I can’t believe how fast the weekend went by….I don’t even remember most of it!  I haven’t been feeling too well lately and this weekend was no better. 

This morning I walked over to the Cat Quarters, which is a home next to the Court Animal Hospital.  Each room houses one to five cats, plus there is a room upstairs which has about twelve kittens.  You may have seen the Cat Mobile around Niagara.  The Cat Quarters is part of Community Animal Allies of Niagara.  Check out their site:  http://www.caancatmobile.org/index.php?action=about  I started volunteering at the Cat Quarters.  My duties include playing with the kitties, loving the kitties, poopage scoopage, feeding, loving, socializing, playing….etc.  It’s like my dream home – filled with cats!  Today was rather amusing.  The main volunteer was just on her way out to drop off her car.  She left me to play with the kitties while she was gone.  Well, within minutes after she left, I broke the plastic rod on one of the toys!  I felt so horrible.  I decided to run out and buy a few new toys to replace the one I broke.  I ended up going to Liquidation World, Value Village, three dollar stores, four pet stores and Wal-Mart!  I bought quite a few baby blankets for the cats plus an adorable fake tiger rug, all at Value Village.  Oh, the clinic was also looking for some sheets, so I picked up a couple.  At a couple of pet stores and Wal-Mart, I bought a pile of cat toys.  I went back to the Cat Quarters around 4:00 and showed the cats their new toys.  They were thrilled, or at least pretended to be as to not hurt my feelings.  I’m sure they all made fun of me to each other after I left.  They likely thought I was a dork for replacing one broken toy with a slew of new ones.  Oh well, it made me happy.  I stayed until about 6:15 then wandered back to the apartment, just a very short walk away.
Now I’m waiting for my sleeping pill to kick in so I can float away to sleepy-ville.

Today’s symptoms:  Very fatigued, bad headache (week two) and just feeling totally run-down and lousy.  I’m tempted to call my doctor as I’ve been experiencing these yucky symptoms for a couple weeks now and it’s not fun anymore!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 6/21/2009 8:48 PM

We are having a bake/dessert auction at work to raise money for Cancer.  I decided to make one of my insanely healthy cranberry pies.  I’m tempted to put a picture of it in my photo gallery, but it looks really scary – not a photogenic pie!  Anyway, it simply consists of cranberries and Splenda for the filling.  I used a frozen pie shell, because I’m a big cheater.  The topping is quick oats, Splenda brown sugar, cinnamon and butter.  I call it “Lizzy McPie’s Cranberry Delight!”  I thought I would personalize it a bit more and create the topping in the shape of an airplane.  Ok, this is where the “I’m mildly disturbed” part comes in.  First of all, who has heard of a cranberry pie?  Second, I gave it a goofy name.  Third, have you ever seen a pie with an airplane on top of it?  Just when I thought I wasn’t taunted enough at work.  Oh well – every office needs a little silliness.

I have to do a product promo, for no benefit of my own, but simply because you have to try it!  I cannot stand feet.  Yuckaroo!  I have never had a pedicure and probably will never have one.  I’ve never used one of those pumice stones because just the thought of it makes me want to hurl.  Anyway, I recently won a quiz and draw at work, which awarded me a Ped Egg.  What on Earth is that, you ask?  Well, let me tell you.  It is a gruesome and gory device that sloughs off the dry skin on your feet.  It basically looks like a mini cheese grater.  Once again, yuckaroo!  I decided to give it a whirl and was astounded at the results.  My feet now feel like a Sphynx’s bum!  Yes, they’re that smooth!  Here’s the link:  http://www.pedegg.com/  I told both my mother and my friend about it, and they both picked one up at Winner’s for $2.00 less than at the As Seen on TV store (where they are $14.99).

Today’s symptoms:  El Pooped!  Holy cow!  I think I’m still trying to recover from my Air Race weekend.  I’ve had a bad headache for a couple weeks now.  I should take a day of sick leave and just chill out, but I have an issue with hoarding my sick leave…and vacation time.  It’s a really annoying habit!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 6/17/2009 7:24 PM

What a great few days I’ve had.  This past Friday was my day off.  There was a golf tourney through work at the Oakland’s golf course in Niagara Falls.  I decided to give the folks on the course a free mini air show!  I did a few fly over’s, and took a slew of pictures.  I created a PowerPoint presentation to email my coworkers tomorrow. 

After my flight on Friday, Chuck and I drove down/over to Windsor for the Red Bull Air Races.  We purchased tickets for the Saturday races.  We decided to splurge and enjoy the benefits of the Race Class seating.  What a great view – centre of the “track”, free drinks and food, nice washrooms in trailers instead of port-a-potties.  Yee-Haw!  We also booked a great room at the Riverfront Radisson, 16th floor with a perfect view of the river and Detroit.  It even had those perfect sleeper beds.  I had mine adjusted to extra soft and fluffy and Chuck had his at the rigor mortis setting. 

When we were entering Windsor, we decided we would go to the Mandarin for dinner.  I GPS’d it and found there was one just blocks away from the hotel.  We also asked the hotel-personage who confirmed there was one a few blocks over.  After we unloaded our schtuff, we headed in the direction of the Mandarin.  We came upon the Armouries where I worked for four years.  I forgot they closed it a few years back and built a new Armouries.  Actually, the celtic group Leahey was performing in the Armouries – I’m not sure what other civilian uses they use the building for.  Anyway, I asked the ticket dude out front if I could make a quick run inside to take a couple pictures, since I hadn’t been there in nine years.  He hummed and hawed, but let me go in quick.  The band sounded great!  I took a couple pics and made my way back outside.  We asked him how much further the Mandarin was and he laughed, stating the closest one was in London.  What the heck?  How could a GPS and hotel-personage both be wrong?  We walked away dejected, trying to accept the fact that we would be starving that night.  The race would go on tomorrow, as we layed in the street in a heap.  After about a minute of walking, lo and behold – the Mandarin….HOUSE.  Yes, the restaurant was called the Mandarin House.  ARGH!  Well, it was a good laugh!  About half a block away was a restaurant I went to quite frequently with my Army buddies, during the four years I lived in Windsor for university.  It was a great meal.

I do believe we are all due for another segment of Words of Lizdom.  Actually, some thoughts came to me after I finished a test at work today.  I had about 10 minutes to wait before the test period ended.  Since I had nothing else to do, I started writing these joyous thoughts down.  Once the time was up, the supervisor stated that we could now hand in our test and all paperwork was to remain in the room.  This makes sense as they don’t want us to write down the test questions and share them with the rest of the office.  I mentioned that I was having a blonde moment, and accidentally started writing down what I was going to put in my blog.  I begged and pleaded with her to read what I wrote to see that I wasn’t spreading confidential test materialage to the rest of the office.  Being the nice person she is, she agreed to this and relinquished my notes to me.  That being said, here is part deux of Words of Lizdom…

Today I will discuss the value and power of positive thought.
When I suddenly became very ill over three years ago, I was rushed through a battery of tests by my neurologist.  She suspected MS from the lesions on my MRI, but had me undergo a spinal tap to confirm the diagnosis.  I was told I would hear the test results within three weeks, but I actually ended up waiting over a month and a half.  It was so easy to allow myself to sink into thoughts of negativity during that time.  How long before I became disabled?  What things would I lose in life?  No one is going to want to be around a sick person…..etc.  After a couple days of these thoughts, I asked myself how they were helping my situation and frame of mind.  Also, how would they impact or change the outcome of the test results and diagnosis?  I came to the conclusion that this negativity and self-pity was causing far more harm than good.  It wasn’t easy, but I forced the negative thoughts out and replaced them with positives.  The negatives came so easily and it took a great deal of conscious effort to turn them around.  Many times I would end up in a vicious battle between the two extremes.  It literally was a constant fight, which was emotionally and physically draining.  It was the most worthy fight of my life.  What a difference this made during the waiting time for my test results, and now in my everyday life.  While waiting for the neurologist to call, I wasn’t as stressed out mentally which reduced the severity of many of my physical symptoms.  It also had a positive influence on those around me.  I was constantly asked how I wasn’t freaking out waiting for the results.  I told them I would deal with whatever the diagnosis was when I received it and I would not allow it to take control of my life.  During the spinal tap, the neurologist told me that I either had a viral infection in my brain or MS.  I told her I would take door number one!  Unfortunately, almost two months later I found out it was indeed MS.  I went straight to work after hearing the news at 8:15 in the morning.  Everyone was so supportive.  Mind you, they also thought I was nuts for going back to work that day!  I figured I should stay active and keep my mind busy, which was a much better alternative than going home to mope!  I did leave a little early that day as I was physically exhausted – and relieved to finally know what was wrong with me (I’ve been wondering since I was eight years old!)  On the way home, the song “You Had A Bad Day” came on the radio.  I started crying and said “Why yes, I DID have a bad day….a very bad day!”  I actually said it out loud in a really silly voice, which caused me to start laughing.  I was laughing and crying, to the point I was snorting!  I had to pull over before my giddiness caused an accident.  I gained control of myself and headed home.  I knew it would be hard, but I needed to keep up my positive outlook on life, despite my diagnosis.  I wasn’t going to let MS destroy me.  It was the worst thing that ever happened to me, but also the best.  It triggered this positivity that has enveloped every aspect of my life.  Sure, I have many “bad days” but they would be SO much worse if I surrendered to the nagging (hi mom!) negativity that is always there waiting to try and sneak in.  If you would like to see what the battles in my head are like, please check out this video.   I’m a pretty silly person, so this is a great representation of my thoughts! 

This concludes part deux of Words of Lizdom.  Please join me next time for the continuation of the story of my life!

Today’s symptoms.  I was really pooped and had a dilly of a headache.  I went home sick an hour early. 

What a day I’ve had!  It didn’t start out too well.  I drove to work and the parking machine took my money and didn’t give me a ticket.  I had to dig out an old ticket and write on it that I had paid the full amount and kindly NOT to tow my car.  Then I walked into work, took my coat off and noticed a decorative button was missing off the front of my nice, new skirt.  (Tip: if you are missing a button in a noticeable spot, remove the identical button from a not-so-noticeable area and sew it where the missing one was)  I walked back out to the parking lot to look for it and stepped in a puddle.  I checked my car and couldn’t find the button.  While walking back to the office, I twisted my ankle.  Back at work, I discovered that all the files I completed over the last few weeks were not signed in time by the proper authority, thus the letters had to be reprinted and I missed my deadline for a couple of them.  I was finished at 2:15 today which worked out perfectly as I had the MS banquet tonight.  I drove home and did some things around the apartment (despite being totally exhausted) while waiting for my boyfriend to arrive so we could leave for the dinner.  I was told the dinner started at 4:00, so we drove to Welland for around 3:50.  It was at that time we were informed it didn’t start until 6:00.  UGH!  I actually considered not going because I was so tired, but I was looking forward to it so much.  We drove over to the Seaway Mall and wandered around for about an hour and a half.  The excitement from purchasing energy efficient light bulbs and Bounty paper towels perked me up a little.  We drove back over to the hall for the dinner.  It started about 45 minutes late, but the yummy meal they provided was worth the wait.  I was presented with a volunteer appreciation certificate and another certificate from Rick Dykstra M.P.  It reads “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish to recognize the resolve and discipline you have shown in your quest to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.  You flight overhead will parallel the determination of men and women alike who seek a life that is even more complete in the absence of MS.  I share in celebrating this personal initiative by presenting you with this scroll of recognition.”  I was asked to say a few words when I went up on stage to accept the certificates.  It was so nice that they did this to recognize my flight over the three walk sites for the Walk for MS.

I’m looking forward to crawling into bed tonight.  I had a late night last night as it was the RAA monthly meeting.  Our guest speaker was Don Bird from Bird’s Performance Coatings http://www.birdsperformancecoatings.com/index.html  The meeting went great and many members had questions for our guest speaker.  I’m sure there will be a few new customers to his business from our group!

Well, I think I’m going to call it a night soon.  I should be doing the next segment of Words of Lizdom later this week – stay tuned!

Today’s Symptoms:  Very exhausted from about 9:00 this morning until present.  I even dosed off briefly at my desk this morning.  For any management reading this blog, please focus on the word “briefly”.  Besides, it was on my break!!!  I also experienced quite a few sharp, stabbing pains throughout my body.  Maybe they were jolts of wakefulness….they didn’t help much though.

I’m SO glad today is over!  It’s rare that I say such a thing.  I usually say I had a really long day, and mean it as a good thing!  At 7:00am, my boyfriend and I drove over to the hospital for my cortisone injection into my jaw joint.  I was surprised that they let him right in the treatment room with me.  I was totally shocked when they let him stay for the procedure!  The nurses are so nice and comforting and really help to calm my nerves before the injection.  As it was last month, it was very painful.  The only thing that was different this time was that I didn’t hear the fluid entering the joint.  After the injection, I stayed in the bed for a few minutes.  I was so tempted to call the doctor back over to my bed to see if he would do it again!  I decided against it as I didn’t think I could handle that much joy and pleasure in one day.  The nurse asked how I was feeling and then told us we could go.  We headed down to the X-Ray department to have his hand X-Rayed.  I squeezed it so hard during the injection, we figured most of the bones were shattered.  Fortunately, everything turned out ok for him and he will get the cast off in a few weeks.
I headed to work straight from the hospital.  I was surprised to have made it to 2:45, before finally giving in to going home.  It was actually a fairly productive day.  I think I could have physically lasted until my regular 4:15 quittin’ time, but mentally I was finished around 2:30. 
Here’s a little handy-woman tip.  If you have those insanely old windows in your house, you know, the ones that have that weather-proofing furry/fuzzy strip along the top and bottom edges…..sometimes they become very hard to slide open and closed.  Simple, little trick – slab some petroleum jelly (Vasaline) along the tracks.  Open and close the window a few times, apply more jelliage, open and close and voila!  A smoothly sliding window!  Ok, it seems kinda obvious but that window has been driving me nuts since last September.  It took me this long to clue into the fix! 

Today’s symptoms: I was a little spacy from all the 222′s I took…..

What a joyous weekend I had.  I flew for the first time in over three weeks!  I’m glad I remembered how.  I knew that to start the plane, I had push a few levers and buttons, adjust a few things here and there, turn a little key, tweak the throttle thingie and pull on the starter-do-hicky.  Sure enough, I did all those things and my little propeller started a’ spinning!  How exciting!  There was quite a bit of traffic that day because the weather was so nice.  Also, the air cadets were taking their gliders up.  I had to wait for two planes to land before I was cleared to barrel down the runway.  It felt so good to be airborne again.  The clouds were less than 2500 feet, so I wasn’t able to go as high as I normally do.  This also meant that I couldn’t fly the Niagara Falls scenic circuit, since planes need to be at 3500 feet.  Oh well, it was still an amazing flight, which included flying over my little mother’s house.  I called her and she came out to wave at me.  I tipped my wings and headed to the south east.  I did a low and over at the grass strip where I purchased the plane.  All the dogs there came running out toward the runway.  Good times!

Today at work, I gave GST system training to some of my coworkers.  Most people remained conscious through the whole session, which was quite flattering!  I have to give the same training to a different batch of co-folks on Friday.  I’m sure that the people who had it today will tell all the Friday people what a pleasure and joy the training was.  They’ll be so excited!  They’ll also be so disappointed!  Yea me!

Today’s symptoms: Didn’t feel too bad.  My jaw hurt quite a bit though.  I have to go for another cortisone shot on Wednesday morning – yuckaroo!

Posted by Lizzy McFly at 6/1/2009 9:30 PM

I can’t believe how quickly this week flew by.  I’m hoping for decent flying weather this weekend, as it’s been three weeks since my last flight.  How depressing!  I think a flight on both Saturday and Sunday would be reasonable in this case.  Another thing I need to do is clean the outside of my plane.  She’s long overdue for a good scrub down.  I’m going to be taking a few people from work up soon, and Odessa should be a little more presentable. 

Well this was bad timing.  I took a sleeping pill about 15 minutes ago, thinking I would have time to blog before it kicked in – not gonna happen!  I think it’s ’bout time to round up some hairless kitties and crawl into bed!  Yee-Haw!  I will certainly write more later this weekend – stay tuned!

Today’s symptoms: I’ve been getting restless leg syndrome symptoms http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/restless_legs/detail_restless_legs.htm in my arms and legs during the day for over a week now.  It’s so annoying!  Also crashed big time around 4:00 and developed a headache the size of….well…my head!  Tomorrow will be better!  For the love of Odessa, tomorrow WILL be better!

Well, it started out to be a perfect weekend!  The plan was to go to St. Jacobs with my mother and boyfriend on Saturday, then go flying on Sunday.  We did end up going to St. Jacobs and had a wonderful time.  We started at the Outlet Mall.  It was a little disappointing as so many stores have closed since autumn.  We headed over to the market and it was totally packed.  The good thing was there were quite a few more vendors than we have seen before.  Suddenly, without warning, a few pies attacked us while we walked by the Stone Crock Bakery vendor.  We tried desperately to fight them off, but were overwhelmed.  They followed us through the market and out to the parking lot where they hijacked our trunk.  We came to the conclusion that enough was enough!  We did not have the strength to battle any longer, thus, we slammed the trunk closed, trapping the little suckers inside.  Needless to say, at this point we were exhausted and famished.  We decided to head to the Stone Crock restaurant in the village of St. Jacobs and submit a formal complaint regarding their harassing and abusive products.  We were going to demand compensation for the torment we had just endured.  Once at the restaurant, we proceeded to the greeter/reception area, to inform the waitress of how we were just accosted by their hostile pies.  She greeted us in a friendly and inviting manner – perhaps a little too friendly.  We didn’t want to go into a full blown complaint and get her back up against the wall.  Subtlety was the key to achieve the greatest compensation.  Pretending to be interested with their establishment, we allowed her to seat us.   Their techniques for drawing one’s attention to the magnificent hot buffet and salad bar could be considered entrapment.  I was flabbergasted when both my mother and boyfriend agreed to the full lunch buffet.  I figured they had a plan so I went along with it and asked for the salad bar.  I’m not sure what they put in their food, but it took over our minds, emotions and taste buds.  With distended yet satisfied bellies, we made the decision to let the earlier pie assault slide.  We know now to avoid the Stone Crock market vendor in the future…..errrr….either that or bring a bigger cooler!

The rest of our trip was great and we had a nice drive home.  We dumped off my mother at her car and the two of us headed up to the apartment.  It wasn’t long after we arrived that our day took a horrid turn.  My boyfriend was walking into the living room from the bedroom, when I suddenly heard little Abby galloping in my direction, then a thud and very loud “snap!”  I instantly knew Abby had run full force into my boyfriend’s very unfriendly leg.  I felt sick and ran after her as she darted under the bed.  I pulled her out, fearing her leg snapped in two or something equally horrible.  Her front paw was bleeding but didn’t appear broken.  Still, we rushed her to the Emergency Animal Clinic, where we were just two weeks ago having little Beau put down after her battle with kidney failure.  The vet examined her and said it did not appear to be broken.  We didn’t want to take any chances, so he took her in for an x-ray.  The wait was brutal!  After about thirty minutes, the vet came out and assured us that there were no broken bones.  He said her knuckle area was a little injured and opened, so he glued the wound and gave her antibiotics.  We were shocked when the technician came out with little Abby wearing one of those satellite collars! She looked like a little lamp.  Check out my photo gallery under McKids to see the little munch-kin in her current state!  I’m hoping to get in to see my regular vet tomorrow to have her checked out and find out when it is safe to remove her gigantic collar of shame.  I also hope to sleep a bit tonight as the motherly instinct kicked in last night, resulting in me staying up all night, with Abby cradled by my side.

Symptoms for today:  I think I’m tired….I think I’m so tired that I feel totally awake.  Does that make any sense?  Probably not, but I’m too tired to think….I think….

The day started out fine, but I had a big crash-a-roo by lunch.  I’m hoping to get some energy back by Saturday, as my mother, boyfriend and I are going to St. Jacobs for the day.  www.stjacobs.com/  Jan and I usually go on the bus tour through CAA, however, Chuck will be driving us this time.  We typically go to the market first and purchase a few muffins.  Then we walk across the street to the outlet mall and head upstairs to the cafeteria.  We chow down on our muffins and slurp some coffee.  That gives us enough energy to tackle the outlet mall then back to the market.  We head into the town and have lunch at the Stone Crock.   www.stjacobs.com/html/restaurants.html#STONE  They have an amazing buffet and salad bar.  Their desserts are to die for!  We are all really looking forward to going this Saturday.

I’m slowly snapping out of my numbness, due to the loss of my little Beau this past Friday.  It’s still weird walking into the apartment after work, and she’s not there to greet me at the door.  Ever since I adopted her in Windsor, she has waited for me at the door.  My other kitties don’t seem to notice too much.  I’m surprised that they seem to be even closer to each other.

On a brighter note – the other day I discovered the ultimate cleaning tip.  There were a few blood spots on my bed quilt from my post-surgery kitten.  My mother and I feverishly searched online for the ultimate cleaning solution for blood stains.  We discovered (ok, I didn’t discover it, as suggested earlier in this paragraph) that one can use hydrogen peroxide to remove dried blood stains.  Well, that’s all fine and dandy for those who possess such a product!  I needed an equivalent.  It turns out saliva has the same effect, due to the enzymes it contains!  I had to think long and hard as to whether or not I wanted to hock a bit ol’ loogie on my quilt….hmmmm…  Ok, I ended up trying it (in a more discrete manner than loogage) and used my sock to scrub the stain.  Lo and behold, it worked!  The blood stain disappeared within seconds!  So there you go – why buy those expensive cleaning products when you can just use your own drool!

I had an executive RAA meeting tonight.  Four of us sassy director folks showed up and waited to get into the office where the meeting is held once a month.  No one else showed so we just stood outside in the parking lot and discussed some directorial issues and shared a few flying adventures!  Our local chapter is seeking new members, so if you’re interested in aviation, come on down to one of our meetings on the second Monday of each month.  Email me at murphage@cogeco.ca for details, if you’re interested!  Also, check out our website www.raa-niagara.ca/index.php

Symptoms for today: I felt totally drained by about 11:00.  I had a hard time staying awake during my 10:30 meeting at work!  I think the emotional drainage from the last week has affected me physically.  Tomorrow will be better!

It’s been a stressful few days.  I had my little Abby fixed and for almost a week, she became weaker on a daily basis.  I took her back to the vet on Wednesday because her stitches were very tight and ripping her skin.  She was also hardly eating and seemed rather lethargic.  It was getting very stressful to deal with her being sick and my other (furred) kitty, who was in kidney failure.  I was in an absolutely foul mood on Friday.  I think it was a combination of being overtired, having a bunch of MS symptoms and the stress of sick kitties.  I warned my boyfriend of my snippy mood – I’m a firm believer in open communication and being upfront!  I figure this way, if I blow up at him, it wouldn’t be my fault because he was warned!  Anyway, after work on Friday, we took Abby back to the vet to have her stitches out.  I was relieved that she was doing a little better this day than the previous few days.  When we got home, Beau (kidney failure kitty) started throwing up and kept trying to go to the bathroom on the carpet, but nothing came out.  She was sick about five times throughout the evening.  My vet told me that once she starts throwing up, it is time to have her put down.  Needless to say, I have dreaded this day for over a month now.  I knew she wouldn’t be any better the next day.  I had her sitting on my chest and looked into her eyes – Beau wasn’t there anymore.  I knew it was time.  I phoned the Emergency Veterinary Clinic and let them know I would be bringing her in.  It was absolutely heartbreaking to hand over my best little buddy of over eleven years (she was almost eighteen years old), but I knew it was best for her.  Whenever she rode in the car in the past, she would meow constantly.  Even for the many four hour drives to Windsor and back!  This trip, however, nary a peep.
I’m going to miss you, little Beau!

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

On a brighter note, little Abby is back to her old self.  Seems kinda funny that on Thursday, Abby was at her worst physically and Beau was doing ok.  The next day, Abby was doing much better and Beau started to shut down.  I wonder if there was a little bit of animal spiritual intervention going on….

Symptoms:  I’m numb – physically and emotionally.  Totally drained.  I’m sure it will get better over the next few days.