Ghosts of Saltmarsh

April 30, 2022 by Adam in Adam's Games

I've been DMing the Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign with old friends about once a month.  We finished our third session where they managed to board and capture the Sea Ghost.  I'd spent months printing it out, gluing it together and staining it, so it was a treat to finally unveil it for the players.  They loved it and the ability to disassemble the structure worked really well.

It was a long session where they finished clearing out the haunted house and made a scramble for the ship.  The captain and crew didn't give up the ship willingly, but after a bloody fight our brave party was victorious.

Mocha Friday

April 29, 2022 by Adam in Family

Life goes on, quirks and all.  My headphones got stuck in a weird mode this morning, making them essentially unusable.  We had another work departure, fortunately more client-support and not from our tight little team.  Still, the cherry tree is in blossom and looking lovely.  Joanna and I played a funny card game for our date night.  Tomorrow I'm getting together with my D&D friends.  I suppose happiness is mostly a matter of perspective.

I've been a little stressed about health issues this week, though mostly due to the sheer number of things to keep track of more than anything else.  The cortisone shot in my shoulder seems to have improved my range of motion considerably.  I've got a cream to apply to my fingers each morning.  Hopefully my new contacts arrive as my vision continues to be somewhat wonky.  I might have some hypertension issues that I need to follow up with.  Body maintenance seems to require more effort the older I get.

The kids are doing relatively well.  Joanna bought a bunch of lumber for a little free library replacement and farm stand.  I keep printing and painting odd nautical miniatures, and occasionally playing Elden Ring.  I've been snacking on the chocolate cake Seraph made just for me.  And finally today's mocha lifts my spirits considerably.  Life's doin' okay.

Stuck in Seattle

April 26, 2022 by Adam in Family

Joanna and Duncan were supposed to come back late last night, but ended up having to stay in Seattle when the pilot got sick at the last minute.  I stumbled off to bed and they found their hotel somewhere around 1:30 in the morning.  It looks like they've got a flight booked for later this morning, so hopefully we can get them home soon.

I went to my doctor appointment yesterday where I got a cortisone shot in my shoulder to help with pain and range of motion.  Hopefully that and some mild physical therapy can get me back in fighting shape.  It was remarkably sore yesterday evening, but nothing Advil couldn't fix.

Easter Festivities

April 25, 2022 by Adam in Family

Joanna's been off this weekend, so it's just been Ben, Emma and I at home.  Ben's been good-natured though mostly hanging out with friends online.  We did manage to lure him out for pizza and YouTube Saturday night.  Emma and I wandered around Hendrick's Park Saturday afternoon.  We managed some good video game playing off and on.  The evening wrapped up rewatching Die Hard at Emma's request.

Sunday I managed to finish painting the last of the Tekumel miniatures I'm sending to Texas.  Emma left early to help cook at my mom's house for Orthodox Easter Sunday.  After some house projects and mowing the lawn I wandered over as well and hung out with the whole crew for chatting, food, and delicious dessert.  Jamie, Seraph, and Emma made it all happen.

Joanna and Duncan return tonight around midnight.  Hopefully I can stay up that late.

Mocha Friday

April 22, 2022 by Adam in Family

Dr. Arbow's contact experiments continue.  This time it's multifocus lenses.  I had some initial enthusiasm as I could see up close pretty well.  This morning I got up at 4 a.m. to drive Joanna and Duncan to the airport and the blurry signs and stoplights soured me on them completely.  I think I'll ask for my old contacts which have their own flaws, but it works better in ways I care about.

I managed to get Ben out of bed and the cats pilled and fed.  We were running a little late so I drove him to school before heading into my office.  Work is mostly going well in the sense that I think I have a plan in this brave new cloud-based world.  Getting there is going to be exciting.  This weekend should be relatively quiet other than Russian Orthodox Easter on Sunday.  The war in Ukraine certainly sheds a different light on things, so I think there's also a fundraiser and remembrance of Guido's family from Ukraine.

As for me, I keep playing Elden Ring, perhaps slowly reaching the end.  At least more of the map gets uncovered.  I've also decided to wrap up the Tekumel miniatures I've been printing for weeks and get those shipped to Texas.  Now I'm printing nautical creatures for my current campaign.  They've been fun to bring to life.

Easter Weekend

April 18, 2022 by Adam in Family

We had a pleasant three-day weekend, full of projects and hanging out.  Kevin was in town, so he was often around playing video games with kids or taking them to a movie.  He brought us over waffles Sunday morning in appreciation.

Emma and I went to the library for the first time in weeks on Saturday, returning to fix a toilet and solder a broken wire in the 3D printer.  The printer was still having problems, but after thoroughly cleaning the printing plate with Joy detergent and alcohol the problems went away.

Joanna finished our taxes, "winning" with a return instead of a payment.  They also put up bike racks in the basement, drilling holes in the concrete walls to hang them up.  It was a lot of work.

The Easter bunny came on Sunday, perhaps for the last time.  Eggs were strewn about and the teenagers efficiently found them all and returned to consume chocolate.  Funny how these traditions fade.

As for me, I played more Elden Ring, hung out with Emma, watched more Deep Space Nine with Joanna and Emma, and painted miniatures.  Now it's back to work and trying to be responsible again.

Dirty Mocha Friday

April 15, 2022 by Adam in Family

I had the day off today, as did Duncan and Ben. Kevin is in town as well, hanging out with the kids - they're all watching Sonic 2 at the moment. Ben's 15th birthday went well yesterday, with lots of SCP themed gifts and lights and a whiteboard for his room. 

I made Joanna and I French toast this morning, along with my delicious mocha. I played Elden Ring while they worked on taxes. While waiting I jury rigged my 3d printer and got it working.  Eventually we went out to the farm to make raised beds. I moved a lot of soil around and wore myself out.

All is well.

Back Home

April 11, 2022 by Adam in Family

We spent a final day in our oddly wonderful cabin, playing one of the many boardgames we brought and successfully escaping the haunted house (with only a little cheating).  We checked out and went for a hike through the pines, looking out on the high desert forests and occasional swaths of burned trees.  The drive back was a little exciting due to all the snow, but we didn't have to put on chains despite doing a practice drive run in the parking lot before we left.

Then it was back home to relieve Seraph and thank her for watching kids.  Duncan had a really good time at the prom.  Emma bought some books at the library book sale as requested.  The kitties missed us terribly and demanded pets and attention.  This morning it snowed briefly but otherwise has been a cold, wet day.

House projects are vying for our attention - Joanna's cleaning out the upstairs closets, there's a wax seal on a toilet we need to fix, and I've got a heat gun to hopefully melt off the PLA gumming up my 3D printer.  Hopefully I can sneak in some quality Elden Ring gaming tonight as well.

Adventures in Sisters

April 09, 2022 by Adam in Family

I was off work Friday, hanging out and playing video games while we slowly got packed for the weekend. Seraph came over to get briefed on the kids and chat.

The drive over was interesting, passing through places where the fires burned through a couple years ago. Lots of new construction and baby trees.  The pass was snowy, going through another burned section of the forest from a few years back. To quote one of the lunar astronauts, it was beautiful desolation.

We arrived at our cabin late in the day and ate at a nearby brewery. There's been so much growth since we were last in Sisters. I remember it as a little town from my childhood but it's gotten so big.

The cabin is surprisingly large with funny amenities. The most amusing is a full length window in the shower. We can't stop speculating about its purpose.

Mocha Friday

April 08, 2022 by Adam in Family

We're off to Sisters' for a spa and hiking getaway shortly.  I've yet to make my mocha, but that's soon on my agenda.  It's been a relatively uneventful week.  Work's been a bit of a slog through the unknown, but I hopefully am going in the right general direction.  I got my x-ray for my shoulder, which was fine, and I have an MRI scheduled next week.  My second COVID booster was fine - nothing like the second shingles vaccine.  I've also got an eye appointment and annual physical, so hopefully I'll be ship shape and Bristol fashion in no time.

I think the kids are all doing mostly okay, adjusting to the new term.  Emma survived her first late night chem lab.  She likes her TA and it probably helps that everyone wants to go home, so there's less dilly-dallying.  I've given her $16 to spend at the library book sale in my absence.

I did manage to break my 3D printer, which is very sad.  I had a couple prints melt into blobs around the nozzle.  When I cleaned it out, I managed to break a wire and freak everything out.  It might be salvageable or it may be time to replace things.  

Shingles Mocha Friday

April 01, 2022 by Adam in Family

I got my second shingles vaccine yesterday.  I was fine until later in the day when I started to get a headache, chills, and overall feeling like my immune system was gearing up for battle.  I slept pretty badly but have managed my normal morning routine.  Hopefully a mocha and Advil will turn me human again.

Work has been a bit of a slog, but I occasionally feel like I'm making progress.  I miss doing small, comprehensible bits of work instead of the mysterious and complicated work I've had lately.

Hopefully I can get some downtime this weekend.  I weirdly want to spend some time painting miniatures, which keep getting printed.  There's something meditative about bringing them to life - stripping off supports, gluing parts together, and putting on a layer of paint.