Sleeping in My Own Bed

This was an exciting week for me because, even though I was driving back and forth every day, it meant that I could be home with family as well, which is far superior to any hotel.  It also equated to some quality time with some of my favourite people.  On Monday I got a ride down with Greg, one of my Y peeps, and discovered a newer, faster way to London (we made it in 2hrs, 30 min).  This was a great trip as we talked a lot about training and fitness, which I’m always keen to discuss, as well as school matters, about which I always have an opinion

I followed the same route on Wednesday with my buddy Ross which was a great day as we hadn’t had a chance to hang out for quite some time.  For those of you who don’t know him, Ross and I first came to know each other about 35 years ago when we were paired up through the Big Brothers organization.  He’s one of my oldest and best friends and an absolute beauty (and not just because he always has a fridge full of Bud).  He’s also Henry’s godfather.

On Tuesday I spent the day with Mike Bushey, who took me through hotspots such as Brussels, and Staffa.  We didn’t beat Monday’s record, but came close with 2:40.  In truth, after so many trips, I’m just happy to get down in under 3 hours.  On Thursday, Bush took up the mantle again, as did his wife, the lovely Theresa (who puts up with a lot of his shit).  As many of you know, there is no shortage of topics on which Bush has an opinion.  We always used to joke that we should create a book titled Bushey On . . . where he could muse on different topics in each chapter such as: Tree Grafts, Unions, The Best Place to Get Gas in Walkerton, and Psychic Vampires.

All of these drivers were greatly appreciated as they made the ride AND the day go by so much more quickly.

Unfortunately, nothing could make Friday go quickly as Kristen and I spent what was our longest day at the hospital, with appointments lasting a whopping five hours from start to finish.  Our initial appointment (radiation) was at 11:00 followed by three others that were relatively close in succession.  Unfortunately numbers 2 and 3 were a little delayed BUT, when we were finished, we realized the fourth, scheduled for 1:00, was about to start.  Fast forward two hours and our appointment finally got underway.  Lasting 30 minutes, we then scrambled to the pharmacy to get prescriptions filled then raced off to Red Lobster to fill our faces as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

Forty minutes and a pound and a half of crab each later, Kristen darted back to the hospital to grab prescriptions, came back for me and we were on the road . . . much later than anticipated.  Don’t get me wrong, we are VERY lucky to be cared for by medical professionals of such high calibre, but this was a gruelling day.

Thankfully, we had a great visit planned on our way home with my buddy Eric who invited us over to his new house for a quick drink and conversation about all things important: baseball (both pro and amateur), wrestling, games, Port Elgin street dances / street fights (and who was responsible for their demise) . . . .  He also gifted me that sweet mask you see above.  I can't wait to wear it when I crush the boys in wrestling again; absolute SQUASH!  That, folks, is true friendship for, as you know, nothing says love like a luchador mask.