Happy July!!!

This was - and still is - a crazy month. I finally get have one project going live and another one going in next week. Puppy is now 9 months old and has gotten really smart. Like, he already knows if we're planning to leave and goes and hides under the bed or side table....

It's cute but kinda sad at the same time. You'd see these big brown eyes that seem to say "why you leaving me? I didn't do anything bad, did I?"
Ah well. I also have the pleasure of *finally* presenting you the "after" photos of our backyard!!

Before and after.....

Right now Finnegan just crawled onto my couch and curled up. He's staring at me. Oh yeah, I finally put up some floating shelves that now hold my precious memorabilia from our honeymoon.

Other new acquisitions - a painting of a canal in Venice for the dining room wall; a china cabinet to hold other precious stuff like our statue and wine set from Venice as well as our wedding china; KRZR phones for me and my hubby; and overnight toys for Finfin.

Overnight toys, you say? Well, toys of late have a lifespan of one full day before our little Finfin "retires" them.

That's all for today...! (or this month, at the rate I'm going)

What would AJ do?

Before I dive into this week's subject, let me tell you about something that I thought about on my way home. Thanks to our yearly objectives setting, I started thinking where I wanted to be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years....then I started thinking about something a bit more dire. As in, how would I want people to remember me. So, let it be said that he lived, he laughed, he loved, but most of all, he tried.

Now, back to our question of the week. Dreamgirls the DVD came out last week and wouldn't it be a collector's dilemma. Let me rattle them off:
(a) There is the single-disc edition for 21.99.
(b) Then there is the 2-disc showstopper edition, which is really (a) plus a bonus disc of more special features for 25.99.
(c) Then there is the 3-disc limited edition for 28.99 which is really (b) plus yet another bonus disc of extras.
(d) The infamous Wal-mart edition which is the single-disc edition plus a bonus CD of club remixes of 7 songs from the movie. This for 28.99.
(e) And there are rumours of an extended edition to be out at Christmas (which looks to be integrating all the deleted scenes already available in (a)).

So.....what would AJ do?

Stress Week

As a project manager, I always call the week of an implementation "stress week". Approvals to make, things to broadcast, time to dot the i's, etc. This week also marks the first time that I'm putting in a project that was totally out of procedure and yet has a lot of eyes on it. Needless to say, this is stress on top of the normal stress I feel in a *normal* implementation.....let's just hope things go well.

On another sad note, my brother's dog Choco was put to sleep last week. It started out with the dog just eliminating all over the house, then soon not feeling too good. After a trip to the ER, they found that he had kidney stones. I suppose the prognosis wasn't good, because the next day they had him put to sleep.

Now being the owner/parent of a dog, I can somewhat imagine how hard this must be. Heck, my eyes well up sometimes with just the thought of my little Finny having such a short life compared to ours. I wish he could live forever.

He's on the floor resting right now just looking at me. *sigh*

So - spring's here and I've finally swapped the coats around. Geez, it's still a lot of coats. I'm really close to chucking a couple of them but we'll see. After doing chores for a couple of hours (laundry, some yard work involving marble chips, swapping coats) I'm finally ready for some downtime. I'll pick up the never-ending parade of chores tomorrow.

Current dilemma: solar vs. low-voltage lighting. It's getting really hard to find a package of the "normal" low-voltage lighting - it seems that all Can Tire, Homo Depot, etc. sells now are solar ones. And it doesn't help that I've got $5 coupons that I can use on anything solar....limit *5* per transaction!!!! (So I can buy a set of 6 lights plus an additional pair of floodlights and save $10) But of course, they don't shine as bright. I'd go for the low-voltage lighting, but as I said, it's getting hard to find them. I'll try out Zellers tomorrow when I travel to Meepland West.

Finally, 52 is coming to an end tomorrow!! What is the secret of 52? I've read somewhere that the multiverse still exists, somehow. I guess all will be revealed. Sad thing is that this series took up 2 of my magazine files....and with another weekly series coming up, one shelf of mine is sure to fill in fast. C'mon, kill them all already!!! What everyone really wants is a *permanent* change of status quo (like Captain America - of course we all know that someone else will step in to fill Steve Rogers' shoes, but at least it's fun to keep guessing who *cough*Bucky*cough).

Now to read some comic books. 52! 52!

(For ye all who wonder what the heck is 52......www.52thecomic.com)

Earth Day 2007

*whew*

This weekend was one of the busiest we've had for a while! Lessee....decided to take Friday off since the weather was so great, and we figured it's the best time to get some deck work done. So once we decided that Friday was hooky day, Thursday night we went to pick up deck stuff at Home Depot over at Gerrard. Lo and behold, if a few other people didn't have the same idea....so renting a truck to take the stuff home was out of the question.

Scooted over to the Home Depot at Eglinton and Laird - we were lucky enough to score a truck! Then we went and bought all out manly-man stuff (a circular saw, a drill, and a workbench...oooooh). Of course, I'd never driven a truck before, so that was a first.

Friday - skirting around the deck. First, the frame - and that took us the whole day!

Saturday - dad-in-law came to help and add to the manly-man factor (certainly no construction work is complete without the experienced hand). Put the boards around the deck and spread some stones on one side of the deck. Again, the whole day!

Earth day Sunday - built the planter boxes against the right side of the yard against the fence. Halfway through, we had to stuff and bring our bun-bun (read: puppy) to Petsmart for his graduation. And he passed!!!! (We have the certificate to prove it!) Finally went back home, completed the planters, and planted our cedar trees.

As I said...*whew*

Sad to say, the yard is still a work-in-progress, but we are already amazed at the improved look of it. So, here's some "before" pictures to give an idea as to how little the previous owners did to the back yard. Hopefully, we'll have some "after" pictures in a month or so....

Happy 2007!

9:45 p.m.

Ho-kay. So it's been a while (yet again) since my last post. I guess I was too ambitious when I thought I could keep a puppy log. But as I always say, if I can barely keep up with my laundry, how could I have thought that I could pull this off?

Finnegan is sitting in my hubby's den staring at me. 6 months old - time sure flies. He's grown to be a real cutie pup.

Before: After:













As I said - a cutie!!!

So far he's managed to let us know that he wants to go outside by going to the back door and sitting there. And - except for a couple of times - he does not poo in the house!! He's such a long dog, though. We used to put him in a medium-sized crate which was fine when he was smaller. Since we both worked and were gone 8 hours a day, we'd put paper in the back half of his crate and bedding in the front half. We didn't really feel comfortable having someone come in midday to let him out. But now, he's grown so long that - although he still fits very comfortably in the crate - there is no more room for his "pee papers" (as we liked to call the freebie papers we pick up now and then). Although he has proven time and again that he can hold it for 8 hours (he really didn't have much of a choice), 8 hours is just too long for him for a pup to hold it on a regular basis. Could lead to kidney problems and all that.

The solution? Well, at night we normally put him in an exercise pen in the master bedroom (he still hasn't learned to stay put in his bed for bedtime). In its full size, it's a 4' x 4' pen - virtually a doggie condo! And luckily enough, it comes with an optional top so that they can't jump out (this one's turning out to be quite the jumper). So, with top in place, we've started leaving him there - bed in one corner, pee papers in the other.

And did I mention we bought this really cool internet camera? We can now check up on the pup from anywhere via the internet. We noticed that he seemed to fuss a lot less than when he was in the crate. Plus, it looks like he can stretch out to his heart's content without his head in (potentially) wet paper. My colleague at work says that he fusses less because (a) we spend a lot of time in that room, and (b) he's already used to spending extended hours in that pen.

He's still bitey, though. Partly 'coz he's teething, and partly 'coz, well, God knows. We've started puppy class with Petsmart a few weeks ago, so he seems to have improved a lot since we got him. But, boy, there's still quite a way to go.

On another note: I *finally* finished my comic rebagging project - all 5,825 of them. It took a couple of months, but there you go! So now I have between 10-15 years before I have to replace them again. But on the good side I managed to clear some of the deadwood in my collection. But wouldn't you know it - now they're coming out with entire comic collections on DVD-ROM. For instance, I have the Amazing Spider-Man from #1 (1963) to June 2006.....that makes for a lot of catching up! Does this mean that I will eventually get rid of my paper copies? I don't know - I still derive a lot of pleasure from the tactile sensation of reading through a magazine. But then again, I only have so much square footage in my den.....

Speaking of square footage, we've got a few things happening in our backyard. Bought a BBQ, a patio set, having some guy hook up the gas next week, getting quotes for our deck/carport (So far it's going between $20,000 and $40,000.....ay caramba!).......I suppose we could build it ourselves someday, but as I said, laundry.

Ah well. Hubby and I just celebrated our 5th anniversary of being together last month. Wow - even got a dozen roses shipped while he was away on business. Imagine my surprise coming home with a wonderful arrangement of roses on the doorstep for me (and imagine his surprise when he found out that they were left there when no one was home!!!!). Such a sweet guy! I did try to get him roses soon after, but the ones I've managed to see where pretty crappy. Oh well.

It's getting late tonight - stay tuned for my next entry! Hopefully it won't be too long from now.

Angel and Demon

Nope, it's not the prequel to Dan Brown's novel. I actually got the idea from surfing the web about "puppy biting" and came across the phrase "angel days and devil days". This morning was a devil morning - didn't get any work done, had 3 accidents all in the space of 3 hours, and the biting was just getting....arrgh.

However, in desperation I turned to the Dog Whisperer's site, and I think what I got from it is more often than not, it's the human that has to be trained. Basically, we have to establish ourselves as the leader of the pack, and there are certain things you need to do to establish that. Otherwise, if the dog does not see a leadership role happening, they will step in to fill the void. (Gee, apparently I may have the same problem at work - in both cases I need "subtle assertiveness". The Dog Whisperer calls it "calm assertiveness".)

How to achieve such a state? The leader should not exhibit nervousness, panic, and tension. Calmness, consistency, and confidence (not aggression) is key.....basically I have to get to a Zen place. In the dog's world, this is what projects leadership. Or be more like Oprah.

Anyways, I must do things that the den mother would normally do - if I walk out the door, I have to go out first (and the other way around). On walks, I have to lead and the puppy has to be behind or beside me. If I get bit or nipped, I yelp , walk away and ignore the pup (basically if he doesn't play nice, no one will play with him). At eating time, I eat first, and they must demonstrate "calm-submissiveness" before I give food.

The only thing I haven't done is do the 45-minute power-walk in the morning before they eat. Tricky, given the weather around here. But you know what? I've tried all of the above when he woke up from his morning nap, and I think it's been an angel afternoon. The biting has gone down, no accidents (yet), and best of all.....he's sleeping right now in the den!

Gotcha!

Day 7 - so far the "good poo"/"good pee" praise plus treat is working okay. He had a couple of accidents today but because we were not looking. And he's learned to go up and down *all* of the stairs...just not down them yet. And it was a good night - he had gone to bed with no fuss at 11:45 pm and woke up at 6:15-ish (he just sat there looking)....no whining this time! And only pee on the paper too!

I moved the pen to my den, but he's not taking to it as well as he did when it was in the hall. He doesn't want to stay in it at all....now he's asleep and I put him in with the door open. Let's see if he will stay in this time. He normally stays a couple of hours on end in the pen before I moved it.

I've also started to keep a log of when he woke up, what time he eats, and what time he goes. Maybe I'll see a pattern to his biological clock.

Speaking of clocks, I have a 2:00 meeting to get ready for. In the meantime, I managed to snag a photo just before he fell asleep. Gotcha!

Puppy training - Day 6

Today the puppy is training me to give him treats when he is quiet....oh, I'm sorry - is it meant to be the other way around?

Finnegan seems to have developed a little aversion to responding to "outside" since yesterday. He also had a couple of "accidents" indoors, esp. when we are not looking. That tells me that he is not enjoying his trips outdoors. So this morning, I'm developing a new routine:

- Make sure I always have treats in my pocket.
- Say "outside" while putting on leash.
- Carry him to one specific spot outside....this will be the very same spot I will take him to every time.
- *While* he is piddling/pooing, I will say "good poop!" over and over again, and *immediately* give him a treat and make a big happy fuss no more than 2 seconds after he is done.
- Go immediately back inside and play with him for a few minutes.

Overall, the above will help him associate "good times" when he does things outside. Hopefully this will help him get used to the leash and he will soon walk to that spot on his own without having to carry him.

What all the websites says are true - constant vigilance is the key here. Let's see over the next few days if the situation improves. Now I have to read up on all that biting stuff.....

Finnegan!

Boy, has it been a hectic 4 days! We finally got our baby, Finnegan the beagle! No pics yet 'coz the stooopid network wizard still won't let me connect to my hubby's 'puter. Oh well. Here's a little rundown of things that had happened:

Day 1 (Dec 8) - Picked baby up from the breeder. Was a tough choice with all the cute pups but boiled it down to two. Our Finny won the lottery 'coz he seemed to come back to us more often. Also, he looks more like the classic beagle. On way home, he was good for 1 hour but started throwing up in the next. But he saw the paper on the floor and made a poo there....which means he's retained his paper training! He was all trembly the first night, and pretty much kept us awake all night. Finally.....

Day 2 - ....got up at 5 am to take him out. He went 5 times in an hour (3 were successfully done outside). Crate training formally begun! He seemed less tense and cuddled with us a lot. There were a couple of "accidents" but then again we were also starting to learn to how to read the signs. Auntie Junn paid a visit. More whining at bed time.

Day 3 - More 5 am madness. There was poo this time around in the crate. We tried to put him back right after he did his business so we can grab one more hour, but then he poo'd some more! So we decided to stay up. More crate training, but he was good the whole day! Auntie M. (Mike) and the rest of the aunties (Errick and Abel) came by. I think poor Finny was wiped out after 'coz he was so quiet the rest of the night....although a bit of nipping has begun....We also tried the breeder's suggestion of putting paper in the back half of the crate overnight so he won't be as whiny. But we kept the crate at half-size during the day.

Day 4 - So far the paper-in-crate-overnight thing worked....we got more sleep! We also got an e-mail from the breeder today saying that it will be a while that the pup will eliminate at night...and to wake up when *we* need to (not when the pup whines at 5 am). Today we tried out the pen on the second floor for the first time since we were working from home. He seemed to be okay with it - stayed for at least a couple of hours without a fuss. Crate training was somewhat done since the pen kinda made up for it (I guess). But he was more quiet at night. He peed on the couch though....maybe we misread the signs again. But the good news is that he slept longer! We also started using the leash 'coz he almost got away through a gap in the fence. Humping also started....the battle for dominance begins!

Day 5 - Which brings us to day. We got up at 6 am....he whined maybe twice overnight but overall the paper-in-crate-overnight thing seems to be a good method for now. He's also taken to the pen today, except one time I got downstairs too late when he woke up and he peed as I was putting my shoes on. When he is in the pen upstairs, it is *absolutely key* to take him outside as soon as he wakes up (by this I mean he actually gets up as opposed to just opening his eyes). He peed every single time.

*whew* We love him lots though :) I kinda feel out-of-sorts today 'coz I'm just consumed by worry....worry about what he steps on outside, what he eats, etc. etc.....I just hope we're doing right by him.

Oh, how the mighty.....

There was a time when I had lead roles in community theatre (one of which was a musical to boot!)......but now, I can see it on my resume: "Professional Plant". I've done this once for a certain awards show and now for a play (both of which will remain unnamed or else it will spoil the illusion should people google them on the web). Oh well, I'm still waiting for that McDonald's moment...you know, like when this famous Filipino actor was discovered working in McDonald's and has since catapaulted into Filipino superstardom. (Of course, granted I'll never have the looks or the body to go with it, but I'm sure there must be a role for an average-looking Filipino guy somewhere!).

I've finally finished putting up our Christmas decorations! Someday I'll be able to post pictures but suffice it to say it looks nice. Take my word for it. Finally got the two things I really wanted - a Filipino parol (lantern) and reindeer! Yes - one of them moves!!

Puppy comes in one week. One week!!! I can't wait to for Finnegan to make himself at home. I just feel bad for those nice leather slippers that my hubby gave me a few Christmases ago......

Well, it's a lazy Saturday. I'm gonna do some comic book sorting then head on out for my coz Alvin's birthday and my niece Valerie as well. My, has she grown. Check this link out: www.valerie-rodriguez.com.

On more materialistic matters:
- Sold some anime box sets on eBay
- Saved $100 on the Six Feet Under box set by getting it from deepdiscoutdvd.com, so I returned my box to HMV and spent the savings on.....
- A limited edition Da Vinci Code DVD box set from Amazon Japan (I know, Mr. Hanks was somewhat wooden in this one, but at least I get the extended edition for 25 more minutes for Tom Hanks fun)
- And finally spent the remainder of my mad money and gift cards I got for my birthday on the limited edition Alias DVD box set.
- Oh, yeah...I spent the last of my Chapters gift cards (thank you Air Miles!!!) on the 14-disc Superman Ultimate DVD box set....which sadly they tell me is still ETA TBD from the vendor. Oh well.

Okay...now on to my comic book retreat.....

Hello again!

Now *that's* a long absence. I thought I'd have time to write in this thing everyday but as usual, life steps in. So months later, here we go again. What has happened since then? Lessee...

• Became a co-presenter at the Dora awards and did a musical number...both with a group and a solo! Mind you, the "solo" part was totally unexpected.
• Got myself one of those darned iPods.
• Celebrated our first year wedding anniversary! We went to Gananoque and won enough at the casino to pay for the whole weekend away!
• Put a deposit down on a beagle pup....born October 7, so we should get him early December.
• Got a new dual-core 3.0 'puter (the old one just choked and died. Thanks Nortel for the memories!!!) and an all-in-one printer. Both of them are HP.
• Hubby got promoted to Director! (No, I can't stay home yet.)
• Got four projects at work going at the same time.
• Celebrated our friend Errick's 40th birthday!
• Currently re-organizing the basement.

And that brings me to today. Ikea is a life-saver. Gorm rocks!! Now we can actually use our cold storage room for something. Of course, the basement is a total mess at the moment and I definitely have to get this done soon....the family's coming over for a birthday din-din on Saturday.

Oh, did I mention I had the couch steam-cleaned? I also bought three picture frames for my movie posters. I think we're headed for a basement mini-makeover!

The hubby is in Vegas half of this week....so feeling kinda blue but at the same time glad that he gets to go to places that he's never been. Oh well, maybe he'll win big at the casino and *then* we could both stay home!

So.....down to the basement we go again! I'll probably surface in a coupla hours. If I am so inclined, I might even take a picture! (and then hear people say...."is that it?!?")

...and of course in true Murphy's law fashion the phone rings. "Hello? Hello?" I sez but there's no answer. Hmp. Betcha it's one of those autodialers that dial the house to make sure that someone is home so they know when to call the next time. Sneaky, sneaky. I did a reverse lookup and natch, no name attached (but the provider is Allstream). So betcha I'm right.

So...okay....down we go again......