I haven't had the chance to write for a few days. Not much going on. I went to a movie the other night (Tuesday maybe? I have already forgotten). It went okay. I have only been to a couple movies since I have been hurt and they have all been disasters. So what possessed me to go to one the other night, I am not sure. Well actually I do, I needed to get out of my apartment because my nurse was making me crazy. Anyways I was not so enamoured of the experience that I will be going to another movie soon but I might go more often than I have been. Appparently Tuesday night is the night go because the theatre was virtually empty. We saw Earth on the IMAX screen. Not sure if was worth the extra $3 to watch it on IMAX as opposed to the normal screen where it was also showing. But the IMAX screening was the only option in terms of time once we got there. I had never heard of this movie before but our choices were limited that late (almost 10 pm) between Earth and 17 again. Earth was a better choice. It's a Disney nature documentary filled with adorable beyond words fluffy baby polar bears and time exposed shots of flowers blooming over the span of a few seconds. Not bad. But also scenes of animals attacking and eating each other and others starving to death (including the father of the cute baby polar bears). Not really a good choice for little kids (we had none with us). But worth a watch.

I am leaving very shortly for my second eye surgery. I have to be there very early. I know what to expect this time so it should be less stressful. I will also be having my other eye checked today. It seems to have healed up very well from the post-surgery infection that came from the problem with the dislodged suture. I think the vision in that eye has stabilized now as I haven't noticed my vision fluctuating for the past few days. So maybe today I can get some kind of idea of what the actual correction from the surgery was. I am seeing pretty good out of that eye. Not perfect but enough that I can read and watch tv without glasses or contacts, although my eye seems to get very tired and sore quicker than usual. So things are still not ideal with it. But that's okay. I am still very happy with the results so far. I will be very nice to have the second one done. I'll try to see about somebody posting an update later today but I am expecting the surgery to be uneventful. I am not freaking out this time. Well at least not as much.

I went to the Leonard Cohen concert last night. I wasn't expected to but then two tickets in the wheelchair seating area were given to me. Thanks very much DJ. This was back to back concerts since Saturday I had been out to see the Weakerthans. I am pretty worn down today but it was a wonderful show. My favorite song of the night was "Closing Time." I tried to post this yesterday but couldn't get it to work. He brought the house down last night with this:



Thank you for those who have commented on here or by email about my posts about Brent. I was unsure that I should write about him. I appreciate very much those who have written back.

I haven't posted the pictures of Jasper yet but I will when I have more energy to go through the pictures. For those who have indicated they would like to come and explore Banff and Jasper, I hope you will some day. Especially those from Oregon, as you are not really all that so far away :)

On this week's agenda is my second eye surgery which is scheduled for Thursday. I am still waiting to find out what my vision in the first eye is going to turn out as. So far my vision seems to be pretty good but I have really been bothered by glare (still wearing the giant solar shield sunglasses unfortunately, which my nephew Spencer is convinced are x-vision glasses) and my eye fatigues very quickly. But the earlier problems did resolve themselves with time so I just need to be patient. I have been happy enough with the results to go ahead with the second eye. I have not been allowed to wear a contact lens in the uncorrected eye for the past two weeks, as per the pre-surgery instructions. So pretty much I have been going around blind in that eye as my coke bottle lensed glasses don't work with the other corrected eye anymore. It was very disorienting but eventually I got used to it. But it will be very nice to see out of both eyes again and have them working in sync.

I guess that is all for now. Oh and we went to the concert in a full blown blizzard. A "can't see the car in front of you on the road" type of blizzard. I think at one point it was even hailing which was crazy. I have come to the conclusion that winter is not going to end in Calgary this year. It is just going to continue on until next November or whatever.

After writing that we weren't seeing much of Jasper we took a trip to Maligne Canyon yesterday evening.  The park guide said the first 4 km of the trail were paved and fully accessible but cautioned the trail was "very steep in places." The guide wasn't lying. I wasn't all that comfortable I have to admit and thought about turning around a few times. And at the end I had to go across a bridge that I wasn't all that eager to cross. But the effort was worth it as this was the view I got.

Jasper National Park is one of 5 of the "Rocky Mountain National Parks." Four of these parks are actually physically connected and in effect create one giant national park that straddles the border of Alberta and British Columbia. Banff and Jasper are in Alberta and Yoho and Kootney National Parks are on the BC side. Jasper is the most northern of these parks. The 5th park is Waterton Lakes National Park located off by itself in Southern Alberta where also creates a large contiguous area physically bordering with Glacier National Park in Montana. I have visited all these parks and it is hard to say which one is the most beautiful as they all have unique features and are so different. But this view had me thinking that, at least for today, Jasper is my favorite. Taken on the road to Maligne Canyon.