I recently put it to my facebook friends the good old question of "Which would you prefer to be without .. this or that?" You can often have wonderful debates about which one is better.
Because of how life is here in Quakeville aka Christchurch, I opted to ask between power and water. Which would you prefer to be without? If you were not involved in that discussion, take a moment now to think about it, would life be easier without power? or easier without water?
Due to the unpredictable shaking of Mother Nature, I have experienced both power cuts and water cuts. Sometimes they are at different times and sometimes they are both gone together. In light of these inconveniences, I have firmly determined which out of the two I can be more relaxed about loosing.
The majority vote has said that they would prefer to be without power but still have water. It makes sense right. Our bodies are made up of from what I understand to be around 75% water. Please correct me if I am wrong. We can not survive much long than a week without drinking any form of water. Water is just something we can not live without. Our survival is paramount on consuming some form of water/fluids. If we do not, before we pass on to the next life from dehydration, we will experience skin irritation, to hallucinations, also your tounge will swell and crack. Doesn't sound pleasant in the slightest does it. It is very fair to say that water is vital to our well being. It is so important that ancient civilisations formed cities around a water supply. Watering holes became the social gathering place and for many, it is what life revolves around.
But has today's world changed? Are there now other things that are more important than having water in our homes? How easy do you think it is to live without electricity, especially in a natural disaster when the water (if you get any) in your homes is unsafe to drink?
Lets look at how life is without electricity. Well more along the lines of, how my life is without electricity but with water.
First of all, everything is going to be cooked on a barbecue. My oven uses electricity. We can't have open fires in the city because it is illegal. Barbecue needs gas. So off down to the petrol station to fill up my gas bottle. While I'm there, I'll fill my car as well. Hang on a sec, I need electricity to pump the gas/petrol out of the pump, also I only have eftpos, no one really carries cash anymore and that requires electricity as well. Ok Ok most commercial places will have generators, but if their generator is not working, then neither is anything else.
So I get home, open my freezer to go cook some dinner. Oh no! Everything is defrosting. I'm going to have to cook all of this right now! But first, I need to boil some water so I can drink it. Has anybody tried to boil water on a bbq? I have. It doesn't boil. Even with the bbq on as hot as it can go, for a whole hour, it still doesn't boil. I can not make my own drinkable water at home unless I add chemicals to it. You might then want to go look up on the net how much chemicals to add to how much water. Hang on, I need electricity for that. So you call your mum, mums know a lot of things. Oh dear, my phone is cordless, it needs electricity to work. You look at your cell phone, Battery is dying. Dam. By this time kids are getting cranky. They are missing out on their favourite tv show, or they want to dance around to music.
I need to get some washing done and dishes done. I have to hand wash cloths seen as the washing machine also runs on power. Then I have to hand wring them which takes twice as long to dry outside (no dryer) because you can not get rid of as much water from the cloths as the washing machine can. Dishes also done by hand, the dishwasher needs power. You are now the dishwasher, just what your mum raised you to be.
The sun is setting, the house is getting dark, and cold. You move everyone into one bedroom. Its much warmer everyone snuggling in with each other. You light candles because that is the main thing people have for light when the power is out. But has anyone had kids around candles? I have had a few almost fires due to that. I couldn't even go relieve myself without a mischief placing a candle in an empty draw and closing it. Also if it is earthquakes that took away your power, an earthquake can easily knock a candle over. The kids are now asleep, sigh. You decide now is a good time to risk walking through the cold un-heated home to go have a shower. Hey, you still at lest have running water. But it's a stone cold shower. No power to heat the water. So you opt for a spounge bath from water you heated (not boiled) on the bbq. Then you go to bed early because you can't watch your program and the candle light isn't the easiest to read your book in. The next day you head to the supermarket and buy food for the day (you cooked all your food already because the freezer stopped working) and hope they have what you need in stock. No frozen stuff and limited chilled things. They don't want to over work the generators. Your lucky to find anything more than milk, mince and chicken in the chiller.
Ok, so now how is life like without water but with electricity? First port of call, collect water. There are a number of ways in which you can do this. Find someone who has running water and are willing to share, If your council is nice they provide tankers full of water, go to the supermarket and buy some safe to drink water. If it was raining that night, you would have been smart enough to put a barrel or wheelie bin or other large container under a drain pipe from the roof to collect all the water that fell on the roof. You will need to boil this water, but that is easily done on the oven seen as you have power. You are still able to use all the mod-cons of this day in age, the kids are amused, you can still keep in contact with people on the other side of town. You can access information so much easier about what you need to be doing and what exactly is going on around town. There are still some things that you will have to put up with like having a spounge bath. But hey, at lest your doing it in a warm bathroom! Also flushing the toilet is a lot harder, but that's when a bucket of collected water can come in handy, or the strong stomach to handle going in the garden with the cat. Its actually not that bad. When you have to go, you have to go!!! And making a toilet can be fun to do. A great way to get the imagination working.
When it comes to doing laundry and dishes, its still a hand wash job, but at lest with the clothing you can spin it in the machine, and dry it in the tumble dryer if needs be. But it still gets dryer faster with power.
My opinion from experience, Is that life seems to be a lot easier without water. Even tho it is such a vital component to our survival, with a little bit of imagination and clever thinking, you can collect water. But you can not collect electricity. You can go down to the supermarket and use your eftpos to buy a few bottles of water, but you can not go down to the supermarket and buy x amounts of power and carry it home in a bag. Unless you have a generator sitting in your shed, life now days is very hard when the power is cut. Our modern way of living just doesn't allow us to still have all our luxuries without power.
Before all of this shaking, my first thought was I would prefer to be without power than water but .....
You can take my water, I will just get my own, But I will scream if you take my power!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My little secret.
Over the last few months, there is something that has been going on in the background of my life. I have kept it somewhat quiet in order to minimize what could be unnecessary stress, worry and concern. I try to look at life with the thought of " Life happens and it is our job to live it, not to sit about and worry all the time." Although I am not perfect at holding to that principal, I do strive to hold tight to it.
The time has now come that I am able to draw a conclusion to this hic-up in my journey through life, and so I have decided to write a post about it
I have been contemplating how I would tell this story and what exactly I would say, but I wrote a diary entry on Thursday and have decided that sharing that entry would be best seen as it sums the story up nicely and the thoughts that i had during the time.
Warning: This is a long diary entry, so i hope you have time to read.
The time has now come that I am able to draw a conclusion to this hic-up in my journey through life, and so I have decided to write a post about it
I have been contemplating how I would tell this story and what exactly I would say, but I wrote a diary entry on Thursday and have decided that sharing that entry would be best seen as it sums the story up nicely and the thoughts that i had during the time.
Warning: This is a long diary entry, so i hope you have time to read.
Thursday 6th January 2011
Today is a significant day. Not only is it the first entry of 2011, but I had a scan today.
Round the beginning of November last year, I found a lump in my left breast. Despite the fact that I had finished breast feeding (mischief 3) about March/April the previous year, I was still mildly lactating and after talking to mum, I thought it might be a blocked duct. So I attempted - completely out of practice - to express the lump away. A lot of stuff came out, but the biggest thing I achieved was giving myself a lovely big bruise.
So the very next day, I toddled off to the Dr. Even tho my G.P is awesome and I grew up with him, exposing my breast to him still felt very uncomfortable. But at the end of the day, I had to do it. Then came the talk about family breast cancer. My Dads Mum, My Dads Fathers Mother and I think there is more on that side but I can't remember. And of course, my personal history with cancer.
We had a talk about things. He could not say for certain, but his ideas are leaning more towards something like a cyst. He sent off a referral to get an ultrasound of the lump.
So I waited and waited. Telling very little people as not to scare, stress and worry people unnecessarily. Got annoyed when Mum told siblings because Nerissa especially worries.
But I started to laugh and joke within myself and those who knew, about how awesome it would be to get a double mastectomy and get bigger breasts, seen as I'm the one in the family that was not gifted with such voluptuous assets and often had that pointed out to me by none other than my Mother. Not to shine a bad light on her, she said it a lot while making my brides maids dress for Nerissa's wedding. She is making all the dresses, so she intimately knows everyones size. Bigger, firmer would be good. Breast feeding 3 kids doesn't help. But no regrets.
After two months of rigorous checking to make sure it was not getting bigger, or smaller, although that would have been good, I finally got my scan.
The mischiefs went to my folks place while Nerissa looked after them and my Mum came with me. Even tho I'm 27 with children of my own, there are still times in a girls life when she needs her Mum. She was there when I gave birth 3 times, so of course she is there when I scan a lump.
I turn up and start filling out the form. Name, D.O.B, When did I find the lump? Where is it? Any other symptoms? Any Family history with Breast Cancer? etc..
As I was filling out the form, I got the first wave of nerves with all of this. So far I've been pretty good. "I can't change anything, so why worry" has been my attitude. Nerves made it more real.
I was then called into the room. Got explained to about what they were doing, then took my tops off and i laid on the bed waiting for the specialist.
Quick Hi's and questions, then I was exposed once more. Uncomfortable but it had to happen. Deep breath, it's ok, He does this all the time. He doesn't care what they look like. Just relax.
Found the lump straight away. About 1cm (100mm). Yeah that was my estimate. White lines coming off it indicates a more benign nature, that's ok ... but it's nobly. Hmm. Could be like a cyst thing but not 100% sure. More tests needed. First one I can do is a mammogram. So again more exposing, touching and prodding. It wasn't as bad as others who have had them said they were. But I'm much smaller than those people. Next step, booked a biopsy 8am Monday morning to get a sample of the cells.
Is this the beginning of a long journey and battle, or just one of those road bumps in life that tend to catch your breath for a second?
I would say that right now i still have the attitude of "I can't change anything, so why worry" but It's slightly different. I'm worried about the journey ahead and how it will affect those around me. I'm not an island, so I know this will affect people. I seem to think we are all swimming in the sea of life. Any move someone makes sends ripples out that touch and affect everyone. We do very little in this life that affects solely us.
I'm not worried about death. When it's time to go, it's time to go and there is very little you can do to change it. I know where I'm going and I have a strong faith that is the rock of my sanity. But I also know it's not my time to go back home just yet. There are still things I need to do and been asked to do in my life that have not yet been finished. So I am very much needed here.
What worries me is how big this could be and how life changing it can be, not only for me, but my family and close friends, and to a degree, anyone I know and anyone I meet because of it. How hard will this journey be? Will it be quick and easy, or long and painful? I don't know, and that scares me. I don't like not knowing. I'm strong enough to get through this, or at least I think I am, But are my kids? Are my family?
Deep Breath. What ever happens happens. Accept it and love life xx
Round the beginning of November last year, I found a lump in my left breast. Despite the fact that I had finished breast feeding (mischief 3) about March/April the previous year, I was still mildly lactating and after talking to mum, I thought it might be a blocked duct. So I attempted - completely out of practice - to express the lump away. A lot of stuff came out, but the biggest thing I achieved was giving myself a lovely big bruise.
So the very next day, I toddled off to the Dr. Even tho my G.P is awesome and I grew up with him, exposing my breast to him still felt very uncomfortable. But at the end of the day, I had to do it. Then came the talk about family breast cancer. My Dads Mum, My Dads Fathers Mother and I think there is more on that side but I can't remember. And of course, my personal history with cancer.
We had a talk about things. He could not say for certain, but his ideas are leaning more towards something like a cyst. He sent off a referral to get an ultrasound of the lump.
So I waited and waited. Telling very little people as not to scare, stress and worry people unnecessarily. Got annoyed when Mum told siblings because Nerissa especially worries.
But I started to laugh and joke within myself and those who knew, about how awesome it would be to get a double mastectomy and get bigger breasts, seen as I'm the one in the family that was not gifted with such voluptuous assets and often had that pointed out to me by none other than my Mother. Not to shine a bad light on her, she said it a lot while making my brides maids dress for Nerissa's wedding. She is making all the dresses, so she intimately knows everyones size. Bigger, firmer would be good. Breast feeding 3 kids doesn't help. But no regrets.
After two months of rigorous checking to make sure it was not getting bigger, or smaller, although that would have been good, I finally got my scan.
The mischiefs went to my folks place while Nerissa looked after them and my Mum came with me. Even tho I'm 27 with children of my own, there are still times in a girls life when she needs her Mum. She was there when I gave birth 3 times, so of course she is there when I scan a lump.
I turn up and start filling out the form. Name, D.O.B, When did I find the lump? Where is it? Any other symptoms? Any Family history with Breast Cancer? etc..
As I was filling out the form, I got the first wave of nerves with all of this. So far I've been pretty good. "I can't change anything, so why worry" has been my attitude. Nerves made it more real.
I was then called into the room. Got explained to about what they were doing, then took my tops off and i laid on the bed waiting for the specialist.
Quick Hi's and questions, then I was exposed once more. Uncomfortable but it had to happen. Deep breath, it's ok, He does this all the time. He doesn't care what they look like. Just relax.
Found the lump straight away. About 1cm (100mm). Yeah that was my estimate. White lines coming off it indicates a more benign nature, that's ok ... but it's nobly. Hmm. Could be like a cyst thing but not 100% sure. More tests needed. First one I can do is a mammogram. So again more exposing, touching and prodding. It wasn't as bad as others who have had them said they were. But I'm much smaller than those people. Next step, booked a biopsy 8am Monday morning to get a sample of the cells.
Is this the beginning of a long journey and battle, or just one of those road bumps in life that tend to catch your breath for a second?
I would say that right now i still have the attitude of "I can't change anything, so why worry" but It's slightly different. I'm worried about the journey ahead and how it will affect those around me. I'm not an island, so I know this will affect people. I seem to think we are all swimming in the sea of life. Any move someone makes sends ripples out that touch and affect everyone. We do very little in this life that affects solely us.
I'm not worried about death. When it's time to go, it's time to go and there is very little you can do to change it. I know where I'm going and I have a strong faith that is the rock of my sanity. But I also know it's not my time to go back home just yet. There are still things I need to do and been asked to do in my life that have not yet been finished. So I am very much needed here.
What worries me is how big this could be and how life changing it can be, not only for me, but my family and close friends, and to a degree, anyone I know and anyone I meet because of it. How hard will this journey be? Will it be quick and easy, or long and painful? I don't know, and that scares me. I don't like not knowing. I'm strong enough to get through this, or at least I think I am, But are my kids? Are my family?
Deep Breath. What ever happens happens. Accept it and love life xx
..................................................
So Monday morning, I got up, got myself ready and made my way to my parents house by 7.30am. My Mischiefs had stayed the night there so I didn't need to wake them up and force them out the door in the early morning.
Mum and I made our way back to Canterbury Breast Care. More nerves, more waiting. I finally went back into the ultrasound room and had to endure more exposing myself. I want to say that the needle was massive, but I feel that gravely understates the size of it. It was roughly the thickness of a knitting needle and it had another needle that would shoot out of it and collect worm like samples of tissue. They had to make a decent size nick in my skin to help get the needle in. They also used the ultra sound to guide the needle to get a decent sample. They did this 3 times. It was rather uncomfortable even with local anaesthetic, but extremely fascinating to watch. When that was done, a 20min wait was needed to make sure the needle site was ok and I was not bleeding too much. Then the waiting game was on. I had to rest, no exercise or swimming. I was not able to go for my run, or even swim my laps. I was a bit frustrated with that, but it was worth the sacrifice.
Monday ticked by, then so did Tuesday and it ended with no word of results. I took a deep breath, and rung my Doctor this afternoon...
I can now breath again. Results are in and it is just a Fibradenoma.
Such relief. I am so thankful that I do not have to go through anything more serious right now and I don't have to make my kids go through any more drama just yet. A nice quiet life from now on would be bliss.
Mum and I made our way back to Canterbury Breast Care. More nerves, more waiting. I finally went back into the ultrasound room and had to endure more exposing myself. I want to say that the needle was massive, but I feel that gravely understates the size of it. It was roughly the thickness of a knitting needle and it had another needle that would shoot out of it and collect worm like samples of tissue. They had to make a decent size nick in my skin to help get the needle in. They also used the ultra sound to guide the needle to get a decent sample. They did this 3 times. It was rather uncomfortable even with local anaesthetic, but extremely fascinating to watch. When that was done, a 20min wait was needed to make sure the needle site was ok and I was not bleeding too much. Then the waiting game was on. I had to rest, no exercise or swimming. I was not able to go for my run, or even swim my laps. I was a bit frustrated with that, but it was worth the sacrifice.
Monday ticked by, then so did Tuesday and it ended with no word of results. I took a deep breath, and rung my Doctor this afternoon...
I can now breath again. Results are in and it is just a Fibradenoma.
Such relief. I am so thankful that I do not have to go through anything more serious right now and I don't have to make my kids go through any more drama just yet. A nice quiet life from now on would be bliss.
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