Hello! I feel like I’ve lots to tell you, but much of it is rather mundane but really, if I stopped reporting the mundane, there would be no need for this blog.

My eye

After a consultation last Thursday, I was able to get an appointment to have eye surgery (ok, chalazion excision) the following morning. During my Thursday appointment, I made sure to ask the woman that would be assisting during the excision about the safeguards in place in case the surgeon developed a sudden urge to sneeze while um, holding a sharp cutting implement to the inside of my eyelid. I saw her hide a smile as she responded very seriously to my concern and hey, I’d rather ask than be an “oops” case.

Do you want to hear what the excision involved? I like telling the story because it makes me like I was such a trooper (where’s my lollipop, darn it?):

First, I was given eyedrops to freeze my eyeball. Eeeek! Then, the ophthalmologist came in and froze my eyelid using a needle inserted in the corner of my eyelid. It hurt going in, as needles are wont to do. Then, he stuck a clamp in the corner of my eye. The clamp had a round hole in it that sort of frames the chalazion. My chalazion was large enough that he considered switching to a larger clamp, but in the end the smaller one was sufficient. But as he tried to attach the clamp, it felt like he was stabbing my eye so I told him to stop and explained the sensation I felt and he said “Oooh, I guess you need more freezing then”. Since I always need double or triple freezing at the dentist’s, I should have known this might be the case and warned them. Anyway, two or three more needles later and the surgery began.

You don’t actually see anything, though that may have been because (in my case) I’m severely myopic, but the entire time I felt like I was in a haze, vision-wise. You do feel what is happening though, things like the ophthalmologist grabbing your eyelid and pulling it way out, then flipping it inside out so he can cut into the underside and release the chalazion.

That part took about two minutes and then a pressure bandage was applied to my right eye and I was told to keep it on for three hours and sent on my way. My mommy picked me up and when I got home I took a couple of pictures for posterity and slept for four hours.

When I removed the pressure bandage, the eyelid looked pretty swollen, and it was painful (anesthesia wearing off I think). There was gunk to clean and I’m on a steady diet of warm compresses. But it looks much better, doesn’t it?

French
My seven weeks of French lessons ended this week. I’m glad they are over, because I found it harder to do my homework and 9-5 job than I thought I would. Also, it’s been a busy fall, so adding another priority wasn’t ideal. I learned a lot. My biggest challenge when it comes to the French language is speaking it. I become completely tongue-tied and anxious at the thought of responding to a simple question in a sentence longer than three words. It’s terrible! I have a lot of new and relevant vocabulary and I know that when I’m asked a question I need to take a moment to think about what tense the question is asked in and what tense I’m going to respond in, before saying “I am going to the movie theatre” in response to the question “What did you do last night?” And I should totally get over my intimidation with speaking French with my coworkers, because I’m only hurting myself.

I asked for homework while I’m away so I can do the exercises, and I’ll try to get in some speaking practice too, if only to myself.

On seeking style
I love blogging because it allows me to whine to my heart’s content and even if nobody comments, I usually feel better just putting it down in this space. It does help to know that there will likely be a helpful or encouraging word left in the comments though! Well Sheri read my blog and flat out declared (as all Montrealers do) that shopping in Ottawa is lame, and one must go to Montreal if one wants to do some serious shopping. And she suggested we go! Road trip!

I hadn’t been to Montreal for fun in a while (three years in fact), even though it’s only 2 hours (or, um, 2.5 hours with me driving?) away. And guess what? I drove the whole way to Montreal and back (though not in downtown)!! It was my first trip outside of the city. It was pretty manageable, except for the couple of times I almost killed us. (I’m still working on multitasking: looking away from the road at the passenger while driving is not a skill I’ve mastered yet). Thank God all the people I drive with are so calm when I almost crash into the car in front of me—I must work on that!

Though we went to a few stores, we only had luck in one store (the first store), but you see, we weren’t the most organized “shopping for a plus sized girl” team: she had found some places online, but I didn’t use that information to indicate which places I wanted to visit, or plan out a logical shopping route. I was more of the “let’s drive in the general direction until we run across one of those places” mind. Also, a day other than Sunday would have been better (because stores closed early). But I had a blast! I found four tops and got lots of ideas of how to dress them up. At another store I found a gorgeous dress, but it didn’t come in the size I needed (a big thank you to the saleslady who pointed out that I needed a bigger size at the risk of her commission!). Sheri even threw in a lesson in walking in heels.

I am usually the one who accompanies a friend on shopping trips to provide commentary, the one who tries to encourage a friend to try something in a cool colour or unique style. My shopping buddy had definite ideas and knows her stuff, which made me feel confident about the choices I made in the end. This was the first shopping trip where finding things for me was the goal and I liked it.

Filed under: Adventure, Family, Health by jummy