Babbles of a Procrastinating Grad Student

Talked with my Mom this past weekend, and she's doing great!  Half-way through her radiation treatment, about to start hormone therapy, and feeling really good.  She's even got a tiny bit of fuzz growing on her head!  I'm super glad to hear this all, especially after my emotional breakdown last week.  :\  I miss her like crazy, but she's doing fine (as she pounded through my head on the phone) and that's the most important thing!  :)

I'm walking in the Relay for Life in my hometown this weekend!  It's a fundraising event for Cancer research, and we'll be walking from 7 pm to 7 am.  My team was organized by my Grandma, and we will probably be the loudest, brightest group there.  I hope the other participants don't completely shun us! 

I'm walking for a lot of people:

• My Mom, who's currently doing treatment for breast cancer and who just started chemo last week
• My Dad, who died in 2006 from complications from throat and lung cancer
• My Grandma, who has had a form of pelvic cancer (and won!)
• My Cousin, who died in 2002 from Lukemia
• My Friend, who also battled breast cancer (and is winning!)
• Myself, who is dealing with skin cancer, and who suspects that it's back (think I'm past the denial and will be seeing a doc as soon as I move, btw)
• And many other's who have been impacted by the many faces of cancer.

My team raised over $3000 alone, and there are a great many teams involved.  I hope we can help make a difference!

That awkward moment when you realize that you genuinely like your brother, and are considering nominating him for Best Brother in the World.

<3

Shoot, just realized I haven't posted since before my Mom's surgery. Uh, for those who follow my sewing blog or twitter, you probably saw that my Mom made it through surgery with flying colours (or at least a bit of dizziness and lots of meds), and is now doing really well.  Well enough that she's returned to work this week. 

Her follow-up doctors appointment wasn't until April 10th, but there was a cancellation, and she got in today!  I went along with her, and it looks like the surgery was a success.  Not only did they scoop out the entire cancerous spot, but the lymph nodes are clean and the cancer itself was identified as being less invasive than previously thought!  She still has to go for radiation as part of her treatment, and the Doctor suggested that she may yet have to do Chemo treatments since the cancer was bigger than he thought (2.1 cm at it's widest, when he suspected less than 1 cm).  But the outlook is exceptionally good!

Mom keeps getting annoyed with all the fuss that's being made about her.  She's been in two newspapers now, and her work staff are walking for her in an upcoming cancer relay fundraiser in town.  I can see her point, because her's is such a non issue compared to what other women (and men) have faced.  But I think it's still really good, because this highlights why it's so important to do self-exams and get checked by the doctor more often and catch these things early. 

Lord knows I'm guilty of ignoring problems until they get big, and this proves why it's good to not do that.

Anywho, things are looking about as good as they can possibly get, and for that I'm so thankful.  :)

I don't think I've mentioned this anywhere online yet, but I probably should.  Especially in my own journal.

My Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year.  This is absolutely terrifying, because we've already lost my Dad to cancer, and the thought that my Mom is going through the same thing brings me to tears.

But it's not the same. Not at all. Mom's lump is tiny, about the size of your pinkie finger nail.  My cousin went through this in 2000, and hers was the size of your fist.  My Mom's has been classed as a Grade 2 (out of a 3 point scale, where 1 is non-invasive, and 3 is very invasive), while my cousin's was classed as an aggressive Grade 3.  My cousin, by the way, kicked cancers arse.  Never mind that the treatment is practically routine by now.

So we're really optimistic that Mom will be fine.  I know she will be.  She goes in this Friday for her lumpomectomy surgery, and will start radiation sometime afterward.  I've told her that any time she needs a place to stay in the city, she's more than welcome to have my bed.

Of course, this means that she's coming tomorrow with my Step Dad and brother to stay the night here.  Which also means that I need to tame the disaster that is my apartment tonight.

Time to put on some episodes of Hoarders and get to it, eh?  That show always makes me itchy to clean, even when I don't want to.

Headed out of town in a few minutes to visit the parents and do one last bout of Christmas with some family we couldn't see over the holidays.

I'd be more excited if this didn't mean I have to wrap things again.  :P

It's 3 am and I've just finished wrapping all my gifts. 

URRGH.

Anyways, gotta be up early tomorrow (uh...today) to do laundry, shower, and clean up my sty apartment before my brother picks me up to head out to our Grandma's place for Christmas. 

I hope you all have a good, relaxing, and safe Christmas!  My gift to you all is a pants-less Mr. Darcy.  ENJOY!

On my way home from buying a wicker ottoman from someone off of kijiji (seriously, best place to furnish an apartment with), I was walking down some side streets off of the main drag, and stumbled across my elementary school.  It was like magic or something.  One minute, I'm tromping down a dark street, admiring the falling snow, and suddenly BAM!  Elementary school

Okay, I knew it was around there somewhere, but I wasn't expecting to find it.

The building is so big in my memory, especially the large front entrance.  I have a photograph of me somewhere - tiny, dark-haired, wearing pink and white with black mary-janes and ruffled white socks, clutching my lunch box - completely over-shadowed by that front entrance on my first day of school.  And yet, looking at it tonight, the building seemed so small.  Or smaller, anyways. 

There's a part of me that wants to go inside, find more of the memories that bombarded me tonight.  But there's another part of me that doesn't want reality to barge in on the magical memories that lurk in those hallways.

I will tell you, it's strange to be in this neighbourhood again.  I love it, and feel more at home here than anywhere else I've ever lived.  At the same time, it's bittersweet.  Memories of my Dad, who died nearly 6 years ago (cripes, has it really been that long?).  Memories of my best friend growing up, who I lost touch with.  Memories of what used to be. 

It's eerie.  Hmm.  I suppose this is why I've been in a strange mood since I got home. 

Or maybe it's the wing chair of awesome.  It seems to chronically induce lethargy.

Heading to my parents place in a few minutes for Thanksgiving dinner with my very extended functional disfunctional family.  Mom's coming to pick up my step-sister and I.  Glad I'm not the only one who has to be delivered to family events anymore! 

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving Day (weekend)!  Or just Happy Day to those who don`t celebrate it.  :D

Am going away this weekend, out to Grand Beach for a cousin's reunion.  All of my most fun relatives descended from my great-grandparents, Reuben and Beatrice, are partying it up at the beach!  We're actually only one branch of the much larger Thomas Clan (yes, Clan.  We even have an adopted family tartan and have a Chief).  But we're sort of the black sheep part of the family (because we're fun and like to drink and party), so we're ignoring the rest of the Clan and hanging out this weekend.  It's just as well, since it's because of the snobby (and highly religious) white sheep part of the family that we no longer have family reunions every year anymore, so *pthfft* to them.  :D

ANYWAYS, I'm actually leaving tonight, so that I can catch a ride with one of my many cousins tomorrow morning to the small town where my brother lives, so that I can catch a ride with HIM to Grand Beach.  This not having a vehicle (or you know, money) such does make travel complicated in this part of Canada!  lol

You all be...well, sort of good.  To those in the UK, stay safe.  I'm thinking of you.  If you want to get away, we'll be the loud, rowdy, but friendly crew partying it up on the 500 in Grand Beach!  Come on and join us!  We've had random campers, and even a family from Germany stay with us when they thought we were a camp ground. lol!

Okay babbling.  Tootles!