Morning all. I just read about Kezzie passing away this morning and feel like sh1t.

Life people is too darn short to live in anger.
To stand in judgment of others.
To be sharp with tongue and pen.

Death is certain for all of us.

Life is -so my dad says- like a sandwich. Beginning and end are certain --- what matters is what we put in the middle.

posted this is Off Topic but I figured I would post it here too....

My hubby got the job!!! YAY HIM!!!

He went in today to fill out the forms and stuff and he officially starts working there on May 12th.

For those of you who might not know he applied for a job at a pretty big air conditioning company... He is going to be an assistant maintenance technician or something like that... he was hoping for that.. he thought his first air conditioning job would be installing them...

and they are going to start him off at about the same hourly rate that he is making at his current job

The fact that he is going to the school he is going to payed a pretty big part in him getting the job... The guy who interviewed him went to the same school...

Another good thing is that they are supplying him with work uniforms...

They also offer medical benefits and 401K etc.. and he gets 2 weeks vacation.... took him about 2 years at his current job to get 2 weeks...


yeah I started bawling when I read that this morning

Congratulations to you and your Husband on his new job Marilyn

Congrats Marilyn on hubby's new job! That's good news for both of you I'm sure. Thanks for the best wishes Leafgal and trailmix...love the video trailmix!
I hurriedly saw Mags posting about Kezzie as well...I will post something. I didn't know about her tumour. Her "goodbye" letter was very touching. I'm so glad she found such happiness in the last few years of her life with Jon.

Ditto Carla. And also that he had the loving thought of sending us crazy VJers a goodbye.

I've read all the posts on the passing of Kezzie as well as her last post. I didn't know Kezzie and I never read any of her posts, save for the last one, so my feelings maybe not have the same gravitas as the rest of you who knew her so well. Each of us has a finite time on this planet. Our only meaningful capital is the years, days and hours of our existence. That Kezzie chose to invest her most precious resource in a group of stangers on the internet knowing that she could realize no gain in a worldy sense, especially near the end of her time with us bears stark yet glowing testimony to her character and her humanity. Kezzie, I wish I'd have known you, but I'm already missing you. We can all take solace in the knowledge that you've gone to a better place, without pain, without sorry, without worry and where the internet is always fast.
Finally, I would be remiss in any eulogy of Kezzie without recognizing her loving husband Jon who through his tears thought to post his wife's last wishes to the people here. May God Bless and Shower His Infinite Mercy Upon him and their children!

Trailmix, I love Burton Cummings.

Congrats to your DH Marilyn, sounds like he got a great job!

Sh1t. You have a heart, dude. Keep it up and I'll let you use the family name

yeah he is pretty psyched about it.... being on the job is the best way to learn....

i just get the impression that this company cares more about their employees then his current company

Working for someone who looks at you like a human being instead of a number is always a plus. good for him!!!!

I just read about Kezzie - and like Zyggy said - I feel like I have been hit by a ten-ton truck! She was only 46 years old and it just seems so unfair for her to have found happiness and then just be gone like that. I always felt she was one of the pillars of this community - and I feel shaken and sad. Poor Jon. I am so glad that she got her 10 year card before she passed and while she was still aware enough to know. Goodbye, Kezzie - and Thank you. We will miss you.

We actually went to see them at the Saddledome when they did that cross Canada tour - we were in like row 10 on the floor, it was a really really good concert

I remember when the concert was over, the guy in the row in front of us was yelling 'sing running back to Saskatooooon'. Then mumbled something like, they didn't even play running back to Saskatoon - he was rather upset.

I thought your were going to say that he wanted to hear Magic Bus.

This is how Joel and I feel too...the shock of it has...well, I can't describe it. Kezzie encouraged me at the beginning of our journey and for that I was grateful and remain so. I too am glad she was able to get her 10 yr card.

Kinda puts life in perspective in a whole new way. At least it has for me...in ways y'all will never know.

Think I'll go hold my husband AND our daughter tight.

g'morning all.

Nice coffee Charles. Good morning everyone. Beautiful day here in Central Florida, 25 degrees and sunny.

So we have been here almost 2 weeks now! Which is cool. Basically we have looked at quite a few stores and eaten some different food

I still feel like a total stranger here, which isn't surprising really.

I cried so much yesterday when I read that post and all day I walked around just sad. Sadness. She was so nice to me.
Life is so precious...I wish her family so much strength right now....I wish I could just hold Nick.
I can't stop thinking about it.

I was pretty shaken for most of yesterday after I heard about Kezzie as well. I am managing better today. It was the unexpected shock of it. I am glad that Kezzie had time to prepare, though. I know I would want that too. I was also pleased to hear how accommodating and helpful the immigration people were in both countries. As frustrated as we get with the process, it was reassuring to hear that they could bend over backwards when it really counts for that once in a lifetime need to have your family with you when you die. Still, it is very sad.

Today is overcast and we are expecting rain. It has been in the 70s all day - not getting warmer or colder - a nice, reflective, quiet kind of day. We finally were able to get the lawn mown and the terrace garden roto-tilled this morning so I can plant the tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers and cantaloupe and squash plants this week. It has started to spit rain now and the main line of thunderstorms is expected to start going through in about an hour. Right now, I am enjoying watching the birds at the feeders - the indigo buntings are back and I am thrilled by their incredible 'blueness'.

There is this little - probably about 5 or 6 pound - fully grown tiny cat, very fluffy, a calico, who has been hanging around here lately. She sort of comes and goes but lately has been here almost non-stop for the last 3 days. She comes and meows at our back door or sits there and looks at our open windows and meows if I or one of the cats looks out at her. She is very affectionate - doing the paws kneading whenever I talk to her or go outside - but it took me quite some time before she let me pet her and she wants nothing to do with being picked up. I have no idea if she has her own home or not. She doesn't look hungry but she does eat at dry food if I give it to her - she seems to want affection and being petted more . She drinks from the bird bath. Joe is adamant about no more cats - 5 are more than enough (hehehe, yes, if I were on my own, I would probably take her to the vet, make sure she is healthy and let her in) but I worry that she may have been abandoned. When I have got up in the middle of the night the last two nights she is still there, watching our bedroom window - and meows when she sees me! There are lots of families that move away here - some of the rentals have high turnovers - and I have no way of knowing if she has a home or not. It has been on my mind, as you can tell. I wish I knew if I need to start trying to find her a home or not. I think she would be a great pet for someone- she has the sweetest personality and face and I just know she is starved for affection! Anyone want a cat - she is still quite young, I think - and so very tiny and Persian type fluffy. I would take her if I thought I could get away with it:-). Joel? Karen? I have a great little cat for you if you are interested! I could lend you one of the cat carriers too:-).

I'd take that cat in a minute, you can never have enough, but I'm not in your neck of the woods unfortunately.

g'morning all.

Good morning, thanks for the coffee Charles. Well it is certainly quiet in here! What are you all up to?

18 more days till my wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111111111eleven

Morning peepz. I'm not up to much - and quite pissed at Canada Revenue (see my post in The Vent).
Week promises to be good. Sun is out and I have REAL Columbian coffee sent to me by Camycar from the Latin America forum!!!

I have oodles of coffee from Columbia! Too bad my connection is no longer there,lol As well coffee from Nicaragua. Both are great!! Of course I put soo much cream in, doesn't really matter,lol But was sooo much cheaper there than here, even with mailing. Think I was paying like $1 or $2 per lb for the Nicaragua coffee.

Dude, that's super cheap. This one is actually my all time favourite Colombian coffee: SELLO ROJO. And Camycar brought it to the US just for yours truly
i also put way too much cream'n'sugah in my java flames, so there
Always a double double, OR, if circumstances are exigent, a triple triple

I have 3 or 4 types. some are already ground, some are not. And I have a bunch of single packets that were in the hotel room,lol But they are still good!

although come think about it... ground beans do not really last that long my friend, so there

WTF????????????? someone has Mumsie's avatar: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1812503


I can't believe it. My bro has been a victim of VJ ID theft

Ah, that was so nice of Camycar! I enjoy Columbian and Nicaraquan coffee as well although I don't know if having the Seattle Mountain Columbian coffee beans counts as good Columbian coffee or not:-). Still, not only do I add lots of cream and sweetner, we often have it spiced with cardamon and cloves that we grind up in with the beans. Yum!

I know- the folks in the Latin America forum are the nicest ones (next to you folks, of course). I sometimes spice my coffee with a cinnamon stick -- very, very Mexican thing to do!!!

Gadzooks! It's OK though, they taught me how to deal with this in the Girl Guides, I mean Boy Scouts. Yes, that's what I mean.

****NEWSFLASH*****NEWSFLASH****

LEN HAS A DIRTY MIND

END REPORT----HIDE YOUR CHILDREN

Everyone knows that you silly little girl.... but thanks for the thumbs up

Go on.....


Where, where, thumbs up where?

CUCUMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The show with the moose and the beaver, never heard of it.

It's a total classic.
You are missing out.

One day someone will get together Cucumber, Inside Out, Bodyworks, Mathmakers, Parlez-moi and all those other great educational shows and put them on their own channel. Too bad Marc Favreau who used to play Sol passed away in 2005, I loved that guy.

Moose and beaver?

I don't know what the laws are in Canada, but that has to be illegal in most states.

Oh and speaking of "beavers," here's something interesting to note. My wife is looking at living in Oregon one day and from what she's told me, quite a few Canadians (especially those living in BC) tend to like that state. Well, if you pay special attention to the reverse side of the Oregon state flag, I think you'll see why...

g'morning all

MMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmm coffee . . . need coffee . . . . .

I think you are on to something there deadpool!

Thanks for the coffee charles!

IR5, where is the cat and who is that guy!?

Just a few pics for you to look at this morning:

This is the lake at the back of the apartment where we are staying:



This is the pool:

Good morning Canada. We are back from our trip to NC. We had a lovely time but I am oh so happy to be back in my own home. We flew over your house, Trailmix! Did you see me waving?!

We landed around 4:00pm so we decided to stop by Ikea while we were in town. Then we decided to keep on going to Sanford to do a bit more shopping. We drove by your house, Trailmix! Did you see me waving?!

By the time we'd finished shopping it was 8:00pm and hadn't had supper yet. We didn't know what we wanted so we ended up eating at the Cracker Barrell (husband's choice). I believe it's the same one you got lost trying to find, T-mix. Anyway, I had the CB Sampler. Blech. I do not like CB's southern-style of cooking. If I have to eat there again I will stick with something safe like a BLT or a salad. Or breffruss. I did, however, pick up a bag of their caramel corn with candied pecans as compensation for the crap they served me. Oh wait. I think maybe this should be in the What's for Dinner thread.

Has everyone been behaving themselves?

Woooo hoooo krikit's back! Welcome Back!

Ok that's funny, I just said to my Husband about 5 mins ago, you know vj is pretty quiet when krikit isn't here!

No doubt it's the same Cracker Barrel! I didn't see you waving but I was probably busy eating fried chicken.

Ditto trailmix --- what's with the straight jacket bro? I thought you were allowed outside without it since the last time you were, well, interned.... And who the FFF is the dude using the cat avatar

Oh trailmix, the place looks super cool!!!!

Well, magicjack has been taken off as Vonage arrived today.

Going to give it a try, so far so good, the connection is 100 percent better than it was with magicjack.

Also, nifty feature, for $ 4.99 a month we have signed up for a 'virtual' Calgary number, so basically I have a second number that is local to Calgary and when anyone calls it, it automatically forwards it here, so my Mom etc can call me for free.

Glad you had an enjoyable experience. Trailmix probably didn't see you waving, you should have scrawled a greeting on a rock and thrown it through the window.

Everyone has been on their best behaviour, even me.

That IS nifty. Can you please tell me how Vonage works down here? (process, hookup, etc) Is it going through your ISP?

I thought I'd share a self-portrait, my sister talked the nice men in white to let me have some paints and a bit of canvas, now if they'd only give me back my chainsaw.

I miss the kitty.

Nice pics BTW.

You're right Sis (boy, it's been a long time since I said that ). Usurper, I saw kitty first. I will build a monument to his insolence with that miscreant's rotting corpse, where's my sword?