Please Scratch My Back With Something Sharp

I am going slightly nuts.
I have had a rash on my back and shoulders since last Wednesday. It wasn't until last Friday that I figured that it was probably coming from the new scrubs I just bought. I washed only the pants and not the tops, hence no rash on my legs. The scrubs were treated with teflon to make them water resistant. I thought I was having a reaction to them. Yesterday it got really bad and was spreading down my arms (these are short sleeve) and legs, but I had washed the pants. I washed all of them again and my bedsheets and it is still getting worse. Maybe it isn't from the clothes. I guess I had better call the doctor. I actually woke up at 5am in agony as it was iching so bad. I took allery medication and nothing. Like I said, I think I am going nuts.

Got a call last night at work from my sister and I was asked to babysit my neice on Saturday! Yippee! My BIL is in a baseball tournement here in town and my sister would like to have the afternoon off to watch the tourney. And she knows how much I love to spend time with my neice and I don't get to see her as frequently as I would like. So far that is all I have planned for the long weekend. How about you guys? Any plans?

What do you think of the video player? Yea or nay? It is causing slow downs or freezing? Have any requests that you would like to see?

Died This Day

I got an email from my mom today. She forwarded me an article that was in the Toronto's Globe & Mail which was forwarded to her by my grandmother's cousin. Grandma passed away last year but many of her cousins still keep in contact with my mom. This is the article that was sent to me. One of the men mentioned was my grandmother's brother who served in the Canadian Navy. He didn't make it to his 18th birthday.

Died This Day
59 RCN sailors, 1944
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Served aboard HMCS Alberni, commissioned in Esquimalt, B.C., in February of 1941.

The corvette performed rigorous convoy-escort duties back and forth across the Atlantic and in home waters before being sent to Britain to support the invasion of Normandy in June of 1944. The ship was torpedoed southeast of the Isle of Wight by the German submarine U-480 and sank in less than a minute. Fifty-nine of her ship's company, most of whom had just been ''piped to dinner'' and were trapped below decks, lost their lives. Three officers and 28 ratings were rescued by two motor-torpedo boats returning from Normandy. U-480 was later hunted and sunk by the Royal Navy frigates Duckworth and Rowley in February of 1945. Newspaper Article


This is my great uncle Dick who died on the HMS Alberni at the age of 17. He was the youngest child of my great grandparents and I know his death was extremely hard on my family.

My grandmother had another brother who served in Canada's Airforce and was a highly decorated pilot.

Ho Hum

So not much is really new.
I got my test results, probably before the study people did. I work at the lab that has the contract to do this study so I looked it up. Shhhh, don't tell anyone. You might find the next part boring (or interesting!) so feel free to skim if you want to.
Anyway, all my liver function tests are normal but ALP was a little high, but still within normal range. Urine tests all good, CBC what I expected (low hemoglobin, high platlets which is normal for me) but my tolerance test is off.
When I was at the study office, they did a quick finger prick to see where my fasting was. My glucose was 6.2, that's a litle high. When I saw that blood tests for fasting was a 5.4 I realized that portable testers and instrument testing can be off as as much as 20%. The instrument result would be more accurate. They took a sample 30 minutes after I had the sugar drink and it jumped high, just like it should. It was 9.4 but I am wondering if that it too high? 9.4 is pretty high. They then took a sample at 2 hours. It should fall near or below the fasting. It was 6.4. That's a little high and didn't fall to where it should. Now to be a true IGT, the 2 hour should be >7.4 but to be nomal is should be close or below the fasting so I am not sure where I fit in and what the study's criteria are. They might use a different set of standards. Anyway, that is what I know so far. Pretty normal but it also looks like a slight IGT.

Today is Swiss Chalet day at work. We are all ordering from there for supper. Funny how food can make everyone excited.

Our new instumentation is coming in 2 months. That is not a lot of time to prepare. We can see major shift and staff changes. All I hope for is that I don't lose any hours.

I have to work Saturday, it's my turn. But it won't be busy so I can have my long lunch. And that is all I have going for the weekend. Well, that and cleaning too. How exciting!

More Blog Changes

A few chanes to note:
I have added in the word verification feature so combat the spamming. I hope you all don't mind typing in a few extra letters after your post. And if you do, you are just too lazy!
I added a new poll. If you would like another specific category added, just holler. I will try to accommodate you. But I think I have all the main ones covered. And no, I am not adding Swiss yodeling as a category!

Diabetes Study

Well I think I have recovered from camping but the S.O. hasn't. Seems that he picked up a head cold so of course he is really grumpy and thinking that it is much worse than it is. Why are men big babies when they are sick?
We had a major storm go through just north of the campsite before we got there but the site just got a lot of rain and wind. Glad we didn't go any earlier! But there were confirmed tornadoes that touched down in the Fergus area. Tornadoes are a definite rarety around this part of Ontario.

I have signed up for a Diabetes drug study and have my first appointment tomorrow. It is a double blind study so no one will know if I get a drug or placebo. They are trying to determine if drug therapy can help lower your chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes even before you are diagnosed with it. I have a family history on my dad's side and I could stand to lose a few pounds so I was admitted to the study. They first screen you by blood tests to see if you have an impaired glucose tolerance. If it is positive there is a really good chance that you will develop diabetes in the next 5 years. If it is negative, you can still be a part of the study, but it is a side study where there is no medication involved and they monitor you. The study lasts for 5 years but you can opt out any time. Should be interesting and I can find out what my chances will be in developing diabetes. You can read all about the study on the CANOE website or here.

I had my first dentist apointment in three years yesterday. I lost my benefits when I got this new job and when I finally got benefits again, going to the dentist was one of the first things I wanted to do. I had a really good cleaning (I hate that part) and now they have digital x-rays. She took the pictures and they came up immediately on the computer screen. When the dentist and hygenist talked about certain teeth, I could look at them and see what they were talking about. I have just one cavity and she has to do some major refilling and some have come out and one even came out and chipping the inside and side of a back molar. I have deep pits in my molars and had a lot filled to prevent cavities. That is what mainly fell out. They set up 3 appointments for these in November. Ahhh what fun! But I really like my new dentist. She is young (mid to late 30's) and very nice. Good thing as I will be seeing a lot of her.

Quick Updates

Ok, first off, the Def Leppard concert kicked ass! They put on a show like it was 1987 again! Joe sounded amazing and moved around the stage like he owned it. Joe, Viv and Rick S we on cue all night and all had amazing solos. Rick A played those drums like it was nobody's business.
Here is the set that they performed:

# Action
# Let's Get Rocked
# Women
# Foolin'
# Hysteria
# Promises
# No Matter What
# Love Bites
# Armageddon It
# Two Steps Behind
# Gods Of War
# Rock On
# Rocket
# Photograph
# Animal
# Rock Of Ages
--------------------------------
# Bringin' On The Heartbreak
# Pour Some Sugar On Me

18 songs that blew me away. Myself, and most of the crowd were up dancing and singing for all of them. The 18 year wait was worth it!

Today is a day off. But I have chores to do. I have to pick up my scrub pants that I am having hemmed, go grocery shopping for our camping weekend, laundry, clean up the back yard and pack all the camping essentials. We will be leaving when I am done work on Friday. We will be home Sunday. And it is supposed to rain all weekend. I hope they are wrong. At least there will be three trailers there that we can hang out in if it does decide to rain.

Pour Some Sugar on Me Joe!

So tonight is the Def Leppard concert and I am so excited! I have waited a long time (18 years!) to see them and tonight is the night! I will be able to get up and close with Joe Elliott. Mmmm...

Not much else is new. My work uniforms came in on Friday and the pants are too long so I have to get them hemmed. 6 pairs. But at least they were free! Thank you work allowance!

Camping is still a go for Friday night to Sunday. I got to keep my day shift, even after all the drama (see previous post). She was cool about it with me and said I could keep it. She and FSIL have history and I got caught in the middle. She even mentioned that it had nothing to do with me. So I am safe. :)

It's All a Soap Opera

It was another busy weekend from us.
Saturday we went to the wedding from hell. The ceremony was short yet meaningful and went off without a hitch. We had a few hours before the reception so most of us went over to my FSIL for drinks and munchies. It was a coworker of ours that was getting married. The reception was unbelievable. Our group (there were 12 of us) were very out of place. It was trailer park vs. the indian reserve. We saw no manners, ettiquite or couth at all. My friend isn't like that so I have no idea where it came from. We all left early.

Sunday we went to visit my parents as it was my dad's birthday on Friday. My sister wasn't there as she was shopping in Erie with a friend for the weekend. My BIL and neice weren't there as I guess BIL was tired as Paige was up all night. I think she knew mommy was away. :)

As most of you know, I work with FSIL. She helped me get my job that I have today. I honestly like everyone I work with and I get along with everyone. But FSIL and a coworker don't get along. And sometimes I get caught in the middle. Like right now.
I guess the coworker asked months ago for this Friday's day shift if FSIL didn't need it. She did at the time but situations changed and she forgot about this coworker asking for it. Fast forward a few months and I see FSIL name on the schedule for this Friday. I ask if we could switch (we are going camping and we would like an extra night) and she says sure. All is fine until coworker sees Friday that it is switched. She is not happy. So she emails FSIL over the weekend and tears a strip into her about it. I heard the email and it was really nasty. First, just relax. It is just a shift. 2. Act professional and talk about it at work. It was an honest mistake as FSIL forgot about the request and of course, I had no idea about it. If she really wants it that bad, she can have it. Sheesh. I am sure she will go running to the supervisor today. Excessive drama don't you think?

Lazy Eh?

I got this from Jennifer's Blog.

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Lazy Sailor. Where You Lived: North Africa. How You Died: Consumption.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

I Am Popular!

Holy crap! As of April, I have had exactly 1500 visitors at this exact moment!
I would like to thank all the little people for making this possible... ;-)

More Reunions

So The Man and I had another family reunion this weekend. This one was for his mom's side of the family in Owen Sound. What a hoot! That family is so much fun and sometimes just nuts!

We left Saturday morning. We were driving BIL up with us so after we arrived we took the dog to the kennel and I think we made it up there in about 3 hours. We met the rest of his family at the park where the reunion was to be held. There was volleyball and bocci ball before supper. Supper was a wonderful potluck and everyone loved my rhubarb strwberry pie :). After the clean up we went to a cousin's cottage right on the bay so many people went swimming. There was a campfire with leftover hotdogs while we watched the sun set over the bay. The wind was calm and it a pleasent temperature all night. It was unbelievably relaxing.

Sunday was the traditional golf tournament. I don't play (never have) so me and the MIL drove to Port Elgin to a scrapbook store. When we got back we also went to the mall and Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. It was quite fun. SIL and her family didn't golf this year so they went to Sauble Beach. They said it was a perfect day out there.

We had leftovers for dinner and were on the road by 5:30... which is a very late start for us. I was so tired on the way home that I couldn't fall asleep. I was overtired. It was an early night for everyone I think. But it was a fun and relaxing weekend and everyone had a great time.

Today I had to be in Ingersoll by 10am to pick up the dog from the kennel. They are in New Hampshire right now picking up more dogs for adoption. They get them from track there, bring them back here where they are fixed and get a full vet check up. Everytime I go out there I want to bring home 3 more with me. They are all so cute and happy to see people not to mention so sweet with a great disposition. They have volunteers that go out to the farm twice a day to feed them and take them out for a run and exercise so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss them. I would love to volunteer but with my schedule and being 30 minutes away I don't think it would be possible. Their website is temporarily down but when it gets back up I will post a link so you can see all the wonderful dogs that are waiting for their forever home.

Paige is Swimming!

Well, maybe with a little help from my sister. :)
My neice just started her first swimming lessons yesterday and she loves it. She loves her bath time and another aunt of hers (my BIL's sister) has a pool and whenever she has been in it, she just splashes away and laughs with delight. Too cute!








I think it is good to gets kids used to the water at a young age. There is nothing that scares me more is to see kids scared of the water or even older kids that have no idea how to swim. The should make it part of their education. I took swimming lessons for years and could of taken the lifeguard test and I have seen my fair share of accidents and near misses. Scarey.

Recover

So it is the day after the party and I am in recovery mode.
After a really good night's sleep we got up and finished the clearing up. We gathered all of the empties and I realized how much was consumed. We had about 35 people and surprisingly not a lot of food leftover. Most people had gone by 8:00pm due to kids' bedtimes but we had a few stay to the end. Which was good as I wanted the night to last a little longer than 8:00pm! But by 1:30am none of us could keep our eyes open, a sign to call it a night. But it was great being outside all day and sitting under the stars at night with lots of candles and lanterns lit. It really did feel like a holiday weekend! But that also means going back to work tomorrow!

The slush recipe was a hit. Three of us polished off the entire batch. I may have had more than the others. ;-)