My second vacation of the year has begun....

[JimHow]

Life is too short to work all the time.
My dentist, a former Army doc, very sweet man, outstanding dentist, I loved him to death, died last week at age 61... two weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
My heart doctor... age 49... she was tremendous, one of the most life-affirming persons I've known... died late last year, nine months after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
One of my lawyer buddies... 59... had a heart attack last week, has not regained consciousness, and has been on life support since.
The dentist and the lawyer friend have me shook up, I saw them both recently... My dentist diagnosed a cavity that is now going to be filled by another dentist, and my lawyer friend -- Harvard Law grad -- we had a beer with just a couple weeks ago. So sad.
I knew 4 of the 5 people in today's Lewiston Sun-Journal obituary page... a former high school English teacher, age 91... a former county treasurer, age 61... Jesus! No mas. No mas.
Sipping on a 2012 Domaine de la Mordoree La Reine des Bois, packing for a trip down to the greater Sarasota area to see some BWEers with whom it has been WAY too long! Take nothing for granted, my friends! Do not for a moment assume that because you are here today you will be sipping your favorite Medoc tomorrow. Seize the day!

[stefan]

Three of my nineteen mathChildren have died, the most recent just a couple of weeks ago.

My cousin is dying of pancreatic cancer.

A colleague is in Hospice care waiting for the end.

A long time mathFriend 10 years younger than I who has a Fields Medal is hanging on with pancreatic cancer.

When my older brother was my age he had been dead for 22 years.

I try to live each day like it is the last and regret the days when I don't drink a good wine. Tonight it is 2014 St Innocent Freedom Hill. It is about time to lay off the 2014s and drink the 2015s while they are so fruity. I do not like young Bordeaux, but young, fruity OR PN is very nice. Even some young red Burgundies are attractive.


Enjoy your time in Sarasota. I am sorry that I could not make it. I am off to Marseille next Friday for a conference and could not reasonably work in a weekend in Florida.

[Nicklasss]

Have a good time Jim.

It is true that we have to enjoy every moment in life. Two weeks ago, I was at the 1 years after MC grandmother death ceremony, and I was thinking how it will be hard in the next 15-20 years, as I'm gonna lost many persons I love. Or maybe it will be me, we never know. So every little moment, alone, with the people I love, even with people I don't know too much but are fun, is precious.

Stay healthy and see you in a month or so.

Nic

P.S. i'll try to convince MC to go to Florida soon, with or without the kids, but it will be hard as she just want to do some house improvements since few months. But i'm tougher to convince on renovation.

[dstgolf]

Hear,hear Jim. You are speaking to the converted. My best buddy died 4 years ago at age 58 and I said to myself watching him die that I'm not going to continue killing myself. I dropped to 80% of a partners share and get more time off. Life is not all about money and stuff! We take a lot of vacation and treat ourselves fairly well but with my genes I'm not sure when the grim reaper is going to come calling. I hope later than sooner but who knows. You have to take care of yourselves and make sure that you don't die with regrets. I watched my dad live a life of always putting things off and then he became to ill to travel and have fun. I've certainly seen too many people do the same and we've made a point of enjoying what life gives us.

Have a great time in Sarasota.Nice to see you'll warm Jacques up before I come to Sarasota the following week and have a little fun.

[JimHow]

Sorry we couldn't hook up in Sarasota Danny, my schedule next week is crazy, I had to do some major rearranging and begging just to make this week happen.
I hope we see you and Danielle nonetheless SOON!
we shall see you Stefan, Nicolas, and everyone else in about a month! Come on, BWEers, just get to DC for a long weekend for crying out loud, it's not going to be the end of the world.

[jal]

The job was killing me, high blood pressure, AFib, stress, ascending aortic aneurysm. I had to quit and retire or suffer the fate of Danny and Jim's friends before I was sixty.
Can't wait to see you guys, life is too short not to spend it with friends and in the end, no one ever wished they worked more.

[JimHow]

It's amazing you have lived as long as you have, Stefan, with your family history.
The world, of course, is an infinitely better place because of your carrying on.
When I first met you, in February 2001, you were younger than I am now....
Long live BWE.

[JimHow]

The first time we met you, Jacques, was in that midtown French bistro, me, you, AKR, and some other dude from Indy, I forgot his name....
we drank a '97 Mouton at lunch and that Musar you brought and some other wines. What a spectacular afternoon, in the world's greatest town.
It was like 15 years ago but it seems like yesterday.

[jal]

I think it was in 2000 or 2001. Before 9/11, before the NYC Convention.

[JimHow]

I agree. it would not have been 2000, because I would have already first met the dude from Indy in February 2001 in Chicago.
But you are right, without a doubt, it was before Sept. 2001.
It was the afternoon of the day that we first met PappaDoc and Jackdaw (and that guy Paul from London, what was his name?) later that evening.
It was the day that the dude from Indy sold me that bottle of 1988 La Tache.
I recall it was cold, so it was probably late spring.
That would have been a historic day:
The second time I met the dude from Indy.
The first time I met Jacques.
The first time I met Arv.
Later that day, the first time I met PappacDoc and Jackdaw.
One of the most historic days in BWE history, if you ask me!

[stefan]

Viva BWE!

In addition to wonderful family and friends I have the advantage of having the best job in the world. Just don't tell the taxpayers that I would do the same work for no pay as long as I had enough money in the bank to scrape by (which in fact I do). Actually, I might retire except that I probably would not be allowed to work as I now do with no pay.

My longevity is largely due to "luck". 16 years ago my GNT suggested an endoscopy because of family history of cancer and sent a clip of a tiny polyp to be analyzed because of this history. That cost him money because the doctors in my HMO were owners, but it saved my life.

[William P]

The job was killing me, high blood pressure, AFib, stress, ascending aortic aneurysm.

Dang, Jacques, AFib, ascending aortic aneurysm, you're almost my heart twin. All you need is an leaky aortic heart valve resulting from the AAA and we be twins. Time to eliminate the stress my friend.


Bill

[jal]

Hi Bill
Aortic Regurgitation - Check! I was told that two weeks ago after a routine annual ultrasound
No abdominal aortic aneurysm, though. Almost heart twins.
I eliminated the stress as much as possible, though I do have work nightmares still. A full three years after retiring.

[DavidG]

Amen guys.

My father died at 65 - heart.
Mother at 78 - pancreatic cancer
Brother at (God!) 52 - pulmonary embolism after successful surgery for a benign brain tumor

I've been on a forced vacation since October's spine surgery. Headed south to Sarasota 2 weeks ago for the longest real vacation of my life. Decompressing down here away from the weather and worries of every day life has been great for my psyche.

Really looking forward to seeing Jim and Jacques Friday night. Celebrate life. You never know how much is left, and worrying about it won't help.

[DavidG]

I think the first BWEers I met in person were Mr and Mrs Vino and Alchemeus. I can't even remember how long ago. Maybe a year after BWE started? Not sure what happened to Alchemeus but Jay and Peggy are still buddies.

I met the rest of you filthy animals at the (third?) BWE convention in Chicago. Maybe it's the ongoing online contact but it always feels like no time has passed when we gather, even if it's been years.

[jal]

I wish we had the old BWE MSN archive, so many memories in those messages, especially as more senior moments set in and first encounters become hazy.

[William P]

Jacques, an AAA is the Ascending Aortic Aneurysm to me!. Heart twins we are. Gosh, aren't we lucky, we hit the heart trifecta. Best of everything in your future treatment.

Bill

[jal]

Thanks Bill. Best to you as well. Hope to see you at some point when we visit the Bay area

[JimHow]

I know Jacques. Apparently it can be retrieved, it is on my goals list for 2018.

Sincerely,
Your cousin in heart disease,
Jimmy “My 50% blockage can’t be steered” How.

[AKR]

I remember that first meal with jal and jimhow well - we met in the back room of La Bonne Soupe - a favored meeting spot for many years when I worked in midtown. I even took my kids there, even though the place has been scrubbed up now, so they could experience the brandade and escargot and all the country French food. One of their less than ladylike actions was to *lick* up the butter/parsley off the snail tray, until their mother intervened with the usual "This is why we can't do nice things with you pack animals"

Was it Dave Vollandt or Frank Baldi who also joined us that time? It gets blurry.

========

That was also the first time I'd ever tried Musar. I realize now that is how a tiger must feel after it has tasted the sweet flesh of man. Nothing else is quite the same, nothing else will slake the thirst. Such it is after tasting the exotic, alluring elixr of Hochar

[JimHow]

Whuzzup__ was with us, as well as another guy who I don't remember.

[Nicklasss]

If I remember well, in that first Friday night at the Zinfandel restaurant, in Chicago 01, I met JScott as first BWEers, followed shortly by Whuzzup_. Then stefan and lucie, and JimHow. And all the other shortly after, including setab, CabFan.

I dicussed a lot that night with JScott being sit next to him.and I remember very well CabFan thanking me for bringing a 1995 Caymus Cab that night. I felt great. I was 26, having take risk to go to Chicago and that all that stuff would be an internet joke, and nobody would be there. Long night in Chicago's blues bars, Shedd Aquarium with setab the morning after, rest in the afternoon, and a wet arrival (thunder storm that night) at the Saturday night dinner at the 40th floor of the Prudential building, where it was smelling port as JScott that came in before me, broke a 1994 Fonseca Vintage if i remember well. My two bottles of 1990 Haut Bailly showed themselve well that night, as much as MichaelP that I met for the first time that night, with JCNorthway and Paula, Rick Julien... a superb frienship was born.

Nic

[Claret]

BTW, I will be in Boynton Beach FL March 9-12 if anybody is around.

[finner]

The other guy with Whuzzup, I believe his name was Arthur Black ?

[JimHow]

Arthur Black... That sounds familiar.
Are you connected to Whuzzup finner?

[finner]

I've met Arthur Black a few times, he used to work at Kahn's years ago and I had a conversation with him about BWE. Not sure about Whuzzup.

[JimHow]

Ah, interesting.
Whuzzup__ = Ben Nelson.

[dstgolf]

Sorry Glenn but missing you by a week. We leave Jupiter on Sat and head over to Sarasota where we'll hook up with Jal Sun night for dinner. Too bad the timing was a little off.

[Claret]

Bad timing Danny. It would have been nice to see you again.