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I just finished my first day at national Camp...
July 31, 2007 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
 I just finished my first day at national Campus Compact! I'm still nervous about the transition, but am also very excited about the possibility of making real changes that help support Campus Compact VISTAs across the country.
Providence is great, and I can walk to work until it gets too cold, when I can take the bus. It's the same size as Eugene, and has the same feel. I also spend my free time cooking, which seems to swallow up lots of time, in the best possible way! This is my new kitchen, with a gas stove and the cooking supplies of a baker's daughter.
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Hi, all
July 30, 2007 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, all. This summer has been crazy busy, with getting the upstairs bedroom and the bathroom remodeled, getting the outside of the house ready to paint, and getting the back yard ready for the new house planning to begin. At the same time, it's been fun, with having time with Dez, Emma and Sam.
Here's my schedule. Anna and I leave from Portland on themorning of August 6th, and get into Newark that afternoon. Meggie, I have been hoping that we could stay with you on the night of the 6th and 7th, and then try to
make arrangements to stay with the Lewis family in Bethesda.
Anna and I will be back in Newark on the afternoon of the 13th, and she'll leave for Portland the next morning. I'll take the train up to Providence and spend a week getting acquainted with Providence and spending time with Sadie. I go back to Newark, and leave on August 21st for Madrid. From Madrid I go to Gibralter to spend time with Sandy, returning on the 28th. More later, love, mom
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It's Sunday already
July 29, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's Sunday already. I survived without Jamie fairly well so far, though admittedly I had a little help. Friday night was our normal swimming night, though poor Emma complained the salt water hurt her hurt toe and spent the entire time out of the pool. She ended up assembling a lounge chair out of foam exercise weights, so she wasn't too bored.
Saturday was a whirlwind of activity which included a hearty breakfast, a trip to the library, and walking over to Saturday market. At the end of that, both kids were pretty cranky so we hung out at home and had some quiet time. Then we had a short trip to Fred Meyer's to get food and pool supplies. Each kid also got a little treat for themselves, Sam picking out a watch and Emma getting a pink chair. Sam spent the rest of the day announcing the time every five minutes.
In the evening, Dave, Josh, and Kirsten came over. They entertained the kids while I made a big dinner. After filling 'em up on pasta and corn, I had them move the last of the big furniture around. Sam now has an actual bed and the guest bed is in Emma's room. Both kids slept on their new beds last night.
We also had some excitement with the pool in the back yard. Saturday morning we went out to find the upper ring deflated. Evidently the raccoons had returned. We reinflated it and taped it up. Since the pool water was filthy, we turned on the filters all day, dumped in huge amounts of bleach, and scooped out all the bugs and detritus. At the end of the day, the water was actually fairly clean looking.
As for today, well, I'd love to rest. Theoretically Jamie returns sometime. We'll see how it goes.
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It's Mocha Friday, though I haven't actually ...
July 27, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's Mocha Friday, though I haven't actually gotten my beverage of choice yet. I suspect I'll swing by Starbucks on the drive into work.
We've hit another milestone in the Miller-Mellor household. Sam is now mostly moved downstairs to the guest bedroom. The mattress is on the floor, but he has his dresser and books, along with his homemade ugly doll named Ogg.
The funniest part was coming home last night and being handed a blue badge with "Authority" written on it in metallic colors. Jamie's was silver, which means she could go into Sam's room during the day if she knocks first. I, of course, got a gold badge, which means I have full access. Poor Emma is badgeless, so she would knock patiently and wait for Sam to say "come in".
I'm not sure how Emma feels about the move. This is the first time she's had a room to herself. I'd ask her and she'd say it was "horrible" or something along those lines. Last night when we were putting her to bed, she was folding clothes and fixing up her room the way she wanted. I think she'll be just fine.
Jamie and I were a little tense last night. It's been a rough week at work for me and having the kids full time this Summer has been harder than she expected. Hopefully this weekend away will be relaxing for her. I suspect my kid-filled weekend will be less than quiet, but fun nonetheless.
Tonight is swimming, which I can hopefully coordinate with Jenny. Tomorrow is the library and Humble Bagel. I think we'll be hosting Dave and Josh in the evening. With luck I can get them to help me move the rest of the furniture around for the kids' bedrooms. As for Sunday, well, maybe we'll take a hike or go to the playground. We'll see how it goes.
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We're now in Oslo, definitely a less gorgeous...
July 26, 2007 by Meg in Lytton
We're now in Oslo, definitely a less gorgeous and less charming place than Bergen. It's a bustling city, with public bikes you can borrow that have little transmitters on them and some mechanism for registering them, so life is not totally idyllic. The palace, however, has no gates and the Parliament building takes up 2/3 of a small block that it shares with a women's dress shop for the 20s crowd.
Mikayla is finally nearly better, though still weak, just recovering her appetite and intermittently nauseated. We extended our stay in the lovely hotel in Bergen instead of going on the overnight cruise up the fjord and northward to Alesund. We found out, when we cancelled, that all 3 cruise boats were beset by bad gastrointestinal illness outbreaks so it may have been a silver lining that only Kayla, not all 3 of us, ended up getting sick this trip!
Dick and I did do tourist things in Bergen--rode the funicular to the top on the mtn behind, breathtaking views, walked down the hill past houses squeezed in against the mtn in all orientations, with hairpin streets. I wonder how they manage in the snow?! It may not be all that bad--I met a guy on the train that said it usually gets no colder than about 0 Celcius, I assume because of the Gulf Stream. We also went to the Bryggensmuseum, a collection of excavated remains from Bergen's early days, when it was a collection of houses for fishning trade and then a bigger port that the Hanseatic League, a merchants' guild that ultimately set fish prices and made the rulers beholden to it because of tax revenues it paid.
Also fascinating was the Leper Museum, which was open until the mid 1940s. For some reason, there was a lot of leprosy in Norway, especially along the Western coast. The lepers, as well as anyone with any undiagnosed, ugly skin problem, were isolated in hopitals. Hansen, the Medical Director at the hospital in Bergen, was the first person to isolate the organism, Mycobacterium leprosum. It's is a very noninfectious infection and he tried all sorts of animals models to prove that the organism was the cause of leprosy (only armadilos and some rare bird work, though someone finally grew it on mouse foot pads). There was international skepticism about his theory so, out of frustration, he finally injected the organism into an unwilling female patient (I think he injected himself, the assistant medical director and a few assistants first, without success). She didn't develop the disease but he job as Medical Diractor (he got to stay on as leprosry research director) and the first Norwegian Patient Bill of Rights was deveoped! Ultimately, leprosy was named Hansen's disease. We now have a cure.
As a parting consolation for Mekayla, we bought knit mittens and hat for her in Bergen, then headed to Oslo yesterday (Wednesday) on the wondrous train through extraordinary mountain scenery, past glaciers, through dozens of tunnels chopped through bedrock. Mikayla vomited once, slept lots and was able to walk to dinner (her first meal since we arrived Sunday) to have a little rice. She woke at midnight, hungry, and is ready for breakfast this morning! Great relief here....
Off to the Peace Palace, the Viking ship and the Kon Tiki, etc.
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Jamie made plans to go to the coast with her ...
July 25, 2007 by Adam in Family
Jamie made plans to go to the coast with her mom this weekend, so it looks like I'll have the kids to myself. I'll probably do the typical swimming/library/park activities. Maybe if I can think of something brilliant and interesting, we'll do that too.
Yesterday saw some progress in turning the guest bedroom into Sam's bedroom. Desks were sanded and prepped for painting. Books were moved around. Sam's getting pretty excited about it.
Work continues to be amazingly busy. My brain is tired.
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The week is chugging along
July 24, 2007 by Adam in Family
The week is chugging along. Work is still insane, but not quite to the degree it was yesterday. I got paged at midnight last night, but managed to get up at a reasonable hour and head in to work, only to find a new set of crises to deal with.
Sam slept outside in a tent last night. Jamie and I chatted briefly this morning and decided it was getting to the point where he needed his own room. He and Emma love each other dearly, but they've been spending way too much time together this Summer and Sam needs a place he can call his own.
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Sam decided to follow the tradition of many y...
July 24, 2007 by Adam in Sam
 Sam decided to follow the tradition of many young boys before him and camp outside last night. Emma and I helped find the old, dusty tent that Jamie and I used to hike the Grand Canyon. It was quickly set up and provisioned, with the kids trying it out for much of the evening. There was a brief moment where Jamie didn't want him to stay all night after seeing clouds roll in. Evidently Sam's powers of persuasion are strong and he somehow got the okay.
He stayed outside, reading his Harry Potter book, and didn't come in until just a few minutes ago. Since it was 6:30 in the morning, I think he got a little cold or bored or something. Last I saw him, he was headed upstairs to the relative warmth of his own bed.
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I'm so sorry that I've been out of touch of l...
July 23, 2007 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
I'm so sorry that I've been out of touch of late! I'm in the midst of Pre-Service Orientation with Michigan, Massachusetts and Rhode Island Campus Compact- quite the national precident! I'm very sorry for missing your birthday, Adam. I do hope that all of this east coast business will translate into the perfect job, house, and life next door to you very soon.
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Periodically, I really earn my keep at work
July 23, 2007 by Adam in Adam
Periodically, I really earn my keep at work.
Today I woke up around 4:45 in the morning, a little later than I'd planned. The alarm didn't go off at 4 am, and the lazy part of my brain let me sleep in a little.
Then it was off to work to help with the final part of a server migration. This is the one that everyone in the organization uses, so it's a pretty big deal. As expected, things went horribly wrong in a variety of unexpected ways. Our whole team has been working away to resolve the issues and only now, around 3:30 pm, feel like we have a handle on things.
So, jobs are running and I think I actually get to go home at a reasonable hour. I'm on call tonight, but I'm hoping I don't get paged. I really want some blissful sleep for tonight.
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Generic Heading
July 23, 2007 by Dick in Lytton
PS: Happy Birthday to Adam and Sue!!!
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Hi all! We're in Bergen, Norway! We left from...
July 23, 2007 by Meg in Lytton
Hi all! We're in Bergen, Norway! We left from Newark, NJ airport Sat PM, after driving to Dick's Mom's for lunch and to leave our car. We took Amtrak to the airport and SAS to Stockholm, then on to Bergen. Sweden looks like Minnesota and upper midwest USA--same geologic forces at work.It's flat with lots of lakes, though there are flat, scoured-down mtns. that you can walk on top of, if you don't mind the wind. Norway, on the other hand, is unbelievably mountainous, with snow in spots even now. There are isolated houses and small villages but most of the country seems clustered along the coast. The fjords were created by the weight of snow and ice pushing the river valleys to enormous depths, up to 1250 m, 10 times deeper than most of the Norwegian sea.
Bergen is on a decent-sized plain by the sea but there is a larger "community" spread over many nearby islands and peninsulas. Bergen is lovely,clean from the nearly daily rains. The people nearly all speak English quite fluently (we only had to sign "binoculars")because it is taught from 1st grade on. The language is close enough to English that we figure out some signs. The people have been very friendly and helpful. The country seems very relaxed and accepting, although the tour book says public drunkeness and drunk driving are definite no-nos. Gays seem to be quietly accepted. They haven't been in a war (except The Resistence during WWII), don't have guns and have about 1 murder per week in the entire country.
Fish, meat and dairy are the staples here but we spotted Chinese, Thai, and Mongolian restaurants, as well as (yep, you guessed it) McDonalds and 7-Eleven. No American ice cream or ices--a definite shortcoming.
I sat with 2 young Swedish guys on the flight over--almost flawless English, without accents because lots of TV is in English. Apparently, Conan, Leno and Letterman are big hits. The Scans watch in English but the Germans have it dubbed with German. The Nords and Swedes are not totally enamored of each other. The Swedish guys said Danish is hard to read because they do weird things with consonants and that Finnish is closer to Russian so harder to understand. The Swedes have the same school year and school vacations that we have, with 12 years of school. College acceptance is based strictly on school grades, though school "slackers" can get a second chance by taking a 5 hr one-time exam that is not required if people have good grades. Sports and extra curricular activities have no bearing. University is paid for by the government and is 3 to 5 yrs long, including medicine and law and architecture. Architecture seems a popular career and the designs in our hotel reflect this.
There is a museum about the Hanseatic League era (the League had a monopoly and set fish prices here, even dictating the size and structure of shops). Greigg, whose home is about 7 km from town, is the home-town celebrity.
We haven't seen much of the town yet because Mikayla got sick and is still recovering. She started to vomit as we landed in Stockholm and continued through this AM. She has been sleeping about 2-3 hrs so I hope she'll be better when she wakes(it's 3 PM). We did get in a walk around downtown yesterday. We are arranging to stay here another day and will take an 5 hr fjord trip to Flam, then the famous train trip over the mtns to Oslo on Wednesday. Dick and the hotel and tour people have been great about quick plan changes.
As usual, this has been one of my over-long posts but I'll use it for our journal too.
Meg
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The weekend is coming to a close
July 23, 2007 by Adam in Family
 The weekend is coming to a close. I think I've milked the maximum number of birthdays possible. Last night Jamie made a birthday dinner for Josh, my mom, and I. Today at noon my mom and I celebrated at Jenny's house. That's a lotta birthday. It was fun chatting with my family and Isabell, Destin, and Jordan played in the pool.
Friday night the kids and I swam. On Saturday, Sam, Josh, Dave and I went to the Transformers movie and enjoyed the quality of the explosions. Later Emma and I went to the library together where she happily wolfed down a bagel.
The main excitement of the weekend was finding raccoons had eaten holes in the tubes leading to the pool, presumably looking to get at the juicy dead bugs inside. Today Sam, Emma, and I went to TruValue to get new ones. We stopped by Metropol bakery to eat pastries and drink too much coffee (I did the coffee, they did the pastries).
Of course, tomorrow is the big day at work. I'm waking up at 4 am to check how the server upgrade went. I suspect I'll be fielding help desk calls until late in the afternoon. There's always weird things that pop up. "I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue" is a phrase often muttered after a server upgrade.
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I am recovering today from yesterdays 13 hour...
July 22, 2007 by Seraph in Cortez
I am recovering today from yesterdays 13 hour reading marathon. I picked up the final HP book Sat at 12:01am, and after a few hours sleep, proceeded to read until 8:30 last night! I won't give away any of the plot, but I was quite pleased with the ending.
Robbie and Isa were in Eugene getting the book with some old friends.
I want to wish both Mom and Adam happy birthdays. I'm thinking about you all!
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Sam's playing a new online adventure game cal...
July 22, 2007 by Adam in Sam
 Sam's playing a new online adventure game called Chore Wars. I told Jamie that there was a computer game that she'd want him to play all the time. She initially scoffed, but then admitted I was right once I explained it. Sam's character is Samtastic, a first level Barbarian with a couple adventures under his belt. Yesterday he put his shoes away and this morning he put away his clothes. Soon he'll take on the biggest adventure of his short adventuring career, cleaning the pool. There's a 20% chance of finding a +2 Discarded Swimming Suit of Power. Wish him luck.
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I finally got to use the gym at work yesterda...
July 20, 2007 by Adam in Adam
I finally got to use the gym at work yesterday for a quick stair-stepper session. Today I was able to use the weights as well.
It's pretty amazing, from big, clean locker rooms to huge amounts of different exercise machines. To top it off, there was only one other person in there, making it feel like it was my own private gym.
The only odd thing was the security cameras. I best not do anything too embarrassing lest it show up on YouTube or something.
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Mocha Friday
July 20, 2007 by Adam in Family
Mocha Friday. I cheated and stopped by Starbuck's on the way to work this morning. I'm not yet brave enough to try the cafeteria here at work.
Last night was a pretty low-key birthday celebration. I got a card from my dad and Yayoe, complete with Old Navy gift certificates. Emma made a card and gave me her coveted lucky kitty statue. Sam drew me a map of Samatopia. Jamie bought me cheesecake from Metropol. It was all good.
Jamie was pretty tired last night, so I spent a fair bit of time with the kids. They were in good spirits, so it was a pleasure. Emma played in the sand box while Sam swam in the pool. Later we played assorted odd student games from the Experimental Gameplay site. They were both enamored of Cacodaemon's Barbecue Party in Hell, which involves spinning a cute little kitty and then tossing it in the oven. Good times.
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I came across a page that has links to Eugene...
July 19, 2007 by Adam in Adam
I came across a page that has links to Eugene blogs. Most are dull or out of date, but a few stand out. Creative Overload Junction has a bunch of knitting projects that Jamie might like (there's a pirate cap at the bottom of the page). Though it's old, Places to go when you're bored in Eugene had some interesting tidbits. Discover Eugene seemed to have lots of daily content, though it didn't have much personality.
There's lots of personal blogs, such as Following Edge, Between the Miles (running), and more.
It's funny how geography and technology mix.
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It's my birthday today
July 19, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's my birthday today. 38 years old.
I just finished having breakfast with my mom. There was some mix-up over which Glenwood to go to, but she dutifully drove across town twice in order to make it happen. I was entertained by a gaggle of teenage girls reading Harry Potter out loud, which both amused and made me feel a little old.
It's a strange feeling sneaking up on 40. I don't feel especially old. I'm probably in the best physical shape I've ever been. Just the other day I was tossing around 100+ lbs of kids in the play room. I can still pick up both kids and spin them around in circles, which is the best justification of hitting the gym I've ever heard.
As for the rest of the family, everyone's doing well. Jamie and I had our date night last night while Josh, Dave, and Kirsten took the kids to the park. We watched Coupling, our favorite BBC show, which is like Friends but lots more funny.
Now I'm at work, slowly catching up with odd requests. I'm still getting settled in my new cubicle. Writing "Cube Sweet Cube" on the whiteboard seemed to help.
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Well, I'm in my new cubicle in my new place a...
July 18, 2007 by Adam in Adam
 Well, I'm in my new cubicle in my new place across town. It's pretty odd driving over to Springfield. I think I've figured out the fastest route, about 16 minutes via the various highways. All the Portland folks are probably giggling at my complaints, but it's a big change from a ten minute bike ride.
The building itself is relatively nice and new. I finally unpacked everything this morning, surrounding myself with familiar photos and trinkets. With my plants all around, it's starting to feel somewhat homey.
I've got orientation for the gym in an hour or so. I tried to work out yesterday, but it turned out I needed to be shown something or another before I can be trusted to touch the equipment. Maybe I shouldn't have been licking the dumbbells all these years.
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If I had been born thirty years later, would ...
July 18, 2007 by Sue in Wielesek
If I had been born thirty years later, would making air reservations be so neurosis producing? I just realized that I gave myself only two hours to get off an international flight and onto a domestic flight. Bob's Anna and I leave Portland on August 6 and fly into Newark. We tour grad schools, and she flies back on the 14th. I have the next five or six days to travel to Providence and visit with Sadie, then head to Madrid on the 21st. Back to PDX on the 28th. What a treat! Love to all, mom
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Happy belated birthday to you Adam! I hope t...
July 17, 2007 by Seraph in Cortez
 Happy belated birthday to you Adam! I hope the change to you new offices is going well. Any natural light?
Work here has been a bit nutty lately. The endless cycle of not quite catching my breath!
It rained in PDX last night, making it hard to get going this morning. It was one of those days were you want to curl up in front of the fire with a good book.
Isa is excited about the prospect of swimming lessons in the rain! She thought it would be funny to get wet in and out of the water.
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We're back home
July 17, 2007 by Adam in Family
 We're back home.
The birthday surprise was an "ultimate" spa treatment. It was kinda fun in a vaguely girly self-indulgent way. I think I dozed off a few times during the wrap and massage.
The only thing of note is that upon our return, we found our pool completely filled with algae. The pool cover came off and turned it a cheerful green color. Of course, Sam had to jump in and swim around. He insisted I call him Swamp Thing and he repeatedly emerged to wreck vengeance upon the surface dwellers.
The kids are now in bed, winding down for sleep. I go to my new work tomorrow. Ah, change.
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Today is my last day in the Center for Commun...
July 16, 2007 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
 Today is my last day in the Center for Community Engagement at Williams College. I arrived at work and found that Human Resources had already removed me from the network, leaving my email and intranet locked. With my supervisor being gone for the last week and absent on my last day of work, I can't imagine a more clear message from all sides of the institution to leave. No secret surprise party. Oh well.
However, I had a great time in Providence this weekend, moving the bulk of my things into my new apartment, with my new room mate. I'm so glad Mason came to help, not only for his truck and stamina in carrying heavy boxes up three flights of stairs, but to confirm how wonderful Vanessa is. I'm really excited to move, and am sure this will be a great space to live in.
This week, Mason and I are going on a canoeing, hiking, camping extravaganza for three days- a much needed break from my computer!
Jenny, I'm so glad you've found a new, friendlier employer! What nice news.
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I'm posting from the Bonneville Hot Springs R...
July 16, 2007 by Adam in Family
I'm posting from the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa. Jamie drove us out of Portland yesterday, where we stopped by a waterfall and then headed across the Bridge of the Gods into Washington. I finally guessed the hot springs as our destination, going off her clue that I should bring a swimming suit while packing.
The resort is nice, very new. The spa itself is essentially a swimming pool and a couple hot tubs, filled with mineral water. There's even a hot tub in our room that's filled with the water from the spring. We've been exceedingly lazy, swimming, lounging about, and generally taking it easy. It's been quite nice.
As for today, we're heading out at eleven this morning, going to some other unknown destination. Jamie's calling it my birthday present, so we'll see what that means soon enough.
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It's Saturday morning and as usual, I'm up an...
July 15, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's Saturday morning and as usual, I'm up and about before anyone else. We're still at Jim and Judy's house. The mysterious anniversary event starts today, I think, though Jamie has done remarkably well keeping it a secret.
On Friday Sam and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. I though it was quite good, though Sam said it was short and left out a lot of the events from the book. Sam's moved on to the classics since finishing Harry Potter, finishing Alice in Wonderland last night.
I was going to go to Flicks and Picks to pay my final respects, but heard the news that 10,000 videos from their collection were going to be purchased by the Eugene public library. That's a perfect solution, in my opinion. Most of our movies already come from the library, and the thought that my childhood is preserved in that way fills me with hope.
Friday night was a typical swimming night. The kids had a great time as usual and we stayed a little past the point where they got tired and loopy. Towards the end they were constructing boats out of floatation devices, attacking them with sea monsters and trying to get their yellow duckies across the wide sea.
The trip up to Portland yesterday was uneventful. Everyone has a good time here, in part for the change of pace and new toys. Jim and Judy took the kids to a fountain while Jamie and I went to Fry's to wander the halls of electronica and return with a couple headphones and highlighters.
As for today, who knows? I think the mystery will be revealed after breakfast. Should be fun.
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I got a new job, dr bob is in the past, i now...
July 14, 2007 by Jenny in Jenny
I got a new job, dr bob is in the past, i now work for dr huling, and let me tell u he is a its a wounderful enviroment.life is now relaxed so i'll be in touch. Seraph i would like to send dez up for a week over the summer let me know what works? All our love to sll. life is so great now.
jen
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Well, we aren't going to Portland just yet
July 13, 2007 by Adam in Family
 Well, we aren't going to Portland just yet. There was some miscommunication between Jamie and her mom, so we're heading up tomorrow. I thought about going in to work today, but decided to instead do fun things such as go to the library, take the kids swimming, and see the new Harry Potter movie. I might swing by Flicks and Picks to give my last respects and maybe pick up a movie or two at their sale.
Last night I was so tired, so much so that I was a little on the grumpy side. I fell asleep on the couch next to Emma as she watched some show. We also worked on "experiments", including the old standby, corn starch, water, and food coloring. Later in the evening I perked right up, but it took awhile.
Everyone helped me move into my new cubicle yesterday. The kids were great for the first half, and then got pretty wacky towards the end. I got my plants moved over and watered them heavily. My computer got plugged in and turned on, connecting to the network just fine. When Tuesday comes, I guess I'll be as ready as I'll ever be.
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It's my final day working in the Support Serv...
July 12, 2007 by Adam in Family
It's my final day working in the Support Services building next to Sacred Heart. At lunch today, I'm going to be going home, grabbing my family, and moving everything off to the new place. It's in the old Sony building, clear across town. There's a gym, which is good, and free parking, which is also good. The room itself seems like a sea of gray cubicles, without much character.
I did my last bike ride coming in this morning. It was warm and gorgeous, and I wore a t-shirt with no jacket. It's days like this that I'll miss.
Last night Jamie and I went out on a date, going to Oakway mall for dinner and shopping. I picked up some boxer shorts with cephalopods, which made my day.
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Jamie pointed out today that our anniversary ...
July 10, 2007 by Adam in Adam
Jamie pointed out today that our anniversary was on Sunday. Both of us completely forgot since we're doing our celebration of the even this upcoming weekend. We've been married 12 years. I guess by that time, every moment is like an anniversary.
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I had a whopping headache this morning, mostl...
July 10, 2007 by Adam in Family
I had a whopping headache this morning, mostly controlled by a combination of Cafe Mocha and Advil. Supposedly it's going to reach 100 degrees today, so the thought of sitting quietly in an air conditioned building was greatly appealing.
Jamie was getting the pool ready for the kids today. I think even Emma might enjoy a dip in the cool water once the temperature gets up there. Sam and John went swimming for a long while yesterday. I think Sam's inventing new pool games, such as running around the perimeter and creating a whirl pool effect. Great fun.
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We had a wonderful weekend by ourselves at Ka...
July 09, 2007 by Robbie in Cortez
We had a wonderful weekend by ourselves at Kah-Nee-Tah resort. My mom came up on Friday and she stayed the weekend with Isabell. Seraph and I left Friday evening and arrived around 8:30. It's really beautiful out there, as we saw wild turkey cross the road a head of us. Dinner anybody! We saw a lot of wild horses roaming the hills and trotting down the road, as we slowed down and watched with awe. When we we arrived, we checked into our room, ventured around the hotel, and headed over to the bar, where they played some truly horrible 80's music. It was so bad, it made us laugh, of course a few rounds of alcohol helped a lot. Can't say it helped when morning came around.
Saturday morning we staggered out of bed, had breakfast headed down to the village, explored a bit and then we went down to Warm Springs and went to the museum there. They have many wonderful displays on Native culture and about the destruction of Celilo Falls. After that we headed back up to our hotel, napped for two hours, and headed to a traditional salmon bake, where they bake the fish on stakes around a fire. Great food, and afterwards the Native children danced for us, with other hotel children joining in and dancing around. We went back to our hotel and decided to go swimming, where we found the wind whipping around us, and the water frozen. After 15 minutes as frozen peguins, we waddled over to the hot tub and de-thawed. Later, we went back to the bar, had ONLY one drink, we went back to our room and read books.
Sunday, we went down to the village to get pedicures, SHHH...don't tell anyone. It felt great, and secretly will have to do that again. After that, we checked out, explored the fish hatchery, ate at Timberline Lodge, and headed home to find a spoiled child, waiting for us. Over all a great weekend!
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My rainy Monday mix:
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July 09, 2007 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
My rainy Monday mix:
1. Whole Wide World, Wreckless Eric
2. Martha My Dear, The Beatles
3. Queen Bitch, David Bowie
4. Fire it Up, Modest Mouse
5. Automatic Stop, The Strokes
6. Lust for Life, Iggy Pop
7. I wanna be Sedated, The Ramones
8. Should I Stay or Should I go, The Clash
9. Beast of Burden, The Rolling Stones
10. Piano Man, Ghostland Observatory
11. See You on the Moon!, Greatlake Swimmers
12. Be the One, Little Barrie
13. Brand New Colony, The Postal Service
14. Deborah, Beck
This weekend I saw an exhibit at the Williams College Museum of Art about Gerald and Sara Murphy, who seemed to be bff with the who's who in twentieth century arts and letters. I mean, who gets their children's art judged by Picasso? Who is turned into characters for Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night? These people, as it turns out. It just goes to show how being rich at the right time and place can really get you friends and influence people.
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Everyone's back again and we had a wonderful ...
July 09, 2007 by Adam in Family
 Everyone's back again and we had a wonderful day yesterday. I whipped up breakfast for a change while Jamie went to the gym. Sam read Harry Potter while Emma and I painted. Later we went to Hendrick's Park to fly a kite, play Frisbee, and run around. Humble Bagel followed, with Emma striking up a conversation with a fellow bagel-goer. Upon return was Night at the Museum for Sam (Care Bears for Emma). Jamie visited with Angie and I had a few moments to myself.
When I went to return the movies, I sadly discovered that Flicks and Picks was closing, the store where I'd rented videos since I was a kid. I sadly handed over a video for the last time and returned to the car to find Emma fast asleep. I carried her to the guest bedroom in her princess dress. She looked just like sleeping beauty.
The kids went to Bob's house for dinner. Emma picked a bunch of blueberries for me. Jamie and I made dinner together and watched part of some overly dramatic Johnny Depp movie. It made for a busy, funny, happy day.
Now I'm heading into work in a few hours. The days are counting down, with everyone coming to work on Thursday to help me pack and move to the new place. Very odd.
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A week ago, I took the kids to Elephant's Tru...
July 09, 2007 by Adam in Sam
 A week ago, I took the kids to Elephant's Trunk at 5th Street Market. Sam saw an Ugly Doll there, these odd, distorted soft toys for non-traditional kids. Well, Sam really wanted an Ugly Doll, to the point where he was seriously thinking about cracking open his piggy bank and shelling out the $20 for one.
When he came home and told Jamie, she said she'd make one for him. Even better, it would be of his own design. Soon enough, Sam sketched out a one-eyed, three-tentacled monstrosity and they went to get some felt. Jamie did the sewing and Sam added the stuffing. Soon Ogg, the home-grown Ugly Doll was born.
Sam hit another big milestone last night, finishing the 6th Harry Potter book. The series really turned him into a serious reader. When he started a year ago, he was slowly sounding out words and managing picture books on occasion. Now he can read a couple chapters a night. He explained to me how when he reads, he doesn't sound out the words any more, but is instead transported to a different world.
Now he's reading a book about Sasquatch, at least until the last Harry Potter book comes out.
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HI There,
It's been so long since I last pos...
July 07, 2007 by Yayoe in Yayoe
HI There,
It's been so long since I last posted a family entry so here goes. Lohring is at his second national boat race in San Jose, California and due back on the 15th. The last one was in Washington. During that race I snuck a rubber chicken in his duffle bag and it turned out to be the best present yet. All the boat-head guys wanted their picture taken with it so now Lohring and the rubber chicken are famous.
On this trip I snuck a flying pig into his suitcase but he wasn't so crazy about it. It oinks as it flys through the air. Next time I'll find something real sinister to sneak into his luggage so that he gets arrested at the airport!
Tonight I'm taking a break from painting our living room wall. It's definately a big shock in terms of color.I wonder if I will scream in the morning when I wake up and see what mischief I have created. I almost called 911 after the first coat of paint went on the wall. Yikes!
My adventure at the Portland Uke Festival and camp was just amazing. Think of 130 uke players from all over the USA playing their ukes, taking classes and workshops and jamming in the evening. Then evening concerts back to back with famous uke/jazz players who play several instruments. We stayed at Reed College in the dorms and ate fabulous meals on campus. Looks like this will be an annual trek for me while Lohring does his boats.
By now you've all seen the article about Josh and his job as staff surfer. He has 5 surboards in his living room instead of furniture and now I know why. He's smitten with surfing. Gotta give him credit for getting paid to do it! Little Kekoa Marvit is a little over 2 months old now! Can you imagine Josh surfing with him in just a few years! Wow...Aloha for now.
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I stepped on a bee last night while I was wat...
July 06, 2007 by Adam in Adam
I stepped on a bee last night while I was watering the garden. It hurt like the dickens for a few minutes, though I got the stinger out very quickly and took some Advil. The worst part is that there was no one to fuss over me, since my whole family was out of town.
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I actually finished a game last night, S
July 06, 2007 by Adam in Adam's Games
I actually finished a game last night, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (yes, it has all those periods in the title). It was from a Russian developer, which probably reflects its greatest strengths and weaknesses. It had lots of style and a lot of bad endings. The best was merely surviving and making the world a slightly better place. It was also difficult in many ways, with a strict weight limit, weapons and armor that broke down over time, requirements for food, dangerous radiation, and endless enemies that were often tougher than you.
I did pretty well, right up until the final levels. I found myself at the Chernobyl power plant without medical equipment, my armor in tatters, and extremely tough enemies all around. I got reasonably far using a run and hide approach, but this became impossible at the very end. Eventually I gave in after my 20th reload, downloading a trainer and making myself invulnerable for the rest of the game.
I still have Jade Empire to finish, though I'm not sure when I'll find the time to work on that next. Mostly I'm keeping my play time open until Bioshock arrives next month. That should be entertaining.
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It's Mocha Friday, the last one at my current...
July 06, 2007 by Adam in Family
It's Mocha Friday, the last one at my current place of work. I'm still not sure what I'll do once I start going mobile, driving a car each day. Maybe I'll make one for myself at home before I head out.
I survived my night alone at Casa del Miller-Mellor. I admittedly played a bit of video games, which I rarely get to do when I have famiily about. There was also a tremendous amount of work to be done, from watering plants, doing laundry, doing dishes, and so on. My exciting Friday evening plans involve going food shopping and finishing laundry.
Everyone should be back tomorrow afternoon. I'll probably make myself a hearty breakfast and go to Farmer's Market. I should probably relax a bit, while I can, as I suspect Jamie will want lots of alone time when she returns.
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While nothing exciting has happened in Willia...
July 05, 2007 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
While nothing exciting has happened in Williamstown, my good friend Mauricio's wife, Maria Jose, just had a baby! His name in Thomas, and he is sure to love their cobblestone street in Durham, England. It feels like a small victory for life and goodness. I hope little Thomas grows up to have an English-Uruguayan accent!
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It's been a fairly quiet week so far, except ...
July 05, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's been a fairly quiet week so far, except for yesterday where America joined together to show their patriotism by blowing things up. We celebrated over at the Musgroves' where Jeff had purchased a massive arsenal of fireworks. Emma thought they were pretty neat until they got to the loud ones. Sam stayed late and got driven home, then switching to our balcony to watch the ones around town.
It looks like Jamie and the kids are going to the coast today. It was a spur of the moment decision, trying to come up with something to stay cool and entertain the kids for a few days. Fortunately for Jamie, I usually transform that weird, jittery feeling when my family's away into compulsive house work. I'm not sure I'll have time to create a master bedroom suite or add in a hot tub, but I'm sure I'll think of something.
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Happy Fourth
July 04, 2007 by Sue in Wielesek
Happy Fourth. I hope that our country will sometime live up to the ethical expections and hopes of the Founding Fathers.
Then again, maybe if they'd had some Founding Mothers and didn't think that slavery was okay...
I now have a sort of Mud Flat where the deck used to be, and
with the help of Cervando Lopez, a fifty year old guy who spends from December through May with his wife, children and
grandchildren in Chiuahua (that spelling is not even close) things are gradually being readied to start construction on the little house. There will probably be a long delay in getting building permits, but I wanted to get all the front house repair, and the excavation, done. Then I can see what
the location will look like. I want to arrange for a cistern, too.
It's been helpful to have him stay at the house He's been staying in Eric's room, which has a bathroom, while I
stay at Bob's. I learned yesterday that the beautiful toilet
that I bought in Portland can't be installed because it needs a modifier package, apparently not available on this planet.
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At the library I picked up the horror film 28...
July 02, 2007 by Adam in Adam
 At the library I picked up the horror film 28 Days Later. A couple weeks ago, Dave delivered Jim's old treadmill. I tried it out while watching the film, finding horror films to be highly motivating. After 30 minutes or so, I stopped and went to bed.
Unfortunately I ended up having zombie nightmares all night, which is a rarity for me. This morning I popped out the DVD from my computer, put it away, and likely won't finish the film.
I feel old.
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The weekend has come and gone
July 02, 2007 by Adam in Family
The weekend has come and gone. There weren't really a lot of big events or exciting stories. It was fun, pleasant, and somewhat relaxing. Friday night I went swimming with the kids. The hour flew by like it was nothing, with everyone having a great time. Now that Emma can move around so well in the water, it's a lot more fun for everyone.
Saturday was pancakes, eggs, and espresso, then a trip to the library and Humble Bagel with the kids. Sam picked up Piratology, which has lots of cool things to fiddle with inside. I think it's become Emma's favorite new book. We then had quiet time, watching movies, then playing a little in the pool and sandbox. Evening came and went without too much excitement.
Sunday's highlights were a trip to 5th Street Market and the kids playing with Sierra in the afternoon. I got some gardening in and bothered Jamie in the kitchen. She and Sam made egg noodles from scratch, which got turned into great noodle soup. Dave and Kirsten came over that night, where we drank martinis and had a delicious meal. The kids watched the old Fantasia and really enjoyed it.
Now it's Monday. I'm going to take a field trip to my new office in a half an hour. It's the first time I've seen things all set up. Next Thursday I'll move my stuff over, right before our anniversary trip to Portland. Ah, change.
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The weekends bookending the Fourth of July ...
July 02, 2007 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
The weekends bookending the Fourth of July in Williamstown are ridiculous, and I generally try to stay off Spring Street to avoid the Williamstown Theatre Festival crowds. This weekend, I sewed, finished an 800-page novel called Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel and painted two of my favorite chairs cranberry.
Last week, on a hot afternoon, a few of my friends and I went to Images and watched Mansfield Park- the benefit of having a room mate who works at a little theatre is the private showings. We ate earl grey ice cream and had a very old New England time.
This picture is of Josh, Yayoe's son, at the best possible job in the world- taking water samples of beautiful Hawaii beaches, using a surfboard.
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