Tuesday, April 29, 2003

Drat
I have to go in for the long glucose test next Monday. I have to follow a diet, but it's a diet of more food than I think that I can eat. Then I have to fast, then I do the test again, but this time it's longer and I have to drink more sweet stuff and give more blood. Ugh....
Besides that, everything's fine with the baby, it's nice and healthy and moving all the time.

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Life in SARS City

Here I am in Toronnah where SARS rules or at least the media has deemed that it does along with the WHO. Anyway, this is my farewell tour before leaving CDS next Wednesday. (This time next week I plan to be out in the back yard, weather permitting reading a good book and soaking up the rays.)

So far this week I have had 3 great lunches and a dinner. Today I lunched with my boss, two colleagues and our CEO (surprise guest) who told some really good stories. I also found out that he is as much of a dog nut as I am so you can imagine the dog talk over lunch.

Tomorrow is the grand finale lunch at a wine bar (it's like letting me loose in a toy shop) with a bunch of other people and then when that's over, it will be the goodbyes and heading off to the train station to head for home. It is a "bit" bizarre having this much of a send off, but then this has been a strange year all round. I will at least leave with no regrets or anger. I feel that I will have closed this chapter in my life well and will remember both the good and the bad as lessons learned.

In about an hour I have to go for my exit interview in which I get to say whatever about the company, then off to troubleshoot some Intranet issues and then hopefully go back to the hotel and relax.

As for SARS, I have seen some people wearing masks and the washrooms here in our building all have hand washing instructions (in a large font) taped on all the bathroom mirrors. So far I haven't witnessed much the approved handwashing procedure...but I have witnessed handwashing.





Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Famished
I'm back from my glucose test and I'm starved! Someone, pass me that pile of sandwiches and easter bunnies and stand back!
It went alright, I thought that they were going to suck way more blood out of me, and the stuff that they make you drink isn't so bad, just not very appetizing. As usual, there's a study going on for this test. Apparently, there's a long test (3 hrs), and a short test (1hr). Normally, you go in for the 1 hour test, and if you get a normal reading, then you're ok, but if you test high, then you have to go back for the 3 hour test. The problem is, about 75% of the positive results end up being false after the second test is administered. The new idea is to do one 2 hour test that's more accurate, thereby preventing a lot of women from having to return, pay for expensive parking, and lose time at work. As a part of the study, they have you pick an envelope that has either the 1 and 3 hour test, or the 2 hour test and I assume that they will eventually decide which method is the most cost and time efficient for the staff and patients. I picked the old method (1,3), so I hope that my blood studied up last night and I don't have to go back!

Friday, April 18, 2003

Happy Bunny Weekend!
I'm at work today so I can take Monday off. I wish everyday could be like today, no real distractions, no traffic, a parking space close to the door, and indian food with Maggie. Watched Road to Perdition last night, which was much better than I thought it would be. Tom Hanks is amazingly quiet in this film, which proves that the man can actually act. I'm really looking forward to the long weekend. We're hanging out and going to a BBQ tomorrow, Sunday we're up at my folks where we will also be putting on my summer tires and hooking my parents up to the internet (our house is about to become tech support central), and Monday is all to ourselves. I hope that the sun comes out so we can go for a nice walk.

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

The Lion, the *itch, and the Wardrobe
Seeing as how it was going up to 21C today, I decided to wear a skirt to work, the first of the year. I only have one skirt now, a black stretchy, mid-length number, but what to wear with it? The short story is that it took me way more time getting dressed than normal and I've discovered that I don't have nearly enough shirts to wear with skirts-ugh! I'm kind of in-between at this point and mostly I just look overweight instead of pregnant. At least I'm wearing clothes and didn't decide in a hormone-raging fit of disgust to just go naked.
Hey! we have a new governing party! Really, it seems only fair that another party gets a turn at screwing up our province for a few years, the other had been playing with it long enough - you have to share.

Monday, April 14, 2003

Leadfoot
I got my very first speeding ticket this weekend, in the townships, where police car sitings are so rare that people talk about them years later. What are the odds? I was driving a bit too fast through a town, coasting really, but seeing as how the town consists of a depanneur, a church that is closed, and a guy who sells used furniture out of his garage, nobody ever really slows down. He had taken the lights off his car so that you couldn't recognize it as a cop car, sneaky bastard. As I said to my folks when we saw them, I was due to get one sooner or later, to which my dad added, "especially the way you drive". Sigh, if only I looked a bit more pregnant, I might have gotten away with it. I guess my baby's just gonna have to live with the fact that its got a leadfoot felon for a momma.

Friday, April 11, 2003

What's beautiful weather like you doing in a Friday like this? Why can't you wait for the weekend when I can go out and play?

Thursday, April 10, 2003

The sun is out and it's supposed to get up to a balmy 11C today. I think that I should go outside at lunch and catch some very needed light therapy. Yesterday I spent most of my energy just trying to stay awake. Let's hope that this nice weather stays!
I'm in charge of the weekly lottery pool this week because the guy that normally does it is in Colorado (we see the world, we do!). It hasn't been so bad, a lot of people gave me money right away without any nagging, but there's always a few that you have to chase after...if I did this every week, I think I'd get a pointy stick.

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

I've been feeling very unmotivated the past couple of days. Perhaps it's the weather and the fact that we haven't had a long weekend yet this year, but I'm not feeling very diligent or guilty for not feeling diligent. Thankfully, Easter weekend's coming up! The day after the Easter weekend, I'm going in for the dreaded glucose test. They make you fast, then take blood, make you drink something disgustingly sweet, and then take blood from you a few more times. It takes about 2 hours I've been told. What this boils down to is that I can't pig out on Easter candy just in case that gives a false gestational diabetic reading and they force me to follow a strict low everything diet. Guess I'll be hording most of my candy for later!
I'm picking up my Dad's birthday gift tomorrow. He's 80 tomorrow, but we're celebrating on the weekend. I think that he's going to like it :-)

Monday, April 07, 2003

Ok, so the snow wasn't as bad as we all thought, but it's still all over the ground which means I still have to wear boots. Yesterday was beautiful and sunny. I was going to stay in all day, but a friend threw out his back, so I found myself driving downtown with extra pillows and blankets so he could sleep on the floor. I should explain that my husband is the reincarnation of Florence Nightingale. He called from a cafe where he was gaming to say that our friend had just called and was lying on the floor of his apartment, unable to move. The ambulance technicians said that it was severe spasms, and going to the hospital would just be time-consuming and uncomfortable, so Steve stayed with him all day, kept him company, got him drugs and lunch, and then moved his tv and stuff so the poor guy would have something to do. Did I mention that he also brought him breakfast this morning and is going to bring him dinner tonight on his way home? All I did was bring supplies, visit and get him an ice pack and cookies. I also bought him some smokes at a magazine shop, and bought myself a pregnancy magazine. If you ever want to get a nasty look from a cashier, just take those two items up to the cash...

Friday, April 04, 2003

Loud sigh
15-20 cm of snow tomorrow with high winds...

Thursday, April 03, 2003

Table for one
I was dying for Indian food and no one was available, so I went out and ate by myself. I don't really like eating alone when I don't have a book or something to read, but I was desperate for chickpeas and chai tea. It made me think about the restaurants that have attractions/distractions. The one that I always remember is an A&W my parents used to take me to in Anchorage when I was very young. They had car service, and all the spots faced a large cage containing a real lion. I remember that it was on wheels, so he was probably rented, which is good because the thought of that poor lion living in the A&W parking lot is too depressing. Actually, when I look back it seems pretty cruel anyway, having to watch us all chewing away and watching him, but as a kid it was about the most exciting thing ever.

Tuesday, April 01, 2003

Woo woo April!
The doctor's appointment went great, not too long a wait and I'm a textbook pregnancy, everything's perfect! I bid a happy good riddance to the month of March as I flipped the calendar this morning. Sure, we're supposed to get snow for the next couple of days, but it's April now so we know it's almost over, right?
Too many people at the office are sick. My office mate has been sick for a week and refused to stay home through the hacking and phlegm no matter how much I threatened him. Today I am tired and wondering if it's going to strike me down. Perhaps I will take off a bit early this afternoon and go home and nap. Being sick and not being able to take drugs really sucks....