese dressing at dinner. (we shared the sub-par pie)

Hopefully the worst has passed... I walked down to the store and got her a coke and she's sleeping now.

Looks like we're heading to Mesa Verde next. Unless we decide differently once we are on the road. :-)

...Mutiny averted. Apparently camping is not my travel companions' cup o' tea (i.e. I'm used to sleeping on a Thermarest in my mummy bag when it's cold outside). We will be staying in cheap hotels from here on out. Cedar City, UT - $40 for room with wireless, cable (including HBO), heated pool and spa. And laundry room. Katy is scratching her hausfrau itch by doing laundry while we watch SNL reruns.

Day 1 - Oakland to Benton Springs, CA via Lake Tahoe & Carson City to 395
Day 2 - Benton Springs, CA to Cedar City, UT via Tonopah, NV

Tomorrow we're up early and headed to Zion National Park then spending 2 nights at Bryce Canyon NP.

Got the splints out today and I have to say that I can now breathe through my nose with more confidence and style. I can BREATHE!!! Through BOTH SIDES!!

Wow. Brilliant. Who knew? ;-)

Well, the surgery went well. Now I keep feeling like I want to blow my nose. I'm really stuffed up... WITH PACKING!! Thank goodness this stuff is coming out tomorrow because sleep, when you can only breathe from your mouth, is weird. Feels like I have a crust on the back of my throat along with the worst case of cottonmouth EVER!

When I was in the pre-op area, I ran into the surgeon that did my mastectomy & who I became quite fond of (she did her fellowship at MD Anderson and is a fan of Goode Company BBQ). She pulled me into a dressing room so she could check out my reconstruction and was impressed. Said that Dr. Lee has a good eye for symetry and that he did a great job. She is also a big fan of my ENT surgeon -- that's great to hear when you're about to go under his knife. :-)

And I KEPT hearing good things about Dr. K from nurses, techs... too bad his office staff is notsogood. My surgery started later than they had told me. They neglected to tell me of the change. And there have been other issues; outgoing messages promising a call-back within 24 hours when she was actually out of town, appointments being changed because of their mistake...

Am glad to have this over with and will be even more glad tomorrow morning when I will be able to breathe through my nose. Word.

If you're in the SF Bayarea you need to head to Cafe du Nord tomorrow for the Asylum Street Spankers.

http://sfweekly.com/search/events.php?oid=962040

A group of twelve of us saw them last night at Don Quixote's in Felton and, well, it rocked. Hysterically funny, musically terrific, all-in-all grrrrrrrreat!

You will all love the song "Rag Time Man." heehee

Tomorrow is my "Three's a Charm" surgery day. I had 2 repair surgeries ('77 & '79) previously that didn't seem to take. My previous surgeon was a hack.

I already liked my new ENT and his reputation keeps going upupup; he's gotten props from my oncologist and the CT tech and others. Chalk one more win up for my All-Star Medical Team!

Stage 2 of my reconstruction is set for June 2. Dr. Lee was alarmed to hear about my PE so that's why the surgery isn't until June. He's asked to get a note (heh!!) from my GP so they can monitor my INR closely. He said "safety first!" (and of course, smartass me responds "safety third!") and mentioned my mom a few times. He's a good egg, that Dr. Lee.

So, Stage 2... he'll be correcting a couple of spots - one on my reduction side, another on the cleavage, dealing with some keloid tissue (scars) and liposuction on the chest above my new breast to contour the shape to match the left. Oh! And how could I forget the New Nipple?? I'm getting a nipple!

Can you tell my brain is doing better, too?

Ruth came over again and rocked it. She inspires me to get even more done when she's not over here cracking the whip!

The only boxes left in the living room are ones to go to charity. Yeah!

I bought 6 clear bins from Ikea ($1.25 each!) and put them in a line so I can go through crap and either toss or immediately put in the appropriate stacking bin (small footprint!)

I set up the office in the (not-being-used-as) laundry room. Just need a stool so I can actually work in there.

My bedroom no longer has boxes or piles o' crap. Even cleared off the top of my dresser!

All kitchen counters clean, glasses and stemware moved to other cabinet.

What I still need to do:

hang pics/art in bedroom & living room
table in kitchen (need to find or make something to go between fridge & stove)
organize camping stuff (kitchen box, first aid kit, Burning Man-specific, etc)

Ruth came over yesterday to help me go through some clothes & better organize my bedroom. End result?

- bin o'stuff emptied
- clothing hung
- closet organized
- clean linens folded
- more clothing added to clothing exchange bins (I'm up to 3 big bins!)
- winter clothing stored
- slightly too small clothing moved to hall closet
- pretty scarves hung on a couple of hangers so I remember to wear them!
- all-black-wardrobe eradication project moved forward

Then...
- pictures hung in living room
- rug finally down in LR
- bookshelf relocated to jaunty angle in corner (makes room look much more open)
- dining table placed at jaunty angle
- stove cleaned
- more than 1/2 of stuff in laundry room put away
- several boxes of crap emptied of said crap
- started big box for Goodwill or other charity

Wow. Today I will empty the box that's been sitting by the front door. I promise. It's amazing how the presence can light a fire under the ass. Especially when it's a take-charge gal like Root. :-)

I swear, every time I inhale I can feel tiny particles of Yellow Stuff. Scotch broom, esp.

1. Small rag rugs from Ikea go anywhere. They're like $3 (2X3?), you might have to dig for your color density scheme but it's worth it. I have one in my bathroom, in front of the kitchen sink, next to my bed, over the ottoman. Each one is so different and completely warmed up the space. And feels good under the feet!!

2. Moisturize in the bath. If you're lazy/forgetful like me, getting the moisturizer on during the bath is optimal. Damp/wet skin means you use less and it's more effective. I usually use Lush's King of Skin ( http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/2176?expand=Skincare ) . Amazing stuff. Just rub on your body. Doesn't take much. Has fresh banana and avocado so a relatively short shelf life and MAN does your skin feel terrific!

3. Trader Joe's Chicken Mango sausage. 7gm of fat and GREAT FLAVOR. I'm researching the lower fat sausages and will report back. Bound and determined to find every yummy sausage that's under 9 gm fat and tastes amazing.

4. Comedy is a brilliant way to start your weekend.

5. Live music and quality time with good friends is THE BEST.

6. Work out! Doesn't have to be the gym... can be a walk (including baby in stroller), dancing, hike, biking to ladies' night with a few gals, walking over to Lakeshore for coffee, you name it. Also lovelovelove my YMCA!!

7. Stop. Take a bath. Tell the brainnoise to take a break. Take your time. There's no hurry. Re-fucking-LAX!

And, about moi...

8. I'm turning 50 this year and want to throw a party for the first time in a LONG time (and not just because it's my BD). Looking for others with big BDs in the fall. Let's combine forces and create a LEGEND!

9. I think the new meds are working. Keeping my fingers crossed. But, 1 week in, I'm feeling more solid, good and hopeful than I've felt in over a year. Wow. Please let it not be another schwing... PLEASE.

I WAS born in the year of the Dog!!

Lush rocks. Give them all your money.

If I'd been working for a US company, I likely wouldn't have a job when I went back to work. And I would have been having to foot my own medical insurance premiums via COBRA.

Wow. Just wow.

Now to go work out so I can GET BACK TO WORK!!

Finally took the water walking class at the Y. Like it! I was the youngest person there (it's a 1pm class) but you could ramp up or down on the amount of exertion depending on your level of fitness. Included lots of stretching to start. Yum! Moving through the water felt good. Got a good workout, too.

I'm going to go to a Friday water aerobics class. And I still have to try the Feldenkrais, Therapeutic Pilates, samba and a couple of other yoga classes. I love the IDEA of going to a different class every day, just to mix it up. Throw in weights 3x week and some treadmill or bike and I should be ready for a nice 5 mile walk in Yosemite. :-)

Now to make sure that I'm stretching every morning and doing my PT exercises with the bands.

I need to go back to work soon and this is what it's going to take to be able to use the arm without pain.

How could I forget?? Got results on-the-spot when they redid my mammogram last week due to some shadowing on the films...

All clear! :-)

No tubes inserted on Friday -- another sinus infection! More antibiotics! Stay tuned... CAT scan of my head will clarify course of treatment for my ENT (who is awesome, BTW). I may need another sinus re-do. I had 2 SMRs before I was 20 years old so this isn't something new. Perhaps this is just another example of "3's a charm"? The headaches are tiresome although thankfully easily dealt with via a simple dose of Tylenol. I give 3 thumbs up to the quick acting caps. :-)

In spite of all this, I'm feeling pretty good. Worked out 3 days last week (cardio, weights, yoga) and am going to try a Feldenkrais class tomorrow morning. Also had a massage on Saturday which I needed even more than I thought. Amy is a wonder... she gave me some stretches that should help with my neck and shoulder issues (which is all tied into my chest muscles -- I got an anatomy lesson). I'm going to try to get regular treatment at the acupuncture school again since it helps so much. At $20 per treatment, it's pretty affordable.

I look forward to the day when I have something more exciting than health updates to post!

1. I went back so they could do another mammogram (and possibly an ultrasound) because, I found out today, there was a spot on the front view of my mammogram. I got squeezed harder, the radiologist checked it out and I'M GOOD TO GO! I had a good 20 minutes of "what if" after I found out about the spot... damn!

2. After 2.5 weeks of trying to reach the EDD (most calls met with the message "we have reached our maximum number of callers on hold"), I finally was able to talk with a human! Problem solved and, since I treated her like a nice fellow human being, she responded in kind and sorted out my missing paperwork and checks. Yeah!

3. The show at the MoMA was AMAZING!! I loved the mist room the most. And the yellow light room. Such brilliant simple, interactive, fun installations that really challenged perspective. If you're going to go before it ends (sunday?) I recommend going early. There was a HUGE line to get in this evening when Meg and I were leaving. This would be a good one for the kids, too.

4. I signed my truck over... It's gone to a good home and I know he'll treat her well. I'm am ecstatic that she's gone to a friend and that it only cost him $150 to register, including smog. (And he says that I can use her when I need a truck!)

5. LJen, Lost, Celebrity Rehab. Word.

6. My kitty is brilliant. Baubo TV!

Crap. Day after the show I am woken up by the headache from hell. I cannot take anything for it, thanks to the coumadin. (Although it turns out that I CAN take Tylenol. Hallelulah!) Go to doctor, get diagnosed with sinus infection, ask for the big gun antibiotics so I don't have to endure 3 different courses again, go home, crawl in bed, drink copious amounts of tea with honey and lemon. 2 days later the headache is still there and still bad PLUS my blood pressure, which was high on the first visit to the doc, has now GONE UP and so I have to take meds for that. And pay the fine folks at the practice another visit. Good news is I responded to the Rx immediately, BP is down, lungs are clear, and I can take Tylenol. I think I need to do one of those crazy cleanses that gets every bit of rotting crap (heh) out of your colon. Every dreg and bit of sickly chemo leftovers and various medications and old bits of steak. Get it gone!

I'm feeling MUCH better and it was positively spectacular weather today and daffodils are blooming and I got a LOT done on the home front. Nothing like inviting a friend over for brunch to get the table cleared. (and a lot of other stuff!) Made waffles then went to Fairyland with R & her daughter. Man, it was a gorgeous day...

Jo managed to rent a cabin in Yosemite next weekend! Yay! Can't wait to see it in the snow! Yosemite may very well be my favorite place on earth. Hooray for Curry Village and the valley!

Went to ENT today. Tested by audiologist who also made me a custom pair of earplugs on the spot! I had no idea as to when I'd be able to test them out on some loud live music. Ba-DUM! A post to a list from dear Nettie looking for someone to accompany him to Velvet Revolver at the Warfield this evening! It was LOUD! The earplugs worked! Damn if Scott Weiland ain't one riveting performer on stage but boy had he ever blown his vocal cords by the end of the show. I was worried that I was getting too much distortion on the vocals but it was his raspy voice.

Looks like I'll be getting tubes in my eardrums in a couple of weeks to relieve some of the pressure. Driving to Reno was painful even with the decongestants. Will be nice to get rid of the roar (and possibly some of the tinnitus). Hooray!

And now I feel like I'm on the verge of the horrible crud that everyone seems to have suffered. Achy joints and back, ringing ears and roar (more than usual), painful nonproductive cough, dry throat... sounds like an ad for Nyquil. Must talk to GP to find something other than scheduled painkillers to achy. That's like pushing in a thumbtack with a sledgehammer. And they're not really effective.

Still having nasty shoulder/arm pain when typing so I'll leave you to the vision of smashed thumbtacks. ;-)

P.S. Note to self: no seats on the floor at Warfield. Do NOT wear the rockin' platform Fluevogs there again!

I've had my bone scan and PET scan and doppler. I don't have more cancer. According to my oncologist. This is what you get when you talk to your oncologist instead of your GP. I want other answers! I never thought cancer was back!! There was "area of activity" on the center of my chest for the bone scan but not the PET. My GP sent a referral to a pulmonologist (sp?) so maybe that's the next step. In the meantime, my INR has jumped to 2.3 (a week ago) then 2.6 (on Thursday) so I am OFF THE INJECTIONS!! Bruises are fading and hopefully these lumpies in my abdomen will dissolve sooner rather than later. It's nice to not feel all bloated from the shots...

Now the problem is my right shoulder. It hurts when I type. Badly. Horribly. I'm only doing this because Katy called to let me know that everyone was worried about me.

Call me if you want to join me at the Oakland Y!

Signing off...