Splinter Cell finally arrived

February 28, 2003 by Adam in Adam's Games

Splinter Cell finally arrived. It's pretty good - the shadow effects are pretty amazing. It's a fairly traditional sneaker-style game, hiding in the shadows is a big part of the game.

I'm also approaching the release of my latest Neverwinter Nights module. The testing has gone really well, with some good suggestions voiced by people. There's a few more things I'd like to fiddle with, but I think it's to the point where I could release it soon.

The whole family went to visit the doctor tod...

February 28, 2003 by Adam in Emma

The whole family went to visit the doctor today for Jamie's regular checkup. Sam was fascinated by the nurse drawing blood from Jamie's arm. Emma seems fine - normal heartbeat and a good size. Doctor Babcock was thinking the due date may be a week early, putting it in mid-May. We'll see.

Jamie has also miraculously avoided this terrible cough that Sam and I have. We're blaming it on the baby too. I figure it makes up for the cavities earlier.

Another Friday winding down

February 28, 2003 by Adam in Family

Another Friday winding down. My cough is pretty bad today. My cubicle neighbors are commenting on it. They haven't threatened to take me out back and shoot me, but it's close. I got very little sleep last night and the cough syrup makes me loopy. Sigh.

Tomorrow Jamie's working at the preschool play while I take care of Sam. I was hoping I could coordinate with everyone on a time to go. I was thinking 11 am, but we'll see how tomorrow goes. Saturday after the last show they head out to the coast, leaving me with dirty laundry and taxes. Yippie.

Sam seems to be doing better

February 27, 2003 by Adam in Family

Sam seems to be doing better. He's been well medicated, which apparently has done the trick. He has been very tired, however, going to bed at seven last night.

It turns out Kate Sturdavant is working for PeaceHealth these days. She's living in Portland with her husband and dog, telecommuting and driving down to Eugene on occasion. It was very strange to have her instantly appear in my cubicle.

I also ran across this website that lists people who went to my high school. One of my old friends that I lost touch with is there. I think I'll drop him an e-mail.

Update: He e-mailed back and Devon is indeed alive and well. It turns out he's working as a programmer in Bellingham, which is also one of the places where PeaceHealth has a hospital. I may end up visiting him one of these days. He also a a tiny website that you can see here.

Sick today, yet again

February 27, 2003 by Adam in Adam

Sick today, yet again. My throat is sore and I sound like I should be a sultry blues singer.

Nothing too exciting has been happening the last few days. Jamie's heading off to the coast late Saturday, taking Sam along. If I get up the energy, I'll work on taxes Sunday.

My sister and I just returned from a lovely t...

February 26, 2003 by Dorothy in Danica Miller

My sister and I just returned from a lovely trip to Barbados.We had an efficiency where we could have breakfast and lunch if we chose. Great view of two of three pools and the ocean from our balcony. It was 85 degrees - really too hot for Caroline who is used to the Northwest. Had several trips around the island, lovely flower gardens, good food, some interesting dancers, etc.
I'm now getting ready to go to Florida to visit my friends there. I get blamed for the terrible winter here as it is the first in l8 years that I have spent in PA.

Poor Sam woke up last night crying

February 25, 2003 by Adam in Family

Poor Sam woke up last night crying. It took awhile before we could settle him down and have him tell us that his ear hurt. We pumped him full of Tylenol and Jamie took him to the doctor's in the morning. Evidently he has an ear infection and an upper respiratory tract infection. So, we're loaded up with medicine for him to take over the next few days.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather as well, with a sort throat and cough. I may end up heading home early just to take it easy.

I decided to make a virtual tour of Smith and...

February 25, 2003 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I decided to make a virtual tour of Smith and Northampton, so those who are coming to graduation can have a taste of what is in store for them.

We begin on Green Street at Shelburne Coffee Roasters, where everyone you ever wanted to know squeezes into an 8x12 shop to get some local brew and a scone. From there, we may wander up to center campus, where for literature fans, is an excellent and very accessible rare book room. There is also an interesting collection of alum published books in the beautiful alum house on lower elm. After the frollick in center campus, we might meander up toward the chapel via the road by the botanical gardens and green house, stopping to smell the orchid collection along the way. We may even decide to go kyaking with the boats available in the boathouse on Paradise pond. After a long day of refinement, we may have a hearty meal at bottle of Bread in Shelburne Falls, watch a movie at the Acadamy of Music or Pleasant St. Theatres (both in downtown Northampton), or rent a hottub at East Heaven on Green Street. And then to bed with thoughts of commencement and illumination night dancing in our heads!

(note: Adam cleaned up the hyperlinks. :)

I lost whateverI wrote on the 25th

February 25, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

I lost whateverI wrote on the 25th. This is now the 27th, and we still don't have the results from Dick's blood tests or ultrasound. He is a brilliant yellow; I could stand him in a corner and he could light up a room. Hoping this isn't anything serious; I can't remember when he has stayed on the couch most of the day.

The weekend seemed to go so quickly, yet it's...

February 24, 2003 by Adam in Family

The weekend seemed to go so quickly, yet it's hard to think about exactly what all happened. We ran into Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell at the library Saturday morning. We all listened to music time and got some new library books. Later on, we ran around in the park, but in general it was a pretty quiet day. Sam and I have been sniffly, so we've been taking it really easy.

Today was Dave's birthday, so we went over to his semi-surprise party. Josh was there, so he and Sam had a good time. This afternoon I broke out the new power washer and cleaned up the patio. Gobs of fun.

A quick hello

February 24, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

A quick hello. We have had a very quiet week and weekend, with Dick not moving from the couch.
Provided Dick lives that long, we'll be in Belize for about ten days, from 3/13 to 3/25. The web site is ambergriscaye.com/villadelsol. We fly in to Houston, where we meet Dad. We then fly on different airlines to Belize but arrive about the same time.

Anna and I are sitting here in the engineerin...

February 23, 2003 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Anna and I are sitting here in the engineering building, working on a grey water sand filter for Botswana. Our group has worked last night and all today, and I can't imagine when it's going to end. However, being that it is our first anniversary, we are planning to go our for dinner (yeah!) and potentially a movie (hoorah!) and then the local zen hottubs (ahhhh...). So it isn't so bad. And I get to feel like a science nerd for a whole semester!

I love you all.

Sam's been really sick lately

February 22, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been really sick lately. Today I came home and he was fast asleep in Jamie's lap. I haven't seen that since he was a little kid.

I think he and Jamie are getting a little stir crazy stuck at home all the time. Yesterday he wanted Jamie to fight dragons with him so he went into the craft room and assembled a mace all by himself. Jamie was amazed he could get out the tape, take it off the roll, roll up some paper, and tape it all together.

Jamie and Sam showed up at work yesterday, co...

February 20, 2003 by Adam in Family

Jamie and Sam showed up at work yesterday, completely surprising me. Evidently Jamie was at the end of her ropes, so I went home with them and watched Sam for the rest of the day. He's been pretty sick this last week, though being cooped up is no fun at all.

We also watched half of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which is wonderful. I'm glad my family isn't quite that crazy, though I'm sure there were elements in it that were familiar to all of us.

I had another piece of fan mail today that go...

February 20, 2003 by Adam in Adam's Games

I had another piece of fan mail today that got to me. It was from a woman who had contracted leukemia and my impression is that things had not been going well. She played through my modules with her husband and loved the way he laughed out loud during the funny parts of the game. Evidently those moments were rare in her life, and she wanted to let me know she appreciated my role in making it happen.

I'm still working hard on the campaign. It's amazing how much work these things take. I think I'm approaching the final stages of the game, getting to all the details I leave until the last minute.

Bets, I can't figure out how to get Dick's ad...

February 20, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

Bets, I can't figure out how to get Dick's address book on the home computer, given my limited computer skills so I can't send an e-mail. Can you give Dad a call, he asked after you two phone calls ago, and I promised I'd get a message to you.

I wonder if he could manage a computer?

Are you snowed in?

Sam's been having funny dreams lately

February 19, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been having funny dreams lately. Last night, he was telling me his dream and it went something like this:

"I was in the Star Wars world, and stormtroopers were coming after me. But instead of blasters they had vaccuum cleaners and they sucked me up. But I broke out and took the vaccuum away and sucked them up."

That one had me laughing hard for awhile, just visualizing the whole thing.

Monday night we were driving home from Mom an...

February 19, 2003 by Seraph in Cortez

Monday night we were driving home from Mom and Dick's and a conversation came up about baby Emma.
Earlier we had been looking at new car seats for Isa and she became fasinated with the baby swings. We explained that she was too big for them, so she suggested one for Jordan. We explained that Jordan was too big (trying to be delicate about the fact that her "baby cousin" is actually bigger than her). We asked her who could swing in them and she decided that "little babies" could.
This idea of "little babies" went on for quite awhile, and on the way home that night I mentioned that baby Emma could swing in them. "Baby Eminem (M&M)?" she said. After much laughter from Robbie and I (not yet sure if our new neice will be a rap star or candy), we clearified the name Emma. I tried to explain that Baby Emma was still growing indide of Aunt Jamie. She liked that idea and repeated it several times. She then declared that "Baby Emma is working hard - growing!"
I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed at the connections kids can make!

The work week has started once again

February 18, 2003 by Adam in Family

The work week has started once again. Sunday was fairly quiet, with the exception of a small birthday dinner for Dick. Sam has a cold, so we mostly hung out at the house. Monday night had Jamie and Angie going hot tubbing, with the water temperature turned down the day before to accomodate Jamie's "delicate state". Sam and I did our usual playing with Legos and bathtime fun.

Have we dropped off the face of the earth? N...

February 17, 2003 by Betsy in Betsy

Have we dropped off the face of the earth? No, but really struggling to survive a very long winter. Both boys have been sick with bad head colds and coughs, of course one week after another so I haven't gotten much sleep or work done. Mike won't keep them and I won't let them go to Alice Kohr's for fear of her getting sick. She was 81 this month. Her last remaining sibling, Helen "DA" Lewis, passed away last week. You may all remember her as the maiden Aunt who smoked Camel unfilters. She died of emphezema.

We have had an incredible storm this weekend. First with 6-8 inches of snow on Friday and it is now late Sunday night and we've picked up another 10 or so inches and are expected to get 6 or more by morning. The drifts at the end of our lane are over 5 feet high. Thankfully the kids don't have school tommorrow, Presidents Day.

Stay well, be happy and live good lives.

Just a quick Emma status update

February 16, 2003 by Adam in Emma

Just a quick Emma status update. She's big. Jamie's noticing it.

We aren't quite to the point where I haul the Lazy-Boy chair up next to the bed for Jamie to sleep in, but I can tell that day is coming soon.

Sam went off with my mom and Dick yesterday m...

February 16, 2003 by Adam in Family

Sam went off with my mom and Dick yesterday morning, taking Sam to the fairgrounds where people were having historical reinactments of clothing, weapons, tools, and such. He seemed to really enjoy it and it gave Jamie and I a chance to visit.

We also exchanged Valentine's Day presents, finding ourselves with the reverse of traditional roles. I got the bubble bath and mints, while Jamie got the power washer. Strangely, we both really liked our presents, so it probably speaks volumes of us.

No plans for today. Perhaps a library trip or picking up baby things from Jenny. We'll see how it goes.

I've been getting a lot of fan mail about my ...

February 16, 2003 by Adam in Adam's Games

I've been getting a lot of fan mail about my game - usually three or four each day. This one was particularly touching, from a young couple in Israel, so I thought I'd reprint it:

This is just a short note to let you know how much we both appreciate all of the hard work and craftsmanship you have clearly put into your Neverwinter modules. We played as much of the Dreamcatcher series as is currently available and were so impressed that we went back and are currently playing the Shadowlords series. We have found not only the 'action' elements, but also the plotlines and characters to be topnotch, in many cases better than that in the original game itself. It comes as no surprise to us that Bioware offered you a job based on the quality of the modules we have played.

Unlike the majority of players and designers out there (which we can assume by the fact that there are so many "Nude Aribeth" hacks), we are a thirty-something married couple who enjoy playing NWN together as a way to relax after finally getting our 3 1/2 year old son to sleep. When we started playing the Dreamcatcher series, we found that we were spending a great deal of time arguing about whose turn it was at the keyboard, which tells you how avidly we both followed the plot. The romantic elements especially were handled so maturely and smoothly that they perfectly complemented the main adventure plot. Since we are both writers, we know how difficult that can be in any medium, let alone a role-playing module.

As our small corner of the world becomes tenser and tenser, your modules have provided us with a welcome distraction and a great deal of pleasure over the last few weeks. Since our PC is going to be in our sealed security room with us, your modules may have the dubious distinction of being played with gasmasks on. If the current situation comes to that (hopefully not, god willing) I am sure they will help pass even such trying times.

Thank you again for your work, and best wishes to you and your family.

Oh, forgot to add that I'm doing a wedding at...

February 14, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

Oh, forgot to add that I'm doing a wedding at 2 on Saturday in the rose garden. Poor folks, hope it's sunny.

Does visitors mean the number of different pe...

February 14, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

Does visitors mean the number of different people who pull up this site, or does it count the number of times anyone has looked at the site? I always feel a little unclear on the concept when it comes to computers.

We are happily finalizing our plans for Belize. Sadie is buried under snow and ice, so she's pretty enthusiastic about sunshine. Dad is coming over as well, so we should have a merry time, as they say. Still no final word from Mary Steane, but we're hoping she will make it too!

It's been 25 years ago today that I opened my...

February 14, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

It's been 25 years ago today that I opened my office. Lots of water over the dam since then. Lawyering is such a strange business - I am sometimes reminded that I am the modern equivalent of a hired killer or mercenary, but limited to using words, not weapons. Perhaps they are less deadly, but I occasionally have cause to remember the Robert Frost poem, Fire and Ice. "Some say the world will end in fire... From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire... but ice...will suffice."

Happy Valentine's day to all

February 14, 2003 by Adam in Family

Happy Valentine's day to all. I left a little note for Jamie and Sam, and have a special present for later. No hints here, as Jamie might read this site before tonight.

The week has been fairly quiet, with a couple days of all-day meetings for me. I had one late night with my coworkers, and barely got back in time to tuck in Sam. Jamie seems in good spirits, going swimming with Victoria yesterday morning. The weekend approaches soon. Mom and Dick are watching Sam for a couple hours tomorrow, so Jamie and I will probably have a belated Valentine's Day.

Our week has been caotic, but I was able to c...

February 14, 2003 by Seraph in Cortez

Our week has been caotic, but I was able to clean up part of my office space and get rid of an extra table. Clearing out clutter always calms my nerves.
We're hoping to have a fun filled weekend making our rounds among the family. I have Monday off, and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself.
Isa and Robbie continue to be out and about town, finding all sorts of trouble! It's fun that Isa's vocab is getting large enough to tell me about her day!

It promises to be an interesting day at work ...

February 12, 2003 by Adam in Adam

It promises to be an interesting day at work today. Glen just called, apparently having thrown his back out. Since I'm the only one here, I'm trying to get everything organized. In a few minutes, my coworkers will be arriving, including the Bellingham contingent. Then we're supposed to meet all day, including a hike and dinner. I guess we'll just play it by ear.

Sam and I got into Legos quite a bit over the...

February 12, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I got into Legos quite a bit over the weekend, constructing a huge castle while Jamie was away.

Sam's playing next to me, flailing about on the floor. I asked him if he had any message for his future self and he replied:

"That I got punched out of a train, okay?"

We're going down for Valentine's weekend, but...

February 11, 2003 by Judy in Hanes

We're going down for Valentine's weekend, but only to paint and scrapbook. If anybody else wants to join in, they are certainly welcome.

Judy has a new cell phone, and thus a new cell phone number. Please record: 503-804-2452

Back to work

February 10, 2003 by Adam in Family

Back to work. Jamie made it home safe and sound yesterday, feeling revitalized from her little trip away. Sam is still sniffly but appears in good spirits. I even see a touch of blue outside my window today.

I heard through the grapevine that Jordan burned himself by pulling down a cup of coffee. Jenny rushed him to the ER, but it looks like he'll be okay. Life sometimes gets far more exciting than we want it to be.

Sam and I had a full day yesterday

February 09, 2003 by Adam in Family

Sam and I had a full day yesterday. We started with a launch in the park of Sam's vinegar and baking soda powered rocket. Next it was off to the library for books, music time, and an unexpected run-in with Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell. We swung by the movie store then returned home for lunch, a movie, then a shopping trip for Valentine's Day. Whew!

Unfortunately, Sam seems to have a bit of a cold. He woke up this morning coughing and sniffling. So, we're hanging out today, watching Watership Down at the moment. Jamie's coming home at some point, though I'm not sure exactly when. We'll probably just take it easy today.

I do love the ethereal pix of Sam on Adam's g...

February 07, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

I do love the ethereal pix of Sam on Adam's game site.
How about including Jamie too. Admittedly, she may not be feeling ethereal right now, but I love that shot of her on
her site...

It's another mocha Friday

February 07, 2003 by Adam in Family

It's another mocha Friday. Got a third job offer from my work with Neverwinter Nights that you can read about on my gaming page. I turned it down, but it is flattering.

Sam and I are bachelors this weekend. Jamie takes off tonight for the coast. We'll probably watch some movies, hike about, and play a little on the computer. I don't really have a gameplan, so we'll see how it goes.

I got my third and best job offer today

February 07, 2003 by Adam in Adam's Games

I got my third and best job offer today. This time from Bioware, the people that made the Neverwinter Nights game. Fortunately my will is strong and I turned them down. Though quitting my high-paying corporate job and moving to the cold reaches of Canada to do the work I love makes a good plot for a movie, I decided it wouldn't suit reality all that much.

I also got an e-mail from GameStar, a German gaming magazine, wanting to include two of my modules on their cover CD. I'm currently working on sending them my approval. Ah, the joys of fame.

My advice: avoid gifelte fish at all costs! S...

February 07, 2003 by Jamie in Wielesek

My advice: avoid gifelte fish at all costs! Stick with the meatballs...

I finally went to the Neverwinter site, findi...

February 07, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

I finally went to the Neverwinter site, finding someone I knew, and Sam, too. I decided to print the site, because I can only believe that a site on a computer is not real and won't last. So I printed it for Adam to look at when he is 60. Who can imagine the world then?

Hope it's better than the world fifty years ago, and a curse on the Republican senator from North Carolina who said recently that Japanese people were put in internment camps during the war only for their own safety.

I have a lot of faith in you kids to make things better. om

It's sunny but cold, and I'll bet that there ...

February 06, 2003 by Sue in Wielesek

It's sunny but cold, and I'll bet that there have been lots of slipping and sliding on the Centennial Blvd curves - because of the alternating woodlots and commercial lots, there are alternating clear dry stretches and shaded, icy spots. I bet my daffodils are whining and complaining right now. The ones at the office are ready to bloom.
Talked to Sadie last night. She sounded cheerful, and said that she and Anna were trying to put together summer internships in Sweden. How do you spell gefeltefish correctly, and how do you say it with a straight face.

I was happy last night

February 06, 2003 by Adam in Family

I was happy last night. For no particular reason, everyone seemed in good spirits and our home was full of laughter. There were high points - Sam pretending his hands were motorcycles, racing around the bed buck naked and trying to pronounce "turbo". The whole evening was like that, endless little funny things one after the other.

Jamie's going to the beach with Victoria this weekend. That means Sam and I get a "guys weekend" to ourselves. Sam had a great suggestion of something nice to do for Jamie as a surprise. It was a pretty cool idea, whispered in my ear at dinner. I won't spoil it in case she reads this.

I got another job offer based on my work on N...

February 05, 2003 by Adam in Adam's Games

I got another job offer based on my work on Neverwinter Nights. These were some ex-Blizzard employees in Seattle. I politely declined.

It is flattering to know that I'm probably good enough to work "with the pros". Maybe after I retire I'll make games in a more dedicated fashion. Right now it's nice to have it be a part-time hobby. I can walk away any time, ignore bug reports, or ship something that isn't quite finished. Well, maybe I'm describing half the computer game companies out there, but I certainly don't want to have that be my life.

My modules are coming along nicely. Dreamcatcher 2 is currently the highest rated module out there, sporting a perfect 10 rating. The second highest module is Dreamcatcher 1. It's fun to put something together that people appreciate.

A little excitement yesterday morning

February 04, 2003 by Adam in Family

A little excitement yesterday morning. Jamie called here at work feeling lightheaded and sick to her stomach. I rushed home to make sure she was okay and all was well. Fortunately, it all was. She had a similar thing happen during the last pregnancy and laying down for a few minutes helped out considerably. I took Sam to get movies for them to watch that day, and some Ben & Jerry's ice cream for Jamie.

Last night, I took Sam on a "park in the dark" run. He went straight for a big mud puddle, made by people driving around the grass and digging up big troughs. He splashed around, getting extremely wet, dirty, and cold. I think he had fun until the cold set in, then we walked home talking about frostbite and gangrine. Sam piped in that he hoped he didn't get "tangerine."

Bad headache here at work today. I'm letting my third Advil try to do its thing. If not, I may head home early.

Another weekend over

February 03, 2003 by Adam in Family

Another weekend over. I'm trying to remember exactly what happened over those 48 hours, but nothing's coming to mind. My mom watched Sam for a couple hours on Saturday. Sam and I hung out a lot, going to Destin's birthday party with the rest of the world. On Sunday, we walked to the library and picked up some new books.

No important projects were completed this weekend. We didn't take any trips. Just generally quiet and pleasant.

Jamie's going off next weekend to the coast with a friend of hers. I'll have to think of something interesting to do with Sam while she's away.

Work on my game continues

February 01, 2003 by Adam in Adam's Games

Work on my game continues. I'm having a good time making new items for my latest module. So far I have an assortment of traps, a raven, a ghost, a magical hand, and assorted new creatures. It's still looking like I'll get this whole thing done by the time Emma is born.

Unreal 2 comes out next week, though I've heard mixed reviews. Sam and I will probably have a good time playing it while Jamie's at the coast. Also, Splinter Cell should come out a week or two after that. Great fun.

Sam's been really funny lately

February 01, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been really funny lately. Tonight, for no reason at all, he began to demand wedgies from everyone around. Not wanting to disappoint the child, Dave and I complied much to the amusement of Jamie, Kirsten, and Josh. We first explained that he couldn't get wedgies unless he had underwear on, so he specifically went upstairs to put some on. We also couldn't figure out where he picked up the term "wedgie". Currently, we're blaming it on Jamie's brothers.

A few days ago, Sam stayed up with Jamie to watch Friends. It was the episode where Joey was doing quotation marks with his fingers to denote sarcasm. Unfortunately, he kept doing it wrong which Sam thought was really funny. So, he's been doing it for the last few days as well.

Poor Sam was pretty exhausted tonight. He got up early this morning for starters. Right before bed we danced around the basement to loud music, then he collapsed right before bed.