Ready to Launch.

Since the time I began working at WheretoLive.com our number one customer and priority has been building a website for Century21 Canada. The company has been working on this project for approximately 18 months and it is our V4 platform. So if you included all of the learning and work that went into versions 1, 2, and 3 this product has been 7 years in the making.

Today is the day it will be launched for the public to view. The last couple of days have been long to say the least. I've literally only slept and worked since Monday. But it's all coming together and it's worth it.

Last night the 3 "top dogs" from Century21 Canada corporate came and we presented the site. The presentation went very well and our product is beautiful. We proudly boast that our product is the best real estate website in the world and I really believe that it is. I've worked so closely on the project for the last 8 months that I forget how spectacular it is. Then when it's compared right along side the competition it's amazing how great it is. When making analogies our boss compares this site to a Ferrari. (We have a lot of car people here.)

And then there was a party afterwards. We drank lots of wine and ate delicious appetizers made by "Mom". (Our Maternal Operations Manager who cooks lunch for us everyday.)

When I joined the team a great deal of the design work had already been done by the other designer here, Gabe. However, I've still been able to make a lot contributions and it's very exciting that this will be viewed by such a large audience. Basically, I was in a group of 5 key engineers, which consisted of 3 programmers and two designers. In addition to the technical work, there was endless discussion and problem solving to ensure that every detail of this product was thought through.

So today is a landmark for our company and probably within the hour they will be "flipping the switch" to make the new site live.

www.century21.ca

Everyone at work is definitely on a "high" with all of the excitement, but I'm just ready to go home. I haven't seen Chris at all for the last couple of days (he's already been asleep by the time I get home), but tonight we are going to take it easy and watch some "Heroes" and cuddle with some kitties. :)

The big two four.

▼ This was written last night.

Whew, what a day. White chicken chili...cards...flowers...a new video camera...a new episode of Heroes...Pene got her staples out...the kitties got bathes...watched this funny Charmin commercial with a pink and blue bear...searched Temerity Jane's blog for a funny post she wrote about that subject. Now I feel the urge to write on my own blog.

Tonight I'm at T.G.I. Friday's and I'm wondering in my head, "Should I mention it's my birthday? I mean, they certainly must have some sort of a reward. It's Katie Day darn it. I must be entitled to some sort of chocolate sunday or something right?" But in the end I chose to keep it on the dl. Who wants a plain old sunday anyways? It's Katie Day and I need some cheesecake or something else worthy of the occasion.

So I'm eating my dinner and I kid-you-not the girl in the booth next to us has a birthday sunday delivered. It was a massacre. Total public humiliation. They make her stand-up next to them and then the shouting, singing, hullabaloo starts. I was embarrassed for her and thanking God that I didn't order anything alcoholic which could have blown my cover.

So watch out for T.G.I. Friday's and their false promises of free birthday deserts. They make you earn it.

Pene got cwned.

Look at her lay there…all conked out after her hectic day. It’s not funny…but it sort of is.

I brought Penelope home from being spayed Wednesday evening. After getting home she immediately started picking at her stitches. So an hour later I realized that it wasn’t going to stop, so I had to rush back to the vet before they closed to pick up some “bitter orange” stuff to put on the incision. And it worked really great. All night she left it alone and cuddled and purred and all was well.

Then yesterday morning I wake up to find that she has managed to completely remove her stitches. And you can imagine it was very gross and I don’t deal well with those types of things. So luckily the vet opened in about 10 minutes, so I was able to rush her in.

(On a side note…it turns out that Pene hates the vet. She is the most loving affectionate kitten you could ever ask for and it’s because of her strong attachment to us that she pitches a fit at the vet’s office. I have never heard a cat hiss and growl like that. So it’s just pleasurable to take her there repeatedly.)

So the vet glued her shut and put more bitter orange on it. Now at this point the vet recommends that I keep an eye on her for a while to make sure that she leaves it alone.

And our morning/afternoon consists of:

She licks at it, I apply more bitter orange, she leaves it alone.

30 minutes later…

She licks at it, I apply more bitter orange, she leaves it alone.

30 minutes later…

She licks at it, I apply more bitter orange, she leaves it alone.

And by mid-afternoon her incision is half open again and we are headed back to the vet. This time the vet means business and so my poor, poor Pene got stapled/glued and a cone.

After getting back home she seemed just sort of defeated and slept for the rest of the day.