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Another map, this time of the United States.
I’ve been on umpteen road trips through the States in my lifetime, many with my parents and brothers in our trusty Volkswagen campervan when I was [...]

Now, I’m often poking fun at Kits people — the neighbours on the other side of the Burrard Street Bridge — calling them granola (I’m really asking for it now), but I actually like granola, and this stuff is the absolutely the best I’ve ever had. I don’t even put milk in it, I just [...]

We all make ‘em. We all break ‘em. It’s nearly the end of January and — surprise surprise — 2004 is bearing a stinky resemblance to the undisciplined ways of 2003, at least here at The Balcony. I didn’t make any resolutions this year, not just because it is perennially futile, but also because there’s [...]

After a long hiatus, The Savage Files Journal has been updated. Looks like Steve has been busy renovating houses and staying out of mischief, although he couldn’t help taking off his clothes to run through the mere dusting of snow they got in the south of England (unlike the big dump in the north), and [...]

About bloody time! I am finally the bearer of good news.
1) My mother was released from the hospital this afternoon, after two months in Surrey Memorial.2) Cheryl’s readings were normal today, and she will be released tomorrow afternoon from BC Women’s Hospital, pending good results on another test.
By the way, the twins were named some [...]

A panicky end to a rather long day was courtesy of Shell’s EasyPay tag. I stopped by a station to fill up before racing to BC Women’s Hospital to take a bag to Cheryl that Allan had packed. It was nearly the end of visiting hours (10pm) and I had to return the co-op car [...]

The prognosis for the twins, while not dire, is far from good. We await further word from BC Women’s Hospital. Meanwhile, my father flies off to New York in the morning for his sister’s funeral, and I’m behind on my first assignment of the term. All in all, not a good start to the week. [...]

My father’s eldest sister, the matriarch of a very large family, died at the age of 84 (?) in upstate New York yesterday morning. Was considering going with my father to the funeral, but felt it best to stay put. My aunt had a series of strokes, the first one even before her husband passed [...]

The phone rang at 5:45am. Perchance, I was awake and on the computer sending out a report, but by the time I got over to the mobile phone to check out the number, it went to voicemail…. ????
By the number, I knew it was from Germany. The last time I got a late-night call — [...]

Five of us went to the Everything to Do With Sex Show at the Vancouver Trade and Exhibition Centre earlier. I took a photo, but can’t post it here as the friends would kill me — we were checking out the vast array of vibrators on hand (pun intended).
My cousin gave me four tickets to [...]