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Sep. 7th, 2012
Interesting Links for 07-09-2012
Sep. 7th, 2012 12:00 pm- Apparently, some people think that having awesome women on DrWho is misogyny
- Men torn between Anna Karenina and Dredd 3D (Personally, I intend to see both)
- Declassified footage shows 1st ever nuclear explosion ... in space!
- Guerilla Signs On The London Underground
- ESP evidence fails key test of repeatability (shocking, I know)
- Awesome gay marriage cosplay at Dragon-Con
- Planetary Annihilation (A Next Generation RTS) needs your cash! I want the Galactic War stretch goal unlocked!)
- Maria Miller and the political internet meme
I joined a family, and lost a grandfather
Sep. 7th, 2012 05:41 pmWe were both overjoyed when Julie's grandparents made it to our wedding. Her grandfather had been ill for a long time (the first cancer diagnosis was around six years ago), but had gone markedly downhill around last Christmas to the point where we didn't think he'd be able to make it. One of the defining memories of the wedding was of him forcing himself out of his wheelchair and onto his feet to stand while we waited for Julie to walk down the aisle, against the protests of his wife, myself, and various of the guests. He was clearly a man of iron willpower.
I say "was", because Julie and I were woken at 2:45 this morning by a phone call from her mother to tell us that he died last night. He had been in and out of hospital since Christmas, for a couple of days each time, long enough to get him back on his feet again. And then a couple of weeks ago he reached the point where that wasn't feasible any more, and he was taken in. First to Belfast hospital, and then moved to Bangor hospital to be closer for visiting family. They were with him at the end, for which I am grateful.
My week is thus thrown into uproar - things at work are _intense_ right now. I joined the staff representative group, and spent the last two days having my induction training. There are major legislative changes afoot in the finance industry right now and I'm making sure my bits of the software changes are going to plan. There is the usual fun and games that needs to be dealt with on top of that. And all of it is going to get shifted sideways for a few days so I can fly over to Northern Ireland for my grandfather-in-law's funeral. Because his memory is worth that. At the least.
I say "was", because Julie and I were woken at 2:45 this morning by a phone call from her mother to tell us that he died last night. He had been in and out of hospital since Christmas, for a couple of days each time, long enough to get him back on his feet again. And then a couple of weeks ago he reached the point where that wasn't feasible any more, and he was taken in. First to Belfast hospital, and then moved to Bangor hospital to be closer for visiting family. They were with him at the end, for which I am grateful.
My week is thus thrown into uproar - things at work are _intense_ right now. I joined the staff representative group, and spent the last two days having my induction training. There are major legislative changes afoot in the finance industry right now and I'm making sure my bits of the software changes are going to plan. There is the usual fun and games that needs to be dealt with on top of that. And all of it is going to get shifted sideways for a few days so I can fly over to Northern Ireland for my grandfather-in-law's funeral. Because his memory is worth that. At the least.