Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Strike Widow--Day Ten

July 1, 2009

Outside my window…a dark, clear night.
I am thinking…that I do not enjoy life as a strike widow. I don’t know how military wives do it. My husband has been locked in at work for nine nights so far, with no end to the strike in sight. He sleeps in his office, eats with his co-workers (about a dozen people), and has only been out to attend a party with me last Friday. I had to have him back by midnight, like Cinderella. But he hasn’t been home yet and he said “the adventure” wasn’t fun anymore. He really didn’t expect the union would actually go on strike, since they have our Mayor in their back pocket, but they did, and now they’re holding out. I don’t think they’ll get much public support or sympathy because of the recession. They should be happy to keep their jobs. Hopefully, the Premiere will introduce legislation to send them back to work soon and end my husband’s ‘deployment’. They are locked in, doing the work of 60 people, because even if people don’t get their garbage picked up, they seem to expect clean water to come out of their taps. I also learned through this experience that I’m quite dependent on my husband, and I didn’t even know how to turn on the a.c. or remove the seats out of the van. Those are just things he always did.
I am thankful for…my husband’s job. It’s secure, it pays well, and it allows us to live comfortably middle-class.
From the kitchen…Atlantic salmon, asparagus and salad. I started a weight loss program today called SUREslim that is supposed to correct your metabolism, mostly by the timing of your meals (at least 5 hours between) and no snacking. It’s a whole new way of thinking. I hope it works; nothing else has, and I’m 25-30 pounds overweight and quite discouraged. The hardest part is eating the extra seeds and flax. I also have to weigh out and plan my meals, which is time consuming. I really want to stick with it and give it a chance.
I am wearing…navy scrub pants, white top, short white lab coat.
I am reading…Lone Survivor by Mark Luttrell and Patrick Robinson, about Operation Redwing in Afghanistan that resulted in the largest loss of life among NAVY SEALs. I remember hearing about it on the news when it happened in 2005 and feeling very sad. It’s an amazing story; first about the training they undergo, and then the operation itself, where four SEALs were outnumbered at least 35:1 in a firefight. This book has made grown men cry.
I am hoping…that my daughters enjoy their summer jobs and learn a lot. Our eldest is at a summer camp for inner city kids, working as a counselor and lifeguard. Our youngest is at a Church Day Camp. She’s excited to be getting paid $9.50 an hour. I was earning that much 25 years ago as a nurse’s aide when I was still in nursing school! But that’s minimum wage these days, I guess, and it’s more than she has now.
I am hearing…the sound of silence. This week, because of Canada Day, the O.R. is closed so we have only chemo patients. Tonight there are nine patients and three nurses, which are pretty good odds, and the reason I have time to blog.
Around the house…our daughters are off to work, although my youngest has today off for Canada Day. My mom had her second angiogram yesterday. At first they thought she had more blockage, but then when they went in for the angioplasty, it was gone. They said it can spasm and look like blockage. So she’s home, but still without an explanation as to her chest pain, shortness of breath or fatigue. My husband will be coming home for a 12-hour “shore leave” on Thursday. I’ll pick him up on my way home from my night shift and bring him back when I return. Too bad most of my day will be spent sleeping. I miss him. I also made him a “Honey-Do” list. Isn’t that kind of me?
One of my favourite things…Twitter. It’s my new favourite thing. I have people I know on face book, and I keep it that way. But on Twitter, I follow my favourite authors and preachers, find out when their books are coming out, and see what people around the continent are thinking about. It’s private though, because, like my blog, I don’t use our names. My daughter set up my Twitter account, but she didn’t want me to ‘follow’ her because she uses that venue to vent her feelings, which is fine with me. Hey, maybe I should set up another, more anonymous Twitter site to say the things I can’t say anywhere else. Kind of therapeutic, I think. Naaah! Everything I think doesn't need to be written down.
Some plans for the week…finish four nights. Enjoy my brief rendezvous with my husband. Cook, pack, and then drive like a maniac to the Pinery Provincial park with my daughter for a weekend camping trip with the youth group from a sister church. My husband was supposed to be the speaker for it, but well, he’s indisposed so they had to come up with Plan B. I didn’t have the heart not to go. My daughter had a heart-breaking disappointment this week already, and wants to see her friend. The things we do for our kids! I hope we get there in time to set up our tents before dark, and that it doesn’t rain. The couple who are leading are good friends of ours and it would have been so much better if I wasn’t half-a-couple. (Sigh). But we’ll have fun.

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