Tuesday, July 25, 2006

a bit homesick and other stuff

So I had a dream last night. I don't really remember it well. It involved driving down narrow roads in a tiny car (somewhere between a smart car and a bumper car) and was somewhat of a quest. I remember at one point being on a swing. I also remember waking myself out because I was talking –– well, yelling -- in my sleep. I can't even remember what I said. Something to the effect of "No, I don't want any!"

Other than that my life has been pretty tame. Too tame. Julian and I have moved to Barrhead and have been living here for a few weeks now. I spend my days in the apartment sleeping, bathing, reading, playing internet games, talking on MSN, and the occasional cleaning. I don't have a job here, and have been reluctant to get one. Since my reason for being here is to be with Julian, I don't want to have a job where I would be working when he isn't. Also, I have volunteered to work in the parking lot at the Edmonton Folk Fest, so I would need to take time off for that. I have a block in my mind that nobody would hire me to work when I have such demands for when I would want to work. Although, it seems as though there are tonnes of places hiring here...maybe they're desperate enough to accept my selfish demands.

The one thing that has broken up my lazy days is actually a health issue. A few weeks ago when we were visiting Julian's family in Calgary I woke up, had a shower and then started feeling this intense pain in my chest. I couldn't breathe properly and it hurt even to lie down. There was also an accompaning cough that sounded like death. That day we went to the Dinosaur museum in Drumheller and I just tried to ignore this dull ache in my chest. After that day it felt better most of the time, and only hurt when I was walking more than a few blocks or was moving heavy stuff, or if I got too warm. After telling my mother about this, I was urged to go to the doctor, and so last week I made an appointment to get it checked out. After having 3 vials of blood taken, giving a urine sample, an x-ray, an ECG I was diagnosed as having a HOLE IN MY LUNG!!! This sounds a lot worse than it is. The doctor just wants me to come back and get another x-ray to see that it's healing. I'm pretty sure it is. It doesn't really hurt anymore. We were camping in Jasper with some friends on the weekend and it didn't hurt at all when Julian and I went for a long hike down in a canyon.

It's kind of hard being away from Courtenay this summer with the intense heat that's been felt both here and there. I yearn for the rivers! I would love nothing more than to get up early and ride my bike to Stokum (Stoten?) Falls for an early morning swim, or to go with my mom and my sister to the quiet side of Comox Lake. In Jasper we found a decent lake to swim in, but I couldn't help noticing its inferiority to the swimming spots of the Comox Valley. On top of that, when I talk to my parents on the phone, they never fail to mention that they have never had a better crop of raspberries, cherries and plums than this year because of the dry, hot weather. I have been scheming to find a way to get home for a week or so. I'm thinkin' maybe after Folk Fest I can just stay in Edmonton, help on the clean up crew and then fly home on a Tuesday or something. I so badly want to be home. It's killing me to have such amazing weather for swimming and having nowhere to swim!

Anyway, the laundry is done, so fold, i must.