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Our first family trip this year was to British Columbia to visit family and friends. Pre-trip drama: - Monkey had a bout of vomiting that lasted a couple days and the presence of blood (a tiny bit but still) prompted me to make a last minute visit to the veterinarian. Turns out he has a tumor or cyst in his abdomen, pushing on his liver and stomach. We got him on an  anti-emetic  and a soft food diet but it seemed like his time left was limited. - About a week before the trip our A/C stopped working -- air was coming through but it was not cold. It's an old unit, probably over 20 years, and was leaking coolant through a crack. We had someone re-fill and seal, a temporary measure that is currently allowing us to live sanely. Before the repair we were using fans and sleeping in the basement. The usual tactics. (If you ever need a big fan that blows HARD, get one of these bad boys .) Day 1: June 29th We were supposed to arrive in the afternoon but our Porter flight got pushed bac...

I'm flying to Scotland tonight to see a friend there. I grew tired of having nothing to show for the summer -- nights of staying in watching Netflix, weekends with no plans. Feels good to finally do something. Well, I caught a friend playing at the Emmet Ray  this past Sunday, some live music to fill my time. Saw some faces I hadn't seen in ages, had a few beers, enjoyed myself. My condo's heat pump was a bit wonky for a week or so there. It turned out that the fan for the building's water supply to the heat pumps needed a reset, or some such thing. Anyway the cooling works again, which puts my mind at ease regarding the cats. I actually dreamt of them last night, scrambling at the walls, trying to escape from what I gather were zombies or a similar threat. I feel guilty every day that I don't play with them, such is the attachment I've grown. I hired a cat sitter to look after them while I'm away, who appeared very prepared and professional. Still, the ...

Ok, here's me trying to keep the journal/blog/webjo thing going... it ain't easy! There aren't enough hours for all I want to do, or all I want to read, or all the turns in Dungeon Raid I need to make.... anyway, I had an alright weekend. Friday I attended a talk at CFI promoting the book How To Become A Really Good Pain In The Ass , Saturday I got my teeth cleaned in the morning, napped, then met up with Reg and Olga and had ourselves a drinky-drinky night at Marben, concluding with some Swatow. Sunday I rode over to the AGO, did some sketching and exploring there, and checked out two street festivals (the Chinese one on Spadina, then the Cabbagetown one on Parliament). That evening Loopy and I discussed plans for our next project -- a podcast ! Tomorrow I get the Mee-Mees neutered and spayed, which, on top of being a horrendous expense, also saddens me in that I am depriving them of their chance at immortality (admittedly, a highly incestuous one). I guess they are bu...

I adopted a couple of kittens (referred to colloquially, and collectively, as "the meemees", for the sound they make) -- my sister found a homeless, pregnant cat some months ago and the babies needed a home, and, well, it was offered and I, after much contemplation and self-debate, accepted a boy and girl into my kitten-unready home. I am so far likening the experience to adopting two aliens with little concept of language or bathroom manners, irregular hours and a fascination for anything new. Ah, they are not quite that bad but certainly keep me on the fence of whether or not to keep them. Certainly they have their moments of intense cuteness. A couple weeks ago I was at a dinner with Girl and Dangerman! I hadn't seen those two since last year and little Magnus is quickly becoming a little boy. It was really nice to have the gang together like that, it quite brought the smile to my face -- hardly anyone has changed, I find, though when I see myself in the mirror I w...