Mocha Friday

December 30, 2022 by Adam in Family

I'm finishing the last of my mocha, feeling pretty good after the last few weeks of seasonal madness.  Work is relatively quiet for the time being - hopefully things stay that way as I just started my on call rotation.  I'm getting a chance to write code again, though I wish it were something I did the majority of the time.  It's nice to be back in my little shed, occasionally going inside to check on a print of a D&D miniature or go for a run.  I do realize that school will start up again and everyone will return to work, but the lull is nice and I have a few more days off work next week too.

Christmas

December 28, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been great having some time away from work, and Christmas generally went okay.  I've been busy, with not a lot of time to just do silly things, but it's mostly been things that are useful or good.  Christmas itself generally went okay, if pretty busy as I decided to make pumpkin pies and a Christmas dinner minus the meat.  I think it was well received.  I had a great time getting together with the older two kids (and the oldest's girlfriend) to play roleplaying games last weekend.  I even managed to see Jason today, who seems much improved from the last time I saw him.

Tomorrow I'm sadly back to work.  I'm hoping I can maintain the midset of just doing what I can and not stressing out about things.  Theoretically it should be pretty quiet but we'll see how it goes.

Vacation!

December 22, 2022 by Adam in Family

I've finally started my vacation from work, three days off, then the weekend, then three more days off.  Finally I have three more days after New Year's.  I very much look forward to it.

Yesterday was busy but fun, getting together with the family D&D group to hang out, loot treasure, and eat tasty food.  Somehow they avoided combat the entire day and managed some zany heists and a little trickery.

Data had his three year birthday this week.  Work has settled down a little after the madness of the last few weeks.  Christmas presents keep coming in, needing some wrapping, and I've got a little shopping to do today.  Still, the lights are up and I'm feeling somewhat prepared for the weekend.  It would be nice to have a little downtime today too - play some games and take it easy.  

Mocha Friday

December 16, 2022 by Adam in Family

I'm wrapping up my morning mocha, a welcome moment of solace in an otherwise frantic week.  Christmas is right around the corner - we're missing a tree, presents are unwrapped, and I've yet to get all the ornaments up.  Fortunately Emma is a cheerful helper with such things and I'm hopeful it'll get sorted out in time.  We did manage to put up the advent calendars and I appreciate the daily chocolate covered coffee beans and sweet note from Joanna or Emma.

Work has been nutty.  We're in the frustrating cycle of finding bugs, fixing bugs, making new bugs, and a steady stream of deployments and coordinating with clients.  A bright spot is our old comrade Chris coming back to help - hopefully it'll make things slightly easier.

We managed to completely forget to pick up Duncan from IOP on Wednesday.  Seraph took him, it wasn't on my calendar since it was a new set of sessions, and I was frantically running between tea with mom and cooking multiple meals.  He was frustrated and decided to walk home, picking him up a few blocks from the house after he'd been walking for nearly an hour.  Needless to say, I have much more sympathy for the one time mom forgot to pick us up from some after school program.

I'm really excited for the weekend, playing games out at the farm and having some downtime.  I'm going to take a good chunk of time off starting next week too, if only to keep my sanity.

Stopping By for Coffee

December 12, 2022 by Adam in Family

The travellers are no longer travelling, having settled into their farmhouse in the woods.  It sounds like there's been quite a bit of excitement - ripping out soggy rugs, replacing broken stoves and the like - but they're adventurous and seeming to take it all in stride.  Emma and I have a tentative plan to go visit next weekend where Emma can run a little Cairn roleplaying game with them.  She's been busy making art planning for the game.  I'm excited.

In any case, the two farm people stopped by for coffee and to pick up a coffee grinder and some whole bean coffee we had laying around.  It was awesome they could just pop by for a visit.

Ben asked me if I could 3D print a couple transparent hearts for him out of transparent PLA.  I'm down for any excuse to do wacky creative things and after figuring out how to get things to stick better to the plate, I started cranking out semi-transparent 3D models.  The hearts turned out great, especially after coating with transparent resin to smooth over the bumpy parts and give it a nice sheen.  I ended up printing a gelatinous cube, an air elemental and a couple spectres.  They're turning out really well.

As for the rest of the weekend, I've been trying to take it as easy as I can manage.  Joanna is slowly feeling better and has started to take Ben to school in the morning.  I played some more I Was a Teenage Exocolonist and managed to get one of the rare endings - having the entire colony wiped out.  Oopsie.  I also managed to organize many of the Christmas presents, though there's still more to do.  Maybe we can get a tree next weekend while we're out in the woods.

The Other Side of Madness

December 09, 2022 by Adam in Family

I hope that today marks the start of life calming down, at least a little.  It's been off-the-rails crazy for awhile but I have hope that my life might be starting to get better again.

Work has been an increasing mess since Jonathan left.  Three people without a project manager, manager, QA person, DevOps, or really anything else means that the three of us are mostly putting out fires and not writing new features.  We've merged with another team, full of nice people, and are starting to get the new manager and project manager up to speed.  Even better we're going to get some help by our ex-teammate Chris who's a super nice person.  That being said, there's still a lot going on and I haven't felt a lull in weeks.  Hopefully we can finally get this release out the door and focus more on writing code again.

Jo's hyberbaric treatments are over, so I'm not rushing through getting everyone's breakfast ready, driving Joanna to Springfield, getting Duncan's breakfast ready, and then driving Ben to school.  We're still trying to figure out the new morning routine, but I'm grateful to have more help.

I hurt my hip the other day, similar to what happened to my shoulder, so I was hobbling around and went half my normal distance on the treadmill yesterday.  Fortunately I'm feeling more normal today, which is great.  Loss of movement is the worst.

It's been great having the ex-Texans hanging out with us and I think they're settled into the farm with the gracious loan of dad's truck which was delivered by awesome Seraph.  Fortunately they don't need much care and feeding at this point and impressively developed and executed a moving plan.

Duncan's having a hard time with the start of the new term, but he made it to his classes yesterday and seemed mostly okay.  Ben seems cool with his new classes as well, despite the lack of science.  He got great grades last term, which is always nice to see as a parent.  Emma's life of leisure has started as she has a month off school, apparently spending her free time doing D&D research.

When I visited Jason he expressed an interest in playing D&D again so I'd like to get that organized one day.  Ben wanted to print a transparent heart for a project of his, so I broke out the transparent filament and tried to print a gelatinous cube.  Well, the print didn't stick to the plate and it blobbed up in an artistic way.  I guess it can be a water elemental or something.  I'll need to experiment more this weekend.  It's great to have a little time to myself to do silly things again.

Friends and Family

December 05, 2022 by Adam in Family

I visited my friend Jason today.  It was great to see him and the most reassuring thing was just how much he seemed to be himself.  He, Bridget and I chatted for over an hour, talking and laughing and telling stories about how fascinating and annoying it is to have part of your brain stop working.  The good news is that his movement and balance issues have mostly resolved.  He gets tired sometimes.  The main challenge seems to be vision processing issues - having to pick out details from a messy scene is really challenging.  Still, he improves every day and the neurologist seemed to feel he'd be able to return to work after a few months and likely even drive again.  It was so reassuring.

The wayward travellers also made it home just this moment.  A friend of theirs drove down to California in his truck to rescue them.  They were wiped out but very happy to be home.

Today felt like a win.

Wayward Travellers

December 04, 2022 by Adam in Family

The wayward travellers had their truck break down in Bakersfield, the recurring theme being that everything falls apart a day from home.  Fortunately a friend is going to drive the 12 hours to pick them and the trailer up and return it home.  Also fortunately Seraph and dad are shuffling things around so they have a vehicle again while out at the farm.

Other than that minor catastrophe, the weekend has been relatively uneventful.  I ended up work a little on a pull request to assuage my guilt of my workdays being so busy.  I'm heartbroken by Danica's news, especially after such a positive diagnosis a month ago.  Hopefully I can see Jason tomorrow and see how he's doing.  I'd love to stop by regularly to play board games and hang out, though my schedule continues to be packed.  I played a few video games and listened to a sci-fi podcast that's really good.  The front lawn was mowed.  Advent calendars were put up.  Dinners were cooked.  Life goes on.

Snowy Mocha Friday

December 02, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been snowing off and on the last couple days, sticking just enough to make the roads dangerous and the landscape pretty.  The younger kids have been off of school and appointments have been fewer, so my usually frantic schedule has been easing off somewhat.  Work is still busy as we try to get a release ready, but I got to work on something fun for a few hours yesterday.  Hopefully we can do some final testing and kick our 2.5 release out the door.

I'm hoping to visit Jason on Monday and seeing how his recovery is coming along.  It would be cool to start up D&D again, but only if that's something he thinks he'd like to do.

I'm woefully unprepared for Christmas, which seems to be coming up fast.  Hopefully this weekend I can have some downtime.  The travellers are arriving Sunday night and taking the southern route, so hopefully it's relatively uneventful.

Mid-Week Update

December 01, 2022 by Adam in Family

Let's see . . . update time.  Joanna continues to heal - I've started driving them to 2 hour hyperbaric chamber sessions each morning at 7:30 am.  Emma's almost done with her term.  Ben's excited about chemistry and wants to take AP Chem as an elective senior year.  Duncan's wrapping up IOP and starts a new term next week.  The Texas people arrive this weekend, assuming the snow doesn't cause trouble.  I guess I need to stop calling them Texas people now that they're hitting the road with everything in a trailer today.

Work is frantic.  Hopefully I'll stop feeling personally responsible for everyone's problems, though I somehow doubt it.  I did manage to work on something fun for the first time in awhile, though I suspect I'll need to stop and work on bugs when we actually release the latest version.  The team merging process continues - we're informally calling ourselves the PAPI team from Pop Analyzer and Pop Insights, which comes with a variety of interesting meanings.  "Poppy" is the nickname the kids call me, so maybe it all belongs to me now.

Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

November 27, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a very busy week, with Joanna out with her follow-up surgery and taking the kids to appointments and such.  Work has been nutty with all the things Jonathan used to do falling to me.  I sometimes wish I didn't feel so responsible for everything.  To top it off, I've gotten a cold and am so sniffly that Emma just carried a box of tissues and set it down next to me without saying a word.

Thanksgiving day was busy, getting Jo from the airport and settled back home again, plus cooking all the vegetarian aspects of Thanksgiving on my own.  I smartly started with pumpkin pie the day before, along with prepping the sweet potato caserrole.  Everything else didn't really matter as much with those two pillars in place.

The rest of the weekend has been a mix of all the chores, coupled with hanging out.  Emma got her COVID booster and flu shot.  I hopefully mitigated the basement plumbing once again.  Laundry and dishes were non-stop.  Fortunately with Joanna back home I don't have to pill Leia anymore.  That was the one thing I dreaded.

Tomorrow is another crazy work and kid transportation day.  It helps knowing such things are only temporary.

Frazzled

November 22, 2022 by Adam in Family

Life's really full at the moment.  I finally collapsed last night at 8:30 after a day of work meetings, client tickets, fixing lunches, feeding cats, doing laundry, cooking dinner, and driving kids back and forth to appointments.  I'm hoping today is somewhat better.  The underlying challenge is that at home I'm doing all my stuff and Joanna's stuff and at work I'm doing all my stuff and Jonathan's stuff.  Basically there's too much stuff and not enough me.

My friend Jason is out of the hospital and into a rehab center, though they still don't have his blood pressure entirely under control.  Bridget gave me the green light to visit when he's back home which hopefully will be later this week.  It'll be nice to see how he's doing and do what I can to help.

Joanna's recovering okay, hopefully flying home on Thursday.  I'm really glad to have tomorrow off of work, though I really need to get some shopping and maybe a little baking in there.

The kids are all doing okay.  Emma's finished all her final projects and doesn't have to take her final since her midterm score was so high and they take the best of the two.  Ben's discovering the secrets of chemistry and loving it.  Duncan's winding down his IOP and moving to a new counselor, but he mostly seems to be doing okay.  We chat about Minecraft and video games and such.

All the Things

November 18, 2022 by Adam in Family

There's a lot going on.  Jason's still in the hospital as they try to get his blood pressure managed.  Joanna's in sugery as I type this, sounding cheerful - hopefully they'll be done in a couple hours and their friend Rebecca will be keeping an eye on them while they recover.  My coworker Corinne is driving to Texas today.  Work is having some layoffs, though I think I'm fine.  I've been taking care of the kids and cats and chickens in addition to dishes and groceries and all the other things.  My biggest success this morning was pilling Leia relatively easily, especially compared to yesterday.

Hopefully this weekend is a little quieter.  I have a lot of chores, including some minor pluming and tree pruning, but the day-to-day schedule should be easier. I hope that all the people I care about are doing okay.

Monday

November 14, 2022 by Adam in Family

The weekend itself was low-key and pleasant.  Emma was her cheerful self and we managed some video game playing, a trip to the library, and chatting away in general.  Joanna and I did some gardening, planting fava beans and garlic for next year.  I painted miniatures and now have a small army of evil aquatic creatures across four different boxes.

I got news from Bridget that Jason, my longtime friend and D&D player, was in the hospital.  It's serious, but it looks like he's going to be okay with some OT and PT in his future.  The hope is that he can come home in a few days and start planning next steps.  We've postponed our upcoming D&D session for the time being.

Joanna leaves in a couple days and this morning I followed them around as a parent-in-training, making sure I'll be able to get kids clothed and fed and out the door for school.  I'm glad it's just a week.

Work has changes too - meeting with the new manager, trying to get the new release out, and so on.  I often wish life were a little quieter.

Mocha Friday

November 11, 2022 by Adam in Family

I've survived another work week.  Yesterday was the "catch up on everything" day.  We finally got all our hotfixes in and deployed to all the clients we were supposed to.  I think we're down to one ticket, which I think means we can start doing development again.  We also met our new manager and project manager.  I don't know them really well, but I think it'll be fine.  Our stocks also went up a little, which means they're now worth a fifth of their highest value rather than a tenth.

As for the rest of life, I'm bracing myself for Joanna's departure next week and taking care of the kids while they're away, followed by doing most of the transportation and such for at least a couple weeks after their return.  Fortunately we have a fair number of days off of school so hopefully I manage it all.

I've printed and painted a veritable evil army for my next D&D session a bit over a week from now.  No idea how this one will go - could be catastrophic, could be fun.  I've got a little prep to do and there are always more minatures to paint, but honestly that's half the fun.

Still playing video games for fun, meditating, lifting weights, running at lunch, and having the weekly date night.  Looking forward to Emma's arrival and chatting about her latest lab where she makes crabs fight for science.

Changes

November 08, 2022 by Adam in Family

Work has been pretty crazy lately.  Jonathan left, we're pushing out a new release, and we just got the news that our team is merging with another team.  I'm not sure how that's going to work - my experience says "poorly" but hope springs eternal.  I'm back to not sleeping well again, which isn't great.  Hopefully some of these changes and issues are temporary - we'll see how it goes, I suppose.

It was a pleasant weekend.  Saturday was pretty quiet - hanging out with Emma, playing games, and staying cozy during the pouring rain.  Sunday was D&D day and as usual I loved hanging out with the fam, rolling dice, and moving minatures around.  I've been playing a new video game occasionally - Deathloop, which is a time-loop mystery on a weird island.  It reminds me a little of The Prisoner and Lost, which makes it pretty compelling.

Joanna is off in a week, about the same time my coworker Corinne moves to Texas.  I imagine I'll be really ready to take some time off when Thanksgiving rolls around.  In the meantime, I try to find moments here and there to enjoy.  I painted miniatures while listening to HR talk about open enrollment, which was a highlight of my day.

Mocha Friday

November 04, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a pretty hectic work week, the first one with Jonathan away.  As suspected, there was a lot that he did to let us work away at writing code - dealing with clients, other teams, deploying versions, and so on.  It feels like it's fallen to me, though I've so far managed to work through the issues along side my two remaining fellow developers.  Fortunately I've managed to keep my features moving ahead as well, though slower than I'd like.

As for the rest of my life, things are going as well as can be.  I heard from dad that Danica is doing better than expected, which was a big relief.  He won a few trophies at his boat race and then went to Rochester to spend time with his sister.  I had tea with mom, who's getting ready for a trip to see Sadie.  Seraph is heading back east too, somehow managing to move Hanni and themselves down to their new home in Creswell.  I'm glad I get to see her and Robbie for D&D this weekend to give them a proper farewell, though likely with monsters, miniatures, and mayhem.

The Texas people are back in Austin.  Emma's wading through challenging projects for school.  Ben's doing well in school though occasionally gets worn out by everything.  Duncan's IOP and counselor are transitioning, which hopefully goes okay.

Jo and I had a nice date night where I made a tasty stew, we chatted about life, and then played video games until it was time to stop and watch a show.  I'll miss them when they're away in a couple weeks.  It looks like this holiday season will be very low-key with everyone scattered about.

Halloween Update

November 01, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's the day after Halloween fortunately Joanna handed out candy to the hordes of children in various costumes.  Ben and Emma carved a couple fun pumpkins that Jo and I got at the farm store, though a squirrel ate Ben's pumpkin's face off.  We were there picking up supplies to make the chicken coop ready for the wet days of winter.  They have a nice tarp and three sides covered - it's a little dim, but much dryer.

The weekend was otherwise pretty quiet, with the usual painting miniatures, video games, anime and pizza, and doing a bit of yardwork.  The rainy season is indeed upon us.

Mocha Friday

October 28, 2022 by Adam in Family

Just finished my first few sips of my Friday Mocha.  It's fun having a little treat once a week - something to look forward to.  It's been a generally good week, despite Jonathan's absence.  Monday was a bit of a slog, troubleshooting install issues and fixing our various release pipelines at the last minute.  Fortunately I know what I'm doing so it was all resolved by the end of the day.  I also got my big feature working to the point where I can show it off to people, which is exciting.  And I'm doing a big technology update which involves slowly moving code from one project to another which also went really well yesterday.

I heard from the Texas people that they're now in Chicago, visiting family and taking in the sights before driving south again.  Then they start packing up and doing another road trip.  I imagine they'll be happy to settle down for awhile.

I've got a bit of the sniffles, which my test says isn't COVID, though it's more annoying than really feeling sick.  I'm hoping for a bit of downtime this weekend - play some video games, do some D&D prep, visit with Emma, garden a bit with Joanna.  I managed to read more of The Expanse series and take a bath last night which was nice.

D&D Weekend

October 24, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was indeed a D&D filled weekend.  Things always take longer than expected, but I'm hoping next sessions will be more "jumping into the action" and not just moving from one place to another.  The jungle campaign said goodbye to their giant robot friend, which was a little sad for everyone.

I'm slowly getting back into the routine after our Texas visitors.  They're off at Yellowstone, enjoying the snow, bison, and hot springs.  I'm cooking normal-sized dinners again after more industrial-sized meals.  There were a few brief hours over the weekend where Joanna and I did a bit of gardening, turning over compost and amending the beds.  We still have some green beans and tomatos ripening on the vine.  Being outside after the rains is wonderful.

Mocha Friday

October 21, 2022 by Adam in Family

Jonathan leaves today, which is certainly a loss.  I have faith that Jacquie and Corinne and I will be able to carry on.  Today we're getting together to play Jackbox games and say farewell to Jonathan.

The Texas visitors made it safe and sound to their now-repaired truck in Boise thanks to Jamie driving them over.  They're off to Chicago by way of Yellowstone, returning back in Eugene to stay a little longer in a month or so.

Life's somewhat returning to our normal routines.  Jo has their office back down in the basement.  I'm starting to return to my running/weights/meditation schedule.  We had date night last night, where we broke open one of the old date boxes.  It involved yoga poses, mud masks, and a lot of laughing.  It was great.

It's a back-to-back D&D weekend.  I feel woefully unprepared and am printing out miniatures that I decided I needed at the last minute.  Hopefully it all works out.

Coffee Shop Gaming

October 19, 2022 by Adam in Family

I took some time off yesterday to hang out with our Texas visitors their last day in town.  We headed to Hideaway Bakery with some board games, playing Betrayal at House on the Hill.  It's one of those "one of you is the traitor" games, with a bunch of different endgames.  I was the traitor, playing an old professor, and chased around the others with a cell phone, trying to drive them crazy with my friend requests on social media.  Unfortunately for me they escaped before I could drive them mad.

I'm not sure if it's the terrible air quality or a cold, but I've been especially sniffly lately.  It's also the last few days Jonathan is at work and we're starting to figure out how to do things without him.  Fortunately Jacquie and Corinne are awesome coworkers, so hopefully we can muddle through until things get sorted out.

It feels like there's a lot coming up.  This weekend is back-to-back D&D.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas seem right around the corner.  Busy, busy.

Boardgame Weekend

October 17, 2022 by Adam in Family

Saturday was filled with boardgames while Emma went off to measure plankton for a school field trip.  There was Betrayal at Baldur's Gate where I was the traitor and was quickly dispatched.  Next was Elder Sign where we managed to keep Cthulu from destroying the world.  The evening wrapped up with pizza and anime, this time a pretty funny one involving spies.

Sunday morning I made a big breakfast of crepes, whipcream, and lots of filling, not to mention coffee and mochas for everyone who wanted one.  We went with Emma to the library to both show things off and visit the kid section - I kept hearing "everything used to be bigger."  After lunch was a trip to the farm where Seraph talked about all the work that needs to be done to our visitors.  They seemed excited, though I feel overwhelmed by it all.  I snuck home early and painted miniatures until I achieved a little bit of zen calm again.

It's another busy week, with work and kid appointments and trying to sneak in another hike.  Our visitors depart on Wednesday to pick up their hopefully repaired car, though they'll return to stay for a few months starting December.  It's also Jonathan's last week at work, so we'll see if we actually figure out how to do the things he used to accomplish.

Mocha Friday

October 14, 2022 by Adam in Family

I learned the other day that Spotify classifies the music I listened to when I was 18 as "Early Alternative", so I've been listening to Talking Heads, Kate Bush, The Clash, as well as more obscure things like the Sparks and Bauhaus.  Life seemed simpler then with economic turmoil and Russia as the evil empire . . . wait a minute.

I sometimes feel my morning meditation kicking in as I go through my day, being present in each moment rather than worrying about what happens next.  "Now I'm saying goodbye to a coworker" "Now I'm cooking dinner for Sam and Mars"  "Now I'm getting a COVID shot".  Maybe my life is just so full of events that I haven't had a chance to reflect on anything yet.  I'd like to think I've reached some form of new enlightenment.

As for the weekend I think the pace may be slowing down a little.  Emma has a field trip on Saturday.  Sunday I'm hoping to go to the library and the farm.  Somewhere in there maybe I'll think about the future a little more.

Eye of the Hurricane

October 13, 2022 by Adam in Family

The world continues to swirl about.  Jonathan gave his notice yesterday, moving from my manager at Health Catalyst to a role at Microsoft.  I worked with him at PeaceHealth too and have known him for over two decades, so while his departure isn't unexpected, it's certainly given me pause.  While I'm not the last person on the team, it feels like we're moving in that direction.  I think I'm the only person who knows how everything generally works now.

Hanging out with Texas people continues, with a D&D one-shot yesterday afternoon with Emma and dinner with Seraph, Robbie, dad, and Hanni.  It was non-stop from the time I rolled out of bed and included getting a COVID booster and flu shot, making quiche, and all the setup and teardown for a D&D session.

I think the next few days are a little calmer and I'm weirdly hoping to get some work in on my fun little programming feature.  There's also talk of a library trip and visit to the farm this weekend.  Probably Sunday as Emma has a field trip to the coast for school on Saturday.  I'm also hoping to make a huge batch of crepes - at least their bellies will remember the trip fondly.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

October 11, 2022 by Adam in Family

Sometimes all the things feel overwhelming at times, though somehow I've remained generally calm despite everything happening all at the same time.  Hanging out with the Texas people has been absolutely wonderful - hiking, playing board games, and chatting away.  The weekend itself was pretty quiet as they were off at the beach, though I managed to sneak in some work and played a little on the computer, not to mention getting ready for a D&D one-shot this Wednesday.

We're all vaguely sick with some crud.  I took Ben to school who woke up feeling cruddy and switched him for Duncan who went to school but started to feel bad.  The fires have made the air quality terrible, which I'm sure isn't helping.  So far both Joanna and I have taken COVID tests and come up negative.  Tomorrow I get my latest booster and the flu vaccine as well.  Hopefully those help prevent the most nasty winter blahs.

I'm hoping to get a hike in this morning and have a counselor visit in the afternoon.  There's a Cthulu-themed board game waiting for us to wrap up the day before an early dinner and taking Duncan to an appointment.  Busy, busy.

Quiet Saturday Morning

October 08, 2022 by Adam in Family

I picked up our Texas visitors late at night after a Boise bus trip.  They've been recovering and hanging out, managing a hike around Hendrick's park as part of a trip to see all the places we used to go all the time.  They've been scooped up by Jamie and Emma for a beach trip.  Joanna and I have some yardwork on the agenda and perhaps little free library building.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to spend some time with Jenny who's having a rough week.  I might sneak a little actual work in there as I'm taking quite a bit of time off and I'm weirdly excited by the feature I'm building.

Life does seem full of catastrophes and change at the moment, though our particular household is hanging in there.  I guess we all do what we can to take care of ourselves and the people around us.

Dayquil Haze

October 03, 2022 by Adam in Family

My annoying cold continued through the weekend, so I tool some Dayquil on Sunday so I could be a useful DM for the game.  That plus way too much coffee made it a fun experience for all.  This morning I'm still feeling somewhat fuzzy and a little sniffly, but hopefully I can still function okay.

Our Texas visitors are stuck in Boise due to a broken drive shaft and punctured fuel tank.  Hopefully repairs will get them on the road in a couple days.

The roofers have arrived and the sound of shingles being scraped off the roof has begun.  We've got a couple days of that and then the crew putting up the roof arrives in another week.  It's a lot of money, increased by $500 due to inflation after getting it setup earlier this year, but it'll be good to get it done.

I did have a good time this weekend with the two D&D games.  On Saturday Emma was almost eaten by a zombie t-rex and later saved the day as a sneaky monkey.  Sunday had Jason impersonating a cult leader and doing bardish hijinx for all.

Visitors from Texas

September 30, 2022 by Adam in Family

Our Texas visitors are arriving this Saturday, which is very exciting.  I'll probably take time off here and there for hikes and other galavanting about.  Emma's wrapping up her first week of school, already feeling the weight of reading, lab reports, and field trips.  She did seem to like her professors, though.  Duncan and Ben continue onward through high school as well.  Joanna's wrapping up their book editing assignment, which I think has been generally enjoyable, though fundraising seems to be taking up much of their free time.

It's a big D&D weekend, with family on Saturday and friends on Sunday.  Both are in the middle of things, so hopefully I remember where I left off.  I've got way too many long work meetings today, so I'll probably paint minatures which weirdly helps me pay better attention to what is being said.

Seraph and Robbie bought a house this week down in Creswell, 18 minutes away according to Google.  It looks like a nice place with enough space for everyone and a good sized yard.  Presumably the chickens will be returning, though Joanna's already pushing for a new batch of our own.

Otherwise life is relatively uneventful.  My days are full of work, punctuated by a run on the treadmill, then whatever events happen after dinner - date night, visiting with my dad, or a little bit of video games.  After that we watch tv with Data inevitably crawling into my lap for pets.

Sick Weekend

September 26, 2022 by Adam in Family

I had a cold all weekend, sniffling and tired but otherwise hanging in there.  No COVID, at least according to one of the rapid tests I've grown tired of taking.  It was a low-key weekend of puttering about - Emma and I went to the library, Joanna and I (and later just Joanna) worked on preserving apples, I painted miniatures, and played video games with Emma.  Ben had a friend over.  Duncan played Minecraft with friends.  There were a couple walks.  I chatted with all my parents and siblings about Danica.  Dishes were washed, laundry was folded.  Cats were petted.  Mochas were drunk.

Sad Mocha Friday

September 23, 2022 by Adam in Family

We got news this morning that Danica's cancer had returned and she didn't have long to live.  I've been thinking of my time with her across the decades, hanging out in her living room and listening to Billy Joel records as a kid, Jenny and I doing a photoshoot in Danica's sunprint dresses, and then later as an adult staying with her while Ben and Duncan visit their dad in Rochester.  Danica was especially kind and generous to Joanna when they'd go back to pickup kids from Rochester over the last twelve years, offering a room, food, and company when such things were deeply needed.  Joanna's so distant from their family that such generosity was especially sweet.

As for the rest of life, we've moved into autumn and the days are getting cooler.  There were a few days where wildfires left the air full of smoke and my lungs have felt a little goopy all week.  Emma's getting ready for school next week.  Ben's settling in to his classes.  Duncan's bouncing around classes and his IOP, hopefully attending enough to make it to graduation.  Joanna's been working hard between doing editing for a local publishing house and doing fundraising for Wordcrafters, which apparently does a lot of work with kids than I thought.

Hopefully the weekend is calm and quiet, with visits to the library and preserving the last of the bounty from the fruit trees.  Some time to reflect would be most welcome.

Kayaking and Dungeons and Dragons

September 17, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a long and somewhat stressful week, so taking Friday off to go with Emma on a kayaking adventure at the coast was absolutely wonderful.  We packed lunch and all our gear, then hit the road, chatting and listening to the first Discworld novel, the Color of Magic.  We made excellent time and soon put in at the head of the Siltcoos River.  I think it was my fifth trip, so I know it well.  The weather was warm and pleasant.  The wildlife was abundant and other than a slight mishap on the dam portage resulting in a soggy bottom, it was generally uneventful.  After three or four hours going nearly to the ocean, we returned home tired but cheerful.

Today was the great D&D with family adventure.  Chatting with everyone is a bonus to rolling dice and breaking out miniatures I'd painted.  Things went amazingly well, though we had a sharp cutoff time and had to stop right in the thick of battle.  Poor Seraph's character had been attacked by a great Tyrannasaurous Rex and nearly died, but so far our brave adventurers are holding their own.

Tomorrow is likely more low-key, with a trip to the library and possibly more preserving in our future.

Counting Chickens

September 14, 2022 by Adam in Family

I think I'm finally starting to feel more normal again after countless Advil and mochas, though my throat is still a little bit sore.  Hopefully I'm ship shape by Friday when Emma and I have our outing to go kayaking at the coast.

We had a brief chicken adventure yesterday.  Joanna sometimes lets them out, but they apparently wandered far away.  After my run at lunchtime one of the neighbors I've never met from the other side of the fence came knocking on various doors to report chickens in her garden.  I took a shower, ate some lunch, then grabbed the bag of mealworms and headed out.  I found most of them where I'd expect them, then slowly brought them back the long way around through the alley.  After putting them away I thought it was all resolved, their wandering priviledges revoked.

This morning I walked out to my shed only to find a chicken wandering around outside their pen.  I went back to the picture I sent Joanna after I rounded them up and sure enough I'd missed one of the hawk sisters.  Fortunately the wayward chicken came home to roost, as the saying goes.

Under the Weather

September 12, 2022 by Adam in Family

I'm a little sniffly today, likely just a back-to-school cold as the morning's COVID test was negative.  It's not too bad, but I'm doing advil and a mocha this morning just to be safe.

Emma came over Friday afternoon along with the smoke that filled the air.  We hunkered down inside like the last time we had nearby wildfires.  For the most part it made for a pretty quiet Saturday.  Joanna was off and about.  Emma and I vaccuumed and mopped.   I got ready for the Sunday D&D group.  Miniatures were painted.  Joanna and I harvested plums and apples, turning them into various preserves.  I was amazed at the apple peeler/slicer/coring device that seemed the pinnacle of human achievement.  The evening wrapped up with pizza and anime.  

I helped Duncan with some computer issues as he's getting back into video production again.  He's decided to take a class on Java for his Computer Fundamentals class as that's what Minecraft mods use.  I fondly remember my dad reading from the BASIC book and typing in games into the Commodore 64, one line at a time.  My first steps into programming were also because I just wanted to play video games.

Sunday morning started a little rough, with the chicken wandering free around the neighborhood after being let out.  It was a somewhat frustrating experience rounding them up, but between carrying them and waiting for them to return, they all got back.  I returned to finish my breakfast and start cleaning up.

Late in the morning was D&D with friends, which generally went well.  There were some interesting combats along the way, the highlight being an attack at sea by the evil sahuagin warship, pulled by a giant shark.  The party performed admirably, as did their crew.  D&D makes for some great set pieces at times and that one turned out well.  I finally got to pull out some miniatures I'd painted months ago, which was very satisfying.

Now it's back to work.  I'm strangely excited to finish up this thing I'm working on and get our release out the door.  Little frustrating obstacles keep popping up but I think today's the day for a beta release.

Smokey Mocha Friday

September 09, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a somber week.  One of Duncan's classmates died in a car accident - a Frenchie he'd been with for years.  Then the queen died yesterday, which Jacquie pointed out was my queen too as a Canadian.  

We're almost done with our next release at work - I've got a few more things to test before we finalize things.  Then we slowly roll out the changes we've been working on for months.

Ben seems to be enjoying his science classes and was chatting about chemistry at the dinner table last night.  Even Emma's starting to miss the intellectual aspects of school - we were discussing J.R.R. Tolkein's influence on the modern fantasy genre and I think she realized she looks forward to more of that.  Just a couple more weeks of summer for her.

My evenings have been generally pleasant.  Funny date night with Joanna.  Tea with mom.  Cooking onigiri for Duncan and Ben.  Life goes on.

First Day of School

September 07, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's the first day of school at South.  Last I checked, Ben had gone off already and Duncan was getting ready to head out a little later for his first class of the day.  Joanna and I are pros at this point, but I'm still working on all the little details of coffee and breakfasts and such.  Hopefully it'll all be a habit in a week or two.

The big work meeting went mostly as expected - a bit of turmoil and such, but our product showed up a couple times on a slide, so I think our team will be fine.  We're already a small and scrappy development team, so hopefully the transition will be okay.

Had an entertaining date night last night, playing weird carnival-style games from one of the old date subscription boxes we hadn't gotten to yet.  We cheated extensively, which was half the fun.

Labor Day

September 06, 2022 by Adam in Family

Labor Day came and went, a relatively low-key three day weekend.  It was fairly routine - trips to the library, housecleaning and our usual hangout activities.  Emma finished Ooblets, which she'd been slowly playing throughout the pandemic.  I finished Psychonauts 2, which was charming and fun.  Miniatures were printed and painted.  I read 70 pages of the next Expanse book I'm slowly working my way through.  I took Emma and we stocked up on school supplies.  Sunday night was a family hangout and BBQ at Jenny's house.

We have a big announcement at work today.  Fortunately I have counseling right afterwards.  Reading the tea leaves I think my job will be relatively unchanged, though it's always hard to tell.

Mocha Friday

September 02, 2022 by Adam in Family

I'm feeling somewhat chipper this fine mocha Friday.  All the various stresses of life are still there, but it feels that Jo and I have been doing a good job tackling them.  Joanna's got some editing work to help ease some of the financial challenges.  We're doing some of the housecleaning ourselves.  I think I've figured out how to make sushi and onigiri for Duncan and Ben for date nights.  We're working with some great people at South to try and make Duncan's Senior year a good one.  I think we've got some upcoming changes at work that will be announced next week, but hopefully my little part of the world will be relatively unscathed.

I'm also looking forward to a three day weekend.  It's looking to be relatively low key - a dinner at Jenny's on Sunday, learning R for her data visualization class with Emma, and maybe doing some work on the little free library with Joanna.  There are always miniatures to paint and D&D to plan, but I've got a couple weeks until the next session.  Plenty of time.

Adventure-Filled Weekend

August 29, 2022 by Adam in Family

Emma and I had a great time hosting the family D&D group this weekend.  We made bread the night before and baked it fresh for everyone.  Joanna picked up sliced meat and fun bubbly beverages so we were all set.  The adventure itself went well, exploring an ancient tomb and somewhat making it through a series of tricky puzzles without dying.  After that they faced a fierce Batari battlestack, which was more comical than anything else.

Sunday was low-key, with the usual tasty breakfast spread of pancakes, eggs, potato pancakes, bacon, veggie sausage, and the usual mocha.  Laundry was folded.  Emma and I went for a walk by the river.  I helped Jo in the garden and take the pits out of plums for a sauce.  Emma and I played more Cultist Simulator and found ourselves Googling the best way to generate corpses in the game.  All good fun.

School is right around the corner and we have an increasingly firm plan for Duncan.  It will likely be a somewhat light load as he finishes his IOP and eases into school.  He may end up with a modified diploma, which means if he wants to go to a four year college program he'd need to start at LCC.  That being said, Lane is likely a better fit to start and has a good multimedia program that he might like.

Mocha Friday

August 26, 2022 by Adam in Family

We mostly survived another week.  Joanna buried the chicken under the pear tree at the farm.  Duncan's IOP seems to be going okay.  We're starting to get ready for the start of high school.  I'm getting ready for family D&D on Saturday.  I'm trying out using primer on the miniatures, which are looking good so far.

Joanna and I worked on our finances for date night.  There's nothing like a good spreadsheet to get the romance flowing.  Still, I think we're getting a better handle on our expenses, canceling subscriptions and cutting back on things.  I'm getting somewhat capable of making onigiri and sushi instead of ordering out.  Joanna and I spent some time cleaning the house Wednesday night now that we're cutting back on house cleaning.  We will endure.

We also took some time last night to do a little carpentry, putting shelves into the new little free library we're working on.  It just needs a door, a roof, and a coat of paint before we swap the old with the new.

A Death in the Family

August 24, 2022 by Adam in Family

One of the chickens died last night.  I texted Joanna when I saw the chicken unmoving on the ground.  After some prodding we determined she was dead and moved her from the coop into a gardening bucket.  No obvious marks, so it's not clear what could have caused it.  Our only guess was the heat, though it was only in the 80s yesterday.  Poor girl.  We thank you for the eggs.

The Dune People

August 23, 2022 by Adam in Family

I suppose I only have myself to blame, quickly searching for places to stay on the Oregon coast at the last minute, with limited options and high costs.  One of the things mentioned in the rules for the place was not to invite dune people in.  It seemed strange at the time, and we wondered if it were part of some cult or supernatural concern, but we went anyway.

It turns out the house is on a lake - which was lovely - and next to the dunes - which was less lovely.  The ATVs were running from dusk to down all weekend, which made our quiet getaway much less quiet.  They also had scented candles and sheets, which gave Joanna a migraine.  The end result was buying new sheets at Walmart and washing them in a laundromat in Coos Bay.

That being said, paddling around the lakes with all the lillies in bloom was quite lovely.  The kitchen was functional and I made a variety of tasty meals.  We played a game - Unlocked - and escaped the ancient submarine by solving puzzles and entering codes.  Coos Bay was fascinating and surprisingly quiet.  We stopped by the boardwalk where the old guy who lived on his boat had a nice garden in planters where he moored his boat on the docks.  We stopped by the art museum where there was a whole room dedicated to the runner Prefontaine, along with nautical exhibits that were fun.

On the way back we stopped by the Umpqua lighthouse and took the tour.  It's one of the few places where you can stick your head in the center of the fresnel lens, and one of the only ones on the coast that has red lenses along with the clear ones.  It's cool that this ancient bit of technology is still in use.

We're still sorting through our finances, with Joanna possibly picking up some work doing editing.  I think we'll all be fine, though moving from the pandemic economy to the present is taking some adjusting, just like the rest of the world.

Mocha Friday

August 19, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a rough couple weeks, so I'm glad Joanna and I can get away for a couple nights, visit the coast, kayak around the lake, and have a little bit of quiet.  Work continues to have changes, though I'm increasingly hopeful our team will be mostly unscathed.  Joanna and I are sorting out finances and figuring out what to cut back on to get our budget balanced again.  The dishwasher has been washing away cheerfully, which makes me strangely happy.

As for the rest of the crew, Emma's off to Kalamath Falls for the weekend with her mom.  Duncan's first week of IOP seemed to go well.  Ben apparently has 200 Instagram followers of his various art projects.

I've been printing and painting miniatures in my free time, which continues to bring me strange joy.  I try to stay a couple campaigns ahead of myself, plus it's just fun to do.

Dishwasher Repaired

August 17, 2022 by Adam in Family

I do a lot of dishes.

Last week when it stopped working I wasn't sure what to do.  Finances are getting tight, so I didn't really want to spent more money, let alone wait to get it delivered.  Still, we were resigned to doing so and as I was checking one last thing before clicking the buy button, Joanna opened the door and the lights turned on.  We ran it and noticed a bit of melty smell afterwards.

That kicked off a "I don't know what I'm doing" diagnostic session with my favorite flashlight.  As I followed the main wire into the dishwasher, I noticed some blackened wires.  Opening it all up, I found the melted pieces, cleaned things up and ordered a new part to replace the most melted one.  Last night while we were making sushi, I wired it all up, turned it on, and nothing happened.

I wasn't up for anything last night, but this morning I opened it up again, found the wire that wasn't fully connected, put it back together and it turned on.  The acid test will be when we run the next load, but I'm pretty confident that was the issue.  Take that, stressful life event!  Now to deal with the rest of them.

At least this motivated me to finally fix the bit of plastic on the handle with a 3D printed part.

Pied Piper for Chickens

August 16, 2022 by Adam in Family

This morning the neighbors are playing the flute and the chickens became strangely silent.

Too Many Teenagers

August 15, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a somewhat challenging week or two, with all sorts of problems popping up at once.  Our savings have been going down, so Joanna and I are going through all our expenses and trying to find ways to get things more in balance.  I suspect dropping some subscription services and cutting back on cleaning services are in our future.  Joanna did find the bank screwed up with a check, turning a $270 check into $2,700, so that'll be nice.  We could also turn some of our non-liquid things into cash if we had to, but cutting back on expenses seems most reasonable.  Mostly we have a $7,500 roof replacement in a couple months and we're trying to still have some buffer money after that.

I'm also trying hard to get the refrigerator fixed - hopefully the new part arrives tomorrow.  Doing dishes by hand is quite motivating.  There's also a long-broken handle part that's mostly cosmetic.  Emma and I played around and modeled a new part that's slowly printing away.  We couldn't help ourselves and added a fun anchor logo while we were at it.

My friend D&D group also got together, somewhat last minute.  I think they had a good time fending off cultists and escaping a giant octopus.  Fortunately I have four weeks to prep until the next game.  I think all the minis are printed but there are maps and traps to get ready.

I also forgot to mention that our cat Leia turned 13 this last week.  Joanna went out and got her a doughnut which she developed a taste for when I'd put a doughnut on Duncan's desk for dessert.  That means we technically have four teenagers in the house, making us outnumbered  two-to-one.

Melting Dishwasher

August 13, 2022 by Adam in Family

The dishwasher has been working on and off the last few days.  After some foul smells and disassembling things this morning, I think I pieced together the series of events that's led to me washing dishes by hand since Wednesday or so.  There was a brief lightning storm and the voltage spiked.  This led to the power wire melting things, perhaps in part because the ground wire had fallen off.  The end result was a poor connection and the dishwasher only turning on if I pulled it out of the counter and tipped it a little.

I ordered the most melted part, stripped off the melted part of the power cable, and cleaned the rest as best I can.  Hopefully I'll only be washing dishes until Tuesday and then I can get it working again once the part arrives.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

August 12, 2022 by Adam in Family

I watched and enjoyed Everything, Everywhere, All At Once which is kind of a scifi superhero family dramatic comedy.  I've also been feeling overwhelmed this last week in between all the stressors in my life that seemed to appear at at once.  Fortunately some are being sorted out - we deployed a hotfix at work that should cleanup a tricky problem and the Subaru's air conditioner should be repaired.  Still need get the dishwasher replaced and I've been spending way too long doing dishes by hand.  Duncan starts an IOP program next week which hopefully eases the transition to school.  I arranged a beach trip with Joanna the weekend after next, with wonderful Seraph watching the kids.  Still not sure what's going on with Jason and my nautical D&D group.  I'm getting back into lifting weights again, thanks in part to stickers Joanna gave me.

Needless to say, it sometimes feels like a lot.  At least I had a mocha this morning.

D&D Weekend

August 08, 2022 by Adam in Family

I muddled through all the chicken feeding and garden watering with Joanna away at a writer's conference.  They had a good time hanging out with like-minded people, including an impromptu ukelele open mic jam session.  As for me, I had a good time playing D&D with the family session.  They managed some heroic saves including using a stampede of brotosauruses to trample a horde of zombies, with the monk leading them along with a bunch of tasty food.  Emma's character had mounted a bronto and threw a rope down to Frankie's character to swing to safety at the last moment.  I like these zany solutions the party comes up with.

I'm trying hard to manage the various stresses in my life, which seem to bubble up from time to time.  Lifting weights, running, meditating, and spending time with people I love sure does help.

Mocha Friday

August 05, 2022 by Adam in Family

Joanna's off at a writer's conference, so I've been running around taking care of extra chores.  I'll head inside in an hour or two to make breakfast, pill the cat and I've still got to check the chickens for eggs.  Whew!

It's been an otherwise uneventful week.  Work carries on - Jonathan's on vacation so I find myself doing more manager-like things.  Joanna and I had our date night at Cornbread Cafe along with a stroll around Yayoe's old neighborhood on Polk street.  I continue printing and painting miniatures.  I started playing Banners of Ruin, which is a new deckbuilder game like Slay the Spire.  I started after dinner and didn't really stop until it was time for bed.  Funny how that happens.

Impending Nerdy Weekend

July 29, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a hot week where Joanna's been feeding chickens veggies and fruit embedded in a block of ice.  It's funny the things one does in times of crisis.  Otherwise it's been a relatively uneventful week, if full of appointments and such.  Ben's last day of summer school is today, so he'll have to do science on his own now.  I've been working away in the shed - so far the air conditioning is keeping up with the weather but we'll see how today goes.

It's also another big D&D weekend, with a game both Saturday and Sunday.  I think I'm all ready to go, with maps, notes and miniatures all ready to go.  I'm so caught up on miniatures that I'm printing things that I probably won't break out for a couple months or more.  Nice to feel prepared, though.

Fun-filled Weekend

July 25, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a fairly full weekend in between projects and rushing around to various events.  Saturday Emma and I made soap with some of the oils and callendula petals she'd collected.  Joanna and I went to see The Trouble with Tribbles performed in the park, which was beautiful on so many levels.  I love watching people who are really into something share it with the world.

Sunday morning had Joanna, Emma, and I go to the fair to see the baby animals and crafts.  I ran into my old high school English teacher at the Society for Creative Anachronism booth.  We oohed and aahed at the various flowers and handmade items.  Eventually we wandered back home to escape the heat.  I helped Joanna make soap with lavender oil they'd collected.  Somewhere between all those things I managed to cook meals, do dishes and laundry, paint some miniatures, 3D print a dice tower for Emma, watch Emma play games, and do a little more D&D prep.  Whew!

I forgot I have tomorrow off work - another quirky Health Catalyst holiday.  Ben starts summer school today.  We're still waiting to hear about Duncan's program - theoretically it starts today but I suspect there's a delay.  It seems crazy that August is right around the corner.

Mocha Friday

July 22, 2022 by Adam in Family

The week has moved along.  I heard dad was back at work after his bout with COVID.  I picked up Emma, Jamie, and Judy at the train station after their California trip, delayed nearly five hours.  Emma was excited to go home to a bed that wasn't randomly moving around.  She's excited to come over today.

Duncan invited a good group of friends over for his birthday and they spent the evening playing Jackbox games and laughing.  I think he's going to start some more intensive therapy sessions next week, which he looks forward to.  Ben has a week of summer school starting Monday.  He was interested in taking some physics.  Hopefully he can pry himself away from his new obsession, Apex Legends, to make it to school.

As for me, I've been running kids around to appointments and slogging through yaml pipelines at work.  I think yaml stands for "yet another markup language," but the eytimology is murky.  Programmers aren't very good at documenting things.  I also took some Motivosity money from work and bought myself more silly D&D things for my players.  Maybe I'm just subconsiously trying to keep Seraph and Robbie in town by making the best D&D campaign ever.

Birthdays!

July 20, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's birthday season around here!  Yesterday I had a lovely day that included dinner with Joanna, delicious chocolate cake, fun presents, and playing games with Duncan and Ben.  I reserved Emma's present for her arrival from California today, just in time for Duncan's birthday festivities.  

I did work a little yesterday too, working through a bunch of incidents that came in since we now share an on call rotation.  That's something I did for decades, so it's a little sad it's coming back again.  Still, I know the drill and we don't usually get that many calls.

I'm somehow still excited for my upcoming D&D games the weekend after next.  I keep planning and printing 3D models.  I ordered a cute little Guide to Herbalism that I plan on letting Emma use in our jungle campaign.  Fun, fun.

Making Things

July 17, 2022 by Adam in Family

We've all been fretting about dad, but it sounds like he's slowly recovering from COVID, even though he feels pretty cruddy.  I've felt mildly under the weather all weekend myself, but nothing that a little mocha and Advil can't handle.

Emma's away in California with Jamie and her mom.  I've been doing assorted D&D prep projects, such as making a nice looking "how to explore the jungle" handbook for the players.  Joanna and I also tackled a couple projects.  First was repairing the sprinkler head I ran over.  Next was putting together a new little free library to replace the current one.  Joanna was also doing some tie dying, so I got to make myself a new tie dye shirt

The library project was surprisingly fun, satisfying to both use up material cluttering up the garage and make something creative and useful.  Who needs therapy when we can use four different power tools in an afternoon?

Mocha Friday

July 15, 2022 by Adam in Family

Ben's friend and her mom didn't make it out of the Eugene airport last night, so we had unexpected guests and Ben had an extra day with his friend.  I was a little sniffly this morning, so I took a COVID test which ended up negative.  Little did I know that I'd enter a stage in my life where I kept stuffing things up my nose again.  Presumably senility will soon follow.

No big plans this weekend.  My D&D projects spiral out of control.  I've got miniatures to paint and I finished up taping together a big map of the jungle.  I don't want to neglect my nautical campaign either and I have a little planning there too.  Otherwise I'm hoping to spend some time with Joanna and maybe tidy up the house a bit.

Emma's on her train trip, texting me this morning "Don't you hate it when you wake up and you're suddenly in California?"  "That hasn't happened since college," I replied.

Midweek Changes

July 14, 2022 by Adam in Family

I've grown to accept that a quiet, boring life probably isn't going to happen.  The best I can do is write code from my little shed and listen to the chickens out my window.

Dad and Ana have COVID.  I haven't talked to him, but it sounds like he has a really sore throat and they're staying in bed.  Danica is having health issues again, so that's another worry added to the mix.  Emma is off to California on a train tonight.  Ben's friend returns to California after visiting a few days.  

I've been whiling away the evenings painting miniatures and watching shows.  We recently finished Stranger Things and have moved on to the Umbrella Academy.

Nerdy Weekend

July 12, 2022 by Adam in Family

I had one of those Saturday and Sunday D&D weekends, first with my well-established nautical campaign and the next our first session with the family group.  The nautical campaign went well, with two big fights - one underwater and the second a boarding action by shark pirates.  The first was harder than expected and the second easier.  That concludes the part of the campaign where I ignore the campaign book and do my own thing.  Next session it's back to the modules mostly as written.

The Sunday group was fun, with Jordan, Frankie, Seraph, Robbie, and Emma.  They worked on their characters and kicked off the adventure.  I got to reuse the ship models as they had to sail to the jungles they were going to explore.  Frankie had to leave early for work, but everyone else hung out to paint miniatures and the cigar boxes to contain all their stuff.  I'm spraying them this morning - they all turned out really well.

And in three more weeks, I have another back-to-back D&D weekend.  Thankfully Joanna still seems to like nerdy ol' me and baked some wonderful treats both days.

As for the rest of our lives, we're mostly doing okay.  Duncan seems to be doing a little better, though it's always hard to tell.  Emma's off on a train adventure with Jamie and her mom for a little over a week.  Ben has a friend visiting from out of town.  Summer has started in earnest and feels hotter every day.

Nerdy Mocha Friday

July 08, 2022 by Adam in Family

I'm rushing about, trying to get things ready for my D&D filled weekend.  I've got the nautical adventure happening Saturday afternoon and a new jungle adventure group on Sunday.  I suspect I'll fail at something or another, but everyone is good-natured and we have a good time anyway.

The week has moved along.  Work things are being accomplished, even though they feel pretty tricky at times.  Joanna and I had a nice date night.  We're both worrying about Duncan, who's been having a rough time lately.  It's hard to know when and how to get him more intensive support.

I've got endless prep for the weekend and need to start on dinner fairly soon.  Busy, busy.

Last Day of Vacation

July 06, 2022 by Adam in Family

I had three days off of work this week.  It's been a lovely, lazy five days of hanging out with kids, doing projects, and occasionally accomplishing something useful.  Emma hung out until today as well, so there was lots of art projects and game playing.

On the actual 4th of July Emma and I took the kayaks out to the mill race - it was bright and warm and full of wildlife along the slow path of the water.  Emma was full of funny commentary along the way and would occasionally rattle off the common name of a bird or dragonfly we came across.

Joanna and I had date night last night, and along with a walk we halfway finished a quirky art project involving plaster on a canvas.  Today we're supposed to get together and paint it.  Always entertaining.

I'm also prepping for my two D&D sessions this weekend.  I think I'm pretty ready to go, with all the miniatures printed, along with the dice box holders and cigar cases I bought at a yard sale from a couple quirky Australians.  I've only finished on of the life point counters, but hopefully I can get those done by the weekend.

Duncan's feeling a bit better this week.  Ben's been working on art, writing, and watching Stranger Things with us at night.  Emma's practicing her ukelele and reading.  Life keeps moving along.

Mocha Friday

July 01, 2022 by Adam in Family

The chickens keep me company in the morning, making their little chicken noises as I drink my Friday mocha.  We're definately all in summertime mode.  Duncan and Ben mostly hang out on their computers.  Joanna makes sure they're fed, taken to appointments, and occasionally Joanna heads out to the farm or sees a friend.  Duncan's had a rough week due to some friendship issues and medication changes, so we're keeping an eye on him.  

It's otherwise been a somewhat unexciting week.  I had a nice tea with mom and chatted about the farm.  Hopefully I can help move things along, even if it's just providing moral support when talking to bankers.  I'm also continuing to prep for my two D&D games which got rescheduled due to one of my players getting COVID.  I've got my usual group Saturday afternoon and my new group the following Sunday.  I feel pretty ready for the first group, with endless props and miniatures ready to go.  The second still needs some preparations, though for a first session we likely won't need to do much.  I'm trying hard to get cool boxes and goodies to hold dice and miniatures, but we'll see how far we get.

Work's coming along nicely.  I'm working on pipelines, which strangely doesn't mean I'm covered in oil at the end of the day.  I'm also weirdly deciding our new architecture - I guess people trust me or something.  It's also looking that our team will grow again with a couple client facing people and a project manager.  That's been a long time coming.

Life continues to be complicated and full of challenges, but I do my best to find the joy and adventure were I can.

Mid-Week Update

June 29, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was one of those summertime weekends where we hung out and generally took it easy.  Because of the heat Joanna was running off to the farm to water things and I stayed inside playing games with Emma and printing dinosaur miniatures for the upcoming D&D game with the family.  So far I'm really enjoying the summer schedule - kids roll out of bed late in the morning, Ben watches shows with us at night, and there seems to be much less pressure all around.

The kids' grades all came in at this point.  Emma's mildly peeved at her one B in her chem lab, mostly due to lack of clear expectations.  Ben got all A's or A+s.  Duncan's grades were better than expected, passing all classes and had a few nice notes from teachers about working hard.  I've been passing out "good jobs" to all of them.

One of my D&D players got COVID yesterday, so I'm rescheduling it to the following weekend.  That means I'm DMing both Saturday and Sunday, including kicking off a new campaign for the family.  I'm super excited to get things ready for all of them.  Hopefully I don't OD on being super nerdy all at once.

Hopefully we can start doing outdoor summer things soon.  I got a geocaching hike promised for my birthday I'd like to cash in.  Emma and Joanna both want to go kayaking.  Hopefully that can come together soon.

Summertime Mocha Friday

June 24, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a long while since I last posted.  Joanna and I went down to Ashland for our ten year anniversary, taking in a play and walking around the cute little town.  The musical was called Once on our Island, a mythical romance set in Haiti, and had some great music, dancing and costumes.  Just being out and about was fun, as many of our adventures.  I also ended up getting Joanna a puzzle recommended by a fellow jury member called a "magic puzzle."  Sure enough, it was strange and wacky and broke many puzzle rules.  We ended up staying up way too late to finish it.

As for everything else, the kids are all settling into summer.  The casual summer schedule is easier in many ways - no rush to get kids out the door or school issues to sort through.  Ben and Duncan have been making art and gaming with friends.  Emma's been practicing her ukulele, gardening, reading and enjoying her possibly last summer of leisure.

Father's Day last weekend was fun and I ended up with a bunch of miniature-related gifts.  This morning I tried out the new brushes and paint, happy with the results.  I'm hoping to spray a clear coat on a bunch that I finished over the last few weeks and get them into a new carrying case.  The other gift was a new D&D campaign - Tomb of Annihilation - and I suckered Emma, Seraph, Robbie, Francis, and Jordan as players.  It's a jungle adventure and I printed my first dinosaur as a test last night.

I've been settling back into work, finishing a long, complicated feature.  I think we have a relatively quiet weekend ahead of us.  So far the summer is going nicely.

Mocha Friday

June 17, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a good week back at work, slogging through complex integration problems.  I think I'm nearly done after almost giving up a few times.  Emma suggested giving it one more try and that was enough to push me over the edge.

It's the last day of school for Duncan and Ben.  It's certainly been challenging at times, but I'm really happy they both made it to the end.  COVID really threw everyone for a loop and getting back into the swing of things was touch and go at times.  Still, they made it to summer - hopefully that transition goes well too.

It's been a very full week.  Emma, Joanna, and I had a nice visit with the gang at dad's house on Wednesday.  Yesterday Joanna and I went out for dinner and a walk around the neighborhood.  This Sunday is Father's Day at Jenny's.  I've got to get ready for our upcoming anniversary trip.  Busy, busy!

I'm hoping I can sneak in some R&R somewhere in there - paint some miniatures, play some video games.  At least life isn't boring.

Room with a View

June 15, 2022 by Adam in Family

Seraph's chickens arrived earlier this week.  I now work away in my little shed while listening to chicken noises.  They seem to have adjusted relatively well to the move - at least they're still cranking out eggs anyway.

Emma's been here the last few days which has been a treat.  Last night we walked down to campus to pick up my official U of O community card.  Hopefully it lets Joanna and I take some classes down at the craft center.  We finished both Strange Horticulture and Spellcaster University the last couple nights - both of which were games that fit Emma's sensibilities perfectly.

The younger kids are wrapping up the last few days of school.  It's been a bumpy couple weeks for Duncan but my hope is that we can get him moved into the summer routine and then set things up for the fall to better support him.  I'm still very happy he's been able to get through the school year.

We've got a busy few days ahead, followed by our ten year anniversary next week.  I really like having things to look forward to.

Clearing the Land

June 13, 2022 by Adam in Family

Friday was filled with exhausting, back-breaking work.  I got up early, had a mocha and hearty breakfast, packed up lunch and safety equipment, then we headed to Home Depot to rent a brush hog.  A brush hog is kinda like a lawnmower on steroids.  One lever moves it forward, another back, and a third handle engages these giant blades that can cut through 2 inch saplings.  It weighs over 350 pounds, which I very much noticed when hauling it out of stream beds I'd driven into.

We loaded it up on the trailer and spent five hours with occasional breaks cutting through brambles around the shed.  Joanna and I traded off and on and I had to stop occasionally to cut through fallen tree limbs.  The terrain was exceptionally rough with a stream buried under where I was cutting.  Still, it was a magical experience and we cleared a huge amount of area in just a day.

Saturday was a blur as I was incredibly sore and my head ached.  Sunday I was mostly back to normal, going to the library with Joanna and Emma.  I'm doing some research on what Ben and Duncan might like to do over the summer.  One suggestion was to paint 3D printed miniatures, so I've been cranking them out for Duncan and his friends to paint.  Emma's last assignment was graded and she ended up with an A in her honor's biology.  Now she's trying to fill the summer hours with vaguely useful things.

A chicken coop appeared outside my office window, assembled by Seraph and Robbie Sunday afternoon.  The chickens arrive today - moved from the farm since the racoons keep eating them there.  Hopefully their clucking calms like wind chimes as I work away in my shed.

I'm getting excited about our anniversary trip next week.  Once again Seraph proves her awesomeness by watching Duncan and Ben and ferrying them around to various appointments.

Justice

June 09, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a fascinating, difficult and sad week.  I hung out with 12 total strangers, learning oddly specific personal things about each one during the voir dire process that weeds out "problem" jurors.  That took over a day, followed by two days of testimony from a bunch of questionably believable neighbors, some of which were horrible people and others with very bad anger management.  There was consensus that there was a parking dispute which escalated into one neighbor punching two other neighbors a single time.  The defense argued self-defense and the prosecutor didn't clear up reasonable doubt that was possible.  We all agreed on disorderly conduct and finally returned a single guilty decision on that count.

The whole thing seemed sad and sordid, with very bad communication skills all around.  I felt bad for the defendant's girlfriend and their daughter - they sold the house and moved away.  The jury wanted to put one of the neighbors on trial for being a horrible person and starting the whole conflict, but sadly that's not how justice works.

It's been somewhat challenging fitting in the rest of my life, and I very much miss work and my work routine.  Joanna and I managed a subdued date night where we made cake pops and painted watercolor pictures.  I've started printing miniatures again.  Tomorrow we head out to the farm to clear land with a brush hog and chainsaw.  Hopefully it's cathartic.

My Life is a Sims game

June 06, 2022 by Adam in Family

I was seated on the jury, so I spent a long time Thursday going through the jury selection process.  It continued through Friday morning and finally the case started in earnest.  Hopefully it'll be done Tuesday, but it might go through Wednesday.  Today there's no court, so I get a brief reprieve to work at my real job.  It does seem like my life is full of weird obstacles that come out of nowhere - thus the feeling that I'm a character in a Sims game played by a mischevious child.

My manager Jonathan ended up getting COVID, along with not getting the job he applied for.  I told him I was both happy and sad for the outcome.

Joanna and I  booked our ten-year anniversary trip last night.  We're going back to Ashland where we spent our honeymoon, which sounds lovely.  While it's just a couple nights, I'm very excited to hang out just the two of us.

I hosted another D&D session over the weekend, showing off miniatures and generally having a good time.  The bullywug dance-off was a highlight and Jason pulled off some impressive diss tracks with only a few minutes notice.  Once each month seems like a pretty good pace as I'm able to prep quite a bit.  The aged and sealed Letter of Marque was well-received by the players.

Jury Duty

June 02, 2022 by Adam in Family

I was called for jury duty, so I'm sitting in the heart of the lane county courthouse.  It's a testiment to the brutalist concrete architecture of the 70s.  Reminds me a little of Lane Community College's campus - I understand they filmed science fiction movies there.

Muddling through the week.  Looking forward to this weekend's D&D session.  The kids are approaching the last two weeks of school, which is wild.

Building fences

May 31, 2022 by Adam in Family

Our fence has been in a rough state for awhile now, sagging and coming apart from the posts.  Joanna picked up a fence post months ago, but it finally fell over and turned into something we couldn't ignore.  After much swearing and brute forcing, the fence is upright again.  The final step was to seal myself on the other side and say farewell to Joanna.

Joanna's farm stand continues to earn praise from the neighbors, with produce vanishing at a steady pace. Emma and I tried to go for a walk at the South Meadows, but mother nature had other ideas and we returned soaked. My long-awaited D&D session starts again next weekend, which I'm busy prepping for. I might need more handouts and another side quest or two.

The Final Stretch

May 25, 2022 by Adam in Family

Joanna set out the farm stand they built out in the driveway today.  It's very pretty - hopefully it catches they eye of passers by.  We also went out to dinner and music last night.  It was a questionable reggae band at the Springfield Public House, but they were enthusiastic and Joanna got to eat some meat so I think it was a success.

I stepped out to have coffee with Seraph this morning.  It was great to catch up and chat about our lives.  I'm returning to 16 Tons later this afternoon to visit with mom, so I'll be well caffeinated by the end of the day.

Emma's birthday is coming up shortly.  I've got presents to wrap and a cake to pick up.  Busy, busy!

Lovely, Sunny Weekend

May 23, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a good weekend.

Joanna was feeling pretty good.  I was slightly under the weather Saturday morning, but nothing that a mocha and Advil couldn't fix.  Emma went off to the coast for a class trip and had a great time despite some scrapes and bruises from clamboring down to the tide pools.  We managed a tremendous amount of projects around the house and yard.  Joanna's farm stand is approaching done.  I started repairing the broken fence post, digging out rotten wood from inside the concrete base.  I mowed the lawn and swept the patio, followed by edge trimming work by Joanna.  Things are feeling tidy and ready for outside activities as the weather improves.

I was especially proud of helping Joanna with a broken wheelbarrow, one that they got their mom way back in the teen years.  The wheel had gone flat, but bolts were rusted and the axle was improvised from a threaded steel rod.  We didn't have enough plastic spacers, so I excitedly offered to make some.  Soon enough I was breaking out the calipers and designed a simple cylinder-with-a-hole that I printed out.  After a first failure that needed more tolerance, the rest worked like a charm.

Mocha Friday

May 20, 2022 by Adam in Family

I think today's the last day of Joanna's bachelor pad in the basement.  We watched a t.v. show together last night for the first time in a long while.  Here's hoping life returns a little bit more to normal soon.

It's been a week of long meetings with the bigger overall team at work.  It was fine, I suppose, though I spent most of it feeling kinda cruddy and drinking mochas.  Now it's back to looking for interesting data to test with.  The Bureau of Labor and Statistics is my latest fun place to poke around.  Now to make some pretty graphs.

Emma has a field trip Saturday.  Hopefully I'll finish up Elden Ring relatively soon - other games clamor for attention.  I'm also waiting for more filament to appear.  I'm going through my old spools trying to get one or two more prints from whatever's left.  I did make a really cool frog merchant that I really enjoyed painting.  What a weird, fun hobby I've fallen into.

Masque of the Red Death

May 17, 2022 by Adam in Family

I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache. Joanna's reporting feeling really achy. I've taken some Advil and will have a medicinal mocha in a little. Still waiting on Joanna's COVID test results.

I've got three days off so day meetings at work. We'll see if I sneak away for a nap or two.

Roommates

May 16, 2022 by Adam in Family

Joanna just came up from the basement to put food on a tray before descending downstairs again.  It's like we have this roommate we all try to avoid that mostly keeps to themselves downstairs.  Joanna went to get a COVID test this morning.  The rapid test was negative.  The PCR test should be back in a day or two.  Maybe our family will be together again soon.

I had a generally good weekend otherwise.  On Friday Emma surprised me by showing off her smile with her braces off.  While there were a few minor things they still wanted to do, Emma put her foot down as all the major things were just fine.  We otherwise hung out, played games, and went for a walk around Delta Ponds.

I played more Elden Ring, painted miniatures, and kept the constant cycle of feeding children and doing dishes going over the last few days.  I really had fun painting the turtle bard - still need to figure out how to work it into the campaign.

Work's been a little frantic - discovering bugs and getting ready for the next release.  We have three days of team meetings online.  Long meetings make me cranky, but hopefully it's not too bad.

Brush with COVID

May 13, 2022 by Adam in Family

One of Joanna's friends tested positive for COVID right after they visited them, so Joanna's been wearing a mask and generally keeping their distance in the basement.  It's pretty annoying, but we're muddling through - it was a fairly brief visit, so it's likely that everything is fine.

I also had an insanely busy day yesterday between appointments and work meetings.  I had an amazing visit to the Springfield DMV where I efficiently and cheerfully got my new driver's license with the star finally sorted out.  I also had a generally positive visit with my doctor about some lab results - my triglycerides were high, but between my healthy lifestyle and arterial calcium scan we decided to hold off on medication.  One of my most fun meetings was with a woman my old friend Darin is mentoring, talking about the life of a developer and how great it is.

I started a gratitude journal this week.  So far it's getting quirky things like "how pretty the dogwood tree is" and "having multiple kitties sit on my lap."  I guess that's something, though.

Moving into Springtime

May 11, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a busy last few days, with Mother's Day being full of visits and activity.  It started with a breakfast of crepes, strawberries, and whip cream for Joanna, along with a heap of presents - half of which were mushroom related.  Next up was seeing my mom, which included a long phone call with Sadie.  Yayoe was next, with a chat with her and seeing John before his procedure, which seems to have gone well.  Finally I returned home and sent a little message to Ana.  While it was a fair bit of work, it was nice to see everyone and catch up.

I'm generally feeling better than I did at the end of last week and my spirits have improved quite a bit.  I've been visiting with my counselor, setting up follow-up doctor appointments, and even managed to snag an appointment at the DMV tomorrow.  I even started a gratitude journal yesterday, the first item of which was the dogwood tree blooming in the front yard.  I know it only lasts a few weeks, but it's amazing looking for today.

Joanna's halfway build their farm stand.  I finished 3d printing my second boat - now I have to stain and paint it.  I keep puttering away at Elden Ring, slowly getting towards the end.  Joanna gave me a tour of the garden and all the things we have growing, which always makes me happy.  Emma's pondering a change in major from Biology to Environmental Studies.  Duncan has earned nearly $300 in ad revenue for his YouTube channel.  Life is strange and interesting.

Worn out Mocha Friday

May 06, 2022 by Adam in Family

I had a rough day yesterday, a headache that appeared a couple hours into work and got to the point where I just wanted to lay down and not do anything.  I spent most of the day tossing and turning in bed with horrible sinus pain.  Fortunately I fell into blissful sleep and woke up around four feeling much better.  I worked for a bit, helped Joanna move the improved raspberry bed they made into position, cooked dinner, but otherwise took it easy for the rest of the day.  I'm mostly better today, though feeling a little jetlagged.  Hopefully my impending mocha will perk me up.

I got to hang out with both mom and dad this week.  I think both their lives are a little busy of late, so it was nice to hang out and chat.  I'm also still riding high on my weekend D&D session, getting excited about printing a new boat for some fun ship-to-ship battles.  I'm also loving spring - the dogwood tree is blooming bright coral colors outside the dining room even as the cherry tree fades.

Mother's Day is this weekend and I have a fair amount to run around and prepare for.  I weirdly look forward to sitting around with everyone, painting miniatures and hopefully watching a little Star Trek.

Springtime Weekend

May 02, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a good weekend - hanging out with friends and playing D&D, going to the library, eating pizza and watching anime with kids, and planting starts and seeds with Joanna and Ben.  The kids all seem to be doing okay - Duncan had a friend over and was talking about YouTube and video editing.  Emma got ready for a presentation in her thesis class.  Emma and Ben talked about genetics and evolution at the Sunday breakfast table, which warmed my heart.

Most of all I enjoyed planting seeds with Joanna.  It seems an activity full of hope, that warm days and gentle rains will come and delicious nurturing food will spring forth from soil and air.

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.

Gaming with Friends

March 28, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a good weekend.

Saturday morning started with a hearty breakfast of waffles, followed by Joanna and I doing some hedge trimming and mowing the lawn.  The weather was amazing and I reveled in wearing shorts and a t-shirt again.  In the afternoon Emma and I ran some errands and picked up supplies for Sunday's gaming session.  We found some small mechanical pencils to fit into each player's dice and mini boxes, sanding off the dumb Office Max logo with some iron wool.

Sunday was game day, so after breakfast I quickly threw together all the technology and made sure it worked, followed by Emma, Cory, Marty, and Jason sitting down for our first full gaming session.  It went really well, with the players taking an unexpected path through the house and confronting the villians more quickly than I'd planned.  Jason's bard was amusing with disguise and deception.  The swashbuckler performed some feats of acrobatics.  The fighter and paladin saved the day more than once.  It was all good fun.

Now it's back to work for me and the start of a new term for Emma.  It's not as ideal of a schedule as last term, but now that Calculus is over the workload should hopefully be easier.

Mocha Friday

March 25, 2022 by Adam in Family

I'm back in my shed, finished going through the deluge of emails that appeared in my absence.  We just finished a big release and Jonathan is in training all week, so I'm in a funny lull before I bit into a significant project again.  I suspect it won't last long.

Yesterday's x-ray went well - I felt like a supermodel being stuck in weird poses and told to hold my breath.  Joanna and I planted the new plum tree in the afternoon.  I glued the magnets and new felt into the D&D mini and dice boxes.  I've got the last mini halfway painted.  The Texas crowd requested more miniatures, so the printer is humming away cheerfully again.  I've got my own gaming session this Sunday - hopefully it all goes well.

Home Sweet Home

March 24, 2022 by Adam in Family

We bid our farewells to the Texas crew and headed back home late in the day. Despite a tight connection in Seattle, we made it to Eugene around midnight and mom drive us home.

I woke up late and groggy but managed to put together waffles for the family and headed to the farm with Joanna to move our old pear tree to a hopefully better spot. The new trailer did what it was supposed to. The jerk chicken did not. Still, we got the pear tree in the ground and well watered.

Now I'm waiting to get an x-ray for my shoulder, the first step before an MRI and orthopedic surgeon. Hopefully the end result is that my shoulder works mostly okay again.

Adventures Continue

March 22, 2022 by Adam in Family

We went to another park yesterday, followed by hanging out, hiding from tornadoes, and a fun D&D session. The park was interesting - dry creek beds with fossils strewn about. It was next to a science center so we visited with the raptors in their outdoor cages. After wearing ourselves out, we went home and played some games until we started getting tornado warnings.

Apparently this isn't a thing that happens all the time here, and a few tornadoes hit the ground, but fortunately not too close by. Eventually the warning ended, friends showed up, and we played a fun adventure with 20th level characters until bedtime.

Park Hikes and Boardgames

March 20, 2022 by Adam in Family

More hikes, this time at an old ranch filled with the occasional odd art exhibit that someone made for fun. There was the Nest, the Fort, and the Throne, not to mention the Robot that greeted us at the end. The trail was littered with fossilized snail shells to add to the mystique.

Eventually we returned for lunch and boardgames and more hanging out.

Hanging Out in Austin

March 19, 2022 by Adam in Family

King of the Hill is playing in the background - Emma's idea for a culturally appropriate show. We made it into town pretty late, got to the rental, and picked up groceries with our local guide at the HEB. Then it was a quick dinner and crashing out exhausted.

We slowly woke up and headed out to a local park, the oldest kid pointing out where he'd cut down a tree or made a trail. It's strange being in a completely different climate with unexpected foliage. The peacocks and turtles were cute though. Next was picking up BBQ for the meat eaters, back to the Airbnb and playing Carcassonne. It's been a nice trip so far.

Mocha Seattle Friday

March 18, 2022 by Adam in Family

I just finished me Friday mocha and decided to do a quick post as Jamie and Emma find a water fountain. The trip up was good - I mostly slept and listened to rain sounds on my headphones. We board for Austin in an hour and a half. So far so good.

Getting ready for the adventure!

March 17, 2022 by Adam in Family

I've got a fair bit of getting ready today for the trip tomorrow at crazy o'clock in the morning.  Plus I have a doctor's appointment to look at my shoulder along with various other things.  I've also been printing out minis for my D&D group and finishing up the dice and mini boxes I'm making for them.  They're mostly coming along as expected, though the glue soaked through the felt a little and requires some fiddling.

Ben and Duncan are out of school for Saint Patrick's Day.  I'd forgotten until during this morning's call Corinne's kids marched up wearing green and funny little hats to give her a kiss before boarding the bus.  Fortunately our meetings are all via webcam so no one can pinch me for not wearing green.

Pi Day

March 15, 2022 by Adam in Family

Yesterday was Pi Day, so Joanna made us circular food for dinner - quiche and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Both were delicious and I quietly gave thanks to all those math nerds that turned Pi Day into a thing.

Life's generally going well.  My counselor congratulated me on doing all the things I'm supposed to be doing.  I even setup an appointment for someone to take a closer look at my shoulder, which still annoys me.   The trip to Austin is coming up fast and I think all the necessary arrangements have been made.  It'll be nice to wear t-shirts and shorts again.

My 3D printing projects are coming along nicely.  I've got three stained dice and miniature boxes for my D&D group.  The stain was a little darker than expected, but I'm generally happy with the way things turned out.  I need to do some campaign prep on the trip so I'm ready for the next session.

Weekend Before Finals

March 11, 2022 by Adam in Family

Emma has finals next week in Biology and Calculus before we hop on a plane to Austin at the end of the week.  Joanna's got a trip with Duncan to see his friend in Tampa, so we're starting to move around the world again.  We're getting ready for a release at work, so I've been finding and fixing bugs.  We finally figured out the frustrating issue I was struggling with last week - incompatable library versions.  Such is the life of a professional software developer.

My wood-based PLA arrived so I continue cranking out dice holders for my D&D group.  Still waiting on one of the symbols, then I can finish things up.  Ben printed out a bunch of small body parts for an articulated humanoid figure.  It's fun watching the kids make things.

I continue to have fun playing Elden Ring.  Joanna brought me gold stars for my work calendar when I meditate in the morning.  Counseling is going well.  It feels like we're on the cusp of spring and sunny days once again.  Time to stop and finish my mocha.

Moving Along

March 09, 2022 by Adam in Family

The week is moving along, relatively uneventfully.  I'm trying hard to get back to more interesting things to do at work after slogging through bugs for days.  Not quite free yet.  My D&D group started sending in symbols they'd like embossed in the dice and mini boxes I'm making for them.  Cory gets a Blackbeard symbol and with my new spool of wood filament, the printing has started again.  I've been enjoying playing Elden Ring, which I feel like I've at least started to not suck at playing.  At least I defeated the first boss.

Game Day

March 05, 2022 by Adam in Family

Had a great time playing D&D with Emma, Marty, Jason and Corey. The battlemap and screen setup worked well. Emma almost got eaten by a shark. It was great.

Joanna's been chopping off weird parts of a trailer they got last week. Duncan went to a birthday party of a good friend. Ben watched the South robotics competition - they sadly lost in the semifinals. Soon I need to summon the energy to make dinner.

Weekend Projects

February 28, 2022 by Adam in Family

Joanna and I both worked on different projects this weekend.  The shed ladder is sanded and stained, ready to get installed out at the farm cabin this week.  I fiddled around with a D&D setup that's probably a little too technology-heavy, but it does look cool in action.  Emma and I went to the library and picked up some dice at a local gaming store.  I also 3D printed more odds and ends, trying out a new wood stain I picked up at the hardware store.

The weekend was otherwise pretty quiet.  Ben listened to Murderbot with his friends.  Duncan played games.  Emma did homework.  We all got together for the usual pizza and anime.

I think I got my fourth player for a D&D session, though everyone is pretty busy these days.  Hopefully it provides a chance to hang out and have a good time.

Somber Mocha Friday

February 25, 2022 by Adam in Family

With the invasion of Ukraine and all I'm feeling somewhat out of sorts.  The Star Trek future I dreamed of as a kid seems far away sometimes.

It's been a relatively uneventful week.  Kids went to school and I slowly got things done at work.  Life has felt full of obstacles - the spa getaway for Joanna and I had to be delayed until April, my D&D group isn't getting players together like I'd hoped, and poor communication at work has been frustrating.

I did manage to print a fun dice and miniature holder for Emma in hopes we start playing.  I also picked up Elden Ring, which is the latest Dark Souls game.  Performance is a little iffy, but the gameplay is good so far.  I have a particular way to hold the controller that Sam taught me years ago - it's funny how my fingers move into that familiar position when I start playing.

I finished my mocha and put on some chipper music - hopefully it lifts my spirits.

Three Day Weekend

February 21, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a pleasant three days, with future plans falling into place and a nostalgic visit to the Hult Center.

Emma and I skipped our usual library run and instead Emma worked on her D&D character, printing and painting her miniature.  I put her in charge of dinner that night, as Joanna and I went out with Seraph, Robbie, and Jenny to Poppi's Anatoila for dinner before the play.  Then it was off to the Hult Center to watch Fiddler on the Roof.  Back in junior high school we performed the same play at the Hult Center, though I admittedly didn't have as fancy dance moves.  It was fun to go out and nice to spend time with family.

Joanna brought me in to a couple projects on Sunday, helping with the ladder a little and assisting in starting some seeds in the green house.  It looks like Jamie, Emma, and I are going to Texas to visit, so we put together airline tickets and a place to stay.  That night was pizza and anime, wrapping up Emma's weekend who unfortunately had to go to school today.

Monday was pretty low-key, taking Emma to school, printing miniatures, playing video games and generally relaxing.  Joanna and I are planning a spa getaway soon - yet another thing to look forward to.  Now the long weekend is wrapping up - hopefully I remember how to write code again.

Mocha Friday

February 18, 2022 by Adam in Family

My giant unicorn mug full of cafe mocha rests beside me as winter holds on for a few more weeks.  It looks to be a quiet day at work and I've been making good progress finishing things up and starting in on new and exciting things.  Joanna and I are having dinner with my sisters and hangers on, then going to see Fiddler on the Roof this Saturday.  I'll try to hold my tongue when they say "bagels, fresh bagels!"  It was my one line in my middle school play and I didn't actually get to say it due to how long it took to change costumes between scenes at the Hult center.

Other fun future plans are coming together.  I reached out to my old friend Jason and he's down for playing some D&D.  Next is reaching out to the rest of the old group and see who's still up for it.  Hopefully all those miniatures and the giant ship I'm 3D printing won't be for nothing.

Joanna and I are putting together the pieces of a spa getaway.  I'm trying hard to nail down a trip to Austin.  Meditation, counseling, physical therapy, and mouth guard wearing aren't as fun, but it feels good to get those in place as well.

As for the rest of the crew, we're all generally doing well.  Joanna's getting fingerprinted in order to volunteer at Ben's robotics club.  Emma's slogging through the next four weeks of a hard term.  I had a nice date night with Joanna on Tuesday night and played video games the other nights, often with Joanna on the couch nearby doing the same.  It's not so bad a life.

Happy Valentine's Day

February 14, 2022 by Adam in Family

I hope you all got chocolate and Valentine's Day cards like we all got this morning.  I've still got a little something for Joanna for our lunch date later today, but the kids got chocolate and silly D&D themed cards I printed off the Internet.

As for the weekend, it was generally good.  The weather was amazing yesterday so I managed some gardening and going out with Ben and Emma to do some geocaching.  The first was amazing and involved discovering a concrete version of a Gravity Falls character in the forest.  The second cache we couldn't find and I ended up scraped up and empty handed.

I kept printing and painting miniatures, including a huge boat out of wood-based filament.  It's coming along nicely, though burning through filament faster than expected.  I think I'm done painting all the miniatures I need for the first few sessions and I suppose all that's next is to send out a call to adventure to my old nerd friends.

Joanna continued to work on the ladder, which is coming along nicely.  Ben and I both feel better from our stomach issues.  He was watching his friend livestream the birth of their kittens, so Joanna and I watched our own show last night.  Emma did endless homework, some of which was really challenging. Between talking through gene expression and the absorption of photons, I think I was helpful.

Mocha Friday

February 11, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's been a mostly okay week, the cold and mist reminding me that spring is still a ways away.  Life has been relatively routine this week.  Dad came over for dinner and we chatted about 3D printing, rockets, and Teslas.  Yesterday I had tea with mom, returning home with a trove of assorted historic artifacts, my favorite being a baby picture of me in a sailor's suit.  The cats are up to their usual mischief, Data getting stuck in Emma's bedroom for a couple hours.  Ben and I both had stomach aches this week, though I hope I'm finally on the upswing.

My month-long work feature is finally coming to an end, one of the more complicated things I've worked on.  We've had more interruptions than usual as we developers keep filling in for people who are on vacation or left for other positions.  We semi-officially have a new project manager, a really nice guy who I've worked with in the past.  I'm slowly coming up on five years at Health Catalyst, which almost seems like a long stretch of time.

We hopefully sorted out some school stresses with Duncan this week, the biggest change being that he's no longer in a class that was stressful for various reasons.  Ben's doing well as usual, hanging out with his friend after robotics class last night.  We also started watching Murderville, which is pretty funny.

I promised a worn-out Emma a trip to the library and some time painting D&D miniatures.  Between biology and chem, she has a lot of homework and her biology class is especially tough.  Hopefully this is the toughest term she'll have to deal with and next term should be somewhat easier.

I continue to try to take care of myself - counseling, meditation, physical therapy, and finally getting used to my mouth guard.  And spring is coming, which always helps.

Pleasant Weekend

February 07, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a nice, low-key weekend.  Joanna worked on their ladder with my occasional help holding things.  Emma did homework and played the ukelele, along with organizing her Oceanography team to get an assignment done.  Duncan visited with friends to all watch Squid Game.  Ben continued writing projects. 

My magnifying glass arrived, so I started painting miniatures in earnest, very much enjoying the meditative quality of the experience.  I also ended up making little stand-offs for the downstairs tv so I could lay it flat and display maps.  I guess I'll need to actually get some friends together to play D&D together.  Emma jumped in to paint quite a few of them, which was much appreciated.  I heard from the Texas branch of the family that the miniatures I sent along were finally put to use.  It's been fun making so many different things with the 3D printer.

Ben and I are feeling a little under the weather today, though more tea and a brownie have perked up my spirits.  Hopefully we improve soon.

My New Friends

February 04, 2022 by Adam in Family

I decided I've been far too socially isolated, so I've been spending the last few days 3D printing new ones.  That's what I've been telling Joanna anyway - in reality I'm hoping to start up our old D&D group again, though admittedly that gets back to fixing the social isolation issue.  In any case, I've been having fun making giant weasels, skeletons, and the like.  I might try my hand at painting them - the magnifying glass with a light shows up today.

I also wore my night guard last night, which unfortunately meant I kept waking up because of this weird thing in my mouth.  I had weird dreams of dogs messing up my childhood backyard and flying around to find pieces of gold hidden in the garbage.  I'm sure it's deeply symbolic somehow.

In other news, my new counselor seems cheerful and competent.  I dusted off the Headspace app to sneak in some daily meditation.  Running and physical therapy continue.  So far I'm enjoying this taking care of myself thing.

I finally finished my giant work feature and now I'm on to the fun part.  Time to finish my mocha and write some code.

On the Upswing

January 31, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a hard week last week, with getting fitted for a night guard after grinding my molars down being a low point.  I've been stoically taking care of everyone and everything the last couple years and I decided it was time to start taking care of myself more.  I got my shingles shot today, seeing a new counselor tomorrow, and Joanna and I started planning a trip away together.  I've got my passport renewal ready to go and I'm pondering getting together with friends for D&D once this latest omicron surge fades.  My big cup of morning coffee followed by another at lunch has turned into a smaller morning cup with tea for lunch.  Hopefully all of this keeps me from grinding my teeth and generally makes life more cheerful again.

As for the weekend, Emma and I went to the library on Saturday.  I 3D printed a 9-square soil blocker for Joanna, just in time for planting seeds.  Joanna and I went to Home Depot and picked up supplies to make a ladder for the shed.  Ben, Emma, Joanna, and I worked on a murder mystery game.  We couldn't figure out the clue for a password, so I opened up the browser's developer tools and hacked my way through.  If only all problems could be solved that way.

Back to Normalicy

January 24, 2022 by Adam in Family

It was a great week off - hanging out with family, hiking at the coast, playing games, and accomplishing house projects.  Joanna's birthday was a fine affair, with tasty cake and lots of presents to play with.  Soon I'm back in my shed to work away on web pages and everyone returns to school and work.

The weekend was fairly productive.  I'd bought some pegboard during the week, breaking it up into big chunks to fit in my car.  Sunday was spent mounting it in the garage where the smaller piece went.  Now things are better organized and spaced out.  Joanna picked up a couple new tools for their birthday, so I 3D printed a new Makita mount and put it up on the wall.  The end result is a still messy garage, but it's at least on the track to organization.

Flowing Water

January 21, 2022 by Adam in Family

The pipes have been unclogged by the second plumber to come through.  It was relatively painless with the right length snake.  I scrubbed and cleaned our sewage ejector pump while I was in there.  The laundry and dishes are going, and I'm slowly putting things back to normal.  It's also my last day off work, so it's keeping me busy while the wayward son is off visiting friends.  I've got another miniature or two to send him away with - the 3D printer has been making them non-stop.

We had a good shindig last night with virtually everyone coming over.  There's still a ton of food leftover, so we'll be eating corn bread and rice for the weeks ahead.  Tomorrow is Joanna's birthday, which is relatively well organized.  The cake will be picked up in the morning and I've got a few more presents to wrap, but otherwise we're set.

Whirlwind Week

January 20, 2022 by Adam in Family

The flight got rescheduled and the wayward son arrived Sunday.  We've been hanging out and doing things, with a big shindig planned for tonight.  Yesterday was a long hike at the coast through misty woods.  We parked at the same trailhead Emma and I went to, hiking down past the crab shell altar on the way to the beach.  Later was a three mile loop up and down steep paths to see the Heceta Head lighthouse.  We returned home worn out but somehow satisfied.

Since our lives aren't ever complicated enough, we've got a clogged pipe which is causing the dishwasher, washing machine, and kitchen sink to not work.  Hot water and bacterial cleaners didn't work, so a plumber should arrive this morning.  Hopefully we'll have a semi-functioning house by the time everyone arrives tonight.

Mocha Friday

January 14, 2022 by Adam in Family

I am very thankful for my mocha resting next to me this morning.  It's been a stressful week, full of upset people, plans falling apart due to COVID, and various work frustrations.  Fortunately Joanna's been very sweet, the three younger kids are doing okay, and the cat can't seem to get enough of me.  Since our oldest isn't coming into town I suppose it'll be a quiet weekend, though I was hoping things would work out.  Maybe I'll take some time off next week anyway.

The Final Act

January 10, 2022 by Adam in Family

It feels like it's the final act of the movie where the disaster everyone's been either dealing with or ignoring is finally coming to pass.  We're at two family members testing positive, along with notifications that Ben and Duncan were both exposed to someone with COVID, despite not sharing any classes.  Their test last Friday was negative. Fortunately I'm feeling mostly back to normal, though who knows if I had COVID or not.

As for the weekend itself, it was generally pretty good.  Joanna, Emma and I went to Hendrick's park to walk around, seeking out the handful of blooming things.  I helped Emma with homework a little - she's hoping to play god a little this week and cut up some DNA for analysis.  We unfortunately couldn't find a white beard and robes for the role.  Duncan recorded a Minecraft video with friends.  Ben worked on SCP writing.  Joanna wrote and did the radio ready emergency thing.

The 3D printer has been running non-stop, mostly making little organizational things for the shop.  I'm at the part where the garage is still a giant wreck, but there's hope for something better on the horizon.  I mounted the battery chargers and battery racks, which ended up looking really nice.  Plenty more to do.

Medicinal Madvil Friday

January 07, 2022 by Adam in Family

I'm doing my mocha and Advil cure this morning, though fortunately my symptoms are pretty mild.  I managed to go to work yesterday and cook dinner last night, taking the occasional painkiller when I feel achey.  Hopefully I return to normal soon.  Ben and Duncan spit in tubes last night, which should get turned in today and we'll get news about their COVID status on Sunday.

As for everyone else, our cat continues to be fascinated by the new self-cleaning litterbox.  Kids are going to school.  Joanna's screwing up the courage to work on insulating the writing shed.  I'm slogging through one of the more complicated forms ever.  Looking forward to Emma's arrival today, promising to help with bio homework.  Life goes on.

Low-Level Blah

January 06, 2022 by Adam in Family

It's day four of feeling under the weather.  I've generally been able to do things and I've started up at work today.  Being sick during a pandemic is a little anxiety producing, though I managed to get a full night's sleep last night.  Duncan and Ben get their COVID tests through school, so hopefully they'll be our canary in the coal mine if that's indeed what we got.  Supposedly rapid tests will be available next week, though that feels a day late and a dollar short.

Emma's generally reporting good things about her new term and that her Oceanography professor is really cool.  This is likely one of her harder terms, but she feels well prepared.

After running the 3D printer for days, I think I've got all I need for the garage/shop.  Now I just need to mount battery holders and chainsaw hangers to the wall.  Later today perhaps.

Surge Weekend

January 03, 2022 by Adam in Family

The Omicron surge is kicking into high gear in Lane county and most of us have weird upper respiratory things going on.  Unfortunately it's impossible to get a COVID test, so we're masking up and staying home where possible.  Ben's got an occasional cough, Joanna's sinuses feel a little weird, and I've got a funny lung feeling.  It's cold season too, so it's likely just that.

The weekend was generally okay.  Kevin made it to town after airline delays and hung out with Ben and Duncan.  I've continue to play around with the 3D printer, going through more than half of the white filament dad brought over.  I find I'm mostly making practical things - wall mounts for our Makita batteries, a self-watering planter for Emma's fern, and Emma made herself a bookmark for the Hobbit book she bought over the weekend.  Ben printed a thumb and finger extender which look strange and skeletal.

I also have a few days off of work, with goals to clean up the garage.  We'll see how I'm feeling and how far I get.  The weather is wet and dreary and the garage is cold.  I may not have enough coffee in the house for adequate liquid enthusiasm.