Carpe Diem!

Long time, no blog. I feel a sting of guilt when I miss a couple of blog entries. I generally just blog once on a given weekend, but also usually on a Friday at some point. I feel I missed two entries.

Quite a bit has happened.

On Thursday of last week we toured six building/properties. Most were existing structures. Two were empty lots. Two were in the north end of Cambridge, and the rest were in central and east Kitchener.

Two of these sites seem to be exactly what we’re seeking. Another is very interesting, but a little above our budget, and it can be very challenging entering and exiting the parking lot.

A fourth site is in a mall location, and completely different than what we thought we were seeking. However, the opportunity remains quite intriguing. There would be a significant impact on the business if we went with this site. There are many pros, and several cons. The question is, will the overall impact be positive or negative.

I have debated naming the sites that we’re considering, but have thus far refrained. Instead, I refer to them in vague terms, as above. It won’t help our negotiating position with the landlords to have too much information in the public domain. Also, I have no doubt that some of our competitors are listening in to this blog. (Hi guys.)

In the days since Thursday, we’ve also had some good investor meetings and completed a lot of smaller tasks that were piling up. We have a major investor presentation this week which requires a fair bit of preparation.

Lastly, but certainly not least, we lost a pet over the weekend. In 1991, a year after we married, we went to the Humane Society and adopted two kittens. They weren’t brothers. Bo and Diddley spent many years with us. Bo developed cancer in the summer of 2000 and went very quickly. Diddley had been going downhill this past year. We were constantly searching for a food that his digestive system could handle. This past week he simply stopped eating. He passed away quietly Sunday around 5:00pm.

It’s interesting. I grew up in a rural setting and worked on many farms. I’ve seen cattle slaughtered, toured a turkey “processing” plant, and been involved in many other harsh realities of rural life. But nevertheless, the passing of Diddley has definitely left a void. He was with us for more than 15 years. It was also very difficult to watch our boys go through the experience. Diddley was the first close loved one that they’ve lost. In a way, I’m glad their first loss was their pet, rather than a human family member. We did what we could to guide them through the grieving process, while also letting them do their thing, and cope however was best for them.

So, even though it was feline that we lost, and not a human family member, we are reminded that our time on this Earth is very limited, and that we should make the most of every day. Carpe diem! Seize the day!