Sorry about the blog neglect, life got really busy – let me
get you up to speed:
A freelance storyboard gig came up and that pretty much kept
me sleepless for the better part of September. The rest of October was a mixed
bag of unfortunate events. Lets get the bad out of the way first -
My Father, who just turned 80, has been suffering from
Alzheimer’s for some time. Things took a turn for the worse as eventually
happens to people struck with this miserable disease and he has had to be taken
out of his home and put in a manor. My amazing mother has done well to keep
him home and care for him as long as she has but despite that it’s impossible
not to feel like we’ve failed him somehow. Alzheimer’s is an absolutely awful
way to go, and though he’s still here and relatively well in many respects it
feels like the beginning of the end. It saddens me so much to see him fading
away.
Next was the shocking news of the passing of my childhood
friend Craig Arsenault at age 37. He fought a difficult battle with cancer and
despite all hopes to the contrary lost the game just a few days before
Halloween. Craig was one of the funniest, smartest and all around good guys on
the block. I have a lot of great memories of Craig, he was a big part of my
young life and I’ll never forget him. He leaves behind a lot of people of loved
him and my thoughts are with his family and especially his young daughter
Bella. None of us ever imagines we’ll check out so young with so much life left
to live, I’m sure Craig felt the same. I miss you old friend, it’s unfair we
should be robber of your presence so early.
***
Now onto the good news. November, I’ve been looking forward
to for some time now and it’s off to a perfect start. My girlfriend Brenda
Hickey and I took a trip to Halifax for her Birthday to attend the Kate Beaton
signing at Strange Adventures. We were first in line (and the line was looong
we discovered when we left) and happy to leave with a freshly signed copy of
her brilliant ‘Hark a Vagrant” book.
Later that evening I proposed to Brenda and she accepted!
(Sorry to upstage you Kate!) Anyone who has met Brenda knows what a lucky guy I
am – she’s a complete goofy sweetheart and I love her madly. The past few years
I’ve spent with her have been some of the best of my life and I’m so happy to
imagine that trend continuing on for the rest of my days. Thank you Brenda, I
love you!!!
And as for the next Angora Napkin book? Well, I’m on page 92
of the colouring and still clinging to the remote hope it’ll all be done by
years end. I’ve enlisted two helpers, but I fear this will in fact slow down
progress as they’re still working on staying within the lines. Nonetheless,
they figured out how to pick colours and flip the pen around to erase so you
never know. Maybe they’ll teach me a few tricks!
