The EPIC WIN Thread 3: SON OF EPIC

Bone scintigraphy results get!

All is stable, no activity. They can't tell if some metastases have shrunk or gone away because that'll always leave a scar on the bone and that particular scan can't tell the difference between the two. But whatever's there, it ain't doing shit. :):)
 
Work is sending me to Dublin at the end of June, just back from Vegas last week. It makes 0 sense to ship us around the world just to make quotes for sales people in person at our conferences but I'm not arguing with them. Gonna try to swing an extra week, I have more than enough vacation time to do it. They aren't picky about when they fly us, just that it stays within a specific budget.
So this happened, after Dublin which I enjoyed but was unable to really spend my own time there mostly working the entire time, I went to London for 10 days. Tomorrow is my last full day here and it's been the best vacation I've ever taken. I'm quite disappointed it's coming to an end but have been having an amazing time, wandering around, exploring and navigating the tube, taking pictures and rekindling my love of theatre. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed plays.

I didn't realize before I'd seen it that Tim Minchin did the music for Matilda but after it makes so much sense. The kids were amazing! Such talent.

Harry Potter(yes boo hiss) was fine storywise but really the effects are what sold it, particularly the floo powder and apperating into the ministry. The
demontors
were beautifully haunting.

The Pillowman was classic Martin Mcdonagh, one of my favourite directors, and dripped in dark comedy. Wasn't in love with watching Lily Allen before I saw it but she was fantastic.

I also saw Nick Offerman. Loved it though I didn't expect him to drag Gordon Lightfoot nor call the world out for lying about enjoying eating ass but overall it was a riot.

I'm happy to be heading back to Sarah and the Pups but am already planning a trip back.

Link to instagram if anyone wants to see my pictures, not gonna make another thread for that but I'm proud of a few.
 
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If you go by sentences, it’s a perfect 33/33/33 split between bragging about my hack carpentry and engineering skills/efficacy of unit in question/IoT rant.

—Patrick
 
So this happened, after Dublin which I enjoyed but was unable to really spend my own time there mostly working the entire time, I went to London for 10 days. Tomorrow is my last full day here and it's been the best vacation I've ever taken. I'm quite disappointed it's coming to an end but have been having an amazing time, wandering around, exploring and navigating the tube, taking pictures and rekindling my love of theatre. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed plays.

I didn't realize before I'd seen it that Tim Minchin did the music for Matilda but after it makes so much sense. The kids were amazing! Such talent.

Harry Potter(yes boo hiss) was fine storywise but really the effects are what sold it, particularly the floo powder and apperating into the ministry. The
demontors
were beautifully haunting.

The Pillowman was classic Martin Mcdonagh, one of my favourite directors, and dripped in dark comedy. Wasn't in love with watching Lily Allen before I saw it but she was fantastic.

I also saw Nick Offerman. Loved it though I didn't expect him to drag Gordon Lightfoot nor call the world out for lying about enjoying eating ass but overall it was a riot.

I'm happy to be heading back to Sarah and the Pups but am already planning a trip back.

Link to instagram if anyone wants to see my pictures, not gonna make another thread for that but I'm proud of a few.
Sounds like an amazing trip! Happy for you!
 
-Doing bills today cuz it's payday for me.
-Figured I should check wife's student loan status since COVID pause will be ending soon.
-Logged in to check status.
-Discovered remainder of loan balance was forgiven as of yesterday, due to paying since 1992.
-This will save us several thousand dollars that will no longer be looming over our head come next month.
-Immediately texted wife to tell her the news.
-Haven't heard a reply yet, hope she's ok.

--Patrick
 
Well, latest blood tests are in for my darling wife (and by latest, I mean this morning): All the cancer markers are now in the normal range. The big one, that was at 750 (normal range is 0-31.4) a year ago and at 50 back in May is down to 31 now.

Shit's working, yo.
WOOHOO!!!!! Great news!
 

Dave

Staff member
Well, latest blood tests are in for my darling wife (and by latest, I mean this morning): All the cancer markers are now in the normal range. The big one, that was at 750 (normal range is 0-31.4) a year ago and at 50 back in May is down to 31 now.

Shit's working, yo.
That’s really great to hear, man! Give her our anonymous internet love.
 
It's not often I get to post here, but some good things have been happening lately.

1) I got a new bicycle. My previous bike, that I named Obsidian, had so many repair issues that fixing and replacing all the parts would have cost me upwards of $600. I've had Obsidian since living in Toronto. It was a graduation gift, in fact. But I'd been thinking about getting a new bike in the new year with my tax return and decided to finally bite the bullet. If I had to spend that much, I might as well spend a little more and get a brand new one. After some shopping around, I got a 27-speed Midtown 2 hybrid from MEC. And oh my giddy aunt, it drives so smoothly compared to Obsidian. I think I was just used to my janky ass bike because this new bike rides so much better. It's my first bike that has hydraulic brakes, too, which makes a big difference biking in the rain.

I've named this new bike "Big Blue."

Big Blue.jpg


2) Since my parents were moved into a long term care home, which has a bunch of amenities, they barely needed the car anymore. For the last few months, I've been borrowing it. It came in handy for, say, going on dates with my girlfriend or getting groceries, but for the most part, I wasn't using it. I bike or walk to work and prefer to bike over the car. It was Mom's car and since she can't drive anymore and Dad never used it, she was willing to give it to me, if I could afford to keep it. After thinking about it, I realized I couldn't afford the upkeep, along with the price of gas, or potential breakdowns and such. So I gave it back for Mom to sell it. And, since she intended on giving me the car, anyway, she chose to give me the proceeds of the sale.

As a result, I was able to pay off my credit card and put the rest in savings.

3) Speaking of financials, I've been working a LOT at work lately. Work is putting out mandatory overtime, so I'm working an extra hour a day. It's a lot of hours, but it hasn't been too bad overall. But it also means my paycheques will be better for the next few weeks. Now that my debts are paid off, I can put even more in savings for awhile. On top of that, my sales have been better than I think they've ever been since working for the company for 5 years. I got a commission of about $200 on my last paycheque, and this month's commission is drawing near on $500. Plus, I recently got a 50 cent an hour pay raise and annual bonus. So my paycheques have been very handsome lately. AND I can expect a GST cheque and a carbon tax rebate in early October.

With all this and the sale of the car, it's nice to have some financial stability. I had to cut back on a few things in recent months to save a bit of money, like cancel some online memberships like PS Plus. I might re-up it next time that goes on sale.

4) Finally, also at work, I'm winning an award. Work used to an annual gala thing, awarding its best workers. I don't think they've had one since Covid. This is my first time winning and attending. They haven't said what I'm winning yet, just that I'm invited. For the day of the gala, not only do I get a day off, but it's includes free fancy dinner, and one night at a local fancy hotel for me and a guest. And I guess they give out prizes at the gala, too. A colleague went a few years ago and won a new TV.
 
It's not often I get to post here, but some good things have been happening lately.

1) I got a new bicycle. My previous bike, that I named Obsidian, had so many repair issues that fixing and replacing all the parts would have cost me upwards of $600. I've had Obsidian since living in Toronto. It was a graduation gift, in fact. But I'd been thinking about getting a new bike in the new year with my tax return and decided to finally bite the bullet. If I had to spend that much, I might as well spend a little more and get a brand new one. After some shopping around, I got a 27-speed Midtown 2 hybrid from MEC. And oh my giddy aunt, it drives so smoothly compared to Obsidian. I think I was just used to my janky ass bike because this new bike rides so much better. It's my first bike that has hydraulic brakes, too, which makes a big difference biking in the rain.

I've named this new bike "Big Blue."

View attachment 46139

2) Since my parents were moved into a long term care home, which has a bunch of amenities, they barely needed the car anymore. For the last few months, I've been borrowing it. It came in handy for, say, going on dates with my girlfriend or getting groceries, but for the most part, I wasn't using it. I bike or walk to work and prefer to bike over the car. It was Mom's car and since she can't drive anymore and Dad never used it, she was willing to give it to me, if I could afford to keep it. After thinking about it, I realized I couldn't afford the upkeep, along with the price of gas, or potential breakdowns and such. So I gave it back for Mom to sell it. And, since she intended on giving me the car, anyway, she chose to give me the proceeds of the sale.

As a result, I was able to pay off my credit card and put the rest in savings.

3) Speaking of financials, I've been working a LOT at work lately. Work is putting out mandatory overtime, so I'm working an extra hour a day. It's a lot of hours, but it hasn't been too bad overall. But it also means my paycheques will be better for the next few weeks. Now that my debts are paid off, I can put even more in savings for awhile. On top of that, my sales have been better than I think they've ever been since working for the company for 5 years. I got a commission of about $200 on my last paycheque, and this month's commission is drawing near on $500. Plus, I recently got a 50 cent an hour pay raise and annual bonus. So my paycheques have been very handsome lately. AND I can expect a GST cheque and a carbon tax rebate in early October.

With all this and the sale of the car, it's nice to have some financial stability. I had to cut back on a few things in recent months to save a bit of money, like cancel some online memberships like PS Plus. I might re-up it next time that goes on sale.

4) Finally, also at work, I'm winning an award. Work used to an annual gala thing, awarding its best workers. I don't think they've had one since Covid. This is my first time winning and attending. They haven't said what I'm winning yet, just that I'm invited. For the day of the gala, not only do I get a day off, but it's includes free fancy dinner, and one night at a local fancy hotel for me and a guest. And I guess they give out prizes at the gala, too. A colleague went a few years ago and won a new TV.
That all sounds great!

It occurs to me that I've been remiss in naming my current bike, which I've only been riding for about 7 years. My previous bicycle (and current backup bike) is "Trigger", named for Roy Roger's horse.
 
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