A Mens' Group

Jan. 5/02 Saturday, Sunny, +2, nice warm winter day
The boys returned to Regina on Friday by bus.
The week they spent here went by quickly with everyone enjoying themselves. Dana and Cory have turned into two very nice young men.
Dana was happy to return to the quiet of Regina and then to Toronto.
Cory was anxious to get to his new apartment in Toronto. He has many plans for this coming year. Dana enjoyed meeting Susan again; she was impressed with him I think.
She worked two days with the activity tiring her out but she was able to relax in the evening. Luke was coming back on Friday night from his trip with Amanda to the south.
I took the Piper out on Friday for a flight to Lloydminster that extended to North Battleford. The winds were strong from the west during the day, I was in Lloydminster in one hour so decided to continue to North Battleford to see the country side. I was moving along at 145 nm/hr. going east. When I turned around to return, the speed dropped to 73 nm/hr and the time frame back to Edmonton was 2 hours and 20 minutes. The fuel on board became an issue for me. I made it back but kept an eye on the fuel gauges.
Flying on a wing and a prayer took on a totally new meaning.
This experience was a reality check on the proper use of fuel and time, I won't forget next time. The landing was great in spite of the strong side winds. The plane touched down like a charm. It was a great day. I missed the boys during the afternoon, but Dana called to say they were in Regina and ready to do things in the evening.
I talked to Susan, during the evening; her doctor said the toe is healing well with the pins to come out in two weeks. She is doing well, although a little tired.
Work was busy with a good traffic flow because the weather was sunny and warm.
My couple came down from Fort. Sask. and are interested in building in the new area.
I should have a comfortable sale record this year considering the number of people who are coming through the home and expressing an interest in building with us.
A pleasant couple said they would be back.
It is a nice way to start the year.
Mr. Noel dropped by with a checque for Chris. His son is also in the film industry in Toronto.



Sunday, Jan 6/ 02, Wed. Jan. 8/- warm +5
The weather continues to be very warm for this time of the year, sunny and plus 5. The temp should be down to about - 2 on the weekend with a possibility of snow later in the week.
The boys should be back in Toronto by today. Back in their own world with plenty of work to do. Cory will be happy to move into his new place. Dana back to his solitude and work.
Susan and her foot are healing nicely with the pins to be removed around Jan. 26; just in time to help Holly and Jason move into their new home. Their whole family has come down with the flu. They are all feeling very miserable.
Work has moved along well, except for the postponement of Kolla's building.
John is meeting with another of my clients this evening.
On Sunday we will meet with Cliff and his family with the blueprint. They are nervous but it will go well. They may want to postpone till they see the unit in Leduc but that is their choice. I talked to another client and he is going to see his banker on Thursday to get the money requirements settled.
Sawyer is still on for March/April and the building of the house they want.
I have had a few other couples interested in the showhome and perhaps building the Surrey in Lewis Estates.
I took my black leather chair apart to repair the swing mechanism that has worn out. I am not able to get the identical parts but I will be able to put together some parts from the Nuts and Bolts store so the chair can be used again without the side to side movement that is evident at the moment.
Mother and I are to have lunch next Wednesday. From our conversation she seems in a good mood although she continues to have her opinion on the things around her.
Cheryl called to invite Susan and me to a party she was having on Saturday night but with Susan's foot we were unable to attend. Cheryl is determined to fly to Hamilton to go to the Hostel workshop and spend a few days in Toronto to visit with Gillian.

Thursday, Jan 10, Monday, Jan 14 Cloudy -11
Winter has returned to Edmonton. The morning was crisp with the sky blue. Good time to wear a leather coat.
Dropped by the office where John and I resurrected the deal with Kolla, who though about canceling last week. I talked with Lou on Saturday and he decided to redesign the home a little and faxed the info to us. John was able to incorporate this new design in the home without too much of an extra cost. Later in the day Lou told John to redo the plans and proceed with putting the land on hold and scheduling the digging. It is nice that the deal is back.
On Sunday I told Cliff and his parents to stop trying to build the home in Lewis Estates if it is causing them such a great deal of concern. I will keep in touch and see what kind of land is available in Donsdale. They know that the price will go up because the land will be more expensive and the Cedar Shake roof will cost them more. I will show them the home that is being built in Leduc as the next showhome. They will build with me in the near future, I am certain of it.
Susan is getting frustrated with the kids at home and the discussion she had with Gail and her kids. It is good that the living situation will change at the end of the month. With the pins taken out of her toe she will be able to walk and get around much easier. She wants to start doing physical things to get back her energy.
Work is starting to get busy with some serious people making their appearance at the show home. Things will move quickly now.
I had lunch with Derek, discussed the RRSP season, the accident policy and how everyone in their circle is getting through life.
I hired a fellow by the name of Irvine to sit at the show home on Thursdays. He was in on Saturday to get a feel of what to do and where all the papers are located. He will be good. His friendliness will hold him in good stead. Although it was a little nerve wracking to be in a position to hire someone and have them work for me; it turned out to be a pleasant experience when it was complete.
Derek is feeling well although he still has the problem with condensation within his house during the winter time.
I am meeting with Nora to catch up on her activities over the past months. She sounds quite good and happy. I sense that she is past Jeff at the moment, moving on in her life and starting a new direction.
The boys are doing well with Dana working a little last week.
Cory moving into his own apartment; the first time that he has lived and owned a place by himself. It should be an intoxicating time and feeling for him. I hope he can truly enjoy it. He is a little young to fully appreciate exactly what is happening.
Dana will help Cory get through the time more easily than he can imagine.

Sat. Jan. 19, Thursday, Jan 24. Sunny then a winter storm in the evening -6
A sad day today; Peter Gzowski passed away today after a short illness. He was suffering from lung complications brought on by years of smoking. Known as “Mr. Canadian” from his broadcasting on CBC he will be remembered as a tireless fighter for literacy in Canada. He gave up the smoking habit a year ago after smoking since he was a teenager.
The week has been cold with the temperature dropping to -25. It has snowed a little during the week but the large storm is coming tonight.
Susan drew up the papers to put an offer on a condo this Monday, with the realtor coming over to appraise her home on Wednesday. The purchase number they are talking about makes her comfortable. The builder of the Condo, who does not have a good reputation, will have to make the decision that everything Susan is asking to be included in the condo price is acceptable.
Jason and Holly are to move into their new home next weekend, if all goes well. The current tenants have made a request to delay the move till Feb. 15 but the kids are going to decline the offer. The time has come to move and Susan has to do something to get her home ready for showing. She still has a little pain and some bleeding from the removal of the pins. She is feeling better and sees the end of several difficult situations. Work is constant for her but she sees it as one of the small issues in her life.
I presented her with a book to write down her feelings and thoughts - starting with the statement "Today, I purchased my new home-” She seemed quite pleased with the item.
Cory and Dana are doing fine in Toronto.
I shipped Cory the items that Greg had left for him in Edmonton.
Dana was applying for some work other than the film industry to tide him over.
Cheryl spent the weekend in Ontario, going to a Hostel convention, then to Toronto to spend some time with Gillian. Jason took her out to a night club for the evening. She also had lunch with Simon. Cory was able to see her for a short time. Cheryl said it was good for her to get away and enjoy the freedom that was there. Daryl was good about her trip and was easy with the situation when Cheryl talked to him. She needed the event to confirm to herself that she still can be desirable and can have fun in a different setting.
The traffic has been very slow except for the weekends. The payments are coming in, with the Kolla home being finalized next week. I am having a little hard time with the slowness but the telephone traffic with potential customers is very good. I have to decide when I want to purchase another laptop computer. This one is giving me indications that it is getting tired and would like to rest for awhile. I will have to talk to Christine M about what they can offer in comparison to the Staples advertising.
I am meeting with Derek about the RRSP's, the sickness and accident insurance that he wants me to get. I will not be able to get all the documents that are required for income tax till the Feb. 28.
I am off to play squash tonight with Warren.
Everett and Hector could not make the meeting tonight. Peter is still in Australia so we postponed the meeting till next week. Warren is off to Europe at the end of the month till Feb. 12.

Sat. Jan 27. / Sunday, sunny but cold -25 daytime
This has been a busy time for Susan and her family.
They listed her house on Thursday, with 5 groups of people showing up in the evening for a viewing. She was not finished painting and had not taken the garbage bags out when the first people started coming in. Everything, including the dog were picked up and delivered to her Dad's place. Ten more groups of people were slated to come on Saturday with another half dozen to come in Sunday. She had an offer on Saturday from the Friday people. The listing was at $147K but she left the guaranteed price paper on the table, the other realtors saw the paper so she had an offer of $142K and countered with a price of $144K. She will have a few more offers today and tomorrow but she is tied into the first if the people continue. The people in Sherwood Park have stated that they are reluctant to move out at the end of the month. I am tired of these imagined problems and I am not interested in what Jason and Holly are going to do. All I know is that the lawyers and realtor is involved already.
Susan is happy about her new place and is starting to personalize the look of the rooms with the cabinets, style and colors. It is a very hectic and confusing situation at the moment and I am standing back from the whole situation.
Played squash with Warren on Saturday, a quiet game which he won after I won all six games on Thursday. He is a little preoccupied with his work discussions.
I spent some time with Derek at his office on Friday, buying some RRSP’s, finalizing the accident insurance and such. We had lunch. He was to go to Calgary but the weather has turned bad there so he will postpone it till next week.
I stopped by Henry Singer's and purchased some slacks that were of interest to me.
The traffic at the show home was very good on the weekend. I have generated some good leads that will lead to sales. The people are still enthusiastic about building with the interest rates low and prices going up only slowly. Feb. will encourage even more clients to make some decisions that have to be made to allow occupancy of a new home before fall.
The Rock Solid Showhome had an inspection in the SAM awards for best home over 2400 sq. ft. It would be very pleasant if the design won an award. The name recognition would be a favorable plus to Rocksolid and company.
Everettl is still too uncoordinated to find time to come to the meetings. He is falling into a situation that was his greatest problem back in the Oxford days.
Jeff had lunch with Warren. He was looking rough around the edges with still a great deal of confusion and indecision. Warren told him to make a decision, one way or another. Enjoy the two women he wants to be with and stop feeling guilty and frustrated. Nothing will come of the advice with Jeff since he is not in any position to do what is necessary to change the position he has chosen in his life. Nora will be of no help to him either.

Monday, Jan. 28-Sat. Feb. 2 sunny and warm, +4
The week has gone by slowly. The weather has turned normal with temperatures around -6.
The Canadian East has received the worst weather with ice storms, snow and blowing wind.
The boys without a car are doing fine with public transport.
Traffic was good.
Derek and wife came in, put a hold on one lot in the area, switched it and have produced a wish list for a meeting with John and myself on Wednesday. Greg M asked for a quote on a home of his design.
He came in on Wednesday to pick up the numbers and said he would be back.
Irvine worked for me on Thursday, with John having two appointments with my clients. I had the day off, drove around and checked out some lots in Donsdale and talked to a salesman at Hillview.
Susan has been busy getting her house ready to sell; getting material for her new condo and helping her daughter and family get ready to move. She spent the day with Mathew and Louise while Luke, Jason and Holly moved all their possessions to the new home. She came over to my show home and brought coffee on Wednesday. We chatted for a while and she enjoyed the silence. We were to have lunch on Friday but time did not allow it.
I met with Derek to complete the transfer of money from Sun Life to Manulife.
Terry and Merci came in for lunch with mother (her 84 birthday) on Wednesday. Her birthday was actually on Tuesday but Wednesday was a more convenient day for us to have lunch.
Cheryl called to say that her boss was giving her a hard time again and that she was ready to move on. I suggested that she at least complete the year at the place.
Warren left for Europe on Thursday for a week to see his family.
Only Hector showed up for the meeting on Thursday. Everett was too busy again. Peter said that all was well in Australia and he will be back soon.
Hector and his new lady friend are getting along nicely without too much pressure. He is holding back on his desire to become intimate with her too quickly.
I spent the time doing things for myself this week; bought some clothes, picked some others up and spent the week enjoying the quietness.
Susan’s hectic time will come to an end today and things will start getting back to a serenity that she needs to make some good decisions.
The boys are fine as of last week.
Cory is really enjoying his new place and the freedom that it is bringing. He is involved with the sister of Dana's new girl friend.
The economy continues to be strong with this year looking great in the home sales area.
The Tyco stock that was at $62 last month has fallen to around $30 this week. A friend knowledgeable of such things suggested that the company would split into 4 different entities. It is not good news for the guys at the company who have invested so much of their paychecks into the company. The long term return will be good but the short term is not a good idea.

Monday, Feb. 4, Tuesday, Feb. 5 - sunny/clouds warm +6
I arranged to have some flowers delivered to Susan at work to brighten up her day. She was pleased. The day went quickly for her. She spent some time with Janice, a home decorator, looking at samples for flooring for her home.
The silence in her home is very appealing to her; since the crowd moved out into their new home; Susan has been able to have her bath, with time taken for her mental well being.
Work was good, with more discussions with Andy and his quote from Hillview taking up time on our quote. I spent the morning at the office doing a comparison of the two builders. It was a useful exercise in getting to know the different prices and quality of material.
Andy came in during the evening and did up an offer to buy the lot and build the home. I will take it to John and Jeff if Andy comes back with the checque to hold the lot. We are only $6000 apart but with some added items that might make it hard to be closer. It will happen I am sure.
Elsie from Fort Sask. called for some more information about building in that area. I faxed some info to her and will hear from her in a short while. I think they have sold their home and are ready to build.
I was interviewed for the accident and sickness plan that Derek has put together.
The Tyco stock has taken more of beating since last week. The specter of the unusual accounting practices stemming from the Enroll collapse has affected many of the companies that used the same process. The stock is down to $29 as of noon today.
The teachers strike started on Monday with neither side moving at the moment. It makes for good press and keeps everyone doing unusual things. The parents are unhappy but the kids are having fun with the warm weather and the new holiday. Everyone should benefit from the change of pace.
Warren is still in Europe and I have not heard from Peter yet. He should be back today or tomorrow, Hector said.
I have been sleeping better, although I let this negotiation with Andy get to me. The process is so slow it seems. No real highs and no real lows. When the deal is signed, I cannot get high because things have to be put in place. When the conditions are removed it is a ways down the road and John usually does this process, so I have no reason to be excited. When I get the checque, oh well, the money still is not covering the bills that I have or the tax that I will have to pay.
Dana's inability to get work and pay me back has been weighing on me. I have to struggle to be at peace with the situation. It is just a loan that he will repay when he is working and making good money. I believe that he is trying quite hard to get some employment and get back on his feet. He was feeling quite frustrated with the current state of events.
All things in good time.

Sat. Feb. 9, Monday, Feb 11 sunny, warm and windy +3
The week went by quickly with a great deal of activity at work. I wrote two more deals and continued with my work with Andy.
It is coming together slowly but I have had several headaches that have made some of the time unpleasant. Susan came over on Friday after not being available for a week, we watched a movie but I had a headache so she went home at midnight. I felt bad.
Warren was gone so I could not get any exercise in playing squash.
A couple that I had dealt with last year has decided to complete the deal for building a home.
Susan sold her home on Sunday night for $143K after enduring several weeks of people walking through the house and disrupting her life. She is a little more relieved to have this behind her. I worked all day Friday, (on my day off) to put together the information I needed for the several deals that are going on. The time off this week will be appreciated. Kolla's blueprint is finally done and delivered to him. I should get a paycheck from it before the end of the month.
Went out to the casino on Saturday night and enjoyed the evening, playing cards, some other games and watching the activities of the fellow players. I would look forward to a small trip to Vegas in the near future perhaps later this year.
Susan R’s birthday is this week. Fred continues to be totally absorbed by his job. He should be able to make it down to celebrate her birthday. The Susan’s are going out for supper this week.
Peter got back from Australia for the Thursday meeting. Hector and Everett were not around so I was able to learn firsthand from Peter about his great two months on holiday. He and his family had a great time and were sad that the time went by so quickly. Peter had picture and some video that he will make available to us at a later date. He spent three days Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef. Warren is a little jealous about the trip but is happy for him. Peter told Jennifer that they must be in love to have spent so much time together and still be talking.
Cheryl's birthday is today, 38 I think. She is not home; I would expect that she is out celebrating.
The boys are OK. Cory is busy with Greg's work plus odds and ends of work that he is creating. Dana is busy with his new girl friend and might have a job as a waiter soon. The film industry is slowly getting active and will be producing some work. Dana is commenting on the closeness of Cory but I think he likes that he is so close to his brother, if only to borrrow some money. They will work it out on their own I expect.
I talked to Christine M. who said she will be putting together some information about a laptop. She is getting married this weekend and then going on a week honeymoon. I think she has other things on her mind.
I am looking forward to seeing Susan more often now that the other activities in her life have come to an end and will not be taking as much of her mind and body.

Sunday, Feb 17, Sunny, warm, +7
The week went by at a steady pace. I completed a couple more agreements with lots becoming available in Breckenridge. Put two lots on hold for Scott B and Carmen M. Carmen was a referral from Scott, a banker, which should prove to be a good source of clients. He is Darren M’s banker and will work with him and John to create a home this week. Andy's paper is moving along. Elsie M and her wishes are becoming evident and I will talk with her on Monday to move the ideas along.
I had a great massage from Odette while we discussed ideas and issues pertaining to self fulfillment and personal direction. Procrastination is one her issues. She is uncertain in many areas of doing things for herself. She is reading the book I gave her for her friend. She has the idea that she may benefit from the book more than he will.
Wise woman.
My brother, Jim, called to say that he was in town for Friday night, so I picked up mother and had supper with him. He discussed his and his wife’s (Marion) new found knowledge of faith healers and all the ideas around belief and energy. Mother was a little surprised with his new point of view but I expressed interest. Jim talked a great deal about the benefits that he and Marion had gathered from the experience. He is a wise fellow and will be able to balance the new knowledge he is acquiring.
Grace was quite surprised and distressed by the energy and the statements that Jim made. Oh well, that is something that she will have to deal with.
Susan has continued to make decisions about the colors and items for her new condo. She is getting a great deal of comments from her friends about her choices; most of the time these comments are not causing her any concern.
Gail, her neighbor is feeling a great deal of grief regarding her daughter moving out and the loss of control that Gail feels. She will find other ways of justifying her intrusion into her daughter’s way of life and the decisions that are made. Sort of sad. John, Gail's husband, leads a quiet way of life and is not involved with the excess energy that comes off of Gail.
The men's group met on Thursday at the Second cup.
Warren was back and looked forward to getting involved in the meeting.
Peter was back to share his story about his travels to Australia.
Everett was in attendance and sharing his feelings about work and his personal issues. He is struggling, not sleeping, with the successes that are occurring in his work life. Louise has successfully made the transition to not working at a full time job. She does the company books a couple days of the week and is enjoying the time spent with Everett.
Luke is arranging a ski trip for the family in the next month.
I have had to confront a deep hidden thought that I should not be as successful as I have become in the last short time to make sure that I do not sabotage the direction of my conscious and subconscious mind. It is an interesting problem. I have been grinding my teeth a little at night and have not slept during the week on certain occasions. I feel it will get better and I understand what I am doing.
The days are good with all the guys enjoying their successes.

Sunday, Feb. 23/02
Saturday, April 13 - Sunny, + 11, spring has been here for a few days.
The past week has been a difficult one. I had expectations of the abilities of other people, assumed they would conduct themselves in a certain fashion to achieve the goals that I expected and they did not. Putting the clients, Rhea and Georgette together was not a good idea. Their energy just got out of hand and created a situation that excited Chris. I discussed certain items about the Weber’s that he felt out of control with and continued to get excited all week. John was a steady influence all week.
I was ok with Susan all week but acted cool toward her all week, not as punishment but to protect myself from any unexpected emotional let down. My eyes gave me trouble all week by watering with my body feeling very tired. It seems to be better today after playing squash with Warren and spending some quality time with Susan. She is ok with what is happening and continues to package herself for the move to her new condo at the end of the month. She is quite excited with the move and her new life.
Luke has moved in successfully with Amanda and is happy.
Holly is with another child, hopefully a girl, due this fall. Susan would be very happy to have a grand daughter to pamper. She could outfit her with a new girl wardrobe.
Warren is in a good mood, displayed by beating me in squash on Saturday. He has some meetings with Stantec this week, two meetings that he knows of. They want to get involved with him and his program, to what extent he does not know but it has done a great deal for his confidence. He was in an upbeat mood. I was still tired and gave him a good game not a great game. Monday will be different.
I received my new laptop computer this week and have been getting to know it. There is so much to the unit that it will take a long time to be able to use most of it.
Chris has allowed me to get and receive an e- mail address through Rocksolid. I will have to set it up this coming week to get into the electronic swing of things. I rented a DVD to watch on the unit when it is quiet.
My taxes went well with my accountant doing the necessary calculations for mother and myself.
We ate in town and had a terrible, heavy meal. Not much light food in the town.
Mother suggested that Terry might show up but he had not made an appearance by the time we were ready to leave. Mom and I had a good discussion about her life in the late 30’s and early 40’s when they moved from Midway to the current family farm location. She seemed to enjoy talking about her early years.
Warren said he and Jeff had lunch during the week. Jeff is selling his homes and commercial property in Edmonton, along with his wife’s interests and moving to do business in Toronto. He has purchased a home and is starting to get people to renovate the property. Warren did not know whether Chris’s one week stay in Edmonton would entail any contact with Nora. I would think, probably so. I will give her a call in June (6 months) to catch up on her life.
My car is still in the shop. They said it would be two weeks before it was repaired. The rental is nice but it is just a small run-about car for the city. I was looking at a 3.2 TL Acura 1998, fully loaded for about 5 thousand more than I could get for mine but have decided I do not need the expense at the moment or the larger type of car. Mine is just fine. I can find better ways of using the cash that is coming in.
My massage with Odette was great, the discussion and the work out. Next month will not come soon enough. She is trying to change her life and is continuing to read the book that I gave her. She will be successful I am sure.