Merry Christmas

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Yes, it really is almost 5:00am in the morning. Shiela got called in to work tonight so I decided to take that time and get my office ready for my new job. And trust me, it was a big job! We don't live in a big place so my office also is our storage room...and we seem to have a lot of stuff! But for the last 5 - 6 hours I've been ITZ (In The Zone...it means I've been extremely focused and performing extremely well...play tennis for the XBOX and it will all make sense) and I've revamped our office/storage area into a workable office for myself for the next 7 months. There are still a few adjustments to make but I love it so far.

So, now I'm not sure if I should go to bed or wait for Shiela to come home around 6:00am. Actually, maybe I'll go do some shopping at Wal-Mart since they are open 24 hours today...not that I have any gifts to buy but it might be fun to say I was shopping at 5:00am!

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

TrojanOne Hires Top Recruit

Saskatoon - TrojanOne was pleased to announce today the signing of top marketing recruit Sheldon Mathies. "We are very excited to have Sheldon on board with our company," stated a TrojanOne recruiter. "We know he will do a bang up job for us over the next 7 months." TrojanOne is a sport marketing and event management business based out of Toronto. They have been involved in numerous sport marketing events including the award winning RUNTO which was a large 10K running event in Toronto that attracted approximately 5000 people.

"Sheldon has been hired to be the Local Marketing Coordinator for an event called the HBC Run for Canada," a TrojanOne spokesperson explained. "This is a national event that is happening in 10 major cities across Canada all at the same time. Sheldon will be responsible for the promotion of the event in and around Saskatoon as well as handling all the logistics of the event and getting people to sign up for the run." TrojanOne is based out of Toronto with offices in Calgary and Vancouver, however Sheldon will be conducting business from his home office in Saskatoon. "I think this will be a lot of fun as I finally get to get into sport marketing which is a passion of mine," stated Sheldon. "I wasn't really looking that hard for a job as I would like to be in business for myself, but I think this will be a fun little adventure for the next 7 months."

The HBC Run for Canada consists of a 10km run, a 3Kkm Family Walk, and a 1km kids run. It will be taking place on on July 1st, so if you are interested in being a part of this national event to help raise money for our Olympic Athletes then keep your ears open and register for this event.

Referees Are Ruining Sportsmanship

This has been bugging me for a long time and so it's time for a rant. Soccer is a gentlemens game and as such we like to portray acts of sportsmanship. One of the main ways to demonstrate sportsmanship (besides NOT tripping the other team from behind on purpose) is when a player gets hurt. When the opposing team gets hurt, it is sportsmanlike for the player with the ball to kick it out of bounds. This is because in soccer the play is not suppose to stop until the ball is out of bounds, regardless of who is hurt on the field. At that point, it is obviously the other team's thrown in (free kick in indoors). It is then sportsmanlike for the team who is throwing (kicking) in the ball to give it back to the team that kicked it out so that the injured player could be attended to. I love this aspect of the game. It is very sportsmanlike and shows a lot of respect for each other as players.

But the referees are killing this ancient ritual. The problem now is two fold:
1) Referees are stopping the play for an injury when the ball is still in play
2) The referees are telling players what to do when they restart the play with a drop ball

Let's address problem one first. I don't care if it is indoors or outdoors, the FIFA rules say the play can't stop until the ball is out of bounds. However, the other night while watching my wife play on our women's Tauro team (who are now 5-0) I saw another terrible ref forcing sportsmanship on people. A Tauro girl was running down the left side of the field and shot the ball at the net. The goalie was coming out to save it and the ball was kicked right in her face (a great save, but it probably hurt, I know from past experience as I've had 3 balls in the face in the last 5 games). The goalie went down, the ball bounced across the crease to another Tauro player who was about to shoot the ball into the open net. TWEEET! The referee blew the whistle because the goalie had been hit in the face. Now you may think I am extremely cruel, but the fact of the matter is, if you play in goal you will get hit in the face. There is no reason to stop the play just because a goalie saves a shot with her face. The ball was not out of bounds and our Tauro girls would have easily scored the empty netter. That is just a part of soccer and the referee should have allowed the play to proceed. Now, to be a true sporstsman, the Tauro girl could have chose not score and kick the ball out of bounds instead, but the referee robbed her of any choice whatsoever by blowing the whistle.

So that is problem number one. Now for problem number two. When a referee blows the whistle for a hurt player when the ball is still in play it makes it hard to know who should get the ball after. When a player kicks the ball out of bounds it is easy, because the team that kicked it out will get it back from the other team. But in indoors they have to do drop balls when this happens. And I'm fine with that. What really gets me mad is that the referees won't even let the players be sportsmans. Rather than just do their job and drop the ball, they start telling teams to back off or to kick the ball to the other team. Whatever happened to the players deciding that for themselves...that is what sportsmanship is all about. It means nothing when a player is told to kick the ball to the other team...then it just becomes a rule.

And the worst part is when the referees get it wrong when it comes to who should get the ball back after they foolishly blow the whistle and stop the play. Back to the Tauro women's game last night. After the goalie incident, the referee called for a drop ball at the top of the crease. Except that then he told the Tauro girl to just tap the ball to the goalie to give them the ball since she had been hurt. WHAT!!! You don't give the ball to the team that had the hurt player...it goes to whichever team HAD POSSESSION of the ball. Being hurt is just part of the game and shouldn't warrant you getting a free ball. That is why it works so well when referees let the players figure it out for themselves instead of playing Mr. Nice Guy. It's obvious that if your player is hurt and I have the ball, I will kick it out of bounds for you so your player can be attended to. Then you will be sportsmanlike and give the ball back to me when you throw (kick) it in. I don't give it to you because your player was hurt...that is just soccer.

Anyways, I just had to get that out. Referees need to just call fouls and leave the rest alone...let us play the game with sportsmanship the way it was meant to be played and there wouldn't be so much confusion. There is no award for most sportsmanlike referee so they need to stick to what they get paid for.

Am I just a big meanie? What are your thoughts regarding this?

Early Christmas Present

It's not often I get an early Christmas present, but yesterday I went for another visit to the Specialist and he was in the Christmas spirit. After getting past his bodyguards and being ushered into a private room that only consisted of a bed, a few tools on the wall, a desk and a chair I was able to meet with the specialist alone. After some chit chat about my condition (he told me my fuel level had dropped to 16,000) he handed me my Christmas present. I was ecstatic as I wasn't expecting a Christmas present from him. As I ripped it open I pulled out the passes and saw what my gift was...

The specialist had gone ahead and booked me in for 3 days at a local resort with all expenses paid. He said they would take care of everything. All I had to do was check in and they would have my room made up for me, they would provide meals for me and there would constantly be someone to get me anything I needed. He also said if it was available I could have one of the nice rooms with a great view overlooking the South Saskatchewan river. It would be a great time to just relax and "refuel" my body. The only condition was that I had to go right away, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

As I walked out with my Christmas gift I was excited. The Specialist said that the time at the resort would be really good for me and would allow my body to increase its energy level. So for the next 3 days between 12:00 and 2:00 or so I'll be spending some time at the local resort by the UofS, getting "refueled and refreshed". If anyone wants to come visit feel free...I think my room is on the 3rd floor in the special section called "Day Medicine".

"Smart" Ball Won't Be Used

Looks like the newest technology won't be used in next year's World Cup.

Link

I think it's a good idea for them to wait until the technology is very good and tested thoroughly before using it. You would hate to see England win the World Cup on a controversial goal...we all know they are going to win it hands down without any help from technology! Go England Go!

What are your thoughts?

Blood, Soccer and Poker updates

I haven't posted lately because in my mind not much has happened. Then I remember that this was originally suppose to be a story blog of true and not so true stories. So really, I shouldn't need any "new" things to happen in order to post. I need to get back to those roots.

On the other hand, I rather enjoy blogging about other things that happen to me. So here's an update. Last Wednesday I phoned in for my platelet count results and found out they had gone up 1,000 to 32,000. This was great, because I thought for sure it would have gone below 30,000 and I'd be back in the hospital. Thank you to all those who have been praying for me.

Our Tauro FC soccer team is on the move! That's right, after starting the season off at 0-4 we have now gone on a 3 game winning streak. And the best part is those wins were against the first place teams. We now have a regular full time goalie and the team is starting to gel together. I'm pumped for the remainder of the season and it would be amazing to win the division title after starting off the season at 0-4. Our girls Tauro team is also doing amazing and have started the season at 4-0. The merger with another Division 2 team before the season is really looking like a good move for both teams.

Finally, my poker game is still going pretty good. Last week I entered 3 sit and go tournaments and finished in 2nd place in the first 2 and fifth in the 3rd one. I was pretty happy with my play, but I need to keep sharpening my skills so I can manage to get those first place finishes since that is where the big money is. On Saturday night we had a little four person tournament at my place. My chip stack was on a roller coaster as I went up and down throughout the night, but I managed to win a couple big hands that kept me in it. I called 3 persons "all in" bets pre flop with good cards each time, but I only won 1 out of 3. The first one I won and busted out a player with my KJ offsuit when I hit a Jack on the river. The second hand I called with A 4 against the other players A 2. He hit a 2 to win it on the turn. I then called the third players all in bet with A K against his A 9. He managed to get his nine to top off his straight on the board. Luckily I managed to still stay alive after losing those and went on to win the entire tournament.

I'll be posting more stories soon so stay tuned!

Thank You Loyal Fans!

This post is to say a big thank you to all our great fans that endured the sometimes harsh elements to watch our weekly Tauro soccer games. The fans in this picture were at many of our games this summer and it's great to have people cheering you on! I know there were many others that came out and thank you as well, I just didn't have a picture of you all. We look forward to seeing these same fans and hopefully many more (yes, this means you if you live in or near Saskatoon) cheering us on during this indoor season. Hey, it's warm inside so it's already better than outdoor!! Check out the Tauro FC schedule under Men's Div 3 at http://sdsa.saskatoonsoccer.com

Medical History and New Pictures

I can't seem to post these pictures like I want, so this will have to do. Sorry that it doesn't look very pretty.
This first picture is the lunch they served me in the hospital. It looks uneaten because that is usually how I left it. I brought my own lunch with me since there is no way I would eat their sandwiches. I did eat the soup once and I always drank the juice, but that's about it. By the third day they didn't even bring me a lunch but just asked if I wanted juice.
This is the needle I had in my arm for the 3 days I went to the hospital. They just kept it in my the whole time so they wouldn't have to put it in every day. It worked for me. I asked if I could just hook it up to a Coca Cola IV but they assured me that wouldn't be a good idea. Oh well, doesn't hurt to ask.
And this is me in my hospital bed. I look really sick all bundled up like that but I really felt pretty good. I would just spend the time reading books or playing crib with Shiela.

I decided to look back and take a look at just how my platelet count has been doing. Every Tuesday I go and get my blood tested and then sometimes I'll phone to find out what my count was at. Often I don't phone because I figure if it was bad they would phone me, but every once in a while I get curious (and so does Shiela!) (this chart didn't post real well, but hopefully you can see the trends)

So I've posted a chart that shows my platelet count from the day I found out about this until this last Tuesday. I'm missing a couple near the end of October, but the chart shows almost all of my results. You can clearly see the time where I went in for IV gamma globulin because my platelet count went very high. After that I was reducing my prednisone amount by 5mg every 5 days. Well, you can see what happened with that. The specialist finally stopped me at 15mg around the middle of October and now since my last meeting with him I'm down to 10mg a day. If it gets below 30,000 I'm back in the hospital for some more IV gamma globulin.

This last Monday night in soccer the other team kicked the ball hard right at my face and it nailed me right in the eye. I couldn't see for a few seconds but it started to clear up. Luckily it didn't bruise because that is exactly the type of thing that will send me back to emergency (for some reason bleeding in the head is a bad thing)....but we've watched it closely and nothing has happened with it. I feel God protected me in that encounter.

I Love Poker!

I've been noticing lately just how much I really enjoy playing poker. It is so much fun. Reading people, trying to bluff, having your heart race trying to figure out whether or not to make a call and the highs and lows of winning and losing big pots.

This last weekend I went out to a poker tournament in Waldheim. There was a total of 12 people so it was an ok size group. The top three places paid out $40, $15, and $5 (I know, the payouts are a little out of whack. It should have been $30, $20, $10 or something, but whatever). Myself and 2 other friends I regularly play with drove the 30-40 minutes out there and the ironic part was that when we randomly drew cards for positions we all ended up at the same table right beside everyone. Oh well, no big deal.

The tournament went really well. I had a couple big hands that helped me along. The first one was when I played King and 2 offsuit in the small blind. The flop came out King, Jack, 2 so I had flopped 2 pair. I bet around 300 (we started with about 2000 chip value) and my friend to my left called. It ws just the two of us and I kept making fairly large bets as I figured I had him with 2 pair. He kept calling me and the turn and river cards were just rags. He made a large final bet and I debated for a while whether to call. I did and when I showed my two pair he just about died. He didn't last much longer after that since I had taken a large chunk of his chip stack.

At the final table I had two big hands. The first was up against my landlord who happened to be there too. I was holding Queen 8 and the flop came out 2 Queens and a low card. I checked and my landlord made a bet after debating for quite a while. The turn card was a King. My landlord quickly called all in and I sat there debating for a while. I figured he may have a King, but probably not a full house since he hesitated on the first bet. I finally called him (he had more chips then me so if I lost I was out). He flipped over Ace and something else and I won with my trip Queens. Needless to say my rent will probably go up now! LOL

Anyways, I ended up getting second place and my other friend got first. I felt like a ringer as we left with everyones money, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. I can't wait to play again!

If anyone out there wants to join our poker game (we usually play no limit hold em tournament with just a $5 buy in) let me know in the comments section and I'll invite you out.

Oblivious to Fame - Fact or Fiction

Growing up during my high school years in Caronport I worked in the cafeteria in the summertime during different sport camps to earn a little money. It was a great job, especially being the beverage guy. All I had to do was ensure that the beverages were always full. This meant replacing the milk, chocolate milk, waters, making more juice, ensuring the coffee was full, etc. It was a great, coveted job and I loved it.

One morning I was working the breakfast shift as the beverage guy during a hockey camp for young boys. All the boys had gone through the breakfast line and had kept me hopping on my toes as I constantly refilled the chocolate milk (most of the boys took full advantage of drinking as much chocolate milk and pop as they could during this week since their parents weren't there to stop them) and other beverages that these kids constantly drained. As the last couple kids left the cafeteria I decided it was finally time to eat my own breakfast. So I grabbed some french toast, bacon and chocolate milk (yeah, I was still a kid at heart!) and sat down for a good breakfast.

As I sat there eating an older man (I thought he was old since I was only about 15) came in, got his breakfast and came and sat down beside me. I didn't think much of it even though there were about 500 other empty spots for this guy to sit in. But whatever, he was being nice and probably figured he didn't want to eat alone. So we ate and chatted a bit, but being a young high school kid I didn't really have that much to say. The only strange thing I noticed was that I kept feeling that there were people watching me as I talked to this guy. I quickly glanced over my shoulder toward the dishpit entrance and saw a bunch of my friends peaking out the door at us. I didn't think much of it and figured they must just be slacking off.

As I finished my breakfast I said goodbye to this guy and said I had to get back to work. As I brought my dishes into the dishpit my friends were acting excited. Once they realized that I wasn't all that excited, they asked me if I had any idea who I had been eating breakfast with. Having no idea I considered lying so I wouldn't look stupid, however not only would that go against being a Christian I honestly had no idea who he was. They then informed me that I had been eating breakfast with a professional hocky player...Bob Bassen of the St Louis Blues. As I finished cleaning up the beverage counter I pondered this rare meeting and felt special that I had the chance to eat breakfast with a professional hockey player. However, I think this meeting would have had much more impact on someone who actually really enjoyed hockey as I was obviously oblivious to how great this breakfast meeting really was! (I would have preferred David Beckham!)

So...fact or fiction...you decide and let me know in the comments section.

The Tournament Rages On

The Lakewood Kickstart Soccer Tournament continues....

Our 2nd game of the tournament was against SUSC and my team played the best game of their season so far. It was great to watch. We beat them 5-2 which means we scored 11 goals in two games.

Our 3rd game of the round was against Aurora and we lost 3-0. It didn't help that we scored on ourselves for their first goal and their 3rd goal was a misjudgment by our goalie and the ball went through his legs. So I feel they only really beat us 1-0.

We placed 2nd overall after the round robin and so we made it to the final game against top ranked Aurora. Unfortunately we just were outplayed in that game and lost 4-0. The guys tried hard but the truth is that Aurora passes a lot better than we do right now and that made a HUGE difference. At least we now know who our nemesis is for the year! Overall I was very proud of these boys and they worked hard for their silver medal. Way to go Eastside Gold Eagles!

One Down, Two to Go

Yep, I'm talking about the good 'ol Lakewood Kickstart Soccer Tournament here in Saskatoon. I'm coaching the Eastside Gold Eagles U12 boys gold team (that's Div 1). Our team is interesting. In our team practices over the last few weeks basically all we have worked on is team defense and our defensive shape. I'm of the mindset that if the other team can't score on you, you can't lose. The problem is that we are still getting scored on numerous times each game. The funny part is that the boys can score goals like they are going out of style. We have scored 1, 4, 5, and 6 goals in our last 4 games and we really haven't even worked on any offense yet. But when you have 6, 2, 7, and 3 goals scored against you in the last 4 games something is obviously wrong defensively (in case you didn't figure it out our team is currently 2-2 including exhibition, league and tournament games).

So anyways, for me this tournament is all about getting our defensive shape together and defending as a team. The boys are starting to pick it up and I hope that by the time we have our next league game we will be much better defenders. We play again today (Friday) at 5:15pm and then again Saturday at 3:30pm. Hopefully we will be in the final on Sunday at 4:00pm. Feel free to come out and watch some great soccer.

Hey Four Eyes!

Yep, it finally came to this. I now have eye glasses. And actually I'm really pumped. About 3 years ago I went to the eye doctor because I was having trouble seeing things clearly that were far away. She told me that if I wasn't asking for glasses she wouldn't give them to me because my eyes weren't really bad. So I decided to not get any since it would cost a lot and I didn't want to wear them if I didn't have to.

Fast forward 3-4 years and I went to the eye doctor again (yeah I know they are called optometrists) and was told that one of my eyes was below the legal limit, or someting like that. My other eye was still good so she said I don't need glasses to drive, but if I get some it will make everything clearer and will help with driving at night.

The eye glass shopping ordeal was long and tedious. When you have never worn glasses before, everything you try on looks weird. But thanks to my beautiful wife Shiela for her patience as I tried on a million pairs and she helped me pick out ones that looked good. So now I have glasses (which I got 50% off on the frames, lenses and coatings) and they are awesome. I can't believe what I was missing! I keep pulling them up and down to see the difference when looking at things. I can see road signs further away, I can see the writing on the wall at church (during the worship, people...I know what you were thinking) and I can see people a lot clearer. I wasn't planning on wearing them very much, but because I can see so much better I think I will wear them alot! (until someone makes fun of me and calls me four eyes LOL)

Does anyone out there remember their first time with glasses?

*glasses pictured above are not the ones I bought. I don't have a digital camera so I can't show you the real ones.

Things are looking up!

Last night I was up late and perusing through some blogs I like to read and one of them is the www.canadianpoker.com. I was reading through Dave's Poker Log and he asked a question and the first person who emailed him the correct origin of the motto would win a Team Canuck Poker hat. Needless to say I quickly emailed back the answer and found out this morning that I had won the hat! I can't wait to get it and wear it in our next poker game (hopefully it's here for this Friday's game). I'm hoping this luck carries on to the $40,000,000 Lotto 649 draw tomorrow!

The motto, which was used by the Canadian Destroyer Squadron 4, is "Taken at the flood." Does anyone out there know the origin of this motto? Let me know in the comments section.

Oh Oh! I'm Slipping! - Medical Update

Yeah, it's true, I'm slipping again. I went back to visit the specialist again and it looks like my platelet count is going down again. As of last week I was at 40,000. The specialist lowered my prednisone amount to only 10 mg per day because he doesn't want me on them for a long time. But if my platelet count drops below 30,000 then I will have to go back into the hospital for another 3 days of IV therapy. He said I shouldn't be prone to bleeding at 40,000 and I'm pretty ok. I took this to mean that I can still play soccer (but I didn't outright ask him). I played soccer on Sunday and my lungs were burning by the 2nd half since I haven't done much running for about 2 months now.

Today I went for my weekly blood test to check my platelet count. I'm obviously becoming a regular because one of the nurses at the clinic called me by name when I went up to the counter. I'll keep you all posted as things progress and/or digress. Please keep praying for me!

The Indoor Soccer Season Has Begun

Our Tauro FC soccer team has entered the SDSA Men's Division 3 for this indoor soccer season and I am excited about it. We have alot of good players on our team this year and I believe once we start to gel as a team we will do very well.

However, our first game was this last Sunday and we lost 6-1. But, they scored all 6 goals in the first half and after our halftime talk about team defense we won the second half 1-0. Unfortunately, you don't get points in the standings for only winning half a game so we are still 0-1-0 (wins, losses, ties). The problem right now is we don't have a regular goalie. The goalie we had on Sunday was awesome and I wish he would play for us all season, but unfortunately he just doesn't have the time. So if anyone out there knows of a goalie (preferably living in Saskatoon) let me know and we'll sign him up (if he's good LOL)!

I'll be posting the results of our Tauro FC soccer team throughout the season so you can be sure to keep up to date!

I'm not dead yet!

I apologize to the thousands of daily readers that have been wondering why I haven't been updating my blog. And the reason is...well, I don't really have a reason. It started with a couple days, then a couple more, then a week, then I started wondering how long I could go without updating it, then a few more days, and on and on. Well, enough with that! I'm back and will be blogging like mad over the next few weeks to catch up on everything that has happened. Ok, that will only take about 2 minutes, but don't worry, I'll be posting things worthwhile for you to read!! So stay tuned and welcome back loyal readers!

Hurry! Hurry Hard! - Fact or Fiction

I like to consider myself an athlete. And as such, I plan on playing sports well into my older years. The only thing is that the sports may change to more social sports instead of contact sports. This is why I want to get good at curling now...that way when I get older people will want me on their team. If I'm 60 years old and just learning to curl, nobody is going to want me on their team because I'll be no good. It'll be like elementary school all over again when you always get picked last for the team. I vowed that wasn't going to happen to me when I get older.

So to help remedy this I decided a few years ago that I needed to learn to curl. I was too busy to join a league or anything, but as luck would have it a couple friends of ours needed two extra people on their curling team one Sunday afternoon. I was so excited I jumped at the opportunity to get out on the rink and learn this game.

When I got to the rink I was handed a broom along with a "slide" (a slippery thing you put on the bottom of your shoe to slide better) and I was set. The only problem was that the other team didn't show up so we had no one to play. Thinking that my curling day was over I was about to leave when I found out that we were actually going to split up our team onto a couple other teams in a "skins game" (this is where whichever team wins each end gets $1.00 per point scored). I was extremely scared and told the other team that this was my very first time ever to play the game and that I would be terrible. They assured me it wasn't a problem.

So there I was, curling for my first time with a bunch of people I didn't know. I was obviously throwing lead and threw my rocks down to the other end. I didn't do too bad and the people I curled with were very encouraging. The hard part was the sweeping. I had already swept a couple rocks down the rink and thought I was getting the hang of it...but I was obviously just getting cocky. The next time down the rink I was sweeping away at the rock going as fast as I could when suddenly the next thing I remember was looking up at the ceiling and wondering where the rocks, ice and all the people went. The sharp pain in my butt as I landed on the ice brought me back to reality and I realized that I had just completely wiped out. And while wiping out I had kicked the rock we were sweeping eliminating it from the game (it was the first of a few that I would eliminate due to touching it while sweeping). Obviously not a lot of people wipe out a lot there because suddenly practically every person on every rink in the whole building stopped and stared at me while offering shouts of "are you ok?" I struggled and slipped back to my feet, brushing off the snow and assuring everyone that I was just fine (even though it did hurt a bit). Nevertheless, it was a miracle but our team actually managed to win and I walked away $2.00 richer. As I handed back my slide at the end of the day I realized that I still need a lot of practice before I get old. Luckily I have about another 40 years or so until I need to be good!

Let me know if you think this great curling adventure is fact or fiction!

March 22 - What A Great Day

Your Birthdate: March 22

While sometimes employing unorthodox approaches, you are capable of handling large scale undertakings. You assume great responsibility and work long and hard toward completion. Often, especially in the early part of life, there is rigidity or stubbornness, and a tendency to repress feelings. Idealistic, you work for the greater good with a good deal of inner strength and charisma. An extremely capable organizer, but likely to paint with broad strokes rather than detail. You are very aware and intuitive. You are subject to a good deal of nervous tension.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Thanks to Janelle Loewen's blog for the link to this very insightful information about myself based on my birthday. I was skeptical at first and thought this was similar to a horoscope, but now I'm not so sure. I thought it described me pretty well. I always like things that reassure me in my thinking. For example, right now I'm thinking about starting a business and one of my ideas would be quite a large venture. So when this birthday thing tells me I can handle large scale undertakings, I get pumped up to go out and do it!

Take the birthday quiz yourself and then let me know in the comments whether you think it was an accurate description of yourself.

Wake Me When It's Over

Last week I went to the dentist to get some work done (I really need to floss on a more regular basis). I realized again why I don't like going to the dentist...because it hurts! They pry away on your mouth to keep it open, start drilling on your teeth while the little pieces of tooth come flying into your face, and they stick needles in your mouth to numb it (which is a good start!).

What I would like to see is a way for them to knock me out completely during the whole process. I would love to be able to sit down in the dentist chair, say hi to the dentist as they give me a quick needle in the arm that knocks me out, and then just wake up when it's all over. It would be so simple for both the dentist and me:

1) They can just prop my mouth open while I'm sleeping instead of constantly saying "Can you open a little wider?"
2) I don't feel any pain at all
3) The time would go by very quickly

I really think this would make us all like the dentist a whole lot more. Who can argue with a quick 30 - 60 minute power nap while you get your teeth worked on.

What do you think? Do you like my idea or am I just a wimp? Is there any other place you wish you could get knocked out and just wake up when it's over?

The Quizno's Experience - Answer is Below

Well, the answer to the story below is...FACT!

That's right, it was a terrible experience for me and I vowed never to return. After Janelle made the comment in the comments section that I wouldn't actually run to the garbage and spit the food in, but would be more discreet about it, I started to think back through the story. The entire story is true, except that I think I mixed up that part of the story with another McDonalds experience. I rehashed the story over with my wife and she confirmed for me that I did spit it into a napkin first. So sorry for the mistake...the rest of the story is true.

However, this past Sunday my shadow (and me) entered Quiznos once more. The guy I am working for doing soccer clinics asked me if I wanted to get a bite to eat in the 1 hour break we had between the Serious About Soccer clinic and my U12 Gold boys team we were evaluating. So I said sure and he said lets go to Quiznos. Not wanting to cause a ruckus I said sure. As I drove to that forbidden place that I had blocked out of my mind (I couldn't even remember how to get there it was such a tragic experience) I decided I was going to order something and FORCE them to only put on what I wanted.

As we walked into the restaurant I looked up at the menu trying to find something I would like. And there it was...a Meatball Sub. You can't get much closer to a Pizza sub than a Meatball sub. So I ordered the meatball sub on brown bread (did you read that Shiela, healthy brown bread) along with a chocolate milk and sat down. I took a bite of my sub and it was DELICIOUS. It was a wonderful, fulfilling, and tasteful sensation in my mouth. What a great meal!

So, although I still am not a Quiznos "fan", I have decided I will venture back there again and eat another Meatball sub.

The Quiznos Experience - Fact or Fiction

A few years ago Saskatoon got its first Quiznos restaurant. Being a hard core Subway fan since high school I didn't figure I wanted to change to a new place to get my wonderful pizza subs (I always get pizza subs). However, due to the great marketing they were doing, I wanted to get in on this new sub action that was suppose to be so good since Quiznos toasted their buns (big whoop, but it sold me and I'm sure millions of others!)

So one day Shiela, myself and a couple other friends decide to venture to Quiznos to try out these great toasted subs. As we walk up to the counter I take a look at the menu and am completely lost. I looked for a very long time, but finally the realization hit me...THEY DON'T HAVE A PIZZA SUB (at least I couldn't see one on the menu). Shiela smiled at me with that knowing look that says "Ha, now you have to try something new!" I smiled back with my sarcastic "ok, you may win this battle, but the war is far from over baby!" look.

After carefully analyzing the options I finally selected the Angus Steak sub. It looked ok. I mean really, how bad can steak be! And then it happened. I saw my bun go into the toaster and come out the other side. No problem. I moved down the line (just like I always did at Subway) and suddenly I see them putting things on my sub! "Whooooaa Nelly!! Is that my sub?" I quickly asked the lady in a panic. The reply was affirmative. Thoughts ran through my mind as I tried to figure a way out of this situation. "Um...I don't think I want an Angus Steak sub anymore." The look in the girls eyes that was making my sub was not pleasant, but she took the stuff off my sub and went back to the start again. Phew! I realized the problem now...they don't ask you what you want on your sub at Quiznos!!! For a picky eater like myself, this is a living nightmare!

I look back up at the menu again and try to decide what to order. It needs to be something I like since they aren't going to ask me what I want on it. I finally decide on my new sub choice...just a simple steak sub. Yeah, it was basically the same as the one I just had them throw out and the look in the girls eyes behind the counter let me know it. As my sub went through their process I realized that there were mushrooms on this selection of mine. Oh well, I could pick those off...or maybe I won't even taste them. I finally get my sub and go to sit down at the table with everyone else.

As I pick up the sub I'm pretty excited about this new adventure I'm on. I'm at a new eating place, trying out a new type of sub (a toasted steak sub) and I didn't even tell them what I wanted on it. As all this ran through my head something came loose because I suddenly convinced myself that the mushrooms on this sub wouldn't be all that bad and I probably wouldn't even notice them. And with that thought, I took a big bite into my sub.

And it wasn't too bad. Yeah, I could taste a little mushroom but the rest of the sub was not bad and the toasted bun was cool. I slowly munched on that bite contemplating in my head how this new adventure may change me forever. Maybe I will no longer need to analyze every McDonalds burger I order to ensure its plain. Maybe I really do like ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. Maybe I should try some potatoe salad (or any salad for that matter) at the next BBQ I go to. With these thoughts going through my head I head into my second big bite of that sub. But this time it wasn't so good. My teeth sunk through that warm toasted bun and sliced through the juicy steak, but suddenly there was a taste that overtook everything...mushrooms. My entire mouth started to rebel! "What did we ever do to you to deserve this," screamed my tastebuds. I couldn't chew it because it was too gross. My mouth was full and the gross taste of the mushrooms was overtaking me. I started to panic. I threw back my chair, jumped up and hurridly looked around for the nearest garbage. I bolted over to it and spit the mouthful of awful tasting sub into the garbage.

After coming out of the bathroom from rinsing my mouth out I went back to my table. I gave the rest of my sub to someone else since I was just going to throw it away. I just wasn't hungry anymore (I can't imagine why) As we walked out of that establishment I took one last look behind me because it was at that moment I decided I would never again set foot inside another Quiznos sub shop.

Do you think this story is fact or fiction? Do you have any Quizno's stories? Let me know in the comments section.

Soccer is Life

Since I don't have a job right now I seem to have a fair bit of free time! Although I spend most of it planning for the future (looking for jobs and planning new businesses) I took a part time job assisting as a soccer coach for a soccer clinic here in Saskatoon called Serious About Soccer (SAS). It runs for 2 weeks for 2 hours a night and is geared towards kids (mainly U11 - U14) that really want to focus on improving their skill. I originally wasn't going to do it since I didn't know if I would be in Sasktoon or not (I had already stepped away from coaching soccer for Bethany College), but since we are I was grateful for the chance to help out with this. Not only because I love soccer, but I also get to work with some other great soccer coaches. And because the timeline was very short I felt I could handle it. I didn't want to be committing to anything long term because I just didn't know what the future had in store.

Unfortunately, today in the SAS clinic as I was working with one of the players who wanted to improve his defense skills I twisted my knee or something. He was practicing block tackles as I held the ball on my right foot. But then he wanted to practice his left foot. No problem. I moved the ball to my left foot, but when he came in for the tackle I didn't brace my leg and foot enough. I could feel my entire leg go back and my knee bend the wrong way. "Ok, time for a water break," I managed to say as I hobbled around the floor seeing how bad it was. It should be ok. I still have 5 weeks or so until the indoor season starts for my Men's team so it should be healed by then. But it will need a little TLC for the next few days/weeks.

But speaking about committments, I agreed to be an assistant coach with Eastside Soccer Association's U12 boys Gold team. I told Tom (the Technical Director of Eastside) that I couldn't commit to being the head coach due to my unknown future, but that I would help out as an assistant. As things have progressed I am now a co-coach along with another person (I haven't met him yet). It's funny how things like this happen to me. I'm still planning on just helping out in the co-coach role, but I have this funny feeling I will be playing a very large role with the team this year. Now don't get me wrong, this is great! I love soccer and coaching and these kids on the team are a great bunch of guys. It's just that I don't want to be filling up my entire schedule with soccer committments as I don't know what will happen with my new job/business venture. I will have to learn French though as one of the kids doesn't speak English! Luckily a few of the other boys are in French immersion so I'll have to use them to translate. I also just found out today that this U12 Gold team will be playing in the new Saskatoon Soccer Complex in an 8 vs 8 game. I'll definately have to start looking over some new strategy as this will be a brand new game.

That's it for now with the soccer news, but I'll leave you with this video link for some Great Soccer Moves . Click it to watch some great soccer dribbling, juggling and 1v1 attacking moves in real games and it will get you pumped to play some soccer!

Stay tuned shortly for another Fact or Fiction story!

MD Ambulance Hires A New EMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SASKATOON - MD Ambulance in Saskatoon is pleased to announce that Shiela Mathies has accepted a position with the company and will commence her new job on October 3rd. "We are very excited to have Shiela on board with our company," a representative from MD Ambulance told reporters. "Throughout the entire hiring competition and on every test Shiela excelled over and over again and we were excited when she accepted our offer of employment."* Shiela was ecstatic as well. "When they phoned to offer me the job I accepted it like a professional, but once I hung up I ran to my husband, hugged and kissed him and told him I had a job," Shiela happily explains as she recalls the occassion.

Shiela graduated from the EMT course at SIAST in Saskatoon at the end of January. Wanting to be hired on by MD ambulance, Shiela decided to work full time for a local company, Philom Bios, in the production area while she waited for MD Ambulance to have another hiring competition. However, when she found out in April that MD Ambulance may not be hiring that spring, Shiela took a full time contract EMT position in Canora, SK. which would extend until the end of September. "I really liked working out in Canora," Shiela said, "but being in Canora for 6 days away from my husband and then coming back to Saskatoon for 5 days was beginning to be difficult and I missed him a lot. I really wanted to be with my husband and the only way to do that was to get a job in Saskatoon."

When Shiela received a letter inviting her to the next hiring competition for MD Ambulance she was excited. "The timing was perfect as my job in Canora was ending at the end of September, but it took a lot of work and driving in order to come into Saskatoon over the last 3 weeks during the competition," Shiela explained. "I had to trade a lot of my shifts in Canora with other people and I just want to say thank you to everyone at Canora EMS for helping me out so much in order to make my dream come true."

Shiela is currently finishing up her last tour in Canora and will be moving back home with her husband in Saskatoon on Wednesday. "I'm excited to have my wife back home with me full time," Shiela's husband Sheldon said. "We've managed to go this long apart, but we are very much ready to be living together again full time." "I'm extremely proud of Shiela," Sheldon continues, "as she has worked and studied extremely hard to be the best EMT she can so that she would be hired by MD Ambulance." Shiela's not exactly sure what the future has in store for her. "I may eventually go back to school to upgrade my training to become a Paramedic," Shiela explained, "but for now I just want to prove to MD Ambulance that they made the right choice in hiring me and work my way into a full time permanent position."

*All quotes by MD Ambulance and Shiela were made up by the writer

Do I really want a job?

I went to Career Expo today at the University of Saskatchewan where they have all these different companies there recruiting people and telling them how great their companies are. I don't really know why I went. Well, for the obvious reason of looking for a job, but the problem was that nagging question..."Do I really want a job?"

Being currently unemployed this debate has been going on in my mind for a while. Now don't get me wrong...I'm not saying I don't want to work. I just don't know if I want to work for someone else. That's right, I think I really want to start my own business.

For any of you that know me you will know that I come up with new business ideas all the time. I'm definately a dreamer. But now it's time to put my money, time, and energy into actually making one of those ideas come true. The problem, I've realized, is that all my business ideas require a large capital investment. This doesn't overly concern me because I feel that with a sound business plan I could attract some investors into making one of my ideas work, but it is definately an obstacle to overcome.

There are definately pros and cons to having your own business. The guaranteed income and benefits of working for another person are really great and I've enjoyed my last 3 years doing that. I just don't know if I can do that forever. With my own business my earning potential is unlimited, but I will be working extremely hard to make it a success. The best part is that at the end of the day I can say "This is mine, I've worked hard for this." (Actually, I should be saying "This is God's", but I'll save that for another post) Deep down I just really feel that I need to start something.

So what about you? Have you ever considered starting you own business? Do you think I should gamble and start something or take a regular job again? Let me know in the comments section!

Medical Update

I went in again to see the Specialist today. Shiela and I had phoned him on Friday to see if it was ok if I played in a soccer tournament on the weekend since my platelet count was in the normal range (160,000 or so) as of last Tuesday. He would not give us his consent to let me play since he said that although the count is high, it is unstable.

Well, not being the doctor type, I figured that as long as my platelet count was in the normal range I'm sure I could play. However, Shiela instructed me that I needed to play the role of a substitute, not a starter, and that I had certain conditions in which I had to follow:

1) No heading the ball
2) No slide tackling
3) I had to wear ankle braces so I wouldn't roll my ankles
4) I could only play 5 minutes at a time before I had to sub off.

I of course agreed to these conditions. And I subsequently broke all of these conditions almost right away. Sort of. I only played in 2 of the 5 games. I headed the ball twice, but not from a really high kick or anything so I figured I was safe. I attempted to slide a tackle a guy (since he was about to score) but I ended up missing and just got a little road rash on my leg from the field. I wore ankle braces for one game, but I then played more than a 5 minute shift in our last game when one of our players got hurt. Needless to say I had no bruising at all from the weekend and my body seemed to handle the soccer pretty well. However, WOW was I ever terrible! After not playing for a month and doing no exercise at all I had almost no energy, no power in my legs, no soccer skill at all, and I was ready to call the fire department because my lungs were burning after my 5 minute shift. I realize I need to get back into shape for indoor soccer.

But back to the appointment. The Specialist explained again why I probably shouldn't be playing soccer yet as the platelet count is unstable (he didn't seem that surprised that I had played some soccer). He said that he has seen it in other people where the count is high and then suddenly it just plummets really low over night, which is why he is being cautious. I can understand that since if he says "Yeah, go play soccer" and then I get really hurt, he could be in a lot of trouble. So safe is good. Since my count is high right now he is going to wean me off of the steroids I'm taking by reducing the amount by 5mg every 5 days. So tomorrow I'll start taking only 25mg of Prednisone, then in 5 days I'll just take 20mg, and so on until I am off of them. Every week I will still go and get my blood tested to ensure the platelet count stays normal and if something changes for some reason he'll probably crank me back up to 50-60 mg again. I hope not because the chest pains they cause are really annoying, but the increased appetite is fun!

So that's the update. It's basically in "wait and see" mode now as we just continue to monitor it for the next couple months. But that's good as it allows me to focus on finding a job now!

The Dare - The Answer is Below

SPOILER! If you haven't read the story "The Dare", read it first and in the comments section let me know if it is Fact or Fiction. I'm posting the answer below.









"The Dare" story is....FACT. I know that will come as a shock to many of you because as people wrote in the comments section it is true that I won't eat sandwiches made by other people (unless I thoroughly inspect it and/or watch them make it) and I don't eat any condiments except BBQ sauce and salsa (if you consider that a condiment). I'm actually a very picky eater and don't like gross things. But this story is true and was actually told by my groomsman Nelson during the open mike at Shiela's and my wedding. He can attest to the fact that is was extremely gross and looking back now I can't believe I actually did it. And for only $2.00!!! What was I thinking! Oh well, it just goes to show how the dishpit can make a person do crazy things.

Keep checking back regularly for more life stories in the The Extraordinary Adventures of Sheldon Mathies - Fact or Fiction and forward on this blog address to anyone else you think may be interested. Thanks!

To Move or Not to Move - that is the question

What a tough decision to make. I remember as I finished my last year of university I was excited to move away and start a new life in a new city with a new job, etc. But as graduation drew near I felt less ambitious to leave Saskatoon and all that it had to offer. I luckily was able to find a great job here in Saskatoon and everything worked out well.

Fast forward 3 years and I'm in the same spot again. With Shiela and I both unemployed at the end of September I keep telling everyone "The world's our oyster." We don't have jobs or a house and could move anywhere on a whim basically. But the more I think about it the more I wonder if I really want to leave all that we have in Saskatoon. We'd be leaving all our friends that we've made over the last 7 or so years of being in and around Saskatoon, both our families, soccer teams, coaching mentors, a beautiful city, etc. On the other hand, how do we know what is out there somewhere else isn't just as good. While talking to a friend of mine from Cover-All last week, she told me that "sometimes you have to leave the good for the great."

So do I stay in my comfort zone with friends, family, soccer teams, etc and keep on with the good. Or do I risk all that to go to a new province with a new job to try and make new friends and find a new church, etc. and anticipate that God has more in store for me there and it will be great. This is definately an ongoing debate in my mind right now.

Have any of you ever pondered this or experienced it? I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories in the comments section!

The Dare - Fact or Fiction

One of the great jobs I had while in highschool was working in the dishpit at the Caronport dining hall. Basically all of us Port Kids (kids that lived at Caronport year round) would work in the dining hall during the summer months and it was great. You got to work with all your friends, make some money and have a lot of fun working during all the sport camps, retreats and conferences that went on at Caronport during the summer.

This one day in the dishpit I was on scraping duty with one other person and the other 4-5 guys were working the other stations in the dishpit (loading, unloading, pots and pans, spraying, etc.) Scraping was a great job because you got to talk to the people as they handed their trays to you (this was especially good during girls basketball camp, but that is a different story). The thing with scraping is that you had to be fairly fast because people don't generally like to stand in a long line holding dirty dishes while staring into the dishpit area where a bunch of guys are wearing grungy clothes and scrubbing away on pots and pans, etc. Especially since the customers just finished eating. Needless to say that sometimes as you are scraping like a madman food would fall on the floor. This is no big deal because we just clean it all up again afterward, but today was different for some reason.

The mad rush of scraping was over and most people had already filed through the scraping line. This meant us scrapers would just start cleaning up our area while the last few slow-eaters dwindled through. Now you have to understand that after working all summer in the dishpit with a bunch of guys where everything is "behind-the-scenes" sometimes you get a little crazy. Often it's just the typical "spray you with the water hose" or "pretend to throw your hat in the garburator", but this time it went further. As we were cleaning up we looked down by the garbage can and there was a site to behold...there was left over food that we the scrapers had missed scraping into the garbage can and it was lying there in a puddle of water and other unknown garbage juices. And among the garbage was a piece of pepperoni.

It was at this point that "logical Sheldon" must have morphed into "crazy Sheldon" because I then bent over and picked up the piece of pepperoni in my fingers and held it up. As the soggy pepperoni slice hung limply from my fingers with the mixture of garbage juices dripping off it, I suddenly heard the words I knew were coming... "I dare you to eat it!" someone said. "For how much?" I snapped back. Things went silent again as most people did not want to put their money where their mouth was, but not everyone. "I'll give you a dollar," I heard someone say, "and so will I," announced my good friend and fellow scraper. Hmmm....$2.00 to eat this gross, dripping, slimy piece of pepperoni that was on the floor by the garbage being soaked in garbage juices and water...I knew the deal wasn't going to get better even though I had already asked for more. All reason completely left me at this point and I bit into the piece of pepperoni and in two bites it was gone.

"Ahhhh! Gross! I can't believe you did that!" were just some of the comments being made. Thoughts of just how sick I was probably going to get entered my mind, but I quickly shoved them aside... I had just made $2.00 and had the "respect" of all my fellow workers! And so ended another crazy adventure in the Caronport Dining Hall dishpit as we all went back to finishing up our work.

What do you think? Fact or Fiction? And have you (or would you) ever do something like that? Let me know in the comments section! I'll post the answer in a couple days.

The Treatment Centre - Day 3

The last day at the treatment centre has come and gone. I was there alone today as Shiela was doing a physical test as part of the hiring process for MD Ambulance (she passed with flying colours. Congrats!) Unfortunately I did not get one of the nice beds this time. The nice beds have buttons you can push to automatically raise and lower your head and feet in the bed. This one had to be done manually, so I only adjusted it once...it's too much of a pain to always get out of bed to adjust it.

By Day 3 now the nurses realized I wasn't eating my lunch so this time they asked me if I even wanted one rather than just bringing it. I opted to just have the orange juice and ate my own wonderful lunch that I had brought. After 2 hours of sleeping, reading and staring out the window (those hospital rooms actually have some really nice views) my time was up. They removed the needle from my arm which had stayed in there for 3 days and sent me on my way. As a token of my appreciation I had baked the nurses some cookies (chocolate chip with Skor pieces). They do a great job there and I wanted them to know it was appreciated.

I think this IVIg treatment is helping. After Day 1 my platelet count went up to around 60,000. After Day 2 it was up to around 90,000. So I'm hoping that after Day 3 it will be up to 120,000. (Normal is around 150,000) My goal is to be able to play in a soccer tournament on Sept 16th weekend, but I'll need to convince the Specialist of that first. I'm still taking 50mg of Prednisone (steroids) each day. My guess is the Specialist will lower it soon in order to see what happens to my platelet count with less Prednisone. His goal is to get me off the Prednisone as I shouldn't be on it for a long period of time.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me. I appreciate it a lot. I'm feeling really good through all this and am doing well. Keep checking back here for more updates and I'm also going to be writing another Fact or Fiction story shortly!

The Treatment Centre - Day 2

Today's treatment went a whole lot smoother than yesterday. To start with Shiela and I decided to park in the 2 hour free parking across from the hospital and then just walk over. That was a $7.00 savings (cha-ching!) We managed to put everything into one backpack this time so we didn't even look like hospital tourists this time.

I checked into my bed and got comfortable. Since the needle was already in my room they simply had to plug me in and let the blood flow. It was a different nurse today that set me up and she decided she could crank up the speed of the blood antibodies they were putting in me. This was great because it went a lot faster than the day before.

I slept for a while until they brought me lunch. It looked very similar to yesterday (soup and sandwich) and the nurse tried to convince me it was good, but since I don't like mushroom soup and won't eat a sandwich made by someone else (except my wife), I simply took the grape juice and ate my own wonderful sandwich, cookies and fruit that I brought.

The rest of the time went by quickly and I was out of there by 1:15pm. Tomorrow is my last day at the treatment facility (for now at least) and so hopefully it helps my platelet count goes way up and stays up. I was sitting at 61,000 before today's treatment so I'm hoping it is up to 90,000 or so for tomorrow. I'm planning on bringing the nurses some of my cookies I baked today, just as a thank you gift since they have been very nice to me there and do such a good job.

So check back again tomorrow for another update...I hope to be posting some pictures soon but since I don't have a digital camera it will take a while to get my film developed.

The Treatment Centre - Day 1

Today was the first day of my IVIg (IV gamma globulin) treatment. My platelet count right now is at an OK level (but still quite low) and apparently the roids I'm on are working, but not as well as they should be. So, since the roids aren't fully working (he has now lowered me down to 50mg per day) I get to go do IVIg treatments for 3 days in a row. Essentially this means that they are pumping antibodies into my system in order to "trick" my spleen into thinking the platelets aren't bad so that the platelet count stays high.

I never realized how much there is to think about when going for these treatments. First, being unemployed and all I started to hesitate about paying for parking. I mean, that's around $7.00 per day plus gas money to get there and back... a total of at least $21.00 plus gas (and the government says health care is free!) That can buy quite a lot of Kraft dinner. I could take the bus, but then that takes a lot more time (even though I have plenty of that right now) and because my wife Shiela was with me it would have cost us at least $8.00 per day to ride the bus there and back. I didn't want to park far away and walk because I wasn't sure how I would feel after the treatment or if I would have any energy, etc. So, I ended up breaking down and paid for the convenient parking.

The second thing to think about was lunch. I was going to be there from 11:00am to around 2:00pm. I did a little research thanks to some friends who work in the hospital and found out that you get some soup, a sandwich, a piece of fruit, 2 crackers and some tea. I figured I'd try the soup, but being the picky eater that I am, there was no way in the world I was eating a sandwich made by the hospital, let alone an egg salad sandwich (which I wouldn't eat even if I had made it). So Shiela and I smuggled in some leftover pizza from supper the night before.

The third thing is what to do for 3 hours in a hospital bed. Shiela and I ended up looking like we were going for a picnic on the beach when we arrived on the 3rd floor of RUH in Day Medicine. We had on shorts and t-shirts, a backpack full of games and books, and a bag full of food for lunch and another bag for Shiela's books. You'd think we were moving in or something! We were by far the most prepared patients that day.

Since I will be coming in 3 days in a row the nurses decided to just keep the needle in my arm for the full 3 days. I was fine with that since it means less needles...not only that but I dare someone to try and mug me on the streets of Saskatoon over the next few days. I mean, I think any robber would be freaked out if he tried to mug me and I just reached into my arm and pulled out a needle and started trying to stab him with it.

After the needle was in I thought we were ready to go, but then I heard a rumour that the Specialist was around, and he was coming to see me. I waited in anticipation to once again meet the Specialist face to face. As he approached my bed (without bodyguards) he started to pull all the curtains closed around my bed. My mind started racing as I began to wonder what was going to happen. Did you have to be naked for this treatment and noboday told me? Where exactly is that needle going? Luckily it turned out he just wanted to chat and explain what was happening with this process...oh yeah, and one more thing... Please sign here to agree to receive blood products and that you promise not to sue us if you get hepatitus C or any other disease from it. I knew that was coming because that was my one fear about this whole thing...I don't want to be getting a disease through this blood. The Specialist reassured me that it was extremely safe so I signed away (like I really had a choice anyway...if I want to get better I had to sign). The Specialist then left with his "Get out of jail FREE consent form" and pushed all the curtains open again. I don't know why they even close the curtains in the first place, especially just when they want to talk to you. I think someone should let them know that the sound carries through the curtain and the other umpteen people in the room can still hear you even if they can't see you.

The rest of the treatment went well. I read, ate the soup at lunch, ate my pizza, played cribbage with Shiela (we didn't get to finish though) and rested. Thanks to Cherie and Ben L for stopping by to say hi while I hung out there. It was much appreciated.

I'm back on the 3rd floor of RUH in Day Medicine on Wednesday and Thursday from around 11:30 to 2:00pm so if anyone is in the area and wants to get beat at cribbage or just sit and chat, feel free to stop on by...I know I won't be going anywhere!

Losing a Bet: The Answer is Below

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the story "Losing a Bet" posted below, then scroll down to read it first. This post I'm writing now is going to tell you if it is fact or fiction.

Thanks to those of you who commented on the "Losing a Bet" story. The answer is: FICTION

Yeah, the story is not true. The only true parts to the story was that it was a Cover-All marketing event called the GolfBQ, I did golf with two female colleagues from work, but there was never a bet involved at all. And I definately did not trash talk them about how guys are better golfers. The true reason I had my visor pulled over my eyes was that we were all sitting around the fire at the BBQ after the golf game and the smoke was continually getting into my eyes. So I simply decided to pull down my visor over my eyes and hang out by the fire like that. With the sunglasses across my visor it made for an amusing photo!

So I hope you enjoyed the story. Stay tuned for many more. Check back here shortly for a post regarding my first IV therapy treatment which starts on Tuesday at 11:00am.

Losing a Bet: Fact or Fiction

Some of you are probably wondering what in the world I was doing in the picture that is in the About Me section on the right hand side of this page. Well, here's the story.

It was a Cover-All Marketing Event and our department decided to do a GolfBQ. Yeah, it's exactly what you think it is. We were going to go golfing and then have a BBQ. Now if we were normal people we would have called it just that, golfing and then a BBQ. But since we were a bunch of crazy, off the wall marketing people we had to give it a fun name...GolfBQ.

Anyways, I was golfing with a couple of females from our department (purposefully set up that way so that my golf game would look good) and we were just finished the 8th hole. Now, this was very uncommon for me, as we walked from the 8th hole to the 9th hole I started trash talking the two females about how much better guy golfers are then girls. I suddenly realized I was the only one still walking and talking and had to suddenly turn around to see if aliens had abducted them into space or something. They hadn't, but for some reason these females had taken offense to my candid comments and said I was lying. I smiled back and said "whatever" in an "ok, let's not argue voice". And then it happened. "Do you wanna make a bet?" one of them asked. Bet...Bet...Bet.... Now you need to understand something about me. I love to bet! On lots of things, just for fun or for money or cokes (especially cokes). I tried to pretend that I was a little scared to bet, but who am I kidding, they had me at hello!

The bet was that on the ninth hole one of them would beat or tie me, but they got to play "best ball", which is where they each hit a ball and then whichever one of them hits it the best they both take their next shot from there. If I won they would buy me a 2 litre Coke. If they won, they got to pick something for me to do later that evening. I snickered on the inside as this was the easiest bet I ever made. What did I care what they chose. I had beaten them on every hole so far. Had I looked up at that exact moment I probably would have seen my golf skill (as little as it is) slowly leave me and float into the sky, because I was about to have a lot of bad luck. I teed off first, but instead of nailing it up the fairway I completely sliced it into a bunch of spread out trees on the right. No problem, I could easily find that. They both teed off and one of them hit it right up the middle about 180 yards. Not bad. I went off into the open trees searching for my golf ball. The problem was that the entire area around the trees was covered in leaves. I searched and searched but could never find my ball. Oh well, so I'm shooting 3 now from in the trees. I could still beat them. I nailed the next shot perfectly. Perfectly that is if I was trying to avoid all the trees except for the last one. My ball nailed the side of the tree and bounced straight sideways into the middle of the fairway, right beside the girls ball. I was now shooting 4 from the same spot where they were shooting 2. I graduated from Commerce and so I did the math. This wasn't looking good.

Little did I know that one of these female golf partners had been taking lessons over the summer and her favourite club (she told me later) was the 5 iron. And she smoked it. It was the furthest shot I had seen her hit all round. Granted this hole wasn't very long, but her shot rolled all the way up to around 3 feet from the green. I had to take 2 shots to get it on the green since my ball decided to go for a tan on the beach. The girls both decided to putt from 3 feet off the green and managed to get one of their balls about 4 feet from the hole. And then sunk it. Yeah, they parred it. As for me, I hung my head in shame with a pathetic 6.

So, as the picture clearly shows, my punishment was that for the entire BBQ I had to wear my hat over my eyes. And yes, it does make it difficult to walk around and talk to people, eat and drink. But it could have been much worse. I'm glad someone took a picture though as it is quite funny! And no, the females that beat me still remind me to this day to never underestimate a girl.

So what do you think? Fact or Fiction? Let me know in the Comments section and your reason. I'll post the answer in a couple days.

Call 911 - Unemployed and on Drugs

Tuesday - Bloodwork done and Medi Clinic tries to phone me
Wednesday - Found out I have ITP (and can no longer play soccer because I might bleed to death)
Thursday - Terminated from my job
Friday - Unemployed and on Drugs

I normally wouldn't call this a "good week". And I'm not now either. I took 60 mg of Prednisone until Wed and then it was lowered to 50mg. But on Friday at my next meeting with the Specialist, my platelet count had only gone from 59,000 last week to 69,000 which was too slow of an increase. The Specialist lowered me to 40mg a day because he said the platelets needed to start rebuilding themselves on their own as a man my age can't take such a high dose of steroids for a long period of time. The Specialist then gave me a standing order for bloodwork so I could go get bloodwork every week for the next 3 months...how special. I'm probably going to become very good friends with the nurses there since I'll be there so often.

On Wed Aug 31 I went for my first weekly bloodwork session so that on Sept 8th when I met with the Specialist again he could see how I did. Being unemployed I decided to sleep in of course and so around 10:00am I went on down to the clinic and didn't even have to sit in the waiting room. I was ushered directly into room #1 for yet another jab of the needle. (Side note: I don't like needles. I can't watch them put them in. But since I'm getting so many tests done I think I'm going to try to force myselfe to watch once. "You've got to keep testing yourself every day or else you get slow"{Young Guns})

That afternoon as I played some Settlers of Catan with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law (yes, I won both times) the phone rang. It was the Specialist. He'd seen the results from my blood test that morning and my platelet count was back down to 20,000 again. Not a good thing. I asked if I could go to Edmonton this weekend for a wedding and he said yes (just don't get into any fights), but if I start to bruise or bleed I need to go immediately to the hospital emergency room. I was also told that I need to immediately start taking 60mg of roids again and go for another needle jab on Friday. And one more thing, next week you will need to come in for some IV treatment (I forget what he called it). You need to come in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and each session will take around 2-3 hours. Good thing I'm unemployed or my boss would fire me (LOL).

So that's where things stand now with my medical condition. I'm actually doing quite well (except that not being able to play soccer is very hard for me) and just taking it all in stride. There's not much else I can do about it so I just don't worry about it and live a normal life of an unemployed person on drugs. If the IV treatments don't work there is the possibility of removing my spleen. But that's another story.

Call 911 - Terminated

"Sheldon, I've seen Don* (head of General Admin) talking to Bryan* (head of Marketing) a lot today. You'd tell me if I was being fired, wouldn't you?"

My stomach dropped as Rachel* casually asked me this, half jokingly. I couldn't believe this was actually going to happen. I was about to be fired.

"It's me," I replied and my mind raced as I realized the end was coming. I looked up and saw Don walk into Bryan's office and close the door. I looked at my watch and saw it was 4:30pm on a Thursday. I thought they did this type of thing on Friday's I told myself. The door opened and Bryan came to my desk and asked to talk to me in his office. I was then terminated.

I'll leave the details out of this story as many who read this still work for the company that terminated me. I don't have any ill feelings toward the company and in the end I know that this was probably for the best as God has something else planned for me to do. (Mental note: When things aren't going as planned in a company, changes have to be made and sometimes you end up on the short end of the stick. Live and learn.) As a friend of mine likes to put it, "There was a differing of expectations between the company and myself." It hurts the pride, but I definately won't miss being extremely stressed and overworked.

*Names have been changed

Stay tuned for a wrap up to this story "Unemployed and On Drugs" ...

Call 911 - Life on Roids

That's right. I was being prescribed steroids and I wouldn't even have to hide it from the Saskatoon and District Soccer Association. I was already day dreaming about how powerful my shot was going to be and how much faster I would run. What? They aren't anabolic steroids, the Specialist told me. So much for legally bulking up.

I was told I would need to take 60mg of Prednisone a day to get my platelet count back up again. There are a few side effects like increased appetite, moodines, chest pains, trouble sleeping, etc. but nothing too serious. I was told to take the pills and come back in two days for more bloodwork. As the Specialist and his bodyguards left, I was told I could leave after I gave another blood test. I started to wonder what they had done with the tubes they had just taken. Oh well, I figured as I once again rolled up my sleeve for another needle.

The roids didn't change me much. I was my normal tired, moody, eating too much, doubling over with chest pain self at work the next day. But I did show a lot of people my bruised leg and told them the story. And then that afternoon it happened.

Stay tuned for "Terminated" as this saga continues...

Call 911 - The Specialist

I squeezed my car into the free parking at the RUH Emergency room (do people not realize that you are suppose to part between the yellow lines, not on them) and registered myself with the receptionist (nurses). I was quickly taken to the kids section of the ER and given a little bed in the corner to wait for the specialist. Of course, before the specialist comes in I first have to get more blood work done. So down come the lab people to jab me for some blood. As I was talking to the nurse and telling her about my platelet count she couldn't believe I was operating in such a good manner. The Medi Clinic doctor had mentioned something about this too and I had just shrugged it off. I thought I felt fine, but they made it sound like I should be half dead already and no longer walking. Since I'm always tired anyway I guess I never realized that I was suppose to be "fatigued". I asked her how long I was going to be in the hospital and when she said 2-3 hours I quickly placed a call in to work to let them know my lunch break was going a little longer than normal.

Finally, the Specialist entered my curtained room. I sat up from my cramped bed (remember these are kids beds so I can't even fully lay down on them) only to realize after the introductions that this was just a precursor to seeing the Specialist. I felt like I was trying to talk to someone in government over the phone but you keep getting transferred around instead. Actually, the intern was very nice and after answering a million questions I went back to sleep, being assured that the Specialist would be coming soon.

I heard the curtain being pulled back and when I opened my eyes I was surrounded by the Specialist and his 2 bodyguards. I couldn't believe it...it was actually him. The Specialist. A blood specialist to be more specific (though not very technical). This was it. I was getting the low down. After throwing out all the medical terms and phrases that blew right past me, he started to speak English. Apparently they figured I had ITP, (read more about ITP), which means my body thinks the platelets are bad and gets rid of them, causing my blood not to clot which shows up as bruising. He said he was not concerned yet, but I would need to go onto steroids.

Stay tuned for "Life on Roids" as this saga continues...