Crowed House were Awesome!

Hands up who can guess where Bluey and I were last night? Okay perhaps this is a quiz that is too easy but the reformed band that played last night to 11,000 in Brisbane was just amazing. The sound was crisp and clear and the band was just on fire. They had tons of energy and did a lot of the older material interspersed with songs from the new album. go to Crowded house website to see what we mean in a small way. Or go to the show on one of the other Australia tour dates! They played in Calgary in Sept. did anyone get to see them there?

Anyway enough about them.... I've been playing with facebook a bit lately and am pretty blown away with the fact that I can look at friends of friends and see who's who. I have been adding friends at a fast rate and am connecting up with friends in Canada that I haven't seen for over 11 years. It's quite nice really but many of them have not caught up with "what's up Chris" before so they may be a bit surprised. Welcome anyway.

I've been watching Lisa Mckay to get ready for her auditions at various universities for their Musical Theatre programs. I drove her up to one in Bundy that I thought she did really well at.... based on the fact that I heard her through the walls and did not hear either of the two others in front of her! I heard her dance audition piece... the one that another friend of hers edited on their computer. I immediately offered to redo the edits as they had missed the beats a bit. This is the kind of thing I was doing back at Uni in the 70's and it was very interesting to be able to do it again using digital techniques instead of the pieces of 1/4 inch reel to reel tape splicing I was doing then. I haven't heard how she likes it yet as I finished it just before we went to Brisbane. But at least it's on the beat now. Did you know I took two years of dance at Uni? As a budding lighting designer I wanted to understand more about Dance. I got teased a bit by my buddies until I pointed out that there were three guys and 20 women in my class! Two really good years! Anyway as the token techie in class I was in high demand to do editing for all my classmates short pieces. I remember one girl wanted a 5 minute piece of music cut into about 12 parts and stitched back together completely differently. I really learned about editing music that day. Hey I can let you hear the piece on this blog...just a minute. Nope I still need to figure how to do this.

I love that my life included digital editing for dancers and now includes helpingClydesdale foals get up for that first suckle.

more later
Chris

Day 231 review

Hi there!
I saw Doc Schoozenbootz last Friday which was in fact day 231 so today its day 234.

He looked at my liver levels over some time and showed us that they had spiked up suddenly about 2 months ago and have been dropping back towards normal since then, when he prescribed a slightly higher dose of the immune suppression drug. That confirmed for him that I do/did have GVHD in my liver. We then talked about how long I will be on the drug and he related the patient history of another fellow that has been on it for 2.5 years, and he had a little GVHD in his liver too.

So we asked about how I manage all this and got some surprising answers. For instance I have been getting antibodies for various diseases commonly inoculated against as part of the intra-gam I get monthly. So my recent accident with barb wire was not such a worry.
-------For me but for Joyce it is still a worry!
I will be able to get a tetanus shot anytime. My immune system is low but not knocked out and I will probably be able to go back to work at the end of January when the new school year starts.

So its a bit of a mixed bag. I have GVHD and the protocol says I'm on the drug for 3 months after that so its on for a while, but even while I'm on it.... and I quote the doc "you can't wrap me in cotton wool." That's a bit of relief for me as I was champing at the bit to work aroung here. Joyce is worried that I'm going to go nuts and get hurt or wear my self out. Time will tell but I will try to keep control so that I don't get an infection.

I'm still only having one drink at a sitting and only occasionally, I still don't eat leftovers, we watch where we eat out, I eat only fully cooked from fresh when I'm out. I don't eat shell fish, prepared meats, or from buffets (from bain maries) WE are on a modified liver cleansing diet. lots of water, fresh juice every morning and very little red meat. Reduced fats and no saturated fats if I can help it. I'm trying to cook more fish but one of us, and I'm not mentioning her name, is not a big fish fan except for Salmon but that can get boring. Those of you still living on the Prairies will know that a good feed of Salmon is not be scoffed at but 2 or three times a week is a bit much and there are so many great reef fish here..... I'm working on good ways to prepare other kinds of fish to make it more accepted but it's early days. Some of you may have had the pleasure of my cooking and some of you may have been present for some of my greatest disasters in culinary experimentation. You will appreciate what said woman is going through while I find her alternative fish experiences.
------- This would be the point where you all chime with posts relating some of my greatest disasters.

Anyway other then that we are good.

More later
Chris

I feel good and strong so its just to get my test levels up. next doc appt Nov 30.

All Hallows Eve

Its halloween! While it will be in North America in about 18 hours. Its not celebrated that much in Australia. Sometimes a mall will do a promo and kids will dress up, or someone will have a party, or a bar will have a dress up event. Anyway it used to be just a chance for me to grab lots of little chocolate bars that I would hoard and munch on for the coming month. I used to buy way too much and then pretend to be disappointed that not very many kids came to our door. It's a blessing that we don't celebrate it here as I'm on a diet, a liver cleansing diet. Its really just a 'reduce fatty and prepared foods for 8 weeks' diet but it is a good habit to be getting into. Bluey saw a thing on TV about a study that kept people on the monkee diet. they ate what a monkee ate...11 pounds of fresh fruit and veg each day. They all lost weight. the majority lost it around their middle. and they had an average of 25% reduction in cholesterol! We are trying to eat more fruit and veg!

I have been doing a bit more work on the new property, fixing fences etc. Stuff that is not risky but is helpful and is keeping me more active. Queensland in particular but all of Australia is under attack from Equine Influenza. It's slipped in past Quarantine and infected horses in New South Wales and Queensland. It's ruining peoples livelihood because horses can't be moved out of the quarantine zones. Racing has been stopped in all the small races. Even the Melbourne cup "the race that stops a nation" is still in doubt and thats next Tuesday! Anyway Jo and Gene have two outside mares on the property for breeding and we had to put up an extra electric fence to provide an exclusion zone on the property. I 'm not sure it will do anything as the guests are from a green zone anyway and the virus can travel up to 8 kilometers airborne!

health update:
feeling fine, weird curly hair, tired of being at the same immunosuppression level.


okay more detail = there is none! I go to see Doc Schoozenbootz on Friday so may have more info then.

Chilli continues to entertain us.

more later
Chris

Photobucket Album

catch up

Hi gang
I am sorry but life gets in the way sometimes.

Anyway Its Friday the the 19th of October and I'm trying to stop time today. It's not sunny today, infact it's looking like a storm but nothing yet. We could use the rain. And it is a little cool today which is good because the hot summer has been hinted at in the past week and the longer we hang onto the cool weather the better. Steve, a gardner type tradesman is out mowing and piling up dead trees from the last storm. (more on that below).


health: I'm over s6 months since my transplant in fact I'm over 200 days! wow. Time did seem to drag there for a while but it has started moving very fast again. I know we say this all the time but time seemed to stand still when we were kids and now it screams past. I wonder if that is becasue kids can totally focus on the moment and keep it in their brain and really see things and then they reluctantly move to the next moment. We on the other hand have seen so much we just see the bigger picture and it moves faster. Anyway, I'm still immunosupressed. My 6 month results were good and the month before Doc Schoozenbootz didn't like my liver levels, they were too high so he upped my immunosupression. this last visit the replacement doc said the levels had dropped which was especially good becuase they usually plateau for a bit first and it is a very good sign that my are dropping. My skin is reacting a tiny bit to the increased immuno suppression but I'm back to giraffe skin.... yet (see picture on June 20 posting.) My feet are good and I'm getting some excercise.

I have big ankles because the immunosupression drug messes with my fluid retention and I get the fattest ankles in the world. When I where socks with elastic at the top my legs go hourglass shape. I kid you not!

My hair is still curly and getting quite long but we are so in awe of the new curly hair we are letting it grow to see what happens. Soon I'm going to get it cut because I have forelocks and they drive me nuts. see the picture

Bluey and I are on a liver cleansing diet. We start out eaitng fish and chicken and lots and lots of veg for a frotnight then two fortnights with just fish then add back the chicken then back on to read meats. lots of fluid taken as well. it may be helping my liver but it is alos good for the waist line. I'm way to big. I weight in for the 6 month tests and was 95 Kgs thats 10 kgs over the wieght I was going into the hospital nad alsmost 20 over my low weight in the hospital.

I'm looking forward to seeing Doc Schoozenbootz on the 3rd of november as he can really fill us in on to the future.

Generl news:
My sister Melissa got married this past weekeend at a beautiful hotel In the Bow Valley west of lake Louise called Mum Ti Jah. We know the place so sit was nicde to see photos and imagine what it was like. We weren't there because I can't travel yet, (can't get insurance and risk of infection) I hope that will change when we next see the doc and he drops my immunosupression a bit.

Cousin John survided his great motorcycle trek and is back hard at work in his promoted job.

My pal Jim in Kelowna has a new web site and is building his new/old business. he's done the work for years but he's working on his own with his wife and getting a new 'brand' in place.

Jo and Gene get back on Sunday from 5 weeks in Northamerica. Amoung other things they went to Madison Wisconsin to see the World clydesdale show. Over 700 horses!

Ret & Alicia have been house and horse sitting and have been doing a great job with input from Don, Bluey and myself. We had a run last week with Elsie the black russian going into season ahd the dog, striker going through a window but she's been in the kennel and comes home tommorrow int ime to see Jo & Gene. The Stallion got out of his paddock and in with the mares but there weren't to many drama just some hard work fixing fences.

Chilli had got a new clip for summer and you can see her and the puppies at http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s195/chrisolin/

Last Friday we had a short but very windy storm that dumped an inch of water in aboout a half hour and blew down tons of trees inthe area. we lost power for about 7 hours and I have had to fix some fence on this property and I guess there's more to do on the new property as well. A neighbor over there did his side that we share with him and that's terrific but I think I have to go look at the other sides.

more later
Chris

more later

I've been meaning to blogg for about a week to let all my friends know about the 6 monthly test results but have been doing all sorts of 'farm' urgencies. I'm fine but I'll give you the full rundown this weekend. Sorry but this is really just a placeholder till then.
more later
Chris

No its really curly!

See my new hair is curly and darker brown than before. Weird eh!

I saw Schoozenboots on Friday and he's generally happy with me. Except my liver numbers have gone high again and he's wondering if I just drink too much or if I'm getting GVHD, or if we dropped the immunesuppression drug too much last time sooooooo i'm on a part of a tablet more of the drug and I have decided to quit drinking again and then we will see in two weeks what's what. I don't have to go down to Brisbane again but I do have to get a blood test locally. Then we will talk by phone.

He did a bone marrow biopsy agian, my 6 monthly one. They are getting easier each time; i guess I'm relaxing. Although Joyce got to sit in and watch this time. She said I told him "it's hurting, its hurting" and he just kept going and turned to joyce as he shook my butt around drilling into me, "its okay he won't remember". I don't remember the pain but I remember saying it to him.... but I was so out of it I don't care. I guess I'll get the results down the road. It took almost a month to hear back last time.

I have to do my 6 month tests at the hospital; lungs, heart, xray etc in a few weeks.

I also had a skin appt this time and guess what, I do have the much rarer x-linked Icthosus (just means fish scales and I got it on my mothers DNA). Its no news for me just dry skin in the winter but if I had a daughter she would have longer labor if she was having a boy, and she should check his testicles to see if they drop properly. There is a slightly higher incidence of testicular cancer with this condition so I guess I can look forward to a much closer relationship to my GP from now on ;-) I don't remember Rick ever complaining of dry skin but you might want to look into it Bro.

-------Warning science geek stuff coming! Just skip the next parargragh if you aren't in to it.

My DNA has a bit of missing code at one of the skin chromosomes which means I don't produce a particular ensyme that allows the fat in my skin to change and release the dead skin cells so they stay on and make the scally look. The other problems come because often there are other "dropped" bits of information on other chromeosomes on either side of this chromosome and its in the sex and testes areas so that's why they keep an eye out for the NOT dropped ball! I don't get any treatment just cancer checks more regularily.

Bluey is great. She's a bit busy at work these days, leading up to her AGM, and the funding for the new building is still not all in place and some folks are getting antsey.

We stayed at Bev's and got to see the Riverfire spectacular. They put barges on nine reaches of the river. A reach is the straight bit between the bends. On each of the barges and from a number of bridges and high rises in the CBD as well they put fireworks. They are all microwave linked and the whole thing is miles and miles of coordinated fireworks. The whole city was in our local bottle shop that afternoon and by that evidence i reckon there were a million party goers on the banks of the river last Saturday! Bev's roof top patio has a stunning view of the bigest bridge and two of the barges so we had a great view. She had a big open house and other neighbours in the building, her staff, friends and family including her terffic grandsons were there. It was a big time and lots of fun. The event starts with the local precision flying team, Military attack helicopters thundering up and down the river and the fire event starts with a pair of F111s doing a fuel dump right over our reach of the river. Seriously cool. You could feel the heat on your face and the sound sure gets the crowd going. Anyway we got up early this morning and came home so are having a relaxing day here.

The house plans are back at the draughtsman but I have to get a number of answers from my partners and from the steel house company as we proceed. We may not be starting to build in September but maybe by the end of October!

more later
Chris