Yesterday

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday... the usual annual check up. I have always dreaded them. Not because they’re a big deal, but they’re just a pain in the butt. I don’t think it’s fair that women have to go through this crap. Girls are expected to visit their doctor on an annual basis from the time they’re in their teens, while men don’t need annual checkups until they’re well into their 40’s… and even then, by the sounds of it, all guys have to do is turn their head and cough. Well, I guess prostate checkups are a little more intrusive than that… but still… my point is that I hate these stupid appointments. Although I suppose they are a necessary evil… if not just for my own health, but also because I can’t get my birth control prescription renewed without one.

At least these appointments are less stressful now that I have a family doctor that I am really comfortable with. She’s the first female doctor I’ve ever had, and it makes such a difference… I honestly never thought it would… but it really does.

I started seeing her a couple years ago. She was fresh out of med school and looking to build her practice. Growing up, my family doctor was an older man. When I was in post-secondary, the campus doctor was also an older man. After college, the doctor I started seeing was again, an older man.

I have to wonder if this is why there is such a shortage of doctors these days in the era of aging Boomers... especially in communities like where my parents live. They live in a pretty small city, and when our family doctor retired my parents’ files were transferred to another doctor. As more and more doctors in my parents’ city retired, this doctor continued taking their patients on. He now has well over 2,000 patients – that’s a pretty huge chunk of the community! Some say it's sheer greed, while others say it's because no one else is accepting newcomers, so he simply steps up to the plate. Unfortunately, I’ve heard over and over again that his service is *seriously* lacking and people like my folks have started traveling as far as an hour out of town just to get decent medical care.

So yes... there’s a lot of older doctors out there... and finding one who isn’t on the verge of retirement isn’t easy.

Anyhow, when I moved out west I was on the hunt for a doctor I could finally call my own. I headed into a clinic and met with the doctor on duty. He was a real young guy... but for some reason he just gave off a strange vibe that made me uncomfortable. Not that I'm little Miss FullofMyself, but the way he was acting, if he had breached doctor-patient protocol and asked me out on a date, I wouldn't have been surprised. I made a very clear mental note that this was definitely not the doctor I wanted to call my own. It was just way too awkward. He gave me a prescription to hold me over for a while, and told me to make an appointment with the receptionist for a full physical. I took my prescription and left.

Back to the hunt.

For a couple years I felt like a birth control fugitive… running from clinic to clinic each time I needed my prescription renewed, but never getting a complete check up. It was a constant source of stress. But it was more than just avoiding the dreaded annual physical, I just couldn’t find a doctor I was comfortable with. It’s stupid, I know. I was allowing the fear of discomfort overpower my rational mind, knowing that I needed a proper check up. I’ve had more than a handful of friends who have had unfavourable test results come back after their annual checkups -- that could have been me… and I wouldn’t have known.

Eventually I felt guilty about being a clinic slut, bouncing from clinic to clinic all over town never committing to a single doctor. As a result, I tried just going without birth control for a while. Instead I found myself completely doubled over in pain without it. All the colour would drain from my face and I would be on the verge of passing out. It wasn’t nice. I knew I had to be on the pill… and I needed a steady doctor.

Finally with my conscience (and the pain) getting the better of me, on one of my clinic pop-ins, I mentioned to the doctor on duty that I was in need of someone consistent. Enough of these pop-ins already! I needed a doctor and I didn’t care who. He recommended a young woman who had just started working at the clinic. He thought I might be happy with her. I made an appointment for a meet and greet and instantly fell in love. Well, not literally... but you know what I mean. I just love how she understands things in a way that other doctors didn’t.

So it’s been about two years or so now since I’ve started seeing her, and she’s really great. During my appointment yesterday she asked the same question she asked last year, “So what are you going to do to reward yourself?” She’s a big believer that women should always do something nice for themselves after going through with their annoying annual checkup. I love how she thinks!

Today

Yesterday afternoon I sent my wedding coordinator lady a list of all the places J n’ I would like to visit when we go to Europe. I know that our plans are highly ambitious, but neither of us have ever gone overseas before and we want to cram in as much as we can into the two n’ a half weeks we’ll be there. *sigh* I wish I had the time and money to go for a couple months, but I’m certainly not going to complain. This is the trip of a lifetime and we’re both really, really looking forward to it. Plus, when the day comes and we’re suddenly independently wealthy (ha!), Europe will still be there.

Anyhow, I asked our coordinator to trim the fat off our travel plan to see if she could make it more do-able. I expected that we would have to hack out the idea of going through Switzerland or up into the Netherlands, but she wowed me with her coordinating skills and got back to me this morning with a plan to make it work. Sure, we’ll have to skip Hallstatt, visit Verona instead of Florence, and we’ll have a home base in Interlaken instead of Grimmelwald (although we can still take a little day trip up there), but the point is, she brought everything together in a way that made my heart absolutely soar. I am so excited!

Beyond that, she even put holds on rooms for us, so that if we agree to her proposed plan and like the B&B’s/hotels she suggests, then she can just book ‘em and we’re good to go. Plus, the places she suggested are all reasonably priced, and I didn’t even tell her what kind of budget we had in mind. Her motto is, “the most expensive option is not always the best.” I couldn’t agree more.

I can’t believe this is all coming together so easily. I’ve been kind of worried as I’ve been researching accommodations and train schedules all by myself (not that J doesn’t want to help, he’s just been really consumed with getting our film stuff in order these days – we both have our hands full…) So now I’m just thrilled at how awesome this lady is at taking all the effort out of helping us plan our trip. With all the thousands of wedding coordinators out there, I really lucked out with her – although she made the decision quite easy. She was far more personable and sweet than any other coordinator I spoke with, always making suggestions to help us get more bang for our buck.

Anyhow, here is the schedule she proposed:

9th -- Arrive in Vienna. Spend two nights there – Vienna is an incredible city and has more to see than you can imagine. Don’t be tempted to cut this short….
10th – In Vienna – plan to visit Schonbrunn Palace, Hofburg Palace, the old spice market, the Spanish Riding School if at possible.
11th – Morning departure from Vienna for Salzburg – train journey around three hours - you should plan to arrive mid morning.
12th -- Wedding in Salzburg.
13th -- Morning of the 13th, catch the train into Venice. 07:04 in the morning – change trains only once and be in Venice by 13:30 – so that will work. Suggest stay only one night because it’s so expensive – it’s very tiny and you can see it all in a half day.
14th - Explore Venice in the morning. This afternoon suggest a train to Verona for overnight – charming city – Romeo and Juliet really did exist – you can visit her house and see the balcony etc.
15th – I have not been to Gimmelwald but I know where it is and suggest instead you base yourself in Interlaken where you can take a train to so many of the smaller villages and mountains. You’ll have to change trains quite a few times but it’s easy in Switzerland – leave around noon arriving around 6:30 in the evening.
18th – You can get to Paris easily from Interlaken even with train changes – leaving around 10:31 and arriving around 4:30
19th – Paris
20th – Paris
21st – Morning train to Amsterdam
22nd - Amsterdam
23rd - Fly home.

Did I mention that I’m super excited!?

GF and I have been emailing back n’ forth about wedding stuff and she was telling me that she just put a deposit down for the linen and silverware for her n’ Bro’s wedding -- and holy crap, I nearly fell off my chair! Linen and silverware – two things most people are not likely to remember about a wedding – for total of $1,500! I tell you, choosing to elope to Europe has never felt so priceless. Every penny spent will be an investment towards an amazing memory. I can’t wait… I can’t wait…

Tomorrow

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow for a routine cleaning, but since I’ve got a bit of a scratchy throat, I decided to reschedule. Of course this should be simple enough, except I can never remember my dentist’s name. Since I don’t have a phone book at my desk, I begin trying to look his number up online, which is always a little challenging when, like I said, I can’t remember his friggin’ name. It’s stupid really… I’ve been seeing him for a few years, but all I can remember is that his last name sounds like some sort of yummy cheesy Italian dish. So I begin typing random hybrids of Italian foods –Calazoni? Coriolli? Cantazoni?

Finally, I realize maybe just Googling “City Dentists” is the way to go. Ahhh…Corlazzoli! That’s it!

I give them a ring and the receptionist answers, “Hi, my name is Mellow Dee and I have an appointment with…” I suddenly choke finding myself wanting to call him Dr. Calazoni, so I quickly cover with a cough… “Dr. Cal.. Cor… uh, cough, cough, cough… Yeah, I have a cold, so I wanted to reschedule my appointment with him tomorrow afternoon.”

I’m such an idiot.