Colleen Crossley
Long ago, while trying to relive my childhood I suppose, I was singing in a rock and roll band at my work with others of my age working in the organization who just wanted to get together and “jam.”
We would practice after work in the storage room of the recreation centre and it was some good stress management for us.
I guess our sound was heard (we called ourselves “Sense Sword” — get it?) and we practiced enough to get listen-able and one day we were offered a couple of “gigs” to make music for a few dances that, previously, the organizers had had to hire outside bands to do.
One of the events was a staff dance at the Vancouver Aquarium and it was just amazing to be performing surrounded by all manner of sea life as well as people.
I was staying in a hotel for the night and, after the performance, I went back to the room and ordered dessert – some delicious strawberry cheesecake.
I ate what I could and finished it off in the morning before I left on a vacation to Vancouver Island with my young son.
We went to Victoria and took in the sights — the fabulous museum, wax displays, the Empress Hotel and everything we could see.
I started to feel absolutely horrible about suppertime and, by 7 p.m., I was throwing up and so sick I couldn’t get away from the toilet for a minute.
The swimming pool in the hotel required an adult to accompany children who wanted to swim and my son was feeling fine but I couldn’t even do that.
So, my son was restricted to the room and the TV, as was I, until we left the next day.
I had to stop the car and throw up intermittently all the way home and it wasn’t until I got there that it dawned on me why I was so sick.
It was the fabulous cheesecake I had left out of the fridge all night after I played with the band and then finished the next morning!
Probably the most unusual holiday my son ever had and a “good” lesson in food safety for me!