Month: June 2006

Sis-in-law LOIS is coming!!!!
2006-06-30— Posted by: allegra

We are now putting people in tents in the backyard!!!! And on top of everything else, Peggy and Tom have invited us ALL to dinner on Saturday; think of the magnificence of people who go, COOL, 8 extra people for dinner! And then music afterwards. Yes please!

Sis-in-law LOIS is coming!!!!
2006-06-30— Posted by: allegra

We are now putting people in tents in the backyard!!!! And on top of everything else, Peggy and Tom have invited us ALL to dinner on Saturday; think of the magnificence of people who go, COOL, 8 extra people for dinner! And then music afterwards. Yes please!

Weird physics
2006-06-30— Posted by: allegra

http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/features/2000-2009/2005/08/nparticle-82w-fqr-2cd

go scotus!!!
2006-06-30— Posted by: allegra

The Supreme Court of the US has handed the neo-cons their balls in butcher’s paper, having remembered a little something called the US Constitution. Military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees is, uh, illegal, and it came down 5 – 3. Yee the freak HAW!

And a formal apology for the Head Tax from the Harper Government. I’m good with that too!!

Now let us see what happens with queer and reproductive rights……

Where’d everybody go?
2006-06-29— Posted by: allegra

When I got up this morning, the kids were gone. You know your kids are adults when YOU sleep in and THEY go to work.

Since people keep asking me, my back is no better. The neuro appointment is early on July 7th. More physio today.

I have asked for, and will receive, professional help in getting my songs written out. I am vastly relieved.

Spoke to Paul – he’s at Sandy’s Red Deer Lodge and Campground in Madawaska ON, low impact eco tourism at its finest, in a beautiful setting of trails, rivers and waterfalls, perfect for canoeing, hiking, fishing, hunting (in season), birdwatching, amateur astronomy, nature photography, fungus hunting and lazing around doing sweet Fanny Adams. (End of commercial plug, but every word of it is true.) He’s been making himself useful and canoeing, so he’s a happy boy. Next up, he’s getting to Cornwall to pick up Tish and Terry and bring them back here.

I miss work. The lack of structure is killing me.

Morning all
2006-06-28— Posted by: allegra

Watched Big Broadcast of 1938 last night. It goes from sophistication to corn so rapidly, and so many times, that I felt as if my critical senses had to be remounted on ball bearings. A remarkable cultural artifact.

Jazz quotes:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzquotes.php

Agnes DeMille quote:

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening
that is translated through you into action
and because there is only one of you in all of time,
this expression is unique. 
And if you block it, 
it will never exist through any other medium 
and be lost. 
The world will not have it. 

It is not your business to determine how good it is 
nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. 
It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, 
to keep the channel open. 
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. 
You have to keep open and aware 
directly to the urges that motivate you. 
Keep the channel open.

Snake on a plan
2006-06-27— Posted by: allegra

from nmherps.blogspot.com

The hard working garbage collectors of Burnaby
2006-06-27— Posted by: allegra

For reasons best known to themselves, the hard working garbage collectors of Burnaby (FULL POINTS if you recognize the literary reference) came by this morning with a radio BLARING out the side of the truck. Katie and I were blasted out of bed and foregathered in the kitchen cursing under our breath.

FINALLY GOT AN APPOINTMENT to the spinal clinic, woo hoo. It’s for the DAY BEFORE I’m scheduled to go back to work, ditto, ditto.

Completed another song and fired it off to the archivist. SORRY ABOUT all the ALL CAPS. I’m feeling a bit more lively today, belike.

No, duh
2006-06-26— Posted by: allegra

http://www.prev.org/prc/prc_summary_gruenewld_aov.html

A study proves that the more bars there are in a neighbourhood, the rougher it is. Like, as in, more violent.

No blog this am, sorry.
2006-06-26— Posted by: allegra

Starlings
2006-06-25— Posted by: allegra

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6815781973393100875

Very funny nature video. Don’t watch from Dialup….

Unintentional humor
2006-06-25— Posted by: allegra

Downunder websites have headlines like: Impressive Wallabies beat Ireland, which leads me to think that perhaps the Irish involved had been drinking pretty hard that day. I mean, Christ, wallabies aren’t THAT big.

enough sleep
2006-06-25— Posted by: allegra

Paul’s off to Ontario to haul people back and forth, etc. (on airline passes). My mother is bugging me to finish the homily for the family reunion. I established only last night that it’s supposed to be 10 minutes long, so at least I have a better idea of HOW MUCH blather I am supposed to produce…

Kate’s at her boyfriend’s, Keith’s in bed asleep, Dr. Filk is at PondFilk (Paul at the last minute coughed up the motorcycle keys, thank Goddess) and all is more or less right with the world. I wrote a song yesterday, or applied words to one I’ve been working on for a month. My mother wanted to know where it came from, and I can only paraphrase Willie Nelson; songs are in the air, all the time, and all you have to do is listen to them.

Sleeping with the Enemy
2006-06-24— Posted by: allegra

From Gerald, provenance unknown.

Back Doctor
2006-06-24— Posted by: allegra

I read good chunks of Hamilton Hall’s Back Doctor (on Tish and Terry’s recommendation) and I guess I am feeling both better and worse about my back. He says the correct balance of rest and activity for patients with nerve root involvement from a herniated disc is 45 minutes of activity with 15 minutes of rest, which doesn’t really accord that well with going back to work. The tingling (paraesthesia) is quite consistent. It gets worse when I sit, and shifts around when I stand (better in my heel, worse in the ball of my foot). I am not imagining the weakness of my right leg – I limp because I can’t help it. Katie was quite concerned when she was walking with me today (I took her to Starbucks just before her shift started), and I just laughed. (Although I came home and lay down afterwards). I’m not going to fall over, although betimes it looks like it. Dr. Hall says it’s a good idea to distinguish between numbness and paraesthesia; on that basis, I am only truly numb in the outboard two little toes.

On the plus side, except for the Voltaren I am taking no pain killers, not even to sleep. Provided I don’t do anything stupid like bend forward or try to touch my knee to my forehead or twist my lower spine, or for that matter lift anything heavier than a book, I’m fine. I did get some exercise today, but that was after I did some driving, and driving completely sucks still, I’d be way better off not doing it.

The CT films have finally left RCH and have gone on to VGH Spine Clinic, but they haven’t been signed in yet so I’ll have to bug them about it on Monday.

I do feel relieved though. There’s only about a 20 percent chance I’ll have to have surgery, and the one really BAD thing that can happen, which is a rupture that affects the nerves involved in bowel and bladder control, is about as likely to happen as a lightning strike, so I’ve gone from being worried to being impatient to see a neurosurgeon and get some feel for what I’m up against. If I do need surgery, it’s fussy without being particularly complicated and I could be back at work in two weeks (ever supposing I got in promptly, which may not be feasible). One thing is clear…. I shouldn’t be at work and I can quit feeling guilty about it.

Keith just got in, he had a good shift at the Cirque and now he’s playing Final Fantasy X.

ow
2006-06-23— Posted by: allegra

I’m doing better, thanks to a superlative physio session late yesterday but I still can’t sit very long and my foot’s still numb.

Katie just hauled her first shift at the restaurant and it went okay. Paul got to say “Have a good day at work” to her this morning for the first time and I almost burst into tears.

Watched “Captain Blood” with Keith. Anybody who likes Pirates of the Caribbean HAS to see this movie.

Harryhausen does Muffett
2006-06-21— Posted by: allegra

Do I ever shut up about my back?
2006-06-21— Posted by: allegra

Sorry, no.

Doc wrote me off work until July 7th; I have to get my own films from RCH to VGH or I won’t get into the spinal clinic. I am dreading moving around, I am very sore.

Pic was drawn by Brooke; I call on everyone I know to witness that I do NOT look like Bruce Sterling in a wig.

More work
2006-06-20— Posted by: allegra

Katie has a job at a restaurant – she starts Friday!!!!

Pick one
2006-06-20— Posted by: allegra

1) spacy

2) snappish

3) sore

I can’t sit, I can’t sleep, my back is getting worse, not better, despite the physio and the exercises at home. I am too sick to work. I HATE THIS. I want to go back to work. But if I’m not sore enough to work I’m too spaced out to work. I’m back to the doc today, I have to get a note to get off work for at least three weeks.

More moose
2006-06-19— Posted by: allegra

From a Finnish newspic site.

I’d give anything to be able to do this
2006-06-19— Posted by: allegra

But unfortunately my back hurts too much. And I had to clean up cat shit this morning. That really didn’t help.

I see the physio at 4:30.

Pic (thx Sandy) is of a traditional Spanish figure called El Colacho; he’s jumping over the babies to ward off evil spirits.

Ow
2006-06-18— Posted by: allegra

It’s still owie owie owie but Paul dug up some more painkillers. Here’s a pic of Harry and William hungover ‘n stuff at their grans 80th. Can’t sit, must get back to my 80’s feminist sf (Native Tongue, can’t put it down).

Last night I dreamed I was Humphrey Bogart and I went to Indonesia for the earthquake (they had scheduled an earthquake, how handy) and when it came it pushed a whole perfectly preserved city into view and then the aftershock knocked it all over. Then I went to a banquet that featured Les Brown and his Band of Renown. Then I watched little mammals who got free food at the temple throw up on each other. Weird, hunh?

Lois arrives in about an hour.

From King5 Seattle news site
2006-06-17— Posted by: allegra

These wild deer are licking a dying cat, Sammy. I am assuming that Sammy, having kidney failure, would smell like a salt lick to them which is why they kept coming up to him and licking him. The cat died a couple of days after this pick was taken. Photo credit Margie Scott, Sammy’s owner.

Sammy apparently put up with it. Mammal biochemistry sure is weird.

ow
2006-06-17— Posted by: allegra

My back is sore, my foot is numb, and I’m taking Monday and Tuesday off next week. I can sit for perhaps 20 minutes before becoming so uncomfortable that I must either stand or lie down, and I’m getting frantic that by the time this is all over I won’t have a job to go back to…. everybody is managing fine without me.

Alan and Janice are here; Paul and Katie have taken up all the domestic slack because of my infirmity. I don’t mind, I just don’t want it to last.

I’m going to try to get into the spine clinic at VGH.

Guest Blogger
2006-06-16— Posted by: allegra

This is Keith here. Allegra isn’t feeling up to blogging today(this really is serious, isn’t it?). Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to run away and join the Cirque now, sans the running away part.

The Chaos and, uh, another poem
2006-06-15— Posted by: allegra

This poem is one of the first things I ever saw on the internet – it, however, was an abbreviated version and this is the real deal.

http://ncf.idallen.com/english.html

It’s bloody brilliant. Which reminds me…. The following is the first thing I ever copied down from the internet. It was in slightly different form and the artist was not credited. As per freaking usual, eh?

http://www.com-www.com/musiclyrics/addottakip-wetdream.html

I’ve never heard the song but it’s floating, as it were, around.

I take a back seat to no one in presenting weirdness
2006-06-15— Posted by: allegra

http://psyc.queensu.ca/~munhallk/05_its_10_below.mpeg

This is an X RAY VIDEO of a guy saying “It’s ten below outside”. Note provenance. Of *course* this came from a Canadian university. If you mess with the link you will also see a guy say en francais, the baker drank six beers.

Baby vulture
2006-06-15— Posted by: allegra

Sandy forwarded this…..

Relocalization
2006-06-15— Posted by: allegra

Relocalization is what happens when the nerve root gets some pressure taken off it. The tingling and numbness are reduced – and the pain increases. This is actually a really good sign.

I went home after work and went straight to bed last night, doing about 1.5 hours of back exercises. I was rewarded with much more back pain and much reduced foot numbness. Anyway, more physio today and this time I’m going to grit my teeth and go for the ice. Gotta be in good fighting trim for the horde (5 people, from two different parties) descending upon my household this weekend.

Lymond Fix
2006-06-14— Posted by: allegra

http://www.virtual-bird.com/birdsounds.htm

If you recall from Lymond 1 (Game of Kings) there is a comment, “My dear ass, I ran like a corn crake”. So scroll down and find the corn crake bird sound, and now you can enjoy the dialogue more intensely.

If you don’t recognize the literary reference, just hang wit da boids for a while.

The Dalai Jarmo, who forwarded the link, particularly recommends the Luscinia luscinia.

Look what Grampa bought me!
2006-06-14— Posted by: allegra

For true! One of my coworkers has a very lucky little boy, and his Grampa bought him this extremely shiny three wheeler. Look at that grin! He’s not yet two…. what a cutie patootie!

Net neutrality
2006-06-14— Posted by: allegra

I have a cousin Reck!
2006-06-14— Posted by: allegra

Who is no vernal gallus domesticus. It’s funny to be pushing 50 with a broom and realize that I have family elders who have a) cooler names than mine and b) lots more interesting experience (including woodworking, which is one of my all time favourite human skills). Anyway, welcome Reck, as a reader and hopefully contributor. My family can never be TOO BIG.

My back is much the same as it was yesterday morning but I’m not limping nearly so badly. I am going to have to stand at work today as much as possible. I now have about 25 minutes to do some back exercises, start a load of laundry, and replace my current garb with something more suitable for work before Paul turns up with the car. Dr. S told me to go back to work because it would be easier than staying at home and lifting loads of laundry. Dr. Filk’s amusing rebuttal to this was, Doc, I haven’t so much as lifted an eyebrow since I put my back out; I am recording the comment here lest it be lost from humankind.

I am starting another long poem. I do things like that every ten years or so. It’s based on my take of some of Charles Olson’s commentaries about poetry, and I scanged the titles from Silliman’s Blog, which was recommended to me by David J D., who taught me everything I know about poetry subsequent to my grounding in it back in high school in London ONT with Mike Pooley. I swore I wouldn’t do anything else creative until I finished my songs, but that’s a sucker’s game. I just went back and reviewed some stuff I sent my mother already, and it’s wrong wrong wrong wrong worng. Which means that I have to contact a professional and get straightened out about music theory, and I’m phobic about music theory, and (comment from wings, ahhhh shadddap!).

Suggestions about WHICH professional will be greatly appreciated. And NO I don’t need a psychiatrist.

Shown is the school Paul attended in Grade 2, in Huntsville ON.

Physio
2006-06-13— Posted by: allegra

Well everything went swimmingly until the ice pack. I react VERY BADLY to cold, and I sadly said, okay, but my back is going to spasm, and she did it anyway, and two fucking hours of brutal work went up the flue.

Earlier, the physiotherapist said, “WHAT? Your doctor told you to go back to work? You shouldn’t be back at work, that’s insane!”

And insane is what I’ll be if I don’t go back to work; if I can move, drive, etc. I’m obviously getting better. But she said Don’t Sit More than you Have to….. I’m supposed to apply ice tonight. Twice, for 15 minutes. I think I’ll do extensions instead. I’m still twitching from having the ice pack applied. Gah!

Arr there me hearties
2006-06-13— Posted by: allegra

Slate mag commissioned 6 pulp covers for classic works of literature. OF COURSE Melville made the cut. Stolen from the artist, Chris Papasadero/FWIS and Slate Magazine by way of Filkola (Brooke, whom I now dub Filkola, so there).

My site host sent me an email demanding I renew… which I did, for five bloody years, back in April…. so I told them if it was a joke it wasn’t funny, and if it was a clerical error it was uh disheartening seeing as how they had shaken something like $300 US outta my pocket in April. I GOT AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. No kidding. An immediate response. Which consisted of an explanation/grovelling apology. I pronounced myself mollified, and forgave them. What kind of name is Coldy? Strange name for a support person.

I have experienced an outpouring of sympathetic emails about my back, and I thank everybody who sent good thoughts and good advice. I’m off to the physiotherapist tonight and promise to radiate keen attention for the duration of my appointment.

Charming article about King Bhumibol
2006-06-13— Posted by: allegra

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/13/stories/2006061302312000.htm

Plays like Sidney Bechet? Sigh.

I’m not imagining things (not exactly as shown)
2006-06-12— Posted by: allegra

Well, I got the CT scan results back. I have a herniated disc across L5 and S1. No, those are not my pictures, I stole them off a back site from an American University. SOOOO. I am getting a referral to a neurosurgeon, but if I’m a very good girl and lose 40 pounds and eat my vegetables and do every exercise prescribed by the physiotherapist (whom I see tomorrow in the late afternoon) I will likely not need to have surgery. My bizarre gait is common like dirt among people with the same ailment, so I don’t feel so stupid about my shuffling walk. (I walk really funny these days.)

The joys of over 40 dating
2006-06-12— Posted by: allegra

May Tlazolteotl protect us all! A sweet and wonderful friend of mine reports from the dating front that she met up with a guy who claimed to be 63 in his on line dating profile and turned out to be (****!!?)

87 years old!!!!!!!!!

No kiddums!

I guess there’s no liar like an old liar.

Swallow Chicks
2006-06-12— Posted by: allegra

Brother Jim sent me this. I love their pugnacious little eyeballs and whiskers.

Robber Fly Day 2
2006-06-12— Posted by: allegra

I love this pic. I wish I could post a higher resolution picture.

Robber Fly Day 1
2006-06-12— Posted by: allegra

Cousin Jim sent this and the next pic. Note in the second pic that Mr. Robber Fly – who was hanging out on the same flower two days running – has moisture beading on him. Jim sayeth “I am still getting the hang of this camera” but I’d say he’s doing purty good, how about you?

Couldn’t post yesterday, don’t know why. I was pretty sore all day yesterday and glad am I to see the doc today.

Track their migration to Canada
2006-06-10— Posted by: allegra

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/birds/supergoose/

Uncomfortably numb
2006-06-10— Posted by: allegra

I’m not experiencing pain, but the numbness is really bad, so I’m going back to bed. Herman Melville (Moby Dick) I abandoned about 1/3rd of the way through so I am now casting about for something lengthy to read (I bailed when he started listing whales…)

I may go back through Harry Potter. I don’t think I ever read Harry Potter IV all the way through, or if I did it was once and a long while ago. Or maybe I’ll run through Lymond again. I suspect I’m gonna be in bed for a while.

Last night I dreamed the forest across the road from Lake Crescent Lodge caught fire, and all we could do was watch and wring our hands. I also dreamed my Auntie Mary moved into a big inflatable igloo style tent (this thing was huge, like the entire upper storey of my house, and I could hear the inflater motor moaning and sputtering in the background), accidentally deflated it on herself, and then popped out of the tent in Inuit garb, saying, “I’m okay, I’m okay, it’ll reinflate in a second!” and it did, sproing. I think if I told her about it she’d laugh.

Watched small portions of Howl’s Moving Castle and Jarhead last night. Howl is one seriously messed up bird, and Jarhead kinda lost me because of its MTV style cinematography. However, since I couldn’t really sit still to watch anything, I can’t really do a review of either movie.

Saw Mike, and how good it was to see him.

Crap
2006-06-09— Posted by: allegra

I phoned the doc’s office to make another appointment for Monday am, and found out he’s in the middle of making a referral to a specialist for me in consequence of the CT results. This is NOT good news and I am stumping up and down cursing. I felt better today, too. Piss, moan.

oo oo
2006-06-09— Posted by: allegra

I hope you can see this picture, and the best typo of 2006 so far.

Happy news.
2006-06-09— Posted by: allegra

I forgot to mention that Keith now has two part time jobs – one as kitchen slave to the Cirque de Soleil during their gig in Vancouver, and the other at Superstore. Keith got both of these jobs unassisted. Words cannot express how proud I am of him. As he is making a good hourly wage in both cases, I am very very happy.

Stir crazy
2006-06-09— Posted by: allegra

I’ve been out of the house three times since Saturday; once to buy pillows, which seemed to help, and twice to see doctors or get tests. I’ve gotten a third of the way through Moby Dick, reread King Jesus and Harry Potter VI and I am now officially stir crazy.

Read with horror that when Paul said, “Peggy’s here and we’re going to go walking” I seriously considered crawling out of bed and at least walking up to 16th with them before I remembered that the doc said positively no walking without a cell phone and somebody with. I have contented myself with a brief tidy of the kitchen and making myself a cuppa.

I am now to the point where I am saying things to myself like, “I had no idea how much I love my job” and “I miss my coworkers, bitter tears, bitter tears,” and “Screw Retirement” although I may not feel that way in twenty years.

Stewart Copeland, whom I like in so many of his artistic incarnations – musical dude for Dead Like Me – composer for cartoons (I’m in Trouble Again is a favourite of mine) – drummer for Oysterhead – drummer for the Police – has made a movie about the rise of the Police.

Buggy
2006-06-08— Posted by: allegra

Unless I miss my guess a dragonfly larva. Western Gomphid, from the size of it. Cousin Jim sent it.

Brooke, it’s all your fault but Linda is singing and playing with people again. (This will mean nothing to most of you, so cheerfully ignore it.)

I just got back from the doctor and she says, stay the hell home (here’s a note) and go to hopsital if you start number one-ing or two-ing when you didn’t think of it first. Hint, don’t take a taxi, unless you bring a hundred dollar cash tip.

I’ll be back to see the doc on Monday as that’s when they figure I’ll have results from the CT scan. I’m going back to bed, Herman Melville and I have a hot date.

Ow
2006-06-08— Posted by: allegra

Going to see the doc again now. I had a good night’s sleep but as soon as I stood up, big ow.

Droopy the Plane
2006-06-07— Posted by: allegra

No blog this am, sorry
2006-06-07— Posted by: allegra

Coming and going
2006-06-06— Posted by: allegra

Leaving this earthly plane, Billy Preston, of kidney failure. Some called him the 5th Beatle. He played WC Handy as a young man in a movie that was made the year I was born. Truly a great musician.

Spent 260 dollars on my back yesterday. I bought a Tempur foam pillow, a wedge pillow and one of those chair ball thingies. The CT scan is tonight. John is forgoing Jericho Beach to take me, as I am not convinced I could safely drive down to the hospital; whenever I extend my foot in the accelerating position I get a hell of a pinch, and with the sole of my foot so dead I might have difficulty controlling the car. Paul’s riding the Beemer to work, and given the weather I suspect he’s enjoying it more than he’ll ever admit.

Went completely without drugs last night to see how sore I am, and the answer is, if I move slowly, it’s not too bad. I can’t stay in one position for very long though, and since when I’m off the anti-inflammatories the tingling and numbness get worse, I guess I’m stuck on the vulture killing drug for the time being. It’s also called Voltaren, which sounds like a creepy StarTrekified bunch of aliens. “The Voltarens are hailing us, Keptin!”

I light a candle for the people close to Mt Merapi in Indonesia, and the people of Phuket, who are not interested in being TV movie of the week fodder for the inexhaustible North American appetite for Schadenfreude.

I light a candle for the relatives of the guys busted for terrorism in Ontario. Half of those arrested are probably blowhards that Mohammed (uhbp) would have rolled his eyes over – all talk and no action, except now they’re looking at a LOT of free time to study the Holy Koran. The other half are probably going to cause career problems for the fuckwits in the Immigration department who let them into the country and I’m SO upset about that…. But the womenfolk. Chances are good most of them knew nothing about the alleged three tons of alleged fertilizer. I light a candle for anybody who snickered when they read that one of the alleged suspects allegedly wanted to cut Stephen Harper’s head off. Anybody who wants to make Stephen Harper a martyr needs pity, not censure.

Okay, my back officially hurts now.

Brother James Kissing the Blarney Stone
2006-06-05— Posted by: allegra

Ah yes. Knowing full well that I’d drag myself off my deathbed for the opportunity to post so unflattering a pic of him, Brother James has forwarded this lovely shot. You look like you’ve lost weight, bud! Wish I could say the same. Although I wouldn’t want to have some fragile looking Irish punter hanging onto me trews – it’s a hell of a drop.

My CT scan is scheduled for 8:30 tomorrow night. Now I have to go lie back down again, as I can sit for approximately 10 minutes before my back starts to go spung.

In the humour book yesterday, I ran across this gem: “You are what Rev Dr. Spooner would call a shining wit!” I would so characterize myself at the moment. After I went back to bed I had ANOTHER dream, this time a musical comedy about mutants. And Sears. And a really bad music video. All the mutants were hideously bad CGI – put one much in mind of the Dunnett Phrase “A Face Like a Pound of Candles on a Hot Day.” They were sitting around in a smoky dimlit bar musically deriding another mutant’s music video, which was his attempt to gain cachet in the world of the normal. I dinna ken where this shite comes from, laddie.

The painkillers are giving me formication.

I bless the friends who are travelling soon. Must collapse, back is angry now.

Going to Chilliwack for pie
2006-06-05— Posted by: allegra

Going to Chilliwack for pie, via plane, formation flying. Yes, there are few better ways to go to Chilliwack, and the pie up there is divine. Fwded from Rob of Nine, of course.

It’s 4 am and the drugs have worn off
2006-06-05— Posted by: allegra

To the tune of The Flintstones

Back pain!  You've got back pain!
Your nerves jumped you like a bunch of thugs!
Back pain!  You've got back pain!
And your only question's, Where's the Drugs?

Maybe... you have blown your L4 disc!
Maybe....yoga would have halved the risk!

Back pain! You've got back pain!
You're in fashion now, you're all the rage!
Back pain! You've got back pain!
Welcome to your middle age!

Peggy and Tom fed us last night and we did music. I wasn’t actually in that much pain last night, I just can’t move very fast because I know exactly what will happen if I do and the sole of my right foot is almost entirely numb. Just now when I woke up I realized that I am now getting occasional shooting pains down the other leg, in more or less the same places that are troubling me on the other side. Paul will have the motorbike today and John will drive me to my appointment; I don’t know exactly when the CT scan will be but likely sometime today, possibly tomorrow.

I dreamed that Catherine (old bud from Toronto) and I went exploring in micro gravity… in full suits … with no tethers …. an abandoned space station. It wasn’t until I got back to something solid that I realized what a boneheaded maneuvre THAT was. I think my back was just trying to tell me how very wonderful the notion of no gravity would be right now….. Okay. It’s too early for more vulture killing drugs… do I want one of the jibber jabber pills, or do I want one of the “may cause drowsiness” pills? Decisions, decisions.

NO, I am not going to work today.

Hospital
2006-06-04— Posted by: allegra

Generally when I don’t post it’s as a result of illness; this was certainly the case yesterday. I was not actually able to get out of bed until 2 in the afternoon yesterday; previous attempts resulted in me curling up in a fetal ball and yelling in a very non-Hollywood kinda way.

Paul helped me into my clothes and drove me to the hospital, where I was attended to right away, by which I mean to say that somebody shot my ass full of morphine within an hour and sent me home with Shumthing Shtrong.

I am not currently experiencing pain, it’s more like discomfort, and I can’t really sit for any length of time. I will mention that the sole of my right foot is completely numb, the doc thinks I’ve blown a disk, and I’m supposed to go straight back to the hospital if I lose mobility or start wetting myself, which, thanks be to the laws of physics, is not currently a problem.

I am supposed to have a CT scan tomorrow. Gotta go, it’s hurting again.

I can’t get any freaking sympathy
2006-06-02— Posted by: allegra

Never poke a pharmacy student in the ribs, this is what might happen…. Brooke sayeth:

Bah, the heart risk is only for high doses. Plus it would just be multiplying your already very low risk of a heart attack. (Maybe. The majority of NSAID studies are on, surprise! an overwhelmingly male patient population.) An NSAID’s reaaaaalllll murder weapon of choice is causing bleeding stomach ulcers.

(aren’t I cheerful! ulcer odds: way below 1%)

Hee hee, voltaren vulture crisis. I must spread news of the piteous plight of the kidney of the carrion-eater among my pharmacy peers.

Rural Tennessee or Western Washington?
2006-06-02— Posted by: allegra

I have obtained a picture of a coworker’s backyard. It is too funny, in a low key kinda way, not to share. Hey Paul! Our backyard doesn’t look like this, and it’s all your fault.

So I read the news….
2006-06-02— Posted by: allegra

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-06-01T230228Z_01_L01793219_RTRUKOC_0_US-PAINKILLERS.xml&archived=False

And find out my drug may kill me. Well, so will this back pain. Read the wikipedia article on the NSAID I’m taking right now… it kills vultures! For true!

ow
2006-06-02— Posted by: allegra

I have to stop writing about my obsessions! Getting up this morning did not trigger zugswang, but Jumpin’ Elwy Yost, this is not much fun. Another perfect night of sleep, woke up maybe twice, (once because Paul muttered, “I have to get up,” in his sleep), and didn’t experience much back pain at all while horizontal. The slow, Everestian climb toward verticality was not accompanied by immobility, just rude amounts of pain. I stumped up and down the living room trying to shake it off. It’s only 5:30 in the morning; Paul and Katie are off to the Seattle Music Experience today as a field trip.

At Keith’s invitation, watched Casablanca again last night; I had forgotten what a great movie it is. The only fly in the oinkment is the casually racist attitude towards Sam the Piano Player and the other minority dudes and dudettes (Dooley Wilson’s actually called a BOY by Ingrid Bergman) but for 1942 it wasn’t too god awful. Oh, and let’s not forget that Gestapo Nazis don’t wear Luftwaffe uniforms, another clanger, but oh well.

Finally, Diclofenac is a really weird drug. I’m not getting much if anything in the way of side effects, but when it’s worn off, I seize up like a four by eight.

Crick
2006-06-01— Posted by: allegra

After an amazing nights’ sleep – we went to bed early and didn’t waken until 7 am, most unusual – I moved to get up and went straight into a spinal Zugswang which lasted about 3 minutes. I couldn’t sit back down; I couldn’t put all the weight on my right foot; I couldn’t walk. Shrieking in pain, I appealed to Paul, who acted as a human cane so I could get out to the kitchen and get some food on board for the anti-inflammatory to sit on.

I am still in so much pain that I can’t force myself not to breathe shallowly. It took me five minutes to feed the cats, and I am contemplating getting dressed with horror and resignation. Up next…. pain killers. And then a horrible ride to work.

Went home from work early….
2006-05-31— Posted by: allegra

My back was just screeching in pain… took me 20 minutes to get to the car. The doc took one look at me, sent me for x-rays and prescribed an anti-inflammatory which seems to be working already (who knows, right?). Anyway, I don’t feel like killing myself anymore (at 2:30 this afternoon it was a near thing) and Katie bought me sushi for dinner, so I declare myself improving; I have now popped some more pain killers and despite it only being 6 pm I’m off to bed.

Dr. Filk may get his old job back; we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Still no sign of Pokey, but I still have hope.

Perimenopause sucks.

Paul’s off to visit a neighbour in hospital. Love that man.