February 10, 2007

It's been over half a year since my last update. I meant to put something up over Christmas but it just didn't happen.

While we've been busier than ever since my last posting in May '06, we haven't had too many major changes.

Mom and Dad moved in around the corner from us. They live on Albert Street, just north of Princess. They've been there since May and have been making non-stop improvements on the home since then. New windows, a gas stove, painting, plumbing, you name it! Heck, they've even done their first room swap. They both seem to love the place and Sarah and I both really like having them so close by. In fact, it's 175 steps from their front door to ours.

Christmas was great. We had dinner at my parent's new place but managed to stay in town over the entire holiday. We had a beautiful tree, the house looked great, and everyone came to visit us. It was lovely.

Sarah's mother has indeed retired and has moved back to Cornwall. She's already traveled to Calgary to visit her sister over Christmas, and has been taking care of her parents. It's a great boon to the family to have her there to help.

Sarah has finished course work and is progressing nicely on her PhD. She has had a Journal paper accepted and has been accepted as a speaker to a conference in Greece. We'll both be making the trip over in July. It'll be hot but we're both really looking forward to the vacation.

Work has been busy and enjoyable for me. I still keep being able to do what I love while collecting a pay check. Best of all, I work with a great group of people and feel that I actually make a difference there. Can't complain about that.

I had eye surgery in December to correct the strabismus that was first diagnosed when I was 12. While it was a partial success, I may need a second round of surgery to finish the job. Such is life. I can't complain, the improvement is already quite dramatic and I suppose that it would have been a bit much to ask for to have it all fixed in one shot.

On a happier note, I was able to purchase a double bass in December. It has long been a dream of mine to own and play the upright bass. It's been fantastic. I've played it every day since I got it and just love it. (Though I still feel a bit guilty about the expense and amount of room that it takes up in our living room.)

Home improvements have been steady, but we're now tackling things that we want to change. We have a new side door with better insulation, more efficient washers and dryers, an all-fridge and freezer and a vented bathroom. Electrical upgrades are up next, along with a few new windows in '07. Oh, and round three with the slight flooding in the basement. ;-) Ooh, the excitement.

We've been without a car for over a year now. It's been mostly great. We had our tree delivered and are getting better about taking taxis when needed. Renting a car for weekend trips has actually been a lot of fun, and we both still love the commute to work. Sarah's mom was so intrigued with out car-free experiment that when her car lease came up, she decided to go without. While I know it's not for everyone, it sure has been liberating for us.

Okay, enough for now. Thanks for reading.