[Last Update: April 22, 2004] We got a new cat back in January... It is a female beauty, around 5 years old, that we rescued after a good neighbor's recommendation. Blondie, as we call her, is a very affectionate and playful cat, who loves people a lot. She is dear to us and we give her all the love and care we can possibly offer. She, just like ZZ and Brownie, will receive a special section in this page, but for now I would like to share this photo of hers:
[February 3, 2004] No more promises, as I never deliver... The only thing I want to share with you is two pictures: one of ZZ's and one of Brownie's. (I have dedicated a paragraph to Brownie right above his picture, but I will create a separate page for him and ZZ.)
This is a picture of my ZZ during our last Christmas together, a little over a year ago. ZZ is sitting on the Ottoman, close to some of our Christmas gifts. This is one of her worst photos, yet it was her last one. Back then I did not have a digital camera to take a load of pictures.
[July 25, 2003] It is with sadness and sorrow that I must report this: ZZ (our lovely cat) is no longer with us; she was pronounced dead around 11:30pm, last night... It is hard to describe the devastation and sorrow that Olga and I went through after ZZ left this world. Last night, ZZ could not even open her mouth, let alone eat. We took her to an emergency hospital closest to us and she was admitted right away. She was down to 4lbs and 4oz, from 5lbs and 12oz when I first took her to the hospital, a little over a month ago. We walked into the hospital with some hopes still left deep inside us, and even after the doctor said that ZZ's situation was critical we still believed in a miracle. We left the hospital, hoping that ZZ may recover, yet prepared for the worst. Right after we returned home, we got a call that ZZ had stopped breathing; they kept her on CPR until I got there, even though it was too late. She fought, and fought, and fought... but at the end she lost the battle, most likely due to a chronic kidney insufficience, or a brain tumor that went undetected.
As I am typing these lines, I am also fighting hard to hold all the tears; you can all imagine how horrible was last night for us. I never thought that I would hold ZZ's lifeless body into my hands, so early into the game. Her eyes, open wide, would stare at me with her usual grateful look, but she could no longer talk to me. The house feels empty, already, and I can still hear ZZ coming upstairs to sleep next to our bed. It is a devastating loss, right before my birthday (July 26th.) I asked for one gift: for ZZ to get better, but nobody was listening. That was the ONLY gift I wanted for my b'day, and I will never get it.
Life goes on, and I know that ZZ's loss will go almost unnoticed by everyone, except Olga and me. ZZ taught us love, gratefulness, patience, and I truly hope there is a nice place for her after death. I would hate to know that her loss is meaningless. Our life will go on, I know that, but the question is: how long will it take for our wounds to heal? ZZ gave me over 11 years of happiness and devotion. She was there for me ALL times, to keep me company, to brighten my day (or night), to provide some joy when I needed it the most, to offer me her intelligent companionship... She was there for me, and in the last 3 years she was there for both me and my wife.
Losing ZZ removed some fears and doubts that had clouded my judgement in the last few weeks. I would hate to see ZZ suffering, and hopefully she didn't really go through a painful last month; she was slowly fading. This weekend, my b'day weekend, I will take the time to release my sorrow and go through all the emotions of loss. My efforts will focus on staying calm and regaining as much lost energy as possible. There is SO MUCH work to be done in every aspect of my life, that I am not sure I can handle it. I have to try... I must focus on the future, while I cherish ZZ's memory.
I would like to thank all of you, who knew ZZ, for your love towards her. She deserved every bit of love and I hope that she departed knowing that she got all that she deserved. Please, keep her in your memory, as much as your own daily routine allows.
ZZ, our little sweetheart: Have a nice journey. We hope that you are in a better place now. We will NEVER forget you. Your memory will ALWAYS live within us. We will miss you, our little baby!
[June 22, 2003] After a VERY long time of inactivity and undelivered promises to update this page, I have finally found a few minutes to type up something new. Between the 29th of June and the 13th of July I will have more time to move forward with this page, not only in contents, but also in structure. In other words, be prepared for some major changes!!!
Next week, on June 29th, it will be exactly one year since my good friend Mike Karamanolis lost his battle with cancer. Since then a lot of things happen, including the loss of my good uncle Peter, a man who acted more like a father, and the loss of an old friend, Nick Petropouleas, a person I knew since my childhood... a great friend, indeed. In the last 12 months there has been great losses of people I knew and loved, but as they say: life goes on. As long as these people are remembered, they will never really die.
Enough about losses... My wife, Olga, got a new job, and I am still where I was 3 years ago... professionally, of course. Life has had its ups and downs, but we are holding our own. We face its challenges and obstacles and enjoy its gifts, whenever we receive them. Hey, if we are healthy, can we ask for more? There are lots of things to be happy about, so we try to see the bright side of life. I'll be back for more.
[November 06, 2002] I have downloaded some pictures of Olga.
[November 04, 2002] The latest news is that Olga got a job with Wake Med Hospital, in Raleigh. Today (11/04/2002) is her first day at work and I hope she will like it there. Her schedule will be a bit weird, although pretty much stable, but it will give me the time to update this page, as promised long time ago. After all, what else am I going to do at home, all these hours, without my wife being there?
My good friend Mike's loss is still fresh in my memory. Even though I have some new material to add in the page I dedicated to him, the very memory of Mike is still "haunting" me. There isn't a single day I do not close my eyes and think of his loss. Sometimes I try to convince myself that I should work hard to make sure I achieve the things that he would like to achieve, as well, as an effort to cherish his memory. For as long as we, his close friends, remember him, Mike will always be around, to cheer us up with his jokes and his [mostly] upbeat personality. Some day I will stop talking too much about Mike, but for the moment I ask you to bear with me and honor Mike's memory as well. Thank you.
[July 17, 2002] An unfortunate event took place on June 29th, 2002. A great friend, Mike Karamanolis, lost his 15-month battle against cancer, leaving behind a huge void, and a great number of friends and relatives mourning for his loss. Click below to enter what will be my tribute to a good/best friend:
Some of the areas I will cover in this page are: