2010 in Photos, and some words.

Top 10 photos from 2010 in no particular order

This time of the year i normally write a huge long blog about my year, in fact there is a link to my Myspace blog in a comment on my very first post here. This year though, I thought I would post up some of my favorite photos of the year. They are not all photos representing highlights of my year, but simply moments that meant something to me, and were significant, for whatever reason, in 2010.






This is me, at Portwrinkle I think. The surf was small but fun, I had a great session, but that wasnt the point, and rarely is with surfing, for me surfing is about simply being out there in the fresh air, on the beach, in the sea, having fun. The horizon isnt straight and that bugs me, but its not about that, its the moment, surfing in blue skies and sunshine, escaping "real" life. take by Emily Hope




Me throwing down at Cann! Biking this year has been up and down, the student champs were fantastic, winning the haribo cup was cool, but at the same time, something has simply just gone wrong in my head, everytime i ride dh it flipps my brain out.




Thats me and Nat Walker, on one of the most relaxed days of the year, we must have just lay in the sun together for about 6 hours. This photo reminds me of what its like to be completely relaxed, a situation i will get round to experiencing again im sure!




Some mates from hereford came down for one top house party, this is Rob Dunkerley on the left, Chloe Levitt in the middle and me on the right.




This was one of the times i managed to get away with riding competitivly without having a seizure, this was the urban dh event held on the uni plymouth campus. It was a great day, and it was nice to see my friends on the sideline. This particular photo made it onto the RedBull Events website. :) clearly it was the shades that did it. Results of the day, think i was 42 out of, 100 or something.




This is me and Ruth, we had some high highs and some low lows in 2010, disregarding that, i still really like this picture.





The T shirts, the walk, the facial expressions, The 2010 Tour De France Gang!





Kite flying with mum and dad in Wales. A great day.





This a great photo, taken either by Ruth Milne or Emily Hope. The green of the rock, the blue of my hood, and of course the sea, everything in this photo just works. Quite an emotive one for me this one.






Ah my dad, Stephen Wetherbee. This was taken on holiday in Majorca, It been a terrible year for my dad, but this photo for me shows him, and myself in a moment of complete ignorance and happiness. We were both looking at a sunset behind the villa.



So there you have it, my Top 10/11 photographs from 2010. There are hundreds of pictures, i probably could re do this in a few weeks and end up with a few different pictures, but i think this selection sums up my year. Its been a year of highs, and a year of lows, with the lows probably coming out on top, but it has been a close call, lets see is the positives will outweigh the negatives in 2011.

My Dad

Ive been unsure how to tackle this topic for some time now, I was thinking of whether i should outline everything or just put it out there straight up, to be honest there's no sugar coating or denying it anymore.

My dad has been fighting cancer for around 4 years now, maybe more. I think four years is a bloody good battle, and in that four years we as a family have tried to make the most of everything possible. Now though I fear the cancer is winning, over the last 6 months he has deteriorated significantly, and the last two months have seen him in and out of a local hospice in attempts to control his pain.

He has metastatic paraganglioma, which as a simple google search will tell you is a very rare adaptation of an already very rare cancer. He has multiple tumors under his skin, literally just below the skin, you cant see them, but you can feel them, perhaps the size of a small balling bearing, 2-3mm in diameter. At last count he had 53, mum stopped counting months ago.

Yup, sooo umm, I think Im going to go public with this blog, put the url up somewhere, Ive told close friends about the situation, but frankly, everyone is going to know soon enough. And that right there is an example of the most horrific thoughts that start going through your head when a family member gets ill.
I sometimes question whether its normal, whether i should be having such thoughts, but i think in hindsight its actually all part of the coping strategy and indeed a way to prepare your self, hopelessly, for the unbearable off all thoughts that your dad is going to die, and nothing, nothing can prepare you for that.

Trying to prepare yourself for the death of a loved one is the last thing anyone wants to go through and the last thing that you can strike up in a conversation and indeed get advice for.

Add on top the fact that in 2010 ive lost my drivers license, my seizures temporarily returned meaning ive lost my main hobby indefinably, ive broken my shoulder, had surgery, along with many other things and your start to get an idea of just how much shit ive been through this year. Im not looking for sympathy, just an appreciation of the fact ive got a lot going on, and im not perfect all the time, i dont always talk to you, im not always as positive as i was, and im not always as thoughtful as i was. But that doesnt mean i dont care anymore, it just means that for the time being, im a little preoccupied to say the least.

Id like to lay this year to rest, fuck off 2010, bring on 2011, but you know what, again with the horrible thoughts, I thought 2010 was the worst year of my life, but its hasn't been because Ive had my dad for the entire year, ive had my dad for twenty one years, and the thought that 2011 will be the year when that all changes, and it wont be 22 years, he wont see me graduate, that's unbearable, but of course in true Wetherbee style, he may well make a surprise recovery, getting considerably better and carrying on for a few years, after all he was given 6 months to live over two years ago, so that not only underlines the strength of my dad, but also, just how wrong the doctors have got nearly every aspect of my dads case.

Well anyway, I could carry on writing but to be honest I think about the situation enough without having to write it all out. So thats whats going on, and thats why im not myself lately. Im not asking anything of anyone, in fact im not even sure if i will make this public, it might not be a good thing having everyone know, some people are just really shit when it comes to things like this, and deal with it by staying away, so perhaps ill just keep it with those who know.

thats just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how im feeling of late, i dont think i could even convey how i feel if i tried, so I'll just leave it there.

Happy New Year? No.

Another post in my 'hide away' blog spot! Only this time, shock horror I haven't broken anything, nope, no broken bones, no torn muscles, i just figured id give my non existent audience an update.
I think its been around 8 weeks since i broke my collar bone, and around 7 since i had surgery. So far things are going well. Ive been seeing a physio once and a while which has undoubtedly helped my shoulder no end, although the last time i went i was given some pretty savage exercises to do. The previous sessions simply involved carrying out assisted exercises, such as lifting my arm above my head with the aid of my other arm. These were, quite honestly piss easy to do, now whether she sensed that i found this easy as pie or not i don't know, but she soon had me doing some more complex exercises.

My most recent involves lying on the floor on my front, relaxing my shoulder blades down and in, and then extending my bad arm out and holding it there for 5 whole minutes! i don't think Ive done it for 5 minutes so so far, and I'm supposed to do this three times a day! what am i supposed to do drop down in the library and Ly there for Min's? I do a standing version in the shower in the mornings though.

So the shoulder is doing well, Physio is fun as the girl, Amie, is very attractive, always a bonus, and as long as i avoid over using my shoulder, I'm on track for my next batch of surgery in March. :)


Scabies!!!

yes, you read right; Scabies, my flat mate came home today and announced to the house that he might have Scabies, and judging by his skin, id say he does. grrrrreat, so as if my year could not have gone any shittier it looks like I'm probably going to get scabies. or am i? The Internet says its past on via skin to skin contact and generally anything that a mite might (whey) crawl onto. Well in sure a mite isn't going to crawl onto a door handle now will it? So i should be safe as long as i don't, i dunno, go in his room and Ly on his bed, no chance, so if i keep my distance i think i might just survive. Also, they don't like hairy skin, so i should be safe!

What else is going on. Hmm, lots of uni work that is keeping me busy, Ive been home to see dad who is quite ill, (but that's for another post) and there has been a bit of drama about my old house, and indeed the people in the old house, but again i shall save that all up for a nice rant at a later date.

Movember!

how could i forget, I decided to par-take in Movember this year, which is simply a month of the year in which you don't shave. The point...to raise awareness of Prostate Cancer. Anything that raises awareness of Cancer is a good thing in my books. SO here are some pictures of my effort from the start of the month and the end. I certainly talked a lot more about Prostate Cancer than i ever have before so i guess its a success.

THERE WERE TWO PHOTOS HERE, BEFORE AND AFTER MOVEMBER BUT SHITTY CRAPPY GOOGLE + FUCKED THINGS UP AND IVE LOST THEM.



Ok that's all. Watch this Space for a massive rant in the weeks to come about Girls, Shit Housing, being over worked, and much more.

Cheers


Photos: Whitsand Bay, Our Xmas Tree, Xmas Snowflakes and my Movember efforts