Fourteen

May 29, 2017 by Adam in Emma

Emma turned fourteen on Saturday.  We all went out to Ambrosia and gave her a variety of mostly hand made gift certificates.  We took her to the art store to pick up supplies, with Sam and I patiently waiting as Isa, Berry, and Emma browsed and touched and fiddled with all the pens, paper, inks, and so on.  There were a couple video game gifts that Emma has been slowly working on.

I think Emma's year has been better than before.  She's made it through middle school and looking forward to focusing on academics next year.  Hopefully she has a good time.

Mocha Friday

May 26, 2017 by Adam in Family

The week has come to an end, my mocha happening soon.  It's Sam's half birthday today and Emma's 14th birthday tomorrow.  We've also got a three day weekend and school wrapping up for the summer shortly.

I went to Emma's last band concert last night.  They're actually pretty darn good - we'll see if Emma continues in high school.  I sat next to one of my ex coworkers.  It's nice to be able to express how cheerful I am with my new job.

I've been working on an installer this week.  It's interesting being in the software development business and have to do these sort of things.  I find it fascinating, if technically challenging.

Grades are trickling in for the bigger kids.  Sam's doing well in his last remaining class.  Emma's sad about her one A-.  Duncan's doing pretty well, though he's following up on his science class with Joanna's prompting.  I was reminded of Sam at that time, and how just doing the work is key to scholastic success.

Looking forward to the weekend and hanging out with everyone.

Middle of the Week

May 24, 2017 by Adam in Family

It's gotten hot already this year.  I broke out the air conditioners, including putting one in the shed so I don't melt while working away out there.  We're looking into a heat pump solution if EWEB ever calls us.  I look forward to not lugging air conditioners up and down the stairs.

Both Berry and Emma had field trips this week, both delayed by flat tires on a bus.  I think they enjoyed the capital and Shakespeare in Ashland, respectively.

Work is coming along nicely.  I'm teaching myself about installers - we'll see if the solution I come up with pans out.

Sam and I continue to play Salt and Sanctuary, defeating bosses and having a good time.  I try not to slow him down too much, as his video game playing skills far surpass mine.

Belated Spring Cleaning

May 22, 2017 by Adam in Family

Between Joanna, Emma, and I we managed to clean a tremendous amount of the house this weekend.  Joanna cleaned out the garage full of things to donate.  I went through all my old clothes, getting rid of most of my dress shirts and pants.  I guess I need to keep working for Health Catalyst now, as shorts and t-shirts are my typical attire.  We cleaned out Emma's desk and the surrounding area.  Now Emma is working on Berry's desk, which terrifies even me.

As for the rest of the weekend, it's been pleasantly low-key.  Joanna and I walked to Friendly Street Market to listen to music and eat, enjoying the beauty of the warm spring night.  Saturday Joanna was busy taking Berry to a haircut and then going off to a writer's conference.  I played Salt and Sanctuary with Sam in the morning and then walked a good distance to pick up eggs from one of Joanna's egg connections.  The evening wrapped up with a night of Drawful and TKO, requested by Isa.

Other than cleaning, I took the girls to the park for Frisbee and played a bit more of Dishonored 2.  I made some bread for dinner, which I enjoyed - I used to do it all the time and should get back in the habit.  Soon we'll have Berry's French intern for dinner, wrapping up another good weekend.

Mocha Friday

May 19, 2017 by Adam in Family

I'm all settled into my back shed, complete with the sit/stand desk.  It's actually pretty cool and I find I can stand for an hour or so every day.  I was admittedly a little sore the first day, but it's probably good for me to move around and fidget instead of being stuck in a chair all day.

I'm slowly becoming more competent in my job and we're slowly approaching the time when our application is tested by a real client.  Should be interesting.

We're in that funny part of the year as we approach the end of school.  For Sam and Emma, they're making bigger transitions to newer schools.  Emma frets about how she'll get to South in the morning.  Sam's somewhat more terse about the U of O, but I think he's willing to give it a try.

Berry's been making Joanna ride to school regularly.  Berry loves it, and Joanna seems to appreciate the beauty of nature despite the challenge.  Soccer season is over, so our weekends should be somewhat more free.

Joanna and I are off to date night tonight, which should be fun.  This weekend I need to extract gift ideas from Emma as her birthday is in a week.  I hope to continue playing a new game with Sam - a sort of 2D Dark Souls called Salt and Sanctuary.  Emma's been playing Fallout 3 and collecting bottle caps for Sam in real life.

Rainy Springtime

May 17, 2017 by Adam in Family

It's been a wet spring week in lovely Oregon.  At least our garden appreciates it, bursting into green and flowers.  Life is moving along relatively well, though I continue to fret about everyone.

Sunday afternoon was quite pleasant.  We took the family to Hendrick's Park for frisbee and strolling around.  The evening wound down with pizza and a show about the International Space Station, as we've decided the new Bill Nye show is deeply disappointing.

Joanna's been playing various soccer games, first with her over-30 league and then against Berry's team (the little people won).  I've been hanging out with Sam or playing Dishonored 2.  My fancy sit/stand desk arrived and I put it together one night, getting a great workout as I screwed things together.  I just need to order one every week for a full caridio program.  Hopefully I can enlist Sam to help me move it out to the shed this afternoon.

Happy Mother's Day

May 14, 2017 by Adam in Family

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there.  I got Sam's flu yesterday and ended up completely incapacitated, writhing about the floor in pain.  Fortunately today I felt much better and managed to put together a breakfast for Joanna, mom, and Yayoe that came off pretty well.  Joanna helped make quiches, Berry arranged the flowers, and I wore a mask due to my recent illness.  The croissants were great, along with the huge amounts of other assorted goodies.

Friday night Joanna and I had our date night under the Sportbrella, watching Berry's soccer game.  This morning I watched Sam play Dark Souls.  Emma arrived from her visit to Corvallis with her mom.  Now we're heading to Hendrick's Park to wind down the day.

Mocha Friday

May 12, 2017 by Adam in Family

I already finished my mocha, its sweet elixir long gone.  We're slowly moving towards summer, with a little over a month of school remaining.  Summer plans are slowly falling into place - hopefully they'll go relatively smoothly.

It's been a generally good week.  I visited my old work again, to both collect eggs and catch up on the old crew.  Sam got pretty sick for a couple days, but managed to go to school for a physics test yesterday.  This morning he ate food for the first time in a while.  Poor kid.

It's Berry's last week of soccer and I'm joining Joanna for a date night while Berry plays.  Emma's off with her mom in Corvallis until Sunday.  Duncan is spending a no-school day hanging out with friends.  I've got to get things ready for Mother's Day - preparation is required for my schemes to come to fruition.

Mid-Week Update

May 11, 2017 by Adam in Family

The week is moving along.  Joanna is hosting an event tonight.  Sam got his graduation requirements settled, as well as missing school today for being sick.  That hasn't happened in a long while.  Duncan and Berry got new glasses, with Berry being very excited she could see well again.

I'm slowly preparing for Mother's Day and hopefully starting to get summer plans sorted out.  We really need to book a place for our 4th of July vacation week.

I continue to have too much fun at work, narrowly focused on adding features to our little program.  I wrote a fairly complicated upload script and kept adding bells and whistles.  Maybe I really am a big boy programmer now.

Comey comment

May 10, 2017 by Sue in Wielesek

Anybody have any idea why the US is unravelling before our very eyes.

Sunday Dinner

May 08, 2017 by Adam in Family

Jenny, Jordan, and my mom just headed home after another successful family dinner.  I really appreciate Joanna's cooking and organization that makes it happen - it's always a treat to see everyone and catch up.

The nerd weekend was generally successful, with the occasional bump in the road.  Sam got a little overwhelmed after signing up for the U of O orientation and missed Guardians of the Galaxy.  The rest of us enjoyed it and the five after-credit scenes.  Sam did manage to finish his senior project, so hopefully he'll actually graduate from South.

Emma and I hung out quite a bit, saving the universe with a final epic battle in Divinity.  Now we're looking for another co-op game to play.  I managed to mow the lawn and do the usual dishes/laundry, as well as making pizza.  I think everyone was a little disappointed with the new Bill Nye show, so we'll have to make due with other science shows until Adam Ruins Everything returns this summer.

I've been playing various new Humble Bundle games - Inside was great.  I'm slowly working through the Turning Test.  There are some quirky ones in there - we'll see which ones stick with me.

Emma and I walked around the block, strolled around Hendrick's Park, and later we took the little kids to return Berry's cupcake drawing at the little art gallery a few blocks away.  She picked up another tiny blank canvas, so we'll see what new piece will be created soon.

I'm strangely looking forward to work tomorrow.  I have an interesting Excel import feature to implement over the next few days.

Nerd Weekend

May 06, 2017 by Adam in Family

It was a short work day, with the Salt Lake City office watching the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie after an all team meeting. Since I'm taking the kids tomorrow, Joanna and I opted for a rare afternoon date.

We went to lunch where I had coffee pancakes and then we walked through campus to a yarn store. Good times.

Tonight we watched Rogue One. Tomorrow is Guardians of the Galaxy, and it's free comic day as well. It's a good time to be a nerd.

Moving Right Along

May 04, 2017 by Adam in Family

Life seems to be moving right along.

Berry lost another tooth.  Joanna played soccer last night.  I had a very boring doctor checkup today - I'm apparently just fine, though getting some bloodwork done.  Sam has officially put down money for the U of O, so I think that's on track.  

Emma had her concert tonight, which was fun to watch.  They're actually all getting pretty good and sound like a real band.

 Work is doing well - today I worked on a seemingly simple "add an item to a drop-down list" feature.  Next was adding telemetry, which ended up being simpler than it sounds.

I love you Adam

May 01, 2017 by Sue in Wielesek

I love you because you never make me feel really stupid.

Sunny Weekend

May 01, 2017 by Adam in Family

The weekend is wrapping up.  It's been sunny today, in spite of the record number of rainy days since last October.  Sam, Emma, Duncan, and I went up to Hendrick's park to play frisbee and run around, along with a bunch of other people.  The flowers were very pretty, but we gravitated to a fallen tree, which made for a good leaping spot.

Friday night was quiet, with Emma making dinner at her mom's house.  I watched Sam work on his terrain generation system some more - progress was made, though not completed.  The next couple days he worked on inventing a new language, which was somewhat entertaining.  I keep wondering if all these experiments eventually turn into a full, marketable game.

Emma appeared at breakfast Saturday morning, sniffling from a cold.  Berry was sick as well, though she managed to play the second half of her soccer game and return with the team ball.  I had mild headaches, but it wasn't too bad.  Joanna ran around most of the day, but Sam and I made pizza for the last of the Planet Earth 2 series.

This morning I made crepes with strawberries and whip cream for Joanna, just to ensure that her undying love continues from the last time I did that for her.  I tend to play it safe with such things.  Emma and I played more Divinity, nearly reaching the end.  Sam and I played some of the new games in my Humble Monthly Bundle.

I've got to sort out Sam's U of O admission stuff tomorrow, as it's theoretically a deadline and we still haven't received proper instructions in the mail.  It's back to work for me tomorrow, which I'm strangely excited for.  Friday afternoon I accomplished some tricky stuff and it turned out looking really nice.