Driving Mocha Day

March 31, 2018 by Adam in Family

It's late, my morning mocha long gone.  It's been a pretty busy week at work - we didn't quite get ready for release, but I fixed a ton of bugs and found a few more.  Hopefully early next week we'll be good to go.

We all had work off today.  I took Sam with me to get eggs from Pam and then we drove around the roundabouts.  We came home for a little while, picked up my mom's car, and headed to LCC.  There Sam got oriented at LCC and afterward drove around the parking lot, slowly figuring out how a manual transmission worked.  I think we'll drive around more tomorrow morning.

Emma's still at the beach in Washington one more day.  She's been good about texting and calling.  She was a little homesick at the beginning, and I think she looks forward to coming home, but she's enjoyed being around the ocean.  Last I heard she'd taken most of her color Polaroids, painted quite a few portraits, and started reading her latest pirate book.

Joanna and I just got back from a pleasant date night at Falling Skies brewery, swinging by Sweet Life to bring some gluten free pie home.  After the kids get to bed we'll cuddle up with tea and a show to wind down the day.

Back from the Beach

March 28, 2018 by Adam in Family

We're back from the beach, with Joanna, Guillaume, Duncan, Benny, and I piling into the minivan Sunday afternoon.  Saturday came and went, hanging out with Emma before she headed to Orcus island with Jamie for the week.  Sam held down the fort while we were gone, occasionally speaking to other human beings and getting some computer gaming time in.  I took him driving Sunday before we left, driving around LCC and going in circles in our old Riverview neighborhood.  I thought it would be quiet, but between the turkeys, dogs, runners, and multiple cars, it ended up being an exciting choice.

The beach was pretty entertaining.  We got there while the sun was setting and the weather mostly warm.  Guillaume enjoyed the sea air as it reminded him of home.  Benny grabbed a log and dragged it around.  I liked watching the seals across the bay's opening.

The rest of the trip was pretty soggy and cold.  We visited the Newport aquarium, then returned home for some Call of Cthulu roleplaying.  We all had a surprisingly fun time, with Guillaume leading us on a creepy adventure that seemed vaguely like a Scooby Doo episode.  We all barely survived, unlike many of the townsfolk, mostly because Joanna was suspicious of everyone and Duncan got very lucky with a final role.

We finished the game the next day, cleaned and packed, then drove home.  We're all a little wiped out, somewhat sad that our days of leisure are behind us.  I think Joanna and I are secretly excited to work again too, writing books and code respectively.

Mocha Friday

March 23, 2018 by Adam in Family

It's a soggy spring morning and I'm safe and warm in my little garden shed, getting ready to spend the day coding.  It's a dream come true to my fifteen year old self.  Work's actually been going pretty well lately - interesting problems and feeling appreciated by coworkers.

Emma came over last night and Sam was around for dinner.  Benny's had spirit week at school, so they've been wearing an old tie of mine and dressing up in pjs.  This morning Emma and Duncan had a long discussion about memes.  Sam's done with finals and has been hanging out with friends.

Tonight is board game night, which likely means more One Night Ultimate Alien.  Everyone likes the lies and cow tipping.

Thursday Already?

March 22, 2018 by Adam in Family

Apparently I've been busy this week.  Nothing bad, just work being filling and my evenings being filled by various activities.  I'm sneaking in a few minutes before work instead of looking for beach houses for the family reunion.

It was a good weekend all-in-all, if a bit of a blur.  I can hardly remember Saturday, other than the pizza finished cooking late and we all played Drawful 2 while we waited.  Sunday Emma and I played D&D with Jason, BJ, Marty, and a couple new people.  A really good time was had by all and we're planning on finishing up the adventure April 1st if we can navigate around everyone's Easter plans.

Work is coming along nicely - the new security aspect of my job is sorting itself out a little more.  Emma's grades came in - two A+'s and the rest A's.  Duncan's grades improved as well, in part due to Joanna and I being more diligent with checking homework and making sure assignments are turned in.  I remember doing that with Sam at that age, so I suspect Duncan will eventually figure it out himself.

Spring break starts this weekend.  Emma's off with Jamie, though I'll see her a little on both weekends.  Joanna, Guillaume, the little kids, and I are going to the coast for a couple days.  I think we'll do some touristy things, though I'm secretly most excited about Guillaume leading us on a Lovcraftian adventure using the Call of Cthulu RPG.

Home Phone

March 19, 2018 by Seraph in Cortez

Hello all! Our house phone is down right now and won't be fixed until later this week (we hope). If you need to reach us, try our cellphones, but please be patient as we don't have service in our house (darn those 21" thick walls!).

Hugs all around!!

Mocha Friday

March 16, 2018 by Adam in Family

I took yesterday off to hang out with Emma.  I took Benny to school, got Emma, had coffee with mom, went to the art supply store and antique store, then briefly headed home for lunch and a break.  After lunch Sam, Emma, and I played a little in VR, then we headed out again to see Black Panther and eat dinner at Pizza Research Institute.  I was pretty beat at the end of the day, not helped by the hour wait for dinner, but the kids were generally cheerful and Emma appreciated having a day to hang out together.  Joanna and the little kids ate meaty things for dinner and survived our absence.

I'll make myself a mocha shortly and head into my little work shed.  My kinda sorta project manager was encouraging us to take the afternoon off, though we'll see how much work I generate for myself this morning.  I've got several security related plans I want to start pushing forward, plus a second project I want to get working on my PC.  I continue to try to understand how everything works and be as useful as possible.

Saturday is relatively low-key, and Sunday I've got a bunch of friends and a couple new people coming over to play D&D.  I think we'll play in the basement for the full nerd experience.

Pi Day

March 15, 2018 by Adam in Family

It's March the 14th, which is Pi Day to all the people who like to eat tasty pies.  Joanna made a pumpkin pie for us, which is one of the many things I appreciate about my lovely wife.  Benny and I have been pestering her all evening and the time of eating is almost upon us.

Work is moving along nicely.  I'm doing security stuff, getting one of our products ready for shipping, and generally figuring out my new role.  I'm taking tomorrow off, mostly to hang out with Emma and see the new Black Panther movie.

All is generally well.  Sam's friend got a job so Sam's workout time is later in the day.  We don't see him much for dinner, unfortunately.  The days are getting quieter.  Emma finished with her finals.  Duncan and Benny went along with the national walkout during school.

Sunny Weekend

March 12, 2018 by Adam in Family

It was a good weekend, warm and sunny.  I spent part of Sunday outside in shorts and a t-shirt, gardening with Emma and painting with Benny.  Joanna weeded our old wildflower bed and turned it into a strawberry bed.  Emma mowed the backyard for the first time this year, not to mention moving a bunch of tomato seedlings into peat pots that Joanna picked up for me.  Spring is coming together nicely.

We also managed to play a lot of games, with One Night Ultimate Alien being introduced to Duncan and Benny.  Benny and I had a fairly epic run through 5 Minute Dungeon, finally being eaten by a Freakin' Dragon (from the actual title).  I finished some VR games, and Benny and Duncan spent a fair bit of time playing Lone Echo and Roblox.  It apparently made an impression on Benny as they were talking about avoiding the biomass on the way into school this morning.

We had Guillaume and Benny's friend Zoe over for pizza and Mythbusters, and my mom over for dinner Sunday.  Sam was around for some of the weekend, working on papers and playing games with us.  It turns out Guillaume is an excellent liar, doing quite well at One Night Ultimate Alien.

One of my favorite things I did was when Emma taught me how to play a few chords on her ukulele.  While it probably wasn't particularly exciting to anyone listening, I had a great time wandering the house and strumming the three chords I knew.

Mocha Friday

March 09, 2018 by Adam in Family

I made myself a mocha this morning, along with Emma's assistance.  The week has been moving along without too much trouble.  I still have some transition anxiety, but appreciate having work to keep myself occupied.  Joanna continues to be on the mend.  The kids are all keeping busy, with Duncan having his band concert last night.  Hopefully this weekend is pleasant - I'm hoping to get my seedlings in some bigger pots.  I'm excited for spring.

Dinner and a Movie

March 07, 2018 by Adam in Family

Last night I left work a little early and went with Sam to see Annihilation.  It was pretty good sci-fi fare, surreal and thoughtful.  Afterward we went to Cornbread Cafe for vegan food, which was tasty.  It was good to just chat for a bit.  He wants to go to LCC's electrician apprenticeship program next year.  I told him I didn't expect him to be a doctor or lawyer and just wanted him to be happy, which I think was what he was looking for.

We also got back the results of Joanna's biopsy, which was fine as expected.  Her weird surgery scar issue is likely okay too, with some just-in-case checking soon.  Both things had me feeling somewhat anxious, so it was nice to be reassured.

Joanna reports Duncan's grades are doing better, which we've been slowly working on.  I've been reviewing math and Joanna is making sure assignments are complete and turned in.  Showing up and doing the work is the secret there.

Work's been doing somewhat better after the weird lull, though I continue to define what I'm doing during this quirky transition.  Yesterday I went through one project's code base and updated a bunch of software package versions.  It's complicated work, and I probably broke some things, but it should improve performance and security.  I think I get to add some features today.

I continue to look forward to the spring and putting plants in the ground.  My seedlings are growing into good sized plants, but it's still a little chilly outside.

Birthday Boy

March 06, 2018 by Adam in Lohring

Dad came over for dinner and we fed him his third chocolate cake of the day, followed by chatting about everything under the sun until he had to go.  It was great.

Happy 75th Birthday!

March 05, 2018 by Adam in Lohring

Happy birthday, dad.  Danica nicely sent along all these great pictures of you as a kid.  I'm hoping I age as well as you and run around as much as you do when I'm your age.

End of the Weekend

March 05, 2018 by Adam in Family

I'm not sure exactly what I did this weekend.  I took care of Joanna and the kids and managed a shopping trip in there, running into Tom Brase, one of Emma's friend's dad.  Sam was off and about, though we all got together for pizza and Mythbusters.  Emma and I played a fair bit of Terraria, it's steady progress strangely calming.  Sam and Emma made brownies Saturday morning which ended up being pretty tasty.  I continue to fret, though I managed eight hours of sleep last night.

Mochaless Friday

March 02, 2018 by Adam in Family

I haven't had a mocha today which makes me a little sad.  The morning has been a bit of a whirlwind, though I'm finally settling down at work.  I'm craving a bit of routine after the last few days of travel.  Joanna has some health issues she's sorting through, and I fret about Bob and Danica and Yayoe.  Apparently I'm a fretter.

It's date night tonight and hopefully we can get some quiet hang out time this weekend.  The weather is good and I'm hoping we can sneak outside a little.

Back from Salt Lake City

March 01, 2018 by Adam in Family

I'm pretty worn out, having landed at around 11 o'clock in Eugene from my whirlwind trip to Salt Lake City.  We played One Night Werewolf where we voted who to kill in our little village.  Later in the afternoon we all went to laser tag, running around and shooting our coworkers.  There was quite a bit of meeting new people as we're merging with another team.  We also had a somewhat sad retrospective with the old Mabel team, talking about what worked and what didn't work in hopes we can bring that to our next endevor.

More importantly I have some more clarity as to what I'm doing next.  I'll be working with Jonathan to get another product's release ready to go in the short term.  I'm also back in the security role, looking for vulnerabilities in our software and implementing security related features.  Hopefully it's interesting without the craziness of front line incident response at a hospital system.

In terms of the rest of the family, I think everyone is doing okay.  Joanna somehow held everyone together and even got the garbage out to the curb last night.