We are both still a little in shock.
Iris was an amazing cat. She was rescued from a hoarder who had approx 50 cats in her basement, and Alise took her knowing full well that she had a number of health issues.
Iris truly adored Alise. She followed her like a dog, and literally thought of her as her mother. The bond that those two had was unlike any that I've seen between human and cat, and was just one of the things that encouraged me to fall in love with Alise. The compassion, unconditional love, and attention to care that she gave to Iris opened my eyes to the warmth and strength of her character. Alise made many sacrifices for Iris, and Iris truly appreciated all that Alise did for her.
We are very thankful for what we have. Coco is a wonderful dog, and we have 3 cats with great personalities. We will soon welcome our beautiful baby boy, and Alise and I will sacrifice and strive to ensure that his life is filled with love and happiness.
We shall never forget Iris, though. Time will heal the wounds, but the lessons that she taught us and the memories that she so often gave us will never fade.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
A very sad day
This morning we said goodbye to Iris.
Iris was the most wonderful, loving, crazy, affectionate cat.
She was originally Alise's, but moved in with Random the cat when Alise joined me here. She quickly moved into my heart, and became my favourite. She could be a total pain in the arse at times, but she was awesome and will be most terribly missed by all of us.
Thankfully she wasn't sick for long, but was in pain and we rushed her to the emergency vet. The terrible diagnosis was reached quickly, the only option made with a heavy heart. Iris wasn't to suffer. She deserved nothing less.
I'm going to miss you, little Iris. I'm going to miss you a lot.
Iris was the most wonderful, loving, crazy, affectionate cat.
She was originally Alise's, but moved in with Random the cat when Alise joined me here. She quickly moved into my heart, and became my favourite. She could be a total pain in the arse at times, but she was awesome and will be most terribly missed by all of us.
Thankfully she wasn't sick for long, but was in pain and we rushed her to the emergency vet. The terrible diagnosis was reached quickly, the only option made with a heavy heart. Iris wasn't to suffer. She deserved nothing less.
I'm going to miss you, little Iris. I'm going to miss you a lot.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Don't go crazy.... Don't go crazy...
There is a lady that I work with (who's permission I have to recount this story to you), who when she gave birth was desperate for a boy. So desperate, in fact, that when the stork delivered a girl, she said 'well hell to that' and dressed her as a boy for the first five years of her life.
This is a little crazy.
Alise and I have been going a little crazy recently, shopping for the boy. We had already bought a few clothes for newborns and 3 month old babies; but this weekend went a touch further.
It all started when we took a trip to the local Carters outlet store. For anyone not familiar with Carters, I say only this. Get familiar with it. The clothes (already reasonably priced) are 50-60% off at their outlets, and if you give them your email address they'll send you coupons for a further 20% discount. They also have a reward card, giving you $10 off when you spend $100. We've been shopping!
So this weekend we started at our local store, and bought about $60 each. With the discounts on offer, this added up to quite a few clothes.
Feeling adventurous, we then took the somewhat crazy decision to drive a good 2 hours to the Freeport, ME outlet stores. Alise remembered that the Baby Gap there had some good deals, and I wanted a new pair of winter boots.
The Baby Gap sucked. I found no new boots. We did find another Carters outlet store.
Approx $160 later, we left Maine clutching large bags filled with clothes. We seriously have enough clothes for the first year of the boys life. We went a little crazy.
And if the boy comes out and is a girl....
This is a little crazy.
Alise and I have been going a little crazy recently, shopping for the boy. We had already bought a few clothes for newborns and 3 month old babies; but this weekend went a touch further.
It all started when we took a trip to the local Carters outlet store. For anyone not familiar with Carters, I say only this. Get familiar with it. The clothes (already reasonably priced) are 50-60% off at their outlets, and if you give them your email address they'll send you coupons for a further 20% discount. They also have a reward card, giving you $10 off when you spend $100. We've been shopping!
So this weekend we started at our local store, and bought about $60 each. With the discounts on offer, this added up to quite a few clothes.
Feeling adventurous, we then took the somewhat crazy decision to drive a good 2 hours to the Freeport, ME outlet stores. Alise remembered that the Baby Gap there had some good deals, and I wanted a new pair of winter boots.
The Baby Gap sucked. I found no new boots. We did find another Carters outlet store.
Approx $160 later, we left Maine clutching large bags filled with clothes. We seriously have enough clothes for the first year of the boys life. We went a little crazy.
And if the boy comes out and is a girl....
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Special Bonus Video
Because you've all been so patient and awesome... Have another video diary. No really... have one for free.
Video Diary Time: Lost In Spa-a-a-c-c-e-e!!!
Apologies for a lack of posts recently, we've been coming down from the stress that was our trip! We're back and running now though, and I've finally been able to upload the video diary that we took last Saturday, when we were basically stuck on the Maryland/Delaware border.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Dear diary...
We are still stuck in Maryland. The car was fixed, and then broke down again.
We have spent some time observing the locals. Most appear to be
programmed to be nice, but are lacking in skills of reasoning and car
repair and conversations that include any level of intelligent
thought.
I wonder if we will ever leave
The burger king down the road is hiring, there is a hospital nearby.
If worse comes to worse we will just live here. Maybe it wouldn't be
so bad?
Oh boy. I just hope to all hell that our next leap, is the leap home.
--
Sent from my mobile device
Monday, November 16, 2009
It could, on reflection, have been worse...
So, some back story.
Alise had a conference in DC, today (Monday) and Tomorrow. Because I've never been to DC before, and because I had the opportunity to take a couple of days off work; we decided that I would come along for the ride, we'd spend Sunday sightseeing, and then I'd chill out and relax in the hotel and see some sights for myself while Alise worked.
We thought about flying, but the flights were either really expensive or would take over 6 hours. Seeing as it's only a 7 hour drive from Boston to DC, we decided we may as well just drive. What's the worst that could happen, right?
We set off early, thinking that we'd get to DC at around 3pm, be able to check into our hotel and maybe take a little nap in luxurious comfort, and then take an evening stroll around the nations capital. Sounds delightful, doesn't it?
We were making pretty good time. We had passed through New York city without too much trouble and we were approximately 100 miles from our destination.
We then hit trouble.
Suddenly, a plume of white smoke shot from the back of the car. I went from being able to drive at 75mph, to struggling to reach 40mph. Looking back we could see the cars behind us as the emerged from the fog that we were creating. We weren't in good shape.
We pulled onto the breakdown lane, and quickly got out of the car and hopped the crash barrier. Alise got on the phone with AAA. We had no idea really where we were, but Alise was able, pretty quickly, to let the operator know where to send someone.
When our tow arrived, we got the car hitched up and got into his cab. His name was 'Country', and it was obvious why. I honestly felt like we'd gone back in time and were in 1970's Alabama, or somewhere.
'Country' towed us to a Midas Muffler, which thankfully was open on a Saturday afternoon. They diagnosed that the problem was with the turbo, which typically enough is one of the most expensive parts that can go on a Saab. Awesome. They wouldn't be able to fix the car then, so we were stuck in Delaware. In a town with apparently nothing.
Cutting a long story slightly shorter, we settled on taxing a taxi to the nearest train station and taking the train to DC. I called Amtrak, and they told me that the ONLY train on a Saturday that stopped in this town on its way to DC arrived at 8pm. It was 4:30pm. Nevermind, we thought; we'd wait at the station. Sit for a while. Possible have a delightful sandwich or pastry.
The cab driver (another wierdo, we encountered a few) dropped us off at the train station and sped away. We stood to survey our surroundings, and realised that we were going to spend the next 3 hours of our lives at what was basically a platform. There was a building but all of the doors were shut fast. We had our belongings (why I insisted on bringing my heavy gear I'll never know) and we were trapped on a platform, waiting for 3 hours for the train.
The long and the short of it is that we survived this ordeal, and got onto the train bound for DC. The hour and a half ride seemed over in minutes, comfortable seats and safety certainly helped. We got to Union station, hailed a taxi, and checked into the hotel at around 10pm.
All in all, it really could have been worse. It was though a pretty depressing ordeal, and we often swore and cried.
You know what though? I have to tell you. Alise is pregnant and we've both been trying to save money for the baby. This ordeal should probably have sent her over the edge. She was wonderful throughout though, and pretty much always had a smile on her face and dealt with thigs way better than I did.
She's pretty special, you know.
Alise had a conference in DC, today (Monday) and Tomorrow. Because I've never been to DC before, and because I had the opportunity to take a couple of days off work; we decided that I would come along for the ride, we'd spend Sunday sightseeing, and then I'd chill out and relax in the hotel and see some sights for myself while Alise worked.
We thought about flying, but the flights were either really expensive or would take over 6 hours. Seeing as it's only a 7 hour drive from Boston to DC, we decided we may as well just drive. What's the worst that could happen, right?
We set off early, thinking that we'd get to DC at around 3pm, be able to check into our hotel and maybe take a little nap in luxurious comfort, and then take an evening stroll around the nations capital. Sounds delightful, doesn't it?
We were making pretty good time. We had passed through New York city without too much trouble and we were approximately 100 miles from our destination.
We then hit trouble.
Suddenly, a plume of white smoke shot from the back of the car. I went from being able to drive at 75mph, to struggling to reach 40mph. Looking back we could see the cars behind us as the emerged from the fog that we were creating. We weren't in good shape.
We pulled onto the breakdown lane, and quickly got out of the car and hopped the crash barrier. Alise got on the phone with AAA. We had no idea really where we were, but Alise was able, pretty quickly, to let the operator know where to send someone.
When our tow arrived, we got the car hitched up and got into his cab. His name was 'Country', and it was obvious why. I honestly felt like we'd gone back in time and were in 1970's Alabama, or somewhere.
'Country' towed us to a Midas Muffler, which thankfully was open on a Saturday afternoon. They diagnosed that the problem was with the turbo, which typically enough is one of the most expensive parts that can go on a Saab. Awesome. They wouldn't be able to fix the car then, so we were stuck in Delaware. In a town with apparently nothing.
Cutting a long story slightly shorter, we settled on taxing a taxi to the nearest train station and taking the train to DC. I called Amtrak, and they told me that the ONLY train on a Saturday that stopped in this town on its way to DC arrived at 8pm. It was 4:30pm. Nevermind, we thought; we'd wait at the station. Sit for a while. Possible have a delightful sandwich or pastry.
The cab driver (another wierdo, we encountered a few) dropped us off at the train station and sped away. We stood to survey our surroundings, and realised that we were going to spend the next 3 hours of our lives at what was basically a platform. There was a building but all of the doors were shut fast. We had our belongings (why I insisted on bringing my heavy gear I'll never know) and we were trapped on a platform, waiting for 3 hours for the train.
The long and the short of it is that we survived this ordeal, and got onto the train bound for DC. The hour and a half ride seemed over in minutes, comfortable seats and safety certainly helped. We got to Union station, hailed a taxi, and checked into the hotel at around 10pm.
All in all, it really could have been worse. It was though a pretty depressing ordeal, and we often swore and cried.
You know what though? I have to tell you. Alise is pregnant and we've both been trying to save money for the baby. This ordeal should probably have sent her over the edge. She was wonderful throughout though, and pretty much always had a smile on her face and dealt with thigs way better than I did.
She's pretty special, you know.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Please excuse my language...
But we are having the worst fucking day in the history of wank fuck bollocks.
The pregnancy is fine, don't worry about that. No person or animal has
died. But Alise and I are having a shit arse crap day.
I shall explain more another time.
--
Sent from my mobile device
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
The sun'll come out... tomorrow!
My apologies for not writing sooner, or for longer. Work has been very
busy (which of course, is nice), and we've both been busy at home.
busy (which of course, is nice), and we've both been busy at home.
The nursery is now really taking shape. We have a new light fixture in
there, complete with dimmer for the bay-bee. We've put up shelves in
the closet and we've bought more clothes and toys. We are no where
near 'ready', but we are certainly getting there.
One conversation that we've had recently has been in deciding whether
to go with cloth, or disposable diapers. Cloth are cheaper, and better
for the environment, disposable possibly fit the child better and are,
of course, easier. If anyone has any thoughts on the subject then
please weigh in!
--
Sent from my mobile device
Friday, November 6, 2009
It's a bad, mad world
Today we all remember those tragically shot in Texas. There's currently breaking news concerning a mass shooting in Florida. We are still involved in two wars, unemployment is over 10% in the States while the world tries to drag itself out of a recession.
So let's have a baby!
Alise and I both follow the news regularly. While it is true that bad news is reported more than good, it's certain that we're living in a world of uncertainty. Our boy will be born, and most likely will live his life in similar times. Wars happen, people get shot, many lives are touched by tragedy.
I've often thought that it might be bad to bring a child into this world. But... maybe not. Our child will be a bright light in our lives, and will give us joy above all joy. Currently nothing makes me happier than seeing our dog Coco roll around goofily on the bed, knowing that I helped to take her from a more upsetting life and that I, certainly helped in massive measures by Alise since she joined our family, have given her a life of comfort and pleasure. Shortly I'll look into the innocent eyes our our boy and see his joy as he wakes up into the world that we've created for him.
Boy, this world is a fucked up place but joy and happiness and love do exist within it. You will be born into a small family to parents that love you unconditionally and who will sacrifice and save to ensure that you have all that you need. I felt you kick last night, and while it was probably just a reflex movement for you, it meant the world to me.
So let's have a baby!
Alise and I both follow the news regularly. While it is true that bad news is reported more than good, it's certain that we're living in a world of uncertainty. Our boy will be born, and most likely will live his life in similar times. Wars happen, people get shot, many lives are touched by tragedy.
I've often thought that it might be bad to bring a child into this world. But... maybe not. Our child will be a bright light in our lives, and will give us joy above all joy. Currently nothing makes me happier than seeing our dog Coco roll around goofily on the bed, knowing that I helped to take her from a more upsetting life and that I, certainly helped in massive measures by Alise since she joined our family, have given her a life of comfort and pleasure. Shortly I'll look into the innocent eyes our our boy and see his joy as he wakes up into the world that we've created for him.
Boy, this world is a fucked up place but joy and happiness and love do exist within it. You will be born into a small family to parents that love you unconditionally and who will sacrifice and save to ensure that you have all that you need. I felt you kick last night, and while it was probably just a reflex movement for you, it meant the world to me.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Full Speed Ahead!
The nursery is painted, and we're having an electrician over this weekend to install a new light fixture and electrical sockets in there this weekend. Things are moving quickly!
Alise and I are really getting into the spirit of things now. We've been thinking of how the nursery will look, and we went to Ikea the other night to buy a Spanka, Sthummelstrob, Krenka, and Plajebomb. Or something. We're building up our collection of cute clothing and we're looking into toys, books and all things baby.
This is all most probably because Alise is showing and growing quickly. For a while there she didn't look any different at all, then she looked like she'd just gained a few pounds; but recently she's most obviously looking pregnant. On her way back from the hospital yesterday a lady gave up her seat on the train for Alise, and people in the outside world are comfortable to make comments.
The hospital visit was critical, but quick. Alise was one of the lucky ones to get the H1N1 vaccination, which is heavily recommended for pregnant women. I hope that any of you out there that are pregnant make sure to get the vaccine, and those that don't practice good hygiene methods and don't get sick!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hallo-Wee
Alise and I live in a fairly residential, well-to-do neighborhood. There are some younger families with children, there's a park within a couple of minutes walk, and plenty of grandparents. Usually for Halloween we get quite the crowd of candy grabbing children, and the 31st October is a fun night for all.
This year we went all out. We went to Target during the day, bought another big bag of candy (to add to the 4 big bags that we'd already bought), and I got some awesome skull lanterns. When we got home I set up the lanterns so that they framed the steps to the house and could be seen from far away. I added some more lights, we lit candles on the porch, we got a big bowl ready for candy, and we both sat on the porch with our laptops.
Waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting some more.
While we did get some trick or treaters, we didn't get nearly as many as we should.
And why not? It was pretty warm on Saturday evening, it was dry, and the house looked awesome. So why?? H1N1? Scared parents banning their kids from going out in case of razor blades in candy or pedophiles? Are children just too lazy these days and stay inside watching DVD's and playing video games? What the F?
Next year our boy will be dressed for fright night, and I'm going to add a fog machine and scary noises soundtrack to our Halloween experience. I will do what it takes to ensure that we get more next year than we did this year. And if they don't come? More the year after!
