If my life was a movie, what would my soundtrack be?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your music library
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.
Opening Credits: Steal My Kisses by Ben Harper
Waking Up: My Immortal by Evanescence (this is sad to wake up to)
First Day At School: Last Night by The Strokes (haha... this should be for waking up)
In Love: How to Save a Life By The Fray (I LOVE THIS SONG!!!)
Fight Song: Sooner or Later by Switchfoot
Breaking Up: See The Sun by Pete Murray
Prom: Cream by Prince
Life's OK: Wherever you Will Go by The Calling (can anyone say stalker??)
Mental Breakdown: Light Shine Down by Collective Soul
Driving: Love My way by The Psychadelic Furs (I was really hoping for ACDC Highway to Hell)
Flashback: High Rolling by Beautiful Girls
Getting Back Together: So This is Christmas by John Lennon (I do not know what to say to that)
Birth of Child: Landslide by Smashing Pumpkins (appropriate???)
Wedding: Man! I feel LIke a Woman by Shania Twain (haha)
Final Battle: Jem and The Holograms Theme Song... I kid you not!
Death Scene: My Way or the Highway by Limp Bizkit
Funeral Song: I Want to Break Free by Queen (this is wicked! Totally my funeral Song!!!)
End Credits: Heart of Gold by Neil Young
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
My stay at the hospital
Last weekend I went snowshoeing and it is normally a lot of fun... when you are not sick. I woke up Saturday morning feeling like poop but I went snowshoeing anyways. As we were shoeing I was completely exhausted and felt like just lying in the snow and having a nap. I also realised that if I did that I would probably freeze to death. I am sure my friends would not allow that to happen... I think.
When I got home from this excursion I went straight to bed and tried to sleep off my sickness. At about... really late o'clock I had severe abdomen pain and needed to go to the hospital. I went to one and because they take all the gang bangers and drug lords there I was going to have to wait about 9 hours. I almost resorted to stabbing myself with something in order to get a bed quicker... Dave would not let me do that and he took me to the other hospital. We waited for about a half hour and then I was sleeping in a bed with my new best friend Morphine. Her and I get along quite well. She came by my room at least 4 times through the night.
The doctor thought I may have something wrong with my gall bladder. He was doubtful because problems with the gall bladder generally happen with 'chunky people'... I did not fall into that category. They did an ultrasound to check the gall bladder out. Turns out that there is just 'sludge'. (I read it on my chart... not too sure if I am to read that but if they are going to stick in my lap I am going to read it.) Anyway, they then decide to do a CT scan which just confirmed something else for me: I am not pregnant. Apparently they cannot do a CT scan if you are pregnant. That's beside's the point. CT scans are wierd. First I had to drink a litre and a half of this stuff called tetrilix (I think) and I had an hour to drink it. This amount of 'water' plus the 200ml/hr that the IV was pumping in me made me have to pee every 45 mintues I swear. The nurses had me lie down on this thing and they covered me with this blanket that I swear was just out of the dryer... it was so warm and welcomed. The nurse then tells me that she is going to inject something in me that will give me this warm sensation all over my body and oh yeah, the sensation like you are peeing. First it was not a 'warm' sensation. I was bloody hot. Second, I totally thought I was wetting my gown (wasn't wearing pants) but it was really hot. Thankfully there was no urinating because that would have made things awkward for everyone.
Back to the hospital room I went. Keep in mind I am still in Emerg and it was now Sunday afternoon. The CT scan showed that I had an inflammed appendix. By this point Morphine was not allowed to visit me. This was fine because there really was not any pain. So a resident surgeon came in and told me that I had this inflammation and that I would need surgery. I was okay with this. Then her 'boss' surgeon came in and told me that I would most likely not need it considering I was not in any pain. I was slightly disappointed. I would not have minded laying in a hospital for a few days (remember that for later) I never had surgery before. I asked if I could have something to eat and he just said I could drink something... oh yippee it felt like i had not drank anything for ages (note: sarcasm). It is Sunday night and I had not eaten or really drank anything for over 24 hours. I can get combative when I have not eaten.
A little while later I was in a different hospital room in an actual bed that was so much more comfortable. The woman in the same room was just out of surgery and was in pain, was crying... I did not sleep well. Although, in hospitals how much sleep can you really achieve. As soon as you fall asleep a nurse is waking you up to take blood or vitals or asking how you are.
They moved me the next day into the lounge... yes the lounge. Apparently I was not 'bad enough' to warrant an actual room with a comfortable bed. The only good thing about the lounge was that I had my own free cable.
By Monday night the Dr. finally came back and asked me if I wanted to go home. I said yes. About a half hour before this I was crying because I was tired of being in the hospital and not knowing what was going on with me. I mainly said yes because I just wanted to eat something. It was Monday night 6:15 and I was finally allowed to eat... over 48 hours without food. I wondered how that was really possible since I did not really have hunger pains. Apparently the nurse was giving me drugs so my stomach would not start eating itself.
I still do not know what happened... I may have some 3rd world virus. I am leaving my life to God.
When I got home from this excursion I went straight to bed and tried to sleep off my sickness. At about... really late o'clock I had severe abdomen pain and needed to go to the hospital. I went to one and because they take all the gang bangers and drug lords there I was going to have to wait about 9 hours. I almost resorted to stabbing myself with something in order to get a bed quicker... Dave would not let me do that and he took me to the other hospital. We waited for about a half hour and then I was sleeping in a bed with my new best friend Morphine. Her and I get along quite well. She came by my room at least 4 times through the night.
The doctor thought I may have something wrong with my gall bladder. He was doubtful because problems with the gall bladder generally happen with 'chunky people'... I did not fall into that category. They did an ultrasound to check the gall bladder out. Turns out that there is just 'sludge'. (I read it on my chart... not too sure if I am to read that but if they are going to stick in my lap I am going to read it.) Anyway, they then decide to do a CT scan which just confirmed something else for me: I am not pregnant. Apparently they cannot do a CT scan if you are pregnant. That's beside's the point. CT scans are wierd. First I had to drink a litre and a half of this stuff called tetrilix (I think) and I had an hour to drink it. This amount of 'water' plus the 200ml/hr that the IV was pumping in me made me have to pee every 45 mintues I swear. The nurses had me lie down on this thing and they covered me with this blanket that I swear was just out of the dryer... it was so warm and welcomed. The nurse then tells me that she is going to inject something in me that will give me this warm sensation all over my body and oh yeah, the sensation like you are peeing. First it was not a 'warm' sensation. I was bloody hot. Second, I totally thought I was wetting my gown (wasn't wearing pants) but it was really hot. Thankfully there was no urinating because that would have made things awkward for everyone.
Back to the hospital room I went. Keep in mind I am still in Emerg and it was now Sunday afternoon. The CT scan showed that I had an inflammed appendix. By this point Morphine was not allowed to visit me. This was fine because there really was not any pain. So a resident surgeon came in and told me that I had this inflammation and that I would need surgery. I was okay with this. Then her 'boss' surgeon came in and told me that I would most likely not need it considering I was not in any pain. I was slightly disappointed. I would not have minded laying in a hospital for a few days (remember that for later) I never had surgery before. I asked if I could have something to eat and he just said I could drink something... oh yippee it felt like i had not drank anything for ages (note: sarcasm). It is Sunday night and I had not eaten or really drank anything for over 24 hours. I can get combative when I have not eaten.
A little while later I was in a different hospital room in an actual bed that was so much more comfortable. The woman in the same room was just out of surgery and was in pain, was crying... I did not sleep well. Although, in hospitals how much sleep can you really achieve. As soon as you fall asleep a nurse is waking you up to take blood or vitals or asking how you are.
They moved me the next day into the lounge... yes the lounge. Apparently I was not 'bad enough' to warrant an actual room with a comfortable bed. The only good thing about the lounge was that I had my own free cable.
By Monday night the Dr. finally came back and asked me if I wanted to go home. I said yes. About a half hour before this I was crying because I was tired of being in the hospital and not knowing what was going on with me. I mainly said yes because I just wanted to eat something. It was Monday night 6:15 and I was finally allowed to eat... over 48 hours without food. I wondered how that was really possible since I did not really have hunger pains. Apparently the nurse was giving me drugs so my stomach would not start eating itself.
I still do not know what happened... I may have some 3rd world virus. I am leaving my life to God.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Nicaragua
I have just returned from Nicaragua where I was doing a volunteer project with 15 other students.
We flew from Calgary to Houston to Managua and from there we drove in mini buses to San Juan Del Sur. The drive from Managua to San Juan was about 3 hours long. The roads there are not even comparable to the roads here. They have potholes the size of smart cars. Drivers will swerve to miss them so sleeping is not really an option because when they swerve you question whether you are about to go over a cliff or run into a wild dog.
San Juan Del Sur is a beautiful little town but unfortunately is turning into a touristy place for gringos (Americanos). I say unfortunately because there is nothing more that I hate than when a really poor country or community is exploited when Americans come in and develop 5 star hotels leaving the poor even worse off. None of the money they make goes back into the community. It is really sad. Those living at the bottom of the hill, in respect to the 5 star hotel, do not have water running or electricity running 24/7. The hotel does. We lived with families and were able to experience somewhat how they live everyday. Granted we did live in the 'nicer houses'.
The communities we went to were pretty bad. They did not have running water and had to get their water from a well that is most likely contaminated from their latrines. We were told not to drink the water or we would get sick. They did not have proper stoves with ventillation which made respiratory disease huge. The picture below is a photo of one family's stove. Notice that there is no chimney here. So all the smoke from their fire goes up into the air of that house. There is no proper ventillation. Imagine standing in front of a campfire in an enclosed space three or four times a day. This is exactly what was happening for these people. Which explaines the respiratory diseases.
The experience was quite humbling because I recall whining about my little one bedroom basement suite when all they had was the house pictured here.
Their latrine looked like the outhouse pictured here also. To the left of the latrine is where we were building a composting toilet so their water wells would not become contaminated.
The circumstances we walked in upon were very sad indeed but they had to be the most humble people I have ever met. One community in Capulin bought the lot of us (16) fruit to eat on our lunch break. At the end of the day when we were leaving their community for good they thanked us for what we were doing for them and we danced on their front lawns. it was pretty fun.
With all the hard work we did have fun there. We went on a boat ride from hell that consisted of a beautiful sunset.
The hell part arose when it became darker and the winds were muy fuerte (very strong). So there we were riding in this boat in the dark of night with the strong wind and firehose like spray coming off the waves and straight into those on the boat. I did not want to go swimming because I would be cold on the way home. So much for my plan. Everyone on that boat was drenched. Others were enjoying it a little too much. By the end of that ride the a few of us were not impressed about it and suggested that they not do this again next year.
The trip has changed me in many ways. Ways that I am not even aware of yet. I know that I see things differently, like running water. I try not to waste it. I will admit that I enjoy being able to come home with the assurance that my water is running and I can go to the bathroom but I also know that somewhere else in the world there are people who go without. I love the assurance of knowing that when it is really windy a piece of my roof will not fly off. I am gratful for everything that God has blessed me with in my life and I hope I never forget this experience and what it has taught me. I realise that even though I am blessed in many materialistic ways these people are blessed in ways that others cannot see and when they do see how those others are blessed they themselves are humbled by it.
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