My favourite cafe just closed for good

Yesterday was my favourite cafe's last business day. It is now closed, but will be opening somewhere else down the road.

I stopped by to get a drink. The man who co-owns the place with his wife made me my usual drink. I will miss the awesome service and their knowing what I want without saying a word.

Travel plans

I am contemplating travel. If I were to go somewhere, it would be stateside to pay my respects to my friend who passed away earlier this year.

It's not a normal travel goal to have. It is mine, which is normal to me right now.

I can fly to the States. I need to do a COVID-19 test, prove that I have been vaccinated, and take plenty of time to travel.

Part of me is excited. Part of me is not looking forward to the extra overhead associated with travelling during a pandemic.

I haven't decided when I'll head down, but it will be before this year is over. I'm hopeful and optimistic. I'm also overly cautious.

New year's eve

It's new year's eve. It feels odd. I also feel some sense of relief.

I can't wait to get rid of 2020. I am hopeful that 2021 will be better. It's the optimist in me.

I may venture out later today. For now, I'm off to bed.

My friend's cancer turn for the worst

I got some discouraging news from my friend who has been battling leukemia for several months. I've been bummed about this news since learning about it just after 4 pm on Thursday.

She let me know that her treatment in Houston has failed. The cancer has now spread to her spine and she is paralyzed from the waist down. Radiation hasn't helped shrink her tumour, either.

She will be air-ambulanced back to the Mayo Clinic in my former home of Rochester, MN either today or shortly thereafter. 

It's encouraging news that she will be with family before Christmas. However, this news wasn't what we all wanted or expected.

Her message to me had an ominous tone to it. It's understandable, but I may be reading into it more. She ended it with the following:

"I really enjoyed our friendship. I love you and wished we could have travelled more together!"

I let her know that I treasure our friendship and said that I love her back. She is a dear friend and the thought of losing her is devastating. I continue to pray for her.

I hope that my seeing her in March wasn't my final time. Not being able to see her during a pandemic and with a closed Canada-US border is frustrating.

Friends

I spent Saturday afternoon with a friend, who is also a colleague. In our department, I used to be the farthest from the office. However, she moved further west this summer and now she is. 

We met at a central location and ordered Thai takeout. We then went down to the beach to eat and chat. It was a great outing and it was wonderful seeing her again.

We both talked about having friends who are battling cancer. I talked about my friend and how I don't want to bug her during her chemo, but have let her know that I'm thinking about her. Tonight, I got an e-mail from her. Her first round of chemo was promising. The second round set her back to square one. It was almost as if she had heard my conversation.

She is currently going through a trial in Houston that targets the chromosome that is causing her cancer. I hope that the trial is effective and that she continues to fight.

Transparency on shipping and the toll on the Internet when many are working from home

It appears that my modem will be delivered later on today. I just got a bill for the courier service. Interesting.

I'm not upset about paying $11.30 for shipping. It would have been nice if someone at my ISP had said, "Since you have been with us for eight years, we're giving you a new modem. However, we will be billing you for shipping." Transparency would have been nice.

Again, it's not a huge deal. The modem-router is probably worth $150 and I am hopeful that it will improve the quality of my Internet connection.

Yesterday, my colleague and friend had a chat with me about work. My connection had cut out briefly. She had the same issue with hers earlier in the day when she was in a meeting.

I have a feeling that since a lot of us are online, data connections will go through some hiccups these days.

Thoughts about being heartbroken

Part of me wishes that I could have a good cry over my breakup. I have yet to do it. I can barely shed a tear.

It has been an odd breakup. My heart is broken, but there is a strength that prevents me from going down any road of dispair.

I still think of him often. When I see a couple holding hands as they are walking somewhere, it reminds me of holding my ex-guy's hand. We were happy. It felt good.

I miss that feeling. I know it'll happen again with the right person. It's just not the right time to start a romantic relationship. I need to focus on me.

And, that's perfectly okay. For me, it feels right to go at my own pace.