Ok, so what's really an "Affordable Watch" by the forum's standards ?

[Tragic]

Best of luck Gerry to you and your wife getting through some rough times.

[yamahaki]

You are a good man Gerry by taking on that responsibility. You have big shoulders to carry the added load. best of luck to you and yours

sean.

ps. if you just can't stand the thought of not getting another watch soon, I will give you some loaners

[sukispop]

You are a good man Gerry by taking on that responsibility. You have big shoulders to carry the added load. best of luck to you and yours...

Nicely said, Sean, and I couldn't agree more.

Take care, Gerry. You are a good man, indeed.

[k7lro]

Thanks guys....I probably shouldn't have said anything. We'll be fine - that's what savings are for - we knew that it would gradually get worse and have purposely lived below our income in preperation for this day.

My wife talked to her sister yesterday - his bedsores are pretty bad and there's nothing the hospital can do at this point. It's just a matter of time before he gets another infection and the final chapter is written.

We brought my wife's nephew up for the Christmas break so her sister could get a break. We kind of have an unwritten deal - we pay all the expenses and her sister does the rest since she's in Sao Paulo. We knew her sister would appreciate the break since this is the only child at home.

Therefore, we have a 12-year old Brazilian kid with us for a few more weeks. He's a great kid and is doing well. My wife believes, strongly, in taking every advantage of improving yourself. The kid has been enrolled in a local Catholic school for two weeks now so he can improve himself while on vacation. We've also taken him to LA and San Diego over the last few weekends - which, will be the end of travel for awhile.

I do have a kayak trip that I'm trying to put together for July - using frequent flyer miles. This will be on the Rio Negro in the Amazon region outside of Manaus. Except for the airfare, which I'll try and use AA miles, it'll be a cheap trip that we've already budgeted for and since there are supposed to others going, she wants to insure that I go. These opportunities don't come along often and you do have to make efforts to live for today. Some things shouldn't be put off - this is one of them.

ps. if you just can't stand the thought of not getting another watch soon, I will give you some loaners

We're fine but I'll look at your long and distinquished list of watches to ...uh... ..you know... borrow.

I am worried about Tragic - I hope he's OK both physically and otherwise.

[vandice]

You take care Gerry. I faced a similar situation with my grandma a few years back. Perhaps more fortunately, we had other family members to share the burden but the expense meant 1/2 of my miserly stipend was gone at the start of the month.

I miss her. It'll be the 2nd anniversary in 3 day's time, which also happens to be my birthday.

[k7lro]

You take care Gerry. I faced a similar situation with my grandma a few years back. Perhaps more fortunately, we had other family members to share the burden but the expense meant 1/2 of my miserly stipend was gone at the start of the month.

I miss her. It'll be the 2nd anniversary in 3 day's time, which also happens to be my birthday.

Thank bud - I hope that one day you'll be able to celebrate her life on the same day that your life began and is celebrated instead of mourning her. It's never an easy process for any of us.

My wife, in typical Brazilian fashion, has an admonishment
for this: "Do for them while they're alive - otherwise, don't cry for them after they're gone"

Sounds like your family did just that and you can all be proud of your efforts. That's what families do.

[vandice]

You know what? That saying goes right into my clippings book. Great piece of distilled Brazilian essence.

I had a little phrase I used as my blog's footer. Not any great saying. Just something I came up with in high school one day.

"Love is like a merry-go-round. A little goes round and round."

Cheers all.

I love samba. Esp. on the soccer field.

[deepcdvr]

Getting a free TSAR from the military - it will arrive friday. I am more excited about receiving this watch than the ones that I've paid for, so I guess the term 'affordable' is subject to interpretation...

[Bongos]

I think it's all depends on your current status in life, basically what you can afford and happy with. In my teens, a Casio Shock was the bomb, early twenties, a Seiko was perfect, in my late twenties, a Tag or Movado did the job, early thirties, another Tag, Now in late thirties (37) I'm thinking Omega Pro... this is my life's path so far. I have a friend who just turned 30 and he already have a IWC and Rolexes (Yes more than one), but he is more successful than I am and can afford it.. plus he is a collector!

[andy123]

My opinion is watches under $500 look better than watches 10-20times more expensive. I was always a fan of Bulova, Movado, Citizen and Seiko. After browsing this forum, I like the looks, and workmanship that goes into Stowa as well.