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The Odyssey, Part 10 – The Final Destination (Quebec)

Waking up spry, we could almost smell the faint scent of maple syrup and beaver tails. Today, we journey to the great white north!

  • Follow I-91 north for about an hour and twenty minutes to the hallowed border crossing near Derby Line (US) and Rock Island (Can).
    • A brief comment about border crossings; we tend to get nervous heading into the US. With armed border patrol and agents that ooze with personality, asking questions in a way that make every possible answer sound suspicious, it’s not a comfortable experience. My fiancée was asked why it had been over 10 years since her last visit, as if she was on the lam or hiding state secrets. On the way back to Canada however, it was stereotypically polite; a gentleman rocking a relaxed French accent welcomed us home.
    • One poor woman on foot made her way between the line of cars to speak to a border agent. I don’t reckon the answer she received was positive; standing at the window she pleaded for quite some time before ambling off around the corner.
  • The highway there changes to Autoroute 55N. Continue past Omerville and Sherbrooke all the way to Drummondville.
  • Merge onto Autoroute 20E, part of the Trans-Canada highway system, and traverse a 140 km gauntlet of towns named after saints you probably wouldn’t know: Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover, Sainte-Eulalie, Sainte Janvier-de-Joly, Saint Apollinaire, Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, and my personal favourite, Saint-Redempteur (Sounds ominous…I told you it was the final destination 🙂 )
  • Jump on Autoroute 73N and cross the St Lawrence River.
  • Follow the QC-175 through Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge until you see the walls surrounding the citadel of Old Quebec.

Old Quebec is a fascinating place; once inside the citadel, I had a sense of lurching back in time. The narrow roadways, short streets and dead-ends that surrounded common areas all fed into the allure. Below is the tourist map of the town layout including the waterfront. Those from Halifax on the east coast may recognize a familiar pointed configuration of the fort. The city walls extend along the top of the cliff to the right, with the land side guarded with gatehouse towers depicted on the left.

(Whilst typing the previous paragraph, I was distracted by, and continued trying to read the graffiti at the bottom of the panel. I think it’s in French, might start with a ‘5’ or end with a ‘Z’. Tilting your head doesn’t seem to help either).

As we were in town for only two nights, it was unfortunate that one of them was very rainy. We walked around anyway, with my shoes soaking through almost immediately. At least with overcast skies, it allowed for some nice pictures of the shiny streetscapes. I found the detour signs amusing; they suggest that it doesn’t matter where you go, just don’t go straight.

What would a trip to Quebec City be without a gratuitous photo of Chateau Frontenac? The hotel, operated by Fairmont, was built in 1893 by Canadian Pacific Railway at a time when rail was a prominent method of travel for the country’s affluent citizens. These grand hotels were luxurious in every way, replete with themed rooms, restaurants, and conference facilities. The Royal York in Toronto, and Banff Springs are other examples of the chateauesque style inspired by French Renaissance architecture of many chateaux lining the Loire River in central France. With the asymmetry, steeply pitched roofs, and often featuring ornate towers or spires, these structures are truly awe-inspiring.

Below left: The interior of the Notre-Dame-de-Quebec Basilica Cathedral. You may have caught the shot of the basilica’s street exterior in the gallery above. The inside is far more impressive; the detail of the arches, pulpit and stain glass that fill the clerestory windows is astounding.

Below right: A bust of King Louis XIV, better known as Louis the Great or the Sun King. Louis holds a legacy of French colonial expansion in the late 1600s into the early 1700s. He is the record holder for the longest serving monarch of a sovereign state, at 72 years and 110 days (1643-1715). Number two is Queen Elizabeth II of England, with a reign of 70 years, 214 days. The main difference being that young Louis ascended at age 4 upon his father’s death; he did not assume absolute rule until he reached the age of majority in 1661. Apparently, he thought rather highly of himself. The statue below is one of at least 20 he commissioned during his rule, along with upwards of 300 formal portraits. He nurtured his image as the Sun King, or the centre of the universe “without equal”.

The sides of the next two buildings are full murals! In the second example, you would swear the left hand corner pillar and windows are real. The wet grounds divulge the fact the rains were still swirling; sans umbrella, we didn’t get the chance to properly stop and fully study these works of art.

For our second day, the weather cooperated and we circled about to visit areas that we thought interesting from the evening before. One of the most fascinating was the Christmas Store, or La Boutique de Noel. If you are a fan of Christmas, the selection under this roof is incredible. Below is the view from the mezzanine, but it truly doesn’t do it justice. Every alcove, nook and cranny was full of ornaments, displays, figurines, and wreaths in every shape and size.

During our walkabout. gazing in shop windows suggested a heavy lean towards tourism; many stores featured standard Quebec-themed giftware or clothing. However, there were also plenty of high-end clothing boutiques and jewelry shops in every quadrant. There was one that stood out: Geomania. So much so, we bought souvenirs for friends and family back home. A geologist’s dream, there were displays and samples of mineral deposits alongside custom jewelry and polished stones. Each mineral they feature had its own section, with an entire room dedicated to a Jade museum, with stones mined locally in the province.

Also, there was this:

I’m sure folks were just sitting around the fire, contemplating the meaning of life and riffing on how yogurt was just so boring. Someone had an idea to add flavouring to it. Sure…vanilla, fruit, it’s all been done. Not so fast! Let’s add mint to the yogurt! While we’re at it, let’s add carbonated water to the mix and let it separate!

Surely, I jest. In fact, this beverage is called Doogh, a cold and savoury Iranian drink made of fermented milk that traces its history to Persian times. The word itself derives from the persian word for milking, dooshidan. It is the main Iranian drink to accompany meals.

Descending the steps into Lower town, we reach the small commercial sector of Petit Champlain. Mostly a pedestrian area, there is a collection of 45 vendors to explore as part of a co-op. The layout is depicted below. You can tell the main street is rather narrow and it was densely packed. We stopped off for an afternoon snack at Pub des Borgia for a plate of yummy smoked meat nachos before perusing the shops along the strip. There were fudgeries, fashion shops, jewelry stores, art galleries, various coffee bars and restaurants. We didn’t eat at The Crazy Pig or the Sauteed Rabbit, but checked out the menus for fun. There was also a fashion store called FLM. Due to the family-friendly nature of this blog, I have decided not to post the sandwich-board sign that spells out “F*** La Mode” 🙂

Below left: The view from the stairs connecting the upper and lower portions of town.

Below right: Looking up the street from the water towards the Funicular, a lift that rises about 60m on a 45 degree grade up the side of the promontory. The ride is barely a minute but a convenient way to travel the 20 storeys between Upper and Lower Town.

After an afternoon of shopping and tripping on cobblestones, we wanted something special to mark our final evening of the trip. Passing a few places on the walk, I decided to fall back to Italian food once again and made reservations for Restaurant au Parmesan. Only about a block away from Chateau Frontenac, the place was packed. Thankful for the reservation, we were seated in a side room where the noise level was decent. The molding across the top of every wall was chock full of liquor bottles and glassware. The bottles weren’t just the standard single malt variety you’d find in an Irish pub, but spirits from foreign countries in all sorts of fantastic shapes and colours. Every inch of wall was adorned with mirrors, decorative shields, and commemorative dishes. Adding to the ambiance, an organetto player circled the room playing Italian folk music. The food was decent, but pricey. I seem to remember having the rack of lamb listed as a house specialty, but it doesn’t stand out. However, the wine list was extensive and they featured some interesting desserts, including une Tarte au Sirop d’Erable (Maple Syrup Pie). I would recommend enjoying a meal here if you get the chance.

On the morning of Aug 22, we settled for the last eggs and a few remaining pieces of toast. Checking out of our AirBnB around 9 am, we embarked on the last 1000 km of our journey home, following the Trans-Canada along the St. Lawrence and into New Brunswick at the Edmundston crossing. Save for a biology break and a late lunch in Fredericton at the Rustico (driving through my dad’s old neighbourhood in the process), we took turns driving the 10 hours home.

During the long stretch in the car, I had plenty of time to think and reflect. The impact of this trip, at this time of my life, and with the people I love the most will stay with me forever. This odyssey represented more than a vacation, but an important point in time on my own personal journey. I will leave those thoughts for another day and perhaps another post!

Thank you for reading! It’s been a delight to share this experience with all of you.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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The Odyssey, Part 9 – White River Junction

I couldn’t come up with anything clever or cute for the title this round, though White River Junction sounds like the proper setting for a western, replete with saloon, general store, and train bandits. Alas, this village on the Vermont-New Hampshire border does not hold the excitement of a duel at high noon, but we’ll get to that in due course.

Leaving Cooperstown Monday morning, there were some mixed emotions; though lamenting the fact we only had three more days to adventure, we still had lots of miles/kilometres to go and plenty to see driving through the mountainous state of Vermont. During the initial draft of the itinerary, I had wanted to stay in the state capital of Montpelier, until we looked at the tourism page for Montpelier. If you are a fan of the outdoors, there are plenty of hiking and camping opportunities in the mountains. Other than that, the Vermont History Museum looked interesting but is closed on Mondays, and the state house might have been a draw except we didn’t know anything about Vermont politics besides US Senator Bernie Sanders and his mittens.

Instead we opted for the more direct route along the interstate up Vermont’s eastern boundary, saving us some significant time.

Leaving due south on NY-28:

  • Turn left on NY-166 at Milford.
  • Snake your way to Maryland (the town named after the state) and turn left on NY-7E
  • Merge onto I-88 at Schenevus and continue 47 miles past Worcester, Richmondville, a place actually named Lawyersville (a hamlet northwest of Cobleskill village), Quaker Street (also a hamlet), and Duanesburg.
  • Branch off onto the I-90E at Rotterdam
  • Continue east towards the western outskirts of Albany, NY, the state capital and head north on the I-87.
  • After about 5 minutes north of Latham, veer to the right back onto NY-7E (the same one as before)
  • Cross the Hudson River into downtown Troy, NY, a city of approximately 50,000 that was first chartered way back in 1816.

Our foursome opted to make a pit-stop in Troy before crossing into the lovely green mountain state of Vermont. We were about 90 minutes into the day’s journey and the route ahead appeared sparse of rest areas and other services. I like to learn some about the surroundings, so here are a few fun facts about Troy:

  1. Named after the legendary Greek city of Troy, made famous from Homer’s Iliad.
  2. When central NY was settled in the post-revolutionary years, Troy followed the same trend towards the choosing of classical names, with other examples being Syracuse, Utica, Ithaca, and Rome.
  3. Samuel Wilson (1766-1854) was a butcher and meat-packer during the War of 1812 and supplied the military. From local lore, he would stamp the meat barrels with U.S., which was interpreted as United States or Uncle Sam. Troy claims to be the historical home of Uncle Sam, and Mr. Wilson is buried north of the city.

It took some searching, but I managed to find the plaza contained in the purple square below:

Contained in this plaza are a Dollar Tree and a Market 32, a grocery chain under the banner of Price Chopper. They have a pharmacy department within the store. I thought it would be a great opportunity to scope out another pharmacy chain and perhaps find something for Dad’s wonky back. In all fairness, sitting for extended periods was taking a toll on all of us.

Proceeding through the front doors, the pharmacy was in the left front corner just past the small liquor section. Combing the shelves for common products, I scanned for first aid remedies, cough and cold, vitamins and finally hit the pain relievers, only to find that Robaxacet or similar were notably absent. Striding up to the pharmacy counter I asked where they kept muscle relaxants. The assistant looked at me quizzically and repeated the question with an inflection that suggested a degree of confusion. She then called over the pharmacist who informed me that I would need a prescription. Incredulous, I mentioned I was traveling from out of state and didn’t realize. She correctly surmised my Canadian roots as it was a common misunderstanding. At this point, my brain raced through an inner narrative that went something like this:

Wow! Back home these items are Schedule II, in a self-selection area of the pharmacy department. As a pharmacist myself, these products are routinely recommended for minor muscle-related injuries, helping with symptoms ranging from spasms to broken sleep. As scope expands for pharmacists, we are seeing an increasing number of orphan patients and are prescribing for a steadily growing number of health conditions. We are more than capable to appropriately provide these products with proper counseling and follow-up. It seems backwards that the States would be more restrictive than we are up north.

What actually came out of my mouth was simply, “Wow! You folks sure are backwards down here.”

I don’t believe it was rudely delivered, but more with an air of disbelief. As I walked from the counter it dawned on me that 1) I failed to share that I was a pharmacist and 2) they had not developed keen mind-reading abilities to deduce that I had a strong opinion on how their practice in this instance compared with ours. I then spent the next 15 minutes kicking myself for being such an ass and becoming one of ‘those’ know-it-all patients whereby the team would wait a few beats until I was out of view, then gaggle together and slag my behaviour. It was well-deserved.

A quick trip to the Dollar Tree netted a 6-pack of Ted Lasso-themed socks (thanks Mom!) and we were moving on:

  • Continue along NY-7 E for a half-hour towards Hoosick NY.
  • Once you hit the Vermont welcome sign, take the VT-279 E into Bennington where the exit directs you north on US-7.
  • Begin your ascent along the mountain ridge for 20 minutes to Manchester and exit east on VT-30S / VT-11E
  • For almost an hour, the route travels through the mountains through Peru, Londonderry and Chester before reaching Rockingham on the other side of the state. Unfortunately, we encountered very little in the way of rest stops or lookout points, similar to passing through the Catskills. We are spoiled living in eastern Canada!
  • Jumping on the I-91 due north along the New Hampshire border, we see our first mention of Montreal directing us closer to home. We arrived in White River Junction in the early afternoon.

Another one of those Census-designated places, White River Junction is a small unincorporated village of 2,500 people within the Town of Hartford. It’s quite small, but two minutes across the bridge spanning the Connecticut River lies West Lebanon, NH, with twice the population and services.

We decided to take the leap and visit our sixth state for supper, finding ourselves in the proper city of Lebanon, the only city in the county. Downtown wasn’t much, a series of 3-storey buildings that ringed a commons park. Circling this land are 3-lanes of one-way traffic and diagonal parking spaces. We were told that accidents are frequent due to a combination of poor visibility and unfamiliar drivers.

Once parked, the sky began to open up. I managed to get a shot of city hall before getting soaked.

We ate at Salt Hill Pub, a popular Irish-themed establishment with a laid back vibe. The menu is varied and the portions were large. I ordered the Pub Mac with buffalo chicken and Gorgonzola. I have a love/hate relationship with blue cheese; the taste can certainly complement dishes but when it overwhelms the palate, some meals have been ruined. Thankfully, this arrangement was amazing. The perfect blend of kick from the buffalo sauce and a sharp tang from the cheese. The plate was bigger than my face so half of the portion came for a car ride back to the hotel.

On the way back, we found an outlet liquor store and decided to satisfy our trip allotment. I was in awe; a full service grocery store space filled with any booze you can imagine, with no state sales tax! I happened to be on a bourbon kick and wrestled away a bottle of Bib and Tucker’s Double Char. Interestingly enough, Whistlepig distillery is local to the area, but unfortunately, their tasting venues were closed during our stay. Some of their lineup is making its way to boutiques in our neck of the woods.

Tomorrow we bid farewell to our neighbours to the south. With two days in Old Quebec left on the itinerary, we looked forward to the perfect end to a perfect trip!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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The Odyssey, Part 7 – Turning the Other Cheektowaga

Turning for home with a sense of accomplishment, there was plenty of adventuring left to be had on the second half of our journey. Before we do, a bit of a sidebar related to my chosen health profession.

As you remember from Part 6, we enjoyed some brews at Helltown, and Friday evening we had eaten dinner at Applebee’s in Mt. Pleasant. To get there, we drove straight to the middle of town, to the corner of West Main and South Diamond. Below left is a picture of the town boundary, the purple line is Helltown, and the orange circle is the intersection. This stood out to for two reasons:

1) the statue/monument in the centre of the intersection. As a foreign driver unfamiliar with traffic flow, pulling up to the light was somewhat strange; it appears that you’re aimed to drive straight into the monument, especially in the dark. It’s almost like a roundabout without the middle section, just an object in the middle of the roadway. You’ll notice that with the direction we were traveling, the stop line was quite a distance from the intersection. We needed to pull up, veer right and cut left around the backside of the monument.

2) Tobacco-Land – The green box above-right caught my eye so we snapped a picture on the way back through. Nowadays, the decline in smoking and tobacco product sales as largely been brought about through public health initiatives. As a pharmacist, I strongly believe that smoking tobacco long term takes such a toll on the human body, both physically and emotionally. It presents a significant comorbidity to so many chronic health issues, including pulmonary, cardiac and diabetes complications. That said, even with the best intentions, it’s not an easy habit to break, so accessibility is important. Smoke shops were once quite prevalent in corner stores and pharmacies, but the few that remain are usually not as obvious.

Hopefully, this shop owner will consider a re-branding before too long.

Getting back on track, our intrepid explorers feasted at the hallowed continental breakfast area of the hotel and set northward towards New York state:

This was a fairly straight run to our destination, and at just under 4 hours (all but 5 minutes being highway), one of the quicker commutes to date:

  • Hopped on the I-76 (PA Turnpike) towards Pittsburgh. Continuing northwest on this road across the Ohio border would take you to Cleveland, the site of the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame and the birthplace of Drew Carey. Many would recognize his celebrity from either his stand-up comedy routines, the self-titled Drew Carey Show, his hosting duties on the improv hit, “Whose Line is it Anyway?”, or as host of The Price is Right following Bob Barker’s retirement.
  • Needing to re-route north on the I-79 at the Cranberry Township, we encountered a rather odd interchange:

If left to our own devices, passing the highway and doubling-back through numerous squiggles on the map, we were sure to get disoriented and lost. Thankfully our navigation system kept us on track!

  • We continued north on the I-79, passing Harmony, Portersville, Amsterdam, Kerrtown, and the curiously spelled Edinboro. Incidentally, this route passes about 20 minutes west of Butler, PA, the site of the presidential campaign rally where an assassination attempt took place.
  • Reaching Erie, we veered onto highway I-90 and continued northeast passing North East (a real place) and the NY/PA border.
  • Once we were back in the empire state, we followed the great Lake Erie through Barcelona, Dunkirk, Silver Creek, and Lackawanna until we descended on Cheektowaga, the 2nd most populous inner suburb of Buffalo, after Amherst, NY.

Cheektowaga was not originally on the itinerary. For the past 2+ decades I had kept in touch with a former professor from my pharmacy program. He had left Dalhousie University in Halifax and moved his young family to Erie, PA to start a new position. We had visited with ‘Dr. Bob’ and his wife a handful of times in the ensuing years. I still fondly recall our last trip to Erie and visit to the Quaker Steak and Lube, a restaurant chain operating in states up and down the eastern seaboard. Most notable was their hot sauce menu. The current list has 22 entries, including Atomic Scorpion (which probably requires a waiver), but I recall it being considerably longer 15 years ago.

At any rate, our plan was to connect in Erie on our way through to Niagara/Buffalo until I was informed they had left Pennsylvania once he retired from teaching. The kids were grown and out of the nest, so it was time them to downsize. Thankfully it was conveniently along our planned route so we booked a hotel for the night.

Cheektowaga is the home to roughly 90,000 people. The town was named Chictawauga by the Seneca people, the western-most of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. It translates to ‘Land of the Crabapples’. Originally a rural farming community, post-WWII saw a population boom and suburban sprawl. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation erected a plant that provided employment for decades. A few quick tidbits:

  • The town encompasses some smaller villages and neighborhoods, one of which is called ‘South Cheektowaga / South Line’, not to be confused with the census-designated place (CDP – there’s that term again) also called Cheektowaga that contains about 85% of the total population.
  • 40% of the residents are of Polish descent, and is the sister-city of Lowicz, in central Poland. A further 30% are of German descent. Incidentally, Lowicz also has similar cultural and commercial ties with cities in Germany, France, Lithuania and two others in Poland.
  • Notable celebrities from the area include Christine Baranski (The Good Wife, Mamma Mia!, Bad Mom’s Christmas), and Danny Ozark, the late former manager of the Philadelphia Phillies during the 70’s.

Upon arrival, we settled in to our third straight Holiday Inn (love those IHG loyalty points!). Our friends lived a short 7-min drive away and met us at the hotel to catch up. It’s amazing how you can meet with people after so long but still pick things things up where they had left off. We chatted for a couple of hours before they led us north to the town of Lockport, and the New York Beer Project for a relaxing dinner.

With Lockport being the original, there are three locations in NY state, and one in Orlando, FL. The ambiance feels more like a beer garden than conventional restaurant. With a massive open concept bar the size of an industrial warehouse, this site features a full brewery, a gastropub, a separate taproom for smaller groups, a patio and tiki-bar, a second-level events space and rooftop terrace.

The menu is fabulous and varied. I settled on the Carnegie Sandwich, with turkey, bacon and swiss on sourdough. The burgers were also fabulous, and all came with an incredible side of fries, which could be upgraded to sweet potato with their ‘brown sugar and cream cheese sauce’. The beers were decent, but not too memorable, with the Cherry Blonde standing out.

Choosing to have a quiet evening back at the hotel, we said our goodbyes and made our way back to once again fight with the smart TV.

Please join us next time, where we head east towards one of my favourite spots: Cooperstown, NY and the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I took entirely too many pictures but will do my best to whittle them down.

Until then, Happy New Year! See you in 2025!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Hanging Up the White Sport Coat

Perhaps the title may be a bit confusing for some; reading a pharmacy-centric blog, surely I must have meant a white lab coat. Maybe someone is retiring or taking on a new role within the profession that doesn’t require the customary uniform?

Alas, my reason for writing today is one of personal loss. The only real pharmacy connection I can find relates to my career in continuing care and servicing the needs of the frail elderly. Quality of life is paramount in this population, but being objective with decision making requires a certain degree of disconnection, and none of it truly prepared me for this day.

My maternal grandfather passed peacefully on Jan 23, 2024 at the age of 102. It was a life well-lived and loved. He, like my grandmere (also 102) was of sound mind and independently living in the same house where my mother and her 7 siblings all grew up. It’s not often that someone in middle-age gets to boast that they still look forward to visiting the homestead for a serving of rappie pie from the oven, or fresh biscuits and beans. My teenage daughters also cherish their relationship with one of the longest married couples in all of Canada, spanning 9 decades and lasting approximately 81 years, 190 days.

He was a proud WW2 veteran and member of the Wedgeport Legion Branch 155. Stories of the war were plentiful, especially in his later years. During my pharmacy degree, I performed a 2-week hospital rotation in Yarmouth and lived with them about 10-15 minutes outside of town. They were in their late seventies at the time and were absolutely thriving. It was always amazing to me how well they both moved around the house without a hint of a limp or other injury. My grandmere would knit on the couch (still does today), while grandpere would fuss with his garden in a plot across the road. Visitors were always constant and everyone welcomed.

War stories aside, Charlie was a man of music. He was always humming and playing the harmonica. Most of the tunes I didn’t recognize save for the chosen few he would perform during fundraising variety shows at the Legion. Many of my family members participated in those shows; they never failed to be crowd-pleasers.

I was asked the day before the funeral if I would sing in the choir. It was bound to be an emotional ride for my aunts on the pulpit and we wanted to all be up there for support. Of course there was no hesitation even though I hadn’t heard the songs since the time I had been an altar server in junior high. Before we started, I made a point to say, ‘He gave us all these voices, now it’s time to use them.’ We managed to hold it together for most of the mass. The acoustics in this 200 year old church were warm and full. My mother stepped up to deliver the eulogy, and promptly read a poem she had written for her father’s 90th birthday. It contained anecdotes about returning home after being away for three full years overseas, raising eight children with his bride, his fondness for the good times, and his generous and gentle nature. There was not a dry eye in the house. Everyone did an amazing job that was fitting for an amazing life.

Rest in peace our beloved Grandpere Charlie…you’re up there serenading the angels in your white sport coat and pink carnation.

https://www.huskilson.net/obituary/charles-charlie-muise

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Missed a Deadline

It seems that I may have moved a few things down the priority list over the past year. Unfortunately, writing has been one of them that languished near the bottom. Every so often, a spark would fire in my brain; an amusing comment about the recent demands on the profession, or an observation related to the breakneck pace of market changes, would flicker and dissipate before I had the chance to commit those thoughts on paper.

It might be a form of burnout, but with every month that passed without a completed article, the mental pressure began to rise. This was a strange phenomenon, as writing had always been my solace; a safe place to reflect and find silver linings amongst the shadows.

One night in early April, I had checked in early to a Sydney hotel room. Catching up on some messages, it dawned on me is that we were quickly approaching a huge milestone: the 10-year anniversary of this blog! In my fervor to finally chase an inspiration, I clicked on my PharmAspire bookmark, typed in my username and password, and lo-and-behold, was met with the following message:

‘For security reasons, your account has been locked. Please click the following link to reset your password’.

With the recent uptick in cyberattacks across the globe, it has been prudent for many services to impose a form of 2-factor authentication. As I hadn’t logged in for way too long, these changes occurred in the background at some point. No problem, I tell myself, I’ll just follow the link and reset.

Big problem.

The rescue email I had originally used to set up the site was on a friend’s server that was now defunct. Another method I could have used to identify myself as the user of the blog would be to provide my initial welcome email confirmation when setting up the site. Did I mention that the email account was no longer available, and that it was 10 years ago? The third way was to provide a transaction code for a paid subscription to the website. That didn’t work either as the site was free when I joined.

Thankfully, through a contact I have with the parent company for WordPress, I was steered in the right direction and was able to prove this collection of content, many of which contain fanciful metaphors and questionable sentence construction, has been created by yours truly. To be honest, I haven’t felt that sense of relief in awhile.

This is a short post. I haven’t spent the proper time to edit so forgive me for the rough nature of the prose. As I ease back into things, I’ll quickly sum up:

  • I had lost access for a short while to the site, but am now back up and running
  • Thank you to those who have pushed me in the past year to get back to writing; the pharmacy profession has been facing its share of challenges, but we’ll continue to find and talk about all the amazing things being done to improve patient care.
  • It has been WAAAY too long since I’ve written anything for myself. The break was necessary, but I’m ready to rediscover my passions.

For those who have followed me for some time, you may be aware that I have been dabbling in musical theatre over the past 5 years. The pandemic interrupted many productions, and this current project is 3 years in the making, with multiple stops and starts due to gathering limits. I have been cast in Jesus Christ Superstar, with a run this coming weekend from Jun 2-4 in Wolfville, NS.

If anything could inspire a few future posts, it’s the magic of storytelling on a grand scale!

Stay tuned…

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Chased By The Dinosaur – Part 1

It’s been over 8 months.

8 months of vaccination clinics. 8 months of feeling so close to reopening. 8 months of waiting for the miserable pandemic to end. 8 months of writing attempts that never saw the ‘publish’ button. I have therefore resorted to Jurassic Park-esque imagery to help maintain my focus for another 700 words.

During these 8 months, I’ve paused on quite a few things in my life in an effort to really seek out what is important. Like you, my friends and family have handled this crisis and coped with their fear in markedly different ways. There is a spectrum of behaviours, from outright flaunting the rules, to occasionally bending them for mental health reasons, all the way to isolating from everyone regardless of public health advice. There are members of the public in staunch opposition to government mandates and to the vaccination itself. There are others who feel government hasn’t been aggressive or decisive enough with restrictions. As a healthcare provider, I do trust public health officials. Just as I have devoted my career and livelihood as a pharmacist to seek the best outcomes for the populace, I expect the same of them. Even if we may not always agree with how to get there, we are unified in the why: we need to keep people as safe and healthy as possible.

I wrote in a previous post that time seems to simultaneously drag and disappear. While the outside world continued to be consumed by coronavirus variants, personal routines with work and school have not been the same at all. If you line up all of those long, drawn-out hours spent at home where nothing happened, they somehow condense into large blocks of time where nothing happened. In fact, I was out earlier helping an elderly neighbour shovel her driveway and asked about her husband, who hadn’t been well for some time. She informed me that he had passed before the pandemic started, which was 3 YEARS ago. Between masking, bubbles, and distancing, I’ve lost touch with so many people, but that one had me swallowing a little harder.

As we re-emerge, one thing is certain: another wave of change. Change has been foist upon us at many stages in the past 2 years, most of it has been rather uncomfortable. In pharmacy, most of the changes had to do with educating the public on everything from which prescribing services were available in the absence of primary care and walk-in services, to everything vaccine: availability, eligibility, booking, cancelling appointments, testing types, public health isolation recommendations, and more were funneled though frontline teams. We’ve contributed to getting vaccines into arms and doing our best to support a fragile healthcare system. Pharmacy initiatives that have been in the works for years have been fast-tracked, and due to a worsening physician shortage, many pharmacists are finding themselves as the main point of contact for many patients and their families. These changes are extremely stressful but they a quickly becoming public expectations. Those of us who have been practicing for awhile are attempting to meet these new prescribing expectations head on. This leads me to my next point….

This dinosaur to which I have referred isn’t coronavirus, or public health, or the confusion sown by the rapidly changing evidence. I’m actually running from the thought of being labelled a dinosaur.

(to be continued)

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Looking Through the Hourglass

It felt like May was particularly rainy and glum this year. Maybe that’s because mowing season has started and I find myself needing to schedule 30-min blocks in between the sprinkles and showers so I don’t end up with a mire in the back yard.

Also…it’s early-JULY.

We were so happy to mark the end of 2020, and already 2021 is half over. A close friend lamented this morning that in the moment, individual days seem to be long and torturous, yet strings of them grouped together seem to disappear in a flash. It has been hopeful to see provincial governments put plans into place for reopening society given the aggressive vaccination plans leading into the summer.

My thoughts today aren’t even pandemic-related per se; in fact, my last post was about visualizing that finish line and trusting the public health officials who have access to the best evidence in the world. Instead, I’m really marveling at the amount of time spent and time lost since first receiving word in December 2019 that an emerging virus could potentially amount to a global threat. That was a full 18 months ago.

As I settle comfortably into my middle-age with a pharmacy career that spanned two decades in June, 18 months represents the halfway point to a mortgage renewal, or a quarter of the way to paying off the car. Thankfully, my job hasn’t been reduced or cut, and I have had all the means to hunker down and isolate for prolonged periods. The same can’t be said for so many who are struggling, so I am thankful my family has been healthy and safe. For perspective, that time period represents about a 1/30 of my life experience. I immediately think of my kids in junior high and high school. At a time when they should be out and about, networking, learning lessons on independence and consequence, those 18 months have meant that approximately 10% of their lives have been dominated by public health messaging and restrictions.

Sometimes I take for granted what it felt like to be a teenager. Professionally, counseling them on acne creams and birth control is part of the daily routine for me, but extremely important to them. Keeping focus in the classroom on a sunny day in May or June used to be challenging enough, but taking classes from home on Zoom calls ratchets up the difficulty. With after-school club activities all but eliminated for the entire year, there has been minimal talk of band practice, theatre rehearsals and volleyball drills. I hesitate to say the year was lost because we learned so much that will help us as a society in the future, but many opportunities for personal development were certainly missed.

We are now poised to enter phase 3 of reopening here in NS. There will be larger gathering limits, indoor dining, and tourist attractions are polishing up in hopes of a busy summer of travel. It really can’t come soon enough; looking through that hourglass, we’ve watched a lot of sand fall to the bottom. The only sand I hope to see this summer will be under a beach towel, as friends and family gather to smell some BBQ and watch the sun go down.

Time is a precious gift. Cherish those moments when you can, as time has a way of marching on whether we notice or not.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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A Long Walk Out Of A Dark Place

On the rainy Easter weekend, I was wondering…is anyone else getting tired of hearing the word ‘epidemiology’?

Listening to the Nova Scotia government press briefing earlier that week, I noticed the messaging has significantly shifted to positive reports of mass vaccinations and updates on emerging evidence surrounding the currently approved vaccines. We here on the east coast of Canada are fortunate to have low case numbers, and our surges have not been as dramatic or prolonged as those of other provinces, but that hasn’t made it any easier for businesses or recreational gatherings in the community. If anything, successful flattening of the curve through a coordinated effort between Public Health and a cooperative public has meant earlier and more severe restrictions on movement. We’ve been missing our friends and family for well over a year.

Now the good news: the public is getting vaccinated at a rapid rate. As of this writing, community pharmacies have been immunizing for about 3 weeks in NS. After starting with a small handful of successful pilot sites, the program expanded so that most community pharmacies will have appointments available by the end of April. A public health initiative this large is rife with potential pitfalls: coordination between provincial and federal governments, logistical snafus with freezer storage and distribution, and the implementation of the latest evidence around PPE, vaccine side effects, and dosing intervals all serve to complicate clinic rollouts. Finding and implementing immunizers presents the most critical challenge of the moment. Delays could allow more contagious, variant strains to further complicate the pandemic by allowing them time to spread before herd immunity is achieved.

More good news! Nova Scotians are rallying to the cause of mass immunization. Even with all of the stress we have endured over the past 15 months, people are lining up to receive their inoculation with responsible enthusiasm. Pharmacists are eager to be a part of this initiative, many applying to work overtime hours in public health clinics as well as their own stores. Retired nurses and pharmacists are applying for re-licensure to offer their support. The collaboration between front store retail staff and pharmacy personnel to coordinate onsite clinics is like nothing I have experienced previously. Social media posts are full of people telling their friends that they have received their first shot. People can once again envision a trip to the theatre, a sporting event, a parade, or a live concert.

The path is still lengthy but home is in view. The immunization effort will last until August at least, but every week that passes is one week closer to putting the strain of coronavirus behind us and enjoying the little things we might have taken for granted. We now know how to see this through, though none of it would be possible without tough commitment to the public health measures we know by heart: wearing a mask, keeping safe distance, and washing our hands. Thank you to everyone who has done their best to stick to the recommendations.

Sometimes it feels like we’ve been walking through a deep, dark valley that seems endless. Up ahead in the distance, we finally catch a glimpse of a clearing. Keep moving. We’ll get there soon.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation

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A (Rapid) Turn of the Page

Every year I find myself wanting to write about New Year‘s. There is a desire to summarize wins from the past year and look forward to larger opportunities in the new. Often the personal and professional lives of a pharmacist are intertwined, so any resolutions affecting one can have a direct impact on the other.

We all know 2020 was wild, no need to pretend we didn’t notice.

I wrote my last post in Oct, it was 6 months after the start of this pandemic. In that time, I’ve probably had a dozen article ideas ranging from breaking down the past flu season rush to Thanksgiving thoughts. There were thoughts of some Hallowe’en zaniness with some inevitable reference to cloxacillin capsules, and congrats to those pharmacist candidates finally able to write their PEBCs. Every single time I began a paragraph, I couldn’t help but reference the mixed up state of the world due to Covid. I got tired of comparing or contrasting everything we know and love with what’s been happening, so I took the coward’s way out:

I waited for 2020 to fade into the background and 2021 to take centre stage.

The page hasn’t so much turned, as we’re still in the throes of a global pandemic, but it does feel like the story is taking a new direction. Were there silver linings from all of the disruption? Absolutely. However it’s safe to say that an overwhelming majority of those near and dear to me are happy to put 2020 in the rearview mirror.

With that in mind, here is a partial list of my aspirations for this year. I hesitate to call them resolutions, only because one of my aspirations is to go easier on myself when I’m not as resolute as I want to be:

  • Look forward to things – meeting friends, taking day trips, going window shopping, planning projects, etc. Living day to day in isolation is a sacrifice we make to keep others safe, but we can’t take for granted the incredible toll it has taken on our collective mental health.
  • Better discipline – to make time for things that are important. Working from home has changed the dynamic between productive work and downtime. Schedules are fuzzy and personal accountability is paramount. I strive to improve my focus and re-establish a routine that properly dedicates time to work, and prioritizing my physical and mental wellness.
  • Go easy on myself and those around me – For those that experience anxiety and depressive symptoms on a regular basis, the past year was another monumental challenge to face. As the economy opens, remember that better days are ahead, though it won’t be a straight line progression. There will continue to be days of self-doubt and isolation. That is okay, and expected.
  • Communicate – Being open and honest with those I love is more important to me now than ever before. This extends to my professional life as well; being comfortable articulating my feelings around my work makes it easier for my managers to work with me to keep our work engaging and rewarding.

2021 is not the light at the end of the tunnel, but the light ahead shining over a vast sea of opportunity. Let’s sail forward together.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Finding Silver Linings

Thank you to the many friends and family that have taken the time to reach out since my last post on March 15. What seems like years ago was in fact the day my home province of Nova Scotia first reported active cases of Covid-19. As Wikipedia summarizes:

On March 15, Nova Scotia’s first three presumptive cases were detected, all travel-related.

The world has not been the same, and as a result we have all been challenged to find the positives while living within the chaotic uncertainty of the dreaded ‘new normal.’

I have been no different. Isolation was torturous. Mentally, my strength ebbed and flowed much like a tide; I felt that certain days offered some hope that things would return to normal sooner than expected, but there were significant stretches where that semblance of a familiar routine seemed to be getting further and further away. Productivity was down, tensions were up, and distance was affecting relationships.

2020 has so many memes depicting all the horrible and controversial events of the year, and there are too many to list. At what point can we get this train to slow down?

After writing for 7 years, I’ve always relied on this method to put thoughts down and read them back later. It forces me to frame what is happening and what I’m feeling as part of a bigger picture instead of allowing an event (or in the case of 2020, a ridiculous series of events) to overtake all the beauty in the world. After 6 months on hiatus, it’s time to once again channel that energy by writing about the positive changes we’re seeing, particularly in the pharmacy profession:

  • Essential Workers – by any description, those that kept essential services running, and those who worked to support each other through the worst of the pandemic, your passion and dedication is inspirational. I am especially proud of my pharmacy colleagues everywhere for stepping up in so many ways to fill significant healthcare gaps.
  • Conditionally-Licensed Pharmacists – In March, clinical rotations were cancelled, licensing exams were postponed and grad ceremonies were a pipe dream. In many jurisdictions the Class of 2020 were granted the ability to practice at full scope at a time when staff were being quarantined, case loads were rising and teams were being separated. They did not disappoint!
  • Technician Expanded Scope – the move in NS to allow Technician or Technician candidates to perform medication administration via injection will significantly help reduce the burden on what is expected to be a high-demand flu season.
  • Focus on Diversity and Inclusion – The awareness, continued discussion, and meaningful action to address underrepresented and marginalized groups will lead to a much stronger society. We are just scratching the surface and need to keep issues of inequality and equity at the forefront.
  • Social Networks – Physical distancing has kept families and friends apart for way too long, but that distance has been necessary to avoid viral spread to vulnerable members of our society. Video chat applications are now much more prominent in the workplace and the home to keep people engaged. So far I’ve tried Zoom, FaceTime, MS Teams, Webex, and Skype for one-on-ones, group chats with my theatre company, and for hosting education sessions with university classes. It doesn’t replace in-person, but sure beats marathon conference calls!
  • Redefining work environments – Similar to above, we are recognizing that many administrative functions may be transplanted off-site from a traditional office environment. There is less time spent traveling, and schedule coordination is easier.

We are coming out of Wave 1 for the worst pandemic the world has seen since 1918, so recovery is expected to be slow and arduous. I’ll be using these written words to remind myself that we learn and grow no matter the test to our personal constitutions. It will prevent the wrong type of pessimism to affect my outlook for the remainder of 2020.

It’s good to be back 🙂

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.