End MS

I have been MS-symptom free for a while now; any aches and pains can be attributed to the recent fall from my bicycle. Which is a good thing. But after having checked my stats this morning I have discovered that a number of people came to the blog via www.endms.ca

I had been checking that website for a while but hadn't seen anything interactive so had knocked it off my radar. Until this morning. I believe I had mentioned having been asked to be the Halifax MS spokesperson for this campaign, the start of which has been delayed a little bit because of the big MS conference happening in Montreal next week. So I am expecting a little more to write about by next week as far as MS goes.

Anyway, I checked the endMS.ca website this morning and I'm on the blogroll there...how cool! So to all you readers coming from there, Welcome! Enjoy the posts about bugs and bikes and life in general. The brains part will be back soon. I am always reading and researching events, discoveries, and studies, and always formulating posts. It just takes a little longer to write those posts.

In a way, it's interesting to me that from reading the past several posts, one would think I lead a very normal life and not know what lurks beneath the surface of my scalp. I find that comforting; to think that a person with MS can be normal, without the obsession of illness constantly hovering is an idea that 10 years ago would not have occurred to me.

I had a brief chat with a caller yesterday, a woman I have never met, and she mentioned that she knew I have MS. She asked me how I was doing etc., and after I hung up I realized that sometimes I "forget" I have MS. How lucky am I that I need to be reminded from time to time? It struck me as a little bizarre, the elephant in the room sometimes disappears.

S.

9/11

Picture is from The Halifax Daily News, September 11, 2001.

Tomorrow is the 7th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US. While I expect my American friends, family, and bloggers to be reflecting on this, I don't expect you to be wondering about how we Canadians think about this date.

Quite simply, it will be forever in our memories as well. But perhaps more for what occurred in our cities in the immediate aftermath.

Halifax became the landing pad for the majority of air travelers on the Eastern seaboard. The skies above the States became closed to air traffic, with the rest of the world soon following. But for those planes still in the air, Halifax became destination number 1.

The second week of September is not prime time tourist season, but there is still a bit of that traffic here then. So what were we going to do with the thousands of people who were going to need accommodations? We'd have to find beds somewhere. And food. And showers. And phones. And places for cranky toddlers and kids to burn off excess energy.

We put people in arenas, service club halls and church halls; we set up gyms like army quarters; the Canadian Red Cross set up information areas for those stranded to give and receive messages from family; the Salvation Army stepped in to help feed the masses and both they and the Red Cross put together care packages of toiletries for those who needed them.

Many Haligonians went to the various aid areas to help, offer rides to shopping areas for the travellers, or to take families for an afternoon or evening of sight seeing. Many families in the Halifax area took in some of the stranded travellers, offering up their homes or cottages. I know one woman's family who hosted a couple who had been on their way to their own wedding. With a couple of days' notice this woman arranged an impromptu ceremony for the couple, complete with a wedding meal afterwards.

Those of us in the media were spending our time on air updating the scenes of carnage and passing along information as fast as we were getting it. Some of us were putting in extra time to man the phones and to direct people to the right contacts for assistance. And we were instructed to NOT play any song having to do with planes, flying, New York City, or anything fire-related.

Something like 9,000 people from 40 planes (the most aircraft to have landed anywhere in the wake of the attacks) were stranded in Halifax. The Halifax International Airport looked like a parking lot for used airplanes; they were lined up and parked like cars at a discount dealer's. I can only imagine the skill required to fit and park all those planes.

And a few days later, it was the whole thing in reverse, with planeloads of people leaving. The logistics of fueling and lining up all those planes staggers the mind. Getting thousands of people back to the airport at the right time and on the right planes...I am simply amazed at the organizational abilities of the airport staff for dealing with what they did. (The above link to the airport goes to a page detailing what was done at the airport)

That Halifax was able to do all this doesn't surprise me. I think partly because of the city's long military history, partly because of the city's long tourist history, and partly because on that day we were all Americans in a way, we were able to be of assistance. I'm glad we were here.

S.

Cycle to Walk

This morning as I pulled in to work I happened across a guy who is hand cycling across Canada to raise funds for Polio eradication. He was doing interviews with the local TV station.

Ramesh's story is quite incredible. Adopted from India by a Canadian couple he had contracted polio at 6 months of age. He began his cross Canada journey in April and is nearing the end of his trip.

I recall reading and hearing about polio as a young child but it wasn't until the 1980s that I really understood what the disease was all about and the fear it instilled in parents. To this day I don't understand why people don't vaccinate their children against a disease, when the risks of developing the disease are much greater than risk from side effects of the vaccination. Ramesh is hoping to promote vaccination and raise funds to eradicate the disease in developing nations such as India (he didn't receive a vaccination).

He's an inspiring young man. you can check out his website and blog at www.cycletowalk.com

Later today or tomorrow, you might even see a pic of me with some local construction guys posing with Ramesh.

S.

Sci-Fi

I have been a kind-of fan of science fiction for a long time. Some sci-fi I can really get into, but others I just can't. The closer the sci-fi is to real life, the more interested I am. For example, early Michael Crichton is my absolute fave, like The Andromeda Strain. Spider Robinson's humour keeps me reading even when he's into the space travel stuff. I adore the Alien series of movies, I'll watch the Star Trek movies, but mostly for the character stories, and MIB type movies are just plain fun.

I never got into the whole X-Files hype. I enjoyed the Terminator movies, but not the TV show. Lost has been a source of entertainment and frustration for me (polar bears in the South Pacific? Come on!).

But last night I watched a new TV show that I think will be great. I'd call it an X-Files meets The Conspiracy Theory type of show. Only better. It's called Fringe. I think I'm hooked.

When I was a kid, my dad would watch Bugs Bunny cartoons with me. Then I would watch Hockey Night in Canada with him (a Canadian tradition). Little did I know that dad was really enjoying the music of the cartoons. Thing was, dad could always predict what would happen on the cartoons. I was always amazed at how smart my dad was. I would accuse him of having seen the cartoon already, which he denied, but as I got older I was able to predict myself what would happen on a TV show or movie. And I would lose interest in it. I always wanted a twist, to be surprised, to learn something I didn't know.

I wanted to learn about biology and human behaviour. I wanted to know why people and animals did the things they did. Nature or nurture? It's no surprise that I studied psychology and biology in university but what surprises me is.... I'm still surprised by biology and human behaviour. That doesn't mean that I haven't learned anything. There are plenty of psychologists out there who have failed relationships and medical people who don't know the hows and whys of certain diseases. It means that we haven't learned enough. I want to know things and understand them as they apply to my world. That's why most "alien" type shows are merely entertainment for me. I will suspend my beliefs for a short period of time, but ultimately I need to come back to the real world and real bad guys and real conditions. Like MS. That's MY reality. MS has affected my biology and my behaviour, so I need to know why. And sadly, for many of us, it's not sci-fi.

S.
Dad's favourite sci-fi movie? Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Pockwock Watershed

We got out for a bike ride yesterday as I planned though we were foiled by a fence and thick woods so had to turn back after 10k (more about that later). Still, 10k in and 10k out over rocky hilly terrain was quite the workout. Our journey hadn't even begun when the neighbour's rabbit hopped over to say hello. This was at the Wookie's house by the way. His neighbour Robert is the world's best landscaper and lawn keeper. He has a few pheasants that roam the area as well as the rabbit. I don't know how this WHITE rabbit has survived any number of predators. The Wookie lives about 17k from me and is much closer to deep woods than I am.So off we went. The area we were headed to is actually very close to where the Wookie lives. It's part of a protected watershed, with a water treatment plant 10k into the woods. There are some logging roads but very limited logging is going on. My first stop for a picture was a noticeable pile of sawdust in the middle of the road. Closer inspection revealed a decaying piece of wood.
And even closer inspection reveals a hole in the wood where a boring insect, probably a beetle, has gone into the wood. This is how some beetles live, boring holes into decaying wood and eating stuff. If it weren't for beetles eating crap, we'd be a really stinky planet.
Anyway, the trek continued on and at about the 5 k mark, the road became an overgrown trail. We could still make out where the tire ruts were but it was maily overgrown with grasses and weeds. We wondered about the frequency of trucks coming back on this part of the road as it appeared few, if any, had been here in the past year. By the time we got to the water treatment plant, we realized why. There's a shiny chain link fence around the plant and all kinds of no trespassing signs. We couldn't get through the fence and the woods apeared too thick to walk the perimeter. According to the trail maps and google earth we should have been able to go right around the lake that is the centre of this watershed. I particularly wanted to see the damn at the lake. So we turned around.The way back was going to be a little easier as it was generally a downward slope. There were still some hills to climb, but overall it was easier. Until I got to one hill and my chain slipped - and so did I.
It was a harder fall than my first one a few weeks ago and what the picture shows is just a tiny bit of the damage. Both legs are bruised up a bit as is my left hip/butt. I seem to be fine today, no worse for wear.

The Wookie of course.
One of our rewards for the trek. At this point we're about 8 k from the main highway and where we parked. It was mostly a gray day with some mist and fog early on, but we had a few breaks of sunshine here and there.
Of course there were some butterflies; this one is now part of my collection. It was on its last leg, so to speak, as it only had 3 legs (evidence of close calls with other creatures) and its wings were quite shabby. We also managed to see a gorgous milkweed type butterfly that eluded capture. The Wookie said my picture must be posted at the Butterfly Post Office as I could barely get near it.
There were two of these paw prints on the road and no others. No human tracks nearby. Probably coyote.
Another reward. These little "swamps" are all over the place and are miniature worlds all on their own. The next trek in that area will involve taking the right road as opposed to the left and we'll get to the lake going that route.

We've had very little rain since last night and it looks like Hanna will hit the Bay of Fundy which is north of us so we'll be spared (or at least less affected).

Now to plan the next ride!

S.

A Short Ride and Lots of Poop

Yesterday I fought sleepiness around 2 with an extra cup of coffee. And then realized I'd be able to go for a ride after work. Previous to that I was seriously considering a nap. Because of the amount of construction and roadwork tying things up I decided to ride close to home this time. I rode to Jack's Lake, which is about 1k from where I live, as the crow flies, but a longer trek on bike of course. The trail leading to the lake is rough, strewn with rocks, and the first k is all uphill at about an 80 degree angle. OK, so I'm slightly exaggerating, but it's steep. It's also surrounded by trees so no cool winds. By the time you get to the top of that first hill you're beginning to think it wasn't such a great idea. Anyway, once at the top you travel about another k to the turnoff for the lake. We've had so much rain that the trail at this point is washed out quite a bit. Lots of ruts and exposed soft sand. And grasshoppers leaping all around me.Again you're thinking, not such a great idea. But I carried on. I reached the top of the rise on this portion and took in the stillness. Gorgeous. I saw a few dog and master tracks in the mud, a few off road vehicle tracks, and racoon tracks. Oh, what's that over there? A big pile of black poop in the middle of the trail? Yup. And no visible tracks near it. Hmmmmm....too big and black for a dog and they like to do it at the side of the trail. Too big for coyote, who seem to like to poop in the middle of trails. Bear poop? Uh-oh. Could be, but I'm no expert. Haven't heard about any bears in this neck of the woods (so to speak) so I carry on.

I reached the entrance to the lake. The trail goes through heavy woods at this point for about a half kilometre and it turned out to be extremely wet, boggy, and strewn with downed trees. I had to get off the bike to get through and it's a good thing I did as even just pushing the bike I snagged a branch and got it caught in my rear wheel. I shudder to think of the fall I would have had if I had actually been riding when I snagged it. Well, I'd probably still be in the woods listening to the stillness and hoping that whatever left left the big pile of black poop didn't come my way.

A few feet from the lake I saw what looked like a 3 foot wide pile of deer poop (I really didn't plan on this theme) and wondered about a communal defecation pile for deer. It was actually a pile of pine cones, old ones at that, that looked as if they had been placed there. Cool.
Finally, water. The lake lay before me in all its glory. Standing at the edge, with dragonflies zooming around, I could make out tadpoles in the water. This year's crop of bullfrogs. Most frogs spend a few months as a tadpole, but not bullfrogs. These guys (and gals) overwinter in the mud as tadpoles and by the end of next summer will be bullfrogs. And there were a couple of squirmy things at the edge of the lake, too. A closer look revealed they were leeches. Very cool! I extended my hand into the water to see if I could scoop one out for a closer look, but they were not interested in me. I did snap a picture though (you'll have to click on it for a better look).
And my reward for the trek, mud, and stifling heat?

It's a small lake, about half a k wide and long but it's pretty. Total distance to and from the lake is 7 k, so not a long ride, but a good workout. Today, the Wookie and I are off on another trek, at least 25 k. Bad weather is coming in later this afternoon with the remains of hurricane Hanna expected to reach us tomorrow evening. It's been downgraded to a tropical storm but it'll take weeks to dry out from the expected rainfall so I wanted to get out this morning. I've charged my cellphone and camera battery, my bike bag is ready with supplies and the bug kit is ready, so off I go. See ya' later!

S.

My Bit for Nova Scotia Tourism

I thought I better check in to let you all know that I'm still breathing up here in the Great White North (though these days it's better known as the Great Wet North). It has been raining off and on for several days with brief moments of dryness. The thunderstorms we've had have driven some people to the relative safety of their closets until probably November. Today ended up fairly nice and it looks like tomorrow will be good as well. I got a short bike ride in today and will try again tomorrow after work, too. And the Wookie doesn't know it yet, but Saturday morning we'll be doing a longer ride. Hurricane Hanna will be visiting Sunday so I've got to make hay while the sun shines...or it's at least not torrentially pouring.

On the topic of longer rides, on Labour day we scouted out a little bit of an old logging road that we're going to tackle on the mountain bikes soon, but it's going to be a day long trek at least. This province I live in is full of lakes and ponds and rivers. If you're ever lost in the woods here you won't die from thirst. If you check out a map and see where we are located you'll notice that we are almost an island, connected to the rest of the country by a swatch of land. Unless sea levels dramatically rise very quickly we'll not be unconnected, but we are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Actually, in Nova Scotia you are never more than an hour away from the ocean, no matter where you go. I live less than half a mile from the ocean and see it almost every day.

The only type of terrain we don't have in this province is desert. We are a giant bunch of rocks covered with mixed forests. We have a fertile valley in the north-western part of the province, hills that were mountains and are part of the northern part of the Appalachian chain, mountains in the eastern end that are hills compared to the Rockies but older than that range, and wildlife that can take your breath away. Eagles, osprey, and many other raptors, moose and deer, bobcats, coyotes, weasels and foxes, bear, racoons, and a kajillion black flies. Just off shore are the whales (big and small), seals, and in September the sea turtles. At one point in time, we even had walrus. Actually, if you take the ferry between Halifax and Dartmouth, you sometimes can see the pilot whales or dolphins and in late winter, the seals.

In the mid eighties I lived on Cape Breton Island. In November I'd go to the Canso Causeway linking the island to the mainland to look for tuna. They had arrived from the Northumberland Strait chasing herring and the fisherman followed them of course. I'd watch for a shimmering on the surface which indicated schools of herring. The tuna would chase the school and at the last moment the herring would dive just as they reached the surface. The tuna, having gained a lot of momentum, would come straight out of the water before they crashed back in. 1,000 pounds of fish. Pretty impressive. Pretty ugly, too.

So on our up-coming longer trek we hope to see a little bit of the wildlife. Except for bears. We can do without those while on a bike. And if we come across a tuna in the woods, I'll know we should have taken a left at Albuquerque.

S.