Over 1,573,749 furballs coughed up since March, 2003- 1,246 today alone! |
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Christmas is a distant speck in my rear-view mirror, and we are already most of a month into 2012. I wouldn’t really say I have any “resolutions” for the New Year, but I do have some goals. It is odd how the completely arbitrary change over of a calendar causes me to re-examine my life, but I will take advantage of it. It is time to give some thought to what I want to focus on in the next year.
Continue reading First month of 2012
My second big motorcycle trip of the year took me down the Coastal Highway (Highway 101). Road trip #1 had already established that I enjoyed motorcycle touring, so now it was about seeing where that enjoyment would take me. I still had questions I wanted to ask myself during the ride: how far in a day is too far, are scenic roads just a little more enjoyable than “main” highways, or a lot, and is driving through unfamiliar cities on a motorbike ‘way more scary than in a car? I packed up my bike and set out on August 1 to see what new things I could learn about myself… Continue reading Motorcycle Road Trip #2: the Coastal Highway and Computer History Museum 
We knew it was a possibility, perhaps even probable. But that didn’t make losing Jasmine at the end of May any easier. Irene and I both noticed something wrong as soon as we came back from our week-long cruise. Jasmine looked “puffy” around her chest, and seemed somewhat disinterested and dull. After a few days, she seemed to be having problems breathing. An X-Ray showed fluid and a possible mass in her chest cavity. Fluid was drawn, and ultrasound performed. The mass was quite large, 4 cm by 2 cm, and looked like a tumor. The fluid drawn from the chest, which eased Jasmine’s breathing for only a day or so, was also tested: it confirmed the worse.
The entire month of December has come and gone, and I’m now staring down the deep, yawning abyss of another year. I’ve been at that age the last couple of years, an age I was reminded of recently by my birthday, where thoughts sometimes turn to all that has been left undone in life.
2010 was a good year in that regard: I took some risks like getting on a motorbike again, and made a lot of new acquaintances in the process. I also lost 15 pounds and started eating a bit better. There were lots of challenges and sad times as well, but looking at things from the slightly removed vantage point of the turning year I would have to say things are going fairly well.
We had our kitten Harley, barely five months old, euthanized last night. His last ten days of life were full of subcutaneous fluids, forced feedings, several antibiotics, and lots of love. In the end I was faced with a decision I never want to have to repeat. Harley’s immune system was damaged beyond repair by the feline leukaemia virus and, although we had managed to keep him alive for a few extra days, it wasn’t going to get better.
Earlier this year I completed a motorcycle skills training course, bought a Kawasaki Vulcan, and got my motorcycle license. I had ridden before back when I was still a teenager, but this time I actually got my license. Between May and September I rode about 10,000 kilometres- most of that was smaller rides in the 100 km or so range, but I had several 500+ kilometres days as well. During that time I learned a lot about riding, and more importantly about myself.
I’ve been really enjoying my motorcycle riding this year. So much so that I started planning for my “ultimate” touring motorcycle. I was weighing different features, reading dozens of forums and reviews, and lamenting the several years which I’d likely have to wait in order to save up the cash. As you might imagine, this non-stop motorcycle this, Harley that, whining and complaining started to get on the nerves of my lovely wife Irene. Finally, after hearing one too many “<sigh>I wish I didn’t have to wait another two years” noises from me, she snapped: “Kelly, if I can have two kittens, you can go buy your Harley on terms” Obviously, my lovely wife doesn’t snap in a mean way. And that’s how we ended up adding two more kittens to our already cat-crowded home… and it marks the beginning of a stressful period of uncertainty that is still not over.
I’m having a parking space built for my motorbike. There isn’t any extra room in the garage for it, and my car is tired of being parked out on the road. But like a lot of things in my life, this simple change is far more complicated than I was originally hoping.
I’ve been sick with a sinus infection for the last several weeks, and am now mid-way through my second week of antibiotics. The infection was the outcome of my earlier flu that made my motorcycle lessons a bit more challenging. The illness has somewhat impacted my “biker geek” adventures, but hasn’t halted them entirely. I’ve managed to put a bit over 600 kilometres on my Vulcan, 200 of which was accrued on my ride yesterday with my Nephew Shane and his cousin.
I’m pretty much finished my motorcycle lessons. Action Motorcycle has really done a good job giving me the basic skills I need to ride. I’ve completed my motorcycle skill assessment and had the “supervision required” and “no faster than 60 km/h” restrictions removed from my learners. And I took my very own motorbike out for its first ride today- the picture below was taken at about the mid-way point on my ride.
But I’m not quite ready yet to take my ICBC road test… |
Spirit asks...when did I become a leaning post? |
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Copyright © 2012 Kelly's World- A View into the mind of Uber Geek, Kelly Adams - All Rights Reserved |
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