Posts

March 3rd 2021

Image
    Hello everyone! We got through another Christmas and New Year.   Both were pretty bleak.   We rented a beautiful cottage up in Tobermory again, but it was just me, Matthew and Vinnie.   Although the complete seclusion was nice, the lack of company was oppressive.   I can’t handle peace and quiet; I need loud music, tons of people around, kids wreaking havoc, Nick playing his ear-splitting tunes with hundreds of his friends, Vinnie playing drums, lots of parties and dancing. Admittedly, the Stalinist covid restrictions have limited any fun people can have anyway. Despite the isolation on the Bruce, we did come across some ridiculous people, irrationally terrified of covid, clearly brainwashed by the irresponsible fear-mongering media like the CBC, CNN, MSNBC etc.   As Matthew and I approached them on an empty trail, this one old man retreated into the trees, covered his face and growled at us from afar (at least 50 feet away).   “What are you doing here?”   “Hiking,” we
Post a Comment
Read more

Remembrance Day 2020

Image
 Hello everyone! "Lest we forget" is a traditional phrase for Remembrance Day, but also applies to those (like Nick) who fell after their own private battle. Like WWII, Nick's battle was six years in duration, was well-fought, with bravery, strength and honour. Not much chance we'll forget. The above picture depicts Alex and Vinnie in front of the plaque we had commissioned for Nick which has been placed at Byron Skate Park. November 12th, the day after Remembrance Day, marks the two year anniversary of Tanja's dad Richard Zientara's passing. We were homeward bound from scattering Nick's ashes in Hong Kong at the time, missing a final farewell to him by mere hours. We'd stayed in HK for three weeks, which was one week too long. Such is life. No chance we'll forget him, and all he did for us, either.  Matthew's grandfather, father and uncle all served in the American military.     Grandpa was a submariner during WWII, and was aboard two separate
Post a Comment
Read more

18 September 2020

  GREAT BALLS OF FIRE EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT Alas, in light of rising COVID numbers in Ontario and the pall that this has cast upon London's slowly-recovering bar scene, Tanja and I have made a decision to postpone our Great Balls of Fire fundraiser. If you've purchased tickets, you have a few options open to you. 1. Hold onto them, and present them when we re-schedule. We'll keep the Eventbrite ticket sales page alive (but suspend further ticket sales), so you won't be forgotten. 2. Head to the ticketting site and click on 'refund'. I've changed the 'no refunds' policy to 'refunds on a case-by-case basis. If you need a refund, we'll sort you out personally. 3. You can always decide to let your ticket purchase be a donation to our cause! We're keeping the donation page open. We've raised $1425 so far on this page, and we thank you so much for contributing to this worthwhile cause. Stay tuned! Great Balls of Fire will be back.
Post a Comment
Read more

September 4, 2020

Image
  Hey All:    It's been nearly two years since we lost Nick. Although it hasn't exactly been getting any easier - we'll never be "OK" with our situation - we've been hard at work, keeping Nick's memory alive and trying to raise awareness and money for the support of cancer therapies, particularly in young adults.     Despite the prevailing pandemic, we've managed to secure a venue for this year's Great Balls of Fire fundraiser - Old East 765 Bar and Grill, located at 765 Dundas St. We'll be adhering strictly with all regulations regarding COVID-19: this is a limited seating event, with tickets available exclusively online - though the bar may be able to shoehorn a couple more seats into the room if needs be.    Tickets are available at www.lhsf.ca/greatballsoffire . If you can't make it to our event, donations are much appreciated, and can be made through this site as well.    The following is an excerpt from a beautiful post by one of Nick
Post a Comment
Read more