After my excitement following my allergy shot last week it occurred to me that I have been clearing my throat and coughing quite a bit over the last few weeks and I have been maxed out on my decongestant for a few months now when previously I'd take 1-2 tablets every few months. I thought it might be a good idea to go in and see Dr Becker to see if we could figure out what's going on. He decided it wasn't caused by allergies, might be an infection, no CT scan ruled that out. Hey, GERD can present with chest congestion/coughing. Figures. Since I'm already maxed out on my omeprazole he decided I should add Zantac on top of the omeprazole for a month and see if it helps at all. GERD sucks! Fingers crossed that this clears things up.
And after that appointment I got to go have my feet beat up by Carmen. Hurts so good! In the event anyone thinks I don't like having my feet worked on, true it does hurt during, but it really feels better afterwards.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wednesday Practice Canceled
After last Saturday's race it seems a bit of a cop out to cancel practice due to wind. In our defense we lost one person so we were down to only four in the OC6 and I guess the wind has been pretty gusty. Four paddlers on a calm evening is totally manageable, four in gusty wind, not so much. Unless the four are Alan, James, Kevin, and Jim or others of that calibre. No offense, but our four were not them.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Last Night
My new paddle arrived yesterday! I went to check my mail and found a notice that the manager was holding a package for me. We have a new apartment manager, she seems very nice and eager to correct all the craziness left by the last manager, same with the new maintenance guy. Anyway, Miranda went behind the partition to look for my package, finally said she just couldn’t find it, I pointed out that it was the 4.5 ft tall box staring at her at eye level, oh there it is! This new paddle is so pretty! All new paddles are pretty, kind of like all puppies and kittens are cute. I can’t wait to use it, probably won’t be until the weekend though.
Went out for dinner last night to Divine, they are part of the promotion 3 for $30, trying to get the word out about new restaurants. Scotty came along. We were sort of celebrating my NEW PROMOTION!! I had my annual review last week and I am now EcoChem’s newest Project Chemist. I really wasn’t expecting it until next year, either. Dinner was very nice, I had the goat with home made pasta and Scotty had the briami, sort of a veggie stew.
On a completely different note: The Toasters are coming to town on Thursday, January 31, to Studio Seven. I have seen The Toasters countless times back when I lived in Rhode Island. They are the longest running US ska band, been around for 26 years now. Ska is a very fast paced, high energy sound, a little similar to rockabilly, it is a precurser to reggae, and there is almost always a horn section. I would generally dance so enthusiastically at ska shows that I’d need to see my chiropractor the next day! Tickets day of the show are only $12, can’t beat that for 5 bands! I’m gonna be there, will you?
Went out for dinner last night to Divine, they are part of the promotion 3 for $30, trying to get the word out about new restaurants. Scotty came along. We were sort of celebrating my NEW PROMOTION!! I had my annual review last week and I am now EcoChem’s newest Project Chemist. I really wasn’t expecting it until next year, either. Dinner was very nice, I had the goat with home made pasta and Scotty had the briami, sort of a veggie stew.
On a completely different note: The Toasters are coming to town on Thursday, January 31, to Studio Seven. I have seen The Toasters countless times back when I lived in Rhode Island. They are the longest running US ska band, been around for 26 years now. Ska is a very fast paced, high energy sound, a little similar to rockabilly, it is a precurser to reggae, and there is almost always a horn section. I would generally dance so enthusiastically at ska shows that I’d need to see my chiropractor the next day! Tickets day of the show are only $12, can’t beat that for 5 bands! I’m gonna be there, will you?
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Recovery Day
I figured after yesterday's adventures I deserved a leisurely day, not that I really need any excuse to be lazy ... I rolled out of bed around 10 and only then because I felt guilty about the dog's bladders. Got the dogs out and then fed, got my coffee going and started to think about what to do today, if anything. 
Since the dogz had spent the day home alone a trip to the dog park seemed like a good plan. As we were getting collars on the building wide fire alarm sounded. Stop, pack up the laptop, grab the passport that was still on the counter from yesterday, get the leashes on and get away from that evil sound. We hung around for a bit, no fire, just alarms, so headed out to the park. We saw a number of corgis we'd met on previous outings, had some good fetching and running around, got good and muddy and came on home. I decided today would be bath day after which I was overcome by a major nap. Pedicures would have to wait. Woke up, did all the nails and started on baking a sweet bread pudding. It's still in the over and smells great. I'm trying a tip from a friend, I've soaked the raisins in water in hopes they won't rise to the surface and burn, as they typically do. Fingers crossed. Hope you all had a great lazy Sunday.
PS I got the final results from yesterday's race. They came clean and said the race distance was 7.5 miles! There were three in the master women category and I took second, there were only three women who paddled in the race of 31 paddlers.
Since the dogz had spent the day home alone a trip to the dog park seemed like a good plan. As we were getting collars on the building wide fire alarm sounded. Stop, pack up the laptop, grab the passport that was still on the counter from yesterday, get the leashes on and get away from that evil sound. We hung around for a bit, no fire, just alarms, so headed out to the park. We saw a number of corgis we'd met on previous outings, had some good fetching and running around, got good and muddy and came on home. I decided today would be bath day after which I was overcome by a major nap. Pedicures would have to wait. Woke up, did all the nails and started on baking a sweet bread pudding. It's still in the over and smells great. I'm trying a tip from a friend, I've soaked the raisins in water in hopes they won't rise to the surface and burn, as they typically do. Fingers crossed. Hope you all had a great lazy Sunday.PS I got the final results from yesterday's race. They came clean and said the race distance was 7.5 miles! There were three in the master women category and I took second, there were only three women who paddled in the race of 31 paddlers.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
I got worked
I went up to Jericho in Vancouver, BC this morning. We left Seattle around 6:45 with a full carload, Ed was paddling OC2 with Clem, who had gone up Fri night, and Doug N who was paddling OC1, and my friend Scotty who loves anything to do with boats. I paddled this one OC1.
For any small boat race I participate in I have three goals I hope to meet. 1) don't huli (flip the boat), 2) finish the race, 3) don't finish dead last. I very nearly didn't meet two of my goals. I came damn close to huli'ing on more than one occasion, way too close for comfort. I was also very close to finishing dead last.
Conditions started out ideal, not too cold, not much wind, and the snow that had been predicted never materialized.
We were told it was about 6 miles. Leave from in front of the dock, go towards False Creek, around 2 channel marker bouys, then back and around the first dolphin (large wooden piling marker structure), and back to the dock to finish. Up towards False Creek was upwind and not so bad. I was feeling a little out of shape and held back some as I didn't want to start coughing. I was at the back of the rapidly spreading out pack. There was one kapuna master guy (over 55) near me, about halfway to the bouys I was able to pull away from him some, but couldn't seem to catch anyone else. That first leg also cut right through a sailing regatta, at one point I was sure a sail boat was going to split me in half, probably passed 50 ft behind me. I was able to surf a couple of bumps along the way to the bouys, that was kind a fun, feeling a surge of speed that wasn't your doing. Around the first bouy, then the second, damn, where is everyone!
By then he wind had picked up some and so did the bumps. The water was pretty disorganized, too, couldn't really tell where all the chop was coming from. This is where I nearly huli'd, the bumps were mostly coming from the ama side, the left side, at one point the ama popped out of the water quite a ways. At one point I paddled in towards the beach, I was hoping for two things, first to get away from some of the bumps and second to get away from the big container ships. I then headed back towards the dolphin and I wasn't anywhere near anyone else. When I was within a mile of the dolphin I could see how strong the tide was, combined with the bumps and I was getting kind of nervous. I hiked my butt up on the left edge of the boat so I could sit on the ama to add to the stability of the boat (the ama is on the left). I started paddling 10 strokes on the right side to 20 on the left and pointed myself directly towards the dolphin.
There was a woman who'd been in my sights pretty much the entire race, I never figured I have a chance to pass her. Here was my chance, she was struggling with the bumps and the current and ended up taking a much wider line around the dolphin. I worked so hard to stay on the higher line, actually pointed myself inside the marker and let the current push me out just far enough, I could reach out and touch it as I went past. Now I just had to dig in and finish and I wouldn't finish last. I hadn't seen the kapuna guy in so long I figured he must have quit. That last leg was a hard upwind push that never seemed to end and I pretty much had lost feeling in my toes, too. My GPS recorded nearly 7 miles as I went around the last turn. I pushed and gave it all I had to the end, glancing back occasionally to see how close Darcy was, still behind me, keep pushing! I was never so happy to hear a horn when I finally crossed the finish line!
Scotty called down his congratulations as I rounded the dock. He said everybody was looking beaten down and it was a harder race than any expected. I got into the beach, Doug and I carried the boat up. I could hardly walk my feet were so cold. Scotty offered to fetch my clothes from the car while I hobbled up into the locker room looking forward to a nice hot shower while Doug rinsed off the boat for me. Finishing nearly last has it's perks! Doug and Scotty biggest mahalos for your help! That nice hot shower was tepid at best, but the color did come back to my hands and feet eventually. My official time was 1 hr 36 min and my GPS course length was 7.7 miles, part of that was my zig zagging, but not 1.7 miles worth! We stuck around for the awards ceremony and as things were wrapping up I saw that kapuna master guy come in. He did finish the race; that's one tough dude. That was a really hard race, I felt worked afterwards. Had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat. Oh, wait, I'm going down to Portland in 2 weeks for another one!
For any small boat race I participate in I have three goals I hope to meet. 1) don't huli (flip the boat), 2) finish the race, 3) don't finish dead last. I very nearly didn't meet two of my goals. I came damn close to huli'ing on more than one occasion, way too close for comfort. I was also very close to finishing dead last.
Conditions started out ideal, not too cold, not much wind, and the snow that had been predicted never materialized.
We were told it was about 6 miles. Leave from in front of the dock, go towards False Creek, around 2 channel marker bouys, then back and around the first dolphin (large wooden piling marker structure), and back to the dock to finish. Up towards False Creek was upwind and not so bad. I was feeling a little out of shape and held back some as I didn't want to start coughing. I was at the back of the rapidly spreading out pack. There was one kapuna master guy (over 55) near me, about halfway to the bouys I was able to pull away from him some, but couldn't seem to catch anyone else. That first leg also cut right through a sailing regatta, at one point I was sure a sail boat was going to split me in half, probably passed 50 ft behind me. I was able to surf a couple of bumps along the way to the bouys, that was kind a fun, feeling a surge of speed that wasn't your doing. Around the first bouy, then the second, damn, where is everyone!By then he wind had picked up some and so did the bumps. The water was pretty disorganized, too, couldn't really tell where all the chop was coming from. This is where I nearly huli'd, the bumps were mostly coming from the ama side, the left side, at one point the ama popped out of the water quite a ways. At one point I paddled in towards the beach, I was hoping for two things, first to get away from some of the bumps and second to get away from the big container ships. I then headed back towards the dolphin and I wasn't anywhere near anyone else. When I was within a mile of the dolphin I could see how strong the tide was, combined with the bumps and I was getting kind of nervous. I hiked my butt up on the left edge of the boat so I could sit on the ama to add to the stability of the boat (the ama is on the left). I started paddling 10 strokes on the right side to 20 on the left and pointed myself directly towards the dolphin.
There was a woman who'd been in my sights pretty much the entire race, I never figured I have a chance to pass her. Here was my chance, she was struggling with the bumps and the current and ended up taking a much wider line around the dolphin. I worked so hard to stay on the higher line, actually pointed myself inside the marker and let the current push me out just far enough, I could reach out and touch it as I went past. Now I just had to dig in and finish and I wouldn't finish last. I hadn't seen the kapuna guy in so long I figured he must have quit. That last leg was a hard upwind push that never seemed to end and I pretty much had lost feeling in my toes, too. My GPS recorded nearly 7 miles as I went around the last turn. I pushed and gave it all I had to the end, glancing back occasionally to see how close Darcy was, still behind me, keep pushing! I was never so happy to hear a horn when I finally crossed the finish line!
Scotty called down his congratulations as I rounded the dock. He said everybody was looking beaten down and it was a harder race than any expected. I got into the beach, Doug and I carried the boat up. I could hardly walk my feet were so cold. Scotty offered to fetch my clothes from the car while I hobbled up into the locker room looking forward to a nice hot shower while Doug rinsed off the boat for me. Finishing nearly last has it's perks! Doug and Scotty biggest mahalos for your help! That nice hot shower was tepid at best, but the color did come back to my hands and feet eventually. My official time was 1 hr 36 min and my GPS course length was 7.7 miles, part of that was my zig zagging, but not 1.7 miles worth! We stuck around for the awards ceremony and as things were wrapping up I saw that kapuna master guy come in. He did finish the race; that's one tough dude. That was a really hard race, I felt worked afterwards. Had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat. Oh, wait, I'm going down to Portland in 2 weeks for another one!
Friday, January 25, 2008
breathing is highly overrated
I've had allergies since I was about 18, discovered them the first spring I was in college. I punctuated an instructors lecture with sneezes, it would have been more funny if I hadn't felt so icky. I'm on good antihistamines now and allergy shots, too, I'm generally feeling pretty good allergy-wise. I am allergic to dogs, cats, anything that can/does bloom, produce pollen, or mold, so really pretty much everything. It doesn't stop me from having cats or dogs, their positive benefit far outweighs the negative. Just before I got Gus I told my allergist I was getting a dog. She asked if I could keep it out of the bedroom, I said 'I could lie to you and say yes.' She made a note in my chart and never again mentioned it, she was really cool.
This morning I went in for my regular monthly maintenance allergy shot, as I have done for, what feels like, countless years. I am allergic to so many things I get a shot in each arm. I went and sat down and quite promptly began coughing, started out like a little tickle in my throat and quickly ramped up to holy cow I can't take any sort of breath without feeling compelled to try and cough up a lung. I went for a drink of water, didn't help. I went over to the nurse, "ya, I'm coughing kind of a lot and since you are here and I'm here I thought I'd mention it". They really move fast when you say stuff like that! I was whisked back into and exam room, they wheeled in the emergency cart of stuff, brought in the doctor on duty, and started asking questions. They took my blood pressure, pulse (both on the higher side of my normal), and took a measure of my pulmonary volume (you take a deep breath and then blow it all out, and then some, through a tube connected to a little computer which measures the volume you blew out). Even I could tell that was the worst result I'd ever blown and I've done it a lot. They gave me some meds through a nebulizer, I felt a little better after that. Did the pulmonary test again, better this time. Squirted some meds up my nose, took some oral steroids, did another nebulizer treatment, felt a little better still. Did a third pulmonary test, again better. Finally got the 'you're good to go home now' from the doc. I mentioned I had a race scheduled tomorrow, he didn't seem to think it would be a problem, gave me an albuterol inhaler to use just before the race if I need it. Hmm, isn't that what they object to athletes doing just before competing because it gives them an unfair advantage? I'm definitely bringing it along. :-)
Well, now I've experienced my first reaction to my allergy shots. I guess there is a good reason to stick around 30 minutes after the injections. Another nurse commented that people can go many years without a reaction and then one day it hits, kind of like today for me. I'm ok, just feeling a nap is very high on the agenda right now.
This morning I went in for my regular monthly maintenance allergy shot, as I have done for, what feels like, countless years. I am allergic to so many things I get a shot in each arm. I went and sat down and quite promptly began coughing, started out like a little tickle in my throat and quickly ramped up to holy cow I can't take any sort of breath without feeling compelled to try and cough up a lung. I went for a drink of water, didn't help. I went over to the nurse, "ya, I'm coughing kind of a lot and since you are here and I'm here I thought I'd mention it". They really move fast when you say stuff like that! I was whisked back into and exam room, they wheeled in the emergency cart of stuff, brought in the doctor on duty, and started asking questions. They took my blood pressure, pulse (both on the higher side of my normal), and took a measure of my pulmonary volume (you take a deep breath and then blow it all out, and then some, through a tube connected to a little computer which measures the volume you blew out). Even I could tell that was the worst result I'd ever blown and I've done it a lot. They gave me some meds through a nebulizer, I felt a little better after that. Did the pulmonary test again, better this time. Squirted some meds up my nose, took some oral steroids, did another nebulizer treatment, felt a little better still. Did a third pulmonary test, again better. Finally got the 'you're good to go home now' from the doc. I mentioned I had a race scheduled tomorrow, he didn't seem to think it would be a problem, gave me an albuterol inhaler to use just before the race if I need it. Hmm, isn't that what they object to athletes doing just before competing because it gives them an unfair advantage? I'm definitely bringing it along. :-)
Well, now I've experienced my first reaction to my allergy shots. I guess there is a good reason to stick around 30 minutes after the injections. Another nurse commented that people can go many years without a reaction and then one day it hits, kind of like today for me. I'm ok, just feeling a nap is very high on the agenda right now.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
the beginning of the end ... of winter
Yesterday morning on the way to the park & ride/transit center I noticed a few things. They sky didn't have that inky blackness that had enveloped the mornings of November, December, and the first part of January. It had that feel of just waking up and throwing the covers back, light enough to see, but not fully awake yet. On the bus, seated towards the back and facing west, I could easily make out the stark relief of the Olympic Mountains with their snowy shawl. I could see the early morning light reflected on the windows overlooking Lake Union. I turned and looked over my shoulder to see the brush stroke of vivid orangey/pink dawn making it's way over the Cascade Mountains. Winter has initiated it's exit strategy.
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