I have no doubt that one day I will be this lady.  The neighbourhood old bag.  My lights are shut off and I am not handing out candy.  Why? Because I hate Halloween.  I do.  When I was little my brother and his friends saw it to scare me so bad that I was terrified to go out.  Add that to a very active imagination and being highly sensitive with an over active startle response I learned to hate Halloween.

My BIL is awaiting test results. I will keep you posted.

Today I started my courses to work towards palliative  accreditation.  The first course is "Loss, Grief and Dying with Dementia".  There are 14 courses in all and it will take me 2 years to complete them all. I am so excited!  

Ok, I need to go hide in the bushes and scare small children so bad that they pee. 

Scattered

I am normally a scattered woman but today more so than other days. I have about 25 projects on the go right now, all of them partially done.  The only thing I have completed is getting three cards completed to send out to people.  (I love sending cards.)  I have laundry on the go, the bed stripped, the bathroom half done, the hot tub half cleaned, my cheque (check) book sitting out, stuff to be put away...ag!  The dryer just beeped and suppose I should go fold the clothes.

Of course my thoughts are with my BIL (see yesterday's post).  Fuck anyway. I just read that cancer of the appendix happens .012 in a million or about 1000 cases a year in the U.S.  Of course, we do not know yet if it even started in his appendix or it has spread there.  My question is how do they know how to treat such a rare form of cancer? 

Anyway, I think I am going to go get he clothes in the dryer and wrap myself up in them. 

And on and on it goes...

My dad, as I have mentioned was diagnosed with Prostate cancer just after my mom died.  This week he had Brachytherapy (small radioactive seeds inserted into the prostate).  He is doing fine, just a little tired.

On Friday the other shoe fell...

I will back up a bit.  My amazing kind, gentle and sweet brother-in-law had an attack of  appendicitis a while back.  He had his appendix removed (laproscopic) and was back to work and feeling good.  And then the shoe fell.  You probably know that when anything is removed from your body it is sent for a biopsy just in case.  Friday afternoon they got a call that there was cancer.  WTF?  That is my mom, my dad and my BIL in 13 months.  My BIL is 33 years old!  He and my sister have a 7 year old and an 18 month old. Right now we know nothing.  He has to go for tests to see if the cancer is anywhere else. 

I am tired.   

Jet Lag & Crochet

Learn to Crochet! 

Jet lag and crochet.  Have the two words ever been said like that in a sentence?  I don't know.  I do know that I am a shit-kicked tired.  I got home and went back to working nights.  I was so tired today that I went to bed after work and slept 11 hours straight. Woke up to go to the bathroom but I was too tired to get up so I decided to ignore it and went back to sleep.

My job is slow tonight so I am trying to teach myself to crochet.  (My co-worker asked me sarcastically if that was the same thing old ladies do.)  So far I can cast on and do one row but it is all twisted and crooked.  From there I have no idea how to make the second row and the crappy book I got from the library is no help at all.  You Tube has some videos but there are about a million different ones so this venture may end in failure.  The supplies (yarn and hook) were $4.00 and bought at the thrift store. If I never figure it out the yarn will go to the Ungrateful Bastard.  But I want to do this!  Even if all I ever make is dish cloths I will be happy.  Everyone I know has some sort of crafty thing they can do but not me.  I don't sew, bake, scrapbook, knit, cross stitch or anything.  I want to make a damn dish cloth before I die.  (OK I will be honest, my real goal is to become an expert and make blankets and all sorts of nice shit.  Maybe I will become all calm, serene and wise and people will come to me and seek my wisdom while I calmly dispense my wisdom while crocheting.)  

Who else does this?  I start a project with great enthusiasm only for it to end up in a closet and then in the thrift store bin. Have I have mentioned my cross stitch pillow cases that I worked on for 12 years  before finally admitting to myself that I was never going to finish them?  And besides, I bought them when I was first married they were his and her pillow cases and I was now divorced.  I would have made a terrible pioneer woman.  Right now I just looked at crochet dish cloths and I realize I may be in over my head.  Seriously.  Look at this! 368, 000 images of dish cloths made by competent people! meh Will keep you posted. 

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!

We are home!  So much for posting during my trip.  Most of the time there was poor or no Internet  access or I just had no time.  Other times I just wanted to be in the moment and enjoy  our time together.  
As with any holiday, a melancholy follows when you come home.  Bags to unpack, laundry to wash (a lot of laundry) and a general malaise from travelling   And of course, when any trip is over and a feeling of sadness comes.
But!  I am now home with my husband!  Eloping was one of the best decisions.  It was so much fun and one of the most intimate times of my life, just the two of us promising our lives to each other.  
Over the next while I will post some of the 839 pictures I took!  I will post more wedding pictures and our vows. There is no way I will ever be able to read all your blog posts over the last month but I will try to see what has happened to all of you, my wonderful bloggy friends.
xo

Here is what we did yesterday!

We eloped!  More pictures later! 

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!

We are on the train now.  I have never been on a train.  And because I am taking you along with me I am going to take some pictures. And yahoo, I just waved at someone and they waved back.  
First some pictures from the last couple of days. 

This is just north of Waterloo, Ontario. A very beautiful part of Canada.
And here are the train pictures. 

In other news I finally broke and bought some make-up.  I am tired of looking old and haggard.  There is always the issue of looking like a hooker but I have been assured that I don't.  If you look at the last post of me in my red hat you can decide.

Question - Does anyone do dream interpretation?  Not the kind of dream interpretation when you dream of a whale you are afraid of getting fat.  I mean real dream interpretation   I had a dream about my mom and is has me curious. Not quite ready to share it here yet but I will later. 

Anyway, my laptop battery is going to die. Besides, I want to look out the window and enjoy the moment. 

Yesterday...

Bucket List

Go to Oktoberfest and get a bit drunk on beer.

(Formatting is all screwed up on this post but but I don't feel like fixing it.)

It was so fun!  We had a blast.  Everyone was so nice.  I danced with a man that I did not know. He was with his husband but his husband did not want to get up. 

That did not deter the dancing man.  He has and danced with everyone, men and women. His husband eventually went back to the hotel and dancing guy continued to dace with anyone who who would dance with him.  These are the days that make me believe that the world is not a shit-hole and we are all not going to kill each other. 

We also at cabbage rolls, sauerkraut and scalloped potatoes!  

And a story that should have been funny if it wasn't actually sort of sad.  (But it was still funny.)  We walked by a woman about 25 and she tripped on the side walk and fell.  She went down and her purse went flying.  As her purse went flying it opened up and dozens of condoms flew in  every direction.  We helped he up. I think the fall just scared her because she was not hurt but now were are all trying to ignore the elephant in the room.  Condoms, lots of them. Everywhere.  My fiancé and one of the other people that stopped was picking them up off the ground and stuffing them in her purse but we kept finding more.  So it was not funny because she was obviously a hooker.  We saw her sitting on the street the next morning.  Sad.  

So, we are going out again tonight!  More pictures!

Another morning with coffee in bed.  It is cold out there this morning!  -4 (that is 25 in American) When it gets to -4 where I live they close the schools!  Ha!  OK, not quite but almost.  It is almost time for breakfast so I will write more later. We need to be at the airport in a few hours.

At the airport now.  There is this cool wind-up plane toy for children but more adults are using it than children.  I am going to go in a second to wind it up!  Airport is busy and our flight boards in 20 minutes.  We are flying from Calgary to Kitchener/Waterloo.  More later...

Well, I didn't wind it up because I started wondering how many people had touched it.  Agh.

We arrived in Kitchener/Waterloo and we are now ready for Oktoberfest!  Woot!  

P.S._- The fact that I would consider putting small children up on the ride to keep them quiet shows why it is a good thing that I can no longer have children.  3 cheers for permanent forms of borth control! 

Get this.  We are in bed and we just had coffee delivered to our room.  I am drinking coffee in bed! Good coffee too I might add.  This is certainly the life.  Breakfast is in 25 minutes.  It would be very easy to get used to a life like this.  If I had a million several million dollars I would hire a cook to make me breakfast, lunch and dinner and to bring me a coffee in bed.  There would also be a hired massage therapist.  I would still do all my own laundry and clean my house.  I would also quit my job and do the same job as do now but as a volunteer for people that want to die at home but could not afford nursing care.  Anyway...I am getting off topic.

Last night I put Vanilla Foot Butter on my feet.  A sample came with the room and I will be buying some!  

Later on...  We went to see Tuesdays with Morrie. (I just realized that yesterday I put an apostrophe in Tuesday's.  *gasp*)  The play was wonderful!  I was crying by the end.  Afterwards we had more pie.  This time I had bumbleberry.  So yummy! 

Here is a picture of cows in Alberta. There are a lot of cows in Alberta.  It would be nice to have a cow as a pet. 

Yesterday one of you asked who was looking after my kids and the Ungrateful Bastard.  My dad is.  Mark my words though, the Ungrateful Bastard is going to screw me over for going away.  He does it every time.  Once he ran away. Usually he pees on my bed when I get home.  Good thing I have a medical grade mattress cover or I would have to kill him. 

Question for today - Why does Olay day moisturizer have a black lid and the night moisturizer have a blue lid?  Shouldn't the night  moisturizer have the black lid?   These are the things that perplex me. 

OK, I am off to bed!  What perplexes you?  

Eating and Driving

Oh, I love eating while on holidays!  We went to Tony Roma's last night and I had the chicken and rib special.  I was so stuffed I had to take most of it home.  For breakfast/lunch I had a huge chef 's salad but before you applaud for me because I had a salad I want to say I had a shit-load of balsamic dressing on it.  So good!

We drove around last night and got a little lost.  That's OK because I was with my sweetie.  I won't mention that I looked up our destination before we left on Google Maps but he knew how to get there.  Ya.  Right.  We got all frustrated and over tired and hungry.  Tony Roma's and a Guinness filled the bill!
Today I bought a new camera but I don't have it set up yet.  By tonight I should have it set up so check back later.  We are at a B&B right now and the Innkeeper just offered up Peach pie with whipped cream I said no.  Ya, right!  I said YES! The picture above is our room.  (Peach pie has arrived.  Mmmmmm!) 

Several hours later... We just came back from dinner and all I had was a Greek salad (sans olives).  I do not love olives. Here is a picture of my salad. Oh, yeah.  The Guinness is also mine.  I rarely drink but when I do my drink of choice is usually a Guinness.  The little ball inside the can is fun too.

Here I am in the car trying to figure out how my new camera works. There are a lot of functions.  It took me half an hour just to attach the wrist strap.  

This is Alberta.  It is very brown and very flat.  And here is a story.  I went to Saskatchewan the first time a couple of years ago and I cried because I found the never ending flatness upsetting. And there was no ocean!  I have never lived more than 5 minutes from the ocean. British Columbia, where I live is green, green, green with mountains.  

That is it for today.  Tomorrow we are going to see, "Tuesdays With Morrie".  I love live theatre!  Whaaa hooo!

At the Airport

Here we are at the airport.  Flight leaves in an hour.  I am so excited!  Eeeeeee!  I wish I could scream but I think that would be considered "unruly conduct" and get me thrown out.  (Note - I don't think I have ever been "unruly" in my life.  Maybe I should add that to my Bucket List.  I do have "getting arrested for a good cause"on my Bucket List.)  
Today we are going to Calgary.  We are stopping to see my fiance's daughter.  I am going to buy a new camera tomorrow as the one I have is old so I will start posting pictures tomorrow.  From there we are going to Rosebud, Alberta. Isn't Rosebud a nice name?  I could  live in a town called Rosebud.  
So tell me reader, what is on your Bucket List?   Have you ever been arrested?  

A couple hours later - We are at the Vancouver airport.  Flight is delayed and it is overbooked.  They keep asking for people to volunteer to not go onthis flight.  HA!  It won't be me. There is a group of ladies sitting across from us.  One of them was playing with the other's hair and then she pulled a piece out. Now she has been playing with the said hair for 10 minutes now.  It is getting on my nerves!  STOP IT!  Fuck, people are weird. OK, my flight is boarding.  Ta ta!

And We Are Off!

I got off work this morning and tomorrow morning we are going on vacation!  We will be in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.  Make sure you tune in as I will be taking you along with me.  There will be pictures!  All sorts of fun is planned.  We are starting in Alberta then on to Kitchener/Waterloo for Oktoberfest! I intend to drink a lot of beer and get drunk as that is on my Bucket List.  From there it is on to Montreal and Quebec City.  There will be poutine involved. We have plans for something extra fun on the 11th so stay tuned for that too.  A lot of our trip will be on the train!  Yay!!!!

1946 - 2011

A year.  You were with me for over 40 and now it has been a year since you left.  I miss you every day.  It is not any easier.  My god mom, I miss you.  I miss you so much.  I miss your hands and yet when I look down at my own hands I see them.  When I look into the mirror I see your eyes shining back at me. 

How did you do it all those years?  I sure would love to ask you.  It is a question that I never considered until now.  You just did it.  You loved all of us and kept us together.  Loving was your gift to give while you were on this planet and I have no doubt that thousands of people‘s lives were better because of you.  I count it one of my biggest blessings that I was able to be your daughter.

I am not 100% sure where you are right now but I know that I take you with me every single day.  Your love sustains me.  Your memory keeps me moving.  And now I need to stand up and take your place as the family matriarch, a job I feel so inept to do.  But, you taught me well and it is a job that I can do because anything good in me is because of you. 

Bonjour! Je ne parle pas francais!

And because of that I am having a difficult time with booking parts of our trip in Montréal and Québec City. However, I am totally pumped because it is going to be so much fun!  We are planning to go to the Old City and Chinatown as well as Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal.  I love cemeteries and can`t wait to see some of the oldest ones in Canada.  For anyone that has been to Québec, do you have any recommendations? 

We went to see "Hope Springs" tonight.  Isn't Meryl Streep a brilliant actor?  I don't usually get excited about a particular actor but she is so entertaining to watch.  Kathy Bates, too.

OK, you all know I am into geneology, right?  This month my province came up with the best geneology site I have ever seen!  Check out this and this.  These are the death certificates of my great, great, great, great grandparents.  How cool is that? And this is the birth certificate of my great grandfather. And here is the marriage certificate for my grandfather and his first wife.  If you look at the very top you will see that the marriage was dissolved in 1954.  It proves what my mom suspected all along.  She was born out of wed-lock in 1946 and her father was still married to another woman.  No big deal but my mom's mother was always so judgemental of anyone that divorced.  Very hypocritical considering she was living with a married man and had two children with him.  My grandma never considered my step-sister one of her grandchildren when my mom married my step-dad. At Christmas all the grandchildren got a present and she wouldn't get anything for her. It makes me angry that all along she had her own dirty little secret.  It all comes down to "Thou doth protest too much".   She made my mom's life miserable after my mom finally got the courage to leave and divorce my biological father that beat the shit out of her.  She did not offer any support. Anyway, I can let it go as she is dead and she was always a good grandma to me.  Good thing we were connected by blood. 

What dirty little secrets were in your family? 

Things I Love That Other People 'Don't Like'

Crows and Seagulls- The are both intelligent creatures with a strong will to survive.  Crows are especially devoted to family and amazingly intelligent.

McDonald's - I love their fries.  Oh, yes.  I do!

The Royal Family - This one is the fault of my grade 6 teacher who loved the Royal family.  She brought the video of Charles and Diana's wedding and went all nutty when William was born.  When they came to my city she took the whole class to see them.  I have loved them ever since.  Even though I think the monarchy should be a thing of the past I still love seeing the queen and her frocks.  The same goes for William, Harry and Kate.  Camilla? Not so much.

Rain - I live in a rain forest so I better love it.  After 9 months of rain I get a little weary of it but I am always glad to see and hear again come October.

Red Lights - Sometimes it is just nice to sit and not think for a few moments.

Being Alone - I have always been an introvert and when I spend time alone I like it.

Snakes and Spiders - Love them!  

Getting a mammogram - With breast cancer in my family it is nice to get my mammogram and know that I don't have cancer or if I ever do get it that I will have caught it early. 

Filling Out Forms- The love of this one came about when working at a job where I applied for medical equipment for disadvantaged people.  It was important that every thing was perfect or it would be returned so I made a game of it. Now when I receive a form I am happy to fill it out! 

Crocs - OK, I don't own them any more but when I did I found them so comfortable!  Ugly?  Yes!  But I could wear them all day at work and my feet would not get sore.  

Things I Hate That Other People Love

Ok, break is over.  I was going to be off longer but in the past when I take a blogging break I never come back. 

My topic tonight is things that I hate don't like (there is 'don't like less offensive?) that other people love.  

1.  Parades - Standing for hours to have someone come along and stand in front of me and I end up not seeing a thing.  The parades where I live are painful and boring.  All it consists of is a bunch of city alderman driving by in cars that have advertising on them. There are also businesses in their cars advertising.  Boring.  And the weather is usually way too hot or raining.  (I am going to give one more parade a try when I go to Oktoberfest.  I bought seats in the grandstand so I will be able to see. After that parade I may be able to add parades to things I like.)

2. Julia Roberts - She lost me back in Pretty Woman.  It pissed me off that we were giving young women a message that prostitution was in some way glamorous and not degrading. It pissed me off even more that we are still feeding women the crap that women need to be rescued. I do not think she is a talented actress.  Every movie she has that fucking huge mouth with that loud obnoxious laugh. 

3. Black Licorice - Is there any worse taste on the face of the planet?  I think not.  A few years back one of my bosses gave me candy with black licorice flavouring and I almost fainted.  Yes. I hate it that much.  I spit it out and she gave me a look like I had sacrificed a kitten.  

4 .Make-up - I have had problems with acne since I was a teenager and that is the reason I don't use it but I actually hate it.  When I wear any make-up I feel like a freak.  I can't stand the feeling of my face being coated.  Mascara makes my eyes feel heavy.  Lipstick makes me feel like I have had my lips injected. Even powder and foundation annoy me. Hate it. I won't go into the safety issue and the crap that is in it that gets absorbed into your skin.  

5. Reality T.V. Shows - I know.  Watching Reality T.V. is what normal people do but I can't get past the fact that we are encouraging bad behaviour such as lying, cheating and bullying.  (Celebrity Gossip can be lumped into this because it is just more encouragement of idolizing people exhibiting bad behaviour.) 

6. Pumpkin Pie- As I age I realize that I am not alone on this one but pumpkin pie is in my opinion almost as bad as black licorice.  It is so thick and it bites your tongue back.  Awful stuff.  Maybe it became popular the year when there was an apple famine and they still wanted pie but that is no reason to keep eating it.  

7. Facebook and Twitter- I don't care that you are driving your kids to school and I don't give a shit that you played Farmville today.  And I am not in the least bit interested that you "became a fan" of Crest toothpaste.  I am not interested in reading about the trivial daily minutiae of your life. My own life is boring enough.  And who the hell has 726 friends?  I call bullshit. My guess is if you met 3/4 of those people on the street you would not be able to say hello to them by name.  As I have said before, I think social media is keeping us out of touch with each other, not in touch.  

8. Hockey - I have mentioned this before so I will not elaborate.  Apparently I am going to Canadian hell for hating this but I would rather go to Canadian hell than watch this pathetic waste of time.  How the fuck does Nashville have a team?  Seriously? Nashville? When I was growing up getting into the NHL was a major accomplishment. Now there are way too many teams and it has become a watered-down cash cow. 

9. Shopping - I can't wrap my head around spending hours in a mall with the crowds, loud noises and the smell of the food court. And the amount of money people put out to buy shit that was made in a third world country because it has a certain label is beyond me. 

10. Music Recorded in the last 20 years - OK, I love Adele and Susan Boyle because they actually have talent.  The rest of the music is i-tuned shit. 

What do you hate that other people love? 

Addendum - I also hate fabric softener.  I do not like my clothes and towels etc to feel all coated in oil and reeking to high heaven.  That smell that it emits is not not "morning fresh", it is a noxious smell created in a lab, likely carcinogenic. Pass also the smells in laundry soap, dish soap, hand soap... 

Looking over my last few posts I see I am scraping the bottom of the barrel for things to say.  My body is tired, my spirit is weary and my soul is in need of refreshing.  I need a break from posting.  Will be back when I am ready.  xo

Well, here goes another Sunday.  I have been up for almost 24 hours.  Coffee is who we need to thank for that.  Yes, who.  Not, what.  Today my geneology site is open and I can add whomever I want for free so I am adding people like a wild thing before the free weekend ends. Today I think I found out the names of my great grandparents but the details are a little sketchy.  B.C. archives are incredible but this time I need to find information from Saskatchewan but I am not able to find anything because there are no archives in Saskatchewan. 

I have a very old aunt.  She is at least 162 years old. She keeps telling me she is going to send a whole bunch of information to me about my family but then she forgets. Bless her forgetful little heart but I could really use the information she has because it is the information that is still protected under the FIPA.  And maybe she is not 162 but she is close to 100.  I just sent her another e mail again but I worry because she could be dead now for all I know.  I told her in the e mail that she is likely going to be tits-up before long and someone will go through her things and throw out all the information she has for me.  I told her to get off your bony Depends-covered ass and grab hold of your walker and take your knurled fingers and stuff the shit in an envelope and mail it to me, godnamit!    God, I am like a Basset hound on a smell with this geneology.  OK, I didn't say any of those things because she is a sweet, kind woman that is just about perfect.  All I asked is for the spelling of a name and I think I could figure out the rest from there.  She will probably not even check her e mail but after this I won't ask anymore because I don't want to make her feel bad.  Also, my mom will come back from the grave because she loved her aunt and they were good friends.  My mom will give me the look and say, "B@rbara" all disappointed-like and I am not about to piss off my mom.  Update-  the e mail I sent came back as undeliverable so maybe she really did die. *gulp* 

In other exciting news I washed the outside windows today.  My love and I also went downtown for breakfast and then browsed around a second-hand bookstore.  There is this really cool lady that works there that looks just like Madeline except she has black hair and she has a nose.  We started talking one day and now when I go in she knows my name which makes me feel glad and happy and all warm and fuzzy inside.  

So that is it for today.  It feels good to be back and I am going to bask in every second of its wonderfulness.  Tomorrow I am going to write a post about this really freaking creepy facility I go to that is either haunted or has some bad energy floating around.  There will be pictures so you can decide if it is creepy or is it just me. Until then, I will satisfy your need for creepiness by giving you this link for this video which scared me so bad I could not sleep the first time I watched it.  Nothing is going to jump out at you as I hate when people do that.  Just watch.  It is fucked up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJkP2C8Bg6Y

The Ungrateful Bastard

Norbert made it on "Shame Your Pet"!

http://shameyourpet.com/2012/09/01/the-ungrateful-bastard/

and don't forget to check out the rest of the site. 

He is Gone!

The Black Dog jumped off the cliff and I am so grateful!   (See post below.) Last night after crying and feeling empty something shifted and the burden began to lift.  I am not sure why the shift because today had promised to be a very stressful day but I got through it and got through it most awesomely I might add.  A co-worker has been harassing me for about 4 months now to the point that I was not wanting to go to certain work sites. She is one of those mean people that walks around with a scowl and numerous other co-workers don't like her and have noticed the way she treats me.  Being passive I let it go and let it go.  Long story short, we both got called in to the office today and all I did was stand strong and told the truth.  At the end of the hour long meeting she was reprimanded for her behaviour and was cited for workplace bullying.  I left feeling so relieved!  But it was before all that happened that a peace came over me.  Somewhere inside me strong Birdie must have grabbed the Black Dog by the throat. 

Tonight I am so, so tired but not tired in a way that no sleep will ever cure.  It is a tired of weeks of being in a funk.  An, "I can breathe again" tired.  Frick it feels good.
One last thing.  The other day I mentioned that I was going to plant a tree in my yard in memory of my mom. Yesterday my fiancé told me he is going to buy the tree and also purchase a bench to sit beside the tree so I have a place to go and feel close to my mom. That is why I love him so much.  Yep, we drive each other nutty but I don't know how I would go through life without him. 

I know I have posted this picture before but I love it.
Right now it is on my desktop. 

Sometimes I think I don't sleep.  There are snippets here and there but it seems these days I am awake more than I should be.  However, at the moment I am quite clear-headed and that is a good thing because it doesn't happen often. 

This grief, this sadness, this depression and anxiety is growing old. Did you know that other than my fiancé, my blog friends are the only people who really know how I am feeling? Strange thing, that.  You are people who have become a part of me and are helping me through the shittiest time of my life.  I am glad for you. There is a scripture in the Bible that says I thank my God every time I remember you. And I do. 

As I sit here, not sleeping, clear-headed for the moment I am trying to figure some things out.  First, why are so many of us depressed? Why are so many of us dealing with anxiety?  Is it because people in general are anxious and depressed or is our common bond bringing us together?  I must admit, when I read a blog where the writer is all fucking happy and shit I end up passing them by. Maybe I gravitate to you because I know you know the days of being curled in a ball and wondering what the point is and how how we are going to get up and do it again. Maybe you gravitate to me for the same reasons. You sure as hell aren't reading for my gut-splitting posts.  

I am also trying desperately to be well and get better. My mom's dying and death was perhaps a catalyst.  I don't know.  Actually, I do.  When she lay dying and even the time before, everything I thought to be true was thrown away.  Things I would have staked my life on slipped through my fingers like vapour. So now, I am rebuilding but I have no idea where to start.  And it is terrifying. Tonight I started researching panic and anxiety and I kept getting drawn to Mindfulness.  Mindfulness and depression teaches the opposite of what we have been told.  Instead of running away from depression and anxiety it teaches us to embrace it. I am not really sure what that means so I will be looking into it some more and let you know how it goes.  If you know, please enlighten me.  I just know at this point I really can't take this any more.  Tonight is the first time in a while where I am feeling like the the Black Dog is not going to win.  I am really uneasy about what tomorrow brings because lately he has been showing up every damn day but it is so nice to come up for air.  Maybe at the end of the day we can get through this together. 

This is funny.

http://shameyourpet.com/

I am Unslept

Is that even possible?  Can a person be unslept?  It is coming up as a spelling error so I guess it is grammatically incorrect.  However, I don't care because I am unslept. Earlier tonight I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open so I had a quick soak in the hot tub and put myself to bed.  It was a sleep of dreams. Trying to figure out filing systems of palliative patients.  Wanting to help but not able to find any information at all on their life.  In the dream I am trying to call my nurse leader but my cell phone is soaking wet and the screen is blurred and I can't find her number in my contacts list. I turn on lights and they go off again and I have to feel my way down the hall. The dream goes on to getting a call for someone that needs care but I can't find their home.  After I woke up I couldn't fall back to sleep so I turned on my computer and read some blogs.  I also went downstairs and drank the last of the orange juice and put the jug back in the fridge to get back at my kids for doing the same thing to me. ha ha. 

I was just looking over at my "Followers" list and it says 124. That is not possible.  I think there are people that say they are following you just so you will follow them.  So, who really is reading this blog?  Please say hello if you haven't before!

There is a certain way the light shines on my carpet and reflects on my counter tops that reminds me of this time last year.  I stare at the light and wonder if it holds a portal to another time. Last year on this day I drove in an ambulance that took my mom to Palliative care.  But the memory of the way the light hits my carpet and counter-tops makes my breath heavy and brings along a melancholy mood. I try to turn of different lights to to chase away the shadows that remind.  It doesn't work. The day she went into Palliative care she was so decisive.  She had a list of things she wanted to bring.  Pillow. Pink robe.  Purple blanket.  Glasses. Toothbrush.  There are not a lot of things you need to take with you to die.  Near the end the glasses gave her headaches and brushing her teeth made her tired.  The robe hung in the back of the door as a mockery that she would no longer be getting out of bed.  I ended up taking it home. Then, the blanket was tossed aside.  Too heavy and it hurt her frail body.  So it was just her pillow that saw her through to the end.  Her pillow. 

Many of you have mentioned doing something to remember and honour my mom.  At the end of September I am going to plant a pink Dogwood tree.  Dogwoods are British Columbia's provincial flower and my mom's favourite.  Dogwoods come in yellow and pink and I have decided on a pink one. Pretty, don't you think? 

Geez, I didn't mean to make this such a sombre post but the light tonight.  It forced itself upon me and made me remember.  

Screw you, Blogger!

Last week I posted my issue of attempting to update my Reading List.  If this goes on much longer I am going to turn into the She-Hulk.  I keep getting this message and have been for about 6 months now. 

" We are unable to load your Friend Connect data at this time. We apologise for the inconvenience. Please try again shortly."  

 Sometimes I think my life is "The Truman Show" and everyone is laughing at me and setting me up with things they know will piss me off.  Like right now. I am updating my son's computer and it has been installing update 50 of 83 for over half an hour now.  It is no wonder so many of us are depressed and don't want to get out of bed. It is enough that we have to deal with real shit but then First World Problems send us over the edge.  You just wait.  The day I go completely insane will be because of something minor like not being able to figure out the new channel line-up.  Why do they have to keep mixing them up?  A few months back my cable provider did this.

Channel 2 became channel 44
Channel 44 became channel 43
Channel 43 became channel 2

What the fuck, anyway? Then they made channel 44 (previously channel 2) channel 96.  For the love of god!  

On to better things...

We have booked the train and will travelling in October to Ontario and Quebec.  We are also going to OKTOBERFEST! Eeeee! Drinking beer at Oktoberfest is on my Bucket List.  After that we are going to Montreal and Quebec City.  I am so pumped!  

Do you know what?  I still have a cold.  That has been a month now.  Do you remember when we were little and you had a cold?  You took one day off of school.  Maybe two if you were on your death bed.  These days viruses kick us to the curb for weeks or even months.  What is up with that?  Maybe it is an issue of not getting rid of the first cold then getting another one.  But it is August!  I shouldn't complain because there is bigger shit to bitch about like my son's computer is still installing update 50 of 83!  

I just decided, other than being green I wouldn't mind turning into the She Hulk.  She is smokin' hot.  

Down a Rabbit Hole

My G, G, G, G, G Grandmother

Geneology!  Ag!  Last week I received and e mail from my first cousin once removed.  (My dad's cousin.) He and I are the geneology buffs of the family.  He more so than I because he is retired and has more time than I do.  Between the two of us we have traced very far back. With some branches we have gone back to 32 great grandparents which is pretty meaningless because it is just a name.  If anyone has spent any time looking up ancestors you will know finding people in the last 100 years is the hardest because of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.  Once someone has been dead a good long while you can find anything without going too crazy in the process.  You will go crazy but it is not like looking for recent relative. 

In his e mail he was asking me if I knew where my great grandparents were married.  We know their full names, their date of birth and date of death and the birth dates of their parents and children but a marriage record so far does not exist!  It is hidden under the FIPA.  But maybe it isn't hidden because it would be around 100 years ago that they married. The problem could be a spelling issue.  That happened a LOT back them.  Anyway, here I am after 11:40 at night trying to find anything and finding nothing.  What drives us geneology people?  It is that nugget that you will find after months or years of searching.  You want to cry because it is so exciting!  I remember the first time I found a picture of my great, great, great, great, great grandmother.  I stared at it for hours.  It is now in my home and I look at her often.  I bet she would have been glad to know that I think of her.  In a way, I feel her love.  Grandparents love so easily!  Maybe one day my great, great, great, great, great granddaughter will read these words and think of me. If you are she, I am not as nutty as you think.  Depression and anxiety have probably been cured.  At least I hope so.  And I do love you because you are part of me.

Oh, last night I bought some super charged B vitamins for stress.  I am hoping they will calm me a little.  Or a lot! Maybe by this time next month I will have an Ashram in my home and people will be in awe at how calm I am.   Hahahahahahhaha!  Not bloody likely! 

I Have Nothing Interesting To Say

Really, I have nothing to say. I am feeling a little better but I am still struggling.  At this point I have no idea if it is grief, peri-menopause or that damn black dog of depression.  Maybe it is a bit of all three.  Probably is. Whatever the reason it is exhausting and I just want it to go away.  

Tomorrow, my mom will have been gone 11 months.  How can that be?  There are no words to describe how hard it is or how much I miss her.  Everyone says to give it at least a year and I am here to tell you that a year is not enough.  All I can say is it is different.  Quite honestly, my heart breaks a little more every day. 

Home Again, Home Again Jiggity Jig

Well, here I am.  Home in my house.  I spent the day cleaning, changing the sheets, cleaning the bathroom and puttering. I have to be very aware of not over-doing but that is almost impossible. The rest over the last 5 days did me good and it was nice to just go away. The staff in crisis housing were so nice. No judgement and they accepted me for who I am and where I was at.  
My dad just called and he is back home.  I gave him a wee reprimand for leaving and not telling me that he was going away. 

My fiancé and I are thinking about planning a trip to Montreal this fall.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  We are thinking of taking the train to see the changing of the leaves. It has been a while since we have been away and I think we really need this time to reconnect and spend time rekindling the love and passion that has been squelched these last years.  His mom and sister's death.  My mom's death.  Moving in together and learning all sorts of things about each other.  There was a time when we were ga-ga over each other and madly in love and we need to find that again.  We are still in love but it has been so long since we were just together.

The sun is going down and I am going to sit in my hot tub then go to sleep in my own bed.  Getting away was nice but there is nothing sweeter than sleeping in my own bed beside the man I love. 

Tired but OK

I am still in crisis housing but I am going home tomorrow.  I am still so tired but feeling like I am able to manage my life a little better than a few days ago.  As it always is with me, I wait until it gets to be too much.  I think back on the last couple of months and see that a breakdown was coming.  My mom is gone forever and my (step) dad is on the planet but I am never see him.  He promised me that last time I saw him that he would at least give me a a phone call if he was to leave town but he didn't.  Instead I had to go by his house and found my drunken drug addicted uncle there with some man I don't even know.  My dad is gone and some man is in my mom's house using her things and sleeping in her bed.  The house is wide open because both men are too drunk to think of locking the windows and doors.  To me, it feels like the house is being desecrated and there is not a damn thing I can do about it.  

What happened to my family?  I used to see my family all the time.  My brother, sister and I (with our kids) would all turn up at my mom and dad's house on the weekend and have dinner.  We roasted marshmallows and hot dogs over a fire.  We walked to the beach and went swimming.  We were so close.  Out of all the people I knew, my family was the closest.  People used to look at us in awe and wondered how we did it. The day my mom died it all changed.  My dad is now a stranger.  And I can't even go inside my mom's home because the drunk is there.  I can't say anything to my dad because he thinks the sun rises and sets on his brother (my uncle).  The real fucking clincher is that I can't even go the cabin that my mom and dad were building because the drunken uncle's children are there.  (6 children from 4 different women.)  They are also addicts and drunks.  My uncle is letting one of his ex-wives stay there.  And does my dad do anything about it? No!  The cabin was supposed to be for my mom and dad and us kids.  Ya, right.  The old saying, "my mom would roll over in her grave". One of the saddest things is my kids are asking me why they never see Papa anymore. My daughter told me the other day she feels abandoned.  What am I supposed to say to that? 

I have tried to be patient but I have had enough.  The next time I can get into the house I am going in and taking anything that is my mom's because knowing my uncle's past, it will be destroyed. The realization is coming to me that maybe my step-dad just wants to move on with his life. It hurts just as much as losing my mom but it has been almost a year.  I miss my family.  The one thing that I counted on has failed.  

Anyway,  I am not sure where all this came from because I was only going to say hello and thank you for all the comments and you got some verbal diarrhea instead.  I usually try to respond to all your comments but I am just to tired right now.  So instead, I will say thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I love you all. 

I am off to bed.