the last ditch: Breathin' Easy

This fuckin' coast is gonna be the death of me, I swear.

An aunt of mine ditched the coast for a move inland last fall. Seems she was always in discomfort of one kind or another on the coast, but any time she visited the interior, she'd be feeling in her prime. So, they sold their waterfront property and moved to the interior, and her body's been thanking her ever since.

I saw a clip on the news last week about weather and how it invariably can drastically affect how some 20-40% of the population feels. I'm one. A human barometer, I always quip. This week has been hellish for my sorry-assed body. From Tuesday to now we've moved through snow, rain, and now temps in the high-teens (60s for the Yanks). It's pretty much shorts'n'tees weather now. A bike ride looms.

But I tell you... I've had migraines and asthma attacks for the last few days. Talk about fucking with one's head. Yesterday I coulda sworn I was congested from the toes on up -- barely breathing, no energy, a chesty cough. Sometime during the night I began breathing somewhat normally again and at some point in the last couple of hours it finally feels as though the elephant who's been sitting on my chest these past two days got up for a nature break out in the yard.

I love my city and my place within it, but I great real tired of these intermittent weeks of hell with breathing and aches and pains. I suspect it'll only get worse as I get older, and one of these days I'll finally have to cut loose and move inland too.

Not today though. Today I'm feeling a little more human, and now it's time to get out and enjoy my big fat world on my big fat knobby tires. I'll tote along the camera in case something photogenic should present itself to me. It's quiet out there in the world, being the first of a four-day weekend for some of us. Cars stream up and down the nearby causeway and the occasional bird has a song for us, but that's about all transpiring out there this afternoon. Lazy days and lazy ways, you know what I'm saying?

And I need the lazy days. I've been working too hard too long. I wonder if it's all supposed to work out this way. I had wanted to work overtime for some extra money to take care of my scooter woes, but no overtime was made available to me. I was crushed and started to panic a bit. Dad and the stepmom have ridden in on their big white horses and thrown a few dollars my way for the first time in a long time, and suddenly I'm in the midst of a whole lot of breathing room, and grateful for it, too.

And yesterday I found out I've got the opportunity to sell advertising space for the school's year-end gala's programme. Commission, to boot. I know I'm good at sales but it's been a long time since I've had the chance to prove it. Should I make this work, I could make up to a grand in commission over the next two months. I could sure use that.

We'll see how it all unfolds. For now, I'm finally able to take my first deep breath in days, so now I'm gonna go put that to work for me and enjoy the world around me. It's somewhat ironic it's Easter as I sort of feel like I'm rising up from the dead after a few days in hell myself. Hmm. Praise be.

And two pics from last weekend before my weekend nosedived:

Granville Island from above on Burrard Bridge.