- How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Ooh, do you remember those essays in elementary school? I don't recall too much from my early years as a student, but that classic essay "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" was pretty much standard fare for students in North American schools, right?

Well, I'm having a fabulous time at the Jewish General Hospital Radiation Resort. Such fun! The staff is very attentive and friendly . . .

. . . and very multi-cultural! Left to right: Lisa is Italian, Dennis is Mauritian, Joseph is Greek and Miller is Haitian. What a crew! There are usually two of them helping me get set up on the "suntanning bed". Ahhh, what a life!

And here are some of the guests . . .

Claire, Ross, me, and Yvano! As you'll see, Ross & I are modeling the Radiation Resort's custom gowns. Ross is wearing a very nice blue number with small, dark blue dots, while I'm sporting a rather gray gown with dark spots.

Both models of gowns, as well as many other styles, are available in the changing rooms and we are free to choose a different one every day, if we like. Why, it's fabulous, darling!

 

Here's a close-up of Miller & I. He's one cool dude, I tell you! I posted this pic on my Facebook page and a couple of girls went wild! They told me they wished they were at the Radiation Resort so they could get a little closer to Miller. Eat your hearts out, ladies!!!

And finally, here's my faithful husband, George, who often chauffeurs me to the Radiation Resort (as guests, we visit every day but we don't actually sleep there). Although George enjoys the Resort and chats with the other guests, he chooses not to use the suntanning beds. I guess he wants me to have that privilege all to myself! (Ah, but he doesn't know what he's missing . . .)

Well, as you can see, my hair is really growing in! Now, don't start any false rumours that I used to be brunette before I went bald, but now I'm a blonde...it's all from a bottle! Yep, I bleached it as it was growing back, because it was coming in rather, er, white! 

I mean, before I went bald, it was white, but it was always dyed. But it was weird to see it growing in completely white! So for now I'm a blonde. 

_____________________________________________________

Well, keep a song in your heart . . .

Stay young . . .
 

And keep close to those who love you!

Until next time!

Love, Wendy

- I Am A Chia Pet

Yes sirree, here I am at last! Just when you thought I'd permanently flown the coop & forgotten you all, I'm back on my blog, talking to you. Whaddya know!

I guess it's always a good sign - when I'm feeling better, I'm out & about instead of sitting on the couch blogging & Facebooking & journalling & eating chocolate. So I guess no news is good news, right? It means I'm too busy to blog about myself!

Well, on to other things. Have you ever heard of Chia pets? They were all the rage in the 80s here in North America:

Here's the Wikipedia definition of a Chia Pet:  
"Chia Pets are Mexican styled animal-shaped terracotta figurines used to sprout chia, where the chia sprouts resemble the animal's fur. 

"Chia Pets achieved popularity in the 1980s following the 1982 release of a ram, the first Chia Pet. Moistened seeds of chia (Salvia hispanica) are applied to the grooved terra cotta figurine body."

Okay, I know now you'll want to see the commercial:

So why, oh, why am I telling you about the Chia Pet?!?!?!??? BECAUSE *I* AM THE NEWEST CHIA PET!!

Yes, indeed, my hair has been growing back & I think it's making me look like a Chia Pet. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Except that Chia Pets have green sprouts, whereas my sprouts came out white. 

I decided I didn't want white sprouts, so I dyed 'em blonde. Yup, I'm back into the hair dye, except in this case, it was bleach. Blondissima, to be precise.

Gotta love this stuff. Do blondes have more fun? I'll let you know soon enough!

So what else is new with me? Well, I finished chemo May 10th and have had a nice little vacation from those yukky chemicals in my system. 

Well, almost a vacation. I've still been going for Herceptin treatments every 3 weeks, but Herceptin isn't as bad as chemo. It's an antibody, not a chemo, so it's got fewer side effects. 

One of its side effects, though, is swelling, so my hands, wrists, ankles & feet are swollen. And my knee joints are painful. Other than that, it ain't too bad. So no complaints!

Yesterday, Tuesday, July 6, I went for my radiation markings. That's the bull's eye they draw on me so they'll know where to microwave me, so to speak. Pardon the analogy.

So they've drawn the "bull's eye" around the mastectomy scar on my right side, and that's where they'll be "nuking me" for the next 28 weekdays (yee haw! I get weekends off!) They tell me I shouldn't be too tired from the radiation - we'll see. 

I'm not over the chemo side effects, yet - not as exhausted as I was during the three months of chemo, but not back to my normal self yet, either. It takes quite awhile for all those nasty chemicals to get out of the system, I guess.

But it sure is nice to be able to get out, again. I can do one activity a day without getting too wiped, but if I do two things, eg something in the morning & something else in the afternoon or evening, I get really tired. So it makes me behave, right? ;)

Well, here's a lovely song from the hit TV show Glee. This is Lea Michele who's singing - she plays Rachel.


Till next time! 


Love, Wendy

Defying Gravity

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap!

Chorus:

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I am defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!

I'm through accepting limits
'Cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!

Chorus:

I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!

I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!
Bring me down!