Category Archives: Family News

My Lucky Secret Weapon

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I am lucky.

In general I think I have been one of the luckiest people I know.  I have been employed steadily at a job I generally love for the past 16 years without any real interruption, I have the best family and wife I could ever hope for, I’m healthy, I have great friends, the list goes on and on.  I’m sickeningly happy.

I have always felt that this was a direct result of me simply expecting to be that happy and successful.  It makes no real sense, and I had no reason to believe that it would actually work, but it did.  I am one of the more, ah, relaxed people I know, and it’s probably because of that very fact; I expect things to probably be just fine, so I’m not worried about them, and because I’m relaxed they do in fact turn out fine.

Now this has been basically “proven” in a sort of long term study.  The article gives lots of detail, but the main point is: being lucky can be learned.

You can become luckier just by trying, and upon reading the article I understand now that I have been doing this for years without realizing it.

  • Lucky people tend to look on the positive side of misfortune
  • Lucky people trust their instincts
  • Unlucky people tend to be creatures of routine.

Way cool.  Saw the article on Lifehacker.

You Can’t Win Them All

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On Saturday Quinn had a hockey game, and they lost 3-2.  He wasn’t too worried about it, they just have too much fun playing to get all that worked up over it.  We were walking out of the rink and I said to Quinn, ‘well don’t worry buddy, you can’t win them all’.  His response?

“No, but you CAN lose them all.”

After I stopped laughing, I started thinking that this was actually fairly profound.  In the grand sense, any “win” should be a reason to celebrate.  We should be grateful for what we have, in essence.  It can always be worse.

As I prepare to work again this weekend (which is 4 out of the last 5 weekends in a row) it is rather important to remember that it’s better to be working hard than hardly working.

Thanks buddy, I needed that.

A Total Blast From the Past….

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I was sifting through some old emails last night that I had archived and came upon this little gem that I sent out to a chosen few back when I was carrying Quinn. It made me laugh to remember exactly how in tune I was to what people said, did, and how they acted around me. Enjoy.
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Nicole Vallentyne wrote:
So…
It would seem that yesterday and today mark the dawn of a new phase in pregnancy, and quite frankly, my least favourite.  This new phase I will refer to as gigantism.  Let me give you a few examples of how I am aware I have hit this particular phase.

Yesterday I am all set to leave the house and pick up Jordynn on the corner from the bus.  On my way I run into a neighbour that I haven’t seen in a few weeks.  Upon seeing me he says, “WHOA-HO!   When are you due?” To which I reply, “About 2 weeks.”  The conversation is ended with him wishing me luck.  Luck how I wonder?

Not even five minutes pass when I see my other neighbour Louise, who says upon seeing me, “OH MY GOD NIKKI!YOUR STOMACH IS SOOO BIG!  You look like you’re going to explode.  That is a big baby.  Oh you poor dear.”

Thanks a million!

So then we have today to reinforce any doubt I may have had about entering this new phase.  Court and I go out for lunch, and I return from a restroom trip only to find many individuals unabashedly staring at me.  Not staring at me in that adoring way of saying,   “Oh, how wonderful.  She’s carrying a new life within.”  Oh no, it’s more like a gawking   “Good Heavens!”   kind of look.

Again, thanks a million!

To top it all off though, and this one really takes the friggin’ cake; I go into Bouclair today to pick up some material for a project I’m working on for Jordy’s room.  To make a long story short, I had some material put aside from another store I was at in order to get all that I needed.  As soon as I walk in, I quietly ask a lady at the cutting counter, “Excuse me, do you have a washroom?”

To which she yells at another worker at the other end of the store, “CAN YOU TAKE HER TO THE BATHROOM, SHE NEEDS TO GO!”

Great.  So this other girl sees me (somehow) and says, “Are you the lady here for the white eyelet?”

I naively say, “Yes, how did you know?”

She replies, “Fern called and said that you were pregnant and big, and that I couldn’t miss you.”

All I could do was smile, and walk up to her and say, “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE WHO ABSENTMINDEDLY FLAP YOUR CAKEHOLES AT WOMEN IN THE GIGANTISM PHASE OF PREGNANCY?!?!?!?!!??”

…Unfortunately, that is NOT the correct ending of the story, however it is fun to fantasize about.  All is correct except the last sentence where I actually responded, “Great.”

I pity the poor bastard that says one more thing to me today about my gigantism condition.  I swear to God I’ll go hormonal.

That is all.  Thanks for allowing me that little rant.
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Merry Belated Christmas, Folks

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Rather late on wishing everyone this, but hopefully everyone is having a great holiday.  Ours was spent in a slothful state, food and drink and sleep and that’s just dandy.  It was the most relaxing and wonderful Christmas we have had, probably ever.

Have a great one, will be posting something again at some point, I’m sure.

Party Day chez Vallentyne

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Well it’s party day, and we aren’t ready.  Not even close.  Nope.  TONS of stuff left to do, and I’m at work.  Nikki is beat, shagged tired and trying to get stuff done anyway.  We should be lots of fun by tonight.

Still, some of us are ready.  The dogs have been like this since last night, and will be waiting for you, exactly like this when you get to our place tonight.  Don’t make them wait, ok?

Now with actual elf ears....

By the way, that is not a camera trick, Lloyd actually is now 15 times larger than Harvey.  Harvey could now perch on Lloyd’s shoulder like a parrot, which is kind of how it looks in this picture.

Oh, and for those who may have missed it, here is our lame attempt at a party video this year.  Apologies to all, it was made in one take, and it shows.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjOiMdAJsI0&feature=youtube_gdata

Wait! There’s More….

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Well, I have been far too busy to post anything of interest here (sorry folks), but while I was cleaning out the basement last night I stumbled upon a few more details to Quinn’s plan to destroy his brother, which I mentioned last week.  It seems that Quinn is a cautious sort, and felt better having a couple of backup plans, each more cunning than the last, just in case there was a problem with a straightforward bombing of Cael’s base.

Here’s Plan B, for instance:

It says:

Plan B

Well hes still making his plan I will sneak up on him and smash! his base.

Again, simple and straightforward, it sounds a lot like Plan A, but with the element of surprise thrown in there.  I like it.

Then Plan C, which employs a decoy base, and there’s just way Cael can escape this one.

Plan C

I will block his exit then he will bomb my base without me in it then I will desrove(? destroy?) his base

Ah the old switcheroo.  Oh yes, there’s no way Cael could possibly escape from that dastardly plan.  Genius, genius I tell you.

There’s lots missing from these plans of course, like detailed timetables, schematics, maps and munitions requisitions.  I’m sure they are hidden somewhere in the basement, I just haven’t found them yet.

These events will unfold in due course, and history will be made in those moments, my friends.