I called into (RIP Sparky 2006-2012)

the office last nigh to let the boss know I wasn't coming in for today because we had to put Sparky down last night. He had what was called the Corona virus a strain called FIP, which can't be cured. It's fatal, the Doctor said. he took us in privately to a small room and showed us x-rays and samples that he took. He said if it was his cat he would take him home and monitor him for a couple of days and see what happens but in his opinion Sparky was to gone into the virus. He might have survived until the weekend but to put him through any more suffering because his breathing was labored and he wasn't eating anything. it might have given us a few days with him but prolonged his suffering. I don't know what happens to a cat in the finale stages of this FIP and we'd have to put Sparky down eventually. I made the decision to end his suffering and put him down. Anne and I talked about it and thought it would be the best thing for him. Good for him, bad for us of course

At first I didn't want to say goodbye and I waited in the Doctors office then as I was mulling it over and the Doctor came back in said I would like to say my goodbyes. So I went into this room and there was Anne poking her head in his cage crying. Sparky perked right up when he saw me. An image I'll never forget. Anne made room for me and kissed him and said my goodbyes for about 10 minutes we were there. It was already passed closing time for the clinic and at 6pm we went to the reception desk and filled out the form to give the Doctor permission to euthanize Sparky. He wont feel a thing. We're also going to have him cremated later this month and we get his ashes in something called a scatterbox until we get him an urn. He'll be sitting next to Pledges on the coffee table.

We got Sparky & Sporty in the Spring of 2006 from Noreen in the business room. Anne and I were looking for a couple of cats to keep Silky and Pledges company. Anne was attracted to this little male Siamese kitten and I asked if there was another male but there was only a female. I noticed this spunky little tabby kitten and I said I'd take that one. Anne named him Sparky. Little did any of us know we'd have him for a short 5 years.

The Corona virus (or FIP) can be transmitted 2 ways, 1, it can rest in the imune system as a "time bomb" for years and the cat that has it display no symptoms. Usually activated by stress (Boots) 2, through bite marks when cats get into fights with each other (Boots) I think what happened because Boots was an outdoor stray cat he had the virus in him and Boots and Sparky did get into a fight recently this year and I think that's what caused it. Otherwise Sparky would have had it in his system for years if Boots wasn't in this apartment we would still have Sparky with us. I don't blame Anne because we knew nothing about this. Boot's is what's called a carrier of the virus and I think he gave it to Sparky. I'll know the next time when Boots and the other cats get into what Anne calls a "Tumble & tuk" (TT) if within 6-8 weeks of that, one of them get it. We'll know Boots is the carrier. I went to bed earlier then Anne this morning and I heard a TT from Boots & Silky and left it at that. If Silky got bitten by Boots in that last TT, within the next 6 weeks or so SIlky begins to display the same labored breathing conditions, we'll know that the FIP virus came from Boots or it was lying dormant in Sparky from birth.

As I'm beginning to sort this out in my mind it doesn't make it any easier Sparky's passing last night and overnight surprisingly I was able to sleep ok. I heard Anne laughing at something on TV but she still wanted me here because through out her day she's going to be crying and choking back tears. She doesn;t deserve to be alone on a day like today. Over the next couple of days and weeks and months ahead, life will return to "normal" and we'll move on with Sparky in our hearts but not forgotten. Life always compensates as I firmly believe for every loss there is a gain, somewhere if you know where to look. It might not happen right away, it could take weeks or even months but the universe has a strange way of filling in gaps in a void. 

Anne and I will eventually let Sparky "go" and move on and like I said life will "return to normal,"  RIP Sparky, 2006-2012.

There could be an absence of posts here over the next couple of days. I'll post something on Twitter of course but it's going to take some time to work this thing out with Sparky. Anyway that's all for now.

I called into the office just after 9pm and

explained to the boss I wouldn't be in today because of what happened to Sparky. Anne needs me at home as she couldn't bare to be alone without me. It's going to be a long night. Hard to believe Sparky is just about 1,300 feet away from our location and will be there until after the weekend when a outside contractor will take his body and cremate it for us. We get his ashes and into an urn he goes. I still miss Pledges 2 years ago.

I decided against reading James p. Hogan only because I'm in the mood for some 1st person point of view stories. When I have enough energy and I'm more or less have moved on from the initial shock of losing Sparky, I'm going to begin S.L. Viehl's "Stardoc" series and I'll flip between that and Timothy Zahn's Frank Compton series and of course the "Song of fire and ice series."

But for now I just don't have the energy to deal with any novels. It's going to be a rough week ahead. I'd be satisfied if I can make it through the work week. This is a real shocker for both Anne and myself. Sparky's ordeal is over with but ours is just beginning. We're the ones hurting not him. I just can't get that finale of image of him in the cage as we had it opened and he perked right up when he saw me. That's going to stay with me for the rest of my life. At that time he had maybe less then half an hour of life left. 

Anne and I have learned a lesson though from this: we are not going to get any more cats from a litter. I wish we could get another cat though but not while Boots is here. If boots goes within the next couple of years or less then I'd suggest we get another couple of cats from PetSmart but we're a long way from doing that. Anyway it's going to be a long night and an even longer day. I love you Sparky. Anyway that's all for now.  

I really hate days like

this. We had to take Sparky (see below) to the vet just down here at the Pet Smart. Anne hauled him down this morning about 11am and it didn't look good she said. When she came back latter she said Sparky had a heart condition and a virus and we were to go in at 5pm. Anne said the vet was going to try a few things throughout the afternoon. So, at 4:30pm we went down in the brisk clear afternoon air as the Sun was almost blinding me. 

 
This was one of the hardest walks I ever had to do. We had about a 15 min wait. The vet was a small complex just off the side by PetSmart. The Doctor came in and showed us xrays and sample fluids he took from Sparky. The Doctor said he had whats called the Corona (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) virus or FIP. There are 2 ways a cat can get this almost fatal virus. 1.) From birth as a carrier and have it all the cats life and activated at anytime. 2.) From other cats in the food or bite marks when cats fight each other. The Doctor gave us 2 alternatives; A.) Take Sparky home and monitor his condition, which will get worse. He might have days left. B.) Put him down. I thought the easiest thing to do for Sparky was to put him down so he wouldn't suffer.

We said our goodbyes as Anne went in first and I went in second. Sparky perked right up when he say me. I kissed him told him I loved (love him) him and spent some time with him. I still have this sickening feeling inside. I left the door first and Anne later and we went to the reception desk to settle up our bill. 

What we're going to do is to have him cremated and then we're going to get his ashes in a scatter box and buy an urn from Micheal's and at the end of the month have his ashes alongside Pledges. Anne was reluctant at first but saw the wisdom in it. With Sparky dead it's going to leave a huge hole in our hearts and this place is going to be so empty without him. This was his last Christmas with us. On the bright side we still have his brother Sporty & Silky and those two love each other and we have Boots as well, but I'm going to really miss Sparky.

When Pledges went in 2009, I didn't mind it so much because he was old and had a long life and we still had the 4 other cats. Little did we know that Sparky had a time bomb in him that could have gone off at anytime. Did he get FIP from Boots, or from the mother as a kitten? It's hard to say. 

But it's going to feel pretty empty around here over the next few weeks and the months ahead. We'll get through it but in the meantime losing Sparky was like losing a piece of my soul. When it was their turn he'd always cuddle up beside me. He was a very loving cat.

We left out of the vet at about 6pm over to Tim's for a coffee with Sparky weighing heavy on our hearts. By 6:30pm as we began our way home crossing the 50th street intersection it was hard to keep my vision focused on PetSmart knowing we were less then a 100 feet from our lifeless cat. If there is a heaven and I think there is, if I go I hope I'm with Sparky and Pledges and my wife. Sleep is going to be hard to come by tonight. 

I love you Sparky, always. Anyway, that's all for now.

For me the mark of a good book is when I can

finish it in 2 weeks, like I did with Timothy Zahn's "Domino Pattern." I'm no in the early stages of James P' Hogan's last novel "Moon Flower." I'll probably have this finished about the end of March what with all my Lodge work and everything.

Today I'm going to swing down to LM in the morning and get Komplete 8. It's going to cost me nearly $600. Normally I like to use a demo of the product before I buy the whole thing but because this has 27 different instruments and I've done a lot of research on this product, I'm just going to buy it outright.

Speaking of software and such, Keith said he'd call me at noon today and install the finale pieces of software he said I'd need before I can install. I'd like to reinstall FL studio and when I get Komplete 8 install that and have some fun but I can't do that until Keith does his bit. He has Team viewer a popular remote desktop application that lets users from other locations take control of your desktop (with your permission of course) to work on your computer. 

Tonight, I'm buying Anne and myself Pizza and I'm off for tomorrow running down to LM early in the afternoon and pick up the program and head home. 

I watched the first quarter of the Super Bowl and lost interest in it. I had a $5 bet on NY and I guess I won, whu who. Anyway that's all for now.

I've got 6 hours toady but it's going to be a long day

I'll get my usual Tim's breakfast head into the office, wait outside for my usual 10 minutes and then have my breakfast take my insulin and start another 6 hours, uggh.

Since I have barely enough to get what I really want from LM I'd be pushing it so I'm going to go and get the Korg SOS and an xlr cable for my audio interface. After that, it's over to BP's to meet with some of my colleagues for a drink and home. I'm not sticking around unless the "entertainment" value has some possibilities otherwise it's home, have a bite to eat pass out and play around with the SOS for awhile and then watch the Oiler game.

 

Speaking of witch the NHL is still buzzing over Sam Gagner's 8 point night He became the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd star of the  night. That‘s only happened I think once in Oiler history. Mario Lemieux was the last player to get an 8 point night. Gretzky did it twice and Paul Coffee once. To get 8 points in 1 night along with 4 goals is quite the thing and I'm glad it happened to the Oiler's. The bad news is Calgary won 3-1 last night which doesn't do the Oiler's any good. I wish I could have seen that game but I was at the Lodge, screwing up all over the place. Anyway, that's about all I have for today.

I needed to be prompted a few times and

I missed a part about labor to refreshment, which I didn't even know was part of the degree. My bad and I broke the gavel as well. But others were had to be prompted as well.

I got the scores on the hockey game from a brother through out the night and wow, the Oiler's sure do have Chicago's number. Sam Gagnre had 4 goals! The Oiler's won 8-4! Wow, I'm sure the Rexall faithful appreciated the effort and the W. 

I was going to mention this from last night but most people around the night, already know about Facebook going public. I use Facebook maybe once a week, if that.

Despite screwing a few things up and my attention drifted when they called me "JW" a couple of times but earlier I did say how if "I tune out its I've been having a bad had cold with some bronchitis." It was fun but I was off my night all while we had somebody from Grand Lodge there and a few guests. I screw up but so did a lot of others as well. Next month is going to be an easy meeting so I'm going to feel a lot better.

Next week, I'm working, Monday 4 hours, Tuesday 8, Wednesday 8, Thursday 8, Friday 7.5, Saturday 6. That's going to be: 41.5 hours. 

Coast has had a couple of boring sows this week but tonight is on ancient astronauts, so at least this could be a good show. 

Work is has been going slow for me lately. I got $100 in sales all day Wednesday and $45 in sales for half a day yesterday. One of the main things I'm getting is the customer is asking for a website for further information and they can make donations online. I had about 8 of those in a 4 hour shift yesterday. I also get this a lot, "If you send out information, we'll take a look at it." Then my colleagues around me are getting huge sales. At least on this one I'm able to get a few  sales in a shift. On the other one, I've been 2-3 days without a sale. It's time to get out of there and I'd love to get something other then telemarketing. Monday Anne and I are going down to Alberta Works and put our name in. Anyway, that's all for now.

I've got half a day

here and then it's home grab a bite to eat and then make a phone call to set up a ride and then shit, shower, shave dress and head out to Lodge. Don't forge my keys/apron. 

I have a big night tonight, help to Open the Lodge, EA exam which I have to ask the candidate all the pertinent questions, then there's a part in the FC work I have to do and then another part, and then Closing the Lodge, and then the festive board after that. It's going to be a big night and I'll be relieved when it's over.

Anne's experiencing a slow time at work as she's getting a minimum of 6 hours/week. I thought they had to give at least 16 hours but I guess not. Until she gets her 4 days back I can't justify buying Cubase 6, at least not just yet. This Spring for sure. If I still have a job myself in early April, I'm going on leave for 10 days and hopefully if Anne's up to full strength at her job at the end of this month, then I'll get that and Halion 4, that'd be cool to have those at the same time just before I go on my time off.

At least the weather is good, they call this effect "orbital oscillation." It's the upper portion of the globe wobbling keeping the jet stream around the middle of Alberta but it's causing havoc in Europe. They're having their worst winter in years. After the winter we had last year, we'll take this no problem.

I slept ok over night but I could use another 4 hours of sleep. What to do, head in for 4 hours or sleep for 4? We need the hours. At the festive board, I'm going to have a beer and with that in my system, I should sleep ok.

If nothing happens with my job and I put full hours in this month, rent for March will be taken care of. Utilities, food and our ISP are our 3 main concerns. Other then this week for the month, I'm putting in full hours. That's 44 hours/week. Too say I'll be exhausted on Saturday afternoon's this month, is an understatement. 

It's kind of interesting what's going on in Iran right now. The Russians are blocking activity at the UN and are allies with Iran because they have their only navel base in Iran and Russia is Iran's main customer for military hardware. With the presence of the Russians Iran could shut down the straight of Hormuz. That'd be interesting. Anyway, that's all for now.