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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

May as well update :)

Hello!  Well, it's been a long time, hasn't it?

Just over a nasty flu I picked up on a trip to Canada, so I'll be somewhat brief.  Had a great time up in Canada, by the way, with a stay at the Empress in Victoria on Vancouver Island.  I've been to Victoria many, many times in the past, but have never actually stayed at this hotel, and I must say it was a bucket list experience for me to experience it and the high tea they serve there.

Hunter and I are doing quite well, and are celebrating what we consider our 10th anniversary, coming up this November.  We were actually only legally married as of 2014, but we like to set our anniversary on the day we became engaged, because we probably would have been married much earlier if we had been allowed.  He's not working at Cabela's any more, and has instead been the perfect "house husband" doing all the things I really don't have much time for since I'm in a full time job.  It is quite a deal for me, although he does get bored from time to time and wishes he had more disposable income.

My father did finally pass away in March 2015, and so began the legal dealings of his estate (which finally wrapped up in December 2015).  In 2016, we put his house on the market, and my sister and I were finally able to sell it just late last year, in December 2016.  Speaking of houses, I finally moved from my house on Keller in 2015 as well, and in August of that year moved just a few miles north to a spot with a bit more space.  It has been a lovely place, with a more quiet neighborhood and an actual dining table.

My friend Jeremy (Frogg) has discovered a love in New Zealand, and has been there for almost seven months, and is expecting to emigrate there soon!  Who would have believed that, 10 years ago?  I wish him all the best, because I know what it means now to have a love in your life, and I wouldn't give it up for anything now.  It took me 36 years, but I finally came around!

Even with Frogg in New Zealand, we are still playing music shows in Second Life, and for me, it's pretty much the same experience.  However, for Frogg, from his point of view he's playing a series of solo shows, as due to the stream delay he can't hear what I'm doing unless he listens to the recording later. 

My good friend Debbie (Rosa) has also found love online, and got married a year or two ago to a wonderful man from Pennsylvania, and due our friendship she has moved near me, living practically two blocks away!  Hunter and I invite them over for dinner almost once a week, and we have a good time visiting, eating, and playing games afterwards.

Well, there goes my promise of being brief.  Take care everyone, will post again the next time I remember "Hey, I have a blog!"

Monday, February 10, 2014

Not really here any more!

If you're reading this, you've probably realized I don't update this blog any more.  I actually don't update any blogs, anymore, but I do maintain a little bit about myself on Facebook.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

An update!

Hello hello! Just thought I'd write a little on this old blog, and update folks on how I've been

Still playing music in Second Life, although the crowds are lessened by the huge number of musicians there these days. I don't get into SL as much as I used to, mainly because I'd rather play video games or do household chores, or watch TV/movies.

My mate Hunter has a job at Cabela's now, an outdoor/hunting/sports store that opened up within the last year. So that's cool!

Jeremy's back has been giving him quite a bit of trouble, but fortunately he's able to do shows, although not as many as he'd like.

My Dad is deteriorating, but seems happy enough as long as he gets the things he's interested in (which isn't much, but is very particular). It's made my sister very happy having the company and the caregiver is a real friend to both.

I'm still at the Utility, working away. It's been 20 years now, can you imagine that?

My friend Debbie is settling into the Oregon climate and lifestyle and has been here over a year now. We both went back to Michigan recently so I could meet her family and see where she grew up. Not too different from here, except for the weather ;)

Not a whole lot else to say... My old friend Wes from Bend has been chatting recently, so it's nice to touch base with him. Another friend, Joel, I haven't heard from, but I assume he's doing okay.

Samantha the housecat is still with us, clinging to life and getting most excited when food is involved (she always was a mooch). The other cats, Remington and McKenzie, are fine, with the latter chasing the former more often than he'd like.

That's about it for now, sorry for not updating more.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Things are settling down...

Whew! Well, a couple of weeks ago, my sister and I, along with a lot of help from friends, moved our father to the new addition at her house. Aside from a few bumps in his mood and agitation along the way, I think we managed pretty well, and I'm proud to say that a few weeks later he seems to be settled in. He's actually enjoying it there, compared to living in the old place on the hill.

Now, my job has been to get the old place spiffed up (it had 5 cats and a man not capable of cleaning well). I've got Marshall's HVAC service coming out today to fix the heat pump, and next week I plan to get the floor cleared off for Stanley Steamer to come out and clean the whole floor, top to bottom (it's got two stories) :D

I still think my sister's job is harder: taking care of Dad. However, she has help in the form of a professional caregiver, who takes care of him during the day, and she come back at night with the nursing know-how to help as well. He's pretty well cared for!

Anyway, that's the big news for now. Nice to know he's coping, and it's been nostalgic as I clear out junk and things in the old house. Mainly the kitchen, which has a bunch of over two year old spices and jars that really shouldn't be used. He's got a small garbage can, so it will take quite a while to get it all dealt with.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Changes!

Hello everyone! Since things are changing in my life I thought it would be a good idea to update my long-neglected blog. As you know from reading about me, I am slow to accept change, but eventually things even out and I calm down. :D This could be a long post, since quite a few things are going on. I'll try to talk about them in the order they've been occurring.

First off, I'm not sure I've mentioned my father, but he's starting to get Alzheimer's Syndrome, and although I think the memory part isn't *too* bad, his communication skills have decreased quite a bit. Pretty much to the point that, unless you know him, you'd have a hard time figuring out what he's talking about. Part of the problem is his trouble with pronouns. He replaces "his" or "it's" with "my". For instance, if one of his cats has trouble with flea bites, he may say: "Oh yeah, I just give a little squirt to the back of my neck and we don't get those bites." This really confused the vet, who thought he was using the medicine on himself. Anyway, my sister and I are a bit worried at times. He drives well enough, but what if he got in an accident (even through no fault of his own)? Would he be able to communicate with the police or other drivers? Also, he's up on that hill by himself. The other day the smoke detector went off (due to burning some toast) and he didn't know who to call...

So, plans have been in the works to create a sort of apartment at my sister's house, converting an old great room into a living space. Work has been going extremely well, as we have an excellent general contractor who really knows his stuff. He may not need the apartment right away, but it will be comforting to know it is finished and ready for him to move in if things deteriorate. My sister is a hospice nurse, so she would be able to take care of him, possibly even full-time if she wanted to. I handle the business end of things, such as his bills and investments and such, so between the two of us, we really have a handle on his life :)

The next change concerns my mate, Hunter! He will be joining the culinary arts program at LCC next year, so this year he will be taking all the regular classes not directly connected to the program. He really wanted to start the main program this year, but wasn't able to get the reference letters in time to make the cut. No worries though, these regular courses are also important! Plus, once he does start the main culinary arts program, he'll be at school sometimes more than 10 hours a day, so I'll miss him when it finally comes to pass :(

In other news, one of my best friends from Second Life completed her move from Michigan to Eugene just this last month. She's been planning the move for months, and it finally happened. There were a few hiccups with car trouble on the way out, but she made it, and was able to stay at my place for the time it took to furnish her new apartment and get a bit familiar with the town. I have to say, it's really nice to have face-to-face contact with someone that before I only used to see on Skype every weekday at lunch. Now I'm able to stop by in the morning on my way to work (instead of just chatting on the cell phone) and visit directly at lunch. It's really fun having her around, and although I know she's feeling a bit like a fish-out-of-water due to the unfamiliar surroundings, that just takes time and will eventually become easier. I'm looking forward to a lot of great movie nights, day trips, and potlucks between all of us!

Lastly, we have a new kitten in the house! With a story behind it, so here goes. Last Thursday, September 2nd, Hunter was driving back Springfield on McKenzie Highway (Highway 126) and noticed someone up ahead throw some gray trash out the passenger window into the center of the highway. As he passed the spot, he noticed that the trash was moving and alive! He immediately pulled to the side of the road with flashers on, and, waving traffic to stop, rescued the poor gray kitten, only 6 weeks old. He then drove to the emergency vet nearby, who determined it may have a concussion, and visually had some road rash from being ejected from a moving vehicle at 55MPH. I still can't believe anyone could be so heartless. The emergency vet didn't have the staff to watch the kitten overnight, so we took it in and put it in our spare room, worried it may not survive the night. It wouldn't leave the corner of the room, and would hiss and swipe at anyone who tried to touch it.

The next morning, he was still wary of humans, but doing a bit better, and over the holiday weekend the whole household was checking in on he, giving it food and water, and a safe place to recover. By the end of the weekend, he became a normal kitten again, purring and nuzzling, chasing a string, eating and using the litter. Hunter and I took him to the vet to check for any terminal diseases (which we wouldn't want passed on to Remington or Samantha, of course) and it passed with flying colors. After a bout of indecision on my part, we decided we would keep him, and name him McKenzie. Just think: if Hunter had been 5 minutes sooner or later on that stretch of highway, he may never have seen it and it would have died right there. It just felt right to have it be part of the family. The vet said at 6 weeks it would normally still be with its mother, so it needs some special care. I've always wanted to raise a kitten to adulthood from the start, and now we have the chance. It's the cutest thing: we also call it "little squeaker", as you can see from this video.

Well, that's all I have to report at the moment. Thanks for reading :)

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A new post!

Just when you thought this blog was dead, here comes a new post! Not a whole lot going on at the moment, still playing music, and Frogg's picked up some more solo shows to help with his income while I'm at work. Just thought I'd drop a line and say hello to anyone who still visits here :)

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Just an update

Haven't been doing much here in this blog, but I have been working on my FurAffinity page, putting up some music and badge art.