Researching the plentiful and deadly diseases we may encounter during our round the world trip, I went to the International Travel Clinic in Calgary.
The appointment took nearly two months to book and the paperwork said there would be a charge for the services, plus some fees for the vaccinations.
So it turns out we need seven vaccinations for the trip. Many of the vaccinations need several doses (three or four) over a period of a few weeks.
After spending an hour with the nurse, going over how nasty these diseases are, we got to the vaccination part. This is where the big surprise came in.
I expected the fees to be pretty reasonable. She started with a flu vaccine. $30. No problem.
Then Japanese ensephalitus (I'm not even trying to spell that correctly). $80. No problem.
Then they started getting a little bit crazy.
"Ok, this vaccine is $145 per dose and you need three doses", the nurse said.
Gulp!
"And this one is $110 per dose and you need four of them", she continued.
Gulp!
So I left the travel clinic with five injections and a bill for $500. Talk about a double pain!
All in the vaccinations will put me back about $1200. A far cry from the $150 or so I was expecting to pay for my needle visit.
urgh.
More to come...
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
I am not a biker
When Dylan came up with the idea to ride motorcycles around the world, I had never ridden one before (save for one frightful time on the back of his sportbike). I disliked bikes and I disliked most yahoos wearing what I call, safety T-shirts or safety hoodies. Worse, I hate it when I see a guy riding in race leathers with his girlfriend on the back in a t-shirt - or less. I still hate those things, but now I know there are many people who have the right attitude toward riding.
So now I'm starting to look back at the past two years of planning this RTW trip on a motorcycle. I've learned to ride a motorcycle, I've become a gear whore and am on my fourth motorcycle jacket (found the right one this time!) and I still am bothered.
I am still not a biker, and that makes me sad.
As I've gotten to know more and more people in the motorcycle community, I've grown to appreciate their cultures. I've seen three major types. Sportbike, Adventure and Cruiser. Each of these cultures has their unique characteristics, yet they are all part of a larger family of bikers.
What's amazed me is how incredibly awesome these people are and how much they care for the community and one another. Over the past two years I've met some of the most generous and giving people around. I mean people that would give you their last can of beans out camping sort of folks.
Yet I feel like I don't fit in. I don't understand why.
I suppose that from the beginning the motorcycle trip around the world was my goal, and not becoming a biker. There are some feelings I have that would show that I'm becoming one though. Last week, Dylan and I were sitting in his kitchen talking about motorcycles and an upcoming change to the trip. He said that his most recent bike called to him and that he didn't expect me to understand the connection he was building with his bike.
The thing is, I understood perfectly. I have been thinking about my bike constantly and enjoy just looking at it. Like a four year-old I make its engine sounds and pretend to ride it, even when it's nowhere in sight.
Maybe I'm a biker and don't even realize it.
Sorry for the ramble, I'm planning on doing a lot more writing and am finding this is a decent outlet for getting things down on the page.
more to come...
So now I'm starting to look back at the past two years of planning this RTW trip on a motorcycle. I've learned to ride a motorcycle, I've become a gear whore and am on my fourth motorcycle jacket (found the right one this time!) and I still am bothered.
I am still not a biker, and that makes me sad.
As I've gotten to know more and more people in the motorcycle community, I've grown to appreciate their cultures. I've seen three major types. Sportbike, Adventure and Cruiser. Each of these cultures has their unique characteristics, yet they are all part of a larger family of bikers.
What's amazed me is how incredibly awesome these people are and how much they care for the community and one another. Over the past two years I've met some of the most generous and giving people around. I mean people that would give you their last can of beans out camping sort of folks.
Yet I feel like I don't fit in. I don't understand why.
I suppose that from the beginning the motorcycle trip around the world was my goal, and not becoming a biker. There are some feelings I have that would show that I'm becoming one though. Last week, Dylan and I were sitting in his kitchen talking about motorcycles and an upcoming change to the trip. He said that his most recent bike called to him and that he didn't expect me to understand the connection he was building with his bike.
The thing is, I understood perfectly. I have been thinking about my bike constantly and enjoy just looking at it. Like a four year-old I make its engine sounds and pretend to ride it, even when it's nowhere in sight.
Maybe I'm a biker and don't even realize it.
Sorry for the ramble, I'm planning on doing a lot more writing and am finding this is a decent outlet for getting things down on the page.
more to come...
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Eyeball update number 18
Ok, I went in for my seven month follow-up last week and here's the news about my eyes...
I can see.
My dominant, right eye is now measuring in at a perfect 0.00 and my left eye at -0.25.
Night vision is still a little bit sketchy, but overall, things are looking good!
I also want to mention that there has been a lot going on in the past few months and a lot more to come, including switching to a brand new website before the end of the year. We have made some revisions to the route and will have more big news on the horizon.
More to come...
I can see.
My dominant, right eye is now measuring in at a perfect 0.00 and my left eye at -0.25.
Night vision is still a little bit sketchy, but overall, things are looking good!
I also want to mention that there has been a lot going on in the past few months and a lot more to come, including switching to a brand new website before the end of the year. We have made some revisions to the route and will have more big news on the horizon.
More to come...
Friday, September 21, 2007
V is for Visas and Vaccinations
First off, a huge apology for the extended hiatus. I assure you there has been plenty of work going on behind the scenes (including the development of an all-new heretohere.com) to prepare for the tour in May.
Right now Dylan and I are working on our Vaccinations and our Visas. If anyone knows a good travel agent in Canada that deals with Russian multi-entry business visas, please, please give me a shout. It is by far the most complicated of the half dozen or so visas we need and it's starting to stress me out.
In other news, winter has pretty much arrived here in Calgary so it looks like it's near the end of the riding season. My Aria helmet has proven to be less comfortable on long distances (greater than 100km) than I had hoped. There will be some minor modifications made to the cheekpad as the strap on one side keeps digging into my jaw and giving me a huge headache.
Dylan has spent most of the summer working on his back yard and I'm sure will be looking forward to a break from that to continue planning the tour.
More to come...
Right now Dylan and I are working on our Vaccinations and our Visas. If anyone knows a good travel agent in Canada that deals with Russian multi-entry business visas, please, please give me a shout. It is by far the most complicated of the half dozen or so visas we need and it's starting to stress me out.
In other news, winter has pretty much arrived here in Calgary so it looks like it's near the end of the riding season. My Aria helmet has proven to be less comfortable on long distances (greater than 100km) than I had hoped. There will be some minor modifications made to the cheekpad as the strap on one side keeps digging into my jaw and giving me a huge headache.
Dylan has spent most of the summer working on his back yard and I'm sure will be looking forward to a break from that to continue planning the tour.
More to come...
Friday, July 13, 2007
Dylan's bike progress
Meanwhile, as I've been gallivanting all over Canada, Dylan has been working on his bike. Fuse blocks, upgrades to the suspension, exhaust (as mentioned previously) are all coming together. Cruise control is on (see the little control panel on the left side of the handlebar) and I'm sure many more things. I don't know the full extent of the modifications to Dylan's bike, however, I do know that mine is next.
Time is going by very quickly and soon we will be into visas, paperwork, tickets and the like. Just 10 months to go before we roll out of Calgary and head around the world!
More to come...
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
A 2,100 km Weekend
I'm back from a brief hiatus on Ontario on business.
Just prior to Ontario, I rode about 2,100km in one weekend.
With my girlfriend in front in her VW Golf (we had to pick up her dog), we set out for Nelson, BC, via Post Falls, Idaho.
Why Post Falls? Well, I needed some new gear and with the loonie reaching more than 90 cents US, the time was right to head down for a quick visit on the way to Nelson.
The ride was pretty uneventful with only a few deer in the ditches to keep me on edge. We stopped only once for food and then kept heading down south to Idaho. Well, till we got to the border that is.
With two people going somewhere together in two separate vehicles, it makes for inquisitive border guards. My girlfriend had no problem, but I got the third degree. Of course it helps when you know the roads in the area.
The guard asked, "Where are you headed?" I responded that we were heading to Nelson.
Not a good answer to give. "Who's we?" was the first question. Fair enough. Then he said, "Nelson's the other way son." I mentioned that we were traveling in a more roundabout direction as my girlfriend was from Nelson and wanted to take a different route. He asked what route and I told him I didn't have any idea and that's why the car was in front.
After a few more questions and my girlfriend ahead and her border guard having a bit of a chuckle, I was asked to pull aside under the canopy. They asked my girlfriend to hang tight and wait for me, but she was free to go.
We waited for a couple of minutes. They were sweaty minutes. I had no reason to be sweaty, but the heat of riding in full gear and my nerves were getting to me a bit. After a couple of minutes, a different guard - the one who was asking my girlfriend questions - came out and said, "oh, you best not be leaving without this." He handed me my passport and we were on our way.
The most noticeable change I found (other than MPH v. km/h) was that there were very few vehicles on the road with daytime running lights. Oncoming vehicles were far more difficult to see. We continued on to Post Falls where we called it a day.
The next day we arrived in Nelson late after riding through a storm in Post Falls. The roads had a couple of inches of water on them and cars in the other lane were splashing me. Fortunately I was wearing my new gear for the trip. I picked up an Olympia AST jacket and Ranger 2 pant from Beaudry Motorsports in Post Falls. I ordered and paid for them the week before and they arrived in Post Falls the day before I went to pick them up. Close call on the order!
In Nelson I helped out my girlfriend's dad who had a brand new Ducati that he picked up in Calgary the day we had left for the mini-trip. He hadn't ridden in 30-plus years so we went to a parking lot where I went over some of the basic skills with him. He picked things up really quickly (I suppose it's just like riding a bike!) and we headed for a 100km ride - just like that.
The following day we rode a few hundred more kilometres, this time with my girlfriend on the back of my bike. The roads out in that area are outstanding. Tons of twists and bends and scenery that can take your breath away. Now I understand why this is Dylan's favourite place on Earth.
The speed limits range from about 60 km/h to 90 km/h, depending on the bends. The pavement is smooth as silk and they just beg to be ridden on. We were keeping to the limits and bikes would sometimes go flying past us as if we were standing still. This is an oasis for those who enjoy the twisties. We even rode past the well-known Toad Rock Motorcycle Campground that afternoon. I wish at this point that I had taken some pictures, but we were really far to busy enjoying the ride.
It was time to head home the next day and we did so in a comedy of errors. First we forgot to get fuel. Then my girlfriend forgot her purse. "Third time's the charm" I said over the intercom (I installed an Autocom system on my bike the previous day).
Third time was not the charm. When we'd stopped to get the purse, I went in the car and parked my bike. Coming back to it, I needed to put on all my gear again before setting off, so I sent my girlfriend on her way with the intention of being a couple of minutes behind and I'd be able to catch up to her.
Just outside Salmo, BC I was passing a car and got pulled over for speeding while I was completing my pass. The police in the area are friendly, but give no second chances. I had my first ticket in five years and had no excuses; I was speeding.
My girlfriend watched the entire thing as she had pulled over a few hundred metres down the road (in town) to wait for me. We set off and the rest of the journey was uneventful - perhaps because of the downer from getting the ticket.
Once I got home I looked at the odometer on the bike. Amazingly enough to me, my V-strom has more than 7,200 kilometres on it since I purchased it new last July. my comfort level on the bike is definitely high and I'm looking forward to going around the world - the trip is 10 months away!
More to come...
Just prior to Ontario, I rode about 2,100km in one weekend.
With my girlfriend in front in her VW Golf (we had to pick up her dog), we set out for Nelson, BC, via Post Falls, Idaho.
Why Post Falls? Well, I needed some new gear and with the loonie reaching more than 90 cents US, the time was right to head down for a quick visit on the way to Nelson.
The ride was pretty uneventful with only a few deer in the ditches to keep me on edge. We stopped only once for food and then kept heading down south to Idaho. Well, till we got to the border that is.
With two people going somewhere together in two separate vehicles, it makes for inquisitive border guards. My girlfriend had no problem, but I got the third degree. Of course it helps when you know the roads in the area.
The guard asked, "Where are you headed?" I responded that we were heading to Nelson.
Not a good answer to give. "Who's we?" was the first question. Fair enough. Then he said, "Nelson's the other way son." I mentioned that we were traveling in a more roundabout direction as my girlfriend was from Nelson and wanted to take a different route. He asked what route and I told him I didn't have any idea and that's why the car was in front.
After a few more questions and my girlfriend ahead and her border guard having a bit of a chuckle, I was asked to pull aside under the canopy. They asked my girlfriend to hang tight and wait for me, but she was free to go.
We waited for a couple of minutes. They were sweaty minutes. I had no reason to be sweaty, but the heat of riding in full gear and my nerves were getting to me a bit. After a couple of minutes, a different guard - the one who was asking my girlfriend questions - came out and said, "oh, you best not be leaving without this." He handed me my passport and we were on our way.
The most noticeable change I found (other than MPH v. km/h) was that there were very few vehicles on the road with daytime running lights. Oncoming vehicles were far more difficult to see. We continued on to Post Falls where we called it a day.
The next day we arrived in Nelson late after riding through a storm in Post Falls. The roads had a couple of inches of water on them and cars in the other lane were splashing me. Fortunately I was wearing my new gear for the trip. I picked up an Olympia AST jacket and Ranger 2 pant from Beaudry Motorsports in Post Falls. I ordered and paid for them the week before and they arrived in Post Falls the day before I went to pick them up. Close call on the order!
In Nelson I helped out my girlfriend's dad who had a brand new Ducati that he picked up in Calgary the day we had left for the mini-trip. He hadn't ridden in 30-plus years so we went to a parking lot where I went over some of the basic skills with him. He picked things up really quickly (I suppose it's just like riding a bike!) and we headed for a 100km ride - just like that.
The following day we rode a few hundred more kilometres, this time with my girlfriend on the back of my bike. The roads out in that area are outstanding. Tons of twists and bends and scenery that can take your breath away. Now I understand why this is Dylan's favourite place on Earth.
The speed limits range from about 60 km/h to 90 km/h, depending on the bends. The pavement is smooth as silk and they just beg to be ridden on. We were keeping to the limits and bikes would sometimes go flying past us as if we were standing still. This is an oasis for those who enjoy the twisties. We even rode past the well-known Toad Rock Motorcycle Campground that afternoon. I wish at this point that I had taken some pictures, but we were really far to busy enjoying the ride.
It was time to head home the next day and we did so in a comedy of errors. First we forgot to get fuel. Then my girlfriend forgot her purse. "Third time's the charm" I said over the intercom (I installed an Autocom system on my bike the previous day).
Third time was not the charm. When we'd stopped to get the purse, I went in the car and parked my bike. Coming back to it, I needed to put on all my gear again before setting off, so I sent my girlfriend on her way with the intention of being a couple of minutes behind and I'd be able to catch up to her.
Just outside Salmo, BC I was passing a car and got pulled over for speeding while I was completing my pass. The police in the area are friendly, but give no second chances. I had my first ticket in five years and had no excuses; I was speeding.
My girlfriend watched the entire thing as she had pulled over a few hundred metres down the road (in town) to wait for me. We set off and the rest of the journey was uneventful - perhaps because of the downer from getting the ticket.
Once I got home I looked at the odometer on the bike. Amazingly enough to me, my V-strom has more than 7,200 kilometres on it since I purchased it new last July. my comfort level on the bike is definitely high and I'm looking forward to going around the world - the trip is 10 months away!
More to come...
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Finally, exhaust!
The exhaust finally came in from Laser on the weekend. It looks pretty good and I look forward to seeing it on the bike.
In the meantime, I'm off for a few days or riding starting this week. I'll zip down from Calgary to Post Falls, Idaho and then up to Nelson for a couple of days. It should be a nice ride and I'll try to post up some pictures.
more to come...
In the meantime, I'm off for a few days or riding starting this week. I'll zip down from Calgary to Post Falls, Idaho and then up to Nelson for a couple of days. It should be a nice ride and I'll try to post up some pictures.
more to come...
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
The sky is falling!
Remember Chicken Little, who claimed the sky was always falling?
Last night it did.
After work I hopped on the bike to take a ride. Near Calgary is some of the most scenic, breathtaking environment in the world. So, I thought, I might as well get some riding done in a nice place.
From Calgary, my destination was southwest of town to a place called Elbow Falls. There are some nice twisty roads and it makes for a nice couple of hours. Boy was I wrong.
Just as I was leaving town I saw a storm system rolling in. I had checked the weather before I left and it did warn of the storm, but I was really itching to go for a ride and know that on our world trip, there will be many days riding in poor weather. I put on my waterproof pants and set off.
I entered the storm soon after leaving town. A few drops of rain here and there at first, and then, with a crack of lightning, the sky unleashed itself on me. The tractor-trailer units that frequent this road became a new challenge. A wall of water would engulf me and the bike when I rode past. Visibility was poor and I kept my helmet tilted forward so the rain would fly off my visor faster. It worked surprisingly well.
The rain was getting more and more intense and I thought about turning back. I pulled off to the side of the road at an intersection, locking my rear tire and skidding to a stop over the slick pavement. I remembered to keep the wheel locked, and the bike stayed steady throughout. It was a good reminder how pavement changes when it's wet.
Through the clouds and rain I could see much lighter clouds further southwest, approximately above Elbow Falls - I decided to push on.
Arriving at Elbow Falls, there was just a light sprinkle of rain. I spent a few minutes admiring nature's course and got back in the saddle to head home.
Just like when I left town, the rain suddenly turned on like an emergency sprinkler. The sky was dark and I felt remarkably calm.
It's an interesting feeling riding whilst a lake is being thrown at you doing 100 km/h. I was dressed for the occasion wearing waterproof boots, pants and jacket, although I forgot to do up one of the waterproof zippers and got half of my shirt wet. My gloves were a complete joke. They claimed to be waterproof but I could swear they were wetter inside than out.
Coming back into the city was like entering a war zone. Cars were pulled over everywhere, roads were flooded, traffic lights were out. Perhaps foolishly, I kept riding. To be perfectly honest, I was having a great time. My biggest concern was the light show all around me. It was so intense I thought I was at a nightclub lit with strobe lights.
You know when you're a kid and your parents teach you to count the seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder? The less time it takes to hear the thunder, the closer the lighting? When I was a boy I'd count, "one one thousand, two one thousand..." and so on. Last night it was more like, *Lightning*, "o..." and the thunder would crash down. I couldn't even start to count.
On a couple of occasions I plowed through puddles about 8 inches deep. The water splashed up onto my boots and legs. Remarkably, they stayed dry. Cars were creating small tidal waves on the roads as they were completely flooding. Dirt and gravel were being washed all over the road as well and it became quite slick. I rode carefully.
The final puddle I rode though was in my own parkade. It would be an understatement to say that I was happy to make it home relatively dry, and completely safe. I got up to my condo and peeled off my gear. I clinched a fist with my glove on and water poured out of it like a tap. Don't buy Joe Rocket 'waterproof' gloves.
This was perhaps one of the most challenging riding experiences I've had so far. Fortunately, I got more soaked walking into the office this morning than I did last night.
Here is a photo of the road I came into town on. I turned off of it about three km before this exit.
More to come...
Last night it did.
After work I hopped on the bike to take a ride. Near Calgary is some of the most scenic, breathtaking environment in the world. So, I thought, I might as well get some riding done in a nice place.
From Calgary, my destination was southwest of town to a place called Elbow Falls. There are some nice twisty roads and it makes for a nice couple of hours. Boy was I wrong.
Just as I was leaving town I saw a storm system rolling in. I had checked the weather before I left and it did warn of the storm, but I was really itching to go for a ride and know that on our world trip, there will be many days riding in poor weather. I put on my waterproof pants and set off.
I entered the storm soon after leaving town. A few drops of rain here and there at first, and then, with a crack of lightning, the sky unleashed itself on me. The tractor-trailer units that frequent this road became a new challenge. A wall of water would engulf me and the bike when I rode past. Visibility was poor and I kept my helmet tilted forward so the rain would fly off my visor faster. It worked surprisingly well.
The rain was getting more and more intense and I thought about turning back. I pulled off to the side of the road at an intersection, locking my rear tire and skidding to a stop over the slick pavement. I remembered to keep the wheel locked, and the bike stayed steady throughout. It was a good reminder how pavement changes when it's wet.
Through the clouds and rain I could see much lighter clouds further southwest, approximately above Elbow Falls - I decided to push on.
Arriving at Elbow Falls, there was just a light sprinkle of rain. I spent a few minutes admiring nature's course and got back in the saddle to head home.
Just like when I left town, the rain suddenly turned on like an emergency sprinkler. The sky was dark and I felt remarkably calm.
It's an interesting feeling riding whilst a lake is being thrown at you doing 100 km/h. I was dressed for the occasion wearing waterproof boots, pants and jacket, although I forgot to do up one of the waterproof zippers and got half of my shirt wet. My gloves were a complete joke. They claimed to be waterproof but I could swear they were wetter inside than out.
Coming back into the city was like entering a war zone. Cars were pulled over everywhere, roads were flooded, traffic lights were out. Perhaps foolishly, I kept riding. To be perfectly honest, I was having a great time. My biggest concern was the light show all around me. It was so intense I thought I was at a nightclub lit with strobe lights.
You know when you're a kid and your parents teach you to count the seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder? The less time it takes to hear the thunder, the closer the lighting? When I was a boy I'd count, "one one thousand, two one thousand..." and so on. Last night it was more like, *Lightning*, "o..." and the thunder would crash down. I couldn't even start to count.
On a couple of occasions I plowed through puddles about 8 inches deep. The water splashed up onto my boots and legs. Remarkably, they stayed dry. Cars were creating small tidal waves on the roads as they were completely flooding. Dirt and gravel were being washed all over the road as well and it became quite slick. I rode carefully.
The final puddle I rode though was in my own parkade. It would be an understatement to say that I was happy to make it home relatively dry, and completely safe. I got up to my condo and peeled off my gear. I clinched a fist with my glove on and water poured out of it like a tap. Don't buy Joe Rocket 'waterproof' gloves.
This was perhaps one of the most challenging riding experiences I've had so far. Fortunately, I got more soaked walking into the office this morning than I did last night.
Here is a photo of the road I came into town on. I turned off of it about three km before this exit.
More to come...
Monday, June 04, 2007
Still Exhausting
Why am I not surprised that UPS still has not picked up the exhaust systems from Dylan's house so we can get new ones?
Monday, May 21, 2007
How Exhausting
A while back, Dylan ordered some aftermarket exhaust from the U.S. for the V-Stroms. We decided on Laser Exhaust which will save quite a bit of weight and look a lot cleaner than the stock Suzuki system. Fortunately (depending to whom you speak of course), it's not a particularly loud system either and can run a little bit quieter than stock.
So we ordered the exhaust and waited for it to arrive via UPS.
Enter the UPS segue. I hate UPS.
As far as I am concerned, I'd rather deal with a loan shark than UPS. A couple of years ago I ordered an audio system for my VW called Phatnoise. There was a dealer in the U.S. that was blowing them out the door from an original price of about $800 to now just $120. I had the system delivered to the office. They took it to reception, rather than to the mail room and I had to run upstairs to pay the duty, etc. that would be on the package coming in. I came upstairs and the guy says to me, "that'll be $65".
Uh, "$65", I said, "the item was $120, not $65 and I already paid for it."
"No, you owe me $65." he replied.
I didn't have my credit card on me and I said asked if I could just run down one flight of stairs to my office and get it.
"No, I need to go. If you don't have the money now you need to pick it up from the depot."
Then he left with my Phatnoise system and it took another two days to show up at the depot.
Back to the story...
So Dylan ordered the exhaust and it was being shipped UPS. He waited a few weeks and they finally arrived. Dented.
Dylan called up the Laser folks and explained the situation. They said to leave the exhausts on the step and UPS would be by the day following to pick them up. Dylan left the exhaust on the step every day for a couple of weeks. No UPS.
After more calls to Laser, they finally learned that UPS had the wrong phone number for Dylan and, therefore, just cancelled the pickup without telling anyone.
Laser has said they will ship the new exhausts as soon as UPS picks up the old ones. Hopefully UPS will get their act together and make this happen.
Here's what the boxes looked like - no wonder the exhausts were dented.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
One year to go!
I can't believe Dylan and I have been working on this trip for 17 months and now we are almost exactly one year away from it!
There is plenty more planning to come as we start to sort out the red tape of our visas and begin to book flights, tickets, etc. Right now Dylan's bike is torn down and he's been installing a ton of custom electronics and such to make life easier on the road. He ordered us new laser (lazer?) exhausts and they arrived last week - dented. Both exhausts were dented in the same place and Dylan has been having a hard time dealing with the company. They keep promising that UPS will come and pick them up from his house, but they never show up. Hopefully today they'll be on their way back to Laser and we'll get some dent-free exhausts for the V-stroms.
I was fortunate to get a tent and MSR dragonfly stove from a good friend who is moving to Chicago to take his MBA. Every little bit helps on a trip this long and this expensive!
More to come... (Dylan, take some pictures of your bike please...)
There is plenty more planning to come as we start to sort out the red tape of our visas and begin to book flights, tickets, etc. Right now Dylan's bike is torn down and he's been installing a ton of custom electronics and such to make life easier on the road. He ordered us new laser (lazer?) exhausts and they arrived last week - dented. Both exhausts were dented in the same place and Dylan has been having a hard time dealing with the company. They keep promising that UPS will come and pick them up from his house, but they never show up. Hopefully today they'll be on their way back to Laser and we'll get some dent-free exhausts for the V-stroms.
I was fortunate to get a tent and MSR dragonfly stove from a good friend who is moving to Chicago to take his MBA. Every little bit helps on a trip this long and this expensive!
More to come... (Dylan, take some pictures of your bike please...)
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Helmets: pain or pleasure?
For the past year and a half, Dylan has been upset about his helmet.
We both subscribe to the notion that the best helmet is the one that fits you comfortably.
For five years Dylan has owned an Arai Quantum F. He loved that helmet. It was a significant investment for someone who was just starting to ride but it fit him really well.
Then the time came for him to get a new one and Arai replaced the Quantum F with the Quantum II. Dylan ended up with an Arai Astral-X instead and has never been happy about it.
"It just doesn't fit like the Quantum F" he'd say. Then, at every opportunity, at every motorcycle show or shop he would explain (I was going to write complain, but Dylan isn't much of a complainer) that they need to bring back the Quantum F and that Arai has made a big mistake.
For a year I would get a kick out of Dylan taking up the time of salespeople to explain how unhappy he was and how an Arai Quantum F would change all that once again. The Astral-X just wasn't quite right and I thought Dylan was being overly picky.
I was lucky, my first helmet was an HJC CL-SP. A great helmet with lots of useful features and a really great price. Snell-approved too! I rode with that helmet all last summer and it felt great.
Then my helmet packed in. Dylan and I both have fairly small heads - we like to make efficient use of our brains, no need to waste space - so I was wearing an extra small (XS) sized helmet. My HJC packed in so badly that I couldn't open my visor on the highway for I'd risk pulling my helmet right off if if wasn't for the chin strap.
So I've spend some time over the past few weeks at different shops trying on helmets.
Wow, was Dylan right about this one. I think I've spent 6 hours and have tried on 40 or more different helmets ranging from XXS to Small. I've tried Arai, KBC, HJC, Icon, Shoei and Shark. I suspect my head would also have fit a Quantum F very well as the Astral-X and Vector (new version of the Astral-X) feel good, but not meant for my noggin. All I want is an HJC CL-SP that won't pack in.
So I'm going to settle on an Astral-X or a Vector, right after my new cheekpads for my CL-SP pack in.
More to come...
We both subscribe to the notion that the best helmet is the one that fits you comfortably.
For five years Dylan has owned an Arai Quantum F. He loved that helmet. It was a significant investment for someone who was just starting to ride but it fit him really well.
Then the time came for him to get a new one and Arai replaced the Quantum F with the Quantum II. Dylan ended up with an Arai Astral-X instead and has never been happy about it.
"It just doesn't fit like the Quantum F" he'd say. Then, at every opportunity, at every motorcycle show or shop he would explain (I was going to write complain, but Dylan isn't much of a complainer) that they need to bring back the Quantum F and that Arai has made a big mistake.
For a year I would get a kick out of Dylan taking up the time of salespeople to explain how unhappy he was and how an Arai Quantum F would change all that once again. The Astral-X just wasn't quite right and I thought Dylan was being overly picky.
I was lucky, my first helmet was an HJC CL-SP. A great helmet with lots of useful features and a really great price. Snell-approved too! I rode with that helmet all last summer and it felt great.
Then my helmet packed in. Dylan and I both have fairly small heads - we like to make efficient use of our brains, no need to waste space - so I was wearing an extra small (XS) sized helmet. My HJC packed in so badly that I couldn't open my visor on the highway for I'd risk pulling my helmet right off if if wasn't for the chin strap.
So I've spend some time over the past few weeks at different shops trying on helmets.
Wow, was Dylan right about this one. I think I've spent 6 hours and have tried on 40 or more different helmets ranging from XXS to Small. I've tried Arai, KBC, HJC, Icon, Shoei and Shark. I suspect my head would also have fit a Quantum F very well as the Astral-X and Vector (new version of the Astral-X) feel good, but not meant for my noggin. All I want is an HJC CL-SP that won't pack in.
So I'm going to settle on an Astral-X or a Vector, right after my new cheekpads for my CL-SP pack in.
More to come...
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Yet another eye update
Who knew that eye surgery would continue to be so much fun?!
I was at the clinic last week for another checkup on my eyeballs.
My left eye is stable and has been for a while at -0.25. Nearly perfect. I'll take it!
My other eye, on the other hand, is swinging like a pendulum still, albiet one that's losing it's energy a bit.
Let's recap this eye...
Before surgery was +3.25
Four days after surgery -4.00
eight days after that, -1.50
two weeks after that -1.00
three weeks or so after that +0.50 back on the drops!
two weeks after that, -1.00
two weeks after that -0.50
Phew, that's about it for now. It continues to be a crazy ride but fortunately one that is slowing down. I'm on the steroid drops once every two days now and hope to come to a soft landing with this. I'm back to Dr. Mitchell's office in three weeks.
more to come...
I was at the clinic last week for another checkup on my eyeballs.
My left eye is stable and has been for a while at -0.25. Nearly perfect. I'll take it!
My other eye, on the other hand, is swinging like a pendulum still, albiet one that's losing it's energy a bit.
Let's recap this eye...
Before surgery was +3.25
Four days after surgery -4.00
eight days after that, -1.50
two weeks after that -1.00
three weeks or so after that +0.50 back on the drops!
two weeks after that, -1.00
two weeks after that -0.50
Phew, that's about it for now. It continues to be a crazy ride but fortunately one that is slowing down. I'm on the steroid drops once every two days now and hope to come to a soft landing with this. I'm back to Dr. Mitchell's office in three weeks.
more to come...
Thursday, March 22, 2007
What's the deal with Ted Simon?
A few posts back I wrote that Ted Simon was one of the coolest guys ever. Both Dylan and I would like to take that statement back. Dylan never actually said it, but I know he agrees with me.
I painfully read his adventure, starting with Africa. All the while I was reading this I was thinking, "what a boring trip and he has no good stories to tell at all." I was hoping for there to be some event or activity that would draw me in as a reader. Nope. The worst thing that happened to him is that he lost his wallet and then didn't ask for it back when someone else found it and left with it. That's not cool.
I'm sure Mr. Simon's adventure was wrought with challenge and adversity. He just can't write about it in a way that's worth reading. Both Dylan and I stopped reading the book less than halfway through. Am I missing something here with this book?
More to come...
I painfully read his adventure, starting with Africa. All the while I was reading this I was thinking, "what a boring trip and he has no good stories to tell at all." I was hoping for there to be some event or activity that would draw me in as a reader. Nope. The worst thing that happened to him is that he lost his wallet and then didn't ask for it back when someone else found it and left with it. That's not cool.
I'm sure Mr. Simon's adventure was wrought with challenge and adversity. He just can't write about it in a way that's worth reading. Both Dylan and I stopped reading the book less than halfway through. Am I missing something here with this book?
More to come...
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Finally, the headphone arrives!
Way back in early January at the Calgary Motorcycle Show, I ordered a custom headphone system and some custom ear plugs. Dylan also picked up some custom plugs as well. He seems to be content letting me be the equipment testing guinea pig. Fair enough.
The challenge for me was that I am deaf in one ear so listening to music on headphones -until the MP3 format came to be and I could convert my music properly - has been a complete waste of my time. For those of you "full hearers", just try listening to some good 'ol Led Zepplin or something with only one headphone in. You'll soon get my point after listening to Robert Plant whailing for a couple of minutes with only a set of drums behind him. Listen to the other headphone and that's where Jimmy Page is hanging out. Short story long, stereo sound sucks.
Back to the story, E.A.R. Inc sells a dual-driver, sound blocking (earplug) custom headphone system where the headphone is made of a mold of your ear canal. It blocks most ambient sound, thereby allowing one to listen to music at reduced volumes and protecting ones hearing at the same time. After talking to the Canadian distributor, she agreed to sell me a custom, custom set for half price. The headphone would go only to my good ear and would be wired for both the left and right channels. It would be ready in 10 business days; the end of January. Wooo!
After a dozen phone calls and lots of talk, the headphone arrived just this week - the 16th of March.
Now, I don't mind for a second that they took this long to come in - it's one of the reasons Dylan and I are planning way ahead for the trip. However, the greatest customer service lesson I learned back when I sold high-end menswear in university is to under promise, over deliver. E.A.R. Inc. needs to learn this.
Now having vented about the delay, I have to say that I think this headphone system has got to be one of the greatest equipment buys for the trip. The sound quality is unlike anything I have ever imagined and I can listen to my music comfortably with my MP3 player on its minimum volume!
Now all I need is to learn to play pinball. I have the deaf and blind part down pat already.
The challenge for me was that I am deaf in one ear so listening to music on headphones -until the MP3 format came to be and I could convert my music properly - has been a complete waste of my time. For those of you "full hearers", just try listening to some good 'ol Led Zepplin or something with only one headphone in. You'll soon get my point after listening to Robert Plant whailing for a couple of minutes with only a set of drums behind him. Listen to the other headphone and that's where Jimmy Page is hanging out. Short story long, stereo sound sucks.
Back to the story, E.A.R. Inc sells a dual-driver, sound blocking (earplug) custom headphone system where the headphone is made of a mold of your ear canal. It blocks most ambient sound, thereby allowing one to listen to music at reduced volumes and protecting ones hearing at the same time. After talking to the Canadian distributor, she agreed to sell me a custom, custom set for half price. The headphone would go only to my good ear and would be wired for both the left and right channels. It would be ready in 10 business days; the end of January. Wooo!
After a dozen phone calls and lots of talk, the headphone arrived just this week - the 16th of March.
Now, I don't mind for a second that they took this long to come in - it's one of the reasons Dylan and I are planning way ahead for the trip. However, the greatest customer service lesson I learned back when I sold high-end menswear in university is to under promise, over deliver. E.A.R. Inc. needs to learn this.
Now having vented about the delay, I have to say that I think this headphone system has got to be one of the greatest equipment buys for the trip. The sound quality is unlike anything I have ever imagined and I can listen to my music comfortably with my MP3 player on its minimum volume!
Now all I need is to learn to play pinball. I have the deaf and blind part down pat already.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
More eye problems
During my last appointment down at the Mitchell Eye Centre, the tech said that I should book an appointment right away if I noticed I was having trouble with my vision.
At that appointment my vision was -0.5 in each eye. Roughly translated to pretty good and getting better! We booked an appointment for a month later (March 22).
Fast forward to this week, I noticed on Wednesday that I was struggling to focus on both near and far items. I could do it, but the process was similar to an old auto focus camera lens that is struggling to know what it should be focusing on. So I called.
Fortunately I managed to get in the next morning bright and early - after taking my car to the shop for some warranty work.
A different person handled my tests this time and she went through a slightly different process.
She asked how my vision was and all I could really say to her is that I knew it wasn't right, but couldn't tell why.
It turns out that my dominant eye, my right eye that I had epi-lasik on, is now at +0.5 and my left, LASEK eye is still progressing properly at -.25, nearly perfect.
So now I'm left with a right eye that's far-sighted and a left that's nearsighted (for the short term). She put me back on Maxidex, a steroid drop that I was taken off of at the beginning of this "adventure" at two drops per day. I still go back on March 22 for another followup.
To be completely frank about things, the thought of being far sighted again after all of this is both heartbreaking and expensive. This surgery wasn't cheap and because I had steep corneas in the first place, I doubt they will be able to do an "enhancement" surgery on me. The drops are not likely to revert me back into a 0.00 or slightly nearsighted world - that's my assessment.
I'm just glad I caught this when I did and managed to get in right away to prevent it from getting worse. I thought this chapter of my life and planning for our trip was coming to a close.
More to come...
At that appointment my vision was -0.5 in each eye. Roughly translated to pretty good and getting better! We booked an appointment for a month later (March 22).
Fast forward to this week, I noticed on Wednesday that I was struggling to focus on both near and far items. I could do it, but the process was similar to an old auto focus camera lens that is struggling to know what it should be focusing on. So I called.
Fortunately I managed to get in the next morning bright and early - after taking my car to the shop for some warranty work.
A different person handled my tests this time and she went through a slightly different process.
She asked how my vision was and all I could really say to her is that I knew it wasn't right, but couldn't tell why.
It turns out that my dominant eye, my right eye that I had epi-lasik on, is now at +0.5 and my left, LASEK eye is still progressing properly at -.25, nearly perfect.
So now I'm left with a right eye that's far-sighted and a left that's nearsighted (for the short term). She put me back on Maxidex, a steroid drop that I was taken off of at the beginning of this "adventure" at two drops per day. I still go back on March 22 for another followup.
To be completely frank about things, the thought of being far sighted again after all of this is both heartbreaking and expensive. This surgery wasn't cheap and because I had steep corneas in the first place, I doubt they will be able to do an "enhancement" surgery on me. The drops are not likely to revert me back into a 0.00 or slightly nearsighted world - that's my assessment.
I'm just glad I caught this when I did and managed to get in right away to prevent it from getting worse. I thought this chapter of my life and planning for our trip was coming to a close.
More to come...
Monday, March 05, 2007
First ride of 2007
Yesterday I took my very dusty V-Strom out to the car wash to wake it up from its winter slumber. It had been more than four months since I'd ridden and I was a little nervous. Fortunately the skills came back right away and I had far less trouble than I had been anticipating.
What a wonderful feeling to be back in the saddle after a long winter. It's still cold here in Calgary, but Spring is in the air.
What a wonderful feeling to be back in the saddle after a long winter. It's still cold here in Calgary, but Spring is in the air.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Houston, we have luggage!
Now with my eyes doing a billion times better (still not perfect by any stretch), it's time to get focused on the trip once again.
A while back, Dylan and I discussed the age old motorcycle adventure question: what type of luggage do we use with the bikes?
We settled on a heavier choice, but one that will afford me tipping my bike a few times with minimal damage. The debate was among soft cases and hard cases made from either aluminum or plastic. We agreed on plastic.
So with Dylan's contacts in the aircraft parts industry, we managed to snag a great deal on four Pelican 1550 cases. 
Better yet, Dylan and his wife gave me my cases to me for my birthday.
Better yet, Dylan and his wife gave me my cases to me for my birthday.I think these cases are easily the best choice for the trip, however, Dylan is concered they will be too large and will stick out too far on the bikes, affecting aerodynamics and fuel economy. He's probably right, but I'm just happy to have something new and tangible that we'll be living out of for four months.
On another random note, the motorcycle adventurer's spiritual guide, Jupiter's Travels by 
Ted Simon is back in print. If you haven't heard of it yet, Ted rode around the world for four years in the 1970s. Now in his 70s, he's finished re-tracing his ride, again by motorcycle. That guy is cool.
Ted Simon is back in print. If you haven't heard of it yet, Ted rode around the world for four years in the 1970s. Now in his 70s, he's finished re-tracing his ride, again by motorcycle. That guy is cool.More to come...
Friday, February 23, 2007
Eyeball update
Yesterday afternoon I headed over to the Mitchell Eye Centre once again to check on the progress of my eyes. The funny thing is that you need to tell them how you see for them to tell you how you see. I digress.
I've been back at work for a few weeks now and it's been ok. Some dry eye and I'm definitely pooped out by the end of the day.
The appointment went well. I'm now seeing with about -0.5 in both eyes and if I recall correctly, the tech said that it was about 20/25. Not too shabby, but not good enough for me yet. I have some persistent double vision in my right eye that he said was likely due to uneven healing of my epithelium. Basically my eyelid will fix that by blinking to make it even again.
My next appointment is in another month when they expect I'll be pretty much at 0.0.
It's an amazing feeling and I'm quite proud of myself, although I had nothing to do with the quality of my own vision, to be able to see the charts. I'm even more excited for next month's visit now with their expectation that I will continue to improve.
Most of all right now I'm enjoying being able to drive right now. I'd love to be riding but it's been in the -20 degrees Celsius these days with snow and gravel and chaos on the roads. The car will do for now.
More to come...
I've been back at work for a few weeks now and it's been ok. Some dry eye and I'm definitely pooped out by the end of the day.
The appointment went well. I'm now seeing with about -0.5 in both eyes and if I recall correctly, the tech said that it was about 20/25. Not too shabby, but not good enough for me yet. I have some persistent double vision in my right eye that he said was likely due to uneven healing of my epithelium. Basically my eyelid will fix that by blinking to make it even again.
My next appointment is in another month when they expect I'll be pretty much at 0.0.
It's an amazing feeling and I'm quite proud of myself, although I had nothing to do with the quality of my own vision, to be able to see the charts. I'm even more excited for next month's visit now with their expectation that I will continue to improve.
Most of all right now I'm enjoying being able to drive right now. I'd love to be riding but it's been in the -20 degrees Celsius these days with snow and gravel and chaos on the roads. The car will do for now.
More to come...
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Laser eye surgery
First off, my apologies for taking so long to post again. Here is the story of my laser eye surgery. Settle in – it’s going to be a long post.
From my previous post it was clear that I had some anxiety about having the Epi-LASIK procedure. I don’t like things touching my eyes.
Diane picked me up and we headed to the Mitchell Eye Centre a little bit early for my appointment. When we arrived we went over to the consultant’s desk and she gave an overview again of their basic "risks" and we cleared up payment for the surgery. Then I asked for the chill pill to calm my nerves. I was fairly calm, but under the skin I could tell my heart was beating harder than if I was sleeping in on a Sunday morning. It gave me a distinct thumping feeling throughout my body. My pulse was fine but my heart was working hard.
About 20 minutes later, there I was: laying on the operating table waiting for the surgeon. The tech put some numbing drops in my eyes and I waited for what felt like an hour and must have been about 15 minutes. The surgeon tapped my leg when he entered the room and greeted me. With a patch on one eye and bright lights in the other, the touch was calming but my heart was still trying to bash through my ribs make a quick getaway.
My right eye was clamped open – quite uncomfortably and I let out a little noise to let the doctor know how I felt. He sorted it out and then placed a device over my eye.
"You will feel some pressure, your eye will black out and you will hear a noise." The surgeon said.
I got a little more than I had bargained for.
My vision, staring up at the bright white and green lights turned into a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And then from the outside in, it blacked out as if pulling the plug on an old black and white TV. Now with only my thoughts to keep me calm, the vibrating noise started. Watching the Epi-LASIK procedure on the Internet, there was no sound. I hadn’t expected a vibrating sound like a beard trimmer.
"Keep calm C.J. – everything will be ok." I thought to myself.
Then I could feel a bit of a grinding feeling on my eye.
"Keep calm C.J. – everything will be ok." It was all I could think of. That is, until my thoughts shifted altogether.
While still trying to look for the lights, longing for the spaceship lights, my thoughts began to wander to other things. "Orange is a totally underrated colour" I thought. "Yeah, orange is a good colour."
And then I felt like Winston at the end of his re-integration in George Orwell’s Nineteeneightyfour:
Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved big brother.
The light returned and I heard a voice. It was Dr. Mitchell, "Have you ever fainted before?" he asked. I replied with a question of my own. "Are you finished?"
Unfortunately the answer was no. "We couldn’t continue until you regained consciousness."
I was pissed. Never having fainted before, I then asked, "What? I fainted? What are you talking about?" Someone then lifted one of my legs back on to the operating table. That’s when I realized that orange may not be so underrated and I had my very own visit with my ‘happy place’.
"Take your time, we’ll get you some juice." Dr. Mitchell said, "We’ll continue in a few minutes once you’ve gathered yourself."
I got some juice but couldn’t drink it because I couldn’t hold myself up. In fact, I couldn’t hold the juice either. My hands were completely numb. I tried to move them and couldn’t. I just stared at my hands trying to will them to move and nothing worked.
After a couple of minutes, I could move my hands again. "I need to go to the bathroom. Now." I told the tech.
I made my way to the bathroom with the help of the tech and my body decided it didn’t like anything that was inside of it – so it had a hellfire clearance sale. Nausea began to swell in my stomach but I didn’t throw up.
Over the next 20 minutes, I repeated that exercise three times. Just when I thought I was empty, my body found more to get rid of. "Normally we continue the procedure after about 10 minutes" the surgeon said, "I’ve never seen this before. Sometimes young athletic men faint, but not like this."
Great. This surgeon has been practicing since 1984 (coincidentally) and has never seen someone react so strongly to this procedure. Not a good way to feel special.
The surgeon put a protective lens in my eye and I stayed in an examination room with Diane for about three hours trying to will myself back to a state where I could continue with the procedure. It wouldn’t happen today.
The bright spot for me was the kindness of everyone in the office that day. I never felt rushed to continue the procedure. We got a garbage bag for the drive home – I knew I’d need it.
The pain in my eye was annoying but not intense on the way home. My nausea was the focus of my discomfort. Diane drove as smoothly as possible for the 20-minute trek back to my condo downtown. About halfway I filled the garbage bag. She didn’t flinch or say anything. I didn’t want her to say anything, I just wanted to turn my stomach inside out and leave it in the bag.
After vomiting I felt a billion times better. Arriving home I set my alarm for two hours later and went to bed. Every two hours I would have to get up to put drops in my eye to keep it moist.
Waking up every two hours means you spend a lot of time trying to sleep and actually spending the time thinking. My thoughts ranged from never going back to convincing myself by the morning that the hard part was over and the laser was just a formality.
The next morning I called Dr. Mitchell’s office to find out when I could go back in. Fortunately it was by 11:00 AM. I wanted to get this over with.
Arriving at the clinic I didn’t have the same pounding heart as I did the day before. I was far more relaxed and ready to handle what was to come my way.
This time the surgeon came in shortly after I did into the operating room. He asked how I was feeling and I felt good. The tech was a woman this time and I found that to be more calming than the man the day before. "Yeah, way more people faint when he is the tech," the woman said. "We’ve been bugging him about it ever since he started here."
I got a stress ball and we continued the procedure starting with removing the protective lens and lasering my right eye.
The lights were like a Pink Floyd show and it was difficult to focus on the laser. There was a breeze and the smell of hair burning for about 30 seconds. No problem.
My left eye was completed with a procedure that doesn’t involve putting any pressure on it but that takes longer to heal called LASEK. With LASEK, an alcohol solution is used to soften the outer layer of one’s eye. I could smell the alcohol and see the liquid on my eye but it didn’t bother me. I would get through this.
The procedure was complete and I felt fine. Fine except for the burning and stinging feeling that was starting to swell in my eyes. I wanted a cinnamon roll and Diane and I stopped to grab one before heading home.
By the time I got home I couldn’t open my eyes because of the stinging. Once again I would set my alarm for every two hours to put drops in and I headed to bed right away. The pain was becoming intense and my eyes were gushing tears like a Las Vegas water fountain. I took a painkiller to help me sleep.
The next day I spent in bed and didn’t do much of anything, I could see a bit about six feet in front of me.
Day two after the surgery was by far the most painful. On Saturday night my eyes were sealing themselves shut with my eyelid sticking to the protective lens. The pain was sharp and sudden when I attempted to open my eyes to put the drops in. Suddenly the burning and stinging feeling seemed like a warm cup of cocoa compared to the sharpness of opening my eyes. I poked myself in the eyes a couple of times trying to get the drops in.
I stayed in bed all day on Sunday and struggled to open my eyes much at all. The guide I was given said that my vision would seem clear at first and would go downhill until the protective lenses were removed five days later. Downhill was an understatement.
For the next three days I kept myself busy by sweeping my floor, vacuuming and listening to a book on CD. By the end of the third day most of the pain had subsided but I could only see shapes and colours. I could focus on nothing. My vision was downright bad.
Those who know me well know that I struggle with doing nothing. I get bored easily and laying in bed blind for four days was driving me nuts. I looked forward to my appointment to have the protective lenses removed. My ugly duckling vision would be transformed into a beautiful swan view of the world.
To say I was excited to have the lenses removed is an understatement. Diane picked me up and we headed to the clinic. A woman I had never met before took me into a room with eye examination equipment and turned an eye chart on.
"Look over there," she said, "Tell me what the letters are."
I replied, "I don’t know. I can’t see them."
She moved the line up to a bigger one and asked again. Still nothing. Next line up on the chart, nothing. One more line up with the letters getting bigger yet. Nothing.
Finally she moved the chart up one more line. I couldn’t read it and told her so.
"What do you mean you can’t read it?!" she asked.
I responded, "I know it’s an "E" because it’s the biggest letter on the chart but I can’t read it."
That’s when I got angry and scared. Within a minute I was in to see the surgeon in another examination room. He put a machine up to my eyes, examined them and pulled the contacts out of my eyes.
"Your vision will be a bit blurry while your eyelid smoothes the surface of your eye." He said.
"What, are you kidding? I asked. "I can’t see a damn thing!"
He started writing on my chart as we talked for a minute and I told him that I couldn’t see much of anything. Then I remembered that I could see a couple of inches in front of my nose. I put my hand up to my face and said, "I can see here but that’s it!"
Dr. Mitchell’s response was not what I expected, nor did it inspire much confidence.
"Oh." He said and began crossing out his notes on my chart. His response was in a tone that showed some surprise, some disappointment and a sigh that reeked of complexity.
"You are seeing about a –4.00 right now." He continued after a significant pause. "You need to take the drops only once a day instead of three times a day."
For context, I was seeing with a +3.25 prescription prior to the surgery. I swung across the pendulum of vision from one extreme to the other. According to the schedule, I was supposed to be able to see by now. I was scheduled to return to work the next day. How quickly those plans changed. My vision didn’t turn into a beautiful swan as I had hoped. Worse, I went from an ugly ducking to feeling like a sitting duck.
The surgeon asked me to book an appointment for the next week indicating that a follow-up usually takes place a month later. I was special and wishing I wasn’t.
Over the course of the next week my emotions would fluctuate far more than my vision which made slow progress. Every day I’d take a rough measurement of my focal length. It went from about three inches to just over a foot in a week. This would be a slow go.
I tried to stay as positive and optimistic as possible. A gift basket was delivered from work. They were very supportive and the basket was a pleasant surprise for me. Another colleague sent me some Big Turk candy bars, which became my comfort food. I spent a lot of time contemplating my future, the future of the trip and what my world would look like if my vision didn’t recover. The fear was intimidating but my energy needed to be focused on healing.
On Wednesday, eight days after registering –4.00 (ish) on the eye chart I went back to the clinic for another exam. This time I could see much better and could read part of the chart. Progress! It was blurry, but I could still read it. I had double vision but at least I could see. The tech told me my prescription had changed to about –1.50. The tech said this recovery still seemed slow and he told me that I was likely having a reaction to the steroid drops. He asked me to stop using them altogether and said that I should see a significant improvement over the next four or five days. Thank goodness he would be right.
When your vision is messed up as badly as mine had become, you start to wonder if your progress is real or imagined. Over the next few days I know there was real progress. It was still blurry, but at least I could focus on things that were across the room.
On Monday (February 5) I decided to return to work. My double vision was still a problem but I hope it will continue to heal and improve over the next few months. It was nice to be back in a place where I could start to function again and have some mental stimulation. There are days at the beginning where I had not even left my condo and now I was able to spend some time at the office.
I pushed it too hard the first day back and headed home in the afternoon and had a long nap.
Today I headed back to work and my vision seems a little worse than yesterday. Double vision has killed the sharpness of my vision but I realize I have come an enormous way since having the surgery nearly thee weeks ago. The fear is beginning to subside and I have an enormous empathy for those with vision problems that cannot be corrected.
These have been the hardest three weeks of my adult life.
More to come...
From my previous post it was clear that I had some anxiety about having the Epi-LASIK procedure. I don’t like things touching my eyes.
Diane picked me up and we headed to the Mitchell Eye Centre a little bit early for my appointment. When we arrived we went over to the consultant’s desk and she gave an overview again of their basic "risks" and we cleared up payment for the surgery. Then I asked for the chill pill to calm my nerves. I was fairly calm, but under the skin I could tell my heart was beating harder than if I was sleeping in on a Sunday morning. It gave me a distinct thumping feeling throughout my body. My pulse was fine but my heart was working hard.
About 20 minutes later, there I was: laying on the operating table waiting for the surgeon. The tech put some numbing drops in my eyes and I waited for what felt like an hour and must have been about 15 minutes. The surgeon tapped my leg when he entered the room and greeted me. With a patch on one eye and bright lights in the other, the touch was calming but my heart was still trying to bash through my ribs make a quick getaway.
My right eye was clamped open – quite uncomfortably and I let out a little noise to let the doctor know how I felt. He sorted it out and then placed a device over my eye.
"You will feel some pressure, your eye will black out and you will hear a noise." The surgeon said.
I got a little more than I had bargained for.
My vision, staring up at the bright white and green lights turned into a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And then from the outside in, it blacked out as if pulling the plug on an old black and white TV. Now with only my thoughts to keep me calm, the vibrating noise started. Watching the Epi-LASIK procedure on the Internet, there was no sound. I hadn’t expected a vibrating sound like a beard trimmer.
"Keep calm C.J. – everything will be ok." I thought to myself.
Then I could feel a bit of a grinding feeling on my eye.
"Keep calm C.J. – everything will be ok." It was all I could think of. That is, until my thoughts shifted altogether.
While still trying to look for the lights, longing for the spaceship lights, my thoughts began to wander to other things. "Orange is a totally underrated colour" I thought. "Yeah, orange is a good colour."
And then I felt like Winston at the end of his re-integration in George Orwell’s Nineteeneightyfour:
Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved big brother.
The light returned and I heard a voice. It was Dr. Mitchell, "Have you ever fainted before?" he asked. I replied with a question of my own. "Are you finished?"
Unfortunately the answer was no. "We couldn’t continue until you regained consciousness."
I was pissed. Never having fainted before, I then asked, "What? I fainted? What are you talking about?" Someone then lifted one of my legs back on to the operating table. That’s when I realized that orange may not be so underrated and I had my very own visit with my ‘happy place’.
"Take your time, we’ll get you some juice." Dr. Mitchell said, "We’ll continue in a few minutes once you’ve gathered yourself."
I got some juice but couldn’t drink it because I couldn’t hold myself up. In fact, I couldn’t hold the juice either. My hands were completely numb. I tried to move them and couldn’t. I just stared at my hands trying to will them to move and nothing worked.
After a couple of minutes, I could move my hands again. "I need to go to the bathroom. Now." I told the tech.
I made my way to the bathroom with the help of the tech and my body decided it didn’t like anything that was inside of it – so it had a hellfire clearance sale. Nausea began to swell in my stomach but I didn’t throw up.
Over the next 20 minutes, I repeated that exercise three times. Just when I thought I was empty, my body found more to get rid of. "Normally we continue the procedure after about 10 minutes" the surgeon said, "I’ve never seen this before. Sometimes young athletic men faint, but not like this."
Great. This surgeon has been practicing since 1984 (coincidentally) and has never seen someone react so strongly to this procedure. Not a good way to feel special.
The surgeon put a protective lens in my eye and I stayed in an examination room with Diane for about three hours trying to will myself back to a state where I could continue with the procedure. It wouldn’t happen today.
The bright spot for me was the kindness of everyone in the office that day. I never felt rushed to continue the procedure. We got a garbage bag for the drive home – I knew I’d need it.
The pain in my eye was annoying but not intense on the way home. My nausea was the focus of my discomfort. Diane drove as smoothly as possible for the 20-minute trek back to my condo downtown. About halfway I filled the garbage bag. She didn’t flinch or say anything. I didn’t want her to say anything, I just wanted to turn my stomach inside out and leave it in the bag.
After vomiting I felt a billion times better. Arriving home I set my alarm for two hours later and went to bed. Every two hours I would have to get up to put drops in my eye to keep it moist.
Waking up every two hours means you spend a lot of time trying to sleep and actually spending the time thinking. My thoughts ranged from never going back to convincing myself by the morning that the hard part was over and the laser was just a formality.
The next morning I called Dr. Mitchell’s office to find out when I could go back in. Fortunately it was by 11:00 AM. I wanted to get this over with.
Arriving at the clinic I didn’t have the same pounding heart as I did the day before. I was far more relaxed and ready to handle what was to come my way.
This time the surgeon came in shortly after I did into the operating room. He asked how I was feeling and I felt good. The tech was a woman this time and I found that to be more calming than the man the day before. "Yeah, way more people faint when he is the tech," the woman said. "We’ve been bugging him about it ever since he started here."
I got a stress ball and we continued the procedure starting with removing the protective lens and lasering my right eye.
The lights were like a Pink Floyd show and it was difficult to focus on the laser. There was a breeze and the smell of hair burning for about 30 seconds. No problem.
My left eye was completed with a procedure that doesn’t involve putting any pressure on it but that takes longer to heal called LASEK. With LASEK, an alcohol solution is used to soften the outer layer of one’s eye. I could smell the alcohol and see the liquid on my eye but it didn’t bother me. I would get through this.
The procedure was complete and I felt fine. Fine except for the burning and stinging feeling that was starting to swell in my eyes. I wanted a cinnamon roll and Diane and I stopped to grab one before heading home.
By the time I got home I couldn’t open my eyes because of the stinging. Once again I would set my alarm for every two hours to put drops in and I headed to bed right away. The pain was becoming intense and my eyes were gushing tears like a Las Vegas water fountain. I took a painkiller to help me sleep.
The next day I spent in bed and didn’t do much of anything, I could see a bit about six feet in front of me.
Day two after the surgery was by far the most painful. On Saturday night my eyes were sealing themselves shut with my eyelid sticking to the protective lens. The pain was sharp and sudden when I attempted to open my eyes to put the drops in. Suddenly the burning and stinging feeling seemed like a warm cup of cocoa compared to the sharpness of opening my eyes. I poked myself in the eyes a couple of times trying to get the drops in.
I stayed in bed all day on Sunday and struggled to open my eyes much at all. The guide I was given said that my vision would seem clear at first and would go downhill until the protective lenses were removed five days later. Downhill was an understatement.
For the next three days I kept myself busy by sweeping my floor, vacuuming and listening to a book on CD. By the end of the third day most of the pain had subsided but I could only see shapes and colours. I could focus on nothing. My vision was downright bad.
Those who know me well know that I struggle with doing nothing. I get bored easily and laying in bed blind for four days was driving me nuts. I looked forward to my appointment to have the protective lenses removed. My ugly duckling vision would be transformed into a beautiful swan view of the world.
To say I was excited to have the lenses removed is an understatement. Diane picked me up and we headed to the clinic. A woman I had never met before took me into a room with eye examination equipment and turned an eye chart on.
"Look over there," she said, "Tell me what the letters are."
I replied, "I don’t know. I can’t see them."
She moved the line up to a bigger one and asked again. Still nothing. Next line up on the chart, nothing. One more line up with the letters getting bigger yet. Nothing.
Finally she moved the chart up one more line. I couldn’t read it and told her so.
"What do you mean you can’t read it?!" she asked.
I responded, "I know it’s an "E" because it’s the biggest letter on the chart but I can’t read it."
That’s when I got angry and scared. Within a minute I was in to see the surgeon in another examination room. He put a machine up to my eyes, examined them and pulled the contacts out of my eyes.
"Your vision will be a bit blurry while your eyelid smoothes the surface of your eye." He said.
"What, are you kidding? I asked. "I can’t see a damn thing!"
He started writing on my chart as we talked for a minute and I told him that I couldn’t see much of anything. Then I remembered that I could see a couple of inches in front of my nose. I put my hand up to my face and said, "I can see here but that’s it!"
Dr. Mitchell’s response was not what I expected, nor did it inspire much confidence.
"Oh." He said and began crossing out his notes on my chart. His response was in a tone that showed some surprise, some disappointment and a sigh that reeked of complexity.
"You are seeing about a –4.00 right now." He continued after a significant pause. "You need to take the drops only once a day instead of three times a day."
For context, I was seeing with a +3.25 prescription prior to the surgery. I swung across the pendulum of vision from one extreme to the other. According to the schedule, I was supposed to be able to see by now. I was scheduled to return to work the next day. How quickly those plans changed. My vision didn’t turn into a beautiful swan as I had hoped. Worse, I went from an ugly ducking to feeling like a sitting duck.
The surgeon asked me to book an appointment for the next week indicating that a follow-up usually takes place a month later. I was special and wishing I wasn’t.
Over the course of the next week my emotions would fluctuate far more than my vision which made slow progress. Every day I’d take a rough measurement of my focal length. It went from about three inches to just over a foot in a week. This would be a slow go.
I tried to stay as positive and optimistic as possible. A gift basket was delivered from work. They were very supportive and the basket was a pleasant surprise for me. Another colleague sent me some Big Turk candy bars, which became my comfort food. I spent a lot of time contemplating my future, the future of the trip and what my world would look like if my vision didn’t recover. The fear was intimidating but my energy needed to be focused on healing.
On Wednesday, eight days after registering –4.00 (ish) on the eye chart I went back to the clinic for another exam. This time I could see much better and could read part of the chart. Progress! It was blurry, but I could still read it. I had double vision but at least I could see. The tech told me my prescription had changed to about –1.50. The tech said this recovery still seemed slow and he told me that I was likely having a reaction to the steroid drops. He asked me to stop using them altogether and said that I should see a significant improvement over the next four or five days. Thank goodness he would be right.
When your vision is messed up as badly as mine had become, you start to wonder if your progress is real or imagined. Over the next few days I know there was real progress. It was still blurry, but at least I could focus on things that were across the room.
On Monday (February 5) I decided to return to work. My double vision was still a problem but I hope it will continue to heal and improve over the next few months. It was nice to be back in a place where I could start to function again and have some mental stimulation. There are days at the beginning where I had not even left my condo and now I was able to spend some time at the office.
I pushed it too hard the first day back and headed home in the afternoon and had a long nap.
Today I headed back to work and my vision seems a little worse than yesterday. Double vision has killed the sharpness of my vision but I realize I have come an enormous way since having the surgery nearly thee weeks ago. The fear is beginning to subside and I have an enormous empathy for those with vision problems that cannot be corrected.
These have been the hardest three weeks of my adult life.
More to come...
...and we're back...
Just a quick post for now to let people know that I'm back from the laser surgery. I won't go into any details just yet, but will write a detailed post when I have a chance and can write for a little while.
more to come...
more to come...
Thursday, January 18, 2007
T-minus five hours...
I'm going in for laser eye surgery in five hours.
It's been 10 years of wearing glasses and waking up to grab them. All I can hope is that there are no complications today and that I'll be able to see clearly.
There are certain people I trust more than myself when driving. There are people I trust more to fly planes when I'm on one. I don't know how to trust someone with my eyes.
Here's an example of what epi-lasik looks like. I made the mistake of watching it.
Good thing they have chill pills there.
It's been 10 years of wearing glasses and waking up to grab them. All I can hope is that there are no complications today and that I'll be able to see clearly.
There are certain people I trust more than myself when driving. There are people I trust more to fly planes when I'm on one. I don't know how to trust someone with my eyes.
Here's an example of what epi-lasik looks like. I made the mistake of watching it.
Good thing they have chill pills there.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
New plug and four days till laser surgery
Yesterday I headed out to the Shooting Edge where EarInc has their Calgary location. I was surprised to see how large the showroom was and how many gadgets there now are available for hunters and folks with firearms. I also didn't realize that a Pelican Flashlight could cost $223.00!
So I got my second earplug made and it sounds pretty good. I'm really pleased that I went back to go and get it after the motorcycle show last week. I also saw a few gadgets at the Shooting Edge that might be worthwhile to bring on the trip.
All of this is to distract me from the fact that I've got my surgery on Thursday. I'm still nervous as all heck about it.
More to come...
So I got my second earplug made and it sounds pretty good. I'm really pleased that I went back to go and get it after the motorcycle show last week. I also saw a few gadgets at the Shooting Edge that might be worthwhile to bring on the trip.
All of this is to distract me from the fact that I've got my surgery on Thursday. I'm still nervous as all heck about it.
More to come...
Thursday, January 11, 2007
What?
.... I can't hear you!
I'm busy wearing my new ear plugs! Ok, so I only have one so far. But it's so comfortable once it's up to body temperature that I've ordered another one for my good ear. I'll be going in on Saturday to get injected with silicone once again.
All this earplug talk is a nice distraction from my eye surgery which is one week away.
More to come...
I'm busy wearing my new ear plugs! Ok, so I only have one so far. But it's so comfortable once it's up to body temperature that I've ordered another one for my good ear. I'll be going in on Saturday to get injected with silicone once again.
All this earplug talk is a nice distraction from my eye surgery which is one week away.
More to come...
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
A great motorcycle show
My hat goes off to everyone who put in long hours at the Calgary Motorcycle Show. It was a great event and was well attended.
The news of the weekend for me is that I got a custom earphone manufactured. I'm completely deaf in one ear so stereo sound is lost on me. In fact it's annoying to only hear a guitar and wonder, "What happened to Mick Jagger? I was certain he sang in this part of the song." Then, upon switching earphones asking, "Hey Mick, where'd Keith go?"
EarInc.ca is where I got them done. Linda did a great job, but I have to say, it's an odd feeling having silicone injected into your ear. I bought the deluxe, custom molded model and got it for half the show price because they only need to make one! The plug is being wired for mono sound as well so I get both channels in one ear. The great news about it is that the earphone also acts as an earplug, blocking sound to make riding more comfortable.
It wasn't that comfortable for Dylan though when we went back to the booth to pick up our plugs after they dried. He got a custom pair of earplugs done in a two colour swirl pattern; orange and black.
He tried them on when we picked them up and claimed they didn't fit well at all. Odd for a custom plug that's molded to your exact ear.
"Oh" the woman proclaimed, "that was you. I'm glad we got that sorted out!"
Apparently another person (with larger ears, purchased the same plugs in the same colour combination. They forgot to write one of them down and then didn't know which plugs belonged to who. So they guessed and guessed wrong!
It was a little gross. The woman said that at least Dylan was the first person to come back and try them. What she failed to appreciate is that they came out of the other man's ears in the first place!
More to come...
The news of the weekend for me is that I got a custom earphone manufactured. I'm completely deaf in one ear so stereo sound is lost on me. In fact it's annoying to only hear a guitar and wonder, "What happened to Mick Jagger? I was certain he sang in this part of the song." Then, upon switching earphones asking, "Hey Mick, where'd Keith go?"
EarInc.ca is where I got them done. Linda did a great job, but I have to say, it's an odd feeling having silicone injected into your ear. I bought the deluxe, custom molded model and got it for half the show price because they only need to make one! The plug is being wired for mono sound as well so I get both channels in one ear. The great news about it is that the earphone also acts as an earplug, blocking sound to make riding more comfortable.
It wasn't that comfortable for Dylan though when we went back to the booth to pick up our plugs after they dried. He got a custom pair of earplugs done in a two colour swirl pattern; orange and black.
He tried them on when we picked them up and claimed they didn't fit well at all. Odd for a custom plug that's molded to your exact ear.
"Oh" the woman proclaimed, "that was you. I'm glad we got that sorted out!"
Apparently another person (with larger ears, purchased the same plugs in the same colour combination. They forgot to write one of them down and then didn't know which plugs belonged to who. So they guessed and guessed wrong!
It was a little gross. The woman said that at least Dylan was the first person to come back and try them. What she failed to appreciate is that they came out of the other man's ears in the first place!
More to come...
Friday, January 05, 2007
A fun weekend ahead
I'm pretty excited about the weekend.
Last year at this time I could care less about motorcycles, motorcycling, "adventure travel", and I'd never given a thought to going around the world on a bike. It wasn't until a week from now last year that the idea for a RTW trip came up. As such, I didn't even think about going to the Calgary Motorcycle Show.
This year is another story. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting some of the folks at the show, seeing what products might work well for the trip. So far I've learned that there is a company that makes custom earphones and earplugs there. Normally I wouldn't be thinking this is one of the best booths at the show, but I'm completely deaf in one ear. Protecting my hearing is critical and if I choose to use headphones, one of them is absolutely no use to me and it just gets in the way and transfers static energy into my good ear - giving it a nice electrical shock every few seconds.
There you have it. I'm excited about earplugs.
More to come...
Last year at this time I could care less about motorcycles, motorcycling, "adventure travel", and I'd never given a thought to going around the world on a bike. It wasn't until a week from now last year that the idea for a RTW trip came up. As such, I didn't even think about going to the Calgary Motorcycle Show.
This year is another story. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting some of the folks at the show, seeing what products might work well for the trip. So far I've learned that there is a company that makes custom earphones and earplugs there. Normally I wouldn't be thinking this is one of the best booths at the show, but I'm completely deaf in one ear. Protecting my hearing is critical and if I choose to use headphones, one of them is absolutely no use to me and it just gets in the way and transfers static energy into my good ear - giving it a nice electrical shock every few seconds.
There you have it. I'm excited about earplugs.
More to come...
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Biting the Bullet
In a previous post I mentioned that I was going to go in for laser eye surgery. Since that time I have been waiting for confirmation of a few facts from Dr. Mitchell's office. Now that I have those facts, I've decided that I will in fact have it done.
Before I waffle again and change my mind, I have the surgery booked for January 18th - Two weeks away!
I asked the patient councillor about my anxiety and how to handle it. Fortunately if I'm too freaked by the whole thing (I watched an epi-lasik surgery online once and nearly lost my lunch onto my keyboard) they have pills to fix that. I'm certainly not big on drug use - I had two shoulder surgeries with no painkillers after the initial doses - but this is a little different.
Until five years ago I had never, ever touched my eye. I decided I wanted contacts and it took more than an hour to get the first one in. Times have changed for me since then, but I still am anxious when I think about touching or messing with my eye.
I've been reassured and comforted and know it's the best thing to do for this trip and to get me out of glasses. I just hope I can chill out enough to let them do it.
More to come...
Before I waffle again and change my mind, I have the surgery booked for January 18th - Two weeks away!
I asked the patient councillor about my anxiety and how to handle it. Fortunately if I'm too freaked by the whole thing (I watched an epi-lasik surgery online once and nearly lost my lunch onto my keyboard) they have pills to fix that. I'm certainly not big on drug use - I had two shoulder surgeries with no painkillers after the initial doses - but this is a little different.
Until five years ago I had never, ever touched my eye. I decided I wanted contacts and it took more than an hour to get the first one in. Times have changed for me since then, but I still am anxious when I think about touching or messing with my eye.
I've been reassured and comforted and know it's the best thing to do for this trip and to get me out of glasses. I just hope I can chill out enough to let them do it.
More to come...
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