A new apartmernt for some brings new surroundings to others

I spent my whole day today alone.... normal.. but not on a Saturday... My mom and my brother are usually home at least.. but no, just me and the kitties today... Everybody was gone to Nova Scotia.. to get some furniture and stuff that my grandparents were giving us... they showed up with a new chair, a new couch, a china cabinet, and a whole bunch of other stuff.... my grandmother collects stuffed animals.. and she gave me a good bunch of her collection.. they sent over a rocking chair that I had when I was little... it's a miniature.. they gave it to me so that I could rock like Gram.. I think that woman will die in her rocking chair.. *L* There's also a lot of pictures... Gram gave mom her wedding pictures... and there's a small picture.. it's actually a Christmas card... of my mom and 2 of her 3 brothers, and her sister... the third brother wasn't born yet when the picture was taken... and there are some pictures of me and my brother when we were small... It was kinda neat going through some of the stuff.. and remembering where it all came from... I can't wait to see Gram and Papa's new apartment.. it's going to be different.. considering we've got their furniture....

New Experiences

I did something today that I've been trying to avoid for years.. I had a pap test done... I know, I know.. you're supposed to have one done every 2 years.. but I'd never had one done before, and I've somehow been able to get 2 kidney transplants without one... Here's how it happened.. I had a doctor's appointment today.. I had a crapload of tests that need to be done before I can be put on the transplant list, one being the pap test.. there's also a bit of bloodwork, ECG, chest xray, and I think an ultrasound... I went in, and got my flu shot (yay) and the doctor started going over all the tests that needed to be done... he stopped at the pap, looked at me and said "We can do this today." I cringed... my mother giggled... she knew what was going to happen... I dropped my drawers and got on the table... and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be... not as painful as the many female comedians that I've watched over the years have said... although, the pelvic exam that followed struck me a little funny..... it was the first time that a man had ever stuck his finger up my twat without us going on a date first..... *L* but now that it's all done, I don't think I'll ever dread a pap test again.. and the rest of the tests are fairly simple... although, mom says that the next one I'll be going for will probably be a mammogram.... (insert Psycho music here) Can I have my blankie now please?????

Remembrances of a great canine

I was reading the comic strip For Better or For Worse this morning, and I saw that Elizabeth might be getting a cat.. for some reason, that made me think about a dog that my grandmother once owned... Her name was Lisa, she was a terrior of some kind.. I think she was mixed with beagle and poodle, but I'm not sure..... she wasn't a big dog.. she was 15 when we had to put her down.. Gram got her in 1987, and I remember the first time I saw her... I knew that there was a dog at my grandmother's, but I didn't know how big, or what color, or anything like that... At that time, my cousins were babies, and there was a playpen set up for them when they came to visit... now, this was one of those older playpens... the ones with the clear plastic windows on each end, and if you hit them hard enough in the right spot, they would collapse.. and so they were banned.. but we had one..... I remember walking around the house, looking for this dog.... and all of a sudden, this little pipsqueak of a thing, about the size of a rat, jumped out from under the playpen and on to my foot... and that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.. My brother and I were the only 2 out of all my cousins who paid any attention to her, and so she bonded with us more than any of the other kids... she used to follow me to school... she'd follow me when I went shopping downtown, and sit patiently outside the store for me to come out again... how many dogs will do that?? When my brother and I moved away to PEI, where we live now, she never missed a beat.... somehow she always knew when we were coming to visit... Even if Gram didn't know we were coming, Lisa did... As soon as the car turned onto the street, she knew we were coming, and would start scratching at the door to get out.... she even growled at my mother once when she arrived at the house without me and my brother... we were her kids, and that's all there was to it.. She was always very close to my grandmother as well... my uncle had a boxer, named Jesse, who he treated as his child until he had one... and he used to bring Jesse over to visit... Jesse would lay his head or his paw on Gram's knee... and Lisa would get jealous, and jump up on her knee.. When my grandmother got sick in 2002, she was in hospital for a few months... and Lisa was already in her old age, and we knew she didn't have much time left... I moved in with my cat.. and it was like something sparked in her... Lisa seemed to get a little bit more life.... especially keeping my cat away from Gram when she came home for visits from the hospital... We knew the end had come when Gram bent down to pet Lisa one day, and she growled and backed away... She didn't recognize Gram anymore.. We had her from the fall of 1987 till the summer of 2002... a great life span for any dog...

What Today Means to Me

Today is October 15, 2004. If my best friend, Chrystal, were alive, she'd be 26 today. Today is going to be a sad day for us, as we remember what today means. We've gone two years and three months without her, and miss her every day. It's still a little strange to me, that I can't pick up my phone and call her anytime I want. It's kinda weird when I think about it, that we'll never go to kareoke again, that I'll never see her on card night. There will be no more walks through the city, going to Victoria Park, and no more nights, sitting on her couch watching movies. Chrystal has missed out on her kids, who are now 6 and 4 years old. Her daughter, who is the oldest, started school this year. Chrystal didn't get to see that.
Today will be a day to remember her, and to make sure that she, and her murder are not forgotten. Remember, we still don't know what really happened to her, and who killed her. If you knew her, please, don't let her and her story be forgotten. Take some time today to think about her, perhaps a favorite memory. I'll go first.
A favorite memory of mine was a day back when we were still in high school. We decided that we were skipping last class, because the teacher was a dork. We walked around the school, instead of doing the smart thing, and leaving the school grounds. It just so happened that there were some kids squealing tires in the parking lot that afternoon, and the vice principal, Mr. Connelly, was on the war path. In search of the tire squealers, he met up with us. He knew we were supposed to be in class, but didn't really have time to deal with us, so just told us to go back to class. As soon as he was out of sight, we were gone again, still walking around the school. About a half hour later, again in his search for the tire squealers, he met up with us again. This time, he was mad. He sent us to the office, and we were to sit there until he returned. We did. When there was about 10 minutes left of the class, he showed up and escorted us back to our class. We sat there for 10 minutes, then went home. I still think that we pretty much got away with skipping that day, seeing that we didn't really get any kind of punishment, just taken back to class, even after being caught twice in about a half hour span.
Happy Birthday Chrystal, We Miss You.

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My trip to Summerside

Well, I went to Summerside today for Dialysis Clinic.. not a big deal, really... although, we couldn't find the place... circled the city for about a half hour.. we ended up going to the medical centre in the County Fair Mall... they told us where we had to go... So I went in, talked to the nurse, who remembered me from when I went to junior high.. I kinda felt sorry for her because I didn't remember her... Then I spoke to the doctor... a new guy.. never met him before... nice guy too... he went over all the normal things.... checking lungs and heart... looking for excess fluid... didn't find any.. hehe... he reduced one of my drugs, and recommended that I have my parathyroid removed..... now, I don't really know what the parathyroid is, except that it's a gland in the neck, and it's excreating something into the blood that plays with the level of calcium and phosphorus in the blood... and that can wreak havoc on the bones... I haven't decided if the removal of the parathyroid is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'll probably have it done anyway..... Another thing that he told me was that he thinks that it's time to start the process to be put on the transplant list... Finally... that's what I've been waiting for.... dialysis is a pain in the ass, but it's something that has to be done... and I do it every day... But, if I could get another kidney.... I'd be so happy.... no more tubes, no more shots... probably more pills, though.. but I can live with that... so, that's my latest news.....

Damn Govt Keeping me down...

I'm really starting to get a little ticked.. I sit at home all day long.. lately it's also been by myself because my bro is studying to take his GED.. I've been trying to find a job for over a year, but my illness makes it a little harder to do.. in order for me to pay my bills, I get a monthly pittance from Income Support... When my bro went in to register for the GED, I went with him, and registered for some upgrading classes.. Now, from what I understand, the Adult Education GED and upgrading classes are free, at least that's what Holland College's web site says.. However, I got a call today from my worker, wanting more information on the course I wanted to take, saying that if I take it, I may lose my pittance.. I don't think that's fair... I'm doing everything they tell me to do, including look for work.. I want to take these classes to bring my grades up so that I might be able to get into university, to get a good job, and then Income Support would never have to hear from me again... it's like they don't want me to better myself.... what's the friggin deal anyway?? I certainly don't want to be doing this the rest of my life..... another swift kick to the gonads, if I had any...... oh well.. that's the end of my rant... thanks for listening...

Just checking in...

Hey.. I haven't posted in a while.. I haven't really been close to the computer in a few days...... one of my exboyfriend's sister got married over the weekend... Saturday, to be more exact... so I was to the wedding.. got to see the exboyfriend again for the first time in a while... He's been living in Nova Scotia for about 6 years and he doesn't come home a whole lot... He kinda used his sister's wedding as a way to come out to his family.. which was kinda weird.. he brought his boyfriend with him... so I got to meet him too.. I've known about his sexual orientation for a few years now... but this is the first time his family found out about it... nobody really said anything about it, though... which was very cool..... Also on Saturday, my bro's best friend's mother died... I didn't care much for his father... he was a complete asshole.... but his mother was the sweetest woman around... the wake was Monday, and the funeral was Tuesday...So, that's why I wasn't around... hope you understand..