A Birthday Message

It has become something of a tradition for me to spew out a few words on my birthday, I'm not sure anybody particularly cares to read this but I've come to enjoy writing it, so I will. As I stare at 48 years behind me and contemplate another 48 or so in front I find that life has treated me pretty well so far.

This past year has seen some changes, some challenges, some successes and some failures ... in all a pretty normal with only a little bit to remark on.

On the changes front: My physical appearance has undergone quite a change as I moved from about 6 smallish and one big tattoos to many dozens (I lost count at 36 and that was a few months ago). I have been sleeving out my right leg with my beautiful and talented wife as the tattooist and the artist ... I am her blank canvas and practice mat. I am woefully out of date with published pictures but here is one from a couple of months ago. I've also been keeping up with running and have even increased the amount of exercise including daily Yoga sessions and frequent running. I run three times a week including 7 miles (11.2 km) every Saturday, something I do in about 58 minutes these days. I still hate it, though, in case you were wondering. To be perfectly honest, I may well be in the best shape of my life as the last time I was this physically fit I was also a smoker.

Speaking of not being a smoker, three years today for both Sue and I. According to my Dr.'s office walls, I've another 12 years of non-smoking to go before I am smoke free (medically / statistically speaking). Not only am I not going back to it, the smell and even the thought of it now sickens me.

I started a new company called GATE Village which forms web communities like Livelink-Experts.com and have been working furiously away at building it out; not the best year to start a new company but things are what they are. I am very pleased with what has  been built and expect great things this year.

We have a new puppy, making it our third big, black dog. Lucy is a Rottweiler/Sheppard cross and I predict a final weight of about 120lbs. She is, I think, the smartest dog we've ever had which is a good thing because of her size we really need to train her well. I'm keeping a weekly diary of Lucy's growth, in case you are interested.

Challenges: I surprised myself as to how much I miss having a lot of people around me. I had thought I'd enjoy working with just one or two people, and I do! but I also miss having dozens or even hundreds of people around me. Social Media is okay but it is a poor substitute for face-to-face contact. I was hit by another driver and had my car written off this past summer and decided not to replace it and instead to purchase a decent bike. That was a much more palatable idea during the summer and fall than it proved to be during the winter but I've still no plans to replace the car. Oh and while the car was a write-off, there was no injuries to anybody at all.

 We now have three teenagers in house and while they still act juvenile at times, the difference that maturity makes is palatable and enjoyable. Sure, I still have to play the heavy at times but those times are fewer and further between and the recovery from them to good behaviour is very refreshing and quick.

Within both the challenges and changes you can see the successes and perhaps the failures, though to be honest I don't feel like there were many failures this year. Looking forward I think I will continue with the fitness / health focus on my personal and family life; right now I've got Kareen doing daily Yoga with me and I'm working on Avery, and of course Sue puts us all to shame with her exercise. While it wouldn't be accurate to say I or any of us enjoy it, the overall benefits for us as a family in the short- and long-term are simply too good to stop. While they are not my stories to tell, cancer has been very active within my family in the last couple years and it has touched and affected us deeply. Nobody really knows what is causing it with my family or in general, but I think we all know that the more fit we are and the better we eat the less likely we'll be affected ... no guarantees of course but it's the good bet.  So, I'll see what I can do to lessen my milk fat intake. I've already addressed my addiction to V8, cold-turkey with the help of the manufacturers but I do love my milk, cream, butter, and cheese just a tad too much. That may prove to be a difficult nut to crack however, just tying these words makes me want a glass of milk ...hmmmm, milk!