So Much To Share!

Hello again! Well I have lots to share, so grab a cup of tea and settle in.

Last week, I had my 8 week follow up with the surgeon who repaired my wrist. I thought you might find it interesting to see his handiwork.

This is the ulna bone in my arm. It's the one that runs from your wrist below your pinkie finger to your elbow. He sawed this bone in 3 pieces, removing a section in the middle, and bolted the two remaining pieces together using a titanium plate and 6 screws. This is where I have a rather long and spectacular scar on my arm, which is still healing. Surprisingly, this was the least painful of the two surgeries I had done. It hasn't really hurt since after the first 2 weeks post-op. Yay for that! The other surgery, on the heel of my hand continues to be incredibly painful. I am still trying to find the optimal dose of nerve pain medication to deal with that. *sigh*

Meanwhile, in the good news department, on Tuesday, I got an email telling me I'd won a 2 night stay at Summit Lodge & Spa in Whistler. This is the same lovely hotel I stayed at in August 2012 when I went to Whistler for Vivienne's You Are Your Own Muse photography class. Indy blogged a review of the hotel and they are going to share it on their Facebook page on January 27th. They are extremely dog-friendly and we love that because where we go, Indy goes!

In the email they sent, they said if I sent a selfie about winning, they would have a gift waiting in my room when I arrive. I thought it would be fun to send them this:

We look forward to visiting Whistler later this year and I am thrilled we get to stay at our favourite hotel! We LOVE Whistler.

In other news, awhile back, @CBCOlympics asked Canadians to tweet a message of support for Canadian Olympic athletes as part of their #OurAthletes project. I sent them a tweet. Yesterday they let me know that mine was one of twenty selected to be made into a pin. 

(Photo used with permission of CBC Olympics)

Monika Platek of CBC Sports has pinned these 20 pins to her scarf and is taking them to Sochi. As she meets Olympic athletes, she will gift them with a pin and snap a photo, which she will then share with the person whose message appears on a pin. I'd say that's pretty darn cool! I am so pleased to be able to participate in this project-I can't wait to see who ends up with mine! You can read about the #OurAthlete project here.

In other sports related news, I woke this morning to find an email from FIFA. I applied last year to volunteer for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015. (Crazy to think I'm planning my life 2 years into the future!) Anyway, I was accepted! YAY! I fell in love with women's soccer when I volunteered for the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifier for London 2012 and I couldn't be happier to support women's soccer in Canada (in Vancouver!) again in 2015. No idea what I will be doing yet, though my specialty is serving as a VIP transportation dispatcher, so that's a distinct possibility. I am sure it's going to be an amazing experience!

And while all this stuff has been going on, I quietly decided that this year's word is 

Extraordinary. 

May it be extraordinarily good in as many ways as possible!

An Important Conversation

Join the first #AKchats on Twitter,Fighting for Care.

When you have multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy or another chronic illness that accelerates the aging process, where do you turn for long-term care? Hospitals and nursing homes seem to be the only options. Anna-Karina Tabuñar (@AKTabunar) explores this important topic featuring special guest, 

Lelainia Lloyd (@tatterededge).

 Join the conversation on Twitter using #AKchats on 

Monday, May 13th at 9 a.m. PST. (12 p.m. EST)

Learn more by visiting Anna-Karina's website.

 *****

I'm so honoured to be invited to be a part of this.
I hope you'll come join this important conversation.

Save the Date!

Remember I said there would be more exciting art news coming up? Well here it is!  On May 3rd, 2012 Seth Apter will be in Vancouver as part of his book tour for The Pulse Of Mixed Media!

Seth's book signing and launch party will take place at the fabulous  Le Marche St. George, 4393 St. George (at the corner of 28th), Vancouver at 7 p.m. Also attending will be a number of contributing artists from the book, including Patricia Larsen and...ME! Yes, I'm going to be there too! This event will be held in conjunction with Con Leche, an art exhibition including works by both Seth and the Larsen family, Patricia, Janaki, Klee.

YOU are invited and I hope you'll come! Feel free to RSVP here in the comments-I'd love to know who'll be joining us!

I've been sitting on this news for awhile and I'm so excited to be able to share it with you now. As you can see, I've circled it on my calendar. I wouldn't miss it for anything! Only 70 days till Seth arrives! 

If you're not local, Seth has a number of other stops on his book tour. You can learn more here. (And check back often because he said he'll be adding to the list!)

In the meantime, you will also want to mark March 21st on your calendar as well. Seth will be hosting a Twitter Launch Party. Log into Twitter between 9-10pm EST (that's 6-7 pm PST for those of us on the west coast) to have a real time talk with Seth and many of the contributors in the book, including me. More details about this event will be posted on Seth's blog as the date approaches.