March Madness

I think February is the armpit of the year. That's my excuse for not posting for the last three weeks, and I'm sticking to it.

Actually, this February had one bright spot; my dear friend, Heather Marie, came to visit for six, fun-filled days. Oh joy, oh bliss! I mean it. We had a blast - and I think HM's comment on her first night here sums up our visit very well: “Dude! Did we just talk for four straight hours?!” Indeed, we had. No sooner had our guest refreshed herself with a shower after her long flight, did we plop ourselves down on the couch with cups of tea and gab 'till our voices were tired. It was grand.

“Annie Leibovtiz: A Photographer's Life” was at the San Diego Museum of Art during Heather Marie's visit, so it was a natural choice to visit. Bonus: it was a Tuesday and admission was free! The exhibition accompanies the artist's book of the same name, published by Random House (2006) and was quite extensive. We saw the anticipated celebrity portraits, most of which were beautiful, but not as interesting (we thought) as some of the personal and political photos, which surprised us a little. Personally, I have only ever known Leibovtiz as a celebrity photographer, but this showcase was also “... a portrait of the artist as a mother, sister, daughter, friend, lover, concerned citizen of the world and participant in life.” [Jeppesen, Georgette. "Photographic Memories.” Décor & Style Magazine March 2007: 78 - 82.] If the exhibit happens to come to Ottowa, or you have a chance to look through the book, I'd recommend it.

The weather was mostly cooperative for HM's visit; she got a little of everything, though sadly, on her last day, very windy conditions prevented us from going out on one of the harbour excursion ships for a whale-watching event. According to Birch Aquarium, a marine research facility and visitor centre just north of La Jolla, the grey whale migration is 5,000 miles long, leaving Alaskan waters and travelling all the way south to Baja, California - the longest known distance any mammal migrates on an annual basis. With 70 miles of coastline, San Diego is an ideal place to see these amazing animals, but we were simply unlucky this time. During the peak migration season in mid-January, as many as 200 whales per day have been counted off of San Diego’s shores; sometimes, their spouts can be seen from La Jolla's boardwalk. Next time!
Other than that, we saw some good theatre, ate out a few times, shopped (Heather Marie got a fabulous hat that I failed to get a picture of, damnit), and we even went to the spa. I had a facial and pedicure while HM got a two-hour reflexology massage. Lovely. We didn't make it out to a live music show at 4th & B, the same, intimate venue where Phillip and I got to see The Tragically Hip, or the local dance club “Air Conditioned Lounge”, but we had LOTS of conversation, wine and relaxation – just what the doctor ordered, I think. All in all, a very successful visit! By the way, I loved the card, girlfriend!

The same day Heather Marie left, I went back to the spa where the small asian lady, named “Twee”, had promised to easily remove the bumps she noticed on my nose, along with a few moles. After checking out poloroids of previous clients and asking several questions, I agreed. This is California, after all, and this sort of simple cosmetic “surgery” is something done at the spa, not the doc's office. Having had two moles removed with a scalpel and cauterizer before, I was slightly nervous, especially since she had neglected to mention anesthetic. Happily, she had just the tiny cauterizer tool and applied a topical ointment, which satisfied my sense of procedure, and once she began, it seemed fine.

However, the topical anesthetic did not go very deep, and once she burned through a few layers of skin, I could really feel it. Plus, since the work was on my nose and cheek, I could smell the horrible scent of my own flesh burning. I flapped my hands at her until she stopped and reapplied more anesthetic, as well as supplying me with a little japanese fan to wave away the smell. It was better, but still slightly painful. I left the spa with four black scabs on my face and one on my left hand (a worriesome mole there came about after a sunburn, so I was glad to be rid of it). The best part was that this simple procedure only cost me $90.00. That's $50.00 for the first mole, plus $10.00 for each additional! It cost $300.00 for Dr. L. in Ottawa to remove two of them.

A week later and the scabs are nicely healed. I followed the after-care procedure to the letter, treating the burns with polysporin three times daily and now I have only slight red spots, which are fading. The one on my hand was quite deep, and might scar because it got slightly infected. Being on the hand, it doesn't surprise me, and if it does scar, it won't really bother me - better than a sun-spot! Plus, I'm really very pleased to finally be rid of those silly bumps on my nose. Children in the past have asked me, in their sweetly innocent way, if I was a witch. When I asked why, they said “because you have warts on your nose!”. Charming.

Ah, San Diego ... it's growing on me. Maybe it's just the change of seasons – spring is here, by the way - but I do appreciate the benefits of being in Southern California. From simple cosmetic procedures that can be done at the spa (Botox anyone? No worries, I didn't go that far!), to amazing weather and a wonderful variety of food choices that means I'm eating like a queen – it's hard to beat. For example, when HM was here, we made a point of stopping at Whole Foods market, a wonderful health-food, all natural kind of grocery that costs a lot, but carries everything today's health-conscious Californians could possibly want. Since Heather Marie has a few dietary restrictions and we wished to ensure her digestive happiness during her visit, we stopped by and of course, quickly got caught up in “oooh, this looks yummy!”. HM was able to easily find whole cultured yogurt (a plethora of choices), ground flax (a fibre supplement), soy milk (again, plethora) and specific cereal that suited her needs, Phillip and I bought fruit salad, a yummy cherry beer, soy milk, unsulphered ginger slices, dark-chocolate covered organic almonds and organic, free-range eggs. I mean, really! Are we spoiled or what?

So... I may have mentioned wanting to return to Canada soon, but to be honest (and I know Heather Marie will laugh when she reads this), I still haven't given it four years, as originally promised. That's not my only reasoning, however; things are at a junction right now. Phillip is up for one more promotion before he hits the top of his carreer ladder here, and I want to see him succeed at that. This means more opportunity for travel. Yes! Travel. Since Qualcomm gives Phillip three weeks vacation annually, we can take advantage of that benefit to visit Europe for our next holiday. Phillip would probably take one extra week upaid, just so we don't have to rush, but it's an advantage that's hard to pass up. That could happen as early as fall 2007, which means that NEXT year, if we chose to leave, we can travel again (we're hoping to go to Australia) before we settle back in Canada. Finally, we love having visitors here and want to give as many folk as possible the chance to come see what San Diego is all about (and have a cheap place to stay while they're here!) before we leave. It's only fair to share. Given all these points, I feel we will have fully exploited the benefits of being here, both personally and professionally. If I get all gloomy again come winter, someone remind me to read this.

Some unhappy news: Scuttle is spending the night at the vet tonight. She has been acting rather strangely lately: messing on the carpet twice in a week, eating and drinking erratically, and I found blood in her stool when I cleaned her litter box. So, I made an appointment for today and took her in – walking there with her in the soft-sided carrier - something that upset her enough that she messed in it along the way. Though it was unpleasant for me, I just felt awful for her; she's ten years old now and doesn't deal with stress as easily anymore. Phillip and I have had her since she was eleven weeks old and small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, so she's family and it breaks my heart to cause her anxiety. She was shaking like a leaf in the waiting room and when the doctor examined her, he mentioned a heart murmur. She will undergo the full spectrum of tests to find out what's causing the bloody stools, but they're administering antibiotics right away in case of an immune deficiency syndrome. I know she's not a kitten anymore, but I've also known many cats in their teens who were happy and healthy, so I am trying to stay positive. I really expect to have her for many more years. She may just have an allergy or an infection, which should be easily treatable. I'll find out tomorrow when I go pick her up. Keep your fingers crossed!

And finally, after much agonizing and deliberating, Phillip got his new iMac. I was home for the delivery and couldn't resist setting it up. Wow! They really mean it when they say “out of the box plug and play”. It's incredible. The widescreen, 24” display alone had my jaw dropping – and that was just watching it in screen-saver mode. The photos that come packaged with it are spectacular; Paul, you will want one when you see it, I promise. I find I am so seduced by its modernist exterior, cool functionality (including a tiny remote that sticks unobstrusively to the side of the monitor) and its delicious, but powerful guts, that I capitulated my stance on having it in the living room. It's too beautiful not to show off. At least for now....

Well, that sums up the latest news. Phillip and I will be celebrating our third year wedding anniversary this week, which means twelve years of cohabitant bliss. Crazy! We are both looking forward to our weekend trip to Floriday this month and hope that all of you are doing exceptionally well. It's good to hear news from “back home”, so keep those emails coming. I'll be in Canada from April 24th to May 22nd for the birth of a niece and nephew (how convenient that they're so close together), so I should have some time for visits in between hospital visits!

Take care, all and happy March! XOXO
Kat & Phillip