Making friends and connections along the bumpy way.

The line at the food bank was LONGER this week than last week. Still no bread today, so we'll have to postpone "Toastfest" at my place, but ... I'm thrilled with the eggs, macaroni & cheese, all-bran bars, apples, tuna, a jar of pears and a bottle of Perrier, among other items that I gratefully received from the Food Bank this afternoon. Well done you sweet volunteers and donors. You save lives with these groceries. Really, you do!

Shout out to James at Quest Food Exchange, a Vancouver grocery store for low income families offering food at discount prices and a shopping experience with dignity. See resources for link. He also volunteers at the food bank. What a great guy! Thanks for the handshake and chat, James. You're providing a much needed service to the good, hungry folks of this city. Spread the word. I'll tweet it out for ya.

Had a *luxurious* cup of coffee afterward with a new friend, "R." Hi "R!" It was the first coffee I've had in 3 weeks - liquid heaven, a "splurge." (spending $3.49 is decadent for me these days). Hmmm ... coffee, no wonder I'm still blogging at 1:31 AM. Note to self: easy on the fancy-schmancy coffees. Stick to the occasional cup of decaf or $2 latte in a pinch. Green tea is what I drink instead these days. All those terrific antioxidants. I gotta sleep now gang, I finally pooped myself out.

My ship - a tiny rowboat with one oar and a slow leak - has come in!

There is a God in heaven. I have been approved for regular EI benefits! Yippee kai-ay! I should see some money start coming in next week. And that wolf, who is 2 inches from my door, can just back the hell off. I was so relieved, I actually burst into tears. I felt that huge, gnawing, evil knot in my stomach shrink by 75%. All my dark imaginings of worst case scenarios faded to a pale, dove grey. A rather pretty colour, for grey. This means I can pay my rent, at least in part, and am not facing homelessness. So my brother can stick his snide remarks where the cat got the thermometer! (sorry, I couldn't resist).

I also started working with an employment counsellor yesterday, and he was so positive. He believes that combining my skills with voice-recognition software (they are going to train me on Dragon) will allow me to continue my career as a writer. I am over the moon. I floated home (um, on the bus). I fell asleep at 8 pm, I was so exhausted, and slept through the night for the first time this week, with Mouse cuddled up to me and snoring, in the cute way cats do, contentedly. I'm "home."

Now all I need is a decent job where my RA won't interfere, and my life will be back on track. I'm not quite out of the deep end of the ocean yet, but at least I'm clear of shark-infested waters. I'll just keep rowing along and bucket-bailing until I reach dry land. It's Friday today, and that means it's Food Bank day. Who knows, maybe they'll have bread for once. Wouldn't that be the kicker! Toast-a-palooza at Jo's house if they do. Everyone welcome. All you can eat until I run out. BYO salami, peanut butter, etc., whatever floats your boat.

Readers, if you have your health, then you have endless possibilities. Even if you have a disability, there are ways to work around it and do alright - Assisted Technologies have come a long way, even in the past year! The squeaky wheel gets the grease, so start squeaking, LOUD - ask questions, ask for help and you just might get solutions. It worked for me! If you have a roof over your head, take a slow, deep breath and R-E-L-A-X. If you have food in your fridge, count your blessings. If you have a job, you have more than a lot of people, so consider yourself fortunate. It's truly a wonderful thing to sleep peacefully tonight, knowing you're "OK." Everyone needs and deserves that. So please don't forget there are people out there in the rain, the cold, the dark, the streets, who are so afraid and hungry, they are unable to rest. If you could remember them the next time you buy groceries and, if you can afford to, donate even just a can of soup to your local food bank. It might be someone's only meal for days. Maybe even mine. Thanks.