Stouffville, Ontario Canada (647) 962-1997 gwstudios@rogers.com M-F 8:30am - 2:30pm & 8:00pm - 11:00pm

Month: October 2022

What a Monday it is.

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on What a Monday it is.

The big day is here, gather round, as we get dressed up to parade around town for freebies & goodies in the rain and/or snow! It’s a tad drizzly outside, but that’s more of the rule than an exception at this time of year. And what luck, it was lovely and warm both before, and after the big day. Perfect for setting up decorations, and then tearing them down. I the midst of getting the house ready I also did about 3 hrs of leaves yesterday. Still have one full Maple left to drop its rusty brown treasures. I’m sure we’ll have snow immediately after it does so, just to mess with me.

But, tonight! The big kahuna! A night to watch a scary movie at home with no kids, while they hand out treats at the grandparents. Or so I thought. Change in plans. *record scratch*. Grandpa has surgery this week, so no kids until he’s out. Gotta stay healthy for the procedure. So looks like an actual night of walking and trick or treating with the kiddos. Bundle up, and walk around with a flash light, and reflective gear on, as the wee ones terrorize the neighbourhood. Should be fun. I will miss my viewing of Alien, or Bladerunner, or some other non-child friendly film, but I can make up for that later this week.

My assumption is, is that things will quiet down a fair chunk as we angle into the Holiday Season, and people run about tying off loose ends before they go on Christmas break/vacation.

It’s a Monday, so I’ve got laundry going, dishes are out of the dishwasher, beds are made, floors vacuumed. Trying to decide if I want to mop today, or wait until tomorrow as the kids with their wet boots and costumes will make a horrendous mess later tonight, and I’ll need to start from scratch on the floors again anyway. So I’ll take the executive decision to hold off for today. I need to fix the main bathroom sink again. Three long blonde haired family members continue to clog it up! Blargh! Nasty. Seems like every other month it starts to drain poorly, and I have to undo everything and pull out globs of hair, goo and muck. Not my favourite task, but it is indoors with music, so could be far worse.

Tomorrow I’ll take down the inflatables, and dry them out. Store them away for another year. I’d love to not get all the stakes, and tie down lines tangled, but inbetween putting them away neatly, and pulling them out of the box a year later, the knot faery comes by and works her magic. Bitch. Ain’t nobody got time for that. If the weather is as nice as they report it will be, perhaps I’ll put up the exterior house lights tomorrow too. Depends. If I feel motivated to get it done, then Bammo! Lights on the house. Otherwise it can wait a week.

As always, stay safe out there. Ciao Bella!

Authors: I’ve often wondered…

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on Authors: I’ve often wondered…

How hard do you have to fight to add some newly made up words or terminology to your books? Do the editors ask you to first try to explain the idea in current known terms, or do they just let fly, and leave you be, if you’ve explained yourself well enough in the manuscript? I’d be interested to know. Just popped into my head while reading some sci-fi stuff, with new & interesting terms I could not locate in a dictionary. Carry on, as you were.

Decorating for the holidays…

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on Decorating for the holidays…

Just finished putting up the last of the Halloween inflatables we’ve received from the inlaws, onto the front lawn. And by Tuesday they’ll need to come down in favour of Christmas stuff. I think I’ll start with the house lights first, and leave the lawn empty so that I can cut the grass one more time and get rid of the leaves one more time. Leaves, leaves, leaves oh my! Wednesday’s wind storm certainly brought a whole bunch more of them down. Kind of infuriating how slowly they come off the trees at this time of year. They fall off in large enough numbers you have to take care of them, but not so much that any one tree is ever totally bare. Ugh. I hate repeating projects over, and over again.

Maybe if the kids go out for a bit I can get outside to do it uninterrupted. Who knows? A man can dream, can’t he? Ha. Although, I will say this. Now that the kids are older their help is far more useful to me than it was in years previous. One, they are both tall enough to hold and handle a rake. Two, they are pretty keen on stuffing bags with leaves if you don’t mind the chaos that ensues. Three, they laugh a lot and make a tedious job more enjoyable than they used to. But I know my kids and loud noises (not produced by them) and they hate my mulcher, so best to go it alone.

On to the rest of my lazy Sunday morning.

Dream a little dream of – Paint? Damn it!

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on Dream a little dream of – Paint? Damn it!

Spent a little time yesterday tweaking my air brush paint caddy to properly house my mini air brush compressor and air gun unit & hose. Added some dowels to one side so that it can hang comfortably off the side, or wrap around the handle for transport. Nothing major. I also added a tiny tray which screws to the side where the compressor will sit, and the strapped cord can be stored side by side with the unit too. All neat and tidy like. It’s no grand masterpiece, but it is functional, and with one last element to arrive it’ll be complete. A small bottle of Vallejo airbrush paint thinner medium. Don’t leave home without it. I am toying with the idea of added another tray go the back side to house the massive bottle of jet black airbrush paint I have had, and been using for years, as a nice wet, spreadable black on any canvas I’ve painted on in the last decade or more. I think the bottle is still half to one third full. It’s a big god damned bottle, believe you me. We’ll see. It’s lived up on a shelf for ten or more years, so I don’t much see the need to move it now. Except to keep my newly acquired supplies as a self contained unit. I feel the need to do this. Not sure why. An obsessive compulsion if you will. A fixation of the moment. Bah.

Slightly updated caddy.

I even spent much of the night dreaming about the paints, their order in the caddy, and how I’ve set up the compressor and air gun accessories. It just wormed its way deep into my brain, and I got to spend nine or so hours dreaming the same forty seconds over and over, and over again. Oh joy. Such fun.

In other news the project I was waiting on will likely come next week. Which is fine by me. I figure I will now have booked work right up until nearly Christmas, which is amazing. I love when I know I have work coming, and roughly what that will pay. Makes budgeting for Christmas, and the dreaded lull of winter that much easier to deal with.

Today is Saturday, and the town will have a Halloween trick or treating event on down on Main Street, so I best get to eating, and finding warm clothes & comfortable shoes! Going to be a hell of a lot of walking later on today. Plus one more inflatable to erect on the front lawn! Let’s get spooky! Ciao Bella

Cleaning house, and finding a cache of…

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on Cleaning house, and finding a cache of…

Clothes, never bags of money, but girls clothing, hundreds of pounds of fabric, sequents, lace and frills of every colour you can imagine. We have enough clothes in this house that our two kids could wear something new every day for two to three months. Excepting of course, underwear and socks, both of which tend to get eaten or lost in between being worn, washed and put back in the drawer to be worn again. That mystery is ever lasting, and shall never reveal its secrets to me. But yes, clothes. Tote box after tote box found with great big piles of mix ‘n match clothing. Pants, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, shorts and by god, even more sweaters. Are we all really that cold so often? I could run a business just selling the sweaters we have accumulated over the years. Once the youngest outgrows it, we pass it along to other younger family members. If we opened every single closet, drawer, cold storage room, and tote we’d find enough random articles of clothing to stock a JC Penny of considerable size. It boggles the mind, just how much we’ve managed to gather. I am amazed.

It is Friday once again. Bit of a weird week, with us having been off on vacation Friday through Wednesday. Two destinations, warmer than usual weather, and lots of water fun. More of a local destination in both instances, but really nice regardless. We all had fun. It has been a challenge to transition the youngest back into school life after five plus days of being out & about trying new things. Oh well. It is what it is at that age.

I’m waiting on a new project, so pretty calm at the moment. Could turn to mayhem at any moment, but I think it’ll come on Monday. I just have a hunch. Not a problem either way. It sort of sucks that Halloween falls on a Monday, but nothing we can do about that. The town has some outdoor programming tomorrow which looks like a fun time. The kids are looking forward to testing out multiple costumes before the big day. Once it passes all eyes turn to more birthdays and then Christmas. Oh lord Christmas! Here, again? So soon? Such lunacy.

Quick trip to the water park.

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on Quick trip to the water park.

Where we later discovered that my eldest has a threshold for how high she is comfortable being. We found out while seated in a glass bubble about two hundred feet in the air above Niagara Falls while on their giant ferris wheel named the “Sky Wheel” on Clifton Hill. It didn’t cost too much to ride, and how often are we in Niagara in October with mild walking around weather? Never. That’s the truth. So I took a chance and we did it. Lovely views from up high. It was night, so the falls themselves were lit up. I wish the kids would have been more inclined to walk around a little more, but we saw lots, and tried to keep it fun, with as few meltdowns between the two kids as possible. So – one each essentially. We had our own cabin on the ferris wheel, which was nice. I think you could have fit eight adults in one car and still have room for arms & legs. Not bad for less than $50.00 CND.

The youngest took her turn at wigging out during dinner. I thought it would be fun to eat at the Rainforest Cafe, as it’s interesting to look around, the food is decent, and I know what the pricing vs. Portion size is going to be. My meal of “spicy” shrimp & sausage & chicken was delicious. After all the cheap spicy ramen I have consumed lately, the meal was no issue what so ever. Tasty and filling. I even opted to get a tall Daiquiri. Oh wee, look at me, living life on the edge. The kids loved it initially, but I think they should have snacked earlier as they were too hungry to wait for our meals, and the youngest went full auditory overload at the faux thunder, and kina, sorta, lost her mind for about fifteen minutes. But they did enjoy the animatronic elephants & gorillas. Loved the giant fish tanks. And my youngest has a fondness for frogs and toads, so she fawned over the mascot a lot.

The purpose of our family trip was Great Wolf Lodge. We managed a fun filled three days in the water park. This year my eldest and I rode every single ride available too us, excluding the three childrens rides in the toddler play area. A lot of standing and waiting on the stairs. But both kids did it without too much complaint. We lazy rivered it many times. Tackled the obstacle courses a few hundred times, used the slides, wave pool and the regular pool. Hell, we even found a moment to spare to go sit in the hot tub together. It was very pleasant. Some of our friends had an overlapping stay, so the kids got to play with them, and we got to chat as adults. Brief, but lots of fun. We even plucked up the courage to ride the single rider, no innertube, Wolf’s Tail. Where you climb inside a giant clear cylindrical coffin, and the floor gives way so you fall one story straight down into a gentle curve and speed your way via tunnel to the water trough at the end where you stop. It was brief, terrifying, but fun. Glad we both went once. My daughter desperately wanted to try, but I know her and her fickle ways, so I said once we got all the way to the top of the stairs, if she goes, I’ll go too, directly behind her. Otherwise we can both walk back down. I didn’t want to go first, just to have to walk all the way back up the tower to collect her, and walk immediately back down all those stairs. And she went for it. Fuck me! I didn’t actually think she’d do it. So I went too. Once. Phew! Glad that’s done with for now.

We went to the gift shop to buy pajamas for both girls, but they don’t carry them anymore. The kids were bummed about that, but still managed to find $100.00 worth of trinkets to take their minds off of their despair. Ha. Right.

We’ve done the story time, dance party elements, so we skipped those in favour of more time in the actual water park itself. We ordered pizza, and had the second half of it for dinner, and it was excellent. Not sure if, or what they changed, but it was really good this time around. We didn’t have time for bowling or laser tag, or the MagicQuest stuff, but the kids were fine playing in the water for longer anyway.

So that was our Monday to Wednesday. Came home in the afternoon, and I sent out a number of projects or tweaks that were requested while I was away. Now we’re all caught up. The kids are masked (as per usual) and back in school for Thursday/Friday. A little peace & quiet just for me. Take care out there. Ciao Bella!

When a fun round of early trick or treating leads to nightmares.

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on When a fun round of early trick or treating leads to nightmares.

It would be funny except it came the night after the hours long coughing fit that led to vomiting. Cute & kid friendly decorations are no match for an imagination that can see the worst in everything. Flailing, crying and the occasional cough thrown in too. Wrapped herself tightly on the sheets and was terrified by that as well. My goodness. Oh well. Memories were definitely made, that’s for sure.

Today is hump day, also recognized as Wednesday to everyone else. The weather may begin to cool as of today, but wow what a couple of sun filled days it has been. Just gorgeous. Not only that but we are even closer to Halloween, and we kept the kids occupied so they wouldn’t hyper fixate on it and drive us all crazy. They haven’t exactly nailed down which of the twenty costumes we have stored around the house will actually get worn on the day. No shortage of options of accessories to pull from. Decisions, decisions,  and so little remaining time.

Saw a couple of Marvel properties had trailers drop yesterday, or else I was just late to the party. I saw one for Ant-man, and a holiday special for Guardians of the Galaxy. Both look better than Black Widow, dr strange MOM, The Eternals, and Thor LAT. Not going to lie, I hope the next batch are a return to form, and not more of the same blahs. It isn’t that those films were bad per se, just lack luster. Some of the Marvel shows had been so good, the films seemed half baked, or not much of a priority. The CGI issues are really noticeable in the movies, especially. The writing was not up to snuff either for Dr Strange. It both rushed & dragged. A special kind of weird. I shall say no more.

Otherwise, hope you are all keeping well these days. Stay safe out there! Ciao Bella!

Adventures with Croup Coughs.

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on Adventures with Croup Coughs.

Here we are 1 plus AM in the morning, chatting with Telehealth over the phone because the youngest’s cough has peaked so badly she is now throwing up after each coughing fit. Each spasm causes her to spit up a bunch. Luckily she’s a team player and got it in the toilet & tub only. What a sport! Breathing was up to 44 breaths per half minute (not good). But has calmed down due to exhaustion and she is finally asleep. For how long? No body knows at this point. The nearest ER has a five (5) hrs wait time to get in, so we’ll watch and monitor her here, and make more calls in the morning. Not much can be done about croup coughs, so we’re told. Wait it out, make her comfortable. Add moisture to the air. Sleep slightly elevated. Yadda yadda yadda. Poor shmoo! Hate to see her in distress like that.

Now it’s about 1:30am and I can’t sleep. Bonus writing round for the day it is then. My previous thoughts on the photo gambit failed miserably. Turns out a post with atleast one photo does not, in fact, produce a higher number of reads and/or views. Huh? Consider me befuddled then. Because I just don’t get it. Maybe no one wants to hear about cottage life this late into October. Or maybe the recent great weather has put more people outside, so fewer were inside reading to pass the time? Maybe we all put the great weather to our advantage in order to get shit done around the ole homestead. Could be one of a million factors. I don’t know.

I have all the lights off but those tiny green numerals are mocking my inability to sleep. I also feel as though the house is a bit hotter than usual right now? Or I’ve caught the sun, and am now paying the star damage price for being outside in shorts & a t-shirt all day. Can’t forget about the power of star damage, even this late into the year. C’est la vie!

What else is there… hm. We (my wife and i) had the chance to drive up to the cottage by ourselves last Friday, and boy was it a quiet ride without the kids in the back seat. We ate someplace different for a change, and had a nice peaceful trek up north. The kids were whisked off by grandma and grandpa earlier in the day. So I got to work alone for a while during the P.A. Day. Was scrambling to finish up a few things, so it was a welcome boon to have. As always, stay safe out there. Ciao Bella!

The trick to lifting heavy weight,

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on The trick to lifting heavy weight,

Is to lift primarily with your back, in quick jerking movement, and to twist and pull intermittently. You’ll either lift tremendous amounts of weight or severe your spine, and not have to worry about such things ever again.

So we are back to Monday once more. Had a late evening drive home after doing all of the heavy lifting at the cottage. We managed to get just about everything finished we could have hoped for. Some tires were flat after being left parked in the woods all year, but other than that minor hiccup we put as much away as the time allotted would allow. I was pretty sore after the second day of lifting, nudging, budging and moving stuff around. Glad to know it didn’t affect my sleep last night, and I seem to feel ok, muscle wise, this morning.

Wife is out running errands, and I have a minor edit to make on a brochure, otherwise our “Staycation” of sorts is off to a quiet & relaxing start.

Halloween is one week away! Looking forward to seeing the kids dress up and ho out trick or treating around the neighbourhood. I wonder if the weather will hold out, or if it’ll rain/snow this year? Hard to tell a full week out from the event. This also means we need to carve pumpkins this week. So much to do to get ready! Ciao Bella!

Big weekend spent getting things done.

greatwallstudiosLeave a Comment on Big weekend spent getting things done.

This one was a dozy. Moving docks, ramps, boats, deck boards, cables, snowmobiles, construction equipment, cleaning up the summer sports equipment and fitting in some time on the water, and a bon fire with S’mores. If it could be accomplished in 48 hours we just about did it vand now my hands, knees and back are grounded for a day or two to relax and recuperate.

Felt like we were some of the last people on the lake. I know that isn’t true, lots of multi million dollar estates up the Kawartha way, so unlikely we were actually alone, but the lake was still at times, and boats were few and far between. The stars were bright, and the temperatures this weekend exceptional! What a boon! Nothing like moving docks for the winter in 20°C weather & sunshine. It got a little wavy on the water yesterday, but today it was almost glass.

I was less than appreciative of my kids being up before the sun, but the sun rise itself was a beauty today.

If you want to enjoy the cottage and all of the toys, you have to be prepared to put them away and service them in the off season. Which is no small task if you have a fair number of toys lying around for the whole family to enjoy! Winterize, storage & maintenance. Weee! Ciao Bella!