Posted by flit on Sep 7, 2009 in
flitting,
university We had our open house at our new place in Peterborough yesterday - it went really well, I thought, although I would have liked to be able to stop time a bit so that I could have spent more time with everyone that showed up - I felt constantly torn between wanting to go play with the babies or talk to my mom/sis/niece/etc and other friends…. tried to spend some time with everyone but it just didn’t feel like enough. It was GREAT that so many people came though.
Pretty lazy day today - I’ve been ill for several days now and needed a lazy day and - aside from a few brief bursts of energy during which I managed to get quite a bit of our stuff moved upstairs to where it belongs (now) - and tell Ross where I wanted things hung and so forth, mostly I’ve just been mucking about with my Farmville farm on Facebook- did a complete redo; changed the layout and bought a barn; all sorts of fun and totally nonproductive stuff.
Cooked up my lamb sausages for dinner - bought them at the No Frills up the road meaning to cook them and put them out for the open house yesterday but just didn’t have time. They were REALLY REALLY good though! Ross enjoyed them too, even though he had already said he didn’t much want anything to eat.
School starts tomorrow; no classes this week, but lots of orientation activities. I already have the certificate re: being a TA so don’t need to attend those sessions - but still meetings and social events I should go to. Am looking forward to getting going on my PhD - SO much to learn - but with a bit of luck and a whole lot of work, hopefully I too will be as knowledgeable - and self-assured as many of the people who are further along and intimidated the hell out of me when I met them at various events this summer.
Perhaps someday it will be my turn to intimidate the hell out of others LOL
Tags: flitting, graduate school, infections, lamb, university
Posted by flit on Jun 1, 2009 in
flitting 
New Cottage Country Pest Control Logo
So …the picture I posted in my last article is now being used as the company logo for our new pest control company which will serve Huronia, Simcoe, Muskoka and some of the Kawarthas - all in Ontario for those of you that don’t know.
My youngest managed to cut him out of the picture for me…and made a line drawing as well, that we’re really happy with.
I wrote an article today on our company blog explaining the rationale for using the heron as the Cottage Country Pest Control logo.
Still waiting on some very necessary mail - but aside from that all is going well with our business startup …. database is developed, and we’ve got business cards, flyers and t-shirts. Tamara (my other kid) is working on some more content for the Cottage Country Pest Control website: the bedbug page will go up tomorrow and then we’ll be onto roaches and ants. Now all we need is some more customers! Oh, and less rain would be good as well.
Tags: ant, Barrie, bat, bedbugs, Cottage Country Pest Control, environmentally responsible, Honey Harbour, Huronia, Kawartha, mice, Muskoka, Orillia, Port McNicoll, Port Severn, roach, Simcoe, spider
Posted by flit on May 21, 2009 in
flitting This morning while I was waiting for it to be time for my nontraditional student friends to come to my place for lunch, hubby pointed out that “our” heron was back …
Is he not the most gorgeous bird?
I took a lot of pictures of him - also a video which was cool because as I was filming, one of the many carp that are spawning on our front lawn right now swam through and I ended up with video of him as well. And a picture - see him? or her? I don’t know how you tell with a carp.
I can hardly believe that I’m leaving this for 4 out of the next 5 weeks. What was I thinking?
Tags: Georgian Bay, Ontario, Victoria Harbour
Posted by flit on May 19, 2009 in
flitting 1. My uncle once:
Came into our house (where I was sleeping on the couch) drunk and wouldn’t leave.
2. Never in my life:
hmmm… I’m having trouble with this one.
3. When I was seventeen:
I thought I was HUGE - now when I look back at pictures, I can’t imagine why.
4. High School was:
Lonely. I really didn’t play well with others - still don’t, actually.
5. I will never forget:
Uh - I have the memory of a sieve … so I couldn’t possibly claim anything here.
6. I once met:
Bunches of Canadian authors at the Leacock Festival in Orillia every year. Oh, and several Toronto Maple Leaf players - only because my kid was determined.
7. There’s this girl I know who:
is a rocket scientist - and a damn good writer who should be published (and I get free signed copies just because I whine). Oh yeah, and she (and her hubby) make very cute kiddies.
8. Once, at a bar:
Some twit tried to pick me up with the line “I play hockey” …and when that didn’t work, “I breed fish“. He tried the same combo on my sister and friend as well.
9. By noon, I’m usually:
Halfway through my Entrecard drops.
10. Last night:
I did laundry, had a late supper and went to bed.
11. If only I had:
Gone back to school sooner! I could have been done by now.
12. Next time I go to gym/church:
I’d be shocked by my presence at either.
13. Susan Boyle:
Haven’t heard her sing - I only know who she is by having read blog posts.
14. What worries me most:
The fact that we STILL don’t have wills and if something were to happen to hubby I’d be totally screwed.
15. When I turn my head left, I see:
My very grumpy and somewhat inebriated hubby (he had a bad day at work)
16. When I turn my head right, I see:
A pile of junk on the couch beside me.
17. You know I’m lying when:
I am confident about school.
18. What I miss most about the eighties:
Working with messed up kids.
19. If I was a character in Shakespeare, I’d be:
Cordelia in King Lear
20. By this time next year:
I will be finished the first year of my doctorate in Canadian Studies, and finished my YA novel and sent it off to publishers.
Tags: ask me anything, creative arts anonymous, meme, rocket scientist
Posted by flit on May 15, 2009 in
flitting The hummingbirds are back.
They showed up last weekend, and are visiting one of my two feeders every evening.
I also went shopping with a friend yesterday and bought bunches of new hummingbird stuff. Well, I didn’t buy all of it - she bought some for me (wedding gift - even though gifts were not required and the wedding was a year ago). Haven’t got pictures of those yet… but here is my wall hanging - it’s going in the kitchen to cover the fuse box panel.
Isn’t it pretty? I love hummingbirds. I chose flit as an online name because it was the name of the hummingbird in Pocahontus.
Tags: flit, flitting, hummingbirds
Posted by flit on Apr 16, 2009 in
flitting And my commenters out of the spam filter too!
That is a VERY good thing.
Yay for Akismet…and for people who posted how to install and use it too.
Note to self - do NOT muck about in the comment approvals in a moving vehicle using a Blackberry EVER AGAIN!
Have you seen Nontraditional Students R Us lately?
I decided to put some of my last ever Today.com earnings towards a blog makeover or two … emailed LadyJava about doing them for me and she has already finished Nontraditional Students R Us - same day service, can you believe it?
I can’t wait to see what Lady Java does with flit’s Canadian fiction.
Posted by flit on Apr 11, 2009 in
flitting Supposed to be working on my paper …which needs at LEAST 6 more pages today if I’m to have ANY hope of getting it all done by Tuesday (preferably more - ideally I’d finish the whole thing today and then be able to relax and enjoy tomorrow and give it a last edit and read-through Monday after school but that’s not going to happen) ….
anyway …am trying… but Ross and Tamara, my oldest daughter are in the process of hanging the new blinds they bought today and I can’t help but overhearing bits & pieces of their conversation.
Tamara: it’s fine; it’s good enough; no one is going to know if it’s level or not
Ross: as IF!
And also a big discussion about how the kid safety feature on the blinds is supposed to be installed and whether a kid that could reach up “that high” could possibly still be dumb enough to strangle themselves on the cord….
Tamara: I don’t know - have you met Jess?
that would be my other kid. And I was about to call out and defend her - but then I remembered the time she put rocks in her ears - yes, both ears - just to see if they would go.
And the time we had to pry the bedframe apart (with great difficulty; I thought we were going to have to call the fire department or something) to release her head from between 2 bars.
And the time that I had to take her to emerg because she thought it would be cool to be a ghost so covered her whole head with her blankie and ran toward the door - forgetting about the flight of concrete stairs which of course she fell down.
Yup… kids are ~great~
But hey, at least Jess never set my house on fire, unlike someone else I know…. now who would that be, Tamara?
Tags: kids, rocks in ears, short story
Posted by flit on Apr 9, 2009 in
flitting
So …she thinks the FDGB thing is fainting, not seizure activity (lets hope) …. but could be something cardiac going on in addition to my asthma being a major issue….
blood pressure was too high, and there was a murmer or something when she listened to my heart… the angio report from years ago, which she had there, did NOT show what my doctor told me it had - nothing…. report actually noted that there was an abnormal “sluggishness” but no blockage. Other tests that my doc had told me were “normal” also showed things that were not - no one of them conclusive or WAY horrible, but stuff that - combined with the FDGB thing - she feels “warrant further investigation”
I liked the fact that she listened to what I said, and that she actually SHOWED me the reports from my own doctor (liar) and lab reports and so on …. she also noticed ~stuff~ that my own doc never once has commented on … I have skin discolourations …. one type I knew about, the other kind I didn’t… both are, apparently, possibly related to the abnormal liver function bloodtests I’ve had over the last couple of years… or could be indicitive of other problems….
I also have a whole lot of tenderness in the gall bladder area (no, really?!) which concerned her.
So … she started me on a bunch of meds…. different puffer for my asthma (to be taken religously as directed); some really icky nasal spray (all nasal sprays are icky) which is supposed to clear and calm my sinuses and hopefully contribute to less coughing; and something for gastric complaints (which I don’t really think are an issue, other than the gall bladder stuff which only flares up if I eat anything GOOD).
And she wants me to follow a really REALLY limited diet for the next month, and then can gradually add in foods that are included on a shopping list she gave me… supposed to lose about 30lbs before my next appointment in 2 months. If nothing else, at least the diet should be really easy to follow - there’s next to nothing allowed on it!!!!
Basically went to the grocery store and bought what we needed for Easter dinner which we are doing this year, and everything else is basically rabbit food for me. Lots of rabbit food for me. And seasonings (without salt) and balsamic vinegar and stuff to ~dress up~ the rabbit food, I guess.
I’ve hauled my juicer out of retirement and am going to make carrot juice and use the junk that’s left and make a pot of soup … I’m allowed soup (just as long as it doesn’t have anything GOOD in it LOL)
Got orders for a bunch of bloodwork - will go get those done tomorrow - have to fast first, so didn’t do them today …. although I hadn’t eaten all day, I had had coffee…also on the forgettaboutit list …decaf or tea, unsweetened juice (small amount), no coolers WAH!!! Am allowed, according to the paper she gave me, one “shot of spirits” a day but can’t get into that … hmmm… unless my fireball whiskey counts…. I vote it counts LOL
not that I need 1/day …but at least can have 1 if/when I can’t sleep.
Unlimited carrots, celery and raw veggies though… could be worse I guess.
Anyway … in addition to those tests, she’s referring me for a 7 day loop test with the Holter monitor, a cardio ultrasound, and allergy testing.
So … she definitely seems like she’s going to help me get to the bottom of it… but the diet and stuff is going to be pretty demanding. Especially with the travelling I’ll be doing over the next couple of months… kinda sucks to have a really nice food allowance and not be allowed to eat anything but rabbit food!!
Oh well…by the time I get to Victoria (in June), I’ll be allowed a bit more variety … will just hafta eat sushi every day. Good thing I like sushi :)
Posted by flit on Apr 8, 2009 in
flitting After months - years, even - of waiting for someone … preferably with the letters M.D. after their name… to give a damn about my FDGB episodes, today is the day I see the specialist that my family doctor finally referred me to after I disobeyed his instruction to “not do it while driving” and drove my car into a tree.
That was in November….and at the time, it felt like April 8 would never come. But sure enough it did, and today I’m off to see the Internist and I am terrified.
I’ve heard nothing but good about her… the people at the lab where I had tests done say she is very thorough and won’t give up until she gets to the bottom of things and….
I have pinned an awful lot of hopes on this appointment. And now I’m skerred.
What if she says “it’s just cough syncope; don’t cough“? (Like my own doctor did)
Or - because things seem to have changed from ‘just’ fainting to more seizure-like activity, what if she says that she’s not the right person to help me and I should see a neurologist instead?
Also, I could cope with - but instead just will not do - I don’t WANT to end up back on a wait list for 4 or more months!!
I have, I think, put altogether too much hope toward this one appointment.
It seems to me, right now, that there’s just so little hope that I’m going to get what I want out of this….
not a solution TODAY, necessarily ….although that would be nice 
… but sure could do with some reassurance that I’m on the path toward figuring out what is going one with me, and that if there is a solution…
hell, even if there isn’t, at least to know what the hell I’m dealing with would be nice.
I’m procrastinating… it’s time for me to get off my butt and go find socks and shoes and get ready to go ….
I DON’T WANNA
Posted by flit on Apr 5, 2009 in
flitting Been trying to work on papers … that wasn’t going so well (par for the course with me…I hate everything I write when I write it …. tomorrow I’ll reread and it won’t be so bad, I hope).
So I gave up on those for tonight and thought I’d drop some more Entrecards… yeah, that’ll work… if only the server would stay up and running.
Hmph! And now I’m in here and missing my toolbar - and silly thing won’t click over to HTML either.
I give up… it MUST be bedtime!
