Scott McLaughlin

…and counting

Just a short note to say that a good friend of mine who I haven’t seen in a year or two but I still talked to via email regularly passed away tonight from cancer. She’d been battling it for awhile now but it went terminal last week. Kathy Kessey was a wonderful person and I’m glad she was a part of my life for the many years she lived in here in Vancouver.

We worked together for a number of years and I still remember meeting her when our company bought @WORK (business division of the old @HOME cable network back in 2002 or so) on several trips I took to San Jose, where we talked her into coming on board after the buy-out. I can’t say enough good things about her, she was an amazing person.

We really miss you Kathy, and my heart goes out to her husband Jerome and her family in their time of loss.

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Win it up!

Well got the logistics of our trip to Petit St. Vincent all laid out (the logistics of this trip was crazy, 2 hotels, the island and 3 airlines) and purchased all the airline tickets as well as pre-paid the entire stay on the island. This way its all paid in cash and if something happens between now and then, at least the trip is totally paid for and we will be able to go anyway. I can refund the island money up to 30 days in advance anyway. So I’d just eat the airfare and the hotel stay in Los Angeles and Barbados, so not a lot worst case scenario.

Now that its all booked, I’m crazy excited, I want to go now…not wait until November. I decided I need a few things for this trip. First off I need some tan, I can’t show up down there as white as I am, I’ll burn the first day and ruin my fun. So I think we’ll hit some pre-tanning prior to leaving. Not because I’m concerned about looking tan, just to help prevent getting burnt up being in the sun all week.

Secondly I need a water proof digital camera. I’ve been waiting for the new Panasonic DMC-TS1S to come out and also an excuse to buy it, now I have both. This camera is water resistant to 3 meters (drop proof to 1.5m), including sand, water, mud, dust, etc… Very sweet. It also includes a descent optical zoom (4.6x), 12.1MP and very good reviews. (Specs). Notice the lense does not extend from the camera body? This is because the lense extends inside the camera itself perpiendicular to the body and bounces the image off a mirror…genius. There is also an optional water housing for it that lets you go to 40 meters! Its not out yet, but if it comes out before we leave I may buy it if its not too much money. The main reason for that would be the 3 meter is fine for snorkeling, but if we go Scuba diving (and we will!) I’ll need more than 10 feet capability.

Lastly I decided I need a Kindle. Having a nice relaxing week in the carribean will allow for some serious reading time and I’m not hauling books with me. The wife will have hers with her, so I think its time for me to finally break down and buy one. I can pre-load some books in case its cell signal is shut off down there (international roaming and coverage issue potential).

Sitting around here on vacation talking to my dad who’s been to Barbados islands makes me want to leave right.now. Patience Grasshopper.