Day 448 - But I Don't Want To Go!

Well, it’s finally here. The last day in Cuba. Kim & I stayed in Vedado for our last morning, as we had spent our last pennies. I wanted to get a photo of the Malécon with a wave crashing & an old car (not asking for much, am I?), so we walked the streets of Vedado one last time. We savoured every beautiful smile, every curve of architecture & every chug of old car exhaust. We made it back to Fernando y Marisol’s place with 10 minutes to spare until our cab arrived to take us to the airport.

There was no checking for liquids, no laptop segregation, just scan the carry on & away we go. Our flight left late, which put us into Toronto late. I managed to miss my flight to Calgary & had to take a later flight home. I was slightly miffed, as I actually made it to the gate on time, but because the Customer Service Agent hadn’t written the flight number behind ‘Standby’, I couldn’t get on the plane! To make things worse, EVERY Air Canada Agent I encountered on the ground was HORRIBLE. They get a big fat ‘F’ for taking terrible care of their guests. When I approached the gate to see if I could catch the flight, the Attendant was actually hollering at some guests that apparently hadn’t heard their names over the intercom system. Um, who is the paying customer here? I quickly remembered why I choose WestJet on every possible occasion.

I finally made it home shortly after 0100 & Mom2 was there to meet me. Ooooh, it was so cold. I was happy to be home & see my family & friends & of course, the girls, but I was NOT happy to feel the cold weather again. Yuck.

I cuddled under the heavy blankets with the girls – happy to have them warm me up! Good night all!

xxxxMaria, Valentina & Oceana

One last breath of Cuban air!

**sniff, sniff**

Boo.

Our humble abode for the past week.

One last stroll to the Malecon

Stuff

Puppy

Market

Old house

Old house

Old house

Market

Old house

Old fence

Old truck at the market

Helping each other

Old fence

Parque John Lennon

The old fellow who brought us John's glasses - they keep getting stolen!

Parque John Lennon

Putting on John's glasses

Posing for a photo!

He takes our photo

Again

And again

Puppy

Malecon

Waves

Malecon

Fernando y Marisol

Cohiba!

Cohiba!

Malecon

Day 395 - Antarctica 1st, Calgary 2nd

Apparently today found Antarctica the coldest place on Earth. Calgary was second. Something is terribly wrong with this picture. I shouldn't be here! Not that I should be in Antarctica either, but at least they have cute penguins!

I need to get all of my papers in order for a new passport application. That means, finding a guarantor, having new photos done, certifying copies of my Driver's License, Marriage Certificate, previous employer addresses, emergency contacts... The list is overwhelming! But it has to be done if I'm going to spend anytime with my husband next year! Hooray! Sunshine, sand & HEAT is in my future!!! Certainly not today, but in the future!

Otherwise, another quiet day on the home front. The girls DEFINITELY didn't want to go outside for their business today! And who can blame them!

xxxxMV&O

Meet Gisele

Day 392 - Brrr! Cold Photos & Sleep

I had breakfast with my Mother! That NEVER happens!!! We had poached eggs on toast. She was off to Ken's for the weekend, so I was looking forward to a weekend with the girls. Although it was beastly cold out! She was outta the yard just before 0800.

Hmm. What to do now? I had skyped briefly with Kim last night & she had encouraged me to go outside & take some 'snowy' photos, after she listened to me lament about how much I loathed winter. So, I decided to head outside, camera in mitten. I wandered around through the snow. I was so cold by the time I got to the barns, I was uncertain I would make it back without frostbite.

Since I've been doing chemo, I've lost all my nose hairs. What a glorious thing you say? Well, yes, for obvious feminine reasons, but no for other practical reasons. Your nose hairs do a fine job of filtering the air you breathe & I'm not exactly sure why, but my nose runs a lot more without the hair. And, since today was freezing cold, I couldn't even feel my nose running. Yep. It was dripping half way down my body when I realized... Eew. Gross. Thank goodness for Kleenex!

I came back in the house, called Jenn, told her of my plan to stay up all day to 'right myself out', then skyped Jaco, then got REALLY sleepy. I fell asleep at 1000. I woke up at 1800. I ate a bit, talked to Jenn again & skyped with Kim again. Then I slept again. I went to bed at 2300. What a day.

I think cold impacts my body differently while I'm on chemo. I haven't googled it, but man, my bones & joints were aching like CRAZY after I came inside. I thought I was getting sick or something - although they told me I would have no other symptoms besides a fever, so??? Anyhow, one more reason to avoid the cold!

Even the dogs don't like it. They really don't want to go out to go potty. Their little legs freeze up so quickly. They become like little paralyzed creatures. Oceana often puts one leg up in the air like she's found a giant fire hydrant. Then when she comes in she walks all bow-legged & crooked... I shouldn't laugh, but it's kinda funny. I go outside with them to make sure they get 'er done.

Alright... Stay warm! It's far too cold out there!

xxxxMV&O

(I'll post snowy photos later)

Meet Eva

Day 109 - CT Scan

Oh my. Is it really necessary to wake up this early? Really? Apparently it's time to change the batteries in my alarm clock. It sounded mighty ill this morning. Had I not been paranoid of over sleeping, I may have completely ignored the faint flickering of a beep!


Up & at 'er, I was out the door on time! Yes, ON TIME! Poor ol' Contemplate did not want to start this morning. I don't know what the temperature was, but it was 'Crunchy Car Seat' cold. Away we went. Luckily it wasn't foggy. Until I hit Priddis. What's that? Freezing fog? Great. Here comes Granny! I slowed down to about 80 km/h & I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through my body. I just don't enjoy winter driving! 


I decided to take the long way, rather than the back roads. At least I knew there would be a lot of traffic & help if I needed it. I don't have a cell phone, so if I'm in trouble, I sit & wait. Luckily I made it to High River only 20 minutes late. 


I wasn't allowed to eat 6 hours prior to the test & could only drink clear juices. Luckily there was a vending machine with some apple juice in the entrance to the hospital. I was planning on heading to Jenn's right after the test, so naturally I had Valentina with me. Since it was so cold out, I didn't feel I could leave her in the car. I packed her into her carrier with her little red jacket on & plopped my pink fuzzy blanket over her carrier. No one was any the wiser. She even shook a few times in the carrier, her ears & tail rattling the sides of the carrier, but nobody even glanced our way! Lucky! 


Blech. They made me drink this awful drink named Telebrix. Since they were scanning my abdomen, I needed to drink the contrast in order to make the scan look better. They really ought to consult a few folks with tastebuds before they approve these drugs. First, I'm a water snob. I don't drink chlorinated water, always bottled & mineral water. I don't care what you say about tap water being just as good. Hogwash. Do they monitor everyone's pipes? No. Does every town have the same chemical cocktail? No. Anyhow, this drink is mixed with chlorinated water. Gross. Then the drug itself has a nasty taste. The worst of it is, I have to sip, not gulp, this concoction for the next hour and a half! I think I gagged the last portion of the 1 litre bottle! Then the Nurse offered me more right before the scan! Can't I be the Designated Driver or Scanner or something?!? Enough already! 


I took Valentina out to the car right before the scan. Luckily it didn't take long. About 20 minutes in total from change time to out the door. And she was still in her coat & under the blanket. She climbed into my jacket as soon as I got in the car. She's a great heater!


Anyhow, back to the scan. It wasn't that bad. I have had one before. This time they injected the contrast dye a little slower, which was great. For whatever reason, it makes you feel like you just peed your pants. I am completely serious. You don't, but if feels all warm down there. This time the feeling came on a little slower, which was good! Secondly, the first time they did the test, they made me hold my breath & the contrast dye made my chest feel like it was going to explode. In fact, had they not said 'Breathe', I'm sure they would have scraped bits of me off the ceiling 2 seconds later! But this time, I told them I wouldn't hold my breath any longer than felt comfortable. When I started to exhale, the Doctor got cranky & sternly said, 'DON'T SWALLOW, DON'T BREATHE, DON'T MOVE'. I told him, 'Sorry, but it hurts.' They did one more scan & thankfully that one didn't hurt my chest at all. 


The Nurse that helped me was really nice. She has fun at her job, which makes it that much more enjoyable for the rest of us! They monitored me for 10 minutes to make sure I was okay. Apparently 1 in 25,000 people die from the contrast dye. It can cause serious allergic reactions. Luckily I beat the odds! 


Feeling extremely fatigued & the fog having not lifted, I decided not to visit Jenn :o( & made my way home. I was bummed to miss out on a visit with a friend I've hardly seen in the past ?? years, but I'm glad I went home. The roads were extremely icy & I could NOT stay awake behind the wheel. I barely made it home. I fell asleep 6x. I hit the rumble strips & the snow on the side of the road. I have never been so out of it. I was wide awake one second & the next my head was snapping up. I called the Diagnostics Department as soon as I got home to check the side effects, but they claim diarrhea is the only side effect. Needless to say, I called Jenn to tell her I would have to take a raincheck & headed back to bed. I slept until 1830!


I woke up when Mom got home, only to have her leave 20 minutes later. She had been riding all day & then headed off to her Toastmaster's meeting. I answered a few phone calls, made some dinner &, what's that? Yes, I cooked! I made some pasta with clams & spices... Mom makes it from time to time & I quite like it. Apparently Valentina loves pasta too. She went manic for the penne! 


Anyhow, I headed to bed shortly thereafter, but I couldn't sleep. I am so stinking itchy these days, it's crazy! I put stuff on it & it burns. I itch it & it burns. No matter how I lie in bed, it itches! I try & try to not touch it, but sometimes the itch is so intense I just can't take it! I will be very excited for the treatment to take away the itch!!!


Oh, I also heard from Jaco's Mom. Sadly there place was broken into on the weekend. They only took a TV & no one got hurt, but nonetheless, I can only imagine how scary it would feel to be woken up at 0400 to the alarms going off. It frustrates me that people get away with these petty crimes, let alone the serious crimes. I suggested a big ol' Rottweiler or Doberman to take care of would-be criminals, but she told me they just throw poisoned meat to the dogs & they die! How awful! Anyhow, if you come up with any great ideas to solve crime in SA, let me know! So far my best solution is to feed them the same birth control corn as they do the pigeons in San Marco's Square in Venice, Italy. Any other suggestions?? :o)


Sleep well, stay safe & here's a hug!
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Finished that awful drink & my smuggled dog! I think she has her nose mashed up against the screen!

My friendly scanner!

Hoarfrost

Heavy Hoarfrost

Winter wonderland!