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I finished F
October 31, 2005 by Adam in Adam's Games
I finished F.E.A.R. the night before last. I wasn't able to stop playing after I reached a certain point in the game, when the story begun to steamroll ahead and the scares kept coming. The ending was perfect in an homage to The Ring sort of way. Excellent use of creepy revelations.
The gameplay itself was primarily a great big gunfight with scary parts in between. The slow-motion was fun to play with. Hearing the enemies swear in slow motion as you ran in, guns blazing, was viscerally exciting.
Now it's back to working on my endless Neverwinter Nights campaign. At least we're starting to get some pretty screenshots and more information.
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Happy birthday to Betsy, and Happy Halloween ...
October 31, 2005 by Seraph in Cortez
Happy birthday to Betsy, and Happy Halloween to everyone!
I finished up Isa's Unicorn costume last night, but the amount of rain coming down today might make it a short holiday. Though, after seeing the number of people dressed up at school, I may actually dress up a bit myself for my class tonight.
Life here is, as always, busy yet fulfilling. I am heading into mid-terms next week, and from there it snowballs until finals. We picked up our registration information today, and I can't believe how few classes I have left to take. Only the hard ones now.
Robbie has been getting into the holiday mood, so we have been cleaning and organizing in preperation for decorating and baking.
Isa continues to excell at school, and is very excited about taking a few days off this week to go to Eugene and hang with her grandparents.
I've been informed that I have a birthday coming up. But, considering that I will be in class, as well as working on projects, I think any celebrations will have to wait until next years big 30.
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Well, Jamie returned empty-handed
October 31, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Well, Jamie returned empty-handed. I think the pricing of the things she was interested in was a bit too rich for her blood. We were happy to have her back today, especially as she fixed up some tasty dutch babies for breakfast this morning.
It was our typical madhouse Sunday. We went of to Costco to load up on way too much cereal. I swear, I could fill the cart with cereal and be done with it in a month. Afterwards we headed home to try and get Emma down for a nap. Many hours later she finally did, though it took awhile. Sam and I played on the computer for a bit too long, and played pretend in the basement. Jamie and I got to actually exchange a few complete sentences over lunch.
The big excitement of the day came at four o'clock. We had some new neighbors move in a couple houses up the street. They invited a ton of kids and their parents and threw an amazing party. There were gunny-sack races, bobbing for apples, a treasure hunt, and a really scary haunted house. I met a bunch of people, including running into an old friend from high school. The kids both had a great time, even Sam who was mesmerized by the haunted house.
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Jamie went off to Portland with Pat and his a...
October 29, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Jamie went off to Portland with Pat and his aunt, looking for antiques. She left before the kids were fully up, so I've gotten a taste of her life these last few hours. Emma's still a bit sick and I've been battling a headache off and on. Fortunately my mom agreed to share our morning adventures.
We first went to Humble Bagel to stock up on goodies for the day. Then it was off to the farm to wander around a muddy pumpkin patch, returning home with a couple pumpkins to carve up this evening. After dropping off my mom, we took a quick library trip and returned home to enjoy our ill-gotten booty.
The kids are watching DVDs and I'm enjoying a few minutes of downtime. I suspect that soon enough we'll start in on the pumpkins and get dinner ready. Hopefully Jamie will be home before nightfall.
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Sadie, you make my life much more cool than i...
October 29, 2005 by Jamie in Sadie & Greg
Sadie, you make my life much more cool than it really is. You go girl! Thinking of you, Jamie
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A chilly but dry Halloween weekend is upon us...
October 28, 2005 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
 A chilly but dry Halloween weekend is upon us, and our shrunken heads and jack-o-lanterns are ready for mobs of trick-or-treaters. Our neighborhood, originally the working-class area of Williamstown, is full of sidewalks and duplexes- ideal for greedy little goblins. We have a few friends coming in for Anna's Berkshire Symphony concert and some harvest festivities. There may be a burlesque show involved. Should be a good time.
I'm driving to Meadville, PA on Wednesday to go to a community asset mapping conference. Dorothy is putting me up, but I'll get to spend plenty of time with Jed, Amara, and Satchi as well. It will be so exciting to see Meadville from the eyes of a community organizer! I'll report back on my findings.
And if you're dying to hear my radio show on Monday and Friday mornings from 9-10 EST (6-7 PST), we have online streaming at wcfm.williams.edu! I take requests!
Hogs and quiches!
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Mocha Friday already
October 28, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday already. Yesterday was a little rough. Poor Jamie was clearly pretty sick and the kids were both a bit grumpy. We'll see if I stay at home the whole day or if I'm called home to assist. Sam doesn't have school today, making things even more challenging for my poor wife.
It's strange thinking we have a weekend right around the corner. I suspect we'll try to take it easy as much as possible. We have one Halloween party Sunday night, but that's about it. I still have no idea what I want to dress up as. I'd love to be a pirate, but just don't have the clothes for it.
Sam continues to do well with school. His handwriting is better than mine and his speed is slowly improving. He's gotten 100% on all his spelling tests and does quite well in math. I think the only thing that's "average" is his reading, so we're trying to spend a little more time having him read to us.
Emma continues to grow up. She can now get into nearly everything below five feet off the floor, using stools and ingenuity. Leaving her alone for long periods of time usually results in items being carefully taken apart or moved to strange locations.
Ah, life.
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Everyone seems to have come down with a cold,...
October 27, 2005 by Adam in Family
Everyone seems to have come down with a cold, though Emma and Jamie were hit the hardest. Jamie's been wanting to simply curl up in front of the fireplace with tea. Emma is cranky and telling people "I have a sick nose."
We're getting ready for Halloween, already invited to several parties. I have no idea what I'm going to dress up as. I may just print out some Star Wars masks and make Sam happy.
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Hi, the shelves are spoken for! Lohring, bewa...
October 27, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, the shelves are spoken for! Lohring, beware; like the rest of the family, I will be trying to foist off anything I can't get rid of into your storage shed. You don't really think any of us are ever going to move anything out of there, do you?
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Hi, sweeties, as promised, I am taking steps ...
October 26, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, sweeties, as promised, I am taking steps toward retirement. I will need to get rid of two metal shelves, 3
shelves high, about 4 and a half feet tall, and 3 feet long.
Also, Seraph, you asked about bookshelves. I can immediately part with two of the individual units, which are in pretty good shape. many hugs, the ever retiring mom
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Everyone arrived safe and sound last night
October 25, 2005 by Adam in Family
Everyone arrived safe and sound last night. Emma's got a cold, so she's been sleeping strangely. I had her for a couple hours this morning, starting at 4:30, so I'm still a little groggy.
Our car is finally getting repaired. We have a new shiny Camry with only 800 miles on it, which is a little weird. Jamie's trying hard to keep the kids from getting it dirty, which seems a futile task.
I also had three blissful hours to myself yesterday morning while Sam was at work. It was mostly in front of my computer playing games, but it was odd to have such a quiet house. It's nice to have everyone back, though.
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Anna found this very interesting article
October 24, 2005 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
Anna found this very interesting article. The author is a big advocate of energy conservation over energy efficiency, and has some interesting ways of explaining his thoughts in this article:
http://www.kilawatt.com/articles/NCSA%20presentation%20EFF%20INC%20RES.pdf
He emphasizes that the best things in life aren't necessarily the most efficient. An excerpt:
The products and processes that are the most valuable to us are, by necessity, inefficient. Examples are democracy, raising children, learning, loving, art, manners, and even nature itself, which H.T. Odum estimated was only 2% efficient. Respectively, we can make each of these more efficient through dictatorship, child labor, cheating, pornography, mass production, selfishness and genetic engineering – all with repercussions. Increased efficiency destroys the things we value most and yet adds value to the more quantifiable products and processes that harm our environment.
He also suggests a "Reverse Peace Corps" that brings ideas from less efficient but more sustainable societies back to our crazy consuming country. Enjoy!
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Grandpa Bill is alive and well in Tarpon Spri...
October 24, 2005 by Betsy in Betsy
Grandpa Bill is alive and well in Tarpon Springs, Fla. He evacuated Venice on his own yesterday afternoon before Wilma got close and drove to Tarpon Springs to be with the Gougeons there. I have yet to hear if everything is safe and sound in Venice but the storm was not as strong there although a shopping center over on the By Pass lost its roof. (Per Sarasota Paper) Love to all, Bets
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I need to wake up Sam in a few minutes and ta...
October 24, 2005 by Adam in Family
 I need to wake up Sam in a few minutes and take him to school. I'm off from work today, helping coordinate the endless little things that are going on.
On Sunday Sam and I went to Fred Meyers, picking up groceries and some new workout clothes for myself. Sam entertained himself by pretending certain tile colors were lava, traps, or other dangers. The entire setup was explained to the check out woman on our way out.
 We made rice krispies and decided to make a mask for Sam. I had accidentally discovered some plaster bandages in Jamie's closet (I'm not sure if I want to ask). Soon enough, I had greased up his face with Vaseline and was applying bandages. Getting it off was a bit uncomfortable, but he thinks it's pretty cool.
It was off to his soccer game after that. He managed to score a goal, though I'm not sure his technique was something he learned at practice. I think it involved holding hands with an opponent and practically sitting on the ball, somehow popping it over the goal lines. It was admittedly hard to follow. Afterwards was the traditional pizza party and handing out of medals. As you might expect, it was over the top, six year olds raising the noise level to that of jack hammers and jet planes.
We headed home where I was pretty beat. There was mask painting and the normal bedtime ritual. Towards the end I think Sam and I were both pretty exhausted.
Ah, well. Jamie arrives home today. Can't wait.
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The first day of boy's weekend has come to a ...
October 23, 2005 by Adam in Family
 The first day of boy's weekend has come to a close. The day was full, sending Jamie and Emma off to Eagle Crest. It sounds like they made it over just fine and are having a good time. Sam and I fiddled with the computer a bit, ate some lunch, and headed off to Spencer's Butte.
The hike up was great, with beautiful weather and friendly hikers. The view was great, far above the haze of the valley. We returned, tired, and settled down for a little old school Invisible Man in black and white. We worked in some play time, some cooperative computer gaming, and a little hamburger for dinner. Good times.
It took him a little while to get to sleep. I think he was missing Jamie and Emma, but then again so do I.
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Anna and I are in the local coffee shop, eves...
October 21, 2005 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
Anna and I are in the local coffee shop, evesdropping on a really loud conversation about a management ladder. I'm pretending that it's an inside peek at the bureaucracy of a regional prostitution ring, which makes it much more exciting.
This is the weekend of tourist leaf-peepers, and the coffee shop is full of foreign voices using the restroom. They're much quieter than our American neighbors, who are now nearly yelling about making money. Even the women from the Women's House of Peace executive committee, had a crescendo of passion about meditation space in their conversation. I myself love to know that other people can hear my intimate witticisms- a bizarre American egotism, I suppose. Anna, having spent a year of her childhood in France, is somehow exempt from this boisterous public volume. How that woman keeps me in line.
However, she couldn't keep me from painting the living room red yesterday. It looks amazing, and I'll send pictures soon.
The weather and the leaves have responded beautifully to the tourists' attention and are in full flame. Williams called Mountain Day today, so all the students are picking apples and frolicking in the woods. It's a lovely day for a mocha, advil (the Miller remedy for all ills, mine from yesterday's paint fumes), and a little walk in Williamstown.
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Mocha Friday, and a busy one at that
October 21, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday, and a busy one at that. I'm returning to work after two days of training, which means that various crises have piled up while I was unavailable. Now I'm trying to figure out where to even start. Ah, well, I'm sure I'll survive.
This weekend should be an odd one with Jamie and Emma gone. Hopefully Sam and I can spend some solid time together as it seems that Emma takes most of my attention when I'm watching both of them.
We had our last soccer practice last night. The adults played against the kids and everyone had a great time. Emma spent much of the time at the school's playground where some older girls became enamored of her. They kept wanting to pick her up and help her move around the play structure. Emma was joyous if a little overwhelmed. I made sure they didn't treat her too much like a doll.
I woke up late this morning, with Jamie asking if I was feeling okay and informing me of the time. I've started getting a throat thing, which is a little annoying. Tis the season for non-stop illnesses, I suppose.
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Hi, it's the old mom, settled in home, with m...
October 19, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, it's the old mom, settled in home, with my natural gas turned back on, the cat mollified, glad to be able to drink tap water, and very glad to see and talk to all the kids.
I returned very determined to support the separation of church and state. I nearly always wear the orthodox cross Anita gave me, particularly when I travel. In Croatia, looking at the bullet ridden Orthodox church and
homes of Orthodox people, I felt a real fear wearing it.
Nearly everyone in other countries is polite to individual US citizens, and treat Bush like a joke, but behind that jocularity there is a clear feeling of disgust with the unprovoked invasion of Iraq.
Some bright news in the Register-Guard...with the exception of the US, Russia, and the two colonial powers, war has dropped off considerably. I guess we're just slow learners here.
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Sam was cracking me up last night
October 19, 2005 by Adam in Sam
 Sam was cracking me up last night. We were playing Legos, and I pulled him away so that he could work on his spelling homework. He professed that he was hungry, so I made him some english muffins with butter. The catch was that he could only take a bite if he correctly spelled a word.
Well, soon enough he was really getting into the Pavlovian training thing. He was spelling "from" and "this" and taking bites proportional to the quality of his work. He made me toast up a second one so the fun could continue.
Years from now, when he's trying to figure out how to spell a word, he'll probably start drooling and think of english muffins.
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I loaded up Spellforce, which came with my vi...
October 17, 2005 by Adam in Adam's Games
 I loaded up Spellforce, which came with my video cards. I wasn't expecting much, since my experience with bundled games has been generally poor. I'd tried out the racing game earlier in the day and while it was pretty, it was just like Pole Position from when I was a kid.
It turns out that Spellforce isn't too shabby. Sam quickly usurped my place at the computer and was having a good time going through the tutorial. It's very similar to all the other RTS games out there, but it was new to Sam. He fought evil orcs, created a base, harvested resources, and raised an army. Now he's finishing up the tutorial and will likely move on to the real game pretty soon.
I'm also waiting on F.E.A.R., which I think ships today or tomorrow. It's gotten pretty good reviews, other than being a bit short.
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Sunday came and went
October 17, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Sunday came and went. It was a fairly good day, starting off with me sneaking out to Metropol bakery to pick up some tasty pastries and bread fresh from the oven. Emma couldn't stop eating the french bread, nor could I.
Jamie went off to see my mom and do some shopping while the kids and I walked down to the library. It's always a challenge to move them from point A to point B, but they were generally in a good mood. Sam returned with a bunch of comic books and some easy readers for him to work on when he goes to bed. There's a particular style of book that has short funny stories in it that he really enjoys.
I spent a good hour or two continuing to scrape away the paint from our bathroom medicine cabinet. Stripping paint is tedious work, and my arms and back were sore the next day. I'm still not done, though. I predict more scraping and sanding in my near future.
Here's a picture from when Emma came to visit me last week. We often come up and chat briefly with my coworkers. It's funny when she says the word "cubicle".
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After torrential rain and major flooding, the...
October 17, 2005 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
After torrential rain and major flooding, the sun has finally come out, and it's looking like a proper New England fall. Ah, the crunching leaves.
Love to all!
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It's Sunday morning in the Miller household, ...
October 16, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It's Sunday morning in the Miller household, though most everyone is still asleep. Yesterday was fairly busy, considering we didn't have much in the way of plans.
But first, my mom arrived safe and sound from her grand tour of Europe. She returned with an armload of exotic gifts, including a nice suede jacket for yours truly. It's nice having her around again.
Sam had a soccer game first thing in the morning. Emma and I mostly played on the playground, though we managed to watch Sam a bit. He's playing fairly well, and scored at least one goal while we were watching.
After returning home for lunch, we ran off to see Wallace and Gromit, Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It was the first time Emma had ever been to a movie theater and she was wide-eyed the whole time, even though she was exhausted. The movie itself was great fun, classic Wallace and Gromit, with plenty of amusing little parts for adults.
The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. I tried entertaining kids as best I could. Graham came over to play with Sam for a couple hours. Emma and I broke out kitchen chemicals and made science experiments. Somewhere in there I worked on stripping the paint from the medicine cabinet.
As for today, there's another soccer game, but not much else. We'll see how we manage to fill the hours.
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Mocha Friday
October 14, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday. Woke up late. More in a bit . . .
Okay, I'm at work and appropriately caffinated. Jamie drank pop yesterday evening, and so when I came to bed at ten o'clock, she was still very chatty. I must have finally fallen asleep around eleven and ended up waking up at seven in the morning. Since that's when I'm usually at work, I rushed through my routine and zipped into work.
Sam had soccer practice last night, which he still seems to enjoy. I think he likes hanging out with the other boys, especially his friends Jake and John. Emma goes along with it all. Last night she was digging in the dirt and following Natalie around, helping with the house they were building for bugs.
There's a variety of projects that await me this weekend. Jamie's been stripping paint off the bathroom medicine cabinet. I think there's about ten layers of history under there. Maybe we can buy a new mattress this weekend too, though the cost is pretty steep for what we want. Ah, rest for the weary - looking forward to that one.
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Thursday already
October 13, 2005 by Adam in Family
Thursday already. My how the week has flown by.
Emma's much better, her usual chatty self. So far, no one else seems to have gotten sick, though newly superstitious Jamie would throw salt over her shoulder and give me the evil eye for saying that. I had her at work this morning and she charmed everyone at the bagel store, dancing to the rap music they were playing over the speaker system.
I'm not quite sure what's going on this weekend. I'd like to spend some time with Jamie if I can, as next weekend it'll just be Sam and I. A boy's weekend sounds fun, though hopefully we can remember to bathe and eat things more complicated than mac and cheese.
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Anna and I are working collaboratively on a m...
October 13, 2005 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
Anna and I are working collaboratively on a mini-energy audit and winterization program for households who receive emergency fuel assistance from the Berkshire Community Action Council. It's exciting to get to do something so concrete that links together our local community assets and needs and broader national and international energy issues.
I'm also working on a few other big and exciting projects, which keep me manic and distracted.
But despite making myself invaluable, my position at the college is seemingly more tenuous than it’s ever been. Of course, I've never been able to be found on the college web directory, but I always liked the outsider position. I never actually felt like I was kept out of the loop on the vision of the office or the institution. On the contrary, I felt closer to student action and college administration than a hired community service director would feel. But there is a subtle and illusive shift that I can't quite place, but which seems to spell change led from above.
Now, my loving and sensitive family, you know me well enough to know that I tilt at windmills half the time. I am an intuitive and romantic person that spends more time talking about the texture of fog than the 3 school district tutoring database I'm negotiating into creation.
But intuition is a hint of some material reality. So let me lay this out in shadows that my intuition, but perhaps not yet the institution, is pulling together.
First, my boss, the part time chaplain of the college and part time coordinator of community service, is getting a doctorate in some wing of divinity. These elite certificates seem to tip balances in administrations, and I suspect that they could tip him into becoming the full-time dean of religious life of Williams College. In that case, we'd need a full-time coordinator in the office of community service.
Second, the college must be getting nervous about its civic engagement ranking, and the deanery and president's office might do something about it in a way that is not very consultative or collaborative. I suspect (possibly) that they may subject the office to the administrative powers of the dean's office or the campus life office. In my mind, the possibility of being absorbed into the campus life office is immediate death. Becoming part of the dean's office sounds almost as terrible. The best possible, but possibly least probable, merger would be of experiential education, the Office of Career Counseling, and the Office of Community Service. This umbrella organization for these college offices is not uncommon. Allegheny, for example, has an umbrella office for these groups. Would all the queens of the various offices (including myself, of course) be able to work collaboratively? Certainly not. But the Office of Community Service has an endowed fund. So we don't have to.
Which leads me to the next problematic that makes my office seem like it's at the edge of some weird precipice. We have money in the form of an endowed fund, but no staff. What would happen if the chaplain became a full-time chaplain/dean of religious life? Who would administer the fund? A college would not allow some young uneducated whippersnapper to doll out money. With the current hiring freeze (yes! Even at Williams College), the best possible way to have a staff person would be to get an existing position, or existing part-time position, to take over the coordinating role.
So, we have Paula Consolini, PhD, the part-time coordinator of Experiential Education, and we have those lost souls that are shifted into dean's positions by invisible strings from above. I cannot imagine that these options are ideal. Paula should be full-time, but working soley on experiential education, which should be more robust anyway. And isn't is obvious that a dean would not come to student meetings at 9:30 pm on a Wednesday night?
But perhaps we can simply hire a new position for the coordinator of Community Service,
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We had a great time in Eugene over the weeken...
October 13, 2005 by Seraph in Cortez
We had a great time in Eugene over the weekend, visiting with Charles and Judy, celebrating Hanni's birthday, and seeing Dorothy. It was also nice to see Dad and Yayoe, and play at the park with Adam and Emma, while Robbie got to be a soccar dad watching Sam's game. Sigh...it was warm and sunny, but is now rather rainy out.
We've all been working hard this week, although we allowed a short break on tuesday to make and eat a nice dinner for our anniversery. I think the weekend may include a trip to the Children's Meuseam - if rainy, and the pumpkin patch - if sunny.
We got a postcard from Mom yesterday, although she gets home tonight. Hopfully travel will be smooth, and she can get settled in and reacclimated after such a long trip!
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Poor Emma has had a fever for a long while now
October 11, 2005 by Adam in Family
Poor Emma has had a fever for a long while now. She doesn't seem in too much pain, which is good. Instead, she tiredly lays on the couch or asks to be held. She's also very hot and sensitive. Jamie hasn't been sleeping much and even I was up a fair amount last night, getting Tylenol or rubbing her belly. Poor girl.
Jamie and I managed to get out for a little bit last night. I'd lined up Dave and Kirsten while we went to Anatolia for Greek food. It was quite tasty and Jamie and I actually got to talk about grown-up things, such as politics and avian flu. It helped to know that Emma was in the hands of trained medical professionals, though I fretted about her still.
Sam continues to amaze and impress with his school work. He's gotten 100 percent on every spelling test and his writing is great. Smart kid.
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I had a fun day trip to Portland with Victori...
October 10, 2005 by Jamie in Jamie
I had a fun day trip to Portland with Victoria on Sunday. We hit the new, ritzy Bridge Point Village at Lake Oswego, and went a little crazy at Talbots. I ended up with 4 shirts and a perfect skirt. After refreshing ourselves at Zao Noodle, we headed up to Washington Square and perused Nordies and J. Crew. I got myself a decadent pair of shoes that Vic and the salesman said would be comfortable and last me many years to come....which they'd better cause I just blew my shoe budget for the next decade ;-)
We had great chats on the drive up and back, and it didn't even feel like we had left Eugene.
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It's October tenth, one day from Seraph and R...
October 10, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek
It's October tenth, one day from Seraph and Robbie's anniversary. Congratulations, and many years! I'm sitting in an Internet across from Victoria Station, having come back in to town after a nice visit on the Isle of Wight. I met all the people Mary sends on my Trashyjokes list, including the organist at the Methodist Church. It was a lovely smallish church, with a dynamic, funny woman minister. Mary may come to Oregon next fall on her way to Perth, Australia. I am missing you all! Love, mom
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Interesting to hear ADAM'S interpretation of ...
October 10, 2005 by Jamie in Emma
Interesting to hear ADAM'S interpretation of what happens at night while he is mostly sleeping in ignorant bliss. Actually, Emma was up and down and crying for MOM most of the night. I got maybe two hours of sleep, interrupted by her kicking me and crying for help. And her diaper leaked onto my sheets in the morning so now I'm getting Sam ready for school and taking care of Emma who doesn't want to be out of my arms AND washing sheets. But, you know, don't cry for me ;-)
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Poor Emma had a hard time last night
October 10, 2005 by Adam in Emma
Poor Emma had a hard time last night. She had a fever and was tossing and turning in bed, saying odd things about the chickens. We gave her some tylenol and she seemed to settle down somewhat. Poor girl.
With Sam feeling sick yesterday as well, it may be that we'll soon be experiencing another round of illnesses. Usually they wait until Winter, but maybe they're coming early this year.
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The weekend is coming to a close
October 10, 2005 by Adam in Family
 The weekend is coming to a close. It was a fairly exciting day, with Jamie away in Portland for most of the day, shopping with Victoria. Fortunately the kids were pretty good and there was enough to do to keep everyone entertained.
We went to the the library this morning. Sam made friends with a four-year-old girl named Chloe. Emma played for a long while with puppets while I gathered up a bunch of kid books. They let me get a couple books for myself, and then we headed home.
After lunch, I tried putting Emma down for a nap, but she was having none of it. We headed off to Sam's soccer game where we played with Seraph, Isabell, and Robie. Sam did well, scoring two goals, and we headed home for a quiet afternoon. Emma fell asleep in the car and I carefully tucked her into bed.
Sam started feeling a little sick, mostly a headache, so he took it easy and watched some DVDs from the library. Emma helped me make pizza and Jamie arrived soon after dinner, loaded with clothes. Now it's time to start the bedtime ritual and get these kids to bed.
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I should be in bed by now, but the afternoon ...
October 09, 2005 by Adam in Family
 I should be in bed by now, but the afternoon tea has me still perky. It was a rather odd day and I was admittedly in a bad mood for much of it. For whatever reason I got up on the wrong side of the bed and it took until the afternoon to shake it off.
After breakfast, we went shopping at Fred Meyers and then went to Sam's soccer game. Emma was getting pretty exhausted by the end of it, actually trying to bite me as she screamed that she hated me. Fortunately she was an absolute darling after she woke up from her nap and we spend a wonderful afternoon together. We went to the park, colored, and played with playdough.
While that was going on, Jamie and Sam went to a birthday party for one of the soccer kids. Evidently it was an amazing party with a Star Wars theme. Sam returned with a Darth Vader mask, a functioning lightsaber, a hand made droid constructed from various metal parts, a padawan hair tail thingie, and assorted stickers and pencils. The parents dressed up as Chewbacca and Princess Leia. At one point, the dad dressed as Darth Vader and the kids threw shaving cream filled pies at him.
Pretty much every future birthday party we throw for Sam will, by comparison, completely suck.
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It's a quiet Fall Friday, my weekly mocha per...
October 07, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It's a quiet Fall Friday, my weekly mocha perking me up.
Last night Jamie went off to go shopping with Pat while the kids and I went to Sam's soccer practice. Sam had a good time as usual, getting fairly tuckered out. Emma spent a long time playing with a worm and visiting with the other kids.
Last night was a little rough, with Emma crawling into bed with us sometime in the wee hours. Sam was up early as well, with a bloody nose that kept Jamie running about. I had been kicked out to the guest bedroom by then, so I got a few sarcastic comments about my relative worth as a parent come morning time. From a place of love, of course.
Tonight it's off to dinner at my dad and Yayoe's, seeing Dorothy during her visit. Tomorrow is another soccer game and then I have the kids to myself on Sunday. I'm tempted to see the new Wallace and Gromit movie, which I hear great things about.
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Anna is fine
October 07, 2005 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
Anna is fine. And laughing next to me as I sketch our little place, which is, of course, as unbiased as a Texan Supreme Court nominee.
This morning's walk to work was obscured by a fog as this as pea soup. I've been consumed by work lately, returning home frazzled and ocassionally missing limbs. Now I know why every social justice-y conference has a workshop on "taking care of the caretaker." My whole office is addicted to caffiene and weary pauses.
On the homefront, the house is shaping up beautifully, and we're almost ready to accept our first non-family guest to stay this weekend. If you knew where our guest bed was from, you would not think me neurotic to have spent all day airing out bedding.
The gruesome and exciting realities of co-decorating are thick at 72 Linden.
New Carpet: 3 hours to choose
Fabric for matching (but not too matching) curtains: 1 hour to choose
Making a living room we both think is nice (but not out of a catalogue nice): priceless.
I think this newfound labor makes up for the fact that everything in the house that wasn't taken from a garbage heap was bought at a thrift store. On sale.
Much love and happy leaf peeping!
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Emma's still a little sick, though hopefully ...
October 06, 2005 by Adam in Emma
 Emma's still a little sick, though hopefully it's at the end of it. A couple nights ago she woke up with a fever, dreaming about monsters in the bed. "It's just dad," Jamie told her. I'm guessing it was my snoring.
Last night she was up again, though I wandered over and patted her back to sleep.
Today she came to visit me at work, which is becoming a regular Tuesday/Thursday treat. It's funny how she's becoming such a creature of habit. We always walk to the bagel store, where she sees a manikin in a store and talks about her Barbie birthday cake. She talks to the people behind the counter and dances to the music they play. Then we wander around campus for awhile, returning back to say hello to my office mates and hand her back to her mom.
We've also established a bedtime routine that involves her sitting on my lap while she eats cereal, and watches movies of her and Sam when they were little. Funny girl.
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Hi, sweeties, all
October 06, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, sweeties, all. I'm in London, where John has gone off on power sightseeing and I have had a wonderful day puttering around, buying pastries and checking out Oxfam.
I got my clothing laundered. They don't really have laundromats in any number in central europe, but I don't know why. We said good-bye to the group, regretfully, yesterday - lots of funny smart people. I had a wonderful time in the Hungarian Museum. Also, Slovenia is a gorgeous country. I am missing everyone very much.I don't think I'll ever be able to winter someplace warm and sunny unless you all come along. Love, Mom
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On the way back from soccer practice, Sam ask...
October 05, 2005 by Adam in Sam
On the way back from soccer practice, Sam asked me what I'd rather be doing. After thinking about it for awhile, I told him that it would be nice to watch a show and eat a bowl of cereal. "Okay," he said. "You can do that for five minutes while I watch Emma." He then went on to explain that that was about as long as he could manage, but he wanted to be nice to me.
Sweet kid.
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The week has slowly moved along
October 05, 2005 by Adam in Family
 The week has slowly moved along. Emma came to visit me at work while Jamie went to the gym. We had a lovely time at the bagel store and Emma somehow charmed her way into being given a stuffed toy dog. It was soccer practice after work, so the kids and I headed to Sam's school. Emma dug in the dirt while Sam ran around like a maniac.
Work had a somewhat amusing crisis, so I dropped everything and worked on an odd project for most of the day. It was fun watching the requirements for my project change every fifteen minutes, as well as giving regular updates to my director. I'm a sucker for saving the day, so it was nice to get something that people could poke at by the time I headed home.
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Well, I can't even remember the last time I p...
October 04, 2005 by Seraph in Cortez
 Well, I can't even remember the last time I posted, so I'll try for a quick update. Classes started yesterday, and I can already see that the term will be busy, but hopfully fun. We're in the middle of our STAC book sale, and so far so good!
It continues to be fun for Robbie and Isa to go off to school together each day. Robbie is doing well as balancing the parent and teacher rolls, occasionally with careful politicing. We've been to birthday parties the last two Saterdays, as Isa is getting rather social!
We're looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend as maybe I can avoid stacks of homework on the road!
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Hi, with many hugs to all
October 03, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, with many hugs to all. Were close to the end of the tour, and Im tired and homesick. Ill be beaten and shamed if I dont get to the tour bus on time, so I hope an I love you all will do for now. om
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We made an ice cream run last night
October 03, 2005 by Adam in Family
 We made an ice cream run last night. Both kids did reasonable well getting the ice cream into their mouths and not their clothes. Emma in particular has turned into quite the talented ice cream eater, methodically licking drips and rotating as needed.
Yesterday's soccer game went well, though the opposing team was pretty good and Sam didn't score any goals. Emma and I spent a lot of time on the playground, climbing on the various play structures. The kids returned home soggy but happy.
It was a typical Sunday evening, full of dinner, baths, and playing in the basement. Emma was pretty worn out by the end of the day, as she decided that naps were for the weak. Sam roped me into an involved game using pen and paper, drawing little stick figures that engaged in epic combat.
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The computer projects are apparently endless
October 02, 2005 by Adam in Adam's Projects
The computer projects are apparently endless. It looks like the rear speakers attached to my main computer have died. I've had this speaker setup for six or seven years now, so I suppose I got my money's worth. I've ordered a new 5.1 surround sound system that was fairly inexpensive. Hopefully I can get it set up in time for F.E.A.R. Gotta hear those creatures sneaking up on me from behind, after all.
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Well, it's officially Fall
October 02, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Well, it's officially Fall. It's been wet and rainy all weekend. So far, the kids seem to be enjoying it, especially Emma who's been running around with her kitty umbrella. I don't mind so much, as it means I don't have to water all our plants each night.
Saturday morning was spent finishing up some painting and entertaining the kids. In the afternoon we headed over to Sam's soccer game where he made three goals and played really well. Emma spent her time fiddling with the controls of the car and running around the playground.
Afterwards, Sam, my dad, and I all went to see Serenity, the movie continuation of the canceled Firefly show. It was lots of fun, with witty dialog, exciting action scenes, and a few poignant moments. Afterwards we all went out to dinner at the Glenwood where Emma played endlessly with Grandpa Lohring.
Today was another morning hanging out with the kids while Jamie went for a walk with Angie. They were in a pretty good mood and we wandered around outside having fun in the soggy weather. After Jamie's return, we cooked up various meals, helped Sam practice his homework, and put the cabinets back together in Jamie's bedroom.
Soon we're off to Sam's second soccer game of the day. Hopefully we can take it easy after that.
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