JOHN'S SURGERY A SUCCESS

John (Koke) Korynasz's hernia operation went well this past week. A 1.5 hour procedure and a three-day stay in the hospital was successfully endured. John got to go home yesterday (22nd) and he's much happier, of course. The doctors found no signs of a return of his colon cancer, so he's a happy fellow.

The Demerol he was taking did cause some odd side-effects (mild hallucinations), but nothing harmful to him by any stretch. Welcome Home!

ANITA BUTCH GETS HITCHED

Anita's wedding was in Tempe this past weekend, where she tied the knot with Mr. Sam Means. Sam's daytime (and nighttime) job is with the duo rock group The Format. Here's a link to MTV's website with a bit more information. Apparently, attendance at the wedding was considerable.. many family members made it, though Gabriel, Jill and I were unable to attend.

Congratulations, you two. Here's to many happy years of royalty checks!

HAPPY TO BE WHEAT-FREE

Gabriel (and Jill, of course) is wheat-free for a couple of weeks now and it appears to be helping with his acid reflux. Jill's naturopath recommended the change in diet given that wheat can be a huge allergy problem for some people. Well, it seems both Jill and Gabriel have enjoyed improvements. It can be a bit inconvenient planning for meals sometimes, but it is definitely worth it given Gabriel's general improvement in demeanor and disposition in the evenings.

NEWPORT TRIP A SUCCESS

I was holed up in Newport, Oregon for the second half of last week. I'm working on the City's economic development strategy. Regular readers will recall a photo and newspaper article link a couple of months ago.

Well, now I'm nearly done with the project and I gave a presentation of findings to date last Wednesday. This link goes to the article itself.. I'm quoted quite a bit in the second half of it. Tom thought I actually sounded professional after he read it

The photo is of Al Benkendorf of The Benkendorf Associates, a frequent collaborator on projects like these. We're about to kick off another similar, though smaller, study in LaGrande, Oregon.

TOM AND KATE TO VISIT FOR CHRISTMAS

Tom and Kate are arranging for a Christmas morning arrival to the Portland area for a roughly three-day stay. Should be fun. This is Gabriel's first Christmas, so he'll be happy to see his only uncle and aunt!