Posts (page 2)

Met someone special last night.......

........unfortunately he has a problem with stamina:)

My poor neglected brushes... I've been so distracted and busy with other things that I have not been able to get any work done. Not good. I am planning to really put a lot of time into painting this week. Have to!
One of my distractions of course has been BustaMove. Did you know I am team captain of a group called HalifaxChicks? Not that it is a bad thing, but I do tend to get carried away with good ideas and end up with a lot to do:) Oh well, this is a great cause and it will be lots of fun. Getting fit is one of the big payoffs of this venture but that takes time too. (Thanks all of you who have donated!) 91 days left!
It is a gray rainy Saturday and I have a book to read before tomorrow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathon Safran Foer. It is bookclub night! Yay. I should be painting but I think I will rest and relax for the next little while:)

Ahh to be a cat. Sigh.

Ahh to be a cat. Sigh.

This is Long Lake, very near here. There are narrow trails that follow all along the edge of the water and branch off into the woods. It is a leash free park so one meets lots of dogs along the way:) I don't go nearly enough considering how close it is! So beautiful, especially this time of year. You can swim in this lake too!

Wasn't that flash mob video in my last post fun? I knew it was going to happen so made sure I would be there a bit earlier. My heart was pounding with excitement. So strange to know that something big was about to happen while people quietly went about their business. So fun!
I was watching and enjoying but also thinking, eek, that's what I'm going to have to do in January.... x6. My first big training goal is to be able to get through two aerobic/fitness classes in a day, eventually two back to back classes. I lift weights and walk but I don't really GO FOR IT! So.......big positive changes for me. I would love it if you popped over to my page and supported me HERE. if you can, even 5$, it all ADDS up:)

I am raising $1000 for new digital mammogram equipment. Part of the reason I signed on was in the timing...... Xue's anniversary; I just had a mammogram that day and today is my mom's birthday and she is a survivor. I have had quite a few people close to me succumb to cancer. I thought I would do something to help fight it and help myself at the same time:)

Speaking of helping oneself, my favourite librarian has written a post about the importance of Vitamin D! Worth reading. Have a healthy happy day!

PS. Laura, so glad your bout with Swine Flu is over!!!!!!!!!!

I went to a really interesting presentation last night. It was at the Oct gathering of "HalifaxChicks", a really cool little mico community of women in Halifax who twitter. If you live in HRM and twitter, you are welcome to join! I love the women I have met through it, so diverse and interesting. I digress....

Anyway, Bust a Move is a local grassroots fund raising effort that is about to be officially launched on Thursday. It is raising funds for new digital mammogram machines and the funds are to be shared equally between the IWK and QE11 hospitals to help create an integrated breast health care program. This is the first time these two hospitals have come together in a fund raising program.What is great is that 100% of the funds raised go to the project!!There are sponsors to offset the other costs.

The event is on January 30th and there will be 1000 participants!  It is  SIX HOURS of EXERCISE led by various instructors,... Dance, Yoga, Zumba, Pilates etc. at the Halifax Metro Centre. Rumor has it that one of the instructors will be a man who loves short shorts! I say no more:) There will be wee breaks between the classes and a couple of world records are hoping to be smashed or created ( not sure which) The Guiness world record people are involved and a judge will be present. Prizes and encouragement will keep us going all day.

Did you catch that?? US? Yes!!!!!!!!!! I signed up to be a participant! The cool thing about last night was that earlier in the day I had just had my mammogram done. All the stars are aligning to tell me to DO this! I have to start training now. It is the push I need to really kick into gear and get fit!

If you would like to support this cause and me:), you can donate by clicking on the wee picture. It is via any credit card and in Canadian funds so just put the amount Canadian you want to donate and it converts into your funds on your credit card. ( you get a charitable receipt via this method.)

If you would rather donate via Paypal, I have set up a link here. You donate to me ( I set up a charity account) and I will deposit it to the BustaMove account.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9043909

If you are still reading, thanks so much! I tend to get carried away with projects that capture my fancy! This one is for a really good cause and I love that All the money donated goes directly into the fund!! We each have to commit to raising $1000. I will wash floors if I have to!

If you are from here and want to participate as part of a team you can join the HalifaxChicks team ! Male or female:)
To find them on twitter, @bustamovehfx

Better get  my sweatpants and headband on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A little Halloween fun:) Original available on eBay

There's always something............... National Media Museum

Some links you might be interested in poking about over the weekend: :)

I saw the funniest video the other day that really puts things into perspective. CK Lewis on the Conan show talking about how everything is amazing and nobody is happy! So GOOD
Thanks Gillian:)

29 Gifts, this is an interesting idea! Cami had MS and was feeling sorry for herself. A trusted friend told her to stop thinking about herself and give away a gift a day for 29 days. Halfway through, Cami started to notice things were changing in a big way for herself. The more you give, the more abundance you experience. I started yesterday:) People are encouraged to write down what they are giving and the consequences of their actions. There is a place to do so on the site. I have not joined, I am just doing it on my own.

The New York Public Library digital collection. Oh my what a treasure trove.

One of my favourite food sites when I am looking for ideas for ingredients on hand. I type them in. Lots to discover. Reviews and tips from people who have tired making whatever dish you are interested in.

Wanting to grow in your creativity and expand your photography skills? The lovely Madelyn Mulvaney aka Persisting Stars has started teaching delightful eCourses.

This is a blog that I ALWAYS learn from. A Happy Healthy Long life A medical librarian's take on the latest news to keep you fit! You will benefit from reading it:)

Another writer (and art director extraordinaire) I always get a kick out of. Feisty, shocking and often very funny. Halifax Broad.

Oct 16, 2005, four years ago today..............

In the end, it came down to a dark, dim room,
a clock ticking, two women.
One sitting, waiting, watching, listening.
Nervous. Grieving.
Not sure what she is feeling.
One very still, not here, not there, breast rising, falling, breath in, breath out, breath in......

Their hands linked. I was listening to the seconds ticking by.
Sitting watching Xue.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
I started counting the space between her breaths. Not intentionally, I just did it to pass the time I suppose. I don't know.
Breath, one two three four five six seven eight.
Breath, one two three four five six seven eight nine ten.
Breath, one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty........Oh my God, she's gone.

It was as simple and quiet as that.
I went to the nurses station to tell them, and started to cry. It was over.

They asked me if anyone would want to be called to come in and see her........No, there was no one.  I left the ward. The hall was a million miles long. I felt like I was walking in slow motion.
Left the hospital. Made some phone calls in the parking lot and drove home.

Twenty four hours earlier, around 10 PM, during the raging storm, we had been headed to the Emergency room.  Xue in terrible pain. Lightning sparking crackling and thunder announcing the arrival of our ambulance.

By 3am Sunday, Xue had a room in the hospital.
Lovely soft pink.
Pain meds were administered and she fell away into a deep blissful peace.
Thank God.

A few people came in to visit and sit with her throughout the day.

I don't know. It has been quite a long journey from beginning to end. One I had no idea I was getting into.

It was only just that Friday when we got the news from her Oncologist that the end of the road had been reached. It was rough. He had tears on his cheeks. Her first words upon hearing it were "I miss Jennifer!!!!" Her last words to the doctor were "thank-you". Her last words to me were "thank-you Seela".

Tomorrow is her funeral.
Yesterday was visitation at the funeral home. There were many, many people. Lots of Chinese folk. I was surprised. I wondered where they all had been when she was so sick. Some of the crowd I know, was because of the stature of her deceased husband. He was a good man and well liked. I was really surprised at how many people were paying their respects. Incense was burning, there were magnificent flower arrangements with white ribbons written in Chinese characters. I was given some "lucky" money as I left.

It is strange to look over at her house. The outside light has been on since she died. Her old mum keeps it on. She cannot go to the funeral. She did not go to the visitation. She left the hospital after a short visit because she could not see her daughter die. It is very bad luck. It is not allowed for an older person to see a younger family member dead.

Today, Jennifer, Xue's daughter is eleven years old and lives with a neighbor of mine who has a daughter the same age. She is doing well! Happy and contented. I see her all the time. Xue's two brothers and their families, now live in Canada and Xue's mum lives with them. Xue died of breast cancer that eventually spread to her bones and liver. I am going for my annual mammogram on Monday. Please don't put off getting yours done.