Steady as she goes

Dr. Hugh Tildesley

My health: Weight went up on the road, a good sign, energy level at 90+%, a good sign, muscle mass returning, a good sign. Infusions on Monday Aug 24 went well save the issues covered in the rant.

We flew to Edmonton and helped Catherine settle into her new apartment. Well situated, nicely furnished and unfortunately did not want to listen to what I did as a student in this regard.

In the good old days we made book cases made out of cement blocks and 2x8’s, my coffee table was a spool from hydro, my bed, night table, dining room suite were all from local garage sales or back alley ways. Ikea and the bank of dad did not exist.

The brief visit allowed for a dinner with Brian and Gwen Bruce, longtime friends who I first met when doing general practice in Matheson, a small hamlet in northern Ontario, and Bill and Lynn Dowbiggin, Bill and have been friends since childhood. A great meal in a re-located Bistro Praha, a restaurant we frequented when I was in Edmonton doing my residency and fellow ship.

We drove out to Stony Plain to see the acreage we lived in for 5 years. We had not visited there in 30 years. The house, now for sale, has been fully redeveloped; the trees have grown immensely, the back 4 relatively unchanged. Asking price 5 times what we paid for it.

I had a great lunch with my research mentor, Bill McBlain. He had me in his lab for 3 months and we actually published a report on the feasibility of a heat sensitive assay for detecting estrogen receptor positivity in breast cancer tissue. He had unending patience and was generous in his advice and cultivating critical thinking that went beyond the lab. At 70 he looks 50, I think he is holding out on me on his latest ant-aging concoction.

The day after our return Peter Butler invited me to the LPGA at the Vancouver Club. We are both RBC clients, and we made our way to 15 green to watch the action. Surprisingly we were offered a chance to be inside the ropes to Watch Stacey Lewis. What a treat. We were given instructions regarding behavior and quite frankly I was concerned, Butler almost got us kicked out of Augusta in 2009 for his second running offense! We made our way to the first tee; AJ Papp was in charge of the marshals and was both officious and welcoming. Next was Mike Carroll, past President of Golf Canada, an ex Totem hockey player (we played together for 9 years), and son of Dink Carroll. I have a soft spot in my heart for Mike at a whole bunch of levels. First his volunteering his considerable expertise to golf and golf Canada is unrecognized, secondly on the 12 hole in the late eighties as we walked of the tee he shared his insights on parenting. He stated the best thing you give a child is self-esteem, I never forgot it. Lastly, I shared with Donovan, that Mike’s father was Dink Carroll, was a long time sports writer and is famous for giving Maurice Richard the nickname of “The Rocket”. When Donovan first met Mike he stated, “ I have waited a long time to meet a man who could call his father Dink”.

Peter and I were assigned to score standard-bearer Brian Digby, who Peter knew through family connections.We were lucky enough to draw Stacey Lewis, ranked number 3 in the world.

Walking up 15,Peter and I are standing next to the guy in the bib

Stacey Lewis after her British Open win

Stacey Lewis is petite lady who radiates both grace and intensity. Although 5’5’’ she is 114 pounds. She powers the ball off the tee at about 270 yards, her short game is amazing. She was very polite on he 1^st tee and after her first drive incredibly focused. She carded 6 birdies and 1 bogie for a 5 under 67, a great round that tied her for the lead, losing in a playoff to Lydia Ko. I only intended to walk 5 holes but her performance was so captivating we walked 18, I am glad I did at a bunch of levels. Her game is impeccable, her thinking very strategic, her pace of play fantastic, her demeanor focused. A joy to watch.Importantly I made the 5 mile walk on a hot day without undue mischief.

These blogs have a recurring theme; one of the fans suggested the title:

Tesla Titillations:

The EV outlet operational at Point Grey

Chef Robert Craig looking for inspiration for a new theme dish

After juggling sockets the plug in at Point Grey is operational. Last night I dined with the men’s night crew, the car charging at 22 km/hr. I think we are the only golf club offering this service and I thank the CEO Brad Pinnell for making the arrangements. There are now 3 Teslas in the club, I predict more outlets will be in order. The latest consumers report gave Tesla a 103 out of 100 on their rating.

As I walked into the five o’clock club I noticed that all were staring at my baldhead.

I got tired of the mal-distributed fuzz that was growing on my scalp and in spite of a 2-1 vote I got it cut in Edmonton. It was at Mickey’s, the seats were old school, the walls plastered with images of Canadian Special Forces. The signs said, “cash only”, and take a seat when called. I was clearly in the right place for a beaner!

I returned to the 5 o’clock club after a 2-week hiatus. No one said anything about my perfectly sculpted cranium, I had to break the ice by saying,” I have been married over thirty years and never knew about my wife’s fetish for bald men!”

Post laughter, ice broken, the yapping started.

The banter remains witty, and pseudo intellectual and an entertaining denouement to the day. Re-referral to the blog remains a necessity, especially for Duncan, who refuses to read anything unless he has written it, or is at least mentioned. There you go Dunc…..

Another rant

So I show up at the appointed time. I wait for over 1 hour for my blood to be drawn, this puts my poison infusion off for 1.25 hours. What kind of crap is this!!.

The dominos fall, my time is wasted, parking is charged, nurses are both under employed during my absence then extra staff is needed for the late comers. All of this because they had 2 technicians between 7-10, then 5 at 10 am. I bet the manager showed up at 1030. So because of poor scheduling, patients are inconvenienced (my conversation with the lady at the desk was unproductive (it is just the way it is she said without an ounce of insight), a millisecond in the private sector would cure that attitude! 

More importantly the agency asks for more money every year, the poisons cost a lot, they have little control over these costs. I get and appreciate that. They can control attitudes and efficiencies; the lab is a good place to start.

Until next time