Day 517 - At Sea

Hmpf. Tonight I’m a little bit grumpy. The day didn’t start off that way. In fact, it started off kind of bizarre. I woke up at 0705 to the sound of Rihanna coming from the other room. Whoops. Forgot to double check my iPod before I went to bed. The only days Jaco gets to sleep in are sea days. Sorry hun. I turned it off & went back to bed.

I then proceeded to have really strange dreams. In fact, they were so strange, I thought, ‘This is ridiculous, I might as well wake up!’ So I did. I tended to my sprouts & crackers, made a shake & then some wheatgrass juice.

Jaco came in from his morning clinic & we watched a little bit of You Again on tv until it cut off half way through. He then returned to the clinic & I went up on deck to catch a little sun & read. I’m in the middle of The Caged Virgin by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the secrecy behind Islam – with particular regard to women. Yikes.

I read for an hour or so & then headed to the Shorex desk to ‘do my shift’ – ha ha. They haven’t had any folding for me to do the past two days, so I’ve just sat & listened & gabbed with the guys. They are an entertaining bunch!

Tonight was Jaco’s wave at the Captain’s speech, so I dolled up & went out to take a photo of Jaco looking dashing & dapper. We visited with a few of the crew after it was over & not long after, Jaco was ready to get out of his suit & myself out of my heels.

I was going to make spring rolls tonight, but didn’t want to make them too early & have them sit out while we were at the wave. When we returned, I quickly started to get them ready. I knew Jaco would be hungry (as he eats NOTHING all day), so I didn’t want him to eat nut bars, apples & oranges – I thought some change would do him good. I’m learning the hard way that ‘change’ & ‘man’ do not go in the same sentence. Ever.

After we shredded cabbage, carrots, cucumber, mint, basil & cilantro, washed lettuce & I made a dipping sauce, I put it all out for him to enjoy & he ate one little roll. Are you kidding me? This coming from the guy who can gorge himself on 6-8 oranges a night! I was highly offended. He barely ate any of the fettuccini alfredo from last night & he still hasn’t drank one protein shake, even though we’ve had it for 4 days now! As if this wasn’t enough to discourage me from making healthy food for the both of us, the blue-green algae I thawed the other day & measured off the week’s worth of doses… it leaked ALL over the bottom of the fridge! I hauled it frozen all the way to the ship, I finally start taking the expensive stuff, only to have it wasted on the bottom of the fridge! ARGH x 100!!! Clearly today was not my day.

On a good note – I’m going on tour tomorrow. I’ll be seeing the salt flats in Bonaire. I spoke with Cesar, my friend from the shops, & he says it’s a great tour with many photo ops. Yay.

xxxxMaria

 Captain Martin Stenzel

 Introducing the Senior Officers

 What a handsome Man!

 :o)

What an introduction! Spot the Champagne Waterfall?

Day 321 - Ta Ta Tamer. WHAT?!

Yes, you heard me right. A Ta-Ta Tamer. Mom2 had some surgery last week & she's not fairing too well. She is in MEGA pain & having a few complications. She sent her hubby to Wal-Mart to pick up a sports bra to help her recovery/comfort level. Unfortunately it wasn't quite the right fit. I suggested Lululemon (of course!), as I remembered them having a bra called the Ta-Ta Tamer. I hardly have Tatas worth taming. (I'm still waiting for puberty to hit & let me feel 'well endowed'. Come on! You've heard of a late bloomer, right?!) Anyhow, I figured with a name like the Ta Ta Tamer, it would be pretty good at keeping things in place for active women who actually have tatas. I suggested she go to Lululemon, but she said she couldn't make it that far with the shape she was in. 


She ended up ordering online, but it would take a week to arrive. Jaco & I were going to the city today, so I suggested to him that we put her out of her misery & pick one up for her. She had emailed me her order that she'd placed online, so I knew what colours & size she'd ordered. Luckily they had one in the shop in her size that was flaming hot pink (go Lulu!) so we delivered it to Mom2 about 2130 when we left the mall. She left me a message on the phone about 20 minutes later saying she was finally able to lay horizontal for the first time in a week! Bless her heart! 


While we were in the mall, Jaco also fitted himself for a pair of jeans. The shop had a special on, buy one get one free. He must have tried on 12 different pairs of jeans. When we finally found the right size, it was the wrong style. They only had the ripped/worn out style. My husband never wears jeans. I am not sure why. He looks HAWT. Guess we'll have to try another shop on another day to find the man some jeans. Oh yeah. That's MY man! :o)


We walked through one of the home decor shops. We have never had a place of our own together, so we've never had the opportunity to decorate a 'space' of our own. I am excited for the day when we can 'build' our surroundings one room at a time... Here's the desk that I fell in love with... WOW! Clearly I'll be waiting until it goes on sale or I learn to build it myself. ($$$$)


I can't wait to get rid of this cancer & move on... bring on the health & the continuation of LIFE! Fulfilling dreams, wishes, goals & passions... Yeah, and cleaning & cooking & paying bills & all that stuff too... Believe me, I'll take it! NOW!!! 


xxxxx MJV&O

Day 282 - Rain & Skeeters

Well, day one of a routine went 50/50. I didn't get up when I scheduled myself to & I certainly didn't stick to the time restrictions of the allotted spaces for events. Good thing I get another new day to try again! I did discover that I can neatly print my 'day' in iCal. I do love my Mac!


The larger part of the day was spent talking with my husband. Well, rather, trying. His laptop doesn't seem to want to work with the MagicJack. He could speak through his phone on Skype, which I couldn't! If I could figure that out, then I'd be fine! I tried to troubleshoot his MagicJack, but it was a challenge, as I couldn't talk to him at the same time. His headset requires the USB port & so does the MagicJack. He could hear me, but I couldn't hear him. Additionally, he types, er, rather slow. My patience is, er, rather underdeveloped, so you can just imagine! 


Finally, I realized that I could set my Skype to work with my MagicJack & talk on the cordless phone! Whoo hoo! So, I'm calling & I'm calling & he's not answering! I finally call on the home phone (for $0.80/min!) & his Mom says he just walked outside! 20 minutes later, he returns!


I'm happy that the phone works through Skype, but that's not why we bought it! I have given him instructions to take his laptop, phone & MagicJack to the local internet cafe (3 blocks away) & try to get it working there. If he can get it working there, hopefully it will work at home & at least he'll know how to use it! Then he can leave it at home & his Mom & Dad can call anytime they want! 


I trained the dogs a little bit. It's been ages since I tried to teach Valentina anything new. She's so clever! Or maybe just food motivated! We tried 'touch', 'stare', & 'settle down'. She had them all figured out so we'll see how today's lesson goes. 


Oceana, on the other hand, will need a lot of TLC. I started with Valentina's lesson in my room, with Oceana locked out. I reversed their locations when it was Ocean's turn. Before I'd even asked her for the first command, she'd piddled 3x in my room. Right. We'll go to the kitchen I think! She did quite well. She's so submissive, it's difficult to get her to do anything. Either that or she's really lazy! In any case, we also worked on touch, stare & gimme 5 & roll over. Stare is a challenge for me because her eyes are so dark I can't tell if she's actually looking at me! I have to stare at her! Gimme 5 was pretty much nudging her paw until she just held it in the air & looked at me as if to say, 'Are you kidding me?' Roll over went well, but not without a lot of coaxing to get her all the way around. Stay tuned for more Wiener Escapades! 


****UPDATE****
Apparently Mom has decided to keep her. I didn't dare ask her how many times she changes her socks, as I'm sure she'd be on the phone trying to find a home for Oceana. I told her we're going to sign a contract & she can NEVER give away the dog. When Jaco & I have a place, Oceana will join her sister. (Hence why I'm starting the training process!) So, for now, Oceana is safe & sound! Amen to that!


I've been reading through the manual for my camera. I realized that I didn't know a whole lot about it. It's 200 pages long! The other day Mom asked me if I'd meant to throw out the manual for my other camera (a point & shoot). I said yes. Mom asked me, 'Well, what if you sell it? Don't you think they'll want it?' I said, 'If they can't figure out the camera, maybe they shouldn't have bought it.' Does that make me a hypocrite? :o) Oopsie!


Lastly, I'm going to share with you my dream from last night. I had difficulties sleeping. I was in bed by 2330 (early for me!) & woke up when Mom got home (0130). I was really restless & super hot. When I finally fell back asleep, I dreamt about Brad & Angelina! They came for supper in a little orange car. It was a European design & a vintage model. (I wish I had a photo of it!) Mom was making dinner (of course) & she was also making meals to freeze & eat later. She asked me to stir them, but she'd filled the containers WAY TOO FULL! I was spilling everywhere. Brangelina were sitting at this little table chatting away. Mom decided she was going to pass out. I told her to sit down & put her head between her legs. She ignored me. Although she didn't pass out, she disappeared from the kitchen. Maybe she went & laid down? Anyhow, with Brad & Angelina to myself, I started asking Angelina questions about her humanitarian work with the UN. We just got into it when something came up & they had to leave. 


I walked with them to their car & when we got to the parking lot, there were about 20 other people there, all staff. Bodyguards, drivers, stylists, you name it! I said I wanted a photo of them & myself, so we ran to get a camera. I don't know whose it was, but it didn't have a memory card. It was a long-ish walk to the house, so Angelina offered to drive me down to the parking lot & I could get the camera out of my purse. I hopped in the orange car on the opposite side (Right side drive) & when I got in the car started to take off. It had dual controls! I stared at Angelina as she was on the outside of the car. She didn't seem concerned, but I was when I pumped the brakes & they didn't work! There were little kids playing in the street! I sailed through a light that thankfully turned green at the last minute, only realizing that I should have turned there! Now I was lost in the outskirts of Red Deer. Yes, Red Deer. I ended up in the next town of Mykonos. Yes, Mykonos, Greece. (I really, REALLY wish I was in the Med) There were beautiful white buildings, winding, narrow streets & beautiful blue green ocean. I managed to find out how to work the brakes & when I stopped to ask for help to get back to my 'street', 4 Scottish couple crawled into the car. They knew the model of car & were very excited to see such one in mint condition! They also knew how to drive it, so I could relax! 


While I was 'relaxing', my cell phone rang. Apparently I was supposed to be doing a photo shoot in Calgary for a friend. I told her I was lost in Red Deer & it was storming (big black clouds were coming when I looked out the window). She was livid. She hollered & then hung up on me. Whoops. When we finally made it back to the Brangelina parking lot, they were gone! )o; No souvenir photo for me. I doubt they'll ever come for dinner again, seeing as I ran away with their car! And they have busy schedules too, I suppose! Anyhow, their Agent was still there waiting for me & he wasn't too happy either. At least the Scots were happy! 


Oh! One last thing... I was shown this little clip & I have to share it with you... It is one of the best things I've heard in a really long time... Possibly ever. I hope you'll laugh as hard as I did... Enjoy!


Oh & btw, it rained today & the mozzies are HORRIBLE!!! You go outside & instantly you have about 20 mosquitos on you! So, I didn't go out at all!


Have a blessed day!
Maria, Valentina & Oceana
xxxxxx

The lilies in the kitchen nicely backlit.

Saskatchewan's Provincial Flower

Day 278 - Something to blog about...

So yesterday I was pretty much out of words, which is rare for me. I can talk about pretty much anything... (Guess I should dig out my Table Topics to play by myself!) But last night, I was empty. Little did I know that I would have such crazy dreams... I could give Tim Burton (not Tim Horton) a run for his money when in comes to creativity. If I could only control this creativity, I'm sure I could find a way to use it to my advantage. Before I tell you about the dream, don't get excited, it's nothing big, just crazy, I will reassure you that I am NOT on any drugs at the moment. I've always had lucid dreams for whatever reason. Additionally, they tend to jump from scene to scene, so it may be a little confusing to follow.


Okay, so the first part I can recollect was the 'High School Reunion' scene. I was back in Maple Creek & all the kids from school were there. We were chilling out in the pool & socializing - catching up on 13 (!!!!) years of life. Pretty much every girl I went to school with was expecting twins! Yup, Bree, Jolene, Tammy... Way too many twins!!! Jump to the next scene - still at the reunion - we're going into the gym for some ceremony or something. I'm wearing my afro wig & there's Clay - a little tipsy (some things don't change!) & he says, 'WOW! Great afro! Can I try it on?' and before I can stop him (or anyone else for that matter), he rips the wig off my head, exposing my very bald noggin. There was a simultaneous 'GASP!' moment as he realized what he'd done & felt foolish. 


Skip to the next scene - I'm on the ship traveling with Jaco & he has 'hired' me to help him in the office for a few hours a night to give the Nurses a bit of a break. I help from 6-8 each night. Only tonight I was late & the Nurse I was to be relieving was a bit upset! I ran down with my dinner plate in hand & settled in to doing, well, nothing really! I just chatted with whoever was there. Can't remember names or faces. 


Skip to the next scene - I'm visiting with a bunch of ladies - Granny, Mom, Mom2, & Dad's girlfriend. We don't really get along (in real life) & in my dream, I went off on her! I started yelling & screaming all the reasons why we don't get along & in the end, we hugged & everything was fine. Then Granny was getting a back massage from one of the other gals. 


Skip to the next scene - I'm at home in Maple Creek & these 'bad guys' have put up a three story house in the horse pasture (close to the house). They have a fire in their lower level, unbeknownst to them, & it's dry & windy. I'm worried the fire will spread & start our house on fire. I want to put it out, but myself & ???? (one other friend) only have 2 ice cream buckets! We sneak over to the fence corner, but they have snipers out on each corner of the balcony. We can't yell, because they'll hear just a noise & shoot us. We can't approach the house either, they'll shoot us! Oh the drama! 


Skip to the next scene - my Mom, Unka Jer, my brother & I are riding horses. We're galloping through a hilly pasture when Mom does a hard stop on Shufly. He slides nice. Mom says, 'Hey! Did you see that!? Pretty nice!' Jeff says, 'Oh yeah? Watch this!' He kicks his horse into a gallop & just as they reach top speed, he rides through a snow bank that is melting. His horse sinks straight into it & falls over. The horse breaks his leg & when he gets up, his entire back end is paralyzed. The bones from one leg came right out, so it's just the hide. The other leg is snapped in half. Jeff says, 'Oh well, guess that's the end of him.' I freak out & say, 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN? You just took his life! You ruined him! He will never experience life! He's done!' I was very upset. About this time I also realized that Jeff's horse looked more like an elk than a horse.


This is all I can remember for the time being. Perhaps this is why I'm so tired all the time! It's not chemo, it's just crazy dreams!!!


As for the actual day, I really didn't do too much. I visited Nathan & Shauna at EVIC, chatted with a few girlfriends, missed my husband (both on the phone & in my heart), and cleaned the house. I've decided I don't like clotheslines. I love the way bedding smells when it's been on the line, but as for drying clothes... I know, it's green. BUT! I hang up one load & it takes all day to dry. We don't have a big enough line, nor enough clothespins. Half of my clothes fall on the ground every time a breeze comes along, so they end up dirty & still wet by the end of the day! Argh! NO MORE CLOTHESLINES!!!!


I prepared the house for the Jameses arrival tomorrow. I'm so excited to see them!!! It's been a year & I can't wait to hear how they've been! And they just got married, so I'm happy for their hearts as well!!! 


I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed, mopped, dusted, tidied, reorganized & gosh darn it... I'm beat! Thank goodness I didn't have to cook! I think I'll need Culinary Bootcamp before Jaco & I go too much further!!! 


Lastly... I'm super excited for Step Up 3D to come out in a week (yes, I'm 31 & I STILL love the cheesy teen dance flicks) & even MORE excited for EAT, PRAY, LOVE to come out!!! If you haven't read the book, DO IT!!!!!! I can't wait to see Julia Roberts! I haven't had a repeat theatre experience since Titanic... I could be due! :o)


Have a great night & see you tomorra!
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxx

Do you think she's trying to tell me she wants to go camping?

Mom asked me to help with dishes, but I was busy, so she asked Oceana instead.

Mom & her 'other kids'

Oceana hitches a ride to the house.

Day 259 - Survival of the Fittest!

Oh deary me. I had the worst dream of my life last night/this morning. Those of you who know me, will remember that I have, most likely, some of the most bizarre & far-fetched dreams out of anyone else you & I may know. However, this one was so REAL, I woke up frozen with fear. 


I dreamt I was in Wal-Mart with Heidi, the baby girl I was to care for today & tomorrow, and I was carrying her, along with something else. Somehow, Heidi slipped out of my grasp & I didn't even notice. By the time I did notice that I wasn't holding her any longer, I couldn't find her. She was gone. I panicked, frantically looking everywhere for her. The store called a 'CODE ADAM' & the doors were locked & the lights dimmed. (Not sure why you would dim the view when you're LOOKING for something, but hey, it was a strange dream.) The staff looked for about 30 seconds & then the lights came back on & the doors opened & it was business as usual. No sign of baby Heidi. I was running around the largest Wal-Mart I've even seen. I finally called my Mom to come & help me look. I couldn't bear the thought of having to tell Jenn that I had lost their beautiful, perfect, happy little girl! 


Mom came & helped me look. We asked people if they'd seen her - Nope. UGH! Someone must have kidnapped her! Oh where could she be!? Finally I had to call Jenn. Between sobs & hyperventilation, I told the story. Jenn rushed over from work to help look for her daughter. While she was checking in with the dry cleaners (What? Doesn't your Wal-Mart have dry cleaners?) I went along the way to look elsewhere. When I couldn't find Heidi, I turned around to go back & find Jenn when I realized I was lost. 


I thought I knew where I was headed when I hopped onto this strange escalator. It was brightly coloured & there were a lot of kids on it. It didn't have any hand railings & it was quite curvy. I suddenly realized it was fast too! By this point, I couldn't get off. I was fast approaching a sharp dip & turn. Yep, as I rounded the turn at the bottom, I went sailing off the escalator over the housewares when I abruptly woke up. 


Thank goodness the dream was over. But where was Heidi? I realized that Jenn was already gone to work & I was so relieved to see both Heidi & Harrison in their beds. We did NOT go outside at all today. The door was locked. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow if I have pleasant dreams tonight!!! Phew! What a way to start the day! 


The rest of the day went really well. I am so impressed with the routine Jenn & Mike have Heidi & Harrison on. It really makes life easy for both the parents & the children. In fact, I'm thinking I need a routine to keep my life simplified! Harrison & Tina played famously & I'm not sure which of the two enjoyed it more! 


When Jenn returned from work, she took Harrison downtown for some errands & I napped on the couch with Heidi snoozing close by. Jenn made a fantastic seafood pasta & caesar salad for supper & afterwards, we finished watching The Prince of Persia & She's Outta My League. Both were fantastic! The Prince of Persia is one of my new favourites & She's Outta My League was great for a laugh. A little crude in places, but still good for a gas!


I had ran into town for a few things & while I was unloading the truck, this fellow & his little boy walked by. Here's how our conversation went:
'Hi. How are you?', he said.
'Good thanks.'
'It's a beautiful night, eh?'
'Yes, definitely. Summer is finally here!'
'Yes, it's nice. You look like Demi Moore.'
'Wow! Thank you!'


Yeesh, I could pay him every day to walk by & say that! Thanks! Now, if only I had the figure to go along with it!!! :o)


And then there was the phone call to Shaw cable. Jenn's internet wasn't working & since the phone is through the internet, we were without communication. I said I'd ask the neighbour if we could borrow the phone & call Shaw to see what the problem was. As I popped out the door, the neighbour across the fence was just going inside. So I asked Sarah if I could use her phone to call Shaw. She was a little hesitant to lend us the phone - I think she thought I was going to call Ethiopia or something. I reassured her it was only Shaw & since the phone reception wouldn't reach into the house, I sat on the step & called from there. I was on hold for a whopping 57 minutes before someone finally answered my call! Crazy! They couldn't even do anything to fix the internet either! Anyhow, while I was on hold, listening to the 'Unbreak My Heart' chorus over & over & over, I asked Jenn if she would mind clipping the back of my hair for me. Of course, she didn't mind. 


It wasn't until we were mid-way through the process that we realized how silly we looked. I was wearing a ratty old tank top & some sweat pants. Mike had been away less than 24 hours & I had 'moved in'. Looking rather 'butch' in my sweat pants & tank top with a shaved head, I'm sure the neighbours were brewing up the rumours. 'My goodness, the husband's not even gone a day & the lesbian lover has already moved in!' 'Gasp! I know! Can you believe it? Those poor little children, growing up with two Mom's & an unsuspecting Dad!' Oh well, at least they'd know who the 'other man' is in the relationship! We had a pretty good laugh! 


So there you have it! Day 1 of SuperNanny survives without losing a child in Wal-Mart! Yay! Here's to an even more successful tomorrow! Sleep well! I know I will!
xxxx
Maria & Valentina

There's no mistaking it - Harrison looks so much like his Daddy!

My Not-So-Feminine Outfit & the kids. Harrison & I have the same haircut!

Day 211 - Black Diamond

Today I had an appointment with my GP, Dr. Dowdall. I was pondering life the other day & thought they should make a 'Physician of the Year' award. Dr. Dowdall would get my vote! In any case, patients could go online to a website, click off the criteria their Physician met or exceeded & cast their vote. Then we could have a big black tie awards night & give due recognition to the good doctors out there! Patients could leave comments & after the voting deadline was past, the comments could be published in a book & presented to the Physician. 


It's nice to meet a Doctor who actually cares about your wellbeing. Not that most of them don't, it's just their personalities could use a little nudging to the 'I care & I am happy' side of things. So that's my idea... 


Back to Black Diamond... I was a few minutes late & had hardly sat down in the very busy waiting room when the nurse called my name. When I saw Dr. Dowdall in November, he had an Intern working with him. I confused her & eventually Dr. Dowdall answered all of my questions. She saw me today & I think I jogged her mind, as she right away asked if I needed to see him. Of course I said yes. 


Dr. Dowdall showed up & we had a lengthy chat. I was interested in getting a second opinion, although he didn't think it would happen in such short time. I told him about my studies, Bleomycin, the complications, the chemo sensitivity test, Dr. Canellos & so forth. Basically he told me that no Doctor would tell me that it would be okay to omit one of the drugs from the chemo regimen. He also told me that I was a very well informed patient & at present I understood more about the drugs than he did. I felt good about that! My homework was helping me! (I think!) He suggested I speak with a Pharmacist at Tom Baker & see what they could tell me about Bleomycin & its role in ABVD. 


He told me to keep in touch & let him know how I was doing. I'm sure he'll see me before the end of the summer! I only wish he was an Oncologist, as he's very committed to his job & he does it in a way that makes you feel like you are a person & not a number. 


After the appointment, I made my way to the pet shop. I needed some more raw food & the gal was most helpful. I picked up Cesar's other book & look forward to learning a little bit more! I also stopped in at the local art gallery & to my surprise, the folks that have been running it have sold it & are hitting the high road! They are travelling to the 'End of the World' - well, South America. I'm so excited for them! Of course we chatted for awhile & I am all for chasing one's dreams with a vengeance, especially if it involves traveling to do so! They don't leave until January, so I'm hoping to be in touch & find out more of their itinerary! 


I walked around the main street for a bit & then made my way home. I took the back way from Black Diamond to Millarville. It's a lovely drive with fantastic views. I must say, this neck of the woods is stunning come summer time when everything is green & the mountains are still snow capped. Pretty tough to beat! 


The little girls were excited to see me when I arrived home. We went for a walk to the highway & back & they were very well behaved! Valentina always needs a little coaxing up the big hill. I think she expects to go all the way to EVIC before returning home! 


Okay, sleep tight & here's to a wonderful tomorrow!
Maria & Valentina 
xxxxx

Great old sign

Pocket Garden - what a neat idea!

I've never heard of it before! But my thumb is NOT green.

Main street in Black Diamond

Looking the other way... Nice & quiet.