A Real Winter
27 July 2011
After ten years of hot Summers and fairly mild Winters, this year we had a wet Summer and, so far, a Winter that has been cold by local standards. The good news is that we really needed the water for the city’s dams.
One of our major plans for the year was to see if some improvement could be made to the range of motion of Jay's right elbow. Since he fractured his arm in 1995 his elbow had gradually become increasingly stiff such that he couldn't shave or brush his teeth with that arm. He went to see an orthopedic elbow and shoulder specialist and had surgery in May.
His arthroscopic osteophyte resection and joint capsule release greatly improved the movement in that arm. He was also pleased to be able to return to training at the gym after only a week or two. Maintaining the improvement is requiring ongoing stretching, but the process has been well worth the trouble.
Once he was recovered from surgery, Jay started work at his new job at Iron Monkey, a local studio of Electronic Arts. As was the case at Krome Studios he is working on their game engine. Unlike at Krome the work is mostly focussed on iOS devices rather than consoles, so he's becoming a lot more familiar with Apple hardware.
Our friends, Michael and Shaun had twin girls in April, and we got to see them for the first time at their baby shower in May. They were quite sleepy for the big day, but we have since been back at bath time and got to meet them when they were much more alert and active. I work frequently with Michael so I have been hearing a lot about the changes required in coping with looking after their new babies. Quite a few of our friends seem to be starting families, though that is not something we are planning.
It had been a few years since we went to the motor show and the warranty on the car has finished, so we went to have a look at what was on offer. It actually left me feeling less like changing cars than before I went, even with some of the seriously butch options available.
On the Queens Birthday long weekend we stayed in Melbourne. We went to a daytime event with friends and met a few new people there. It was our last partying before our planned trip in August.
In June, my one remaining grandparent died. Papa, my mother's father, was a few months short of his 90th birthday. He developed a chest infection and died in intensive care after only a few days in hospital. He was living independently at home with some assistance right up until his admission. We saw him fairly frequently, often for minor support issues with his iMac which he used for daily trading of equities, email and some Facebook. I spoke at his funeral which was held a week later.
We agreed to help again this year with the Trivia Night put on by the rowing club as a fundraiser. I had organized the funding of the use of the St Kilda Town Hall and we put together a table of friends to come to the night. Jay and I also had to carry in the host for the evening: "Dolly Parton", as her sparkly cowboys. It meant fewer costume changes than last year, but we still ended up with an outfit which will be difficult to find another occasion to wear. Once again our team did not win, but we did make a valued contribution to the fund-raising through the bar.
I have continued to row most weekends through the Winter. Jay has been walking around the lake or doing other cardio while his elbow recovers. In terms of membership and activity the club has had quite a successful year with some promising new rowers joining. Jay and I are not really involved in the competitive side of the club.
Our friend Jim made one of his periodic trips to Melbourne to do performance appraisals for his work and stayed with us for the weekend. We saw the final Harry Potter film together and went for drinks with friends. It seems like half the people we know in Melbourne are planning some kind of trip to the UK or Europe in August to take advantage of the favourable exchange rate and Summer weather, so we have quite a few people to meet up with while we are away.
The end of July will bring Jay's 40th birthday. As with mine last year we have planned a trip away to celebrate and so we will be in Europe for three weeks.
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One of our major plans for the year was to see if some improvement could be made to the range of motion of Jay's right elbow. Since he fractured his arm in 1995 his elbow had gradually become increasingly stiff such that he couldn't shave or brush his teeth with that arm. He went to see an orthopedic elbow and shoulder specialist and had surgery in May.
His arthroscopic osteophyte resection and joint capsule release greatly improved the movement in that arm. He was also pleased to be able to return to training at the gym after only a week or two. Maintaining the improvement is requiring ongoing stretching, but the process has been well worth the trouble.
Once he was recovered from surgery, Jay started work at his new job at Iron Monkey, a local studio of Electronic Arts. As was the case at Krome Studios he is working on their game engine. Unlike at Krome the work is mostly focussed on iOS devices rather than consoles, so he's becoming a lot more familiar with Apple hardware.
Our friends, Michael and Shaun had twin girls in April, and we got to see them for the first time at their baby shower in May. They were quite sleepy for the big day, but we have since been back at bath time and got to meet them when they were much more alert and active. I work frequently with Michael so I have been hearing a lot about the changes required in coping with looking after their new babies. Quite a few of our friends seem to be starting families, though that is not something we are planning.
It had been a few years since we went to the motor show and the warranty on the car has finished, so we went to have a look at what was on offer. It actually left me feeling less like changing cars than before I went, even with some of the seriously butch options available.
On the Queens Birthday long weekend we stayed in Melbourne. We went to a daytime event with friends and met a few new people there. It was our last partying before our planned trip in August.
In June, my one remaining grandparent died. Papa, my mother's father, was a few months short of his 90th birthday. He developed a chest infection and died in intensive care after only a few days in hospital. He was living independently at home with some assistance right up until his admission. We saw him fairly frequently, often for minor support issues with his iMac which he used for daily trading of equities, email and some Facebook. I spoke at his funeral which was held a week later.
We agreed to help again this year with the Trivia Night put on by the rowing club as a fundraiser. I had organized the funding of the use of the St Kilda Town Hall and we put together a table of friends to come to the night. Jay and I also had to carry in the host for the evening: "Dolly Parton", as her sparkly cowboys. It meant fewer costume changes than last year, but we still ended up with an outfit which will be difficult to find another occasion to wear. Once again our team did not win, but we did make a valued contribution to the fund-raising through the bar.
I have continued to row most weekends through the Winter. Jay has been walking around the lake or doing other cardio while his elbow recovers. In terms of membership and activity the club has had quite a successful year with some promising new rowers joining. Jay and I are not really involved in the competitive side of the club.
Our friend Jim made one of his periodic trips to Melbourne to do performance appraisals for his work and stayed with us for the weekend. We saw the final Harry Potter film together and went for drinks with friends. It seems like half the people we know in Melbourne are planning some kind of trip to the UK or Europe in August to take advantage of the favourable exchange rate and Summer weather, so we have quite a few people to meet up with while we are away.
The end of July will bring Jay's 40th birthday. As with mine last year we have planned a trip away to celebrate and so we will be in Europe for three weeks.
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