What a perfect day for a flight!  My mother and I drove out to the airport and cranked up my bird just a little after 8:45.  After my walk-around and getting fuel, we taxied down to the end of the runway.  Just before we got to the end, my nose wheel started to shimmy and vibrate.  I thought I blew a tire.  I told the tower dude that I was going to quickly hop out and check the tires.  All looked fine so I hopped in and headed back to the Flying Club.  The chief instructor came out when he saw me approach. They always have the radio on so they can listen to the pilot and tower transmissions.  He said that the shimmying is fairly common and seems to happen periodically, especially with the Cessnas.  This was a big relief.  I got back in the plane and my mother and I headed back to the runway.  It was great weather which made for an extremely smooth flight.  My GPS lead us directly to the Elmira West “Airport” after an hour long flight.  It was a single, narrow runway in fairly rough condition.  I ended up parking on the grass near the end of the runway, because there really wasn’t anywhere else to go.  The owner came out and asked if everything was OK and if I needed help.  At first I thought she was going to ask me to leave!  I mentioned that I had phoned them last night and left a message on their voicemail.  She said they don’t always check it.  I was relieved when she said I could stay.  Within minutes, the cab I called upon landing arrived and whisked us off to the Stone Crock in St. Jacobs.  We were in desperate need of a coffee and of course, couldn’t turn down their fresh, home-made muffins.  Yum-O!  We spent a few hours wandering around the shops.  I even got a big chunk of my Christmas shopping done!  A little after 1:00, our moaning stomachs signaled our need for foodage.  We headed back to the Stone Crock and waited for about 15 minutes to be seated.  We both decided on the salad buffet.  Everything was amazing, as usual.  With full bellies, we headed back out into the town to hit a few more stores.  We were surprised at how many new stores there were, plus a few more closures.  Apart from the Christmas shopping, we didn’t buy too much for ourselves.  It was still a wonderful day!  We took a cab back to the airport and prepared to bump down the runway for take-off.  Here are some pics:

No, I don’t normally have plants in the back of my plane.  Jan and I both purchased a flower arrangement!  They were back there with a slew of pies, tarts and muffins from the Stone Crock….and Christmas pressies!

Today’s symptoms: Despite the long day and how much walking around we did, I feel pretty darn good right now!  I couldn’t believe how much energy I had when I came home, and was able to throw in 50 minutes of exercise too!  Thankfully I have the day off tomorrow so I can recuperate!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 8/19/2009 7:39 PM

I have the day off tomorrow so my little mother and I are going to fly to Elmira then take a cab into St. Jacobs.  We usually go on the CAA bus tour in the Fall and Spring, but I thought it would be more fun to fly.  I’ll be able to check out my new GPS (Garmin 495), which should get us there a little easier than using a chart.  At least the weather is supposed to be decent and less humid.

I had a joyous day doing field calls from Niagara-On-The-Lake to Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne, Wainfleet, Ridgeville and Fenwick.  I had to use the doggie treats I had in my brief case when a couple black labs ran out to greet me.  *woof* 

I’m a little disappointed in my mother.  She is typically very observant but was seriously slacking in this area today.  She bought me this gothic doll a couple years ago (named Emily) and I had to leave it at her place as there was no where to put it in the apartment.  She recently brought Emily up to her bedroom from downstairs.  I was shocked when I called her an hour ago and she didn’t even notice that I kidnapped Emily.  I sent her some pictures to clue her in to her neglect:

Needless to say, Emily is having a lovely visit with me and is in no rush to get back to Jan’s house.

Today’s symptoms: Actually had decent energy.  My headache was a little worse than normal, as was my jaw pain.  I hope to get a good sleep tonight so I have energy for our trip tomorrow!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 8/18/2009 7:42 PM

I had one of the best days of my life today.  I have always wanted to try aerobatic flying and today my dream came true.  Dave from my Recreational Aircraft Association took me up in his Skybolt.

We started with a briefing on how I would be strapped in – good thing since it was an open cockpit.  We then went over what to expect from the G forces and how to deal with them.  I’m glad we had this lesson as I ended up putting it to good use!  He used a model airplane to show me the maneuvers we would be doing.  I felt like such a dork during the briefing as I was so excited and couldn’t stop smiling.  After doing his pre-flight inspection and answering my nine million questions, he assisted me into my seat and helped strap me in.  Once I was firmly belted into place with my headset on, I informed Dave that I had to pee.  I then told him I was kidding and that was my attempt at “aerobatic humour”.  He cranked up the engine – what a beautiful sound!  We were airborne within seconds of barreling down the runway.  He held us just off the ground until we picked up enough speed, then he made a very abrupt ascent toward the clouds.  It was such a rush.  In order to make me feel confident in my harness, he flew us inverted for a few seconds.  As soon as we were upside-down, he had me place my hands on my head to prove that I wasn’t going anywhere.  I do believe it was from this point on that I threw my hands up in the air after every single maneuver, because I was having the time of my life!  I was constantly giving him a double thumbs up (he sat in the seat behind me) to let him know I was feeling fine with everything.   He took me through a slew of insanely enjoyable moves and actually did a few more than we planned, because I was enjoying it so much.  We hit almost 6 G’s during one of his final maneuvers, which is when I put my G force coping technique into play!  It was a good thing too since I was starting to feel a little funny as the G’s peaked, and I started to get tunnel vision.  Overall, it was an amazing experience and I am certainly going to seriously consider purchasing an aerobatic-capable aircraft in a few years.  Dave informed me there are aircraft that are good for both aerobatic and “regular” flights.  Thanks again Dave, if you’re reading this! 

After my flight of a lifetime, my mother, Chuck and I went to the Mandarin for dinner.  This is when I told them about my amazing experience.  They both seemed so happy for me.  Yea!  I think I was still talking about it after they carted our bloated, stuffed bellies out of the restaurant.  *burp*

Today’s symptoms:  After recovering from my three day migraine and taking a couple days to get my strength back, I was feeling pretty decent today!  I’m completely knackered after today’s excitement, but it’s worth it beyond what I can describe with words.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 8/12/2009 7:30 PM

Sorry about the lack of Bloggage this week, but I wasn’t feeling too well.  I had a bad migraine for almost three days, due to a bad sinus infection.  Yuck!  I even had to dip into a little bit of my sick leave at work, missing about half a day on the first day and an hour the next.  I had one a couple years ago, but had no clue the migraine was caused by a sinus infection.  It wasn’t until my mother and I went to the emergency room that I knew!  At least this time I figured it out within the first day and started pumping Advil Sinus into me.

Anyway, the title of this blog reflects my suspicions of my youngest cat’s actions today.  I woke up a little past 07:00 this morning, with little Mya under the covers against my stomach and Abby half under the covers, snuggled under my chin.  I thought it would be nice to serenade her, so I started my rendition of “Abby-pop”, which was actually from the Chordettes “Lollipop”.  A couple lines into the song, Abby’s eyes became very googly and she suddenly sprang up from the covers, touching down in the centre of the bed.  Upon landing, her eyes were still very big, and she almost looked to be trembling.  She then fell over on her back, with all four paws in the air.  Geesh!  I know my singing is bad, but isn’t that being just a tad ungrateful and dramatic?  After I got back from my outing today, I decided to take a shower.  I opened the top drawer of the dresser to get some gotchies and Abby jumped up on the top of the dresser.  I had a pair of underwear in my hand and reached for a bra with my other hand.  Abby took my gotchies in her mouth, ran across the dresser while tripping over the material with her back feet, then jumped down and carried them under the bed!  What the heck is with her?  I knew some of my own oddities would run off on her, but not to this extent!

Today’s symptoms: Just weak from my not-so-great sinus issues.  Other than that, very grateful to be rid of that horrid migraine!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 8/9/2009 7:06 PM

Jerk number one: We were at Tim Hortons yesterday and I ordered a cinnamon raisin bagel.  The guy behind me ordered the same thing.  The first bagel came out and he promptly took it off the counter.  I found it a little rude, but knew the next one would be following soon.  The guy took “his” bagel over to his table, then came back to the counter.  Soon after he arrived, the second bagel came out.  Would you believe that he took that one too?  The two workers and I looked over at the guy as he walked back to his table and set the second bagel down next to the first.  He then sat down.  One of the workers knew him and said “Hey Kyle, ummm, do you think you can bring one of those back, since you only ordered one?”  Kyle looked like nothing was wrong as he walked back to the counter and set one of the bagels back down.  What the heck is up with that?  How could anyone be so completely stupid and inconsiderate?  Plus he’s a thief!

Jerk number two: I was driving back from the airport today and was about the eighth car back, stopped at the Homer Bridge.  Two cars in front of me decided they didn’t want to wait, so they both turned around.  I had already turned my car off and wasn’t going to turn it back on just to move up a couple spots.  There was quite a line up behind me by the time the bridge was coming down.  I looked in my rear-view mirror, as I heard some honking.  There was a carload of punks driving the wrong way, passing the entire line.  A car was coming out of the gas station going the opposite way, so now they were headed right toward each other.  The jerks going the wrong way stopped and made the other car go off onto the shoulder to get around him.  He then pulled into the gas station on my left.  I had just started my car and was closing the gap between the car ahead of me, when the car full of wankers decided they needed to be first, and he floored it to get ahead of me.  He didn’t have enough time and all I could do was slam on my brakes and lay on the horn.  I noticed his little jerk passenger yell at the driver to stop.  He slammed on the brakes and his front right bumper must have stopped less than an inch from my front left bumper.  How he didn’t hit me blows my mind.  The guy behind me saw the whole thing so he edged up to close the space behind us.  He wasn’t going to let these boneheads in front of him, so they had to wait for the next car to let them in.  All that just because they didn’t want to wait in line like the rest of us.  I would have given anything for a cop to have been there.

Jerks three to nine hundred and seventy-eight:  All the stinkin little bugs that got in the way of my plane and splatted all over it.  Actually, I feel bad for the killing spree caused by my plane.

OK, I feel much better to get that out of my system.  On a brighter note, I got my plane back today after her annual inspection.  She was thoroughly examined and was in the “stirrups” for over a week.  It was great to have her back!

Today’s symptoms:  Despite this weekend’s jerk-fest, I’m not feeling too bad.  I’m a little pooped now with a fairly bad headache.  I’m looking forward to hitting the sheets soon.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 8/16/2009 8:24 PM

We’re in Erie, PA today, doing a little shopping.  I really mean “little!”  So far we’ve purchased two pair of shorts for Chuck and some magazines for my mother to read while she’s on the treadmill.  It has still been a great day!  The weather was rather icky during the morning, but it ended up being nice in the afternoon. 

Upon arrival to Erie, we started our shop-fest at the Millcreek Mall.  It’s a nice mall.  There are plenty of larger stores surrounding the main mall.  After a couple hours there, we went to Damon’s Grill for lunch.  Great place!  For dinner, we went to Quaker Steak and Lube .  I had the biker chick salad, which had grilled chicked, candied pecans, strawberries, cranberries, and an amazing wildberry poppyseed dressing.  El Yum-O!  Here’s a pic:

I seriously think it was the best salad I’ve ever had.  After our amazing meal, we went to Target where we made our first real purchase of the day, consisting of two pair o’ shorts and some deoderant for my mother.  Not saying that she needs it – I mean, something that tiny can’t get TOO stinky….  Speaking of my mother, the ajoining room was wheelchair accessable, so also had to peep holes (one much lower).  Chuck and I both thought of my mother when we saw the lower one.  We took a picture demonstrating what she would look like if she tried to use the lower peep hole:

I am so glad I’m in another country, because my mother would kill me if she read this while in range of my butt!  I love you, mother!  Just think, I’ve been shopping all day and I’ve only bought YOU some magazines and deoderant!

Today’s symptoms: I had to take an Alertec to wake me up a bit around 2:00.  After resting a bit at the motel then having suppies, I feel a little better.  I’m going to get a good sleep tonight so I’m all fresh for tomorrow!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 8/2/2009 8:13 PM

Oh dear….I’m so ashamed about what happened today, but I’ll share it with y’all regardless.  I knew I had to leave the office during the morning to do some field calls.  I figured I would park out front at the meter and run out at 9:00 and put a in couple bucks.  Usually, I pay $4.50 at the municipal lot across the street.  Well, I got gabbing to a co-worker about shopping in Erie, Pen. since we’re going there this weekend.  This guy goes there quite often with his family, so I wanted to get a few tips.  Well, I lost track of the time and it was 9:25 when I got back to my desk.  I ran out to may car to put money in the meter, and there was a dreaded ticket laid ever so neatly upon my windshield.  ARGH!  I’ve never had a ticket before!  I was so nervous it was going to go on my record.  I ran next door to City Hall and paid it within about 10 minutes.  The clerk asked how I was and I said I just got my first ticket ever!  She said “Congratulations!”  I told her it was actually kinda exciting – I felt like such a rebel…without a cause!  Err, I did have a cause, and that was to save money.  So I could have paid $4.50 across the street (stress-free!) but instead I paid a $9.00 parking ticket and $2.00 in the meter.  Lesson learned! 

Traveling during my field calls got a little messy.  I hit some serious bugage while out on the country roads.  It was SPLATACULAR!  Poor little guys.

Following up my last Words of Lizdom, which dealt with knowing and accepting your limitations, I think I did that tonight!  My boyfriend and I were going to fly to Edenvale (close to Collingwood) for a fly-in and car show.  Then we’re going to Erie to shop on Sunday and Monday.  I knew this was really going to be pushing it for me physically.  I made the decision to fly somewhere closer tomorrow (probably Brantford for breakfast) then I can be all ready for our Erie shopfest.  I feel disappointed that I can’t go to Edenvale, and also disappointed in myself.  I feel like I’m giving in.  I guess I am, but it is best for my health.  Before I made this decision, I read over my Words of Lizdom and told myself “Take heed, little blonde grasshopper!”  And that I did!

Symptoms for today:  Not as weak as the last few days.  Actually, it was a fairly decent day.  The field calls pooped me out.  I probably shouldn’t have done my exercises when I got home – duh!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/31/2009 8:08 PM

The lesson today is one I learned but do not always follow – I’m working on it though!  Know your limitations and accept them.
This is something I’ve been struggling with for most of my life.  Before I was diagnosed with MS and experiencing symptoms I didn’t understand, I chalked it up to just being lazy and weak.  Even when my body was screaming out for me to stop and rest, I just kept pushing and forcing myself to carry on.  If I gave into my physical symptoms and weaknesses, I considered myself to be lazy and incompetent.  Quite the self-punishing over-reaction, wouldn’t you say?  Now I know that my physical symptoms are due to MS, but my previous ways of thinking are often still there.  Fatigue is my most frequent and debilitating symptom – I KNOW this.  However, I often do not ACCEPT the limitations it places on me physically and sometimes emotionally and mentally.  I am determined not to let it defeat me and take over my life.  Even when the fatigue peaks and my body begs me to stop and rest, I am often defiant to give in and let the MS win.  Ok, so I’m half way through this lesson, and I am better than I was!  I am also very fortunate to have so many supportive and loving friends and family who help convince my mind that my body needs a break!  I try hard to hide my symptoms from those around me, but apparently everyone who knows me at all can see through my act of feelin’ fine!  I’m always so afraid of what other people will think of me if I give in and slow down or stop altogether.  They’ll think I’m weak and just making excuses.  A recent example is the difficult decision I made to cancel the meeting I had scheduled tonight.  It took me over two hours to get up my nerve and phone the woman running the meeting, to tell her I just couldn’t make it tonight because I had a really bad day fatigue and strength-wise.  I’m still going on about it in my head – all I can focus on is how she must be thinking how I let her down and I’m really not serious about the project the meeting was for.  I’m embarrassed and I feel like a disappointment.  People around me at work noticed how run-down and physically weak I was today, and also how upset I was this afternoon.  I told them that I made the selfish decision to cancel a meeting because I need to do what is best for me, and that was to rest and recuperate tonight.  They all said that I did the right thing and were happy to see that I finally gave in and did what was best for me health-wise.  I don’t see why the right thing feels so wrong!  Anyway, so this is where I am with regards to tonight’s Words of Lizdom.  I know my limitations but I am not quite at the point in my life where I am willing to accept them.  This is not helping me physically or mentally and is something I need to work on every day until I smarten up and get it right!  Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Today’s symptoms:  Very fatigued and weak.  My jaw was hurting quite a bit too.  I’m feeling physically and mentally deflated due to my decision to cancel my meeting.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/28/2009 7:00 PM

What a wonderfully productive day, despite being grounded again.  My boyfriend and I toddled to Tim Hortons for some brekkie, then over to Michaels Craft Store.  I decided I needed some stamps (the kind with an ink pad) to spruce up my life.  I bought a package of mini stamps – twenty-six in total.  Everything from a kitty paw, snowman, kissing lips to a dancing frog and smiling bunny.  I will be able to stamp my outgoing correspondence, notes to coworkers and my coworkers themselves!  I’m sure they will really appreciate it.  After Michaels, we went next door to The Brick.  We decided to replace the dresser we got for free, left by the previous tenant.  We ended up purchasing an armoire.  Oh la la!  I can’t wait until it arrives so I can organize my extensive hoodie collection.  I’ll leave a corner of a shelf for my boyfriend, too.  Tres chic!
I have to take my precious little Abby (younger Sphynx) to the vet tomorrow.  It looks like her right eye is clouded over a bit.  I hope it’s nothing serious – she’s too cute to be sick!

Today’s symptoms: A little weary but not too bad fatigue-wise.  I’ve had a fairly bad headache all day.  Some sharp pains in my forearms as well.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/26/2009 8:38 PM

A friend at work recently introduced me to the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella.  I just purchased the fourth book in the series yesterday and finished it tonight.  Very entertaining – I greatly recommend the books [ Shopaholic website ]  I see the movie was recently released on DVD, so I’ll have to see if it’s as good as the books.  I just purchased the fifth from www.bookcloseouts.com  The books are all around 80% off.  Also, rather than pay for shipping, you can have your order delivered to the Book Depot on Welland Avenue in St. Catharines for pick up!  The store is insanely huge – if you love books, you can easily spend hours in there.

I don’t have any flights planned this weekend due to the icky weather.  It looks like the whole week is going to be like this. 
I visited my little mother today and we wandered around the Seaway Mall.  My shopping adventure ended in one pair of socks from the Zellers Clearance store, totaling 68 cents!  I know you’re probably thinking I went a little overboard, but let me explain!  One of my favourite pair of socks (grey with little white scottie dogs and ribbons) developed a fatal hole in the heel.  A single tear trickled down my cheeck as I gently lowered them into the rubbish bin.  “Farewell, my friends!”  Thou shalt be missed!”  I swear that I could hear Taps playing softly in the background….

Today’s symptoms:  I’ve been pushing myself a little hard lately and it caught up with my pathetic little bod today around 1:00.  I drove home from my mother’s and spent the rest of the day in bed, reading my book and snuggling with my kitties.  I have also had a bad headache for much of the day.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/25/2009 7:43 PM

I’ve had a rough few days, mainly with pretty intense exhaustion.  I went home a couple hours early today and I just wasn’t able to concentrate.  It was still a rather productive day.  I hope to go out on the road tomorrow and do some field calls. 
It’s my mother’s birthday on Thursday.  It’s my compressed day off so I’m forcing her to spend the day with me.  We were going to fly to St. Jacobs (there’s an airport in Elmira) and take a cab into town.  Unfortunately, the weather isn’t working out too well for flying this week.  We’ll probably just head over the River and do some shopping.  Speaking of shopping, y’all must check out the iPod Touch.  http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/  Wow!  I can’t believe what this little device is capable of.  It certainly surpassed my expectations.  There are tons of applications such as games, books, utilities, etc.  I’ve downloaded tons of little pilot apps that have airport info, aviation weather updates and aircraft recognition guides – all for free.  I’m also trying to teach myself French, so I found a bunch of free tutor programs.  I can’t do it any justice on here.

Something creepy just happened.  I was thinking of what else to put into tonight’s blog.  While fishing for ideas, I thought of mentioning how the Goldfish crackers in the States are not as good as the ones from Canada.  Moments after this thought, my boyfriend said “Why don’t you mention how the Goldfish crackers in the States aren’t as good as the ones in Canada.”  Ok, now I’m wide awake and weirded out.  Help.

Today’s symptoms: Very weak right arm and overall fatigue.  I just feel totally drained – it will get better though!  It must!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/21/2009 8:46 PM

What a wonderful day off.  My mother and I headed out to the airport around 8:30.  We were hoping to make it out to Stratford for around 10:00.  I couldn’t believe how slow we were climbing due to the high humidity.  It was a very smooth flight though.  We arrived at Stratford Airport at exactly 10:00.  I called Stratford Unicom just before landing and the dispatcher asked me if I would like her to call me a cab.  I parked the plane and the cab was waiting for us as soon as we walked into the terminal building.  The dispatcher greeted us and made us feel very welcomed.  http://www.geocities.com/pcfc69/page6.html  We had the cab drop us off at the Tim Horton’s downtown.  We were in desperate need of a java and goodie.  It was such a nice town, with great shops in a relatively small area.  We wandered around for a few hours before starting to get a little pooped.  Back at the Airport, my sleepiness took over, as shown here:

Ah yes, the two blondes take a little nappy together.  I hope I’m still welcome at Stratford Airport, despite my obvious silliness.  Jan and I would love to go back in the Fall.

I discovered a very interesting artist at one of the shops, and I’m interested in purchasing a print or two.  His name is Michael Sowa and you can check out some of his works here: Michael Sowa    We had a tail wind on the way home so the trip was about 20 minutes shorter.  Unfortunately, the white, fluffy clouds were rolling in which made the ride a tad bumpy.  Once we landed back in St. Catharines, Jan asked me if I turned off all the “buttons and things.”  I’m proud to see how much she has picked up on the technical garble of aviation!

Today’s symptoms:  My little nap on the floor of the terminal building at the Stratford Airport perked me up enough for our flight back.  Now I’m so tired I could…..sleep.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/16/2009 7:14 PM

I had a rather interesting day yesterday while out on field calls for work.  I’m always very observant of my surroundings during field calls, especially when looking for dogs.  The first house I went to was out in the boonies so I was extra vigilant during my search of the area for dogs.  There were none that I could see, until I reached out to ring the doorbell.  Just then, a great big dog stood up from behind the bench next to me.  This dog made me very nervous as it didn’t seem overly happy.  We spent over a minute turning around in circles while he sniffed me.  I made sure not to make eye contact and always held my brief case between us.  Finally a woman came to the door and a wave of relief came over me.  However, it was rather short-lived as she wasn’t too happy either!  The next house I went to had three big bow-wows inside.  The kid who answered the door held the black lab-looking dog back while the other two stayed in the background.  At this point, I was desperately hoping for another type of pet to greet me at the next house….something like a hamster or guppy fish.  I pulled up to the third house and parked across the street.  I heard a woman in the yard, as well as another big dog!  I figured since she was out there, the dog was either tied up or she was holding it back.  No such luck!  No sooner did I open my car door then I saw a big ol’ rottweiler running toward me.  I quickly closed my door and asked if he was a nice dog.  She said yes.  I asked if he was a nice dog toward civil servants and she said yes.  I told her I was putting my trust and life in her words and stepped out of my car.  The dog was actually a big sweety and practically licked me to death.  No one answered at the next two houses I went to but the final residence had a slew of big, drooly dogs.  The person I was visiting wasn’t too happy to see me so after I dropped off some correspondence, I didn’t linger!

I did field calls again today and only came across one dinky little dog.  He looked like something the cat coughed up.
I have the day off tomorrow and my mother and I are flying to Stratford.  http://www.welcometostratford.com/  I phoned the airport today and the female who answered said she would call us a cab once we had the airport in sight, so it would be there when we landed.  How nice and accommodating!

I would like to apologize to my faithful viewers for not providing another segment of Words of Lizdom, as I promised this past weekend.  I was actually a little bummed out and did not feel inspired enough to write something truly uplifting and positive.  Stay tuned, it will happen soon!

Today’s symptoms: I’m actually feeling pretty darn good today.  The fatigue started setting in around 3:30.  No major muscle aches, but I’ve had a headache for most of the day.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/15/2009 6:05 PM

…just like my mother…well, the “short” part anyway!  She means well though….sometimes….
It was an OK day today.  My mother had her car in the shop since yesterday, as the air conditioner wasn’t working.  Jim, the mechanic, phoned around and managed to get a used part which was drastically less than a new one.  It’s my mother’s birthday later this month (she’s turning the big 4-0!  Plus a few years experience…)  My boyfriend called the mechanic this morning and gave him his credit card to foot (or paw) the bill.  He said to tell my mother that it was a birthday present from her grandkids (my two cats).  The mechanic’s wife went out and got my little mother a birthday card with two cats on it, and put my cat’s names and a sweet birthday note inside.  It was so nice of her!  My mother was totally shocked when she was dropped off to pick up her car and pay the bill.  It’s things like this that make the drive all the way to out Wainfleet well worth it!  Need a great mechanic?  Go see Dakin Automotive – (905) 899-0199; 81982 Regional Rd 27, Wainfleet, On, L0S 1V0.

Today’s symptoms: Very bad exhaustion set in around 2:00.  I feel horrible about dozing off during training at work today.  I tried so hard to fight it but couldn’t stay awake.  I’m going to apologize to the instructor tomorrow. 

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/8/2009 8:23 PM

I came to the conclusion on Friday night that driving somewhere for breakfast the next morning just wasn’t going to cut it.  I checked online for airports with restaurants and decided Brampton would be a nice little flight.  My boyfriend and I took off from St. Catharines around 9:30 Saturday morning and headed out to Brampton.  It was a rather rough flight due to the gusty winds and clouds.  However, we made it to Brampton with most of the plane in tact.  We met up with one of his employees from the area and had a really nice breakfast at the airport restaurant.  http://bramfly.ca/7_restaurant.html  I was surprised at how busy the airport was.  The flight back to St. Catharines wasn’t quite as bumpy, but wouldn’t be considered smooth either. 

I flew again today as it was a coworker’s son’s birthday.  Every time he sees a plane fly over his house, he asks if it’s me.  Well, today his mother could say “yes!”  I did a fly-over and got a few nice pictures.  It’s kinda hard to fly the plane and take decent zoomed-in pictures at the same time.  I’m looking forward to hearing about what her son thought about his own personal air show! On the way back to the airport, I took some pictures of my mother’s house.  I also snapped a few around Fonthill and Welland – check out my updated “Odessa” photo gallery!  I flew over the cemetery (as per my previous blog entry) and was able to locate my plot from 2000 feet above! 

So that was my joyous weekend.  I’m hoping for nice weather next weekend as there are several fly-ins around Southern Ontario.  I will also be flying over the CRA family BBQ/picnic on Saturday. 

Symptoms for Today:  Despite my long weekend, my main complaint was my headache.  I think it is my new friend as it really seems to like me.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/5/2009 7:39 PM

I’m so ashamed that I missed adding a blog entry on Canada Day.  My boyfriend and I decided at the last moment to head over the river for some shopping.  We hit the bridge around 9:00 am and scooted our way through the Nexus lane.  The first stop was TOPS for some groceries.  For the last few years, I have been bringing back jars of Mrs. Richardson Caramel Sauce to my peeps at work.  It has to be the best sauce around.  However, for about a year now I can’t seem to find the caramel anywhere – only the fudge variety.  I can’t tell you how many stores I have looked in, but to no avail!  I have recently come to the conclusion that the only way we will acquire our beloved sauce is to order a case online.  We’re desperate, so it’s worth a try! 

Anyway, we bought a few groceries then headed to the Galleria Mall.  I think we were both shocked over how little we purchased.  We picked out a few candles at Yankee Candle (they were less than half price), some items at the Bath and Body shop, and he bought a couple pair of shorts.  That’s it!  It was a nice day though.  After arriving back in Canada, we went to a friend’s back-yard-Canada-Day-Extravaganza!  We weren’t able to stay too long as Chuck pooped out.  I don’t think he was able to handle trying on multiple pairs of shorts.  Usually when he shops, he plucks the item off the shelf and makes the purchase without trying it on.  I’m glad I made him try on the shorts because the first pair made him look like a frumpzilla!  Since I made him donate all of his old, 18th century shorts, it was only fitting that I made sure his new shorts were….well…fitting!  It was so nice to see him dress like he was living in the year 2009.

I was too pooped after my shopping excursion to even write a blog entry yesterday.  How sad is that?  With the holiday mid-week, today actually felt like Monday.  It’s kinda nice that tomorrow is Friday.  I’m hoping for some decent weather this weekend as I have a few flights planned.  The one on Sunday will consist of a fly-over for a co-worker’s son’s birthday.  Every time he sees a plane fly over his house, he asks his mother if it is her friend Elizabeth.  He is going to be thrilled when he sees me fly over just for him and his friends. 

Today’s symptoms:  I’m feeling pretty good today after my long day shopping.  My headache is still aching and my jaw is throbbin’ but that’s about it!  My fatigue is average today.

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 7/2/2009 8:40 PM

This weekend was just peachy.  On Saturday, I took up a coworker’s daughter for a flight around Niagara.  What a great birthday gift from her mother!  It was nice weather and a smooth ride.  We did a few circuits over Niagara Falls, then along the Lake Erie shoreline, up through Port Colborne and Welland, did a low and over back at the airport (for a photo op by my passenger’s mother) then came in for a landing.  My passenger really enjoyed herself and took some great photos.  I was quite happy to get out flying yesterday, as the weather forecast for the next week looks el yucko. 

Today (Sunday) my boyfriend and I went to the St. Catharines Flying Club (where I keep my plane) for a pancake breakfast.  We met up with my flight instructor/friend, who had flown his Champ down.  I have never flown in this type of aircraft.  It is a two-seater – one behind the other.  He asked me if I wanted to go for a flight after breakfast.  I figured I would be a passenger in the back, but he told me to hop in the front.  After my less-than-graceful entrance into the plane, John crawled in the back (where there is a second set of controls).  I started her up and he allowed me to taxi to the end of the runway.  I was quite surprised when he let me do the take off.  My Cessna 150 and the other planes I have flown have control column (yoke) and the throttle is controlled with a “knobby” with my right hand.  The Champ has a stick controller (which comes up from the floor) and the throttle is a lever on the left wall of the cockpit – thus a totally different way of flying and controlling the plane.  I think my many years of video gaming paid off as I caught on to the stick control quite quickly.  I was thrilled when he let me fly the entire circuit, plus land.  My first landing was off to the right side of the runway and not quite as soft as I would have liked, however my next two were quite a bit better.  I think both my instructor and I were surprised that I was able to convert over to these new controls quite well!  It was an amazing experience, one which certainly needs repeating!  I do need to work on my dismount though, as crawling out of the plane was even a bigger disaster than getting in!
The rest of my day went well.  I visited my extremely tall mother, as I normally do on the weekend.  She was notified by the cemetery that our plot marker was installed.  We decided to visit it today.  I figured it would be really weird to see my name on a plot marker, but it was actually kinda neat!  Here’s why:

Yes, it’s a little unique.  It’s also very comforting to know that this has been taken care of.  Not that either of us is going to need it for at least 49 more years.

Today’s symptoms:  Bad headache later in the day.  Other than that and the usual fatigue, it was a pretty good day, symptom-wise!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 6/28/2009 8:00 PM

What a wonderful day!  Despite the hazy weather, my mother and I decided to fly to Toronto for a little scenic tour of the city.  We took off from St. Catharines at 9:25 this morning.  We couldn’t even see Toronto until we were practically in it, due to the haze.  I requested flight following from around Grimsby until I was passed off to City Centre.  We entered the city at 2000 feet.  Check out the updated photos in my Odessa gallery, and you’ll get a good idea of how poopy the weather was.  Still, when we were flying by the CN Tower, it was just amazing!  I can’t wait to go back on a clearer day.  The flight back was a little bumpy so I headed out over the water (which is typically smoother air).  My mother gets quite tense when it’s not a smooth ride!  Just as we were coming in for a landing back at St. Catharines, we heard a Hercules aircraft call the tower and stated he would be doing some fly overs.  We took a few pictures as it flew over, but the zoom on our cameras just didn’t cut it for distance.  Thus, I decided to buy a new camera.  Actually, I’ve been researching them for a week or so now.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted a superzoom or SLR.  

Jan and I went to Tim Hortons for a greatly needed coffee and treat.  Afterwords, we went to Best Buy to check out their cameras.  I found the one I was looking for – a Canon PowerShot SX10.  I was informed by the sales clerk that they were sold out.  She said she would go check their system to see if another Best Buy had one in stock.  While she did that, I did something very naughty.  I phoned Future Shop!  Unfortunately, she returned while I was on the phone with Future Shop’s digital camera department.  Bob was tellling me they had three left and asked if I wanted him to set one aside for me.  He also let me know the price, which was a little less than Best Buy.  I hung up the phone and apologized profusely to the Best Buy clerk.  She was so nice about it and actually said she was going to suggest checking out Future Shop.  I thanked her for her time, then Jan and I left and drove over to Fairview Mall.  Bob greeted us as we walked up to the digital camera section.  I remember speaking to him a few months ago when I was purchasing a battery charger.  He explained all of the features on the Canon and also the comparable Nikon version.  Although Nikon had 24X zoom and the Canon had 20X, I still decided to go for the Canon.  I felt so bad for what I did to the clerk at Best Buy, then I was hit with guilt for poor Bob.  He explained the extended warranties available and I kept saying I would have to think about it.  I’m usually not one to purchase extra warranties.  Well, soon after Jan and I walked out of the store (and I mean within two minutes!), we had talked me into purchasing the four year warranty.  I walked back into the store and loudly said “Oh Bob!  We’re back!”  I told him I was going to purchase the warranty and he informed me I would have to go through Customer Service.  I felt so bad, as I thought he could just quickly ring it through.  Anyway, he walked us over and stood there with us until the clerk was available.  I felt really bad for being a pain in the butt, but I’m sure all parties involved will find it in their hearts to forgive me.  Future Shop rocks!  http://www.futureshop.ca/home.asp  Actually, I have purchased most of my electronics here, from my computers and laptops, cameras, printers, speakers, CD players, receivers, etc.

I’m just going to finish up this entry, then head over to the Cat Quarters to play with the kitties.  I’m going to stop in at Rick Dykstra’s office to see if they will still be holding the community BBQ tonight, or if it will be canceled due to the weather.

Today’s symptoms: I just had a slight headache this morning.  I certainly feel quite a bit better today than I have over the last couple of weeks.  Things are looking up!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 6/25/2009 2:15 PM

Ok, I remembered to bring yesterday’s blog home from work today, so here it is:

My mother and I had our plot marker made up last Fall and decided to have it installed this Spring.  What’s the rush?  Well, if I’m going to pay that much money for something, I would like to see it at some point in my lifetime!  Also, we had more put on the marker than just our names and dates.  I will post a picture of it eventually….  Anyway, I was driving by the cemetery yesterday and decided to see if it was installed yet.  I was surprised to see there was just a green stick in its place.  I phoned the cemetery later in the day and asked when the plate would be installed.  I told the woman who answered that the stick in the ground was lovely, especially since one of my favourite colours is green.  However, it isn’t quite what we had in mind.  She asked for the name of the deceased and I told her no one was deceased yet, it was for my mother and I.  She said “So let me get this straight, you purchased a plot marker, but you’re not deceased yet, are you?”  Needless to say, I was quite shocked as I have never before been asked if I was dead.  I told her “I am pretty sure I am still alive – hello!”  She was supposed to look into the status of the marker and get back to me.  I haven’t heard back from her yet – she’s probably too embarrassed to call back.

My afternoon involved two meetings, one which was two hours and held at the library across the street.  I was hoping to go out on field calls again today, but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow or Friday.  I have Thursday off as a compressed day.  I work an extra hour every day so I get two days and two hours off per month (compressed schedule).  I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do on that day.  Maybe my little mother and I can go for a flight somewhere.  I’m sure she’s rolling her eyes right now as she’s reading this.  I love you, little mommy!  (Jan say “hmmmmmm….yeah, right!”)

Hopefully I will have a nice flight tomorrow and will be able to show some pictures to y’all. 

Today’s symptoms:  Not too bad in the morning.  Headache is getting better.  People at work told me I looked really drained.  It wasn’t my best day but far from my worst!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 6/24/2009 3:38 PM