The New Floodgates of the Mind

I just wanted to note that I’m having a GOOD day. 🙂

Yes, that’s right. I’m deep in the reporting mode for my new Project and am loving the discovery and understanding of it all! 🙂

Low point to this is not having had a proper moment to speak with my lovely wife whom I miss tremendously while I’m at work. On the flip side, the good point of this is that I get to go home in a very good mood which makes me even more fun to be around! :>

Okay, back to it! It’s already 2pm and I still have much to do!

Well, after months of working on it, my first major project post-implementation supper went off without a hitch. Actually, it was a really fun evening. 19 people at Weinstein & Gavino’s, 4-course meal with a gallon of red wine, wonderful ambiance, and lots of laughter. After everything that’s been going on, it felt really good to laugh, relax, and be thankful.

On the downside, I didn’t get home until 10pm so I didn’t get to spend any time with Kyle. Chantale was worn out yestrday and I really wish I could have done something for her. I hope she has a better day and I’ll be trying to get home as quickly as possible today. One thing that does freak me out about Kyle is how he will always wake up and/or look at me whenever I walk into his room. I don’t make any noise, not to mention the fact that there is carpeting in there, and yet, he always seems to sense my presence. Heck, he also seems to have a knack of waking up as soon as I’m out the door in the mornings!

On another note, my dad turns 70 years old today! Woo! Buon compleano, papa! 🙂

Pictures speak louder than words… so here’s a bit of both 🙂 Click on the image to see it in its full glory!

What a year this was! I was up until just before midnight because I just needed to finish the book yesterday. What a feeling that was… I have to thank Chantale for once again encouraging me to finish this book even through the rough patches where I went for almost a week without writing one word. She, even with taking care of a baby full time, managed to get 15k herself! What an amazing feat! Hopefully she’ll crank out a bit more tonight and tomorrow, but even if she can’t, I’m so very proud of her for getting this far! Ti amo, amore!

On another note, James and Melyssa’s school pics are now online. I’ve also included a few of my beautiful wife 🙂 All visible at my Parenting Page over at www.aragona.info.

Many, many years ago, a friend of mine was working for a company that dealt in push technology for the emerging use of cellphones for surfing. Basically, they were hired by various telcos to provide weekly “jokes” to subscriber cell phones. The idea of a Top 4 Slogan pitch was launched successfully with the idea being similar to obvious “top 10” jokes. However, dealing with the small amount of space available (at the time), they stuck with four. I was asked to pitch ideas and to be honest never knew what happened to them afterwards. The company many or may not have used them but considering (a) my friend doesn’t work there any more and (b) that company no longer exists, I have no way of knowing 🙂 I didn’t mind, though, as some of them could be seen as “touchy” 🙂

Why talk about this now? Simply because I found two such jokes in my scribble pad recently and figured I’d throw them up here 🙂 Worth a snicker at the very least 🙂 So, here you go, Marketing Slogans for 2 different “products” 🙂

Top 4 Hare Krishna Slogans:

There was a pigeon sitting on the window ledge outside from where my cubicle/ desk is. I’m used to looking out the window and seeing spider webs, but a pigeon? Sheesh.

Yes, I’m quiet. So be it.

I’ve wanted to run through a weekend update since about sunday evening, but haven’t been able to do so. And so, I’m left now to run through an abriged version because I did want to note these down for rememberance sake.

I picked up the kids on Thursday night so they stayed with Chantale and Kyle (and Casey!) at home on Friday. As they only had 2 days of school, they didn’t have much homework and thus we didn’t have to spend all our time together doing that. Made for a nicer Friday. Especially when I finally created email accounts for both of them and Chantale taught them how to use it 🙂 Yes, Zabu and Jitterbug are now finally online with email accounts at Savageland of which they asked us in order to send us messages when they’re not with us 🙂 I wonder how soon before they’ll ask to set up their address books with other friends and family accounts… and how soon before they’ll ask me to give them some web space for themselves… :>

Saturday morning, Chantale and James left the house at 8am to go see Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire as part of the special screening Assante was holding at the Kirkland Colisseum. At home, once Kyle fell back to sleep for his morning nap, Melyssa, Casey and I went into the backyard where I continued to dig up the hole for our new tree – a Red Maple. Casey chased after the snow and Melyssa helped me and within an hour or so the hole was dug, fertilized, the tree inserted, and topsoil and humus wrapped around it. The t-bar was installed and with a great sense of satisfaction, we looked at it. Then, I picked up Casey who was now a small ball of ice and fluff and carried her into the bathtub for a good warm wash/ cleaning 🙂 Chantale and James came home glowing with how great the movie was and after a quick lunch, we took them back and then headed to some friends for a really nice evening supper and chat.

Sunday was also a restful day until 3pm when Chantale got ready to leave. I had booked her for a solo floating bath and massage at the Ovarium and it was a gift of time for her. This was the first time she’s gone to the 1/2 day spa alone and it was also the longest she’d been away from Kyle – 5 hours! 🙂 I took care of him and we found numerous ways to entertain ourselves. When Chantale got back after 8:30pm, she was glowing again, but this time from complete relaxation 🙂 It was really nice to see.

Yesterday, I unpacked at my new cubicle on my new floor at work and am thus ready to begin my new projects. I still have ties to Application Support and will probably have it until the end of the month. However, I can now also concentrate on understanding my new position. Big change from being up on the 6th, by the way. SO quiet down here! To the point where I find myself whispering when on the phone so as not to disturb anyone… and so no one listens in! (yes, I’m paranoid, deal with it).

In other news, I’m still on track with NaNo which is all I can ask. Considering the new family dynamic, it’s close to impossible to do what I did the last few years now. I’m just glad I’ll be able to finish by the end of the month and have another new novel to show for it. In regards to other news, I haven’t started on Comicopia yet (which means a two week blitz December 1st) and I’m still waiting on a contract for one story and to hear any news on the submission of a few more.

And now, before I head off, I wanted to shout out to Marc-Andre’s wife Karine who’s officially pregnant and expecting their baby in mid-July! 🙂 Yay! (as opposed to Adam’s wife Karine who’s expecting their second baby much sooner than that! 🙂 )

Heh. Not totally unexpected. 🙂

You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause. Batman, the Dark Knight 83% James Bond, Agent 007 75% Maximus 67% Captain Jack Sparrow 67% Lara Croft 67% William Wallace 67% Indiana Jones 50% El Zorro 50% Neo, the "One" 50% The Terminator 33% The Amazing Spider-Man 33% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

Had a rather nice evening yesterday that began with a side trip to Pepiniere Cramer in Ile Perrot. Had a fun chat with the owner who told me all about her life in Italy and moving here in 1957 to carve out a living 🙂 It’s always so much fun talking to old Italian ladies who, once they realize you’re Italian (speaking it is always a dead giveaway!) go off on their memory trips 🙂 The reason I was there, though, was to pick up a Red Maple to plant in our back yard. We’ve been wanting to do it for the last two years but decided it would be the year Kyle was born as a comemmorative. With a 30% discount, it allowed me to get other needed items like bonemeal, fertilizer, winter protection, and a t-bar as well! 🙂 Digging will definitely be an adventure, and it was begun today by about 4 inches from removing the grass in the designated spot. Now the hard work will begin! But, I’m looking forward to it 🙂

Then, Chantale and I got to cooking a hearty spagetthi supper with garlic bread and sausages for James and Melyssa and her sister, too! A fun family meal which ended in the living room as we all gathered at 6:30pm to watch “Le Cercle” on TVA to see my friend (and employee) Sebastien win an all-expenses 2-week trip to Punta Cana 🙂 He’ll be on all week so tune in and join the fun 🙂

At 7pm, Sylvie and I drove the kids back and then I dropped her off at home. When I got home, Chantale and I put Kyle to bed and we enjoyed a nice hot bath. And then, it was time for Monday Night Football! Cowboys vs. The Eagles! 🙂 You know, I waited my whole life to have a girlfriend that would dig the NFL like I do so that I could have someone watch football with me. This just proves, once again, how great she is for me 🙂

This morning my brain is a little fuzzy but to be honest, the last week+ has been the same. Hopefully something will change soon so I can get my bearings again and focus. I haven’t touched NaNo in over 4 days now…

By the way, got news that my good friend Stephanie is scheduled to have her second baby on December 22nd at 8am! My Xmas vacations begin that evening so you can be sure I’ll be thinking of you, Stef! 🙂 Good luck and talk to you soon! 🙂

Yay! I just worked out some more days with the kids this month! As I wrote before, I’m picking them up tonight instead of tomorrow night but I found out that there’s no school on Monday. So… I’ll keep them that extra day as well. Then, we’re gonna pick them up again on Thursday night the 17th as the 17th and 18th are Ped Days. So… they’ll stay with us on the 18th and then on the 19th, James and Chantale will head over to watch the premiere of Harry Potter 🙂 Melyssa and I will go catch Chicken Little this weekend to even things out 🙂 (One of the reasons behind all this was that they were supposed to go to daycare at school on the 18th to watch those movies, and I found out today they would not be doing so – even after James asked permission from me last week to see Potter. Considering how good those movies are and how excited the kids were to be able to see them, I can’t stand the thought of them being sad about it. And thus, Chantale and I get a chance to spend some nice fun time with them individually :)) So, not only do I get them all those days in December, but for 3 weekends in a row and extra days in between! yay! 🙂

I’m thrilled that we can do this, and especially so that Chantale is home so they HAVE a home to stay at during Ped Days and whatnot. I feel so warm inside that I know they can be snug in their beds in our house and that they can get time with Kyle and Chantale. It’s good that they have a lot of exposure to their little brother and all the positive “living” they get because of Chantale just can’t be quantifiable.

*happy sigh* Yes, I love my family and am so greatful to have a wife as wonderful and understanding as Chantale 🙂 The Lady of the Lake is the Lady of my Heart and Soul, that’s for sure 🙂

One thing we have to do this weekend is get some “family” pics done so I can use a “Family” icon for LJ as well as my “Daddy” one 🙂