1998: The year my platform broke, again

Microsoft finally got a web browser happening with Internet Explorer v4. Netscape gave its browser away too. Then it gave away its source code for open development. Cascading Style Sheets and HTML 4 came from the World Wide Web Consortium. As did XML...

I started work just before the start of the year as an assistant to the CWIS Officer of the time, James Tauber. When he left for other pastures, I was promoted to the spot. More responsability, same pay. See Dilbert.

• Halloween happend in the garage at Andrea's house for a few select friends.
• My colleague, and past fellow student, Sam Field, had his bucks night, and unavoidably, his wedding to his kind wife, Bec.
• I helped write the RTR FM 92.1 site
• I totally wrote the Next Big Thing site
• I totally rewrote the University's site
• Some old pictures taken by someone of the UCC, well before 1998

It turned out to be a horrific year for my pets. In April, Tamarisk, or Tammy, my black cat, died after almost 15 years with us. We adopted her from the cat haven where she was about to be put down when we moved ot Australia. She moved house with us to Woodlands, and loved us all. We saw less and less of her after Gemma arrived - despite Tammy having been master of the domain for so long beforehand, Gemma was a little too playful for her, and Tammy decided she didn't like the back garden nor the house where Gemma could chase her.

Tom came home one night to find her lying in the gutter opposite the house.

In late August, Gemma got a vey large belly. My through she was being overfed, but I was a little more concerned, and we took her to the vet. After ultrasounds and various tests, the vet opened her up and drained 2 litres, around 33% of her normal weight, from her abdomen. Furthermore, she was infected with some sort of growth, which had covered all her internal organs with small black nodules, for want of a better word.

She was stitched back up, hoping she would recover, but she would not eat. My mother did special trips to the vet with specially prepared meat dishes, cheese (her favourite), and I even bought her some M&M's, but she would not eat.

On the Sunday night, during a terrible thunderstorm, she suffered what appeared to be a stroke, losing the sight in one eye and the hearing on one ear. She would fall over at the drop of a hat, and when walking, would hug the wall. She didnt hear me calling her when I entered the room, when normally she would be at the door waiting for me just three four days earlier.

We brought her home for two hours, hoping to jolt her back into some recovery, but to no avail. She went back to the vet, and although improving the next morning, by 5 pm Monday 1^stSeptember, she was almost gone from us, panting heavily and unable to see at all. She would not respond to any movement. There was nothing the vet could do.

Except one thing.

Gemma Bromberger was put down just after 6pm. ;~(