Don't Drive, They Said

That's a take off of the movie, Drive, She Said, in case you don't know.
Well, wee fan base. I've been totally and utterly obsessed, down right OCD about going to the States to do some shopping. Our dollar is good, there's more selection, etc. etc.
The Toast and I tried valiantly last Saturday but the 2.5 hour wait was simply too much.
My car is 21 years old. Old, in other words. If it were a person, in the shape that it is in, it would be a 97-year-old Japanese woman (Honda Civic hatchback)with some serious bruising and some dents and oh, lots of broken taillights on her. Poor dear.
Now, I figure that my car can't make it to the Seattle Premium Outlets so I wouldn't be doing that. But just to Bellingham and Bellis Fair? Easy, figure I.
"I'm not thinking that is such a good idea," said Kristina, sounding like she has a cold. She does, but she's in denial about it but that is a different story. Rest, Kristina, rest. Use one of your sick days. We get 7, count em 7 sick days a year,and I'd used mine up by March I think. Well, yeah, let's not forget the e-coli from the DR.
But I digress.
"You're going today?" said Tracy, sounding alarmed when I called her at 11 a.m. this very morn. I have the week off. "By yourself? In your car?" When I answered in the affirmative to all of the questions, she paused. "Sounds fun!" Tracy can positive spin anything but even I could tell she was thinking, "What hospital would they take her to and can I get there on the bus?"
Uh yes.
So obsessed, was I, that I got my oil checked (full, good good, had leaks in the past), put in some gas and headed for the border. I was not to be deterred by News 730 (all traffic, all the damn time) saying a 90-minute wait at the Peach Arch crossing. It was a sunny day. Roads were dry.
And then.
And then.
Well, I get out onto the open highway, something I haven't done in years in my car or in any car for that matter.
My car, when I hit 80 kph, starts to shake, well more. My car and I are very similar really.
Oh, I think, this can't be good.
I'm only going 80 on the 100 speed limit road. Trucks are bearing down on me, etc. and the like.
Oy.
My anxiety, so ready at the surface these days (I am not ashamed! Well, yeah, I am and really this stems from being repeatedly shamed over it by my whole family growing up, but again, I digress. So I'm pissed off about my anxiety.
But mainly, I'm going 80 down a highway not sure whether my car will make it, whether it will blow a tire or the engine will give out. I look at the road ahead and see no end in sight and I start to hyperventilate.
oy.
I really, really, really want my car and I to overcome our fears because I worry that my anxiety is making my world smaller and smaller. Again, a digression. I used to like to travel but now, when I look into it, it just makes my palms sweat and my breathing shallow. oy.
I drive a bit more southbound, I hear more about the 90-minute border crossing and my car continues to shake. It also distinctly lists to the left (or is it right) and I have to keep a good grip on the wheel to keep it straight.
When I see an exit for South Delta, I bail, get off the highway and get back on the other way.
I feel myself begin to calm after I get through the tunnel.
I redeem the day by meeting Tracy and daughter Zoe for lunch on Commercial. Then I do some much needed shopping at - wait for it - Superstore. Kits. shopping is simply too expensive grocery wise for many things and so I load up. They have pomegranate juice for not too pricy, but it's from concentrate and somehow all of the iron has been sucked out of it. "Not a significant source of iron," it said.
I think it's a fairly hard job to actually suck iron out of something. Do they have a machine? I really will have to go back to North Van and the Iranian shops for the pure stuff.
I get home, unpack and here I be.
I think I might just have to give up the American Dream.
In other news, I do have a lovely hour-long, reimbursed by insurance, relaxation massage booked for tomorrow. I'm trying out Kits. Massage, I hope they are as good as the woman I saw in East Van.
Thursday, I will have my eyes checked for the first time in more than two years. I know for a fact that my near-distance is much much worse, not so sure about seeing far.

a week off

Yee haw!
First though, I'm having trouble getting the comments published, so they will show up whenever that glitch is fixed.
I am taking next week off, simply 24 work hours (I wasn't there this afternoon either). So yee haw. I haven't had time off since that, um, trip, to the Dominican Republic back in March, except for being off sick, which doesn't count of course.
This is the first time I'm staying in town for time off, instead of scurrying off somewhere.
I'm happy of that, I need to chill the heck out and travel doesn't provide me that chilling out so much anymore. All of that getting to the airport early, the waiting, the flying, the landing, the blah blah. You know the drill.
I'm going to sleep (a novelty for me!), write (yes, darn it), exercise and etc. and the like.
Oooh and an hour relaxation massage on Wednesday afternoon.
"Do you need an evening appointment?" receptionist asked.
"No! I have the week off."
Yee haw, say I.
Hallelujah.
Teaching ESL burns a person out. And it's not just me, I told my delightful shrink, it burns out even your normal person.
You'd think only teaching six hours a day would be piece o cakee, but it's oddly not.
Now, mind you, it's not brain surgery (is brain surgery even brain surgery?) but it does cause mental and physical fatigue.
The students are, well, needy.
Hmmmm.
In other news, ooh, I've taped the Osmonds on Oprah today. Donny and Marie and 122 of their relatives are on.
Oooh, and their father just passed too.
Sad.
I often wondered if Donny and Marie had a "special" relationship.
Well, that's not nice I realize, especially with them being Mormons and all.
The Mormons. A friendly people. So fresh-faced. I often see them at library square downtown, speaking to ESL students. One of my students, John, informed me on their approach.
They'll give the students a half hour free English lesson in exchange for a 1/2 hour of Mormon apologetics.
"I'm seeing them again on Wednesday," said John.
He likes the free English.
Crossing the border tomorrow for a day and evening of outlet mall shopping.
A great way to start my vacation but I have to get up almost before dawn.
Oy, the border lineups.
Wee fan base, I worship all of you.

Katie Holmes, iron recipes, etc and the like

I think I'm blogging less because I'm too tired. Uh huh! Why am I too tired, you ask, you being the one or two people left in the fan base?
Is it the the insomnia, you ask.
Perhaps, say I.
But I'm inclined to think it is my anemia, which resulted from this thingy that dare not say its name.
So, iron supplements but a slow slow process.
So, I've taken up buying lentils - red lentils, green lentils and today, lentils in a can.
So, people, I need some easy lentil recipes if you will. Ones for lentils in a can too. I'm not as crazy about lentils in a can because I notice that salt is added to these lentils in a can.
I've been drinking iron rich pomegranate juice, which I actually don't really like, so I water it down. It's a good thing too because oy, it's expensive. It is less expensive, interestingly, at Iranian grocery stores. They proliferate in North Van and I'm going to google and see if I can find one in Kitsilano. Who knew. Well, the Iranians obviously knew.
Perhaps an Iranian family could take me under their wing.
Toaster Melanie e-mailed that Katie Holmes ran a marathon today, in about 5 and a half hours. Cult leader Tom and wee daughter Surie were there at the end to greet her.
Seems young automaton Katie is not pregnant after all.
Well, go figure.
I was actually quite surprised that Tom let her out of his clutches for those 5 and a half hours. I suspect her Scientology minder/best friend ran along side her.
Run,Katie, run.
Run away, Katie.
What else?
Oh oh, I'm giving starting up another book club a try. This time in Kitsilano. Nov. 18 will be the day and this time we will be meeting in a coffee shop. Much better.
I was in East Van today for a quilt show. Doesn't seem like my kind of thing I realize. Good pal Michelle had a quilt in it. Check out my facebook to see the photo.
I need to meet some new people. Well, not people who have just been created, but people new to me. I need some fresh blood. I was quite bored this weekend and you know, anemic.
I'm taking next week off - Nov. 12-16. Yee haw. I'm going to go swimming every day. Yup, that's it.
I popped into the downtown library this afternoon and it seems they were filming Bionic Woman.
"Are you filming Bionic Woman?"
Yes, said the guy, vaguely surprised that I knew.
Darn, if it had been the L-Word I weould have whipped out my camera and waited for Jennifer Beals.
I haven't seen the new Bionic Woman (although I did see the actress but no one at all recognized her) but I suspect it's not long for this world.
There's an impending writers' strike in Hollywood and this will apparently shut down shooting up here in Hollywood North. With the Canadian dollar now firmly above the U.S. one, I think Hollywood North will be taking a major hit soon anyway.
This will also mean - oh my gosh - that with the strike - new shows will not be seen! Oh my gosh.
The Amazing Race starts tonight and I think I'll check it out. I've never followed it but others speak highly of it.
The high Canadian dollar is exciting to my shopping friends and I must admit I'll be heading south for the day next weekend as well.
A friend who exports information pamphlets to the States is really struggling though, a loss of up to 50 per cent is expected there.
I've noticed that some magazine prices have already dropped in Canada - kudos to Britain's New Internationalist, that now has equal Canadian/U.S. prices.
Books, it seems, will take longer.
So there you go.
A hodgepodge.
Send in your lentil/iron rich recipes soon if you would. Let's pull me out of this, people.
Oh and finally, Jerry Seinfeld is annoying me for some reason. He's come out of hiding recently to promote his new movie, The Bee Movie. apparently it's not that good.
Go away, Jerry.
Run away, Katie.