Adam Miller and Family

I went running yesterday, my usual six miles ...

December 30, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I went running yesterday, my usual six miles on a treadmill. It was pretty tough, and took me longer than usual, probably a result of not running for over a week.

When I got home, I started getting a headache and by five o'clock, it had turned completely debilitating. I stayed in bed until close to six the next morning, briefly emerging to eat a couple big bowls of cereal. I feel basically fine this morning, other than a slight overall ache.

I guess the moral of the story is to take it easy after a break.

I'm back at work after many days away due to ...

December 29, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I'm back at work after many days away due to the holidays and weather. While it's been fun to hang out at home, sleeping in late, and indulging myself playing video games, it does feel like time to get back into the routine again.

I had over 150 e-mails to pour through and have yet to dig myself out yet. Still, I'm getting closer and hopefully the most critical issues are done with. Even better, most people seem to be away from work, so I think I can catch up without too much insanity.

It's been pretty eye-opening reading about a ...

December 05, 2008 by Adam in Adam

It's been pretty eye-opening reading about a half million job losses last month. It makes me extremely thankful for my job. My new philosophy is to be as positive and helpful as I can to the people around me. In the unlikely event of layoffs, everyone will think "Well, we can't lay off Adam. Everything would fall apart!"

Fortunately being in health care, our industry seems fairly stable. People will still get sick and need care. PeaceHealth also seems relatively financially secure, especially compared to other folks.

I have started to do a review of all my CDs and sources of income, along with prioritizing the "nice to have" things. Christmas will likely be a little light, though I'll probably spoil the kids a fair amount.

I'm still trying to make sure Sam and I can go to England this year. On the plus side, travel should be relatively cheap due to the incredible drop in fuel costs. I think it's about $750 per person now. Strange times.

There's this wacky little site called "Gender...

November 03, 2008 by Adam in Adam

There's this wacky little site called "Gender Analyzer" where you put in a URL and it decides if a blog was written by a man or a woman. I immediately had to try out this one and try it out.

Sure enough, it appears that I write like a girl. Jamie would probably nod sadly and agree.

Jamie and the kids are probably waking up rig...

October 18, 2008 by Adam in Adam

Jamie and the kids are probably waking up right about now, eating a hearty breakfast. As for me, I just got back from the fitness center, took a shower, and I'm getting ready for my last meal before heading off to the airport. I'm pretty beat, having stayed up talking until midnight. I'm getting too old for life in the fast lane.

Hopefully things will go smoothly and I'll be greeted by my smiling family at the end of the day.

Another busy day, not quite over

October 18, 2008 by Adam in Adam

Another busy day, not quite over. I think I only got six hours of sleep last night. I eventually gave up and went for a run in the fitness center, then drowned my sorrows in a cafe mocha. I think the only record of my trip will be that single Visa charge.

I'm very much looking forward to the trip home tomorrow, though I'm not thrilled about the plane rides. I'll try hard to remember the sourdough bread in San Francisco, but I think I have plenty of goodies to bring home for the kids.

I'm worn out

October 17, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I'm worn out.

I managed a run this morning and had a whirlwind day of activity. I just came back from dinner, braving the crisp Edmonton air. Though it's a bit of a challenge, I've managed to find something for my vegetarian tastes every place we've gone.

The fortunate part about being busy is that I find myself missing my family whenever I get a little free time. This very much has to be my last trip for awhile.

The Bioware folks left a nice bag of swag in ...

October 16, 2008 by Adam in Adam

The Bioware folks left a nice bag of swag in my hotel room before I arrived. The good news is that I'll have adequate goodies for the kids when I return home.

Dinner was fun, chatting over dinner. I'm still having a hard time putting names to faces, as all I know these folks by is what they've written online.

I had a hard time sleeping last night. I had a dream where we were taken over to the Bioware offices. The lobby was Western-themed, with log fences and stuffed prarie dogs. They were going to show us the game behind an elaborate metal door with an electronic lock. For the demonstration itself, they handed out assorted toys and maps, along with some greeting cards that inspired their art direction.

I did my morning run in the fitness room and am heading down for breakfast shortly to meet everyone. We'll see if my vision was prophetic or not.

I ran across this weird web site that's about...

October 14, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I ran across this weird web site that's about web sites. Sure enough, we were on it. The funniest part was the web site description:

I got deathly ill Saturday morning. I woke up in the middle of the night and rolled around in the basement floor, popping Advil like candy. I was still in amazing pain by morning, scaring away the kids with my horrific grimaces. I kept telling myself that it would pass and after a nap I felt vaguely normal. Here at the end of Sunday, I feel just fine again.

That pretty much sums up the entire website. I guess I'll stop posting now.

I was also fond of the snapshot of our site, which I'm going to post here as well.

I'm sitting in a hotel in Bellingham, waiting...

October 07, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I'm sitting in a hotel in Bellingham, waiting for seven o'clock to roll around so I can head off with my team for breakfast. Everyone was groaning about the hour, but I was up at my usual five thirty, got in a four mile run, and am all ready to go.

I had a lot of fun yesterday, mostly hanging out with Emma and getting ready for the trip. Emma and I painted our little Sculpey gnomes, recorded her voice on my computer, and she played a little Spore. I went to school with her and Jamie, where Emma introduced me to all the grown ups. It was very cute.

When we got home, Jamie and I managed to catch an hour of Mad Men. They were talking about how airline travel was so unusual, when now we take it for granted. As usual, it was an excellent episode. Before I left, I set up a treasure hunt for the kids, with various clues leading to chocolate and a game. Hopefully that'll entertain them for at least ten minutes.

My plane ride was uneventful, landing in a soggy Seattle. It took Darin and I longer than expected to drive into Bellingham. The first hour getting out of the city took forever. We slid by Fred Meyer's for food, I ran for four hours, and then ate cereal and went to bed.

I got the oddest offer yesterday

September 11, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I got the oddest offer yesterday. I was offered a trip to Canada to spend a couple days looking over a new game (shrouded in secrecy and all that). It would be two days of travel and two days of indulging my gaming hobby. The big hassle right now is seeing if I can get a passport in time. Last night Sam and I went down to get our pictures taken. Today I'm going to see if I can get the process going and expedite it. The trip is a month from now, and I think it takes a couple weeks for the passport to arrive.

I have this weird excited and nervous feeling about the whole thing. I woke up at one o'clock this morning just thinking about it and it took forever to get back to sleep.

I'm hanging out at the old Sacred Heart Hospi...

August 10, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I'm hanging out at the old Sacred Heart Hospital (now called "Sacred Heart Medical Center, University District". Fortunately it's been very quiet, literally and figuratively. Everything is going smoothly, I've mostly been helping out the trackers when they go on breaks and such.

I'm going to try to sneak home and hang out with my family pretty soon.

Everyone's off at Bend, leaving me a bachelor...

July 29, 2008 by Adam in Adam

Everyone's off at Bend, leaving me a bachelor for the week. I've been trying hard to stay busy so I don't mope about the house too much. Yesterday I got my hair cut, went to the bank, and did my shopping for the week. It's strange buying food for just me. My menu for the week is full of smoothies and tofu sandwiches.

After work ends today, my plan is to head over to Home Depot and pick up the things I need to repair the bench in our front yard. It came with the house, and was falling apart even then. Hopefully replacing the wood slats and a fresh coat of paint for the metal will make it like new again.

I just found out that my running time of 51:3...

July 09, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I just found out that my running time of 51:30 for the 10K Butte to Butte was actually a big lie. It turns out they didn't count the time it takes to actually get to the starting line. With so many people lined up, it probably took a couple minutes until I actually got to the starting line. The good news is that it means I actually ran the race faster than I thought I would. Next year I'll try to remember how long it took to get to the starting line so I can figure out my time a little more accurately.

I think I'm finally on the mend, though it's ...

June 26, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I think I'm finally on the mend, though it's been a hard couple weeks. I mostly worked today, feeling more caught up after dropping off the face of the earth yesterday. My only consolation was that lots of other people couldn't make the critical RiverBend phone meeting that was scheduled yesterday.

Mostly the last couple days have been spent taking Tylenol every four hours and balancing headache pain with nausea. I have this trick when my head hurts immensely where I get down on my knees and elbows, stuff a bunch of pillows under my stomach, press my head against the bed, and try to sleep. I think I had to perform that feat of acrobatics two or three times.

Finally this morning I whipped up an elixir of Tylenol and espresso. The spoon dissolved in my coffee and a small purple mushroom cloud shot out of the cup. Fortunately it cured all my ills and gave me the strength of a hundred men. Later it wore off, but I'm mostly feeling normal except for a small ache in my stomach.

Well, I finished the race

June 07, 2008 by Adam in Adam

Well, I finished the race. I ran the 5K in about 23 minutes, finishing 25th place overall, and 5th out of 10 in my division. I suppose one of the good things about turning 40 is that I move up to a new division. Something to look forward to.

I'm pretty happy with how well I ran. I did better than I usually do, motivated by passing other runners on my way to the finish line. I wasn't quite sure how far until the finish, so I think I picked up my pace early, and then had to maintain it longer than expected. I supposed it turned out for the best.

My whole family was cheering, especially with Emma in her cheerleading outfit. Everyone had a good time, as there were lots of treats and coffee for Jamie.

In the last month or so, I've seriously gotte...

June 05, 2008 by Adam in Adam

In the last month or so, I've seriously gotten into running. It's a little weird for me, as I have unpleasant feelings about it back when I was in high school. It was always a hot, uncomfortable, and asthma-inducing experience for me. For some reason, I'm having a much better time with it. Perhaps I'm craving that endorphin release that happens around the mile and a half mark.

This Saturday, I'm going to my first race, a 5K run on a newly opened trail next to the new hospital. Just to see if I could do it, I ran four miles outside during lunch yesterday. Other than a blister on my foot, it was great. I'm tempted to train for the 10K Butte to Butte later this year. We'll see how brave I feel.

It's back to a normal work day today, after t...

May 15, 2008 by Adam in Adam

It's back to a normal work day today, after two days of all-day team meetings. Though I'm never fond of endless meetings, we did get a chance to visit the new RiverBend hospital. It was pretty amazing, especially seeing the new operating rooms with a million dollar worth of equipment hanging from the ceiling. The site itself is beautiful as well, with a great view of the river.

The SQL injections attack continued today

May 10, 2008 by Adam in Adam

The SQL injections attack continued today. I missed a few vulnerabilities, which was really annoying. Fortunately I'm getting really good at cleaning things up. I also hardened my backup strategy. I now keep a full week's worth of data and move my backups to another computer. The only hole is if all the computers melt into a puddle. I may end up sticking a spare memory stick in a fireproof, immobile object and back up to that.

It's been a weird day

May 09, 2008 by Adam in Adam

It's been a weird day.

Waking up to find my web site under attack was no fun. A combination of luck, barely successful planning, and some antique coding styles managed to combine to make everything fixable. This weekend I need to put things aside and improve my backup and security. As I was driving to work, my stomach in knots, I realized that millions of years of evolution didn't really prepare me much for the threats of the modern world.

I also got hit by this weird nostalgia as I coded away at my grand Patient Tracker. I'm thinking it was a combination of coffee and listening to Barenaked Ladies. Ah, well, when I get home, I'm sure the kids will snap me back to normal.

It appears that everyone's getting on the ban...

March 14, 2008 by Adam in Adam

It appears that everyone's getting on the bandwagon.

Happy Talk like a Physicist Day.

This event has been observed for 10⁰ kilodays, within an order of magnitude. Though the sample size is low, it appears to be significant enough to challenge existing societal modalities.

I had a great breakfast with my mom

February 20, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I had a great breakfast with my mom. It's always fun to chat with her without the usual interruption of kids running about. I also get the latest family gossip, such as Seraph and Robbie wistfully wishing they could move back to my mom's farm. I don't know how they could technically pull it off, but I think the rural life can look nice after so long in the big city.

My big physician directory redo project continues to loom large. Go-live is in one more week, with countless details still remaining. Busy, busy.

Work is crazy busy, but otherwise life seems ...

February 13, 2008 by Adam in Adam

Work is crazy busy, but otherwise life seems pretty good. Last night I took Sam fencing and read a Neil Gaiman book. Watching him fence makes me want to get back into it as well. Maybe when he's older we can both do the Eugene Fencing Club.

Afterwards Emma and I did drawing on the flagstones of our fireplace while Sam did homework. She's a sweet girl and quite self-reliant at times. Emma even let me rock out a little with Guitar Hero, which was strangely satisfying.

Eventually the kids got shuffled off to sleep. I watched the latest Sarah Conner Chronicles while doing step aerobics on an old plastic stool. A bowl of cereal finished it and I was off to bed.

That's pretty much what I do every day.

I've noticed that I seem to be posting in my ...

January 23, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I've noticed that I seem to be posting in my little section of the site only when I'm really sick. Perhaps it'll become part of my medical record or something.

At the moment, I actually feel kind of okay, though the last couple days have been rough. Yesterday towards the end of work I started getting a headache that wouldn't stop. I came home early and took a nap. Jamie had to go off to a birthday party, but she was so distraught that she called a bunch of people looking for a babysitter. Unfortunately no one panned out and I ended up watching the kids while rubbing my head.

About a half an hour later, my mom called, arriving with food and kid watching. I took a bath, which hit the spot, and was so effusively nice to everyone that they all looked at me funny. Not being in pain paints the world in bright, happy colors.

I had a slight repeat again today. I left work a bit after noon after a non-stop server install session. Same headache. A bath and long nap later, I feel pretty good again. Jamie gave up her gym time and took Sam to fencing.

What a nice family I have.

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