I really have awesome friends. (you guys are cool too)
A friend of mine has talked us down from wimblyville and we are back on track, at least for this weekend. We are heading up with them and are turning it into a road trip, and will split the gas and driving and will be camping with a group of friends. Yes we're sleeping in a tent and will have to not BRING ALL THE THINGS like we usually do, but it's turning into a fun thing again instead of a worry.
We are trying to join another camp for september as well, and I am crossing my fingers that perhaps that would work, and we could drive down with a few friends. That is a bigger unknown so we will see what happens with that later. It doesn't seem quite as hopeless tho... there's a month yet so we will see what happens with that.
I should go get packing...
sigh
At the moment I would like to be happily preparing for a music festival, but we just learned our trip and camp for Burning Man in September fell through so our upcoming reward for getting through everything has just gone up in smoke. No ride down. Nowhere to be. Having never been before, driving down alone and camping in a tent in a desert is not a fun thought...the excitement has turned to stress and apprehension. I am extremely dissapointed. Yet, I do not even come close to how dissapointed J is. Being married to someone who suffers from depression is very frustrating... Lets just say the whole situation sucks and sucks all the joy out of getting ready for this festival, which it turns out will also be a headache because our camper van needs repairs so we have to figure out how to cram all we need into our old car that really needs replacing and I am wary to take through to the mountains. And hope our tent is still OK. And can we really afford it anyway if we can't camp like we're used to? And will we even enjoy it?
Yes my friends. It all pretty much sucks.
I'm trying to be positive and try to prep for our trip and make the best of it but I am wondering if it's worth going between the issues and the moodiness...
Life owes me dammit. This is not how it's supposed to go...
Extra Crispy
Hello! Just spent the weekend visiting my dad...it was lovely. Visited and ate too much and relaxed.
Question for you all...
J and I have decided to head to a music festival this weekend. Should be fun. It's one we've gone to for many many years and I am really looking forward to it. Money will be tight, but to go off and have fun and just enjoy ourselves and maybe even dance like a monkey under the stars will do me a world of good I think. This is a huge part of what our summer is, and I really hope it all comes together...I'm still pretty burnt, but it's starting to heal (and itch and peel...gah). I now have brown patches amongst the burnt bits. It'll come...
I'm trying to think of nice summery things I can wear without being offensive. The thing is, usually when I camp I literally live in jeans/cutoffs and bikini tops but being rather crispy on one side at the moment I need to protect my skin from the sun (sunscreen would burn like hell right now) and not melt of it's too warm. Additionally, I'm still too burnt to wear a bra (tho I might be able to wear a soft sports bra in a few days) and want to cover up my burns (they look pretty nasty) on my right chest and armpit. Any suggestions appreciated. This also means it hurts too much to wear my foob at the moment, so it's all a bit awkward...I'm fine with going monoboob, but I never realized how much of my summer stuff is low cut or fitted, so I've not got a lot of choices here...
Any ideas for things or cover ups I can wear - especially for swimming? I'd love to go swimming in the mountain stream on site...and I only have 2 piece bathing suits. I will have to hunt for the one that looks the least strange with only 1 tata...or just wear a shirt I suppose...
On the plus side tho - my hair is juuuuuuusssssst long enough that I had it trimmed on wednesday so that it's all the same length now and it's looking very nice...very short, but nice...no weird tweedles anymore. Still abnormally short, but it's filled in well. Now I can go without a hat and it looks like I buzzed my head and am starting to grow it back, so at least I don't have to cover my head all the time if I don't want to. And I don't want to...altho I will have to sunscreen my head!
Question for you all...
J and I have decided to head to a music festival this weekend. Should be fun. It's one we've gone to for many many years and I am really looking forward to it. Money will be tight, but to go off and have fun and just enjoy ourselves and maybe even dance like a monkey under the stars will do me a world of good I think. This is a huge part of what our summer is, and I really hope it all comes together...I'm still pretty burnt, but it's starting to heal (and itch and peel...gah). I now have brown patches amongst the burnt bits. It'll come...
I'm trying to think of nice summery things I can wear without being offensive. The thing is, usually when I camp I literally live in jeans/cutoffs and bikini tops but being rather crispy on one side at the moment I need to protect my skin from the sun (sunscreen would burn like hell right now) and not melt of it's too warm. Additionally, I'm still too burnt to wear a bra (tho I might be able to wear a soft sports bra in a few days) and want to cover up my burns (they look pretty nasty) on my right chest and armpit. Any suggestions appreciated. This also means it hurts too much to wear my foob at the moment, so it's all a bit awkward...I'm fine with going monoboob, but I never realized how much of my summer stuff is low cut or fitted, so I've not got a lot of choices here...
Any ideas for things or cover ups I can wear - especially for swimming? I'd love to go swimming in the mountain stream on site...and I only have 2 piece bathing suits. I will have to hunt for the one that looks the least strange with only 1 tata...or just wear a shirt I suppose...
On the plus side tho - my hair is juuuuuuusssssst long enough that I had it trimmed on wednesday so that it's all the same length now and it's looking very nice...very short, but nice...no weird tweedles anymore. Still abnormally short, but it's filled in well. Now I can go without a hat and it looks like I buzzed my head and am starting to grow it back, so at least I don't have to cover my head all the time if I don't want to. And I don't want to...altho I will have to sunscreen my head!
Ding!
I rang Taya's bell yesterday! :)
Done!
The inscription reads:
"Ring this bell to honour your last treatment
Let the sound fill your heart
To signify the bravery of your life's journey."
Taya Rae Sawka
Age 5
Medulablastoma
I had it all wrong about the nudists
Only 2 radiation treatments left! I am glad to say that on tuesday I am finished.
I have been lucky until the last few days but I am finally experiencing radiation burns on my chest, armpit, neck and back and in the last few days I have progressed through sports bras to just commando under my top. Right now it looks like a really bad sunburn, so having fabric touch it is endurable, but not much else. The burns are supposed to progress for another week or so after treatment and then recede so hopefully things will stay at this point and I won't need fancy medical creams or have to forgo shirts altogether. This would be ok in the house, but would likely pose an issue on grocery day.
We shall see how it goes.
Radiation burns are different than regular burns. Regular burns are marked by different degrees, related to how much of depth of skin is burned. Radiation burns are rated by levels and they compromise the skin itself and cause it to slowly break down, after which the skin has to rebuild itself completely if the radiation causes it to blister and break down. That's why normal sunburn remedies don't help much - in my case I need to work to keep the skin as healthy as I can so it can survive the treatments. I have a prescription for a medicated cream if my skin breaks down...but I'm hoping it won't come to that. Everyone is different so it's hard to say just how it will be.
Radiation burns are different than regular burns. Regular burns are marked by different degrees, related to how much of depth of skin is burned. Radiation burns are rated by levels and they compromise the skin itself and cause it to slowly break down, after which the skin has to rebuild itself completely if the radiation causes it to blister and break down. That's why normal sunburn remedies don't help much - in my case I need to work to keep the skin as healthy as I can so it can survive the treatments. I have a prescription for a medicated cream if my skin breaks down...but I'm hoping it won't come to that. Everyone is different so it's hard to say just how it will be.
Ah well. Patience grasshopper. Soon it will be done...
Jungle boogie
Dootladoo! Dootlatoo!
Today I spent my time weeding in the front yard. I pulled 2 full bags of weeds and an armful of some kind of flower that, in some places, grew up to my shoulder from the vines that coat our yard. I have started to make a dent in things. Slowly over the next week or so we shall have our yard back. Mostly.
There is your ear worm for the day.
You're welcome.
I have started to do 1 hour of yard work a day to try and beat our yard back into submission. It literally has had nothing done to it up until this week. Yes it really is a jungle. Saturday I weeded the back flower garden where a few tomatoes are planted and got rid of 2 bags of weeds. Yesterday I mowed our back yard, where the grass was over a foot long and full of daisies. I honestly liked the way that it looked but it was at the point where our mower almost couldn't deal with it and the mosquitoes were settling in in hordes so I pulled as many daisies as I could to put on our patio table and mowed that back. It looks much better now. We've moved up from abandoned house to drug den status I think.
 |
| As many daisies as I could fit in my Irish jug |
Today I spent my time weeding in the front yard. I pulled 2 full bags of weeds and an armful of some kind of flower that, in some places, grew up to my shoulder from the vines that coat our yard. I have started to make a dent in things. Slowly over the next week or so we shall have our yard back. Mostly.
Monday I was good and did day 4 of my learn to run program...this week the runs are 90s and the walks 2 min, and I can still keep up.
Yep.
Things are going on here at Casa Neufeldo...I am 80% done my rads. It's gonna be a good week I think!
Take that inanimate object!
Ha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I finally rethreaded my Serger.
Yes, anyone who owns a Serger will tell you it is a love hate relationship. You can sew and finish things in amazing ways with one but the inside of it is like a spider web of epic porportions with a sharp pointy bit and a blade added in for good measure, so god help you if a thread breaks...you don't rethread these things like a normal sewing machine. You actually tie the new threads to the old and pull them through the zillions of loops and internal holes when you change thread colour because it's maddening to have to rethread the machine.
Yes. Maddening. I have seen my mellow mum lose her shit over this kinda thing. Trust me.
Anyhoo...I have been trying to rethread my machine numerous times since I snapped a thread sewing with it before Comicon in April. Now, I choose to believe that some of my incompetence then was due to chemo brain, tiredness, lack of attention span and an all over crankiness with the whole process. I got so pissed off after numerous tries I just ignored it in the corner of the room (go sit there and think about what you've done!) and went on to do other things. Today however? Different story. After some tasty pancakes I decided I'd like to do some sewing today and, yes, since needed my Serger to do it.. I decided to rethread the dang thing.
And wouldn't ya know it - it worked. First time.
*smug mode*
I finally rethreaded my Serger.
Yes, anyone who owns a Serger will tell you it is a love hate relationship. You can sew and finish things in amazing ways with one but the inside of it is like a spider web of epic porportions with a sharp pointy bit and a blade added in for good measure, so god help you if a thread breaks...you don't rethread these things like a normal sewing machine. You actually tie the new threads to the old and pull them through the zillions of loops and internal holes when you change thread colour because it's maddening to have to rethread the machine.
Yes. Maddening. I have seen my mellow mum lose her shit over this kinda thing. Trust me.
Anyhoo...I have been trying to rethread my machine numerous times since I snapped a thread sewing with it before Comicon in April. Now, I choose to believe that some of my incompetence then was due to chemo brain, tiredness, lack of attention span and an all over crankiness with the whole process. I got so pissed off after numerous tries I just ignored it in the corner of the room (go sit there and think about what you've done!) and went on to do other things. Today however? Different story. After some tasty pancakes I decided I'd like to do some sewing today and, yes, since needed my Serger to do it.. I decided to rethread the dang thing.
And wouldn't ya know it - it worked. First time.
*smug mode*
Smoothies
After my third learn to run session this morning I also did a few beginner leg exercises (the 3 I was doing previously) and some crunches. It feels so good to move again. I am taking thiings slowly and listening to my body, since my left knee used to always offer insults and comments to my workouts. I need to keep an eye on it since all the muscles I worked so hard to build to support it are in need of rebuilding...but it'll come. Lots of stretching is the key...and not ignoring any clicking or stiffness is important with knee issues. doing a few strengthening exercises I was given to help should help me along too, I think. There's always the bike if my knee gets crotchety with running. We shall see. I hope not.
Then...then after running came the breakfast smoothie.
Yum.
J is hooked on Tazo chai tea mix (mix with milk and drink hot or cold...yum...we have started to get that stuff by the case at Costco. It's that delicious). I wanted some, but not too much since it's caffeinated. I threw a banana, scoop of vanilla protein powder, 1/2c milk, 1/2c water, 1/4 c chai mix and 3 ice cubes in ze blendah and blended it up.
Yep. That's getting added to the breakfast smoothie collection!
Add in a fluffy head and it's a good day! (So close to no hats! So close!!)
Add in a fluffy head and it's a good day! (So close to no hats! So close!!)
Fireflies
Late last night on Canada Day we couldn't sleep so we went out for a midnight walk by the river and there were fireflies! We've noticed they like to be in a certain part of the river trail so we keep checking every year. Of course this year there are cougars sighted on the path too, but ya wins some ya lose some. I just love living in a city where we can be out at night and feel safe (well except for the cougar part...).
We seems to be moving from lots of rain to heat and today - almost too warm for me to do my day 2 of my C2K program at 10 am. I will have to get up earlier to get the runs in in this heat I think. We have also started to walk the 3K round trip to my treatments on days when weather permits (though not on run days though...that is just too much right now). Luckily my treatment tomorrow is early so we should beat most of the heat. I like it right around 20C and tomorrow is set to be up to 30...too hot for me. J is half vampire...neither of us do well when it's super hot. I am worried I'll sunburn my head too...but just glad to get outside as much as I can.
Feeling wistful, since this weekend is a music festival we always have gone to since the year it started...and it feels very strange to not be packing up our camp gear and heading off to dance with friends. Ah well...such is life. Only 9 radiation treatments left and then I am free to travel :)
Food question of the day- I have a tonne of watermelon and fresh mint.
What tasty beverages can I make with that?
(Photo by Robin Lee)
We seems to be moving from lots of rain to heat and today - almost too warm for me to do my day 2 of my C2K program at 10 am. I will have to get up earlier to get the runs in in this heat I think. We have also started to walk the 3K round trip to my treatments on days when weather permits (though not on run days though...that is just too much right now). Luckily my treatment tomorrow is early so we should beat most of the heat. I like it right around 20C and tomorrow is set to be up to 30...too hot for me. J is half vampire...neither of us do well when it's super hot. I am worried I'll sunburn my head too...but just glad to get outside as much as I can.
Feeling wistful, since this weekend is a music festival we always have gone to since the year it started...and it feels very strange to not be packing up our camp gear and heading off to dance with friends. Ah well...such is life. Only 9 radiation treatments left and then I am free to travel :)
Food question of the day- I have a tonne of watermelon and fresh mint.
What tasty beverages can I make with that?
(Photo by Robin Lee)
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