photo to be added soon…

This last Sunday I found out that my grandfather had passed away late Saturday evening, due to pneumonia aggravated by asthma. To me he was a strong-willed, intelligent individual that had a love for God’s creatures. He kept in close contact with his daughter and sons, especially in recent times. What stuck out most in my mind was his unswavering feeling of one’s origins and nationality. He embodied the age-old phrase “Be proud of who you are, not what people think you are.” Even though I know these things about him, I wish desperately that I could have gotten to know him better.

Rest well, Grandpa. May the memories of your life continue on in our family.

This is hard for me to write; I’ve never cried for a pet as much as I did last night. I am saddened to report that my cute bunny Pepper died last night due to complications from surgery.

I had brought her in to our small animal specialist vet for an Ovariohysterectomy (Spaying procedure). This is usually done for rabbits to curtail behavioral (territorial) problems and also to eliminate chances of ovarian cancer. (For unwanted pregnancies, it’s the male that would need to be neutered.) The procedure was done and I was called later and informed that the operation was a success. I was told that we could pick her up after 4pm. We got there at around 5:45 and she was still in legarthy from the surgery. We were instructed to keep Pepper warm when we got her home and give her medication before bed. We never got a chance to give her the medication because, as time progressed, she was still laying on her side. Christine listened for a heartbeat and found it rather faint sounding and weak. We had her wrapped up in a towel for warmth all this time, and I decided to move her to the heated waterbed. She seemed to have gotten much worse after a little time, and her limbs were starting to stiffen! I made the decision to get her to the emergency vet right away.

Just scant minutes after checking her in, we were told Pepper had passed on. After the initial breakdown and healthy tears, I instructed the vet to do a general autopsy. A full one would be overkill for something like this. Before writing this entry, I called and found out that there was significant internal bleeding… not quite enough for death. However, in combination with a reaction to anesthesia, it may have been enough to kill her. I will be calling the regular vet today for follow-up discussion.

In closing, I just want to say that Pepper was actually one of the best companions I ever had. I’m more of a cat person, as I grew up around them, and my wife is a bird person. Pepper was very loving, craved attention, loved being around us and I’ll miss that attention greatly. I passed by her cage this morning expecting her to be there, standing on her hind legs, looking at me with those large lovable eyes like she usually does every morning. When I’d cuddle her, she’d lick my hands and arms. I’ll miss that, and more.

Goodbye, Pepper.

On the memorial entry for Joel Rieman, I didn’t have a picture to use for memory’s sake. The Rieman family was gracious enough to send out a good picture of him. Thanks Doug, Suly, Michael and Mitchell!

(picture added 10/8/05 and donated by the Rieman family)

We just learned that Christine’s cousin, Joel Rieman, had suddenly passed away recently. He was 29, with a birthday on Sepember 4th, so almost a year older than her. We are shocked by this, and our hearts and prayers go out to Suly and Doug Rieman and the rest of the clan.

I remember meeting him a few times, most notably at our wedding a few years ago. For me, he was a good-natured, funny, witty personality and he was an instantly memorable guy. He created quite an impression on me right off the bat. Christine says he was entertaining, caring, a good listener and fun to be around.

To Joel: We will miss you terribly!

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Normally in my postings, if I ever talk about work, it’s in the most general terms and I don’t let on as to where and who I work for. It’s just a safe thing to do, considering that most companies are just barely putting together policies about their employees and “blogging”. Nevertheless, I have a few things to say about the recent shootings in the Glendale, AZ Wal-Mart.

If you looked at my profile, you may have noticed that I live in Glendale. I will say that I work nearby where the shootings occured. I heard about it around the same time the national media was notified. It hit really close to home for me, as it did for the others I work with. Even though I was very absorbed in my work that day, I couldn’t help but feel sadness and regret for the senseless loss of life in an otherwise beautiful day. I also felt anger at the person who would think to solve his problems with a loaded gun. It seemed so strange that something like this could happen in a well-to-do area. The regrettable fact is that these things can happen anywhere.

How a fifty-plus year old man, with a history of mental illness, could acquire a gun legally in this day and age is beyond comprehension. They say there is still no clear motive in the slayings of two cart attendants by this guy and, given that he may not be playing with a full deck, I guess we’ll never find out. There’s a family now without a son, who had a heart and mind full of ambition and promise. There’s another family now without a father, his heart and mind full of hopes and dreams for his kids. I prayed for their families that night, that they would be comforted in their loss.

It fills me with joy, however, to know that even in this day and age, two people can have the courage to track down a man who has acted with such violence. They had the good sense to get the information the police needed to apprehend this guy before he would harm or kill another living being. I honor and respect their decision to be nameless, as that is the spirit of the Good Samaritan. I salute them.

For anyone who reads this posting, my whole point is this: With anything you do in life, don’t be afraid to do the right thing. When you see something wrong, try to fix it. When you see someone wronged, do what you can to help and get them on their feet again. And when you witness a crime, don’t be afraid to get the information and report it. In doing so, you may inadvertently help save others from that same fate.