The new baby seems to be doing fine, though t...

December 31, 2001 by Adam in Emma

The new baby seems to be doing fine, though taking quite the toll on Jamie. Poor Jamie was exhausted yesterday, in addition to the typical morning sickness. I don't remember Jamie being quite so tired from carrying Sam.

Well, Sadie, my mom, and Dick made it back sa...

December 31, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, Sadie, my mom, and Dick made it back safe and sound from Africa. Sam and I headed over for an impromptu gift exchange, Sam returning happy with a couple new Lego sets. I think everyone liked the presents I passed out. A couple Lego gifts given myself, as well as assorted gift certificates, movie tickets, and a bizarre card game.

It's New Year's Eve tonight. I plan on celebrating by sleeping through the transition to 2002. Sam's sleep schedule is getting wacky again. He's been waking up later and going to bed later, fighting sleep all the way. Last night, I made the mistake of turning the channel to an old Godzilla movie. Based on the number of times he said "Don't turn it off!" I think he appreciated it. Unfortunately, that made bedtime close to ten o'clock.

Jamie's been really sleepy lately too. Morning sickness seems to be strongest the first thing in the morning, then exhaustion off and on all day. Pregnancy sure seems like hard work.

I'm hoping to spend some time with Sadie today. I suspect Sam will tag along for much of it. Tomorrow is a last Christmas party at my dad's house, then no more holidays until Valentine's Day. Happy New Year to eveyone!

Destin was at our Christmas party last night

December 31, 2001 by Adam in Jenny

Destin was at our Christmas party last night. He lost his front two teeth, so he was showing them off to everyone. Destin's getting bigger by the day. Together with Jordan, they can probably play as an entire football team.

Sam went to the doctor last Thursday

December 31, 2001 by Adam in Sam

Sam went to the doctor last Thursday. All is well, not even a shot required. He's grown quite a bit. His first annual checkup put him in the 25th percentile in weight, his next at 50th, and this latest at the 75th percentile. In terms of height, he's in his 90th percentile. That's 34 lbs and 3' 3+" for those who like numbers.

Sam's also been on a spelling kick lately. I hooked up the Lego computer in the craft room and Sam wanted to spell things with the keyboard. After a little coaching, he was hunting and pecking like a pro. I asked him to spell "dad", and he did it all by himself. Pretty amazing.

We all went hiking yesterday. Fortunately, Jamie was there and I didn't have to be Princess Leia. Usually, we play Star Wars and pretend we're riding speeder bikes through the forest. Sam actually got tired this time around, even though he loves running as fast as he can down the hill.

SADIE IS HOME!!! We picked her up yesterday a...

December 29, 2001 by Seraph in Cortez

SADIE IS HOME!!! We picked her up yesterday at 4:30. We drove back down and she spent the night at our house, before we took her to her mom's house. The weather was a drastic change for her. She immediately put on warm pants, warm shirt, warm vest, warm scarf, and warm hat on. She looked like an eskimo. So give her a call and learn more about her adventures in Botswana and Zimbabwae, South Africa. Tommorrow, Seraph, Isabell, and maybe Sadie are going to pick up Sue and Dick from the airport. Their plane comes in tonight, but they are staying overnight at the Super 8 hotel.

Getting Ready for the NEW YEAR! Do you know ...

December 28, 2001 by Yayoe in Yayoe

Getting Ready for the NEW YEAR!
Do you know where your old resolutions from years past have gone? Not to worry...they are still hovering around and waiting for you to re-establish them for 2002. As you all know I'm into my frantic, maniacial cleaning frenzy. Throwing stuff away, eating up all the junk food left in the house, cleaning,cleaning, ignoring dirt in hard to reach places, paying bills, finishing up last minute black-mail/extortion letters and writing to old friends. I haven't developed my list of 2002 resolutions but will do so very soon. Each year I keep a "year in review" record of the highlights of the year. If you want any historical information I may have it! So enough for now. Stop reading this and get to work on cleaning your houses both literally and metaphorically.

I'm back at work after five days off

December 27, 2001 by Adam in Family

I'm back at work after five days off. We were all pretty beat after driving down from Portland on Tuesday. We stopped by Jamie's dad house for an impromptu Christmas, then back to our very cold house. It took several hours for the fireplace to heat everything to a normal temperature, so we huddled in the living room sipping cocoa. We had our family Christmas, with Sam having the most fun with his new Legos.

The next day we spent puttering around the house and buying groceries for our reduced stockpiles. Yayoe dropped off some more presents, adding yet more Star Wars Legos to Sam's arsenal. I probably spent two hours over both days putting together all the various toys. Great fun.

The one really odd thing we got this year was a talking Jar Jar Binks doll that Sam got from Angie. Unfortunately, it announces the time every hour, usually with an oddly phrased Gungan quip. Late last night, Jamie brought down the doll in her outstreched arms, unable to sleep through it. It now rests in my cubicle, as my coworkers plan its demise.

I just heard from Mom, Dick and Sadie! They ...

December 27, 2001 by Seraph in Cortez

I just heard from Mom, Dick and Sadie! They called this morning while I was scrapping the ice off my car windows. They are doing well, but Sadie said not to mention ice as she was still in summer mode. There's been a slight mix up in the flight schedules and Sadie is getting into Portland tomarrow night at 9pm, and Mom and Dick get in Saturday night - late. We're going to pick up Sadie on Friday, but Mom and Dick will stay at the Super 8 Saturday, and I'll pick them up on Sunday morning.

Hopefully everything goes without a hitch!

Toward the end of the year, I start getting p...

December 26, 2001 by Adam in Adam

Toward the end of the year, I start getting pensive, thinking back on years past and years yet to come. It's been a good Christmas this year. I enjoyed having a few hours last night to have our small family's Christmas. Sam was just waking up, but once that first Lego package came out, he was ready to go. I practically had to force him to open the other presents, as he was so excited about that first one. I spent a good hour assembling the Star Wars submarine. It ended up being much bigger than I expected.

I'm also looking forward to the next Christmas with my side of the family, taking place on January 1st. I suspect there is much holiday cheer and loot just waiting for me. I'm still a little worried about Sadie, my mom, and Dick. It's a strange time to be far away from home.

I keep getting excited about the best Christmas present of all - the new baby. Bringing our household up to four is one of those big family milestones that you can't turn back from. Jamie allows me to pat her tummy from time to time, which brings a smile to my face. I also know how major a change it will be. Goodbye small amounts of free time, hellow sleepless nights and crying babies.

Sam got quite the loot here in Portland, and ...

December 25, 2001 by Adam in Sam

Sam got quite the loot here in Portland, and only the first of three Christmases has passed. He's been playing with the new Lego characters (Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and the evil emperor). The entire present opening ceremony had the noise from Sam's new remote control car going in the background. Every few minutes, Judy would jump with a gasp as the tiny truck raced across the floor.

Sam has also really enjoyed playing with Josh while he's been up here. In the bath, he announced that he wanted to be Josh when he grows up. It hasn't been all roses, however. Josh absconded with one of Sam's toys, and I bugged him about it. Sam repeated, "Josh, do you have issues with sharing?"

Yesterday I panted across aqua painted arrows...

December 24, 2001 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Yesterday I panted across aqua painted arrows on a rock mountain upwards, following arrows through rainy season trees, imagining one orange painted antelope encased in plastic, ass all rock painting in the states might be. One imagines a million snotty-nosed parents and their neurotic children taking the same picture of the same little embossed hunter every august. But my scepticism is only true in America.

The trek up rolling yellow and orange lichen-covered granite was a allignment of all things perfect- the sweat, sky, wind, water from an unkown source streaming down hills I've painted all my life. The paintings were a human manifestation of this increadible place. I came to them alone, parents ten minutes behind, and there I was, facing the rain cerimony's remembered praise songs in ochre images. as alive as my own eyes on a smooth arching upward cave of 15 feet.


The hills were equally important. I've always had artists look over my working shoulder and say- ah, O'keefe- as though I'm repeating one woman's hands in her own self-portrait. Art is not a history of one generation's memory of the last. Art is an open mainline to something in our communal blood.

We returned home and as always the police stopped us, but we avoided showing the usual licsence and permit, and the trunk as well. We are all tired from being opened to this place's beauty and broken by its realities. What do you do in a place where milk is 110 zim dollars, fourty cets to you (on the illegal market) but so much to everyone still living in the houses their grandparents lived in outside the white suburbs into the townships.

I'm sitting in frount of the computer listeni...

December 24, 2001 by Seraph in Cortez

I'm sitting in frount of the computer listening to "nursery rymes are fun to sing" play over and over, as Isa has found out how to play with one of her Christmas presents still in the box! Alex and Carolyn arrived safely, and have bought Isa more musical and talking toys then she'll know what to do with! Currently talking and singing toys, along witht their gift tags are her favorite. I figure it will be just enough to drive Robbie batty. If he shows up at anyones house with blood shot eyes, drool on his chin and a nervous twitch we'll all know why!

Today we're opening gifts with Alex and Carolyn, and then out to dinner, before heading to our church for the annual Christmas concert.

Robbie and I were discussing starting holiday traditions this morning(I can't understand why our families idea of chocolate for breakfast, an orgy of presents, and a trip to the movies before passing out on the couch, doesn't sound appealing to him!). His idea usually involved a snow covered cabin in the mountians with a big tree and lots of presents. My thoughts kept wandering to: making reservations, lugging a tree and decorations to the place, along with all the presents, and franticly cooking away and then wondering where I was going to find a vanilla bean a hundred miles from the nearest town! Oh well, I guess one of us needs to be the dreamer while the other is the realist. Some day we'll figure it all our! Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night!

I'm sitting in a cottage next to the Steanes'...

December 24, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek

I'm sitting in a cottage next to the Steanes' home in Harare. The rest of the family is sitting by the swimming pool, drinking gin and tonic, and Zimbabwe beer. There is a huge palm tree and lush tropical plants everywhere. The family consists of Brian, his wife Irene, and their five year old Holly, as well as Brian's daughter Ashleigh and her boyfriend Mike, who are down from their home in London on holiday. They have been wonderfully hospitable family (Holly just came in and crawled up on Sadie's lap!) Holly is another smart, cute Steane family offspring - Holly agrees with Sadie that she should be referred to as a character.
The fact that it is warm and sunny and doesn't feel like our soggy Christmas weather makes it easier not to feel homesick to see you all at Christmas. Nonetheless, you are all in our thoughts, and we hope you all have a good Christmas day.
We have lots to tell you, mainly that Africa is incredibly beautiful. Zimbabwe is so lovely that it breaks your heart to see that everyone in the country lives with worry about the future.
We wish you all a happy day tomorrow. Sadie and I stood on the top of the world and sent the sun back to you.
Much love to all, Old Mom Sue

Well, it's Christmas Eve and I'm typing from ...

December 24, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, it's Christmas Eve and I'm typing from Judy and Jim's house in Portland. It's been a lazy last couple of days. We headed up Saturday and lazed about the house. I managed to play some computer games while we had our free babysitter. Yesterday was a bit more exciting. Jamie and I saw Ocean's Eleven, an enjoyable heist movie, before returning to a Sam-free house. Sam and Josh were taken out to see the Christmas lights and have dinner, a tradition two years running now.

Meanwhile, Dave, Brant, Tracie, and I played Kill Doctor Lucky. I picked it up at Cheapass Games, and it proved to be as weird and funny as promised. Sadly, I never did manage to kill Doctor Lucky, though I made several attempts with a chainsaw, a revolver, and a tight hat. Oh, and many attempts to kill him by merely poking him in the eye.

Today should be the really big family day for Jamie's side of the family. There's a huge number of stockings hanging from the fireplace if that's any indication for the festivities to come. I think we open presents tonight too, then it's to Jamie's dad's house for awhile tomorrow, and finally to home.

Best Christmas wishes to everyone. An extra special greeting to those overseas, especially my sister, stepdad, and mom. Hope all is well.

Well our house is slowly gearing up for Chris...

December 21, 2001 by Seraph in Cortez

Well our house is slowly gearing up for Christmas and the arival of Alex & Carolyn. Our list currently reads :clean everything! Buy presents! I figure I'll continue my tradition of Christmas Eve gift shopping again this year. Tis' the season to hussel and bussel!
We're staying afloat at work; both Reta and I are slowly catching up with all the end of year lose ends. We have had very few chaotic moments this time around.
For those who will be around on Christmas day Yayoe and I were talking about fast food/ pizza and a movie. She was going to keep an eye open for what food places will be open. Any good family ( maybe $1.50) movie ideas?

I thought I'd start a new section for the new...

December 20, 2001 by Adam in Emma

I thought I'd start a new section for the new baby. When we actually find out if it's a boy or a girl, I'll switch the title to Emma or Max (or possibly both if Jamie's feeling that we're having twins is correct).

At the moment, Jamie's eight weeks along in her pregnancy, making August the 4th the official due date. Since the baby's a Leo, here's its horoscope for the (assumed) date of conception:

The element of surprise definitely works to your advantage right now, Leo. Under the Aquarius Moon, the Lion is the only wild card in the deck. Whether you're drifting aimlessly or following a carefully-charted and clever course, few can guess your next move. Find a way to capitalize on your opportunities while they are still within your grasp. The only way you'll get a good night's rest is if you make sure that your head doesn't hit the pillow still full of longing and regret.

A group from work went to see Lord of the Rin...

December 20, 2001 by Adam in Adam

A group from work went to see Lord of the Rings last night. The first thing that greeted my eye as I walked towards the theatre was a man dressed as Gandalf. There were a few others in cloaks and robes inside the theater, though most of the people looked fairly normal.

It was an amazing moving. For three hours long, the pace was very well done, never getting boring. The visuals were beautiful, the actors played their parts very well, and the action kept you at the edge of your seat. It's not for small kids, as it gets pretty gory and scary at time. For us bigger kids, though, it's a wonderful film.

With all the talk of the new baby, Sam decide...

December 19, 2001 by Adam in Family

With all the talk of the new baby, Sam decided to crawl back into Jamie's shirt. Here's what Jamie would look like if she were three years pregnant.

Jamie saw the doctor yesterday for her first prenatal checkup. She is indeed pregnant, about eight weeks along. That puts the due date at August 4th. They also took five vials of blood - I'm convinced that the lab is really a front for a coven of vampires.

I'm also going to Lord of the Rings tonight, right after work until 9:30 pm. I felt guilty leaving Jamie alone with Sam all day, so I tried to convince a couple people to come over. I think she'll survive, it's just strange to not come home right after work. I can't remember the last time I went out for an evening.

Christmas is sneaking right up on me

December 18, 2001 by Adam in Adam

Christmas is sneaking right up on me. This weekend, we head for Portland to celebrate Christmas there. I've heard rumors that people in Eugene are also getting together that day - someone let me know if that's true.

Two new team members at work: Annie, who's nice and quite bright, and John, who's extremely funny. We're spending the first two and a half days this week doing team orientation. Unfortunately, that means that the work that had just been caught up with is now piling up again.

I've been amazed at how much mom, Dick, and Sadie have been able to keep in touch electronically. It's far superior to post cards, as I almost feel I'm travelling with them. It's more like a radio expedition, with daily broadcasts of their adventures for the day.

All goes well in rainy Eugene. Jamie started working out again, since we finally found a plan that works well for both of us. I'm trying to do my last minute shopping, switching from online to store shopping since the time is approaching soon. Great fun.

Oh - and one more thing. Jamie's given the go-ahead for me to see Lord of the Rings this Wednesday. I have friends at work that should be buying tickets for me (they waited in line on Monday). Extra bonus nerd points for me.

If anyone feels compelled to find Miles' wher...

December 18, 2001 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

If anyone feels compelled to find Miles' whereabouts, I can't check my e-mail to see if he did not combust before J.burg. His e-mail is milopimp@hotmail.com (yes, it's embarassing for me to even type it). Many thanks my well-connected loved ones.
Sadie-o

Hi, here we are in Gabarone, after spending y...

December 18, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, here we are in Gabarone, after spending yesterday visiting Sadie's family in the village, and one here in Gabarone. We really liked the families we met. The family in Kanye was sitting in the shade trying to stay cool when we arrived. They welcomed us with a round of handshakes and 'dumelas'. All were well and our conversation was an interesting mixture of partial Setswana, English, and translation by Sadie's sister and Sadie herself. The family in Gaborone speak English perfectly, whith amazingly British accents. Aunt Jean runs a preschool in the back of the house to teach children English before primary school, which is taught in English. Uncle Douglas is funny, outgoing, and basically fantastic in every way (says Sadie). We are in much better spirits and excited to go on to Serowe to stay in the Rhino Sanctuary. Much love from us.

I received some news from Mom that she asked ...

December 17, 2001 by Seraph in Cortez

I received some news from Mom that she asked me to pass on.
This is from Mom
Hi, we are safe and sound. We will be able to get and send e-mail tomarrow morning \Bots time, so if you e-mail today your time, I will get it and respond so that you will have a response Tuesday morning.
This is a beautiful county - lush and green with the summer rain. We are glad to get our of South Africa - apartheid is alove and well, albeit slightly glossed over. It is very strange to have one group of people be totally servile. We drove through downtown Johannesburg late Saturday afternoon, which was deserted except for a few black people with fruit stands, and tons and tons of garbage. We also drove through a predominately black market area, which looked like we envision cities of the future, with garbage and debris everywhere. On the other hand, white people are clearly terrified most of the time. Lots of fences and security forces.
I will try to check my e-mail.
Good thoughts to all
Fortunately, we only got lost a few times and only for short periods; but, we did manage to find the places that we didn't intend to - like Soweto and the above mintioned Pretoria market
Love
Dick & OM

We had quite the exciting weekend

December 17, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had quite the exciting weekend. Saturday night was the big cocktail party. We had quite the spread of food and drink, though Jamie was stuck with soda water. We had a big turnout and Jamie was trying to kick people out close to ten o'clock. Another successful party.

On Sunday morning, I built Dave's new computer. A few exciting moments, as I was afraid my overclocking hubris had gotten the best of me. All turned out well in the end, however.

That afternoon, Sam and I went on a hike through the forest. He was amazingly energetic, running down the path pretending we were being chased by Imperial Scouts (another Star Wars thing). We returned home tired and muddy, so we pulled our pants off and had cocoa by the fire.

Mmm. . . Pantsless cocoa.

We are all safe and sound in Gaborone

December 17, 2001 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

We are all safe and sound in Gaborone. We stayed in a 'bed and breakfast,' which in Botswana context means we had a seventies-style room with a big orange bathroom and a large air conditioner which did nothing for the mosquitoes. I'm glad to give them the real thing, as comparison to 'Ceasar's Casino and Hotel' in South Africa. Good to be out of there, that's for sure. Unfortunately, we missed Miles at the airport. Today is the see everyone day, so we're headed off to Kanye then back at three to visit my Gaborone family. It's their 35th anniversary today. Driving, too, is a bit less stressful on this side of the border, as there is only one road to choose from. We stay here one more night then to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. I'm trying to teach mom and Dick some Setswana, but to no avail. Dick's already been called a Lakgoa- also so glad to introduce them to race relations in Botswana. I'm hoping their fluency in Setswana from our short breakfast lesson will help with that... we'll see, won't we. I'm straddling cultural shock of living with the 'rents again and being a traveller in a place I called home fro four months. I hope not the self-combust in the next two weeks. Mom and Dick are trying their damndest to make things comfortable emotionally for this fragile half-American daughter.

Lots of lovin

December 15, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek

Lots of lovin. See you soon.

I'm sitting here in the "Internet cafe" porti...

December 15, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek

I'm sitting here in the "Internet cafe" portion of this hotel. On my left is Dick, checking the e-mail, and on myy right is Sadie. She arrived safely yesterday afternoon, looking brown and healthy, full of good information and funny, insightful comments about her life and times.

Being in this casino has been ridiculously hard for Sadie, she notes, and it's amazing that she left her room. Being in this casino has been ridiculously weird for Dick and me, and in itself provides an interesting insight into the problem of crime in Johannesburg. You could come here as a tourist and never leave the building. And I suspect a lot of people do just that.
The rand, worth about 10 cents, lost 12% of its value yesterday because of civil unrest in Zimbabwe. There are more thzn 15,000 murders annually. So we're in for an adventure, says Sadie.

We all continue to be a little sick, though I...

December 13, 2001 by Adam in Family

We all continue to be a little sick, though I think the end is near. Jamie was feeling better by the end of the day. I'm hoping that the ginger snaps and ginger brew I got worked their magic on her nausea. We went to Jamie's Diner for dinner and her appetite seemed fine.

Sam and I invented "laser ball" last night. Mostly it involves Sam holding a paper lightsaber while I throw bean bags at him and shout, "Run away! Run away!"

Dick and I are staying at a hotel casino whic...

December 13, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek

Dick and I are staying at a hotel casino which proves that
excessive bad taste is not limited only to America. There is a huge bronze statue of Caesar (the hotel is named Caesar's Emperor Hotel).

It's time for the travelling mantra. Dad and I developed this while we were in England.
Here I am in Bembridge,
Home of crumpets and tea.
I am ready for Bembridge.
Is Bembridge ready for me?

So, I leave you with:

Here we are in Joburg,
After all of that travel and fuss.
We are quite ready for J'burg.
Is Joburg ready for us?

More soon.

Jamie called me at work yesterday, feeling si...

December 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie called me at work yesterday, feeling sick and wanting to have someone watch Sam. I dutifully headed home and watched el boyo. I think the headaches were virus related, rather than due to the pregnancy. Later that day, I started to feel pretty cruddy too. My guess is that we got what Sam had earlier in the week.

We took it easy for most of the day. Sam and I watched Spy Kids. It was borderline scary for him, but also exciting and fun. We took a break in the middle, like we ususally do with movies, and had a bath. He had to reinact parts of the movie using Legos, especially after we assembled a Lego jet pack for one of the Lego people. Funny kid.

I've been asked what I do every day, and this...

December 12, 2001 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I've been asked what I do every day, and this was last weeks reply: I walk out the door with a new painting under my arm for my DYO (design your own) part of my fieldbook, which is due. I catch a kombi to town and walk through wet waist high grass, through a red dirt soccer field and behind the concrete walls surrounding every city house. The wind rushes in now that the rainy season is apon us, and its crispness is much like a cool east coast fall, before it gets too cold. It rained last night in torrents, and the mosquitoes are out with a vengance. After dropping off my assignment I walk to work and facilitate a meeting for my outreach project- a youth drug abuse prevention programme. Thats what I do for my internship.

I just read the family news- congratulations on the new munchkin, Jamie! And Adam too, I suppose. I hope you ride through the first trimester with flying colours. Thrilled to see you so soon- so much love and thoughts from me to all ya'all.

Jamie called to report that the nausea has in...

December 11, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie called to report that the nausea has indeed hit. She's sunk to eating dry toast. I'm trying to remember what worked best last time. Ginger tea and ginger snaps seemed to help some.

My mom and Dick are heading off on their trip to Africa. Hopefully they'll have a safe trip and have a good visit with Sadie.

Sam woke up next to Jamie this morning and sa...

December 11, 2001 by Adam in Sam

Sam woke up next to Jamie this morning and said, "Let's say good morning to the new baby."

Well, a slight miscalculation on my part

December 10, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, a slight miscalculation on my part. It looks like the new baby will come in August, not July. Fortunately, math isn't really required to bear children.

Busy Sunday. Sam and I went Christmas shopping and got some good loot. I also started in on the banister, drilling holes in the stairs and putting the final touch on things. I'm hoping I can get the posts in by our Saturday cocktail party, though I'm not sure if I'll have time to sand and paint them.

Back to work for me today. It promises to be another hectic week. I wrote all the things I needed to do in really small print so that I felt better about my workload. Sigh.

Big news

December 09, 2001 by Adam in Family

Big news. It appears that there will be a new addition to the Miller household next July. The telltale signs appeared, and the pregnancy test was positive. Now, we'll probably have to have it "offically" confirmed at some point, but I'm sure it's for real. Jamie's doing well - a little tired but no nausea like last time. I'm not sure Sam really gets it yet. We'll talk about it together, but I think Legos are far more interesting.

We also got a Christmas tree today, cutting it down from my mother's property. It's all decorated and really brings the spirit of the holidays together. Now all I have to do is finish up the banister and the image is complete.

Frantically trying to get all the Christmas presents ready. I'm making some this year again, and I want to get it done so I can mail some out way before Christmas. The way the postal service is dealing with the anthrax issues, I just hope they don't set it on fire with radiation.

Sam turned to me last night and asked, "Dad, ...

December 07, 2001 by Adam in Sam

Sam turned to me last night and asked, "Dad, what happens if your penis falls off?"

Another Friday rolls around

December 07, 2001 by Adam in Family

Another Friday rolls around. After being Mr. Tea all week, I gave into temptation and slammed down a Mocha this morning. Now I'm bouncy and have a huge pile of work today. Oh well, at least the weekend approaches.

I think we're getting our Christmas tree tomorrow, completing the cozy living room feeling we've got going these days. The fire really makes a difference (along with the big t.v. with surround sound). On these cold rainy nights, we'll often pile on the couch and watch a show.

I'm looking forward to Christmas and being lazy with my family. Sam's been particularly funny these days, though his sleep schedule is still wacky. He's still obsessed with Star Wars, so any presents related to that brand will do well. "Dad, tell me a Star Wars story." is a phrase often repeated in our household.

Sam and I were wrestling together when he sta...

December 07, 2001 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I were wrestling together when he started quoting Star Wars:
"This is your last chance Jabba. Free us or die!"

I had to dig up this picture and show it to e...

December 06, 2001 by Adam in Family

I had to dig up this picture and show it to everyone. We were having lunch last weekend and Sam decided to eat his bagel in a special way. You can see a bigger version here.

I've been having fun doing the online shopping this year. I hit amazon.com, as well as a very off-the-wall site. Some of you may have some interesting stocking stuffers.

It's been a quiet week so far. Sam and I wrestled last night, which he thought was grand. I wore out before he did, so I think he won by default.

I finally cancelled my Everquest account toda...

December 05, 2001 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finally cancelled my Everquest account today, after not really playing for the last couple months. All the good items on the character have been stripped by Dave and Tedd, so all my characters were basically naked at the end. I don't think I'll miss the game and Jamie certainly won't miss the $10 per month charge on my credit card.

I played Diablo II for a couple hours last night with Dave. Lots of fun still. We killed Diablo and I let Dave get the good loot. Of course, he's leaving for Florida for a couple weeks this Saturday, so probably back to single player games for awhile.

I finished Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Without Internet access, I haven't played multiplayer much. The single player game was pretty fun. Nothing revolutionary in terms of game play, but good nonetheless.

Hey

December 05, 2001 by Yayoe in Yayoe

Hey...it's December already and our Christmas/New Years party is also just a few weeks away. I'm excited about getting together. Just think about all the great WHITE ELEPHANT stuff that will be exchanged on January 1, 2002! So here's the newz from our household: Lohring is returning to work! He's traveling to Grants Pass and will work a few days each month in a publicly funded medical/dental clinic. A perfect schedule for a guy who still wants to be a dentist! (Hope he remembers to floss on the way to work.)
Hurrah for Lohring!

Meanwhile, his shop is taking shape. I no longer trip on all the stuff that was lying on the floor. His work space looks great..he even has hot/cold running water, a coffee pot, and a semi pin-up girl on his wall. I'm trying to convince him to take the big screen TV into the shop but no luck so far!

In January we plan to visit Dorothy who will be in Florida from January 8 to April 4th. I'm also looking for the perfect part-time job and have a few leads and one interview!.....Imagine me going back to work. Humph...

So that's the news from our household!

Sam wandered downstairs at 6:30 this morning

December 04, 2001 by Adam in Sam

Sam wandered downstairs at 6:30 this morning. He walked down two flights of stairs in the dark - I practically ran into him while I was heading out to work. Needless to say, I had to play with Legos for ten minutes before I could haul him back up to bed with Jamie.

Hey Seraph here- Quick updates

December 03, 2001 by Seraph in Cortez

Hey Seraph here- Quick updates. Robbie's 29th Birthday was on Saterday. On top of Harry Potter figures he also got a ticket to the Civil War game! He and the boys went off and got soaked through. After a nice dinner at his mom's we went and soaked in the hot tub to see if he could get any feeling back in his toes!
Sunday we had folks over for cake and ice cream, and then went off to the Lutherin Church Christmas concert with Hanni. Isa loved the music, especially the hand bells.

Judy and Jim came down for the weekend

December 03, 2001 by Adam in Family

Judy and Jim came down for the weekend. Jim to watch the game, Judy to visit with Sam. Nothing too exciting happened. Yesterday was mostly bumming around the house. We did a little shopping and I went to Robbie's birthday party today. I did manage to get the banister stained and installed. The hard part is the individual posts, which will involve much drilling, cutting, and careful measuring.

Now everyone's gone except Sam and I. Jamie's off at Angie's and the grandparents have gone home. Sam's playing beside me, talking about the eye color of all his toys and Legos.

Back to work tomorrow. We hired two new people on Friday, so hopefully things won't be quite as crazy. Of course, they don't start for a couple weeks and then there's training . . .

Sam came across my old toy, Gerb

December 03, 2001 by Adam in Sam

Sam came across my old toy, Gerb. Sadly, he was worse for wear, having been eaten by numerous pets and played with for over thirty years. Sam decided Gerb should be fixed, so we hot glued on some new eyes (donated by Sam's poster) and sewed on some new feet. Once he was all in one piece, Sam proceeded to hide him behind the couch.

I woke up this morning with the clock flashin...

December 01, 2001 by Adam in Adam

I woke up this morning with the clock flashing 3:38. Evidently the power went out last night. We've had heavy winds and endless rain the last few days. The state has a severe storm warning out, with possible flooding in the north. Hope Jim and Judy make it down safely this morning.

I reran the 3DMark 2001 benchmarks. I get a score of 6621 at 1024X768 with the CPU overclocked to 1.67 Ghz and the video card at 200/500. While that doesn't approach the crazy 10,000+ scores I've heard about, it's not shabby at all.

Sam had an idea while we got him out of the bath

December 01, 2001 by Adam in Sam

Sam had an idea while we got him out of the bath. He decided that we'd be the mom and dad that played with him, and we'd build a robot mom and dad to do all the work. Sounds like a plan to me.