Blog 43? Rick's back

I'm blogging again.

Quite a lot has happened. Let's see:

1. I got laid off.

2. I was almost immediately hired by a competitor at essentially the same price.

3. The new job is much better.

4. The baby is much cuter.

Things are tres nuts here at Casa Jones. Snaby Girl's little sister... let's come up with a nickname - Bonehead, has moved in. Bonehead is a pretty unintrusive houseguest.

I'm also on Facebook, so look for me there.

More updates to follow, but as always, a Small One pic:

I'm back!

It was a wild leave, and there's no book yet. Sorry I have not been updating. Stories to follow. In the meantime - SMALL GIRL PIX!

Blog Forty: Book Progress

1,194 words. 38,816 (minimum) to go. I'm a bit behind schedule, which isn't surprising given that it's my first week with Madeline.

So far it's not very good. But that's not the point :)

Blog Thirty-Nine: Small Girl, Big Book

Today was Day 1 of Paternal Leave, and boy, was it nice. There was running around and taking care of a baby, but it's a nice break from years of working for QMI.

As this is February 20, it is also the commencement of the Rick Novel Writing Project; to recap, I promise you all I will write a full novel, of at least 50,000 words, by April 17. I plan to start tonight.

But I shall not hold you in suspense vis-a-vis one important point; the novel's title shall be...

Never Odd or Even

Blog Thirty-Eight: Home Again. For Ten Weeks!

Back from Edmonton.

The weather was - again - shockingly mild for northern Alberta in winter; it was eight degrees on Saturday. There's no snow there. None, not a flake.

Saturday night's banquet was hilarious; it was a banquet of truck drivers. Rural Alberta truck drivers. The lead safety guy in their trucking office wore cowboy boots and had a huge belt buckle with the word BODACIOUS imprinted on it; apparently this refers to a rodeo star.

I had a long and fairly interesting speech planned, but quickly shortened and simplified it after observing my audience. Not that these are necessarily stupid people; I know a lot of people with degrees who would not have the brains to drive a big rig. But they certainly were not interested in my explanation of the concept of defensive design, at least not in those terms, so I kept 'er straightforward and funny.

It's going to be a long week ahead, but it's my last at work until late April. Thank Christ.

Remember; next Monday also commences the Rick Jones Novel Writing Project, in which I will write a complete novel from beginning to end between Feburary 20 and April 17. Tune in for DAILY UPDATES!

Blog Thirty-Seven: Small Girl Swims again!

We took the Small Girl to the pool again, and you're honestly never seen anything so cute.

Tomorrow I get to go to Edmonton again - oh, joy - and spend the whole frickin' weekend there, followed by another solid week of work, including an evening in Syracuse. Boy, the fun just does not stop.

After that? Nine glorious weeks of paternal leave.

Blog Thirty-Six: Small Girl Swims!

We took the Small Girl to the community pool today for her first swim; nothing cuter has ever been seen by mortal man. Clad in her little waterproof swim trunks, she bobbed along with Mommy and Daddy and even dunked her head a few times. It was awe-inspiringly cute.

Most of the house paperwork is done; the waivers are signed, the mortgage secured. Basically, what happens now is we show up on the 27th, sign a big check, sign some papers, and shazam. We move on March 11, as we've got this place all that month.

Two weeks before paternity leave. Tick, tick, tick.