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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by allisonm on January 23, 2003, at 12:03:14
Hi. Sorry I haven't been around in the last few months. I've been really busy with classes, seem to have a new boyfriend I really can commune with (although at times it's also a troubling and volatile relationship), and my drugs seem to be working for the most part. Kind of amazing.
I still get stressed, still get down and blue, but not anywhere where I was before. Stuff just doesn't bother me or loom as large as it did before. I lost some weight, then gained some of it back between summer and now (damn).
I don't have a lot to say otherwise. Just going along...
Sending best wishes for Peace,
Alli
Posted by tina on January 23, 2003, at 13:00:12
In reply to Hello, posted by allisonm on January 23, 2003, at 12:03:14
sounds good alli. I hope it all continues to be good stuff for you.
Nice to hear from you
tina
Posted by kath on January 23, 2003, at 17:50:11
In reply to Hello, posted by allisonm on January 23, 2003, at 12:03:14
Yo Alli - So GREAT to hear from you! I've been thinking about you so much. Neat-oh that you have a new boyfriend. Is he also a student?
Is it beastly cold down there? Hope not. It sure as heck is here!!!
love & hugs, Alli ----- Kath
> Hi. Sorry I haven't been around in the last few months. I've been really busy with classes, seem to have a new boyfriend I really can commune with (although at times it's also a troubling and volatile relationship), and my drugs seem to be working for the most part. Kind of amazing.
>
> I still get stressed, still get down and blue, but not anywhere where I was before. Stuff just doesn't bother me or loom as large as it did before. I lost some weight, then gained some of it back between summer and now (damn).
>
> I don't have a lot to say otherwise. Just going along...
>
> Sending best wishes for Peace,
>
> Alli
Posted by kath on January 23, 2003, at 17:57:28
In reply to Re: Hello, posted by tina on January 23, 2003, at 13:00:12
Gawd Tina - isn't it cold?! I just can't seem to stop thinking/talking about it. I say ENUFFFF! Why aren't the weather Gods listening??Did you know Jay has been working for over 2 months at a fancy Italian Restaurant. He LOVES his job (sorry - I should have told you to sit down first).
ALSO - last Thursday, he was in excrutiating pain & I took him to Emerg. He couldn't pee & there was blood & after a CAT scan - sure enough - kidney stones....one 8 X 12 mm almost down into the bladder but stuck. The did an operation at 9:30 at night. It was eerie in the op. room waiting room - NOBODY around - empty - echoey. They had planned to put a tube from the kidney to the bladder so the pee could bypass the stone, then deal with the stone at some later point, after things settled down. BUT, the surgeon said he could just see the stone poking into the bladder so he pulled it out. It and 2 small ones. It is the size of a small raisin. This was done by going up through the penis. Yikes - lucky he was asleep!!!!!!!
Anyway, he came through the general anaesthetic wonderfully.
Now, I've had DAYS of stress trying to get his stupid birth certificate (lost) so I can help him get his stupid OHIP card, which he's been supposed to get for over a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, at least he's okay. Oh yeah - his biggest concern at Emerg last Thursday was "But Mom, I CAN'T stay in the hospital. They need me at work! I can't let Frank (his boss) down."
Does this sound like the Jay we all know & love?!I guess people DO mature - just like you've always told me!
hugs, Kath
> sounds good alli. I hope it all continues to be good stuff for you.
> Nice to hear from you
> tina
Posted by allisonm on January 23, 2003, at 19:32:18
In reply to Re: Hello » allisonm, posted by kath on January 23, 2003, at 17:50:11
Hi Kath,
Nooo. He's not a student. He's a bit older than I am (again), an artist/craftsman who makes rings from sterling silver and gold-filled wire. Sells them at craft shows and art festivals. He lives about 15 miles south of here on a hilltop in a small cedar house on 175 acres. We have a whole lot in common, we think. It can be eerie sometimes the way we both think the same things at the same time. However, he can be particular about things and a little unpredictable, which leads to problems. Don't know whether we'll survive, but we're giving it a shot. Some of it also has to do with understanding where each is coming from. Hard to explain. He's 6-foot-five.
It is SOOOOOOOOOCOLD down here!! Kath, would you and Tina please stop sending us all of your frigid weather??? It's 3F right now and apt to go lower tonight with a -20F windchill. My roommate (the one from Kenya) is really suffering. We also have students from Taiwan and Ireland who are really really unhappy. Of course, they don't know how to dress, either. My roommate, for example, wore her SNEAKERS to school today, then the bus home was late and she ended up waiting outside for it for an hour. She was a popsicle when she got home. I had to fix her soup and make her take a hot shower. Her toes were numb. I scolded her for that. Had to suggest she not wear her dangl-ey gold hoops this morning if she wanted to keep her earlobes unthawed... She just doesn't know...
Posted by Rach on January 23, 2003, at 19:55:55
In reply to Re: Hello » kath, posted by allisonm on January 23, 2003, at 19:32:18
I've never thought about how to dress in weather like that. I wouldn't have a clue either! What kinds of stuff do you have to wear? Being from Australia, the most I have to think about, especially right now in summer, is how much sunscreen I need! (and the weather here is very unpredictable. could be very hot in the morning, then suddenly be storming, then just a suddenly have gale force winds). You learn how to dress in thin layers, so you can add or subtract as needed. :)
Posted by noa on January 24, 2003, at 5:45:38
In reply to Re: Hello, posted by Rach on January 23, 2003, at 19:55:55
HI, Allison.
Yep, it is cold now. We've been having temps avging in the teens (F) Heat is cranked up but it doesn't seem to get me warm.
Rach, people tend to wear layers and wool things, coats, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, etc. etc. It takes a lot longer to get out the door in the morning! And that doesn't even count having to scrape off the car if there is frost, ice or snow! If there is substantial snow, we also have to pull out the shovel to dig the car out.
--thinking of the sunny southern hemisphere with envy, noa.
Posted by Greg on January 24, 2003, at 6:45:42
In reply to Re: Hello, posted by noa on January 24, 2003, at 5:45:38
God I love California.... :^P
Posted by tina on January 24, 2003, at 9:55:36
In reply to Re: Hello, posted by noa on January 24, 2003, at 5:45:38
weather and snow for all the sun in the south! YOu southerners can keep your heat,,,,yuck.
Posted by tina on January 24, 2003, at 10:02:49
In reply to Re: Hello » tina, posted by kath on January 23, 2003, at 17:57:28
I'm glad Jay is ok and doing well in his job Kath. I figured he'd grow up at some point. I'm glad it was sooner rather than later.
I hope his recovery is quick.
Good to hear you're doing well too even though you've had some stress.
take care and thanks for always sending me emails now and then. I can always count on you for that. I may not answer as often as I should but I do appreciate you caring enough to send them.
tina
Posted by allisonm on January 24, 2003, at 10:57:33
In reply to Re: Hello, posted by Rach on January 23, 2003, at 19:55:55
Sunscreen? What's that?
Um...what do we wear? Today, I am wearing a pair of cotton socks under a pair of fleece socks. I usually wear heavy wool socks, but they're all in the laundry basket. I wear insulated, waterproof hiking boots over the socks. When the high temp is only in the teens (like today), I usually wear long underwear bottoms (cotton or wool/cotton) underneath my jeans, or flannel-lined jeans (they're great). On top, I wear a long underwear top or cotton camisole under a heavy cotton turtleneck with a heavy wool pullover crewneck sweater on top. To go outside, I wear a heavy overcoat with a long wool scarf that I wrap several times around my neck and face because the windchill (averaging -20F) will dry out the skin on your face, cause windburn, and at worst, cause frostbite. A scarf also helps to keep warm the air you are breathing in. Real cold air makes my lungs hurt. I also wear a wool hat pulled down around my ears, no earrings because the metal conducts cold... 'Air this cold gives me headaches. Then I put on heavy insulated gloves on my hands.
I have to keep applying lotion to my face and hands because they dry out so fast (low temps like this suck the humidity out of the air). My thumbtips are cracking. They will open and become raw and sore if I don't put lotion on. Washing hands dries them out also. I apply vaseline or ChapStick to my lips several times a day or else they crack and bleed.
I have been consuming a lot of hot tea, coffee, and soup.
That's all I can think of. I lived in Florida for 6 years and didn't like it. I need the four seasons -- even this one.
Alli
Posted by noa on January 24, 2003, at 22:10:42
In reply to Re: Hello » Rach, posted by allisonm on January 24, 2003, at 10:57:33
Speaking of cold-I came home from work today to discover that the heat pump was not working. Outside it is about 25 degrees (F) and in here it is now 48 degrees and falling. I'm wearing a zillion layers of assorted clothing and have the dryer running (vented inward) and the oven on. I'm gonna need the extra heavy wool blankets tonight.
Heating techs are coming in the morning. I only hope I don't have to replace the whole thing, but it is very old.
Posted by kath on January 25, 2003, at 17:18:18
In reply to Re: Hello, posted by Greg on January 24, 2003, at 6:45:42
Stop that gloating this INSTANT!!!!!!!!!!! You brat. How I envy you!!!!!!!!!
:-) Katt> God I love California.... :^P
Posted by kath on January 25, 2003, at 17:24:24
In reply to Re: Hello » kath, posted by tina on January 24, 2003, at 10:02:49
Thanks Tina....Jay's recovery was pretty-well instant. He had a couple of days off work, but you'd NEVER know he'd had general anaesthetic.
You were sure right about him. I still feel like I'm holding my breath a bit - things have been rough for so long, it's almost like I'm afraid to settle into the comfort!!!
Thanks for your email jokes.
HEY - what's this about not wanting to give up the cold weather - are you CRAZY?! oh year - I forgot that that's why we're all here ;-)
love ya, Kath
> I'm glad Jay is ok and doing well in his job Kath. I figured he'd grow up at some point. I'm glad it was sooner rather than later.
> I hope his recovery is quick.
> Good to hear you're doing well too even though you've had some stress.
> take care and thanks for always sending me emails now and then. I can always count on you for that. I may not answer as often as I should but I do appreciate you caring enough to send them.
> tina
Posted by kath on January 25, 2003, at 17:27:21
In reply to Re: Hello, posted by noa on January 24, 2003, at 22:10:42
Yikes, Noa - that is awful. Hope everything works out okay. Kath xoxo
> Speaking of cold-I came home from work today to discover that the heat pump was not working. Outside it is about 25 degrees (F) and in here it is now 48 degrees and falling. I'm wearing a zillion layers of assorted clothing and have the dryer running (vented inward) and the oven on. I'm gonna need the extra heavy wool blankets tonight.
>
> Heating techs are coming in the morning. I only hope I don't have to replace the whole thing, but it is very old.
Posted by Rach on January 26, 2003, at 6:37:23
In reply to Re: Hello » tina, posted by kath on January 25, 2003, at 17:24:24
Yesterday, it hit 112F. It was way too hot for me, and particularly because we have a lot of bad bushfires out here at the moment. But today it rained! Yay! Hopefully that helped out those fighting the fires. It has been pretty awful - the whole state has been layered in this blanket of smoke. The capital city of Australia, Canberra, has been completely devastated - over 530 homes were destroyed.
Bring on more rain.
Posted by noa on January 26, 2003, at 13:42:12
In reply to Australian summer, posted by Rach on January 26, 2003, at 6:37:23
Those fires are scary, indeed. Seems like nature has its hazards for every locale (although I'm not sure if the Australian fires are natural or man-made). If you live where it's warm and sunny, it seems there might be fires or floods or earthquakes, or hurricanes or tornadoes. In cold climes, you've got ice, sleet, snow, etc. And it is still hot and humid in the summer. Not to mention the occasional tornado or tropical storm that sneaks in.
I once spent a year in a place where the summer temps got up to 40 C regularly. But it was dry air, so as long as you hydrated sufficently, it was not so bad (and stay out of the sun in the heat of day). But it was hard to sleep at night (I had no ac!). Here in much of the states, the summers are hot (not as hot as 112F or 40 C) but very humid, which makes it so uncomfortable.
Rach, what material are the homes made of? It would seem like stone materials (not brick) would be best for the hot summers, to keep it cool and to limit fire damage.
Posted by Rach on January 26, 2003, at 19:48:55
In reply to Re: Australian summer, posted by noa on January 26, 2003, at 13:42:12
Most of them are brick. My family's home is great, we have lots of shades all around the place, and the floor is a type of stone, so it is wonderfully cool.
My flat, however, is all carpeted, with the main rooms facing west, on the third floor. It is truly horrible sometimes. I've taken to sleeping with a fan blowing directly onto my back. :)
A lot of the fires have been deliberately lit. It happens every year, although we do have a lot of non-deliberate ones too. In Canberra, it was a teenage boy who lit the fires that destroyed the 530 homes.
The worst thing has been trying to breathe outside. So hot, so damp, and so smokey. Blah!
Posted by tina on January 27, 2003, at 11:37:21
In reply to Re: Hello » tina, posted by kath on January 25, 2003, at 17:24:24
I was just like Jay when I was his age. I started smoking joints when I was about 15 or so and kept at it and partied hard too until I reached a point where I found it all a bit.....immature. I 'grew up' so to speak and I knew Jay would too. I'm glad his recovery is going well and that he is so enamoured with his job. It's good when you can find something you really like. I wonder what that's like? Ah, I'll never know I s'pose.
No, I love the cold and the winter. I would rather be very very cold than hot and humid. I HATE the summer heat. Anything over 15 degrees is too hot for me. The cold makes starting the car annoying but I wouldn't give it up for the world. I am canadian, through and through.
take care
Oh PS.....zephyr left ASH. I thought you'd like to know.
later
tina
Posted by Greg on January 27, 2003, at 17:38:42
In reply to Re: Hello----KATH, posted by tina on January 27, 2003, at 11:37:21
OK Tina, I can understand you not liking the types of hot temps I do. Let's face facts, anybody who likes weather in the 90s and 100s has to have a fuse blown, right? But having spent three years living in Utah, which granted isn't as bad as where you live, I can't understand how you could prefer that type of weather to at least your spring and autumn months. I mean snow up to your, well, whatever, shoveling the driveway almost everyday, scraping the windshields, the drivers who think that snow means "drive faster", slipping and sliding on the sidewalks, hoping that you're not too far down the list for the snowplows to plow your street, the snow looks beautiful after it first falls but after it's been walked and driven and plowed thru, it loses it's beauty pretty quick, and should you have a job working outdoors...yuk! I was fortunate enough to deliver propane to ski resorts while I lived there. Propane and ice do not make a happy couple. At the end of the day (which were always very long) I would come home with three pairs of thermal socks frozen solid to my work boots and had to soak in a hot tub for a half hour just to warm up. So as you can see, my love for that kind of winter weather turned sour pretty quick.
I'm just a born and bred California boy. I'm used to not having much in the way of seasons. Hell, I can't even stand it when it rains! Give me a bright, sunny, hot day with a pair of shorts and a tank top anytime and I'll be happy.
I guess you adapt to your environment. Maybe I didn't live in Utah long enough? But we won't go there... except to visit... in the summertime.
Hope you're feeling better,
Greg
Posted by tina on January 29, 2003, at 8:53:54
In reply to Re: Hello----Tina, posted by Greg on January 27, 2003, at 17:38:42
I can "put on" 9 layers of clothes when it's cold or start a fire or turn the heat up when at home. I think one does adapt to a harsh environment when one has been living in it for so many years. I simply can't adapt to heat, never could. It closes my airway and I hate sweat and I won't wear shorts or tank tops and my eyes ache when it's bright out and all I want to do when it's very hot is hide in a freezer so gimme a cold winter over summer any day.
I do like fall and I do like spring too. I just HATE sunny, hot weather. It's not just uncomfortable, it's boring.
and no, I'm not feeling better but thanks for asking.
This is the end of the thread.
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