Here's my horoscope for today:
You're not exactly the soul of patience, diplomacy or moderation at the moment -- and that's putting it very, very lightly.
And here's the travel schedule I organised yesterday:
(I've been sitting on my keister for months, and I am going a bit looney. So..... the Tara Travel Schedule is starting again!)
Nov 30-Dec 15 Jamaica
Dec 16-19 Vancouver for a course
Dec 21-27 Whitehorse
[New Years - probably skiing at Powder King]
Jan 6 - Feb 4 Britain - shopping for real estate and looking for contract work
Feb 8 -13 Snowbird Ski Area, Utah
Feb 13 - a night in VEGAS!!
Feb 16 - 20 follow up cancer testing in Vancouver
Oh, and I've decided to train for a FULL 26.2 mile marathon in June, so my training will be increasing in the New Year!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Trip Tips
This is based on an email I wrote to a friend the other day.... I figure some of my travellin' skills should be shared. Feel free to use this info, share it with others, ask me questions, whatever.
So, when you have a cool trip coming, first thing is have you called Public Health yet, and asked about shots? Even if you're just going to the States, you should make sure your basic boosters are up-to-date. And if you're going anywhere tropical.....Discuss it with the nurse or doc, and they'll tell ya. Oh, and do this really early, like at least a couple months before you go.... You might have to get a buncha jabs, and your shoulders will be thankful if you don't do it all at once.
Next: look into travel insurance. Did you know your regular medical coverage isn't totally in place when you leave the Province? And if you're leaving the country....well, that's obvious. Worst-case scenario is being medevac'ed home, and the cost of that is equivalent to the price of a small house. Oh, and I found out that if you leave the Province for >6 months, you have a serious problem. (Again, determined that thro' tough circumstances. Ooops.)
And stuff to bring with you on your trip: I have pared down my medical kit to the essentials, and here's what I bring: gravol, imodium, ibuprofen, antibiotic cream, duct tape.
When I get sick, with some sort of tummy thing, (which is a good probability, even at an all-inclusive), I first let whatever it is leave my system. So if I'm vomiting, just giver for a while. And if it's the other end, same..... Whatever it is that made you sick, give it a chance to get out of you! Then after a while, take 1 gravol every time you puke. And 1 imodium every time you go to the toilet. (This stuff will REALLY bung you up, so be cautious.) I've been known to get hideously sick, but would never take more than 3 imodiums, as it takes a while to recover.
The most important thing is to stay hydrated, as much as possible. Be VERY careful with your water and ICE CUBE sources. If you are sick, gatorade or coke are excellent choices. Water them down if it's too much on a flippy-floppy tummy. I know lots of people who travel with rehydration salts, but I prefer just to stick to gatorade, OR get some juice, water it down, and add salt. That's basically what the rehydration salts are. You just need fluid, some sugar, and some salt.
If you do get sick while gone, especially if there is blood or scary mucus in your poo, see a doctor, either while you are there, or when you get home. Here's a great website to find a Western-trained, English-speaking doctor ANYWHERE http://www.iamat.org/
The antibiotic cream is for cuts/blisters.
The ibuprofen is for any inflammation. This includes sore muscles, hung-over headache, or FEVER if you get sick. It can be used for nasty sunburn too (your skin is swollen and inflamed). Wear lots of sunscreen, and wear a hat if you go exploring during the day....Watch out for burns AND sunstroke.
And the duct tape? Well, that's for millions of uses, from suitcase repair to blister protection to creative costume use. Maybe the guy in the seat beside you on the place is too damn chatty? Employ the duct tape solution!
Happy travels!
So, when you have a cool trip coming, first thing is have you called Public Health yet, and asked about shots? Even if you're just going to the States, you should make sure your basic boosters are up-to-date. And if you're going anywhere tropical.....Discuss it with the nurse or doc, and they'll tell ya. Oh, and do this really early, like at least a couple months before you go.... You might have to get a buncha jabs, and your shoulders will be thankful if you don't do it all at once.
Next: look into travel insurance. Did you know your regular medical coverage isn't totally in place when you leave the Province? And if you're leaving the country....well, that's obvious. Worst-case scenario is being medevac'ed home, and the cost of that is equivalent to the price of a small house. Oh, and I found out that if you leave the Province for >6 months, you have a serious problem. (Again, determined that thro' tough circumstances. Ooops.)
And stuff to bring with you on your trip: I have pared down my medical kit to the essentials, and here's what I bring: gravol, imodium, ibuprofen, antibiotic cream, duct tape.
When I get sick, with some sort of tummy thing, (which is a good probability, even at an all-inclusive), I first let whatever it is leave my system. So if I'm vomiting, just giver for a while. And if it's the other end, same..... Whatever it is that made you sick, give it a chance to get out of you! Then after a while, take 1 gravol every time you puke. And 1 imodium every time you go to the toilet. (This stuff will REALLY bung you up, so be cautious.) I've been known to get hideously sick, but would never take more than 3 imodiums, as it takes a while to recover.
The most important thing is to stay hydrated, as much as possible. Be VERY careful with your water and ICE CUBE sources. If you are sick, gatorade or coke are excellent choices. Water them down if it's too much on a flippy-floppy tummy. I know lots of people who travel with rehydration salts, but I prefer just to stick to gatorade, OR get some juice, water it down, and add salt. That's basically what the rehydration salts are. You just need fluid, some sugar, and some salt.
If you do get sick while gone, especially if there is blood or scary mucus in your poo, see a doctor, either while you are there, or when you get home. Here's a great website to find a Western-trained, English-speaking doctor ANYWHERE http://www.iamat.org/
The antibiotic cream is for cuts/blisters.
The ibuprofen is for any inflammation. This includes sore muscles, hung-over headache, or FEVER if you get sick. It can be used for nasty sunburn too (your skin is swollen and inflamed). Wear lots of sunscreen, and wear a hat if you go exploring during the day....Watch out for burns AND sunstroke.
And the duct tape? Well, that's for millions of uses, from suitcase repair to blister protection to creative costume use. Maybe the guy in the seat beside you on the place is too damn chatty? Employ the duct tape solution!
Happy travels!
An Early Christmas Miracle
As I mentioned a while ago, I am planning a trip to Jamaica to celebrate the start of my [yikes!!] Fifth Decade. I'm travelling with my superstar acupuncturist, Dr. Tough Love aka Jenn. We'll be staying at the Negril Yoga Centre, across from 7 Mile Beach. It sounds amazing!!!!! Yoga on offer daily, staying in a rustic cabin for super-cheap, walk lots, snorkel daily, and of course we'll run in the Reggae Marathon. Oh yah, and nightly live reggae on the beach. And rum punches. Etcetera. Yah mon. Irie.
There are a couple other activities available too. Jenn wants to try parasailing, which I think sounds like a lovely opportunity for a marine colonic. And I hear the SCUBA diving is terrific too.... which leads me to today's happy miraculous occurence.
I got my dive certification on a holiday to Belize in, ummmm, 2004, and haven't had a chance to use it since. And let's think about how many times I have moved since then.... Yikes! And let's also reflect on my situation - in Smithers I had a house with 3 floors, and about 2500 square feet of space. In Fort St John, I was down to 1190 square feet and a crawl space. Here in Kamloops, I have a bedroom (12x14 feet), and a number of boxes. Oh crap......that's a lot of nooks and crannies where a little plastic card could hide!
I had a few guesses where I'd locate my certification card, but..... yikes. Hmmm, in a drawer in my desk? No. With my old passports in Cousin Kenny's safe? No. Maybe I left it in Africa, thinking that was where I'd most likely use it? Hope not.
OK, so things started getting serious. WHERE was that dang card?!?!? As we already know, I'm not one for pristine organisational systems, so I was really turning over every rock.... I have emptied (and now cleaned out) every drawer in my bedroom. Still nuthin'. Under the bed? Nuthin'!
This morning I tackled my closet. I moved out 6 empty backbacks and other bags, a couple dozen pairs of shoes/boots, a carpet from Turkey, clothes hamper, shoe rack.... and then found a duffle that contained some of the contents from my underwear and sock drawer in FSJ. (Even my dresser drawers here are smaller than I've had in the past!) So, of course I start going through all that stuff, sorting and chukking out, and seeing the stuff I forgot I had. And HEY, there was a bit of paper....
OMG, it was my Dive Log AND my diver certification card!!!!! WHY I would throw that in with old socks and underpants is beyond my reckoning, but.... YAY, I GET TO GO DIVING IN JAMAICA!!!!
I'm on the plane to Montego Bay Sunday, and back in BC on the 15th. The Reggae (Half) Marathon is Dec 6, starting at 5 AM. That's 4 hours ahead of Pacific Time, for insomniacs who want to track it in real time.
Oh, and P.S. Remember how I've been training for bikini photos? I am proud to say that I weigh the same at my 40th birthday, as I did for my 30th. I even have to buy a new bikini, as the ones I bought in July are TOO BIG FOR ME now. FYI, I ran 20km last Sunday. And 8km last night. I'll do 1.5 hours of yoga today, and run 15km tomorrow....Fithotness at 40 is no gimme.
There are a couple other activities available too. Jenn wants to try parasailing, which I think sounds like a lovely opportunity for a marine colonic. And I hear the SCUBA diving is terrific too.... which leads me to today's happy miraculous occurence.
I got my dive certification on a holiday to Belize in, ummmm, 2004, and haven't had a chance to use it since. And let's think about how many times I have moved since then.... Yikes! And let's also reflect on my situation - in Smithers I had a house with 3 floors, and about 2500 square feet of space. In Fort St John, I was down to 1190 square feet and a crawl space. Here in Kamloops, I have a bedroom (12x14 feet), and a number of boxes. Oh crap......that's a lot of nooks and crannies where a little plastic card could hide!
I had a few guesses where I'd locate my certification card, but..... yikes. Hmmm, in a drawer in my desk? No. With my old passports in Cousin Kenny's safe? No. Maybe I left it in Africa, thinking that was where I'd most likely use it? Hope not.
OK, so things started getting serious. WHERE was that dang card?!?!? As we already know, I'm not one for pristine organisational systems, so I was really turning over every rock.... I have emptied (and now cleaned out) every drawer in my bedroom. Still nuthin'. Under the bed? Nuthin'!
This morning I tackled my closet. I moved out 6 empty backbacks and other bags, a couple dozen pairs of shoes/boots, a carpet from Turkey, clothes hamper, shoe rack.... and then found a duffle that contained some of the contents from my underwear and sock drawer in FSJ. (Even my dresser drawers here are smaller than I've had in the past!) So, of course I start going through all that stuff, sorting and chukking out, and seeing the stuff I forgot I had. And HEY, there was a bit of paper....
OMG, it was my Dive Log AND my diver certification card!!!!! WHY I would throw that in with old socks and underpants is beyond my reckoning, but.... YAY, I GET TO GO DIVING IN JAMAICA!!!!
I'm on the plane to Montego Bay Sunday, and back in BC on the 15th. The Reggae (Half) Marathon is Dec 6, starting at 5 AM. That's 4 hours ahead of Pacific Time, for insomniacs who want to track it in real time.
Oh, and P.S. Remember how I've been training for bikini photos? I am proud to say that I weigh the same at my 40th birthday, as I did for my 30th. I even have to buy a new bikini, as the ones I bought in July are TOO BIG FOR ME now. FYI, I ran 20km last Sunday. And 8km last night. I'll do 1.5 hours of yoga today, and run 15km tomorrow....Fithotness at 40 is no gimme.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Visa Bought me New Shoes!
When I got back from Europe in August, I had a notice from Visa that they were sending me a new card. By mid-September, I still hadn't received it, so I called to report it lost, and he said, "Ooooh, it's been mailed. Be patient a week or 2." Alrighty.
Then I tried to shop on-line, got sent to the 'Verified by Visa' site, and it wouldn't work! So I called Visa again, to report that I was having problems. "Ooooh," he said, "Your new card is linked to that account, so you can't use verified by visa until you get your new card. Give it another week. Things are a bit slow on this." (This was right around when the credit market was crashing, so I figured maybe the Bank and even Visa was about to declare bankruptcy. Or maybe this was an example of WHY the banks were falling apart. If they can't even get organised to send out new cards so people can wrack up more debt, then they are in pretty dire straits.)
So I finally got around to calling last week, and again reporting my new Visa card lost. "Oh," he said, "Your card was sent a long time ago. It's never been used. I'll cancel it, and send you a new one." [long conversation ensues] The result was that I could pick up my new card at my local bank branch in 5 business days, which was today!
So.....yesterday, my aunt called to let me know that Visa left me an urgent message on her machine. (I receive messages at her house, as things are a bit disorganised with the 2 bachelors.) Anyway, I told her I don't need the number, as I'm going to pick up my card, and I'm SURE there won't be a problem! She wisely convinced me to take it.
Today, I trundled down to my bank, big smiles, to collect my shiny new Visa card. It wasn't there!!!
OK, so I went into the mall to buy some groceries. As I headed for the grocery store, I passed the shoe store. So obviously I went in....
Excellent sale! I found the most awesome black, high, waterproof, leather Rockport boots for $25 (down from $215 - I'm starting to hyper-ventilate just thinking about it!). They also had some really, really great black leather wedges, absolutely work-appropriate, perfect for that sexy librarian/evil negotiator look, for $80. They are also by Rockport, so these 3 inch heels are totally comfy and fabu. Considered not getting them, but because the boots were only $25 but should have been over $100, this meant the shoes were virtually free, so I had to have them. (Girls: I know you understand Shoe Store Math like this very well. Guys: accept this is how it works, so no need to try to put some Outside Shoe Store Logic on this Gordian Knot.)
Anyway, when I got home, I went through some papers in my room. I hate going through all the crap the bank sends, there's always tomes on the Great New Services they offer, yadda yadda, blah blah. In sorting what could go into recycling....I found my card that they sent 7 weeks ago. Ooops. :-0 It's already been cancelled, so I still hadta call, and find out where the replacement card is!
So....... I called Visa. Aaaaah, the guy didn't know why I was calling, so transferred me to Customer Service. I finally talked to a woman, and told her my long story. (Obviously I DID NOT mention the fact that I finally located my new/old card, as it would not be helpful for her to think I'm an idiot.) "Oh, it might take more than 5 business days for these new fancy cards to come. Might be Monday or Wednesday next week." I'm planning a trip next week, and told her such. She got a little stressed, and wound up putting me on hold for approximately a decade. Or a month. Or half an hour. Whatever. She said, "Oh dear. If we'd known you would be a on a trip, we would have sent the card with a rush. Oh dear." The hand-wringing was audible.
[long conversation ensues, involving my saying that I have not been able to shop online for 2 months, seems excessive, perhaps they should have rushed the card to me, blah blah. More hand-wringing from her.]
OK, so it turns out that my trusty OLD Visa card (which I've been using in stores all this time)was set to be inactivated 75 days after they decided to send me a new card. So it could die at any time. And then I really would be left without a Visa. And this is Very Important in Visaland. Hence all the hand-wringing. She informed me that if it stops working, then I must call back, locate a supervisor, and get Special Permission to Use My Old Card, until the new one comes. Aaaaah, well, that would be a pain in the patoot.
So, she suddenly offered up that this is an inconvenience, so she can compensate me with either a) 2500 aeroplan miles on my card, or b) a $75 credit on my balance.
Me: "I`d like the $75 please. That means Visa just bought me new shoes today. What a wonderful company!"
Her: "Thank you for calling Visa."
Then I tried to shop on-line, got sent to the 'Verified by Visa' site, and it wouldn't work! So I called Visa again, to report that I was having problems. "Ooooh," he said, "Your new card is linked to that account, so you can't use verified by visa until you get your new card. Give it another week. Things are a bit slow on this." (This was right around when the credit market was crashing, so I figured maybe the Bank and even Visa was about to declare bankruptcy. Or maybe this was an example of WHY the banks were falling apart. If they can't even get organised to send out new cards so people can wrack up more debt, then they are in pretty dire straits.)
So I finally got around to calling last week, and again reporting my new Visa card lost. "Oh," he said, "Your card was sent a long time ago. It's never been used. I'll cancel it, and send you a new one." [long conversation ensues] The result was that I could pick up my new card at my local bank branch in 5 business days, which was today!
So.....yesterday, my aunt called to let me know that Visa left me an urgent message on her machine. (I receive messages at her house, as things are a bit disorganised with the 2 bachelors.) Anyway, I told her I don't need the number, as I'm going to pick up my card, and I'm SURE there won't be a problem! She wisely convinced me to take it.
Today, I trundled down to my bank, big smiles, to collect my shiny new Visa card. It wasn't there!!!
OK, so I went into the mall to buy some groceries. As I headed for the grocery store, I passed the shoe store. So obviously I went in....
Excellent sale! I found the most awesome black, high, waterproof, leather Rockport boots for $25 (down from $215 - I'm starting to hyper-ventilate just thinking about it!). They also had some really, really great black leather wedges, absolutely work-appropriate, perfect for that sexy librarian/evil negotiator look, for $80. They are also by Rockport, so these 3 inch heels are totally comfy and fabu. Considered not getting them, but because the boots were only $25 but should have been over $100, this meant the shoes were virtually free, so I had to have them. (Girls: I know you understand Shoe Store Math like this very well. Guys: accept this is how it works, so no need to try to put some Outside Shoe Store Logic on this Gordian Knot.)
Anyway, when I got home, I went through some papers in my room. I hate going through all the crap the bank sends, there's always tomes on the Great New Services they offer, yadda yadda, blah blah. In sorting what could go into recycling....I found my card that they sent 7 weeks ago. Ooops. :-0 It's already been cancelled, so I still hadta call, and find out where the replacement card is!
So....... I called Visa. Aaaaah, the guy didn't know why I was calling, so transferred me to Customer Service. I finally talked to a woman, and told her my long story. (Obviously I DID NOT mention the fact that I finally located my new/old card, as it would not be helpful for her to think I'm an idiot.) "Oh, it might take more than 5 business days for these new fancy cards to come. Might be Monday or Wednesday next week." I'm planning a trip next week, and told her such. She got a little stressed, and wound up putting me on hold for approximately a decade. Or a month. Or half an hour. Whatever. She said, "Oh dear. If we'd known you would be a on a trip, we would have sent the card with a rush. Oh dear." The hand-wringing was audible.
[long conversation ensues, involving my saying that I have not been able to shop online for 2 months, seems excessive, perhaps they should have rushed the card to me, blah blah. More hand-wringing from her.]
OK, so it turns out that my trusty OLD Visa card (which I've been using in stores all this time)was set to be inactivated 75 days after they decided to send me a new card. So it could die at any time. And then I really would be left without a Visa. And this is Very Important in Visaland. Hence all the hand-wringing. She informed me that if it stops working, then I must call back, locate a supervisor, and get Special Permission to Use My Old Card, until the new one comes. Aaaaah, well, that would be a pain in the patoot.
So, she suddenly offered up that this is an inconvenience, so she can compensate me with either a) 2500 aeroplan miles on my card, or b) a $75 credit on my balance.
Me: "I`d like the $75 please. That means Visa just bought me new shoes today. What a wonderful company!"
Her: "Thank you for calling Visa."
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