Music of the 80's

Depeche Mode
New Order/Joy Division
ABC
Alphaville
The Alarm
Duran Duran
The English Beat
Echo and the Bunnymen
A Flock of Seagulls
INXS
Pet Shop Boys
Howard Jones
OMD
Information Society
Modern English
The Human League
The Police
The Psychedelic Furs
Simple Minds
Tears for Fears
The Smiths
The Cure
The Cult
Thompson Twins

Music has been a big part of my life for a long time.
Coming from a small town, there was no middle school; grade 7 & 8 was at our high school. It was then that I really started listening to what music was out there at the time. I opened my ears to all genres: new wave, punk, pop and metal. But it was new wave that struck a chord with me (so to speak). During that time, kids were moody, depressed and confused and new wave seemed to echo how many of us were feeling.

I grew up but the music from that time is still big a part of my life... just check out my iPod and my satellite radio stations. I'm not that angry depressed kid anymore but now when I listen, it brings back fond memories. And I've lost count how many concerts I have seen. But I do know, Depeche Mode is the one band I have seen the most.

I wore out so many cassette tapes of New Order and Depeche Mode that I often bought new copies.

I bought my first CD player in high school. My very first CD was 1987's:



And I still have it.

Have You Hugged Your MLT Today?

Did you know it is National Medical Laboratory week?

Do you ever wonder what happens after you visit a laboratory with that requisition your physician gives you to have blood work done? Or a swab from a sore throat? Or any other number of tests?

National Medical Laboratory Week, celebrated April 24 – 30, 2011, commemorates the contribution Medical Laboratory Professionals make to patient care across the country.

In medicine, up to 85 per cent of decisions about diagnosis and treatment are based on laboratory test results. This is why the people who provide these results and ensure their accuracy – medical laboratory professionals – play such an important role in the health care system.

In Ontario, Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs) must be licensed and in good standing by the the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario (CMLTO).

Medical laboratory technologists (MLTs) play a critical role in the health system by performing lab tests on blood, body fluids, cells and tissues – nearly half a million in Ontario each day.

A blood sugar test to diagnose and monitor diabetes...a biopsy to check for cancer…prenatal testing to detect genetic diseases…enzyme analysis to identify heart disease…assessment of cells and tissues to aid surgical decisions - these and thousands of other tests performed by MLTs provide the results other health professionals need to deliver the best care.

MLTs in various specialties collect and process specimens, analyze results, and interpret findings. The knowledge and expertise of the MLT contributes to innovation in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and medical conditions.

Every MLT is a regulated health care professional as mandated by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. In accordance with the legislation, MLTs have a defined scope of practice, which includes authorization to perform a medical act.

MLTs meet strict safety and ethical standards and are held accountable for their conduct and practice, so the public can have confidence in their lab tests.

For more information, please visit:
www.cmlto.com
www.csmls.org

We take pride in our job because you depend on us.

P.S. It's also kind of cool to be legally able to put the letters MLT after our name.

Lilacs

Spring is my favourite time of year. Rain washing away all the salt and grime left over from winter. Not having to bundle up in layers of clothes and trying to find a scarf or a matching pair of mittens. It not being too hot (yet) and seeing everything becoming green and colourful again.

I love spring flowers- tulips, daffodils, crocuses, lily of the valley and lilacs.
Spring reminds me of my grandmother. Her property was full of spring flowers and the windows to her house would always be open. The smell from the flowers outside would always be lingering inside the house and we would always find several bouquets scattered around different rooms. My sister and I would pick bunches of lily of the valley and put them in short vases for her. She had a lilac bush that was so big it was a tree. It stretched to the second floor and was completely full of flowers. You could smell lilac several houses away. On my way home from school I would pick several bunches and put them in water when I got home. Mom always knew where they came from and grandma didn't mind- she was just happy that we loved them too.
I keep meaning to plant bulbs in the fall but I always seem to leave it to the last minute and by then the ground has frozen.

I will promise to plant some this year with S. I can tell her of her great grandmother and how much she loved flowers. Maybe even start new memories with S.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Change

People deal with change differently. Some embrace it, others resist it. I am the former; I think I deal with change quite easily and it doesn't take me long to get used to doing something new or thinking in a new way.

Except when it comes with S.

It has taken us time to deal with all the changes that are happening with S the last 6 months: moving into a toddler bed, toilet training, etc. I think it is because all the struggles that we had early in with her. She was born 3 weeks early after I was induced (considered full term and no where near as early as other kids have been) but I had severe preeclampsia (high blood pressure) during the last month (possible longer and was not caught) and I had complications. And it turns out, so did S.

Born small at 6lbs, 4oz she was always on the small side of the growth curves. But when she was 18 months, I insisted to our doctor something was not right: she hadn't gained any weight in 1 year. We were referred to a pediatrician who in turn referred us to a geneticist, neurologist and sent us for physical therapy. She has many blood tests, a MRI (where she was sedated and the toughest thing for me to do to her) and countless doctor's appointments. She was still not walking at 18 months when we saw the neurologist.

Her report came in a few weeks before Christmas and when I spoke directly with him, I knew that something had showed up on the scan. I just KNEW. But when I told him she had just started walking at 22 months, he was extremely pleased. But the scan did show a few small areas on her brain that they think were under-myelinated (neurons not insulated) and they thought this was what was causing her extremely slow growth. After all of the testing, we were getting answers. Other than that, she was extremely healthy and very bright. The opinion was a wait and see approach and see would happen over the next few years. She might be normal in height, she might be small. There was no cure or treatment. I asked if it could have been caused by my preeclampsia. Although they couldn't say for sure, they thought it was highly likely. I felt as thought I was kicked in the stomach. It was all my fault I thought.

It took time but I came to realize that this is who she was, take the good with the bad and focus on all the good things.

She is now 3 and preschool has given her so much more confidence. She is bright, happy and polite.

But physically she is still behind. She just moved into a toddler bed and still isn't toilet trained yet. But we continue to work on it.

I think when she does hit a milestone in her life, we almost think it is too good to be true. And I think sometimes we miss her signs that she is ready. Probably because we have gone through so much already and have had learned to live with disappointments (but not her). DH is also very protective of her. With her always being small, not being able to do things that other kids can do and the struggles she had walking (and all the falls), he was always watching out for her.

So moving into a big bed has taken months, toilet training even longer.

Last night I bit the bullet- I put her to bed in her big bed (which at that point was being used for naps only). I promised myself to remove her crib if the first night was good. No more back and forth. And I was firm with DH. It would be ok.

The crib is being disassembled as we speak. No going back now.

Sushi

I love sushi. Ever since I tried it 13 years ago I was hooked.
Growing up in a small town, there was no such thing. Even moving away to school up north didn't make me aware. It wasn't until 1998 when I was working in Burlington (which had a much larger diversity of restaurants) did I get to try it after some coaxing by some coworkers.
I started off with a nonthreatening menu: cucumber rolls, California rolls, etc but when I tried salmon rolls for the first time that was it.
I have tried pretty much everything but my absolute favourite is salmon, especially salmon sashimi. It is so mild and buttery and full of flavour. Of course, salmon rolls and salmon sushi are fantastic too.
More and more all-you-can eat places are springing up. Which is good as ordering a-la cart is not cheap.
Don't forget, a little wasabi is all you need.

Books

I have always loved books, for as long as I can remember. It's a way to escape into someone else's life, learn something new or just explore someone else's thoughts.

As a kid, reading was pretty much a daily occurrence (not including schoolwork). At first it was a story being read to me at bedtime. I can still remember my dad sitting on the edge of my bed reading a Disney story to me (the wicked witch in Snow White always scared me). Later it was Charlotte's Web, one story that I would read over and over.

When I got into grade 7, I started reading Sweet Valley High. I started at book one and just kept going. I couldn't put these books down. I wanted to be like Jessica, pretty and super popular, but I was more like Elizabeth I think; more into schoolwork and close friends. When my school library didn't have the next book in the series I would head to the town's library to check if they had it. If they didn't, I would wait. There was no way I could skip a book.

High school seriously cut into my reading time. I had a full course load and since I was mainly taking sciences and math, my evening were taken up by lab experiment write ups and math homework (which I was and still am terrible at). But some days I would sneak into the library for a half and hour to read. I liked the quiet and solitude.

College gave me no time to read (a 3 year, full time course and hours of homework a night) and it wasn't until working full time at a coffee shop did I get to pick up a book again.

Life moved along, sometimes having time to read, sometimes not.
Getting married and having a baby gave me no time to read until Daughter was 2, sleeping through the night and more independent. I have been working afternoons for years but I always manage to grab a few minutes before bed to read a few chapters.

My problem with reading is that when I start a book, I have to finish it quickly. I'm a fast reader but I can't leave a book for long. It's like an obsession.

We have read to S since she was a week old. It was a bedtime ritual. It still is. Now she is choosing to read herself... well more like turning the pages and reciting the words by memory. But she has her favourites and there is nothing I love more then curling up on the couch with her snuggled against me reading a book.
I hope she continues to love to read as she gets older.

To Blog or Not to Blog

So I figured that I would attempt blogging again.

I had a couple of blogs early on; one when I was single, and I attempted a family one but that never got off the ground.

So what the hell, I thought. Everyone else is doing it.

I am by no means any type of writer. You have been warned.

The blog title? Well those are my 3 main vices in life.

Vice #1. Coffee




I'll admit it, I'm a Starbucks addict.
I would get one everyday if:
a) my wallet would let me.
b) my waistline would let me.
Having said that I probably drink too many anyway (2-3 a week). Yeah it's pricey coffee. If if you truly love coffee and appreciate the art, flavour and experience of the entire procedure of making espresso and steaming the milk perfectly, then it's definitely the best.
My go to stand by coffee? Venti non-fat white mocha, no whip. But during the summer, nothing beats a light peppermint frappuccino.
I don't get brain freeze. But my throat sure freezes up and spasms.