Kyle Lowry, Walter White, March Madness and More

By Michael Cusden in Big Green Egg, Food, Kids, Media & Entertainment, Sports, Toronto
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Well it’s Mid-March and we are officially a year into this mess known as the pandemic and now the media is pushing the arrival of the third wave. Cool.

Does anyone else feel like March 2020 and March 2021 have merged? Thank goodness I have an Instagram feed to remind me that the last 12 months existed. Seriously, if I close my eyes, I can instantly go back to this time last year and it feels like it is now. We were on the kid’s March Break, or March Broke as I was calling it, and trying to navigate staying busy with the boys.

It’s been a year since signing up for Disney +. It’s been a year since I started playing Red Dead Redemption. It’s been a year since I watched no March Madness.

Anyways, how are you? How is life going for you? Gotten your vaccine yet?

How about a brain dump?

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4 Ways I Am Coping with Being Stuck at Home

By Michael Cusden in Food, Parenting, Toronto
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As we come up on one year of basically being stuck at home, I wanted to share four ways I am personally coping for the sake of my mental health.

We all have our own situation. Small businesses closed, others working from home, online school, no eating out, can’t see friends and family and the list goes on. Just walking outside feels like a luxury at this point.

I have written before on the benefits of us all being at home, but what about me? How am I personally getting my mind through the day? What small things are bringing me happiness?

Oh and to avoid anyone saying, what about your wife and kids bringing you joy, that of course should go without even being said. They get me through the down days and I do the same in return.

This post is about me and my solo time activities that take my mind off of vaccine roll outs, shots in arms (or lack of), daily pressers, washing hands and worrying about an unknown future.

It truly is a full-on battle for proper mental health and whatever you can find to bring you even 10 minutes of “normal”, I say go for it.

Here are just 4 of the ways I am coping with being stuck at home.

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6 Months Clear – Let’s Drink?

By Michael Cusden in Food

Today marks 6 months to the day since I walked out of The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in Toronto and went home after what seemed like months in a bed hooked up to all kinds of devices. That day will always stick with me. The smell of fresh air and the feeling of relief.

 

As most of you know, I was admitted for some pretty scary heart issues and remained in the hospital (UHN represent!) for almost 2 weeks. Amazing how things have changed since.

 

I had my 6 month check in with my cardio team and it was fitting that it was with “Dr. Nadia” as she will always be known. The doctor who helped me a great deal mentally and physically to get through to the other side. She was elated at seeing me for the first time since.

 

Today was a key milestone in the road to recovery. I had always known the 6 month mark was a big one. And it was.

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The Last Month has been a Real Test of the Heart

By Michael Cusden in Food, Toronto

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Hello everyone. Coming to you live from Toronto General Hospital, where the trays come in hot and the cutlery comes in cold. Why am I at the hospital you may ask? No I am not visiting anyone, I am a patient and have been here since July 4th. Yes, Happy July Fourth to me. MAGA and all that shit.

Before I go into why I am here let me lead with, as best I can say, I am fine. I feel fine, I am not sick, I feel like I am stuck in bed and have the world waiting on me and while nice, it’s like there are others who need it, not me.

I am here because in the last month it has been discovered I have both a heart arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation (AFIB).

Basically I have a runaway heart rate and one of the lower ventricles is much weaker than it should be. The heart is all out of whack.

How did this happen? They don’t exactly know yet. Right now they are focused on a long-term fix. I have a whole bucket of pills I am taking to slow down my heart to normal and then they can go about resetting the electrical function. Trust me it’s a lot to digest. I have had 5 days to get it down.

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