Leaving on a Jet Plane…

Posted on November 25, 2008 by Mike

Chantale’s flight to Vancouver was at 6am. Which meant that we were both pretty much awake at 330am since her cab was expected at 430am to drive her to the airport. She’ll be back Thursday evening.

Reminder: this weekend is Expozine. I’ll have a table on the Saturday with copies of The Anti-Bodies: Heaven Can Wait and The Mysterious Minute-Men Omnibus for sale. Of course, I’ll also have recent issues of Comicopia for sale and much older issues to give away. Feel free to stop by and say hello if you’re in the neighborhood! Admission is free! 🙂

Next weekend, Chantale and I are flying off to Banff for a couple of nights. We’ll be arriving the evening of December 12th and staying at Brewster Mountain Lodge. On the agenda? Hot springs. Relaxing. Time for ourselves. Basically, just some time to get away and not have to think about anyone else but ourselves! Even though it’ll be a short trip (we have a 7am flight back on the Sunday… which means leaving the lodge at 430am to make it to the airport) it’s something we definitely need. Too much stress lately. Not enough cuddling.

Look at that! The phone just rang! It’s Chantale! 🙂 Gotta go!

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My Sweet and Sensitive Little Boy…

Posted on November 24, 2008 by Mike

Some things just beg to be remembered. And even after the tantrums and the sugar-rush screeching runs across the house (Kyle chasing Casey, Charlize chasing Kyle, everyone running and screaming… video to follow, actually! 🙂 ), it’s the soft, quiet moments that linger forever.

Kyle wrote his first letter to Santa recently. He sat up on Chantale’s lap and both Mommy and he held the pencil while Mommy pushed the words he spoke:

“Dear Santa Claus.

I’m Kyle Ethan Aragona-Turgeon. I am 3 years old. For Christmas I would like my Spider-Man band-aid to stick to my fingers (the black Spider-Man, not the blue one), some dragons, and tools to fix my own cars and trucks. I promise to be a good boy for Santa.

Hugs & Kisses
Kyle Ethan”

How nice is that? 🙂 And how funny is it that one of his biggest wants is that the Spider-Man band-aids he gets on his “boo boos” actually stay on! LOL! 🙂

On the sensitive side… he shared his feelings with us last night. We were getting ready to take James and Melyssa back to laval and again he didn’t want to come. He’s always SO excited to go pick them up on the Friday nights that he can barely wait for Friday to come. But for about the last 2 months now, he’s been against bringing them back insisting, instead, that he would stay home with Chantale.

Chantale asked him yesterday why he didn’t want to drive with me to bring them back. What was he feeling?

“I don’t feel good. My heart is broke.”

3 years old and he not only understands what bringing his older siblings “back” means but also genuinely feels the loss upon coming back home without them. To the point that he refuses to say good-bye to them. I did, however, tell him, “You don’t have to say good-bye, sweetie. You can simply say ‘see you in 2 weeks!'”. So that’s what he did instead.

I had told the kids that Kyle really does miss them when they’re not around, but this was the most powerful proof of it.

*sigh*

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Run little Gerbil… run!

Posted on November 21, 2008 by Mike

You ever feel you’re just chasing your tail? Almost like a dog chasing its tail but more like a hamster or a gerbil on an exercise wheel?

Just run-run-run-run! but the scenery doesn’t change?

Yeah. Me too.

TGIF because right now I’ll take any little break I can get…

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Total Rambling.

Posted on November 20, 2008 by Mike

Guess what I’m doing right now?

I’m posting while slightly tipsy.

Why?

Oh heck, it’s been ages since I’ve done it!

Plus, sometimes… ya just gotta let your hair down and be done with it!!

Seriously!

Things have been entirely way too stressed lately (as evidenced by a yucky rash that developed on my chin and has still to lift!!) I even grew a goatee for over 2 weeks and finally ripped off last night because I couldn’t stand the itching!!!

But there you have it.

So I’ve been in just a bizarre mood tonight (as evidenced by the numerous comments I’ve left on a number of folks’ Facebook statuses tonight 🙂 )

“At the end of the day – look out for yourself!” Now that’s good advice!

Note to Sweetcheeks: CALL!! The job can be yours!! GET OUT! DO IT NOW! CALL!! “What the hell are you waiting for?!” I think the Cat Lady knows what she’s talking about 🙂

As for me… well, beer #2 is almost finished… so it’s time for #3. With NACHOS!!! 🙂 Mmmm… comfort food!

As for the rest of you… {Wave!} Hullo! Be… Excellent to each other… and… PARTY ON DUDES!! 🙂

(yes, Bill & Ted was Keanu’s GREATEST role! 🙂 )

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‘Tis the season?

Posted on November 20, 2008 by Mike

Nope. Not ready. Not yet.

It’s hard to imagine that Xmas is a few short weeks away and yet there it is – the calendar is irrefutable proof!

But I’m not ready.

This feels like the first time in memory that I’m not already in a festive mood. And, sure enough, there are plenty of activities around the corner… December is just littered with them starting that first weekend!!

But I’m just not ready… and it’s two weeks away…

(ps- one cute thing, however, is that every night when I pick up the kids from daycare, Kyle will always ask (as I’m strapping him into his car seat), “Daddy, is it Christmas now?” 🙂 And I answer, “No, sweetie, not yet. It’s the ‘season’, but it’s not Christmas yet.” Then, he ponders this a little and asks again, “At Christmas, Frosty’s gonna come with Santa Claus?” 🙂 It’s cute and adorable 🙂 )

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Creating…

Posted on November 19, 2008 by Mike

Wow…

Every now and again, I find myself still pleasantly surprised at how much fun (and how EASY it is to lose track of time!) it is to immerse myself in the world of The Mysterious Minute-Men.

I just spent the last couple of hours editing and reviewing a few chapters from the forthcoming novel “Ready for the Future” as well as writing up some Author’s Notes and bibliography material.

I kept sinking deeper and deeper into that world, losing all sense of where I was as I relieved battles, stories, places, characters and especially conversations with other creators on the “building” of such…

What a very pleasant way to knock off a couple of hours 🙂

I’m still way behind in the work I have to do – to the point that I’m going to have to postpone the release date – but at least it will still be released in 2009 – marking the 20th Anniversary of their creation 🙂

I haven’t received enough feedback from those who picked up the Omnibus, however. Although I did enjoy a swelling up of pride last week when I secretely watched Melyssa reading it. Watching and hearing her burst out in a fit of giggles at various places and then showing the passages to James just made me smile. Smile and smile and smile 🙂

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So I must admit…

Posted on November 13, 2008 by Mike

I’ve got something of a hole in my gut today.

I was shocked yesterday to hear of Emru Townsend’s passing seeing how the last bit of news I had heard was that he had found a donor and undergone the surgery. I guess I, too, was like a lot of people who believed recovery would finally come.

Unfortunately, that was not the case and at 10pm on Nov 11th, he breathed his last. How ironic that this happened on Remembrance Day considering how hard he fought against leukemia and how many lives he’s touched in the last year during that struggle. The thousands of people on the FB groups alone attest to that.

I met Emru about 18 years when he joined Comicopia for a brief stint with his zine, APAPlexy as well as interacting with him on BBS’ (his alias was Bionic Coyote). Of course, he went on to bigger and better things soon thereafter 🙂 The point is that he met, influenced, and affected many lives in his short time on the planet. And now that he’s gone… there is quite a ripple of sadness blanketing and stretching over many.

From the Heal Emru site: http://www.healemru.com/2008/11/game-over.php
A poignant post by Mark Mayerson: http://mayersononanimation.blogspot.com/2008/11/emru-townsend.html

and so many others from around the ‘net.

Peace out.

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Synchronized Illness

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Mike

What a bizarre day yesterday.

At 230pm, I started feeling really ill. I then spent the next 2 hours trying not to throw up – which was extremely hard while I was on the train going home.

At that exact moment – Charlize was doing a great exorcist immitation at her Daycare, and James was doing the same at school! We all started feeling a little better by 4pm but I went to bed the minute I was through the door. Made for a horrible night.

It hit Melyssa at 9pm… and it hit Chantale this morning at 7am.

I’ve never seen a virus/ bug/ gastro/ whatever strike a whole family all at once at around the same time with the same effects! Absolutely insane…

That’ll teach me to go out in public on weekends…

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A Nice Family Day!

Posted on November 8, 2008 by Mike

After getting up at 6am all week, Charlize today decided to get up at 645am! So, by 7am, she was already toddling around downstairs after having drank her milk. Casey was having breakfast and Kyle was also toddling around asking for his own breakfast. He decided that today would be Pancake day and so I got about making some pancakes. He also decided that EVERYONE should have pancake and went to wake up James and Melyssa and dragged them over 🙂

Chantale, of course, was still locked away for her simulations and thus it was the four kids and I who had a family breakfast consisting of pancakes, oranges, and yogurt (and some cereal). I don’t believe we’ve ever all had breakfast together so that was something of a shock 🙂 Afterwards, the morning consisted of chores, showers, and mainly laundry. I had initially wanted to go out for some errands but decided against it face-to-face with the housework. No problem.

Pretty soon it was lunchtime and we once again all got together for a nice lunch of Mac n Cheese, Quiche Lorraine, and bagels. With that over, we piled into the car and headed off to pick up some photos I had ordered last week. We headed to the Future Shop in Vaudreuil but the youngest kids passed out so I decided after that stop to keep going and headed back home to pick up James’ Chapters gift card. Surprise! Chantale had gotten home about 30 minutes earlier! 🙂

I knew she needed to crash and told her to do so and after getting milk for Charlize and the gift card, we drove off to the Future Shop in Pte.Claire for the other photos and had a quick Chapters run. Wouldn’t you know it, after James found his book (Pendragon book 9), Kyle found one he couldn’t part with (Step 1 reading program with CARS) and Melyssa found one she wanted as well (Diary of a Wimpy Kid book 2). Kind of nice to have kids who love books so much 🙂 I couldn’t believe the line-up to pay, though! Wow!

From there, we headed to Loblaws for a quick food stop and then came home to finish folding and putting away the laundry! Chantale is passed out on the couch and hasn’t stirred even with all the activity we’ve been doing 🙂 I’ve got a lasagna in the oven and the house is feeling very warm and inviting 🙂 Candles are burning, bread will be warmed, wine will be served (to us – not the kids! 🙂 ) and we’ll have a really nice family supper, too! 🙂

Seriously – lack of sleep notwithstanding, it’s been a great day! 🙂

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*sigh*

Posted on November 7, 2008 by Mike

I’m Electioned-Out…

I’m really glad we don’t have to go through 16 months of canvassing and election hysteria here in Canada… however, at the same time, it feels like there’s ALWAYS an election going on!!!

Just like 2 years ago, very quickly after the Federal election, a Provincial one was called. And so, after last month’s useless, worthless, money-wasting election to re-elect a Minority government, the word went out that we’ll be holding a Provincial election on December 8th.

Another useless, worthless, money-wasting, visual-pollution election. For what reason? Why gives a F*&*)WEing carp any more? Last month’s election was the worst turnout in Fed political history. Do you think next month’s is going to be any better? Outside of perhaps apathy and fed-up-edness at the Liberals for calling it again which could lead with the people voting them out of power?

All that money could and SHOULD be used for much more Humanitarian purposes. With winter approaching, think of all the homeless we could shelter or feed… think of all the research we could do…

bah.

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