Sunday, February 14, 2010

Old man, you say? I think not: simply not chemically balanced.

OK, OK... before you get freaked out by the title, let me explain.

For quite some time I've been suffering from what seems to be chronic acid reflux. Back in '08/'09 I addressed the problem with the sleep clinic because what we thought initially was sleep apnea, was likely a digestion issue. I created a bit of a stir when the physician on my case prescribed Panoloc which is essentially an antacid concoction designed to arrest the production of stomach acid. She'd prescribed a double dose for 30 days. I blew a fit because I'm (A) not an advocate for prescription drugs and (B) couldn't for the life of me figure out how I was to digest anything for a month! Long story, but a friend suggested Acidophilis which is one in a trinity of probiotics. It worked well, for the most part, but I'd have to remember to take it every time I'd eat.

I was chatting with another friend this weekend whose son has suffered from a multitude of health problems which they've addressed successfully with natural remedies. She suggested baking soda in water - 1 teaspoon to a cup. I figured it couldn't hurt - it's food, after all! I didn't have any soda, so thinking back to grade 6 science class, I recalled that baking powder too, is a base. On Friday night I took a cup before going to bed.

I slept the whole night through.

On Saturday I ate as I usually do, and went to yoga class where, if I eat too close to class time, I suffer when it comes to inverted postures like shoulder stands and back bends.

No problem.

Saturday evening I took a cup of BP water, and again just now. It seems to do the trick. I'll maybe poke my nose around and ask a few questions simply to be sure I'm not masking a potentially greater problem, but one source I spoke with attributed a naturally-acidic-north-american diet to my troubles.

So, although I've reached the crest of the hill, celebrating 40 a few weeks back, I'm not convinced that I'm old, especially before my time.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Turtle Guy has the cleanest clothes in the world - I'm convinced.

So it's taken me a day or two or three to settle in after Vancouver. Unpacking and doing laundry was on the list today, amongst the emails, meetings across town and a quick stop at the U. to drop a coffee to my BIL.

When I zipped downstairs to start a load this afternoon, I noticed water on the floor which freaked me out, considering the history of water on the floor in this house! It appeared to be fresh water, not waste, and was quite obviously coming from the washing machine. It's happened in the past where the drain hose has popped out of the copper shaft that leads to the sewer. Nope, all secure. I checked the water lines to the washer. All dry, even whilst filling the machine.

Hmm...

The water started flowing again once the tub had a load, so I'm figuring there's maybe a crack in the tank somewhere.

Ikes.

The machine is not that old - in fact, I blogged about it the day it arrived: here

It's only three-and-a-bit years old. Frustrating.

Anyway, the point of this story is that I ran a load. While it was washing, I folded the load that was in the dryer - April's stuff... figured I could return the favour at least once.

Once the spin cycle had completed, I figured I'd give it another spin - just to get as much water out as possible. I went back a few minutes later to discover the machine filling with water.

Odd.

Put it back on SPIN and ran away.
Came back.
It's rinsing agian!
Checked the dial.
Yes, there's a "STOP" position between SPIN and RINSE - I wasn't going brain-dead.
Spun it again.
AGAIN, came back to a washer full of clothes and water!

Then it hit me: there's a selector for "ONE RINSE/SECOND RINSE"

It was on "SECOND RINSE".

Must be a girl thing. I mean, who needs to rinse a load of clothes twice?? That's the whole point of a RINSE cycle, ain't it? Clearly I must be thinking like a boy - I'm sure a girl would have a perfectly logical explanation for why you'd need to rinse your clothes twice... let alone... 4 times!

Maybe this is the Universe telling me I need to enter the modern age and get one of those front-load machines that auto-senses your load and uses just the right amount of water. I'm sure we could also programme an "APRIL" mode and a "TURTLE" mode.

So, I'm convinced that if only for today, I have the cleanest clothes of anyone.

Life settles into... almost normal

The craziest thing happened to me. Once I returned to Calgary, everything... and I mean EVERYTHING needed my attention, or so it seemed. My week away was fun, yes, but not nearly as energizing and restorative as I had hoped. Vancouver is a place I rarely go, and chalk full of stuff to see and do - not to mention a great place to eat cheap! Eating out in Vancouver is cheaper than filling the fridge - it blew me away! Or maybe I've simply been living in hyper-inflated Calgary for so long I've lost my perspective on the rest of the world? Anyway, it was a treat to eat out while catching up with several good friends.

I was perusing my previous visit's post about Comox, Vancouver and Burnaby in July and realized I'd done it again: promised additional posts without posting.

I've been on the go since I got home - touching base with clients, doing quotes, invoicing (with a little prayer along the way), tending to the basement suite, catching up at the chiropractor, and today I buzzed out to K-Country to sit in on a planning meeting at the Tim Horton Children's Ranch. We're installing their new sound system in the soon-to-be-renovated Lodge.

I simply had to go to yoga tonight. I walked in, looked at the fellow behind the counter and said,

"I need to be here in the worst way..."

"...the 'worst way', huh?", he said.

"Yup."

I'm exhausted.
Tuckered
Pooped
Worn
and almost Expired.

So you'll excuse me if I don't take the time just now to upload more photos from the trip, yes?

OK, 'cept this one:


This is one of Sharon's kitties, Lugh. He's incredibly skinny because like Bob (you remember Bob, yes?) his kidneys are failing. Sharon refers to Lugh as "Old-Fart Kitty". He's a real sweetie, despite what Sharon says about it all being a facade. He and I are buddies, none the less.

About Me

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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
English student, Pottery enthusiast, Yoga novice and lover of all people. I make friends over a warm handshake and a beverage. I discover, every day, someone willing to help me along my path.