The day began at 3:30am with barely contained excitement. I started in on the mountain of weekend emails and was nearly finished by dawn.

I went back to sleep for about an hour and then helped get the kids ready for school.

The plan was to get all the admin type stuff out of the way so that we could get the carpet going. For those that follow the youtube channel, you know that the carpet at the new studio is super-ratted-out. I sold one of the 40K armies to fund some new carpet. I went to buy it today. Install is first thing tomorrow morning.

Anyways, we assumed that a dumpster near the building was the trash receptacle for the same, but found out that it belonged to a local printing company. However, we got the go ahead to dump the carpet there as long as we got it in by the time the trash got picked up… any minute! So, it was all hands on deck! We ripped up that old crustified brown stuff in no time at all. It took about three man-hours to get it all done. That saved us about $225. And as far as I can tell we got under the wire.

After that I headed home for a quick rinse. I admire people that do that sort of work all day. I had a lunch of salsa and chips and orange juice, watched an episode of Outer Limits (fast forwarding through about a third of it) and headed back to the studio to finish.

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I had to stay late (about 7:35pm) in order to finish everything up because I heard that the internet was out at home. I usually do a short stint to wrap up before bed. But that was a false alarm.

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On arrival I found a mountain of fresh, steaming sweet corn and a potatoe with sliced tomatoes on top, done up just the way daddy likes it (with salt, pepper, butter, and sour cream). I played with the baby (who is feeling better– thank you all well-wishers), and tucked the kids in bed.

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On a personal note: I’ve noticed myself whining and griping about things overly, so I’m starting to counter that with over-the-top optimism. If something goes wrong I say (out loud) “I’m choosing to view this in the most positive light possible. Everything is going to turn up Roses for Gately!” That and a little fist pump.

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Oooh, speaking of which, we are short commissions for late September, and have a completely open schedule for October. If you want to send something in we can get you started right away.

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The studio Tzeentch Daemons army is underway and the stuff coming for that is bizarre in the extreme. Every model is converted from scratch and is a work of art.

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Another side note: while at home with my delightful family this morning, a short came on TV; a reading of the Velveteen Rabbit. I had never heard this story and nearly bawled my eyes out.

PART 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5xKi0jd23k

PART 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_LO9Opn2y8

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I believe that the life beneath this one is real. I sometimes feel it in my dreams. I see that a rift blossoms open, and colors beyond belief start streaming out. And there is a distant music, and a sense of overwhelming joy. I wake up with tears streaming down my face. I call them “entering into paradise dreams”. And I can recall them with perfect memory whenever I please.

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Slowly, my narrow and mean impulses are dissolving away. Day by day they grow weaker. Things that would have thrown me into a tailspin a year ago hardly bother me, and sometimes cause me to smile. Still a long ways to go, though.

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There is a living God who watches over each of us. I have begun to accept His good gifts which He gives generously, even to wretches who do not deserve them. But dig deeper: each of us is no wretch. We were born in the galactic core to celestial parents who cradled us in their arms. All preparations have been made.