LIVING WITH MCL

I'm reminded of that line from an old Chiffon commerical "It's not nice to fool mother nature. Well, it seems we may have done just that [or just pissed her off some how], as it looks like all the bad weather we were experiencing in LA has followed us to New Zealand [at least to Queenstown]. It's been very windy and rainy all night, and it's forecast to stay that way through tomorrow. So that means no helicopter trip to Milford Sound , until possibly Monday, when the weather is expected to change. We only planned 3 days in Queenstown, so I'm not sure what we'll do if we can't get to see Milford Sound on Monday. (Milford Sound is number one on everyone list of things to see and do in New Zealand, so it would be a real disappointment if we miss it.) The upside to all this is, that leaves lots of time for wine tasting, and divulging of the local cuisine. I'll just have to pace myself to make sure I don't gain too much weight. Oh well, such is li...

Well, we made it to New Zealand safe and sound, and with the exception of it being a hassle making our connection to Queenstown, it was a great trip. I got my usual amount of sleep, and managed to wake up relatively refreshed. Edie didn't fare quite as well, and after walking about a half mile to the domestic terminal in Auckland (which was the main hassle making that connection), Edie was a little worn out. She did recover enough though to visit a few wineries, while we waited for our room to be ready, and even spent some time watching a few people out for a leisurely day of bungee jumping . The biggest problem so far, besides the fact it's overcast and raining, I forgot to bring my stash of green tea, and I didn't bring any extra hair bands, is learning to drive on the wrong side of the road. The driving isn't so bad, but trying to remember to get in the car on the right side instead of the left, trying not to turn on the windshield wipers when you want the turn sign...

Well, as some would say, we have completed the most dangerous part of the trip, that is, the trip to the airport. Edie successfully negotiated getting her multitude of pills and creams through security, and now we sit in the Koru Club, watching Larry King on CNN, sipping on an Oyster Bay Pinot Noir, while indulging on some goat and bleu cheese waiting for our flight to begin boarding. Life is good. More reports and pictures to follow, and keep an eye on MiniPosts in the sidebar, for short and quick updates.

Ok this is it. In about 12 hours we'll be heading to the airport, and now I'm starting to get anxious. I haven't even started packing yet. So one last bike ride this AM, and then I better get my &^% in gear!

All the results are in, and it's a thumbs up for our trip to New Zealand. Edie got the results of her latest blood work on Friday, and I got mine today. Edie's counts were stable, and I was better than good. My hemoglobin was up to 13 g/dl (that's almost normal) from 11.9 g/dl last month, and my lymphocyte count was down to 88.2 thou/cumm from 99 thou/cumm. Even my platelets were up. I also bought a new backpack, so that I can easily carry the computer (and keep everyone up to date on our adventure) , some Bose noise cancellation headphones (to make the flight a little more tolerable), a new camera with 2 - 4 Gb flash drives, each with the capability of taking 3000 pictures or 3 hours worth of videos.  I'm hoping that will be sufficient for 18 days. Edie's even prepared enough nourishing meals for Sylvia to make while we're gone. Now, all I have to do is pack!

Yep, you guessed it!  It's raining.  But I'm not too disappointed, I really didn't want to go for a ride today anywaze.  I think I'll just workout at the gym this morning, and go for a short run on the treadmill.

Its the first one in several days, and it's not raining outside either. It is a little cold, 43°F to be exact, but I've learned life isn't perfect. At least I'll be able to get one ride in today, which, with the exception of a spinning class on Wednesday, is my first time on the bike since last Sunday. Hopefully I haven't forgotten how to ride.

Yesterday started out good, but gradually went down hill ( see yesterday's post ), and that down hill spiral has continued into today. It's raining again this AM, which means no bike ride. I could go to the gym for a spinning class, but that just takes so much out of me, I don't feel much like doing that. And on top of it all, I think I'm talking myself into being sick again. At least I'm hoping that's the case, and I'm not really getting sick. :(

Ever have one of those days that are both good and bad at the same time? Well, today is starting off to be one of those days, being both good and bad at the same time. The good part is work is a little slow, and there is nothing for me to do, but it's also bad for the exact same reason. It's like when I ride my bike on the river trail with friends who are stronger than me. It's good because there are no traffic lights or intersections to slow us down, but it's bad because there are no traffic lights or intersections to slow us down, giving me a chance to catch my breath. Oh well, such is life, so here I sit with nothing much else to do except post to my blog, and wait for the traffic to die down, before maybe heading home. I say maybe because I am expecting a shipment of wine, from one of the wine clubs I belong to, to be delivered by UPS today at work. [I think I'll change all my ship to addresses to my home address, so this doesn't happen again.] In the me...

Ever talk yourself into being sick? Well I have, and I think I'm doing it again. And I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it's because I'm getting stressed out over our trip to New Zealand, maybe it's because the weather is turning foul again (it's 39.9°F this morning), or maybe I'm starting to get stressed out again over all the idiotic (at least IMO) customers I have to deal with at work. I actually thought I had come to grips with that sort of idiocy, but apparently that isn't the case, as yesterday was just "one of those days" causing "one of those headaches" that doesn't seem to want to go away. Or maybe I am actually getting sick. I know I haven't been sick this winter yet, and it would be just my luck to get sick before our trip to New Zealand. Whatever it is, I'm not planning on going for a bike ride this morning. I just hope I can relax enough in the next hour or two, to muster enough enthusiasm to go for a spinning...

Even though I was tired yesterday after my bike ride, I felt good. I didn't do much after the ride, other than eat and rest, hoping I would be recovered enough tomorrow to maybe play around of golf. Well, I am recovered today, but I have absolutely no interest in playing golf. I don't even have any interest in going to the practice range. Of course, I'm not sure why I should be so surprised, as it's been about 2 months since I last played, and well over a month since going to the range to practice, and I haven't had any burning desire to play all that time. I've even turned down a few opportunities to play, because it would interfere with my bike riding, and even now that I've been sitting around the house all day today doing absolutely nothing, I still have no desire to golf. It's seems I'd rather be posting to my blog. What has gotten into me? I just have to get out of the house. Maybe I'll go to the gym. Believe it or not, I have more i...

Well, after four itinerary changes, I think we're finally set for our trip to New Zealand . We leave the end of February, bound for Queenstown , spending the first 3 days at the Stoneridge Estate . From there, we plan to visit a few wineries of the Central Otago region , as well as take a tour of Milford Sound (that seems to be on everyone's list of sights to see), and take a jet boat ride (or maybe kayak) up the Dart River (it goes by some Lord of the Ring sites). Beyond that.we have nothing specific planned until we get to Auckland, where I have 4 nights booked at the Westin Auckland, Lighter Quay . (I've used my Starwood points, so I can change those dates if needed without a penalty.) Total time on the ground in New Zealand - 17 days. Touring the wineries is easy, we have a car, but how to best experience Milford Sound and the Dart River is proving a lot more daunting than I had expected. There are just too many different tours to choose from, with prices ranging wide...

The other day, my company was audited by one of our customers, and one of the findings was, we did not have a procedure to address how we would handle a request to return customer owned property. Can you believe that? It's not enough just to comply with the request, we have to have a procedure to tell us to comply with the request. I only wish I was joking, but I'm not. Then today watching Jeopardy (I know, but Sylvia likes it), the woman in the lead failed to bet enough, in final jeopardy, to cover the doubling of the bet by the second place contestant. Had she never watched Jeopardy before? When you're in last place, the best bet is typically $0 (the exception being if you're so far behind, you have bet something to catch up to the other 2 contestants in case they miss), because your only chance of winning is neither other contestant knows the answer, and then having to bet and answering the question (technically questioning the answer) incorrectly, makes you the def...

had my beloved Steelers won the Super Bowl. Not only was last nights Super Bowl one of the most exciting football games I have ever watched, the New York Giants won, beating the smug, and over confident New England Patriots. And when Bill Belicheck walked off the field in a huff, even before the game ended, it made the victory by the Giants just that much sweeter. WAY TO GO GIANTS!!!!!

Well today was the Celebration of Life for the friend and riding buddy who passed away a week ago Friday. Among the many family members, friends and bike club members attending, there were also a few old friends I hadn't seen in quite a number of years. It was good to see everyone was still doing fine. Now even though, when I started this blog over two years ago, I stopped trying to keep my lymphoma a secret, that didn't mean I was going to out, and announce to the world I have lymphoma. I was still going to be discreet, only confirming when specifically asked, or if begged to tell what was wrong, which coincidentally two friends had done. But today, when I met one of those old friends, I hadn't seen in quite a while, he commented he heard I was dealing with my own problems. It surprised me he knew, but I really didn't think much about it, simply commenting I was still feeling fine, which does happen to be true. But a few moments later, after the old friend went ...