Ca Update

As you'll likely recall, I have had some slightly weird blood test results over the last few months. I didn't update the blog, but have been doing more tests, scans, trips to Vancouver, doctor visits, etc etc. My blood test and body scan results indicated that I had a recurrence of cancer. Hunh. That sucks.

(OK, to give you a little history, there was cancer and I had my thyroid taken out in 2000. And there was cancer again in 2003, and I was treated again. So now I get metastices to lymph nodes in my neck. Thyroid ca pretty much always affects a few lymph nodes in the neck. But unlike other cancers, where lymph node involvement generally indicates a VERY serious outcome, with thyroid ca, it's like "whatever, no biggie." Also, the stats for thyroid ca show that unlike other cancers, a recurrence of thyroid ca does NOT seem to affect survival rates. There's still better than 95% survival after 20 years. And after 20 years, they don't keep track anymore, so a patient is probably not dead, but more likely "not medically interesting". So to reiterate....MY CANCER IS NOT GOING TO KILL ME. IT IS JUST A PAIN IN THE BOLOGNA!)

Yesterday, I had a biopsy on my thyroid bits. Just FYI, this involved my lying on a stretcher in a darkened room with a pillow under my shoulders so my neck was all stretched out. Because it's a teaching hospital, there were half a dozen docs and techs there, with one of them holding the ultrasound thingy on my neck, saying, "See that? That's a lymph node. That's the jugular. There's the esophagus. Hmmm, it's small and tough to get a needle in that little node. Hmmm, gonna be tough. Oh jeez, it keeps moving." I was like, "Ummm, please don't stab me in the jugular." But mostly I couldn't speak nor swallow, because it hurts to move your neck when there's a needle stabbed in it. I know this from past procedures, since docs usually forget to warn you about this... Anyway, it took around 30 minutes for them to stab me in the neck about 10 times. And yes, even when they use a fine gauge needle, it's really stressful to be stabbed in the neck. I left big sweaty hand prints on my hospital gown. And they wouldn't let me leave for a while, since it appeared I might pass out.

The doc who did the biopsy yesterday said the spots were so tiny he had trouble getting a sample. I'll get the results in a couple weeks, which will tell the true tale, but he and I figured it likely just made sense to watch it, and wait till there's something a bit bigger to treat. Not like thyroid cancer is gonna kill me.... I'll just hang on for another year or 2, or5, and then maybe treat it. Maybe. Unless I'm busy doing something more interesting.

Anyway, I'm doing well. Fingers crossed that in 20 years I won 't be so dang medically interesting.

Jet Laaaaaag

It's nearly 4 AM on Saturday morning, and I'm awake. Why? Because at 6 PM on Friday night, I was dozing in front of the tv, so lay down on the couch for a nap. And woke up 9 hours later. It's my 3rd night back at home, and it was an 8 hour time change from the UK. Grrr, you would think I'd be better at this.

Mom's Race

Many of you know my mom, Nesta. At age 75, she is always gallivanting around the globe, competing in World Class orienteering competitions, entering walking festivals and "accidentally" doing 20 mile days - that sort of thing. Last Saturday, she went in a 25 km cross-country ski race, and had a major crash. She dislocated her shoulder and broke her arm. She appears to be fine, other than that.



Here's the email I just got from her:


They even have my picture on the T shirt...and my favourite colour!!!!!!!!!!!

haha, she's humorous about her humerus :) (cheers to Juice for that one)

As my great friend Dana used to say, "If you plant a potato, you get a potato."

Moving Progressively

I am in the throes of moving AGAIN. This time I'm moving my aunt's stuff out of her apartment in Wales. It's not too much stuff, and I don't even need a crane this time, but I am right this second in the red-bull-and-ibuprofen stage. Had a small crisis, as I couldn't find my purse, so thought maybe the packer put it in a box......but I found it once the red bull kicked in.

Spring Silliness

I'm staying at my aunt's apartment in Wales again, living it up with the over80 set.
Today is the first day of spring, or so it seems, with gorgeous weather, blooming hyacinths, and an air of fun. After lunch today, I went outside to enjoy a cup of coffee with one of my fave ladies here. Not long passed before we had another couple ladies. And that of course attracted Norbert, the local 80+ Don Juan, with a bottle of wine and a fistful of glasses. Nothing makes Norbert happier than sitting and chatting with a bunch of gals!

After a second bottle and many, many giggles in the sun, I came inside and found a link emailed from a helpful friend:
http://www.go-girl.com/
It's for a female urination device, so you don't need to sit.

Here's the response I sent back to her:
very funny.... think I'll have to try one out sometime! Thing is, often if there's nowhere to sit, there may be nowhere to wash your...ummmm...cup. Dont want to drag pee-covered cup in backpack. yuck.

This inspires a haiku:
GoGirl, life's standing up
Handy Standy in a pinch
Touch nothing dirty, GoGirl

Relief! No need touch.
Alas! Where to rinse her?
Pee spilled in backpack.

Why yes, I have been drinking wine outside on the patio with the over80 set..... First day of spring!
P.S. it's my blog, and I can post bad poetry if I want to!

"Ski" Weekend

Last weekend, the Tequila Queens reunited for a "ski" weekend at Sun Peaks Ski Hill. Nicole, Janice, Sandra, Annie and I all went to UBC together in the early '90s, and were renowned for our ball-hockey-and-margarita-consumption prowess.

The Team

UBC Forestry Women's Ski Team 2009
(L to R: Sandra, Tara, Janice, Nicole, Ann)

We rented a condo on hill, with ski-in/ski-out option. Good thing, as we managed to get out by about 3 PM on day 1. To the pub.

We had to make sure we were well-fed for our extreme "ski" weekend. (Thanks Cardigan!)

Green Runs - easiest Sandra in the pub

One-Eyed Juanita

Blue Runs - more difficult

Safety first with those matching toques!

Black Runs - most difficult

it takes years of intensive training to get to this stage!

Some people are Most Difficult to convince of a story.

But we keep on trying

Double Black Diamond - experts only!

kids, don't try this at home! Experts only!

Night Runs

we only had the weekend, so had to go hard even at night

Did I forget to include photos of us on skis? Oops.

Canuck WOTW: skookum

As forewarned, I have not stuck to my ambitious schedule of One Word per Week...This was due to the perfect storm of excessive exercise, excessive alcohol AND excessive travel. ah well. This is a good one, so worth waiting for!



skookum (adj.) really, really good, or really, really strong

eg. The fried bologne and kraft dinner I had for dinner was skookum!*
eg. Everyone could agree Jenni was a pretty skookum old gal.* She won the flour packing competition at Rendezvous this year.



Usage Notes:
Especially good word for hip/cool engineers. eg. "Oh yah, skookum design! That should withstand a 200 year event! (Ed. Note: I love engineers and their huge brains, and will trade big intelligence for quirky social skills any day of the week. Bring on the flood pants and pocket protectors!)


This is a West Coast word, so don't try to employ it in the East. They will assume you are mumbling gibberish due to low blood sugar, so will administer Tim Horton's doughnuts immediately. Or Tim Bits, maybe? Those little doughnut holes are better anyway.
____

Keep yer stick on the ice,

Tara Canucklehead
* many thanks to Ambo in the Yukon for her excellent examples of things skookum

Clear and Concise

Went up to Sun Peaks Mountain last night to meet my old pal Gary. WOW, I didn't realise that Gary was racing in a World Cup speed skiing event, so last night I was partying it up with the fastest men in the world!!
Had a funny convo with one of the old rogue speed skiers:
He could not understand why I'm single, as I'm pretty, a good skier, etc. etc. (can't take compliments from Old Dog Man Whores too personally, but nice of him to say....) I said, "Well, I travel a lot, and most guys want someone who'll be home and cook them dinner every night. Oh yah, and I'm kind of a dink."
He found that very funny, but totally logical :)

Canuck WOTW: bargoon

While I was in Utah, I was skiing with a big ole group of Americans. Of course, I revelled in my being the "Toquen Canuck", and started educating them on specially Canadian words. They love it, obviously, so want to continue their education. (Alright, one of them requested continued tutelage on Canuckisms.)

So here's the recap:

toque - a warm winter hat
Fuckin Eh - agree wholeheartedly. Can also be used sarcastically.
poutine - a delicacy of fries, covered in cheese curd, covered in gravy. Many thanks to the Quebecois for the increase in heart attacks throughout Canada...

And here's this week's word:
bargoon (bar GOON) slang a bargain
eg. Whoa! Excellent bargoons at Wal-Mart today. They got a sale on mac jackets and toques!

I will attempt to have a new Canuck WOTW each week, barring excessive travel, excessive drinking or excessive exercise.... Or just plain-old forgetting.

I have a whole book on Canadian words, so am nowhere close to running out. But if you'd like to contribute to the education of our southern neighbours with "Only in Canada" turns of phrase, please email your suggestions to me. God knows, after 8 years of Bush, they could use our help.

Cheers, Big Ears,

Tara Canucklehead

St David's Day

Happy St David's Day. St David is the patron saint of Wales. The daffodil is a symbol of Wales.