Friday, June 14, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
December 2010
On Dec 6, my good friend Joe died after the ambulance medics gave him a shot of morphine for his back pain.
The next day, I was on a flight to Florida to see the newest 16 color screen printing machine that I wanted to buy for my new business in California I told you about.
The same day my mom called to tell me she was feeling something abnormal in her left breast. So I asked her to book immediately a private clinic screening for this. She called me back and told me that she had an appointment on Saturday Dec 11.
Dec 9, I come back from Florida, very nervous about Dec 11th mom's coming medical results.
Dec 11 I got a call from my sister in Lebanon telling me my aunt Juliette just died unexpectedly from a heart attack. Of course I could not tell my mom her sister just died, because she was already too stressed out because of the medical exams that day.
The results came positive for breast cancer. The doctor told me that they would get the biopsy result on Monday to see the gravity of it.
Monday the 13th, I get an email from Montreal from an old friend's wife; Daniel, whom I had known over 25 years, dropped dead from a heart attack in front of his computer. A few hours later, my sister in law called me to confirm that mom's cancer was in the 3rd stage and needed urgent surgery, probably before Christmas.
While all this was happening, I signed the deal for a business I had been working on since August, paid about 12,000$ for rent of the premises and also paid a 25,000$ deposit on a brand new printing machine.
Then suddenly, California had the biggest torrential rains ever for 2 weeks non-stop .. the factory I bought was flooded before I even plugged the machines and hired the workers! All was put on hold until after New Year 2011.
But then I had to go to Canada right away for mom's surgery, from Dec 22 to 25. By the time I was back, the deal was going wrong with the factory and all hell broke loose when I realized that the figures I was given for the expenses were not correct; so I pulled out and lost all the money I had deposited, plus all expenses.
All the month of January, I was back and forth with another business lawyer trying to break the lease with the least damage possible.
On Feb 6th, my mom had to go through her first out of 4 chemo therapy treatments. So I had to go to Canada again from Feb 6th to the 13th. I was then supposed to go to China before end of February. But my bookkeeper kept ignoring my numerous emails, phone calls and text messages, to call me back to set an appointment with the accountant for the end of year taxes before I leave to China.
Having gotten no reply, I had no other choice but to push my flight to Guangzhou from February 25 to March 6th.
On March 1st, while training at the gym; the leg press machine unlatched and guillotined both my feet with 3 X 45 lb plates on each side. Both my feet got sandwiched between the two steel plates, almost severing the main tendons above the heels.
The right foot suffered a strained ankle, cuts and bruises and had to be in a half-cast for 2 weeks. But the left foot got much more seriously hurt; 3 broken bones on the top of the foot. One of them twisted and couldn't be straightened back. But the orthopedist is hoping it will heal fine. I have to stay in a cast up to my knee, until April 15th
Of course; I had to cancel my flight to China and reschedule for April 24th instead.
So I ended up spending my 54th birthday in a cast.
Roger
The next day, I was on a flight to Florida to see the newest 16 color screen printing machine that I wanted to buy for my new business in California I told you about.
The same day my mom called to tell me she was feeling something abnormal in her left breast. So I asked her to book immediately a private clinic screening for this. She called me back and told me that she had an appointment on Saturday Dec 11.
Dec 9, I come back from Florida, very nervous about Dec 11th mom's coming medical results.
Dec 11 I got a call from my sister in Lebanon telling me my aunt Juliette just died unexpectedly from a heart attack. Of course I could not tell my mom her sister just died, because she was already too stressed out because of the medical exams that day.
The results came positive for breast cancer. The doctor told me that they would get the biopsy result on Monday to see the gravity of it.
Monday the 13th, I get an email from Montreal from an old friend's wife; Daniel, whom I had known over 25 years, dropped dead from a heart attack in front of his computer. A few hours later, my sister in law called me to confirm that mom's cancer was in the 3rd stage and needed urgent surgery, probably before Christmas.
While all this was happening, I signed the deal for a business I had been working on since August, paid about 12,000$ for rent of the premises and also paid a 25,000$ deposit on a brand new printing machine.
Then suddenly, California had the biggest torrential rains ever for 2 weeks non-stop .. the factory I bought was flooded before I even plugged the machines and hired the workers! All was put on hold until after New Year 2011.
But then I had to go to Canada right away for mom's surgery, from Dec 22 to 25. By the time I was back, the deal was going wrong with the factory and all hell broke loose when I realized that the figures I was given for the expenses were not correct; so I pulled out and lost all the money I had deposited, plus all expenses.
All the month of January, I was back and forth with another business lawyer trying to break the lease with the least damage possible.
On Feb 6th, my mom had to go through her first out of 4 chemo therapy treatments. So I had to go to Canada again from Feb 6th to the 13th. I was then supposed to go to China before end of February. But my bookkeeper kept ignoring my numerous emails, phone calls and text messages, to call me back to set an appointment with the accountant for the end of year taxes before I leave to China.
Having gotten no reply, I had no other choice but to push my flight to Guangzhou from February 25 to March 6th.
On March 1st, while training at the gym; the leg press machine unlatched and guillotined both my feet with 3 X 45 lb plates on each side. Both my feet got sandwiched between the two steel plates, almost severing the main tendons above the heels.
The right foot suffered a strained ankle, cuts and bruises and had to be in a half-cast for 2 weeks. But the left foot got much more seriously hurt; 3 broken bones on the top of the foot. One of them twisted and couldn't be straightened back. But the orthopedist is hoping it will heal fine. I have to stay in a cast up to my knee, until April 15th
Of course; I had to cancel my flight to China and reschedule for April 24th instead.
So I ended up spending my 54th birthday in a cast.
Roger
December 2007
Betty, my mother-in law passed away on Nov 11th. The day after Monet turned 6.
Then when my sister Joséphine called from Beirut for the condolences, she told me that her brother-in-law, Gys had also passed away.
Now, I'm stranded in the giant snow storm in Montreal where I arrived on Friday Nov 30th at night to be the surprise present for my mom on a surprise party for her 70th b-day ... 30 minutes before we reached the restaurant where the 50 + people were waiting for the surprise on Saturday, my brother's father in law, Arthur, dropped in the supermarket, while on his way to get ready for the party, and died from a massive heart attack.
The party was cancelled of course and so I spent my few days in Montreal between the funeral home and the notary for the will.
My flight back to LA was on Dec 5th though as I couldn't postpone and attend the funeral on the 6th. That's because on the 7th early morning, I had to fly to San Francisco, to attend my partners' wedding on the 8th, near Russian Gulch (a few hours driving distance north of SFO)
Did I tell you that the guy who was supposed to be the best man on their wedding was found dead on Nov 1st at age 25?!
that makes it 'Four Funeral and a Wedding"
What a month!
Roger
Then when my sister Joséphine called from Beirut for the condolences, she told me that her brother-in-law, Gys had also passed away.
Now, I'm stranded in the giant snow storm in Montreal where I arrived on Friday Nov 30th at night to be the surprise present for my mom on a surprise party for her 70th b-day ... 30 minutes before we reached the restaurant where the 50 + people were waiting for the surprise on Saturday, my brother's father in law, Arthur, dropped in the supermarket, while on his way to get ready for the party, and died from a massive heart attack.
The party was cancelled of course and so I spent my few days in Montreal between the funeral home and the notary for the will.
My flight back to LA was on Dec 5th though as I couldn't postpone and attend the funeral on the 6th. That's because on the 7th early morning, I had to fly to San Francisco, to attend my partners' wedding on the 8th, near Russian Gulch (a few hours driving distance north of SFO)
Did I tell you that the guy who was supposed to be the best man on their wedding was found dead on Nov 1st at age 25?!
that makes it 'Four Funeral and a Wedding"
What a month!
Roger
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
