Hi folks,

just another quick update. Hopefully I’ll be back to a regular posting schedule soon, but in the meantime…

First of all, I feel like a bit of a hypocrite. Why? Well, I have always been against a two-tiered healthcare system. I still am, basically. However, I do feel that the waitlist for certain procedures, especially for diagnostic services that could rule out or confirm major, life-altering diseases that are still considered “non-emergency”, are totally unacceptable. I am going for an MRI this Friday. The MRI firm just received my requisition form this morning, and already I am being seen this Friday. Had I waited to go through the provincial public system, I would be waiting ONE YEAR to find out if I have any growths, masses, or lesions in my brain. Now chances are, I’m totally fine and healthy (please God) but you never know. And if I had to wait a year only to find out I had a major health problem because I wasn’t deemed an “emergency” case, then I could be too far gone for treatment by then (such as what happened to my Dad when he finally found out he had Kidney Cancer). It’s pretty depressing. And if I’m being totally honest, if I needed a major treatment/operation/whatever, and I had the cash, I would totally go to the US or “jump the queue” to a private facility if I had to. So, I fully admit I’m a hypocrite–or at least an idealist who doesn’t really believe his own ideology. I think our public healthcare system is very important, and I wouldn’t want to end up like numerous friends in the states who need to go to a doctor but won’t because they don’t have insurance and can’t afford the visit or the prescriptions. I don’t want there to be a “real” two-tiered system as all our ‘competent’ doctors would end up going private where the money would be and those who cannot afford private care would likely end up with horrible medical services. What is my point? Um, well…I forgot Maybe I don’t have a point, other than to share my own point of view.

One thing I’m definitely glad to have, for peace of mind, is a small Critical Illness insurance policy that I sold myself when I was 23 (I was a licensed Insurance Agent at the time) because if I did have Cancer, Heart Attack, Multiple Sclerosis, etc. then I would at least get a lump sum cheque for $50,000 to spend how I see fit (whether for medical treatment, a once-in-a-lifetime trip, to pay off debt, temporary income replacement, etc.). I highly recommend it. Rates are cheaper now than ever. I pay $16.00 a month for that peace of mind, and Murphy’s Law says that since I have the insurance and am paying for it, I’ll never collect on it. And I’m fine with that! I know, I have a weird way of thinking LOL. Oh, and if anybody in the Southern-Middle Vancouver Island Area wants the name of a GREAT insurance agent, feel free to contact me. She can also speak to you over the phone if you live elsewhere in BC and do a review of your existing insurance and do your application over the phone. [I'm not getting paid for the referral, either, I just have a great friend who is in the business and she is very customer service-focussed and not pushy/sales focussed.]

I had enough energy yesterday to put together my square foot garden kits in the old “shrub garden”. Unfortunately, it’s a little wonky because it wasn’t perfectly level but it’ll do just fine. Also unfortunately, I’m paying for yesterday’s work today–very tired, dizzy, and all my muscles are aching but it was good for me to get some sun and fresh air and a little exercise too. My mom and brother are going to the garden centre right now to pick up some more dirt, mix, etc. which is really really sweet.

Speaking of my brother, Saturday was his stag party. I wasn’t able to do the whole thing (overnight ‘camping’) as I was too sick and had some final school stuff to do (got an 80 on my last paper, woot!) but I went with him and his brother-in-law-to-be on an airplane ride (a cessna 172, I think?). My brother actually took off basically all on his own and did an amazing job. I am so proud of him, he’s really into planes and flight sim and stuff and he is learning a lot–he’ll probably get his private pilot’s license one day. The guys wanted to do some manoeuvres, which I wasn’t too comfortable with, but finally I relented. We did NEGATIVE G’s (we did zero gravity and then negative gravity) which did NOT do well for my condition but at least I didn’t throw up or pass out or something. It was kinda cool but very scary–they basically take the plane straight up and then do a nosedive. We also did this weird manoeuvre where the pilot turns down the prop so it’s almost off and the stall alarm is going off and you basically just hover without moving. It feels really weird, almost like an out-of-body experience because you feel like you should be dropping out of the sky or something. There was also a fair amount of turbulence, but all in all we had a great time. I will admit freely that I was very glad to be back on terra firma at the end and the idea of kissing the ground did cross my mind. If it hadn’t been for my brother’s stag, I wouldn’t have gone that day because of how I was feeling and I ended up sleeping the rest of the day because I felt really dizzy and tired but I’m glad I went. I also videotaped it, so I’ll probably post a clip from the negative-G part (you can even see a folder floating in the plane!).

Gee, did I say this was going to be a brief post? I guess I lied

I was going to post something else, but now I can’t remember what else I was going to say. Oh, well. I’ll post later if I remember. I’ll probably post a few pictures tomorrow or the next day with an update of the garden.

Wishing everybody health and happiness and lots of sunshine!
D-