Last year we had the majority of the windows in the house replaced with new energy efficient, triple pane, windows. It was quite expensive so we focused on getting the front and back of the house done.

This year we wanted to finish replacing the remaining ones. However unlike last time there were a number of issues we ran into. First off, the installers insisted on installing them on the coldest day of the season and as a result the caulking job was a mess and they broke all the window trim. They also had the wrong handle for one window and as they were still working late into the night I ended cleaning up most of the mess inside. But most aggravating was the fact that the basement windows which they had double checked the measurements for ended up being the wrong size. The installers wanted to go ahead and put them in anyway but I put my foot down and told them I wanted to talk to someone from the company.

In the end the customer service manager came out and I gave him an earful. This was roughly a month ago. Since then they've fixed up all the outside trim and caulking and as a bonus that I hadn't asked for caulked around the two office windows (which we didn't replace as they were to small for the company to manufacture) as well. That extra step went some ways towards making up for things. The basement windows are still not done however.

The same manager came out last night and I discussed things with him. In essence, basement windows in the style I currently have and like (hopper) aren't suited to be retrofitted. They wanted to put sliders in instead but I don't like that style and I also wouldn't be able to get out of the basement if there ever was a fire. In the end we decided to hold off on them until next year. In the interim I yanked out the thin layer of pink insulation that was stuffed around the existing windows and spray foamed all around them. I did some unscientific tests and there's approximately a one to two degree improvement. Not much better, but for $16 for two spray cans it was worth the effort.

With these upgrades ongoing I of course revisited my never ending dream of getting the basement done. I purchased some design software and measured my little heart out and spent several days designing the basement. This new design differs from what we came up with our designer previously. The layout is different and there no longer is a big standalone bar. As well, instead of an open concept media room I've now created an enclosed space. This is to allow for better sound proofing. Anyway a picture of what it will look like is below and is accurate within a few inches. We'll see what next few months bring, but I'm hoping we can finally get this done.

3D Basement Overview

This has obviously been a brutal year. I lost my Dad and Chris lost a close friend all within the span of a week. Here's hoping that 2012 will bring better things and that everyone has a safe and happy Christmas and New Years.

Our last day with him was really hard.

My Mom had called me in the morning in a panic because the hospital had told her that he wasn't going to last long. So Chris & I hurriedly grabbed some clothes and drove up to Edmonton. When we got there he looked horrible. He was skeletal when we saw him the previous week, but now he was even more so. I went to move his arm to put a pillow under it so my Mom could rest her head on his hand and was horrified that there was nothing there. It was dead weight. I knew then that this was really it.

He laid there unconscious, breathing quick shallow breaths. Then he started gurgling as he struggled to clear his lungs. And then he started moaning over and over again which was unbearable to listen to. There were several moments where he stopped breathing and we glanced at each other wondering if he was gone, but then he'd start breathing again. The nurse finally came and gave him some medicine and he improved a little bit.

The three of us sat there with him throughout the night.

Eventually we needed to sleep so they brought in a cot for my Mom and Chris decided to sleep on the chair next to him. I went back to Jim & Karen's to rest as I knew I wouldn't be able to do so at the hospital. I told Chris that I was ok if I wasn't there at the end as I knew I'd be forever haunted witnessing him draw his final breath. But I honestly thought he'd still be with us in the morning. I was partially right.

He passed away just after 6am.

Chris came and woke me up and told me that he was gone. She was very calm. I'll never forget that moment. Going through the motions I hopped in the shower because for some reason I thought I should do so before going to see him. I was half way through my shower when the news sank in and I broke down. We got to the hospital and hugged my Mom. My Dad was lying there. It didn't seem real. I kept expecting him to move. But he didn't, he was gone.

Looking back I'm upset I wasn't there when the nurse woke them up to tell them that he had died. Chris had mentioned that at one point in the night he had opened his eyes and looked at them. The thought of him opening his eyes just before the end and seeing that his son wasn't there left me sobbing uncontrollably. She doesn't think there was any awareness, but that will still always bother me. And while he went relatively peacefully I know he wasn't ready to leave us. He fought it to the very end.

Despite all the sadness a few happy thoughts come to mind...

The last trip we made as a family when we went on an Alaskan cruise. He had never been on a cruise nor been to Alaska before and I'm glad he got to experience that with us.

Our last Christmas together when him and my Mom came down to Calgary. Normally Christmas time always stresses me out, but last year was really enjoyable. One of the best I've had.

While he spent the last two months of his life hospitalized, compared to others dying with cancer he could have suffered much, much longer. Now he is gone and finally at peace. For that I am grateful.

Finally and most importantly, the last thing he said to me when we saw him the previous week was that he loved me - with all his heart. I will never forget those words and the emotion behind them.

The day before he was cremated, the day we went to see him one last time, my mom hugged me and started crying. I told her that it was ok. That he wasn't truly dead as he'd forever be in our memories and in our hearts.

I want to thank everyone who's been there for our family. The past few weeks were made a little easier due to everyone's help and support. It is truly appreciated.

I love you Dad.

This has been a hard journey.

It was hard when the doctor told me they wouldn't be continuing treatment because there was no hope and asking us where he wanted to die. And his only response being to ask "will it hurt"? Then having to compose myself and give the news to my Mom who was at home at the time.

It was hard watching him suddenly start shaking uncontrollably and see his eyes roll back as he was in the midst of a seizure. Seeing the doctors and nurses scrambling to hook him up to equipment as drool spilled onto his chest and being told to get my Mom as this was 'it'. Excruciating as I stayed with him alone certain that he'd be gone before she could arrive.

But most of all it was hard watching the man I spent so long looking up to, always in awe of his strength both mentally and physically - a strength I could never hope to have - being reduced to a childlike state. Unable to feed himself or even go to the bathroom on his own. Having him say to my Mom in a moment of clarity "I'm never going home am I"? That has been hardest of all.

The night I was left alone with him I made my peace with him leaving. I kissed him and told him I loved him. Even though he was unconscious I think he somehow heard me. And the last time I saw him, before leaving I hugged him and squeezed his hands. His grip tightened, not wanting to let me go, and he looked at me with nothing but love and understanding.

That may end up being my final memory of him. And if that comes to pass then it's a wonderful memory to be left with.

The past few weeks have been pretty frustrating. I try and update this website fairly regularly, so when a long time goes by with no updates you know something's wrong...

I got a call from my mom several weekends ago who told me my Dad was in the hospital. She was obviously upset and so I tried to reassure her, told her I'd drive up right away and it'd be ok - but I had no idea what was going to happen.

She found him collapsed on the floor one morning and in a delirium, so she called an ambulance and he was so out of it that he had to be put in restraints. When we got to the hospital he was still out of it. It was scary to have him occasionally open his eyes and look at me and realize there was absolutely no recognition of who I was. It was scary listening to my mom discussing his 'do not resuscitate order' with the doctors. Scary thinking I was going to lose him.

Chris and I spent a week up there. I worked out of the Edmonton office and after work would go visit him, my Mom would see him in the morning, and Chris in the afternoon. After a few days he was mostly back to being himself. As best as the doctors could tell his sodium levels had dropped dangerously low - a side effect of having cancer. When he fell he also fractured his hip and so couldn't move around much. But he was in good spirits and Chris told me she enjoyed talking with him and hearing stories about me in my youth.

Eventually we had to return home and with a profound sense of guilt we left him there. Fast forward a couple of weeks and he's still there. He's in a sort of limbo right now. The hospital wants to release him but my mom doesn't think she can take care of him and wants to put him in a home - but that process takes years - so meanwhile he spends his days stuck there. So I'm filled with many emotions right now. In addition to guilt, I'm also angry and fearful. When we found out about his having cancer I knew that one day he'd be hospitalized but I pushed that thought aside as I didn't want to deal with it. Well that day has come and I need to figure out what we're going to do.

Arrrghhh! I have a stupid cold!

I had an inkling I might catch something with everyone hacking and coughing at work. Oh well, at least it waited for us to get back from Vegas.

Speaking of Vegas, stuff happened there, it was fun, um, and that's it.

Ok, so nothing super crazy went on. And other than one night I didn't get silly - which for me was a big deal. I managed to find the right balance of having fun without going overboard. I had a great time hanging out with everyone, our penthouse suite was amazing, Jay & I saw the Cirque show Ka, Betty & Tracy saw the Grand Canyon, and Chris & I finally got to ride in a helicopter.

Even though every day was great, the highlight was definitely the night we partied on Freemont Street. I've had a lot of good times in Vegas over the years, but that was possibly the most entertaining. The only thing that kinda sucked was the weather. Other than the last two days it was rainy and a bit chilly. The first time in Vegas that I actually got to hang out at a pool and it was cold - go figure. So Jamie and I spent the afternoon in the hot tub instead.

It was great going on a trip with Jay & Betty and having them party with our other circle of friends. Hopefully we didn't scare them to much. This was also the first time where by the end of our trip I wasn't ready to come home. I could have easily stayed a few more days there. Although I don't know how well my bank account would have liked that...

Pictures of the fun can be found here.

The weather is on my mind a lot lately as we leave for Vegas in just a couple days. Last week it was in the 40's there, but it's only supposed to be in the low 20's when we're there. That really sucks as I was looking forward to soaking in the sun and hanging by the pool. Still, no one goes to Vegas just for the weather - I'm sure we'll find plenty of other things to keep us entertained :)

I'm really looking forward to getting away right now. Work has been extremely hectic the past few weeks. We're in the final phase of migrating the company we bought out last year over to our domain and business systems. One week I was short the equivalent of 2 days worth of sleep as I had to work well into the early morning several times. Everyone is stressed and bitchy with each other right now, so ya, it'll be good to leave all that behind and just have some fun.

Speaking of fun, little Miss Hailey celebrated her 17th birthday at our place last night. She brought a few friends I hadn't met before and I had a good time hanging out with them. Hopefully I didn't embarrass her in front of them to much...She's come a long way from the picture below which was her 10th birthday. We played cards (have to practice for Vegas), had a few wobblies, ate yummy pulled pork sandwiches, and for the most part let the 'kids' do their thing. It was a fun night.

My parents are in BC right now enjoying some time away. It looked like they weren't going to be able to go as my Dad was really sick from the radiation treatments. But eventually he got back enough strength so that they could. I hope they are enjoying every minute of their time together.

As for me, I met with yet another heart specialist a few days ago. Unlike my regular doctor who specializes in the drug therapy I've been on, this doctor specializes in Cardiac Ablation surgery. But while the video portrays this as a technological wonder, as always the devil is in the details. Two years ago when I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) I was told that I wasn't a candidate for this procedure as my heart was to badly damaged. But having been mostly in normal rhythm since then, some of that damage has been reversed and this is once again on the table. Therefore I was hopeful that going this route would allow me to stop taking the medication I've been on.

But what I didn't realize is that it is not actually a cure. Long term studies have shown that 10 years from now I'll still be in AF. I might go a few years with no issues, but eventually I'll be back to where I am today. In addition you usually have to undergo the procedure several times for it to be effective - and each time there's a 5% chance of 'complications'. Those complications are typically having a heart attack or a stroke, and well, death.

So while the thought of having this surgery scares the hell out of me, I had thought it would lead to a normal life. To find out that's not the case is frustrating.

Oh well screw it! Vegas Baby, Vegas!

As the graphic says, I feel like nothing is really new.

That's not entirely true, but it's been a fairly subdued last couple of weeks. The highlight was last weekend when we had an 'end of the summer' party. A whole swack of people came over to help us celebrate. Coolest of all was my cousin Dori coming by. It seems that for the past few years I've only ever seen her at weddings or funerals. It's pretty sad that we both live in Calgary but haven't hung out yet socially. So it was really great seeing her. Of course Jamie and I closed things out hanging outside by the fire until 4am. We managed having some fireworks that night as well :)

I was off for a few days last week and during that time the days must have got shorter because when I got up for work Monday morning it was still dark out. Let the depression begin. I don't mind the cold, the snowstorms etc. But the lack of sunlight gets to me. There's no way I could live in Yellowknife or somewhere else up there as I know I'd end up going on a psychotic murder spree. Oh well, our trip to Vegas in a couple weeks should help cheer me up. Coolest of all is that we've booked a nighttime helicopter tour of the strip. This is our third attempt at flying on a helicopter. If this falls one through as well then I think we're fated to never go up in one.

With the days growing shorter I've started winterizing the house. I topped up the soft water tank, replaced all the air filters, emptied out Sally's terrarium and gave her fresh bedding, and this weekend will replace the furnace filter and humidifier pad. I also met with the All Weather Windows guy yesterday and signed off on replacing the last of our builder grade windows. I'm hoping they get done soon, but it might not be until the beginning of November. Either way it'll be good as a lot of the noise from the planes on the East side of the house should be reduced. And getting the basement windows replaced will hopefully keep it warmer downstairs.

This is also the time of year when we get the itch to start planning vacations for next year. We want to go on a cruise to Bermuda in May, but it all hinges upon the results of my Dad's next test results. Whereas only a couple months ago we were all hopeful for a recovery we no longer are. That's all I'll say about that.

In fact I had quite the pity party for myself last week. Worried about my Dad, worried about Chris as it appeared like her MS was flaring up, and also worried that there was something wrong with JC. A perfect Trifecta of shit raining down upon me. JC has been losing weight and throwing up several times a day and instead of the usual hairballs its been bile. So we took her to the vet and had her blood tested but everything came back ok. We think that she was growing allergic to her cat food. We've had her on this expensive veterinarian food since day one, but apparently over time they can develop allergies to what they eat. So we've switched her to a new kind and have also been giving her more soft food and she seems to be doing better.

Ah, the last nice long weekend of the year.

Things have been pretty hectic at work lately. We're in the final stages of migrating the company we bought last year into our network. I was short at least eight hours of sleep this past week as a result. So I'm going to enjoy this weekend as the final year end stretch is likely to be stressful.

Last night we celebrated Tracy's 40th. The plan was dinner and then clubbing afterwards. We ended up at this place downtown called West. It was a pretty cool place and I'm guessing relatively new as I'd never seen it before. It's claim to fame is the largest outdoor patio in Calgary. While we were waiting for dinner Tracy got her surprise gift which was a singing French maid telegram. It was pretty entertaining watching the reaction of the birthday girl. Later on Mo & Po gave a very nice speech, detailing Tracy's 40 year journey. The dinner itself was just ok. I wouldn't go back there for just dinner. After we finished eating the kids and the parents left and most of the gang went upstairs to check out the patio bar while the rest of us cleared up the bill. By that point things had gotten really busy and there was a long line to go upstairs. We tried to explain to the bouncer guy that our friends were already up there. But we weren't on the 'list' so we'd have to wait. After about 15-20 minutes of waiting Kim & I were ready to leave as we were pretty frustrated. Thankfully Chris Schacher demanded to see the manager and after explaining the situation we were escorted up.

It was packed on the patio and the music was cranked. Like deer in a headlight we wandered around until we found where everyone was seated. So for the rest of the evening we hung out, drank, and checked out the hotties many of whom were stumbling drunk by the end of the night. It was a pretty cool location. It was large enough that there was three separate bars and a big common area where all the kiddies got their groove on. Looking up was cool as we were surrounded by tall skyscrapers. Chuck, Tracy, Jamie, Kim, Chris and I ended up closing the place down and we stumbled out onto the street where we wolfed down some hot dogs from the strategically placed vendor. At this point Tracy was done with her high heels and so walked amongst the downtown filth in her bare feet. We had all booked rooms at a nearby hotel so we stumbled back there and at almost four in the morning went to bed.

It was a fun night, even if we were the oldest people at the club. Happy 40th Tracy!

Tonight we're going to hang on our deck, BBQ some food, and probably have a fire to end the long weekend. Here's hoping everyone has as great a long weekend as we had.

Here's some pix of last night's fun:

Ah, those lazy days of summer...

It's been pretty quiet lately. Chris and most of her family have been in BC for the past two weeks on vacation. At first I was excited at having the place to myself, but after a few days I started missing her. Of course now that she's coming back I have to run around cleaning up the house which is a disaster.

This week I was in a course downtown. Whenever I'm in 'the core' I sometimes miss living there. There's just so much activity, stores, and cool places to eat. Plus the people watching can't be beat. But then you get reminders of why downtown isn't always the best - the stench of urine, pools of vomit, crazy people talking to themselves and waving their arms around and so on. It's obvious I haven't spent any time there in awhile as I was stunned to discover a huge new office tower that I've never seen before. Apparently it went up in just a couple years. It's an interesting contrast of the activity of downtown with the almost ghost town feel of suburbia during the day.

I'm sure the weather in BC has been amazing....whereas here it's kinda sucked, lately at least. A couple of days ago I had to turn on the furnace as I was freezing. And then at night some wicked storms have blown through. Last night it hailed, probably the most I've seen in awhile. The stones were quarter size, although there were some that were bigger. Our back yard looked like a winter landscape. A sad reminder that summer is almost over I suppose :(

As mentioned previously the website poll is now gone. I've decided to keep the replacement widget which shows who's been checking out my site. It's kinda neat seeing that my website is truly global. Ok, I know it's mostly friends and family visiting...but still, it's exciting seeing people coming from other countries. You may have noticed that sometimes it just says jamesplee.com, and sometimes it shows the specific webpage visited. The way it works is each page is titled and someone coming in to a specific page ie. Livecam (typically through a web search) will have the title reflected in the widget. For all others they've just come in through the main page.

Chris just texted me that they're on their way home. Yay! Guess I should get cleaning...

August already? I can't believe how fast time has flown this year.

Chris and I spent the long weekend hanging out, watching movies, doing yard work, and having one or two cold beers. It was a relaxing few days. Most of our friends went camping but this year we decided to not go. I'm glad we stayed here. While I missed hanging out with our friends I just never understood the thinking that goes behind hurriedly packing, heading out on congested highways, fighting to find a camping spot, usually enduring crappy weather, all just to 'relax' for a day or so.

Thankfully the weather was nice for a change and we spent quite a bit outside. I managed to get a sunburn on my neck yesterday - thank God for Aloe. We bought some flowers and a new storage bin for the yard and I'll be putting the bin together later today. We're trying to get the place presentable for next weekend when a whole swack of people will be coming for a BBQ. Chris helped me a lot today with cleaning up the back yard which was much appreciated. Tonight we'll probably watch a movie before turning in and then sadly it'll be back to reality tomorrow.

Last week I decided to take the Grand Am in to the dealership to get fixed up. Carlie is going to be borrowing the car soon and I just didn't feel comfortable having someone drive it with all the issues it has. I knew it was going to be expensive based on the last time they looked at it - the technician was like 'why don't you just buy a used car?'. Which financially would make more sense. However I still have an attachment to it and at least I know what it's issues are. That said, we're going to have to figure out what we're doing with it soon. Right now it's really just being useful by preventing other people from parking in front of our house. If we had a 3 car garage it'd be a no brainer and I'd get snow tires for it and use it to drive to work in the winter. We might get rid of it or we might also end up giving it to a certain niece.

You may have noticed there's no longer a poll on the website. The company that hosted it abruptly vanished and although they referred their customers to a different poll website it costs much more. While, it was fun creating the polls it was also somewhat hard to keep coming up with new ideas every few weeks. So I think I'm going to try out a new widget which shows what people have visited the site. I'm running a 10 day trial to test it out. One part that's not working yet is it should have a section at the top whereby you can link your Facebook account. So instead of generically showing what city you're from it'll show your Facebook picture instead. Once it's fully working I'd love to know what people think of it.

Well, I should get back to enjoying the rest of the day. I think I'll take JC out to hang with me as she has also quite enjoyed this long weekend.

I just got back from a walk. I think Summer might actually be here.

Of course now I'll probably be bitching that it's too hot. If only there was a place that was perfect - not to hot, not to cold - all the time. Actually there is, it's called Bermuda! It's pretty much room temperature year round. Unfortunately unless you're a British citizen you can't live there. You could always marry a local, but I have a feeling Chris wouldn't be overly keen on that idea. Perhaps we'll need to look at a trip there next year...

Last weekend I was up in Edmonton doing work stuff. Despite a rough start I managed to get everything done. I had a really tight schedule so I only had time to go for dinner with the parents. It was a good trip. Traffic was light on the way up and I took advantage of that to finally see how fast my car would go :) Having sated my curiosity I promised Chris that I wouldn't do that again. Besides, the next day on the news I heard that they caught someone outside of Airdrie doing (only) 180km/hr and they're now facing losing their license for six months. So no more speeding for me.

The weekend before that we had our burger off. Chris, myself, Tracy and Jamie all cooked up our most delicious recipes. Once the votes were tallied I was surprised to find that I was the winner! I guess this makes up for my last place finish in the chili off. Michael was grumbling that he couldn't make it and had he been there he would have won. Sure you would have buddy...

And the weekend before that we had our garage sale. In addition to our stuff, Kim and Jamie brought their crap, er treasured items, as did Michael, and Alpha dumped off the remnants from his previous sale. It was a fun couple of days. This was the first time we really hung out in our garage since it was done. I liked spending all our time out front for a change. As the first day wound down we ended up playing poker on the driveway and enjoying more than a few bevvies. In contrast to the first day where we sold a lot of stuff the Sunday was really dead. In the early afternoon a quick storm blew through so we packed it in. Still, I'd call it a success.

With all the insulation in the garage we realized how much nicer it is in there than the rest of the house during those really hot days. So I can forsee us spending more time in there in the future. Therefore I think I'm going to get a TV mounted on the blank wall. Now I just need a beer fridge in there somewhere :)

This weekend I'm living the bachelor life as Chris is ditching me and going up to Edmonton to see Mistopher off. He leaves for Afghanistan early Sunday morning. Deb naturally is worried, but I know he'll be fine. In any event everyone's thoughts are with both of them.

That's pretty much it for now. Enjoy the weather!

I spent most of it in Vancouver doing work stuff at our office there. I had a great time and I hated coming back - but more on that in a bit. When I got to the car rental place the mid size I had requested wasn't ready yet so they offered me a Mustang convertible for the same price. Naturally I said yes.

I was expecting the typical base model Mustang, but this thing was stacked - 5.0L V8 engine with 412hp of goodness under the hood. Never having driven in a convertible before I must admit it felt really weird driving around with no roof over me. But I soon got used to it and by the end of my trip drove with the top down all the time. At one point I was cruising through downtown with the music cranked and feeling pretty good. Of course now I want a convertible...maybe one day.

The Tuesday was supposed to be the nicest day of the week so I drove down to Stanley Park. Last time I was in Vancouver I walked around the park and while I was satisfied that I did it I thought I was going to die the next day as I was so sore. However this was while I was in the midst of my health issues. So I was curious with me being somewhat better how I would fare a second time. I'm happy to say I was fine - that made me feel really good about myself.

I was about three quarters around when I saw that my parents had called my cell. My Dad was expecting the results from his latest batch of tests. These tests were to determine whether to continue his cancer treatments or not. Normally my parents wouldn't call my cell unless they really needed to get ahold of me. So I sat down on a nearby bench, looked out upon the ocean and braced myself for bad news. I called them back and was shocked to hear that it was actually good news. The chemo has been working and 50% of the cancer is gone. Because of this they are going to continue the treatments. I don't have any illusions, he still has cancer, but at this point I'll take any positive developments. I know a huge weight has been lifted off of him.

That was the obviously the best part of the past few days. And onto the worst part...

Whenever I visit the coast I always get the bug to move there. And this time was no different. But unlike before where it was mostly because I was so enamored of the scenery, this time I've come to realize that I physically feel better being at sea level. The whole time I was there I felt great, and after a couple days back I felt like crap again (this is the same thing I noticed when we were on our cruise). After being home the annoying whoosh, whoosh of the pulse in my ear returned, my skin was back to it's normal breakout self, and my general chest issues were again present. But of course Chris doesn't want to live there again due to a combination of bad memories and not wanting to be away from friends and family.

So the past couple days I've been in a funk. Chris pointed out that we'd never be able to have a house like ours there and everything is so much more expensive etc. But at some point you have to ask yourself if it's worth it to continue with the status quo. We discussed things today and decided that we'll make a point of going out there more often. Maybe once a month head to Vancouver or Victoria and spend a weekend. This has also revived my idea of us having property out there somewhere. Something needs to change.

I guess we'll see what happens.

This has been one of the most frustrating weeks in recent memory.

It started off last weekend with me slicing open my thumb while cutting up cardboard. Of course lying literally a few feet away from where I was working in the garage were the brand new work gloves that Chris had bought me to use for just such an occasion. She wasn't here to prod me to go get it looked at so I tried to patch it up as best I could and hoped it would just get better.

Well a few hours later and it still wouldn't stop bleeding so I gave in and went to the local walk in clinic.....and they were closed. Swearing I came back home by which time Chris was back and suggested we call the health line to see if any other clinics were open (what a rational thought). So we found one and went there and I got stitches. And ever since then I've had my thumb wrapped in gauze with a wood splint. You really don't realize how amazingly useful thumbs are until you can't use them.

So then I go to work on Monday and it's been nothing but a shit tsunami raining down upon me. One of those weeks were absolutely everything decides to break at the same time and you're running around stressed to the max trying to figure out why. And today I decided to take the afternoon off to relax but no, I had to call Microsoft because things were still screwed up at work. And of course what is normally a straightforward process had to degrade into me wanting to reach through the phone to the Philippines and beat the hell out of the chick on the other end.

Earlier today I was supposed to go to the clinic to get bloodwork and an ECG done in preparation for meeting my doctor in a couple weeks. I was assured that they had faxed all the info in to the clinic. So I get there.....and they don't have any record of the request. Normally I'd go ballistic (and have in the past) but it's gotten to the point now where I just expect there to be some kind of screw up at that clinic.

We've been back from vacation just over a month and I'm ready to go postal.

After having been back for a few weeks now it's back to the familiar grind.

I already have the bug to figure out what our next vacation is going to be. Chris, who's the voice of reason in our relationship, thinks we should take it easy for awhile and focus on paying down debt. Of course she's right - however as I told her I need something to look forward to. The only reason I drag my ass out of bed every morning to go to work is with the knowledge that at some point we'll be able to go to some exotic destination.

One thing that makes getting up easier is our new coffee maker. We had a Nespresso machine in our hotel in Rome and we both really liked it. Of course with my birthday coming up Chris was fishing for ideas so at some point I mentioned I wish we had one of those machines - and lo and behold she got me one :)

Of course we now have that plus our Tassimo. So we're trying to figure out if we can get rid of one. The problem with the Nespresso is it's really meant for espresso, cappuccinos, or lattes and not for regular coffee. And I use the Tassimo every morning I go to work to fill up a mug which I drink on the way to work. Decisions, decisions...

Last night we had our first BBQ of the season! Unfortunately the wind was brutal which meant we didn't spend as much time outside as we normally would. And I didn't get the opportunity to have a fire.  Despite that we had a great time. Michael was once again the BBQ king and made excellent burgers, chicken, and for me a steak. Carlie was in town so it was like a mini-family get together with the addition of Jamie, Kim, and Olivia. In addition to the usual socializing and partaking in beverages we played a few rounds of poker. The previous night we had also played and Hailey beat me at the end (but I think she cheated).

Today I think I'm just going to hang out in the basement and putter around. Chris has some running around to do and Carlie is off to the airport tonight.

All in all a good weekend.

Well we're back.

As I type this it's snowing outside. Why do we live here again?

We had a great time although by the end of it we were missing friends and family (and kitties, crabs, and Sally). As I always do I kept a journal of everything we experienced. However it was almost lost forever. We were at the airport in Rome and had just gone through security when I realized the iPad was missing. I had left it in the cab.

That dreaded sinking feeling washed over me. But I stayed calm. When we got to the lounge I called our hotel, told them what happened and asked if they could call the cab company. 15 agonizing minutes they called back to say they found it and that the driver who dropped us off would go back to the airport and meet us.

We then ran like crazy people through the Airport to get outside and meet him. After what seemed like an eternity he finally showed up. We got it back and ran back inside just in time to board our flight home. Thus ended our amazing European trip.

We ended up taking over 5000 pictures. I've picked approximately 200 to share on here. For the sake of simplicity I grouped the Canary Islands and Madeira Island into the Africa section.

Details of our adventures can be found here.

My Dad is dying.

He has stage 4 lung cancer which has also spread to his liver and lymph nodes.

When my parents told us my first reaction was anger. Anger at him. For years I've been trying, begging, for him to stop smoking to no avail. But now instead of anger I am filled with sheer terror at the thought of losing him. I'm also filled with regret. Regret that I didn't spend more time with him the past few years. Regret that I wasn't a better son. Regret that I didn't indulge him with details of my life and work, details that I thought to be mundane but which he was always so eager to hear.

Regret.

When they called us with the results of the biopsy and told us he only had a few weeks to live, it was like a kick to the stomach. I knew things weren't good but to hear such a dire diagnosis stunned me. Out of love for my Mom he agreed to undergo Chemotherapy to prolong the inevitable for a little while. We're now told that he has six months, maybe a little more. He's being incredibly strong throughout all of this, much stronger than I ever could be.

Many people have been there for me and I want to thank Kim, Hailey, and Jay for their support. Other friends and family have also offered kind words and I want to thank them as well. But most of all I want to thank Chris. I don't know what I'd do without her.

Tomorrow we leave on our trip. A trip of a lifetime which is now so completely unimportant and trivial. But I need to get away. I know what's coming and I need to live life to the fullest right now. My parents have said they are ok with us leaving and I intend to try and enjoy myself as much as possible and do so guilt free. Because they would want us to. Upon our return we will shower them with pictures and tales of our adventures. A brief, happy moment in time.

I've thought about it a lot and I've made a decision to not talk about this anymore on here. While I use this website as a form of therapy, a chance for someone who is intensely private to have an outlet for their feelings, there are just some things that are to painful to share.

I love you Dad. So, so much.

Ok, enough of winter already!

A few days ago it was so bad that I had to wear socks to bed because I was freezing my ass off. Temperatures 20 degrees below what it is normally. Global Warming my ass...

It's been almost a month since my last update. Things have obviously been hectic around here. Chris has been really busy with her new venture with Tracy - Sunset Gourmet. Basically it's like Tupperware parties but with yummy seasonings and dips instead. In addition she's been doing more and more travel agent stuff. I've been busy as well at work as we're all frantically trying to get everything in place for the 'go live' date of our integration with the company we bought out last year.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so both Chris & I are counting down the days (32) until our Mediterranean vacation. We finally figured out the land portion of our trip. Originally we were going to fly to Zurich from Barcelona and spend a couple days there, then take the train to Milan for a couple days, and then finally to Rome for a few days. At some point we decided Florence would be better than Milan. However, we then found out how much of a pain it is to get there (no direct trains, no direct flights). So we thought maybe we'd go to Munich instead as it was easy to get there from Zurich and then fly to Rome. Then we thought screw it, we'd just go from Barcelona to Rome and spend the whole week there and maybe do a day trip to Florence. But then we debated whether we wanted to spend over 4 hours out of the day travelling. Finally we decided that as soon as we get into Rome we'll hop on the train to Florence and spend a couple nights there before going back. Got all that?

This is one of the reasons I like cruising so much. You just wake up at your destination and never have to worry about how you got there.

Now we're just trying to figure out what we want to do at all of our destinations. We have our fingers crossed that all the crap happening in Egypt and Libya isn't going to spill over into Morocco and we'll actually get to visit Africa. Which was the only reason we picked this particular cruise to begin with. I spent some time today looking at the beaches at one of our stops, Funchal, which is an island off Africa. Here's a picture of one of those beaches:

I really need this right now. This is the calm before the storm. Unfortunately things will never be the same again upon our return. I love you Dad.

This has been a busy few weeks.

I guess the big news is Chris has a brand new Nissan Rogue SUV! Last week we took the Grand Am in to get an oil change and while it was at the dealership they found all kind of problems. They estimated it'd be at least $3000 to fix. The idea of putting it out back and shooting it popped into my head.

Chris wanted to get a second opinion so we took it to another repair centre who in addition to finding the same issues found other ones as well. They estimated it'd cost almost $6000 to fix everything. At which point I said screw it let's get a new vehicle.

I wanted something that had all wheel drive so I wouldn't worry as much when she's driving around in bad weather. I was also tired of us going and buying something at Ikea or Home Depot and then wondering if we'd be able to fit in the car or not. Therefore I also wanted it to have some cargo space.

Naturally that meant some kind of SUV but neither of us wanted a full size one. I then did a bunch of research on the top three small SUV's which were the Toyota Rav4, the Honda CRV, and the Nissan Rogue. According to all the reviews it was basically a coin flip between them but the only one we liked the look of was the Rogue. So we walked in to the dealership and Chris took it for a test drive.

We sat down with the salesperson and Chris asked me what I thought. I asked her what she thought (it's going to be hers after all) and she had a big grin on her face so I said we'd take it.

The timing is really bad as I won't have any money until next month, but I did some of that 'new math' and realized that if I paid out my car that the monthly payments on hers would be a couple hundred bucks less. So that's how I justified this as being a fiscally sound move. But the reality is at the end of the day we have two vehicles under warranty for several years, she finally got to pick her own wheels, and we won't have to worry about hauling stuff anymore.

In addition to that, the garage is finally done! Yay!

It took much longer than I had anticipated but in the end it was worth it. I absolutely love it. Pictures of my new favorite place in the house can be found here.

Happy New Year!

Obviously with being this my first update two weeks into the year, I've been very busy.

New Years was pretty subdued - a bunch of us went out for a nice dinner and then we came back here for some wobblies and to do the countdown. I was a good boy for a change and wasn't hung over the next day at all. Unlike some people...

Work on the garage has been progressing slowly. They just finished doing all the mudding and sanding and now everything is nicely painted. Next up will be the installation of the shelving units and slat wall which will take place by the end of the month. And then we're all done. It'll be nice when it's finished as Chris is really looking forward to being able to park in the garage again and I can't wait to get all the crap that's scattered all over put away where it belongs.

Last weekend Jay braved the horrible roads and came down for a visit. It was fun hanging out with my best bud as it's been awhile since we've spent any time together. The Saturday night we ended up at Jamie's and played games on his PS3 all night. There was one game we really liked where you're being attacked by Zombies. It was fun but extremely frustrating as we kept dying all the time. I just assumed the game was really hard, but later I was talking to a coworker who's played it and had breezed through the levels. Apparently we just suck at gaming as we get older :(

Yesterday was a lot of fun. We were celebrating Chris & Kim's birthdays and had arranged to go shoot guns at the local shooting range. I had done that once before, maybe five years ago? And while I'm glad I had done it, I hadn't really enjoyed the experience as the whole sensation of handling such a lethal weapon was a bit unnerving. This time however I had a blast. We started off firing pistols and then we ending up shooting a couple of different assault rifles.

Chris was definitely the sharpshooter of the bunch, although I thought I did not that bad. Afterwards we met up with the rest of the gang for a pot luck and had yummy food and drinks until early in the morning. It was a pretty much perfect weekend. Here's some pictures of the fun: