Poor Blog

Poor blog I've been neglecting it. I've been indulging in my postcard hobby and Oh! so nice to be able to walk on the streets with no snow or ice. Above is a shot of the steel mill, which use to be Canadian, was bought by Acelor(France), which was bought by Mitaal(India) and then by Rio Tinto(Brazil). Now ChinaAlco, is buying up Rio Tinto, shares, because they are broke.All this in the space of a year.Crazy globalism
My son mentioned that even though steel production is way down, tin is way up. Why?
People are buying more canned food due to rising food prices and the recession. That's sad,although it is keeping the mill busy and workers employed. There have been so many layoffs.The plant where my son has a part time job has cut an entire day of production and cut staff.

My shopping trip to Toronto on Saturday was enjoyable,with a super fast commute.I took the 6:20 bus home and was in my house changing clothes,by 7:07. If it was always like thatI would never have transferred from Toronto.Then I remember those awful rush hour commutes,of 90 minutes and even 2 hours. No way do I want to go through that again.I have said this many times.We need a dedicated bus lane on the highway.That will never happen because the car is still king around here,so we are left with a half assed public system. When it works it's brilliant, when it doesn't,it's a nightmare.

Been a week now since I quit the Amantadine. I can't say that I notice any difference. The main reason I started taking it was to help me get through the work day and avoid taking so many days off.That didn't happen.I have taken a record number of sick days the past couple of months,therefore I see no point in continuing on a drug that had minimal effect. The side effects were not that big a deal but enough of a nuisance to be glad they are gone. What drug next? I don't know Right now I need to concentrate on losing a few pounds,well more than a few, several. The days are getting longer and if this decent weather holds up I'll be able to do some longer walks and not be worried about falling.
Can't give a work update right now except to say things are moving along.It really hit the fan last week, which is a good thing. I should have some news by the end of this week. Not that I'm holding my breath.

8 Things. Do You Do Them ?

Here's an article from the Independent about 8 things Britons don't do any more.

I do some and have pretty good excuses for not doing others.

1. Peeling- Orange sales are down because people don't like peeling them.

During the winter I eat lots of oranges but I don't peel them. I cut them into quarters and add a light sprinkle of salt, a taste I picked up from my Dad. He says it's an Italian thing , but I don't know any other Italians who do it although they are very partial to salt, citrus , and bitter tastes, which I love too. Nothing like a salad of dark greens, lemon dressing , salt and pepper.
I can have salt thanks to my low blood pressure.

2. Lunching

People don't relax and go out for lunch, instead they grab a quick bite at their desk and carry on working.

I have a quick lunch at my desk so I can use my break time to go for a walk. At least that's a healthy reason.

3. Car Washing . Most people use the drive through car wash (what a waste of water and energy) instead of doing it themselves.

I don't have a car . I do remember my Dad enjoying washing his car by hand and polishing it.

4. Writing. Everybody uses Email and IM, rarely writing a snail mail letter.

I don't write letters by hand as my writing is so horrible. I will type a letter in a fancy font and put it in a card.

5. Shaving .
I think modern shavers are better and safer soI don't think giving up the old fashion shave is a great loss.

6. Reading
Is it true people read less ? I don't know because my family and friends are all big readers.

7. Strolling
Nobody has time to go for a leisurely walk.
I walk everyday(no car remember) , strolling ? well depends how much time I have

8. Tea Making

Britons don't have time to make tea ? What is the world coming to ?
I love tea and take the time everyday to make it in a proper tea pot . I like to try different kinds of flavoured black teas and green teas. No bag in a cup for me.

Other than that I think it's redundant for me to mention my MS.

Right now I'm stuffing my face with candy from Finland. One of the side benefits of my post card hobby.

Weekend Walks

A quick post here before I settle in to watch a show on History channel, Aftermath : A World Without Humans. I think the world could mange nicely without us.

First I'd like to mention that I wasn't trying to be clever when I referred to date rape drugs. The legal sedatives :GHB, Rohypnol, and Ketamine, are the most commonly used drugs for sexual assaults. The fact that someone told me that a person I know was using a date rape drug, really got my attention, so I'm simply relaying what I heard.

Managed to get a couple of decent walks in this weekend. Yesterday 2 hours around the harbour and I climbed 165 stairs ! I'm not saying it was a breeze. I had to stop a few times climbing up, and the last 20 minutes of walking were a killer . I was wiped out by the time I got home. . I treated myself to a couple of cookies and a nice pot of tea when I got back.

Now I'm certain I can do the MS walk next weekend.

Excerpt from a study published in PubMed Authors M. Olsson, J Levell, and S Soderburg.

"We conducted a qualitative inquiry in order to describe the meaning of women's experiences of living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. The majority of persons living with MS are women. Living with MS has been described as difficult because of the uncertainty of the illness. Ten women with MS were interviewed and the interviews were analyzed with a phenomenological hermeneutic interpretation. In this study, we suggest that the meaning of living with MS for women can be understood as trying to maintain power and living with an unrecognizable body. The bodies of women with MS serve as hindrances in everyday life. Bodily changes evident to others impose feelings of being met in a different way, which can be understood as an expression of a violated dignity. At the same time, the women with MS struggle to protect their dignity"