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Happy Halloween
October 31, 2014 by Adam in Family
 I woke up early and got my Dilbert outfit ready. The girls got up soon afterward and ended up gearing up as well. Berry is a character from Dragon Slayer's Academy and Emma is a Greek goddess. Honoka put on her witch outfit and is planning on going to a party tonight. I think everyone (but Sam) will go trick-or-treating tonight. Should be fun.
I finished my mocha and am working away, feeling busy after a slow day yesterday. I'm off to the gym in a little, and then hopefully getting out a little early in order to prepare for the evening's festivities.
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Wonderful holiday!
October 31, 2014 by Sue in Wielesek
Bob and I are seeing the best of Simon and the best of New England. Like my other seven grandchildren, Simon has only a best side.
Greenfield is a small town, which may have had a growth spurt in 1902, when the Lunt silverware factory opened here. The town is full of fairly large houses which look like Sadie and Greg's, nearly all of which are well maintained - and white. Sort of like the Island of Santorini, without the bright blue roofs.
It's really fun to see Greg in the house husband role. Right now, he and Simon are sitting on the couch, as Greg sings early Motown to Simon, accompanying his IPOD. Simon seems entranced!
Greg takes him for a long walk for his morning nap.
It's Hallowe'en today and I'm sending lots of good thoughts for great trick or treating. Sadie and Greg definitely have it all together.
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Fun in Greenfield
October 29, 2014 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, all.
We are just finishing a wonderful day with Sadie, Greg and Baby Simon. First of all, we had a fine trip back. No delays, no lost luggage, no plane repairs. Greg met us at the Hartford airport, which is about an hour from their house.
This morning we moved slowly - no surprise - but had a nice walk a few blocks to a coffee shop, looking at all the huge late 1800's and early 1900's houses. Greenfield has 1bout 17,000 people, apparently about the same number as it's had for the last 100 years. I bet it hasn't changed a whole lot during that time. Sadie and Greg's house was built about 1900, on a spacious lot with a huge oak tree. It has a basement 1st and 2nd floor, and a finished attic, which Greg uses as an office.
We came back from our walk to find Greg raking leaves and Simon happily gurgling away on his blanket. We had a fine time playing with Simon while Greg raked. I am even more determined to smuggle funny boy back to Oregon; Adam suggests we try carry-on. We would all have lots of fun with the current model of The-Best-Toy-Ever line of gifts!
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Halloween is Coming
October 27, 2014 by Adam in Family
 Another busy weekend has come and gone. Poor Joanna succumbed to the cold that's been going around. Friday night we had a great night out at Ambrosia. We returned to my mom reading Of Mice and Men to Honoka, to my great amusement. When Joanna woke up the next day, she was sniffling and miserable.
Emma was off at the beach with her mom, though fortunately she returned Sunday night. Saturday morning Berry and I woke up - we drew, played Terraria, and she helped make crepes with me. Eventually Sam and Joanna woke up for breakfast. I took the kids to the library, returning with assorted piles of fresh books. Joanna went off to play music on the radio, which we listened to with the kids. Somewhere in there I did a ton of laundry.
 That evening we went out to a Nearby Nature hike by the river. It was focused towards small kids, with people dressed as animals imparting a little education about the creatures that live around Alton Baker Park. Sam started making "I'm annoyed" noises, so he and I peeled off and walked around. I think he ended up enjoying it - we saw two blue heron, and the lights across the river were pretty cool after the sun set. We met up with the rest of the crew, picked up our pizza, and watched Mythbusters.
 Sunday morning Joanna left early to go to church. I took the little kids to a Halloween party and watched a scary movie with Sam and Honoka. She kept hiding behind a pillow for the scary parts - I sometimes wished she'd share. Eventually everyone returned, I pointed Sam to homework, then we played Crusader Kings II where I ran France into the ground. Emma arrived, there was pumpkin carving, dinner, and more pumpkin carving. Eventually we got all the kids in bed.
Now I'm at work, relaxing.
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Key Re-do
October 26, 2014 by Seraph in Cortez
 I had my key redone.
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Grades
October 26, 2014 by Seraph in Cortez
Should we be worried about this kid? :)
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Mocha Friday
October 24, 2014 by Adam in Family
I have the delicious beverage waiting for me here, so I'll be brief.
I got out of work a little early to get all the kids but Honoka vaccinated. We returned home and I spent time hanging out with Emma as I won't see her all weekend. We played Terraria and chatted about school and life - she's gotten quite funny lately. Sam seemed tired - he'll probably sleep late this weekend. Honoka showed us her school, as her mom sent pamphlets with lots of pictures. Berry took inspiration from a story at Emma's school and put up kind notes everywhere.
I have a hot date with Joanna tonight. Over the weekend we have a haunted hike, various birthdays, Joanna's doing a radio spot with Girrlz Rock, and I'm sure we'll do some pizza and Mythbusters.
Can't wait.
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Mid-Week Madness
October 22, 2014 by Adam in Family
It's actually not that mad, just the usual juggling of kids, laundry, dishes, and work.
Honoka had some good hang out time with Berry and Duncan, playing Clue in the basement for a long while one evening. Berry kept taking breaks to go to Google Translate, compose messages to Honoka, and then read them to her. It was very sweet. Honoka also seems glad her English class has moved from
Antigone to Of Mice and Men. The latter is far easier to understand.
Duncan has been his usual goofy self. I helped him out with Blender over the weekend - he's doing really challenging things that I vaguely understand. It's all to make Minecraft videos, which is apparently a great motivator.
Sam's working away at homework endlessly. We had a fun conversation about relationships as part of his health class assignment. Joanna, Sam, and I were laughing in the kitchen, thankful the little kids were playing in the basement.
Joanna and I are doing well, trying to arrange a date for this week. I think we've got some last minute Halloween things to sort out, and next month the holidays start in earnest.
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Getting Ready for Halloween
October 20, 2014 by Adam in Family
The weekend seemed quite full of both play and work.
 Friday night Joanna and I went to see Singing in the Rain, which I thought was charming, with some pretty good dance numbers. Joanna thought the scene changes could have been tighter, and it was admittedly a little long. Still, it was fun to have a night on the town.
 Saturday morning was breakfast, library, and then off to the farm to get pumpkins. Everyone was in pretty good spirits, and I think Honoka was excited to ride the horse-drawn wagon and pick her pumpkin. It was a little hot and muddy, but we survived the corn maze and fed the goats too. The apples we got afterward were excellent. The evening ended with Emma going to a sleepover and the rest of us enjoyed pizza and Mythbusters.
 Sunday morning I picked up a relatively rested Emma, who told of silly string battles with her friends. Duncan and Joanna went off to church, with Duncan going to a friend's house until dinner. Joanna also had her Girrlz Rock photo shoot at three, plus assorted projects. I ended up hanging out with the girls a bunch, first playing Terraria and then setting up decorations. I also managed a ton of laundry and some planter box repair. By the end of the day I was fairly worn out, but managed some graphic novel reading time. Honoka and her friend Megan cooked up something for class and made Emma eat it for photographic proof, much to her delight.
It was the usual Monday madhouse this morning. Everyone has scattered to their various daily activities. All is well.
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Mocha Friday
October 17, 2014 by Adam in Family
It was a bit of a madhouse this morning, getting everyone fed, clothed, packed with lunch, and so on. Berry had a minor melt down during picture day, not wanting to wear a clean shirt and instead the one she wore the day before. I eventually escaped the chaos to sip my sweet mocha.
Emma was over last night, which was a treat for me. We played Terraria with Berry. I taught her to swing dance in the kitchen. She insisted on leading, which caused me to be flung about the room into Joanna and Honoka making sushi for dinner. It was great fun, though. Later that night she told me that she liked school and didn't mind going. She has a sleepover at a friend's house this weekend and the next. I think she's doing just fine.
I'm meeting with Glen, my old boss, for lunch today. I miss the old crew and our sense of camaraderie.
Tonight Joanna and I are being cultural and going to a play. I do like hanging out with her, so I'm excited.
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Crusader Kings II
October 14, 2014 by Adam in Adam's Games
Sam's gotten me into Crusader Kings II, which is a medieval dynasty simulator. I'm playing the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire and Sam was playing a Countess in Italy. He schemed and imprisoned his way to become Queen of Italy, while I slowly but nicely expanded my empire and birthed a couple heirs. Eventually Sam turned against the Pope, got excommunicated, and lost a war because his character was old and infirm. After complaining for awhile, I had his character imprisoned and executed, which cheered him up immensely as he could then play the son of the Queen, who people generally liked.
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Santa Fe day two
October 13, 2014 by Lohring in Lohring
The Balloon festival was disappointing. Early in our visit the rain seemed to threaten the festival so we visited the  Balloon Museum. On Sunday, the wind prevented launches. We watched a few brave balloonists inflate their balloons and Ana car shopped for the Elio Motors small car. The dead creature balloon represents the last half of the day. Ana got a urinary tract infection and we spent 4 hours at urgent care then another hour at Walgreens getting the prescriptions filled. She feels much better today.
 
 
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Santa Fe day one
October 13, 2014 by Lohring in Lohring
  Well, the trip to Santa Fe had some good and bad points. The visit to Seraph and Robbie's was definitely the high point. We visited their house, used their internet connection to download things the censored Worldmark internet wouldn't, Visited the church in Chimayo, had a great lunch, then drove up to Los Alamos. Talk about different worlds. Chimayo reminded Ana of her home and Los Alamos is where the atomic bomb was developed and is still home to some of the most advanced labs. Ana loves Robert Oppenhimer, but I'm more neutral.
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Return of the Creature
October 13, 2014 by Adam in Family
Well, I feel vindicated. Last night I was reading on the couch and heard something moving in the curtains. Suddenly sure of what it was, I called Joanna over to film the reveal.
It was a tiny bat, the same one that woke me up several nights before. Apparently it's been hanging out in the house and eating our fruit flies.
The rest of the weekend was less exciting, but fun. Friday night Joanna and I went down to the Whit to hang out with the hipsters. We ate pizza in a renovated shipping container and then wandered over to an outdoor shindig to eat ice cream and listen to music.
I had a bit of a cold on Saturday, treated well with pain killers and caffeine. It didn't stop me from whipping up Dutch Babies for the crew for breakfast. We had a short webcam with Sadie, Greg, and an oh-so-cute Simon. I took Emma and Honoka to the bookstore where Emma picked up the last book in her favorite series. She's been savoring it all weekend, afraid to have it finally end. I replaced the bathroom faucet and ran network cable to Duncan's computer that afternoon, which was satisfying. I also played some Terraria with Berry and Emma, and some Crusader Kings II with Sam. The evening was filled with pizza and Mythbusters, and sending Honoka off to a homecoming dance. Joanna stayed up late to ensure she returned.
 Sunday was pretty low-key. There was a mixup with the light switches and I thought it was broken. It turns out Honoka had just halfway flipped the secondary switch when coming home the night before. I played more  Terraria and helped kids with homework. Emma and Berry made burnt offerings to the Greek gods. Sam and I played more Crusader Kings where he cheerfully fought the Pope and I kept the Holy Roman Empire together. Around mid-afternoon he suggested a hike. We all headed to Hendrick's Park to appreciate nature and play assorted hide and tag games. We came home scratched up but highly amused.
Everyone seems in good spirits. Emma was telling me that school is so much cooler these days and that she's excited to go.
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Grrlz Mocha Friday
October 10, 2014 by Adam in Family
 Joanna's going to be gigging once again, playing at Cozmic Pizza and the Granary in November. Next weekend she's got a photo shoot with the rest of the musicians. Such is the life of a rock star husband.
I left the kids at home this morning, not having to go to school today. Berry wrote me into a comic book titled "The Adventures of Suction Butt and Super Adam." I was touched, I think.
Lots of house projects pending this weekend, from replacing the bathroom faucet to running network cable for Duncan. We'll see how much I accomplish. I also need to get Emma to the bookstore to pick up the last in the Heroes of Olympus series. She's been dying to read it.
I was terrorized a couple nights ago, waking up to a fluttering on my chest and crying out "BAT!" I went to investigate the sound of something hitting the venetian blinds, only to have something fly by. I closed the bedroom door and lay down again, eventually realizing I'd sealed whatever it is downstairs with the children. I grabbed my camera, turned on the light and started recording. The rest played out like a horror movie, but I didn't find anything. In the morning when Berry and I were reviewing the tape, she saw a brief flash as something flew by (15 seconds in). The next evening we found a tiny moth in the bedroom.
Time to finish up work and hopefully go home early. Can't wait to hang out with everyone.
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Things Fall Apart
October 09, 2014 by Adam in Family
Specifically the glass shade on one of the lights over the table. It made a huge crash when it hit the table and shattered this morning. I picked up chunks, swept, vacuumed, and mopped. I thought we got everything, but apparently not. Berry complained of a toe pain. After I popped out my contact and looked at it with my super vision, I pulled out a tiny glass shared with tweezers. Poor girl.
I'm hoping to make a dent in the long list of house issues. I have a replacement faucet for the drippy one in the bathroom. I've got 75' of network cable to take care of Duncan's flaky WiFi connection.
Sam's cold is getting better, but now Emma is sick. At least her broken tablet was returned. She seemed quite happy to see it again.
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Seasons Changing
October 07, 2014 by Adam in Family
 Fall is coming in fits and starts. The weekend was beautiful and sunny. We took the kids out Friday night to Off the Waffle, playing games and then hitting the Indie Game Con art show. I wish I could just hang out and chat with people, though the sad reality is that the horde of children got antsy and wanted to head home. I still felt very hip and cool.
The weekend was filled with the usual library trip and pizza and Mythbusters. We had friends over, homework was done, and the pool was taken down. I continue to do battle with the house and appliances within. The fight is endless, though I take heart in the occasional victory. Last night I fixed the refrigerator light switch by stabbing it repeatedly with a knife. It worked briefly, but is back to it's normal dysfunctional self this morning.
We did play Flashpoint at expert difficulty Sunday afternoon. I'm going to start calling it Arson Simulation, as things ended badly and we only rescued three people before the house collapsed on us.
Sunday night we had family dinner at the noodle place. It was a good time and there were no dishes to deal with. Good job to Joanna for winning it in a drawing.
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Mocha Friday
October 03, 2014 by Adam in Family
I love my wife.
We had a great date Wednesday night, listening to live music at the Tap and Growler and chatting away. This morning she dealt with a flooded toilet and got all the kids off to school. She's a keeper.
It's been a productive work week and the family has been doing well. Sam's been really tired lately, going to bed at 8:30 p.m. last night. Emma was cheerfully showing off her musical skills, playing her flute for all of us. Honoka joined the Origami club and will be going to that this afternoon. Duncan and Berry continue to play Wizard 101 and talk about leveling up. Joanna's been teaching fiber arts, trying out classes at the Y, and writing away for various projects.
Tonight I'm going to try to get everyone to the Indie Game Con art show. Should be fun.
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Wednesday
October 01, 2014 by Adam in Family
Just a quick update.
Joanna went off to a CASA breakfast event. Duncan and Berry are chatting about YouTube videos as they get ready for school. Honoka is feeding herself quietly. Sam is at his computer. I folded a bunch of laundry.
All is well.
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