It was a funny night last night

December 31, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a funny night last night. Brant and Josh came over to watch Sam around noon (though actually Brant came for the game). When I arrived, Sam was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. Kirsten and Dave had arrived by then, and Sadie showed up as well. It was quite the little party, and Jamie had even made lentil soup from a Marth Stewart magazine.

Sadie and I chatted and helped put together a CD for Anna. I showed her some of the Neverwinter Nights modules I've been putting together and she politely refrained from running away screaming, "Nerd! Nerd!" We also chatted about her upcoming graduation and all the fun that implies.

Sam finally wandered down and sat in my lap, barely saying a word. After everyone left, he conked out on the couch around 6:30, fast asleep. We let him lay there for a bit, then took him up to bed. He looked so pitiful - all the running around must have tired him right out.

Jamie just finished talking to the genetic co...

December 30, 2002 by Adam in Emma

Jamie just finished talking to the genetic councilor. She confirmed that everything is fine, and that it really was a girl. I guess when you're looking the the chromosomes, it's pretty obvious.

As a bonus, we've asked for a copy of the karyotype which should be arriving in a few weeks. For those of you who aren't big biology people like Jamie and myself, a karyotype is a picture of someone's chromosomes all nicely layed out. It should make a nice addition to the baby album.

The weekend is over and I'm back at work

December 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

The weekend is over and I'm back at work. The sun peeked out for awhile yesterday, prompting Jamie, Sam, and I to make an expedition to the bike path by the river. Sam geared up and rode his bike along, laughing as he went. He learned a new phrase, "on your left", that he called out every time he passed someone. He even tried it out on Jamie when he was trying to climb over her in bed last night.

We're slowly taking down the Christmas ornaments and getting ready for the new year. It's a long time until Spring, so Jamie bought herself some daisies to tide her over for awhile.

It was quite the day today

December 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was quite the day today. Work seems relaxing by comparison. Sam wandered down early this morning and we played a bit before breakfast. His latest favorite game is having me pull him up and down the stairs in a sleeping bag, so I'm getting lots of exercise. After breakfast, we went to Karate, which is hard for him but enjoyable. Then we puttered around the house and went to the new library in the early afternoon.

The new library has great potential, with beautiful architecture and lots of space for everyone. I love the coffee place in front - I suspect it will get much of my patronage. The downside is that it was extremely busy and we ended up waiting in line to get a new library card. Fortunately, Sam was very patient as long as I kept reading to him.

I'm not sure exactly what Jamie did all day, though my guess is that it was a bit more relaxing than my activities. She did a little work on her scrapbook and I caught her writing in her pregnancy journal. She also managed a nap in there too, which will hopefully help with her fatigue. I suppose no matter how hard my day seemed, growing a baby from scratch is always going to be harder.

Good news on the baby front

December 28, 2002 by Adam in Family

Good news on the baby front. You can read all about it on Emma's page.

Well, we're all breathing a sigh of relief

December 28, 2002 by Adam in Emma

Well, we're all breathing a sigh of relief. A couple of weeks ago, we were notified that Jamie's bloodwork didn't look quite right. So, we went in to see a genetic councilor, thinking this was just an ordinary thing. Evidently, Jamie's hormone levels were indicative of a one in eleven chance of the baby having Down's syndrome. That day, we opted for an amniocentesis, and had it done later that day. It was far from pleasant, though Jamie was a real trooper.

For the next couple weeks, we've been waiting and worrying. I've been sleeping poorly, getting little sleep and being cranky. People have been asking how everything was doing, and I've been trying hard not to answer. There were a few uncomfortable situations, but I think we mostly made it through.

This Friday, we heard that there was good news, though it was only through a phone message, so we don't know the details. Since it's an either/or kind of thing, it looks like things are normal. We've also known for awhile that the baby was a girl, though we haven't really wanted to tell anyone until now. It's not a for sure thing, though the ultrasound we had a couple weeks ago suggested it strongly.

So, hopefully the next five months won't be nearly as exciting. Jamie's feeling better these days, though still tired. I'm just happy to be able to sleep nights again.

The New Year is about to arrive

December 27, 2002 by Judy in Hanes

The New Year is about to arrive. Book your vacation time at the beach house now!!! (Sound like a travel company, don't I?) As a reminder, the e-mail addresses and various phone #s are to the right of the beach page. Please check yours and let me know if it needs changing.

Also we have a phone at the house now for local calls, or for receiving calls from Eugene, Portland. The NUMBER IS 541-563-3206.

I'm back at work again, a quiet Friday after ...

December 27, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I'm back at work again, a quiet Friday after Christmas. It feels strangely good to get back into the routine of things. After wading through a pile of e-mail, it has become somewhat quiet again. It's both Monday and Friday in a sense, as I have the weekend tomorrow. I think we're going to try hard to take it easy, and perhaps take Sam to karate.

It's officially the day after Christmas, wher...

December 27, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's officially the day after Christmas, where piles of presents and wrapping paper are shuffled off to their respective piles and shelves. We spent most of the day trying to do normal things, like going grocery shopping and doing laundry. We've been trying to calm Sam down and get him back into the routine, though he did manage to bop me in the nose at least once.

It seemed like a whirlwind Christmas, traveling from place to place. It felt like we didn't really get to see people very much at all. Poor Jamie couldn't manage to make it through Christmas celebrations at my mom's, so she ducked out early while I got to drink wine and chat it up with my family.

I'm going to try to dutifully send out thank you cards, though I'm a little nervous that I'll be able to actually deliver. Here's a little preemptive thanks to everyone who sent along such wonderful gifts.

OK, I'm beginning to feel better

December 26, 2002 by Jamie in Jamie

OK, I'm beginning to feel better. I miss having energy to make it through the day, but I am working on accepting my limitations :-)

Merry Christmas to all

December 25, 2002 by Adam in Family

Merry Christmas to all. We had quite the gathering last night, with large groups of Jamie's family coming over to eat and open presents. My figgy pudding actually turned out well. I'll be bringing what remains back to Eugene so that the brave can give it a try too.

I expect Sam and Jamie will be waking up shortly, then we'll head back to town after a little breakfast. I'm not sure when the gathering at my mom's is happening - probably a bit after noon. Then, perhaps, our little family will have some quiet time together.

While we were having breakfast yesterday, Sam...

December 23, 2002 by Adam in Sam

While we were having breakfast yesterday, Sam whispered to me, "I know what I want for Christmas, but it's not in Santa's bag." I leaned over, and he smiled a knowing smile. "What is it?" I asked. "I want to be a Jedi," Sam replied.

We're up in Portland, taking it easy for a co...

December 23, 2002 by Adam in Family

We're up in Portland, taking it easy for a couple days before Christmas. Sam's being highly entertained by Jim and Judy, giving Jamie and I a chance to rest a bit. I finished up one book yesterday, and I'm hoping to make some Figgy Pudding today or tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

It was a fairly exciting day today

December 22, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a fairly exciting day today. Jamie woke me up this morning by poking at my head. Evidently she was trapped between Sam and I and had to go to the bathroom. I had a couple hours of computer play time, then a hearty breakfast. Sam and I went over to my mom's for breakfast where I had a great time visiting with Sadie while Sam played with Destin. Then it was back to our house around 1 pm for general hanging out time. Dad and Yayoe came by later that afternoon to drop off presents and visit.

I'm hoping to take it easy for the rest of the day. That and get ready for our trip to Portland. We may leave tomorrow, depending on how we feel.

It's Friday, which I am thankful for

December 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's Friday, which I am thankful for. I'll be taking most of next week off, so I'll hopefully have a fair amount of time to rest. It does look as if the next few days will be busy, with traveling and events galore.

Grandpa Bill came over last night, entertaining us with tales from the thirties. I think Sam would have preferred a few more terrible stories, especially those involving accidents and such. Still, it went well and it was nice to visit with him for a time.

Sam seems to be really getting into the holid...

December 20, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam seems to be really getting into the holiday spirit. Last night, he wanted to pretend that Santa Claus was coming to our house, but that he got stuck behind the glass of our gas fireplace. It usually was resolved with Sam breaking the glass with his lightsaber, or Ruldolph pulling him up from the roof.

I've well surpassed the 10,000 download mark ...

December 19, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I've well surpassed the 10,000 download mark for the Neverwinter Nights modules I've created. People e-mail daily, asking for hints and mentioning problems. Lots of good feedback too. I'm plugging away at the new campaign - the first module is complete and I'm busy creating new items for the new one.

I preordered a couple things from Amazon, taking advantage of a gift certificate and a $15 off offer. I picked up Unreal 2 and Splinter Cell, which both sound really good. So, the end of January and beginning of February should be fun computer times.

I'm bleary-eyed this morning, a mocha by my s...

December 19, 2002 by Adam in Family

I'm bleary-eyed this morning, a mocha by my side as I try to wake up. I saw the Two Towers last night, the second of the Lord of the Rings movies. Extremely well done - almost nothing bad to say about it. I only waited in line for about an hour before the movie, then another three in the theater. I think I managed to get to bed a bit before eleven.

The only odd thing about the movie was that Sam's karate instructor was there (his picture is the one a few posts down). I couldn't remember his name, so I opted against the social embarrassment of saying hello.

I think Sam and Jamie survived without me for a night. I always feel vaguely bad taking off for an evening, knowing the Jamie doesn't really get much of a break. At least I'll be taking a few days off around Christmas.

I've had a string of bad luck at work

December 18, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I've had a string of bad luck at work. Yesterday I managed to have three seperate critical server issues, two of which were my fault. This morning, I was upgrading an application and ended up having to reboot the server to fix the problem. When I went to go tell the Help Desk, they offered me a cookie. Now I have this urge to reboot some more servers and see if I get additional cookies.

I traded a run to pick up burritos for dinner...

December 18, 2002 by Adam in Family

I traded a run to pick up burritos for dinner last night with Jamie. She's now going to mail all my Christmas presents to relatives, which has been taking me forever to do. I was up at 3:30 yesterday morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I could feel it all day, and kept making dumb mistakes. Unfortunately, this resulted in some computer downtime, so I swore off touching computers for the rest of the day.

I'm feeling better this morning and got plenty of sleep. This is a good thing, as I'm going to see The Two Towers tonight with work friends. It'll be a long haul, getting there at 6 pm and staying until 10 pm. I'm getting too old for these sorts of things.

We spent a rainy weekend mostly at home

December 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

We spent a rainy weekend mostly at home. Sunday was spent decorating the tree, wrapping presents, and watching E.T. with Sam. We didn't even step out of the house as it was pouring for most of the day. I have one major set of Christmas projects to wrap and send, which I better finish soon with the magic day coming up.

It's a rainy weekend, one of the last before ...

December 14, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's a rainy weekend, one of the last before Christmas. Sam and I hit the mall early this morning, getting the last of the Christmas presents. I've got much wrapping to do, though I'm hoping to press Jamie into service. You'll know if she wrapped your present, for obvious reasons.

I've been keeping an eye on Sam for most of the day, giving Jamie a chance to go visit her friend Victoria. We're supposedly getting our Christmas tree today, generously donated by mom and Dick. Angie may come over later to help us decorate, getting us into the Christmas spirit.

Sam's been really into karate lately

December 13, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been really into karate lately. He's only signed up for once per week, but he's been talking about it off and on. I've attached a picture of him in his new karate outfit, which he wore nonstop for an afternoon. He's also been interested in wrestling and fighting games lately. Oh what a boy he is.

Sam and Jamie went to preschool together this morning, as she was the helper parent for the day. While Sam was out on the playground, he was bit by a spider. He's fine, barely feeling it, though I think we're all secretly hoping he develops super powers.

Thursday already

December 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

Thursday already. Where does the week go? I've been trying hard to finish buying and making all my Christmas presents. I've got one more to buy, and a bunch to make. Plus there's the figs that I've dried and are now compelling me further to make that promised figgy pudding. When you all are forced to eat it for Christmas gatherings, please smile and say you like it.

On an up note, Jamie's been feeling better these days. I'm not sure if it's the flu shot that has run its course, or if she's finally getting out of the first trimester blahs. Here's hoping for the best.

I had a lovely lunch with Jamie and Sam yeste...

December 11, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

I had a lovely lunch with Jamie and Sam yesterday at the Olive Garden. I think we'll have to arrange some future playdates.
We had a fun trip to Portland on Sunday to celebrate the end of Ramadan with Raven and Cheikh. Good company and LOTS of YUMMY food!
Isabell's friend Cyan turned two and had birthday party last night. There was quite a crowd of small children running around and bonking each other on the heads with ballons! I unfortunately had to leave early for a church meeting.
P.S. Small note on Dorothy's posting: I bet Ben had a great Thanksgiving!
P.P.S. I see that Betsy now has a place to post, we look forward to news from her!

Danica, Andy, Ben & I went to Louisville for ...

December 10, 2002 by Dorothy in Danica Miller

Danica, Andy, Ben & I went to Louisville for Thanksgiving. Andy's Dad died a month ago, and his mom wanted all her children and grandcildren there. We had 5 giggly teen age girls and Ben. Great fun. 14 for dinner. Then we also clebrated Hanukkah on Friday. They even had presents for me. Rosie ahd made 90 potao latkes and they ate them all.I am busy with lunches, open houses, eggnog party for a couple weeks. I will go to Rochester for Christmas.

We've been chugging along this week, getting ...

December 10, 2002 by Adam in Family

We've been chugging along this week, getting ready for the holidays. I did a little more Christmas shopping yesterday as opportunities come to me. Sam went to another Karate class yesterday. I think he's enjoying it, though he is one of the younger kids. Having some structure and discipline is good for him, and he seems to have fun too.

It's been a pretty quiet day so far

December 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been a pretty quiet day so far. Jamie's not feeling well and Sam just wants to play with the computer. I managed to sneak in a little Christmas shopping yesterday, and I think we'll put up some decorations this afternoon. My fig experiments are going well, as we are currently in the drying process.

I did manage to get Sam outside for a few minutes today. We went to the park where Sam played around until his hands froze, then we ran back home and played with playdough. Sam got a robot for his birthday that says "Hello. You are my friend. Let's play." Now he wants me to chase him around with it, pretending it malfunctioned and is trying to get him. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

We took Sam to his Karate class this morning

December 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

We took Sam to his Karate class this morning. He did pretty well, though he was clearly tired at the end. He was the youngest kid there, I think, and it was a huge class. Still, he seemed enthusiastic and Jamie'll take him again next week. It turns out I went to high school with the instructor many years ago.

No plans for the day. I'm trying to get things done while Sam plays Star Wars. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to run about, as he really wants me to play with him.

It's mocha Friday, and a rather pleasant day ...

December 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's mocha Friday, and a rather pleasant day indeed. Sam's signed up for his martial arts class at a place on 12th and Willamette that Jamie scoped out. It seemed to have better hours and was more "gym like" which appealed to Jamie. His first class is Saturday morning. I think he'll be excited to start going.

I've been putting of Christmas presents for awhile, and I think I've got to start getting that in gear. I'm starting to have some ideas, so hopefully everyone will be pleasantly surprised.

No exciting plans this weekend. Jamie may go to a Christmas party Saturday night, but I think we'll mostly stick around home. I'd like to do some experiments with all the figs I picked over the summer. Hopefully they won't go terribly wrong.

We went to the OB this morning

December 05, 2002 by Adam in Emma

We went to the OB this morning. All seems fine. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat and it was chugging away like it's supposed to. Jamie's still pretty tired these days, and the nausea still hasn't let up. Our physician recommended B6 and positive thinking.

The pellet stove upstairs works well, and eve...

December 05, 2002 by Judy in Hanes

The pellet stove upstairs works well, and even I can start it! Jamie and I went over last weekend. The weather was perfect -- warm, sunny and no wind. Maybe it's a banana belt. Jeff and Barb are over this week to celebrate their anniversary. 1 year already.

Essential Christmas List: Donations in my na...

December 05, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Essential Christmas List:
Donations in my name to low-income housing orgs
Hikes on the butte
Bread making sessions
Lair trade coffee dates
Luxury hugs
Movie marathons
Head massages
Bought gifts need not apply


I'm rockin' the free world and heading for finals. Ack. Smooches to all y'all, and rock on Jenny with your bad new employment self.

Sam went to Tae Quan Do tonight

December 05, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam went to Tae Quan Do tonight. Here's a picture of him being taught by Anthony. It was just an initial test class, about five minutes long, but it was lots of fun to watch him and I think he had a good time. He's been very interested in martial arts after seeing some people practicing at the park a few months ago.

I think he'll check out another place and then we'll decide which one is best for him. Jamie's secret plan is to get him signed up for something that'll tire him right out.

My little Neverwinter Nights phenomena seems ...

December 04, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

My little Neverwinter Nights phenomena seems to be growing. In just a couple weeks, the number of downloads of the first module has grown to 9,500. I'm expecting that it'll be ready for the "Hall of Fame" next month, ranking among the top dozen of the couple thousand modules that have been created by fans. I'm regularly getting e-mails letting me know that it's great.

It's nice to hear that I can do well at game design. The programming part is fairly intuitive to me, but I'm happy that the writing is getting the attention that it is. Making a good story full of interesting twists and dialog is hard to pull off.

It was pouring down rain as I rode my bike in...

December 04, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It was pouring down rain as I rode my bike in to work today. We haven't picked up a new battery for the car yet, so I was stuck with my bike. My rain pants still don't quite cut it, so I'm pretty damp in vagulely embarrasing places. Fortunately, this isn't high school, so no one's saying that I peed my pants. The hospital setting is much more mature, and here they make jokes about how my catheter has come loose.

What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend we had

December 03, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend we had. It was nice to see everyone at our house on Thursday. We missed Adam, Jamie, Sam and Sadie, but we know they were all enjoying there own celabrations.
Friday we drove down to Ashland to watch the annual lighting of down town. It was good just to get away for awhile.
Robbie's birthday was on Sunday (the BIG 30!!). After church we went and partied with family for Sam's birthday (the BIG 4!!). All day Isa was practicing "Samo...four." We went to the mall and Robbie got to do some birthday shopping, and then to Hanni's house for a birthday dinner!
By Sunday night we were collapsing on the living room floor, unsure of how we were going to get going on Monday morning.
Mom and Dick are using the Nissan, as the truck is momentarily out of commission. This has changed our schedule around a little, with Isa and Robbie driving me to work yesterday. In some ways it's fun to have a little more time with them, but I also miss that time to unwind and listen to my music and prepare for the day...sigh.

Well, my car didn't start yesterday

December 03, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, my car didn't start yesterday. I walked the rest of the way home, about 20 minutes total. After dinner we recovered it and drove it home. I'll probably get a new battery over the weekend, though it's only a couple years old. It's probably a combination of age, the cold, and not driving it much that is causing the problems. Sigh.

I have a bit of a headache today. The end of the cold that I've had the last week or so. I'm going for my normal fix - coffee and Advil. A winning combination.

December just snuck right up on me

December 02, 2002 by Adam in Family

December just snuck right up on me. I drove in today, realizing that the car should be driven at least once every couple weeks. I had to jump it, as the battery had died. Hopefully it'll start this afternoon.

Sam had a great birthday party on Sunday. Endless cousins, aunts, and uncles arrived bearing assorted gifts. We zipped through lunch, cake, and present opening, then settled down for some Star Wars watching towards the end. People slowly filtered away as nap times arrived. Sam and Grandpa Lohring were the only ones who made it until the end.

Jamie arrived, tired, towards the end of the day. We wound down and put Sam to sleep, then all went to bed ourselves.

Jamie's off at the coast today

November 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie's off at the coast today. Judy drove in after breakfast to take her there, leaving Sam and I to fend for ourselves. So far, so good. We took a long hike at Hendrick's park, getting our exercise for the day. Now I'm trying to get lunch in him, and do some quiet at home activities. We might take a trip to the library later if it's open, or maybe a visit to the movie store. Mostly I just want to take it easy for awhile.

Sam got a chair and desk, kid sized, from Jim and Judy. We've put it up in his room for now. He had a dream where he was playing on a computer in his room, so I suggested that we put the Lego computer up there. "If I follow my dreams," said Sam. Well, we certainly want him to follow his dreams, so we'll try to make it happen today.

I'm slowly recovering from my cold

November 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

I'm slowly recovering from my cold. Yesterday was an amusing blur of endless tissues. Today I woke up with lots of energy, trying to entertain Sam with something other than computer games. We played with toy cars, ran around chasing each other with cardboard swords, and generally whooped it up.

Jamie's dad, uncle, and Josh came over around noon for lunch and football watching. Josh did a pretty good job with watching Sam, though his teenage brain gave out after a couple hours and I ended up rescuing Sam. I pushed him down the stairs in an impromptu cardboard "car", hung a string of Christmas lights, and did my best until dinnertime. Then, I collapsed, took a bath, fiddled on my computer, and find myself now completely exhausted.

Hopefully I'll have a little energy left over for tomorrow as I watch Sam by myself and get ready for his birthday party Sunday. Even though it'll just be us guys, I'm going to try to get out of the house and get a little exercise.

A beautiful day, and we're waiting for Seraph...

November 29, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

A beautiful day, and we're waiting for Seraph and Robbie to bring Isa. Through sheer dint of agressive behavior, we got first dibs on babysitting while they go down to Ashland for a little birthday trip for Robbie. The Martha Stewart room and the hall are finished. If I just didn't have a job, I could have a decor.

Thanksgiving was very fun - missing Adam, Jamie and Sam, but the food was great and the kids had so much fun together. It wasn't until about 8:30 that they all started melting into small weepy piles, but they played cheerfully all evening. Thankful for whatever good I did in my previous
life to deserve so much in this one.

My cousin Linda is coming out next summer. Maybe we need to have a west coast family reunion.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

November 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I spent most of the day with a tissue at my nose, as I now seem to have a cold that won't stop. It took awhile for things to get moving around here. Sam was in a bit of a mood, so Grandma Sue walked around the neighborhood with us for a bit. It was good to get out of the house, even though my nose seemed to drip endlessly. I think I went through an entire roll of toilet paper, a box of kleenex, and several sheets of paper towels.

The food part itself was great fun. Sam got some extra presents, including a toy salamander that he thought was great. We had Ray, Dave, Josh, Darrel, Kirsten, Brant, and a friend named Joe. I'm still pretty stuffed.

It was not my intent to be environmentally fr...

November 27, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It was not my intent to be environmentally friendly today. I had grabbed my leather jacket, headed out to my car, turned the key, and nothing happened. So, I got all my warm bike gear, grabbed my bike, and went to work. It was really cold - around 26 degrees, I heard. There was ice on the hill down to Willamette, and I slipped around a bit even though I was careful.

So, it looks like it's time to charge up the car and put the bike away for the winter. It's just too darn' cold.

It's Sam's birthday today

November 26, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's Sam's birthday today. He's at preschool, where they're having a small party for him. I think we'll do a quiet little event for Sam tonight, then more extensive ones this Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. With big families, these events can be fairly drawn out affairs.

My stomach feels better, though it isn't quite perfect yet. Jamie's also much improved, though she's starting to feel a bit ungainly.

I'm very much looking forward to a long weekend of eating, hanging out, and playing with Sam. Though I've been trying hard to save up PTO for the new baby, spending a little seems A-okay with me.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! So much for...

November 26, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! So much for woman's lib., as those thank yous are for Dad and Dick, who were amazing in our great floor project! Tonight, Robbie and I stick on another coat of finish, and cross our fingers. I think things will look great for Thursday.

I'll give everyone a call, but we're looking at 4 p.m. as the time folks can filter in, and 5ish for dinner. Call if there are any questions!

It was way too cold this morning, well below ...

November 26, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It was way too cold this morning, well below freezing. I think my toes and fingers became completely numb somewhere past Willamette street. This may spell the end of my bike commuting for the Winter, as the value of inflicting icy pain on my body is becoming lost on me somehow.

Four years ago today, we were all gathered at...

November 26, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Four years ago today, we were all gathered at the hospital on Thanskgiving day, waiting for Sam to be born. He's well aware of his birthday, and all that entails. He was having a conversation with Jamie yesterday:

Sam: "I'm excited about turning four!"
Jamie: "What do you get to do when you're four?"
Sam: (thinking a bit) "I get to go to sleep by myself?"
Jamie: "Yep, that's true."
Sam: "Well, I'm excited about that!"

For months, he's been wanting a Han Solo Lego to make up for the one that was lost a couple years ago. So, I ordered one special from the Lego company, printed out some Han Solo wrapping paper, and it's all ready for him to open tonight.

I think tonight will be the first of several birthday events, with another on Thanksgiving and a third the Sunday after Thanksgiving. He'll be well sugared and gifted when next week rolls around.

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November 26, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Happy Birthday Sam!!!!

I finished up the last module in my Neverwint...

November 25, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finished up the last module in my Neverwinter Nights campaign last Friday, and posted it a couple days ago. Already the feedback is pouring in. I just finished a neat little e-mail exchange with someone living in France. I've also had a lot of people telling me how great it was. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I've been having fun developing the latest campaign. I just finished a hysterically funny encounter. It still makes me laugh thinking about it.

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November 25, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

The stomach flu hit me pretty bad yesterday, ...

November 24, 2002 by Adam in Family

The stomach flu hit me pretty bad yesterday, and I mostly sat quietly as much as possible. Jamie was pretty beat, so I watched Sam much of the day. We ended up playing lots on the computer, except for a short while when Sam went to John's birthday party.

I'm feeling better today, though I had some problems getting to sleep. We had our normal hearty breakfast this morning, which always makes the day seem better. I think we're going to get our hair cut (both Sam and I), and generally take it easy.

A couple nights ago, Sam reported that he had...

November 23, 2002 by Adam in Family

A couple nights ago, Sam reported that he had a dream where a creature was poking him in the stomach and that it really hurt. He's also been eating less and complaining of stomach pains. Well, today he seems better, but I've definately got some sort of stomach ailment. My guess is that it's a mild flu. It doesn't really hurt, and I don't feel nauseous. Basically it feels like I've just done a bunch of sit ups and my muscles are really tight.

Jamie's out for a walk with Angie, and we're going to a birthday party for one of Sam's friends around lunchtime. I think we're going to generally take it easy today. Jamie, on the other hand, seems to be much improved. This morning at breakfast she told me that Friday she felt almost normal again.

Sam and I continue to play Jedi Knight Outcas...

November 23, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Sam and I continue to play Jedi Knight Outcast endlessly. We discovered a site that had new add-ins for the game, so we downloaded some maps and modifications. This is a shot of us with Boba Fett models complete with working jet packs. It's being pretty hard to pry Sam away.

We finished the Shadowlords campaign last night. It went pretty well, with only minor problems along the way. The final battle was a bit easy, as they had tons of people wailing on the final bad guy.

I think I'll be finishing up Icewind Dale II, which I still enjoy. I'm also plugging away at my new Neverwinter Nights Campaign. I even made my Dart of Returning work, though it was tremendously difficult. Great fun.

Jamie reported a discussion she had with Sam ...

November 22, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Jamie reported a discussion she had with Sam the other day. I'm going to paraphrase a bit, as it's hard to remember it all.

Sam: "Mom, I don't want to ever die."
Jamie: "It's not going to happen for a long time."
Sam: "But when I get really old, I'll die."
Jamie: "Well, that's right, Sam."
Sam: "But superheroes never die."

He seems so young to confront his own mortality. Sam does seem to bring it up every once in awhile. I've been treating it as an opportunity to talk about how he should be careful and take care of his body. I suppose it's like being afraid of the dark. It's there, you can't do much about it, and so it becomes a familiar thing as you get older.

Hi all! I wanted to post a quick congratulat...

November 22, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Hi all! I wanted to post a quick congratulations to Jennfer who got a new job! She'll be working with Angela from Dad's old office, and her new dentist sounds really nice. You go girl!

Ahh - a fine Mocha Friday

November 22, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Ahh - a fine Mocha Friday. We had our gaming session last night with a couple of the work people. It went well. The module seemed really bug free and everything basically ran itself. I mostly watched and folded clothes while they ran around.

I'm looking forward to the weekend, though we don't have anything in particular planned. A friend of Sam's has a birthday, so we may go up there for that one. We're still all recovering from being sick, so we may just take it easy still.

I spent a few minutes in watching the sun pea...

November 21, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

I spent a few minutes in watching the sun peak out this morning in complete awe. I don't think I've ever seen the fog glow pick before. I love living here!
This weekend I'm finally starting on our living room floors. Last year we franticly worked on the family room before Thanksgiving, this year it will be the living room! I guess having a deadline helps.
We're looking forward to seeing everyone at Sam's birthday party. It's actually the same day as Robbie's birthday, which I biffed a little, thinking there was still another weekend in there. I think we might try to celebrate a little early with a trip down to Ashland on Friday for their annual tree lighting ceremony.

I had another beautiful sight riding in to wo...

November 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

I had another beautiful sight riding in to work this morning. There was a heavy fog through the valley and the sunrise began to peek over the hills. The trees on the eastern ridgeline were silhouetted against a misty pink background. That was worth the price of admission right there.

I had a massive headache yesterday that started in the afternoon and continued until the evening. Jamie sent me out for Chinese food, and I had a miserable half hour waiting for them to get it together. I finally hid in the basement, ate three bowls of cereal, and felt better.

I'm going to be taking down the web site at 8:30 tonight. I've got a bunch of friends from work connecting to my computer and playing games. We're repeating it again tomorrow. Should be lots of fun.

Sadie made a woodcut of Jamie and sent it alo...

November 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sadie made a woodcut of Jamie and sent it along to us. That girl is quite artistic.

Plans for Sam's birthday are shaping up. I'm looking at having people over the Sunday after Thanksgiving for lunch, so mark your calendars. It'll probably start around noon and go for an hour or two. That should give Sam and I enough time to clean up before Jamie arrives, since she's gone that day.

Sam was busy entertaining us at dinner today. He's a surprisingly funny kid, both from the usual innocence of a kid, as well as trying to deliberately make us laugh. I asked him how I could be a better dad today and he told me, "If you played Star Wars with me more often."

Strangely enough, I got a job offer this morning

November 19, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Strangely enough, I got a job offer this morning. Someone was playing one of my Neverwinter Night modules and they liked it so much they offered me a position working on some MMORG game. Very odd.

I finished up the last module of my Shadowlords campaign, with testing following this Thursday. It's gone quite well and I'm pretty happy with it.

I've got a tentative title for the second campaign: Dreamcatcher. I'm letting myself have a bigger hak pack, so I'm creating and including a number of new items - placeables, creatures, tilesets, and so on. Should be fun!

Josh comes over to our house after school eac...

November 19, 2002 by Adam in Family

Josh comes over to our house after school each day, spending an hour or so with us until his dad picks him up. Yesterday, he and Sam were playing "mummy".

This cold has still got me down a bit. My throat is sore and my nose is runny. Just loads of fun. Still, it's not bad enough to actually stop working. I've been drinking lots of fluids and pushing through.

We were eating dinner last night and we were trying to get Sam to finish his soup. "Just one more chicken piece," he said. "One chicken to rule them all." Perhaps we've been watching a bit too much Lord of the Rings.

Poor Dick has spent the day sanding the floor...

November 19, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Poor Dick has spent the day sanding the floor in the hall and the Martha Stewart room. I suppose it keeps him out of the pool hall, and he is really good at it, but it has been a big job.

I had a wonderful weekend with Seraph, Robbie and Isa at the Family Law conference at Salishan. They graciously came back on Saturday so I could go to the game... it rained like crazy and the Ducks lost.

Sam's been in a pretty good mood these last f...

November 17, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been in a pretty good mood these last few days. We've had to start up the antibiotic eye drops again, as the eye goop returned to haunt us. He's not a big fan of them, so it's hard to do it.

It's been hard to get him exercise while the weather is so dreary. Plus Sam usually wants to play games on the computer. Today we stopped our Lord of the Rings movie fest to run outside in the rain. I think it amused our neighbors to see me in my rain jacket and Sam getting soaked to the bones.

Sam and I are having a Lord of the Rings mara...

November 17, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam and I are having a Lord of the Rings marathon today. I picked up the extended version when it came out, which is 3 1/2 hours long. We're currently going through the mines of Moria, after many breaks for lunch, running around, and reinacting scenes. This particular picture is of Sam pretending to be Sauron, complete with magical ring and mace.

Jamie's feeling better today, though not completely perfect. The morning sickness is much improved and this cold is finally fading away. This morning she was convinced the baby was moving around and had me press my ear to her belly. I heard much gurgling, but I'm think that it's mostly digestion at this point.

It's a Mocha Friday and I'm looking forward t...

November 15, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's a Mocha Friday and I'm looking forward to the end of the work week. I've been waking up early all week and today was no exception. I arose around 5 am, though that didn't beat my 4 am wakeup yesterday. Strangely, I don't feel very tired, though I do still have my lingering cold.

I'm not sure if we have any exciting weekend plans. I picked up the extended version of the Lord of the Rings, so Sam and I may sit down and watch that. Feel free to come on over if you want a long day of eating popcorn and sitting by the fire while watching Black Riders chase hobbits.

I walk past paradise pond almost every day, w...

November 14, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I walk past paradise pond almost every day, which is so crisp that it reflects the red dying trees like glass, and overwhelmes me with a sense of etherial place... anyway, it makes me want everyone to visit and see the place in May, when all the trees are in bloom again. Classes are treating me like the Zen masters that they are, kindly beating me with sticks for self-betterment. But I turned in a paper today, and am exploring a new one tying South African tourism to the government's nation building, which is based on the ever-popular human rights discourse. I haven't decided if I'm going to ride on the human rights as western imperialism argument, but it's tempting. My papers have become scathing far-left critiques of globalization, neoliberalism, and the South African government, which is kinda fun. We'll see how the anti-capitalist feminist skin fits out on the street.

I picked up Icewind Dale 2 over the weekend

November 14, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I picked up Icewind Dale 2 over the weekend. It's quite good - very strategic and challenging. I find myself having to use all my knowledge of D&D to make it through some of the fights. There have been some interesting quests too, spurring some creative thinking on my part with regards to my Neverwinter Nights campaign.

The Shadowlords campaign is shaping up. I'm almost finished with the final module. I've got some dialog to add, as well as the final battle, which is quite challenging. Then it's the unfun testing part, which can take forever. Still, it's shaping up quite nicely and getting some acclaim. Last I checked, there had been over 6,600 downloads of the first module. Whew!

It's been quite the week

November 14, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been quite the week. I think we're all on the mend, though this cold has really bogged us down. My ears were plugged up yesterday and I was a little achy. I'm mostly better, though my throat's a bit sore. I may make a mocha run early, as it does tend to help my throat and improve my mood.

Sam's birthday is coming up, as is Thanksgiving. I haven't heard what anyone's plans are yet. Jamie's family is descending on our house at some point, though I'd certainly like to see my family too. We'll play it by ear, as always, I suppose.

Folks -- See how the calendar works? Try to ...

November 13, 2002 by Jim in Hanes

Folks -- See how the calendar works? Try to use it.

We've been slogging through the last couple days

November 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

We've been slogging through the last couple days. Jamie finally went to the doctor and it turned out she had both ear and nasal infections. So, she's on antibiotics and slowly getting better. Sam and I have the same cold, and have been feeling marginal.

I got really wet coming to work today. I think my coworkers secretly called me "Mr. Soggybottom". Need rain pants.

Dick and I had a lovely trip to Seaside on Fr...

November 12, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Dick and I had a lovely trip to Seaside on Friday, when I had a settlement conference in a case there. We came home part way along the coast, with giant waves crashing over the
seawalls all along the trip.

We had fun with all the fam Sunday evening except Adam, Jamie and Sam, celebrating Seraph's birthday. How could she be 26?

Sam's birthday is coming up, and for those of...

November 11, 2002 by Jamie in Family

Sam's birthday is coming up, and for those of you who rely on the website for gift ideas, I have some changes to his vital statistics. Found out yesterday that Sam's shoe size is 11, and I've been squeezing him into 9s! We also discovered that size 5 pants actually cover his legs, though he's technically size 4 :-)
He and Adam really like going swimming (gift pass to the Y?) and of course Legos never miss. We are running out of fresh Play-dough, which is great for quiet time.

Jamie just called from home

November 11, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie just called from home. She's feeling sick again and is heading into the doctor in a few hours. I slept poorly as well, with a dry throat and much tossing and turning. I'm doing okay now, though I can definately feel a touch of the cold.

Well, we've returned from far off Portland

November 11, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, we've returned from far off Portland. Though we all have colds now, we had a pretty good time. Having the grandparents watch Sam a fair amount was nice, though Jamie was still feeling that resting on the couch was best for her. We hit the outlet mall on the way back and I picked up some rain gear. I'll write more later. We're all pretty beat now. Happy birthday, Seraph.

Happy Birthday Seraphina! All the hugs and ki...

November 10, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Happy Birthday Seraphina! All the hugs and kisses and love in the world from three thousand miles away! I hope Isa slept through the night, you get your favorite breakfast, and don't even have to do the laundry. Hogs and Quiches.

Jamie seems to have finally overcome the morn...

November 08, 2002 by Adam in Emma

Jamie seems to have finally overcome the morning sickness phase. We're still crossing our fingers, as it has only been a couple days without nausea. She's showing just a bit, with a cute little bump around her tummy area.

Sam called me here at work a few minutes ago

November 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam called me here at work a few minutes ago. According to him, he's feeling better, though Jamie reported that his eyes are still a bit red. At least his eyes weren't glued together this morning. She's waiting for a call back from the clinic and they'll probably go in today.

The rain is pouring down today

November 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

The rain is pouring down today. I got a little soggy on my bike ride in, but nothing too bad. Poor Sam has an eye infection and was up several times last night. I think he feels pretty bad, and there was lots of mucus coming out of his eyes. Poor kid. Jamie will probably take Sam to the doctor this morning. Antibiotics should do the trick.

We're still hoping on going to Portland this weekend, though we're playing it a bit by ear. It would be nice to get away for a little while. It feels like we've been cooped up at our house for months. I think Jamie is finally improving, with just a nagging headache left. She's starting to show a little too, as there's a cute little tummy bump sticking out there.

Poor Sam seems to have an eye infection of so...

November 08, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Poor Sam seems to have an eye infection of some kind. He seemed fine, then when it was dinner time, he seemed especially whiny. Once he got up to the table, Jamie noticed an exceptional amount of mucus in his eyes. We've been giving him Tylenol, keeping them clear, and will watch him over night. He seems okay now, but we're keeping an eye on him.

I opened the door to get the paper this morni...

November 07, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

I opened the door to get the paper this morning and had to move the rake and gardening shears that had blown across the path! (BTW - I like Adam's typo that states " I must have been quite the Tempest last night" I guess we never knew!)
Anyway, the morning was very calm for one small reason... Isa slept through the entire night! When I left the house at 7 she was still asleep. This was amazingly after a three hour nap yesterday!
As you can see we're still on baby steps.

I must have been quite the tempest last night

November 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

I must have been quite the tempest last night. My internet connection was down, though who knows if it was the storm. Riding my bike in to work, I first noticed all the garbage strewn across the roads. Willamette was blocked off by a fire truck and flares. EWEB was out working on a transformer. To top it off, two of the intersections on the way had lost power. Fortunately, I made it in safe and sound and it appears my internet connection is up and running again.

I took Sam swimming last night. He had way too much fun, as usual. He's a maniac in the pool, diving and jumping and doing all sorts of tricks. He kept choking himself, though that didn't seem to stop him much. The only bad thing was that the chlorine hurt his eyes pretty bad as he didn't like to wear his goggles.

It looks like we're doing a Portland trip this weekend. I've got the laptop charged and ready for some in-car entertainment. I taped a Justice League episode on the camcorder, which is worth one hour of Sam entertainment. I think we're good to go.

It was beautiful riding my bike to work this ...

November 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was beautiful riding my bike to work this morning. The sunrise filled the sky with reds and golds. The color was reflected in the falling leaves, and the smell of rain was on the air. One of those mornings when it's good to be alive.

They continue to clean up the building they tore down yesterday. They've got heavy equipment moving and hauling it away. Of course, the view out my window is quite nice now, so it makes up for the noise.

Jamie's morning sickness seems much improved, but this cold has hit her hard. She's been moping around on the couch or in the bath most evenings. Hopefully she'll return to normal soon.

Hello

November 05, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Hello. I'm in senior year crisis. Send chocolate or job opportunities. Much love.

Sam's discovered Morrowind, a computer game I...

November 05, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's discovered Morrowind, a computer game I've had for quite a while now. He likes to get his character in cool outfits and explore the landscape.

Last night, I was finishing up dinner and he wanted to play. So, he went downstairs, started a new game, typed in his character's name, and kept clicking on things until he made it through the character creation process. When I came down to help him out, he'd stolen almost everything from the starting location, from the dining room plates to the candle holders.

We're having quite the show here at work this...

November 05, 2002 by Adam in Adam

We're having quite the show here at work this morning. About a half hour ago, they began to tear down the building right next to my window. It's quite interesting, watching the big yellow claw rip into flimsy wood siding. I bet the guy driving that thing has to pay to do it. Too cool.

Mom's theory that Isa is perfect because she ...

November 04, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Mom's theory that Isa is perfect because she pooped and peed for them is great, except that it's still hit or miss, and we're still far from being fully potty trained. Robbie and I guiltily admitted that a potty trained child will be more difficult because we will actually have to make bathroom stops a priority, sigh...
Anyway, last night I participated in a choral festival with all the local Methodist churches. It was a lot of fun, especially since I don't get to join in in a lot of these events. It really makes me love grandparents all the more!
We had lunch with Raven and Cheikh yesterday afternoon. We had a wonderful time debating the timeing in a marriage to have kids, while Isa happily ate banana with katchup!

I feel a little guilty being so happy about t...

November 04, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

I feel a little guilty being so happy about the new baby when I know Jamie is not feeling very good. In fact, everyone seems to be a bit under the weather except me. Dick has a terrible cold, and sounds as though someone has inserted that aerosol foam insulation into his head.

We had a delightful time babysitting Isa last night. She peed and pooped in the potty, after telling me she had to go. Now that's a perfect child!

I've been a very good husband these last few days

November 04, 2002 by Adam in Family

I've been a very good husband these last few days. We all caught colds, so I've tried to be extra nice to everyone. Jamie actually feels decent except for the cold. She's been napping in the afternoons when she's able.

We picked up some new roses for our front this morning. I've been missing the yard at our old house, so it's nice to start the transformation here. We won't really see much until Spring, though. All the flowers have lost their blooms, and we're cutting everything back.

I had some serious problems with my hard driv...

November 04, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

I had some serious problems with my hard drive in my main computer that I couldn't figure out. It seemed really slow, to the point where loading windows took ten times as long, and games weren't very playable. I ended up running this online disk check utility, which pronounced my hard drive nearly dead, generated a RMA for me, and I spent much of the day shuffling data around until I could copy everything to a blank.

Amazingly, it all seems to work okay. Things seem smooth and good again. I put the old drive in a styrafoam container, made a box for it out of a beer container, and have asked Jamie to ship it off so that I can get a replacement. It's rare that things go so smoothly.

Sam's been into riddles and jokes lately

November 03, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been into riddles and jokes lately. He told one while we were out the library: "What room has no roof, no walls, no floor, and no door? A mushroom!"

Well, he was trying out new ones last night in the bath and said: "What's flesh colored, cute, and little?" I guessed him and he enthusiastically said, "Yep!"

It seems to be the norm these days that our w...

November 03, 2002 by Adam in Family

It seems to be the norm these days that our weekends tend to be pretty quiet. Everyone seemed to have a touch of the sniffles, so we mostly stayed indoors and hung out. We made a library/Metropol/video store run, watched Beauty and the Beast, and played a fair amount of computer games. Jamie actually took a nap this afternoon, a sure indication of how tired she's been.

It was so cold riding my bike to work this mo...

November 01, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It was so cold riding my bike to work this morning that my hair gel crystalized. These last few days have been well below zero and it's forced me to decide if I'm really serious about this biking to work thing. So far, so good. I put on my windbreaker pants and a couple layers of shirts. A wool hat would have helped a bunch, but I didn't have one handy.

I'm glad this whole webserver/e-mail thing has worked out. I think I actually like having the server at home, as I have more control over the thing. I'd like to set up some image management stuff so that people can upload pictures to their postings and possibly the photo album.

It's Halloween night, and I just returned fro...

November 01, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's Halloween night, and I just returned from trick or treating with Sam and Josh. It was really cold and Sam froze the second he got outside. We made it to three houses before we turned back to get warm again. Still, they returned with quite a bit of loot. I guess our neighborhood has high-quality candy output.

We've only had a few trick-or-treaters so far. It may be the cold, or just changing times. We had one huge pack that hit our house a few minutes ago. I also expect our neighbors Ben and Sebastian to come over in a bit.

If you haven't been over to Mom and Dick's la...

October 31, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

If you haven't been over to Mom and Dick's lately you should all stop by. The backyard is starting to look great! Of course, I can say that because I was out there with a crew of three guys working my tail off. Luckily, Jamie and Sam saved me from the dirt and grime and wisked me off to lunch! It was fun to hang out and chat with some of my wonderful family.

Today Isa's is dressing up in her Kitty costume for the third time. It's amazing how long Halloween can be stretched out! I know that once she learns that people will give her candy there will be no turning back. We're prepared for her to ask for more candy day after day.

Happy Halloween and good hunting to all!

Just a quick update - my e-mail seems to be w...

October 31, 2002 by Adam in Family

Just a quick update - my e-mail seems to be working too. You can send e-mail to either amiller@peacehealth.org or adam@adamandjamie.com and it'll magically appear here at work.

Happy Halloween! Well, it seems to be done

October 31, 2002 by Adam in Family

Happy Halloween!

Well, it seems to be done. The web server you're connected to right now is sitting in a closet in my basement. It seems to be working fairly well, though I'm having a bit of problems with my e-mail address. If you have to send me something, try amiller@peacehealth.org for the time being. I'll try to get the rest fixed up today.

I was exhausted yesterday, and I think everyone else was too. We'll probably hang out at home and say hello to trick-or-treaters. Great fun.

We missed Sam's Halloween party at his presch...

October 30, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We missed Sam's Halloween party at his preschool last night. Sam was tired, Jamie had morning sickness, and I had a bad headache. So, we'll have to dress him up as a power ranger on Halloween itself and pass out candy to kids at the door.

He's been lots of fun lately - well behaved and funny. The Jedi Knight game has really caught his interest, and he goes around fighting the evil empire most evenings. I have to pry him away for exercise and such. We did have a good time swimming last Friday, and may try again tonight. It's sad that the Easter Seal pool is closing, as we've had many enjoyable evenings there.

I finished up No One Lives Forever 2 last night

October 30, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finished up No One Lives Forever 2 last night. Fun little ending - cute and amusing, as well as challenging. It was a very well-polished shooter, one of the best I've played in awhile. I find that I appreciate well-placed humor in a game. It's a nice break from the earlier far-too-serious FPS games.

I'll probably turn my attention to Grand Theft Auto 3, finishing up the last few missions. I've also got my last module for Neverwinter Nights to do. I've been creating movies for each module, and plan to wrap up the entire campaign into an easy to download file when I'm finished.

I've got tinboy

October 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

I've got tinboy.com up and running at home, so you can actually go there and see a copy of what's here. Fortunately, I had planned for the contingency some time ago. I'm doing some behind the scenes technical things so that it goes smoothly, but it's hard to say for sure. The only remaining question is e-mail. I'm going to try to get an e-mail server set up at home so that I can still get things at adam@adamandjamie.com.

The rest of our life is chugging along. Sam's been lots of fun these days, though perhaps a bit too much into playing his Star Wars computer game. Jamie had a bit of a setback and was really sick again yesterday. Hopefully that won't last much longer.

Just so that everyone knows - I just got a ca...

October 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

Just so that everyone knows - I just got a call that exciting server things may be happening to adamandjamie.com.

Worst case scenario - I have to redirect everything to my computer at home, though I'm not sure how we'll manage e-mail. You can try amiller@pacinfo.com, though I'm not sure it'll come to that.

You could also try tinboy.com, where I'll try to make a copy of everything.

I'll hopefully find out more in a few days.

It's Monday again, and an hour later

October 28, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's Monday again, and an hour later. I think I finally caught up with all my sleep, though it took awhile.

The weekend was pleasant, though low-key. We went for a long hike on Ridgeline Trail Sunday, tromping through the beautiful leaves and admiring the smell of the woods. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and we spent time doing seasonal things. Sam and I carved our pumpkins and roasted the seeds, which ended up a bit too salty for my taste (Sam was the salter). The only other high note is that Sam finished the single player game of Jedi Outcast, then promptly wanted to play through again.

This week promises to be full of Halloween events. We've got some preschool activities, then manning the door Thursday night. Gobs of Reeses peanut butter cups await those brave enough to come to the door.

I think my body's a little confused by Daylig...

October 27, 2002 by Adam in Family

I think my body's a little confused by Daylight Savings time. I've been sleeping poorly, and at strange hours. Friday was fun-filled. Sam and I went to the Easter Seals pool, which I found out was closing. We hadn't really been there since his surgery, so he had a really good time. We've got to find another pool after it closes down as he has way too fun a time.

Saturday was uneventful. Sam and I played way too much on the computer, hung out at the house, and decorated Halloween cookies. I also snuck a Costco run in there, and we now have way too much cereal. I'm going to try to get my family out of the house today - get the stink blowed off of us and all.

I've been a poor communicator recently, mostl...

October 25, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

I've been a poor communicator recently, mostly because I have completely lost the ability to multi-task, and all my energy has gone into getting the back yard fixed up. We took out the huge laurel hedge and are planting some more easily managed shrubs. You all know my theory that space aliens are already here in the guise of blackberries, zucinni, and laurel hedges.

Seraph is off with a work crew from El Centro getting the big rocks hauled out of the back yard and down to the farm. Our plan is to take out one of the rock gardens, which required a lot of weeding, and put it in grass. We also want to get some drainage in the area.

Good news from the heart guy. The meds seem to be resulting in some improvement, and he seemed quite pleased. Said there was virtually no chance of needing heart surgery in the next year, and maybe 20% over the next five years. I think they will do EKG's or whatevery they are called about every six months, and just stay in the monitoring mode. So
mostly I'm trying to make plans to keep life simple.

We went to Dez' Cub Scout meeting last night. It was Hallowe'en party night, and Dez was very cute as Dracula.
Needless to say, we are all excited about new baby.

It's a fine Mocha Friday

October 25, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It's a fine Mocha Friday. A light mist was in the air this morning. For some reason, I think of Fall when I think of Eugene - overcast and crisp air. We've got the fireplace going most nights, giving our home a cozy feeling. It's a bit of a struggle getting Sam out for exercise, though fortunately our house has a few big rooms for playing.

This weekend will probably be fairly quiet. Never knowing if Jamie's going to be sick or not makes any plans tentative. Tonight is my Neverwinter Nights game night with my coworkers, which should be fun. Josh is coming over Saturday. We might make Halloween cookies with the neighbors too. We'll see.

Well, "Peanut" is wearing out her mommy

October 24, 2002 by Jamie in Emma

Well, "Peanut" is wearing out her mommy. I fortunately have a son and husband who are very good and healthy right now, and who enjoy playing computer games together for indecent amounts of time.

Somehow Thursday has snuck up on me

October 24, 2002 by Adam in Family

Somehow Thursday has snuck up on me. I'm feeling a tiny bit under the weather today, possibly due to the flu shot I got yesterday. Nothing a little tea won't fix. Jamie was pretty sick Tuesday, though appeared to be in a better mood yesterday. Sam's been great - very funny to be around and generally in a good mood.

While there are lots of Halloween parties to go to this weekend, we may just take it easy instead. I think we'll have the neighbors over for a cookie decorating event. Josh is also spending the night Saturday - hopefully that will be fun for all.

We had one of those weekends where all I reme...

October 23, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We had one of those weekends where all I remember is cleaning and cleaning and cleaning... At least our floors are now so clean I don't cring when Isa goes ahead and eats the food she just dropped on them!
I was not successful at getting Robbie motivated on the wood floors, but he did finally admit that my idea of packing him and Isa off for a weekend, so that I could get them done, might be a good idea.
We're gearing up for Halloween. Isa is going as a cat, and we have three parties lined up. I'm sure she'll be wired on sugar for a week, as "candy" is a new favorite word.

The 2002 Seafood Extravaganza is over

October 23, 2002 by Judy in Hanes

The 2002 Seafood Extravaganza is over. Besides missing the Millers and the bout of GI flu for McKenna, it was good. Miraculously, there was plenty of crab thanks to two crab crews; plenty of warm weather (but not much sunshine). AND there is furniture!

I feel terrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wh...

October 23, 2002 by Jamie in Jamie

I feel terrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why did you do this to me???????????????????
(Adam is forcing me to post, even though I'm sick as a dog)

A quiet Monday came and went

October 22, 2002 by Adam in Family

A quiet Monday came and went. Jamie was feeling marginal most of the evening, leaving Sam and I to play. She also had an evening meeting with the preschool. Evidently there's a fairly new state law that may result in them closing down the two's class, or otherwise changing things. I think it's got Jamie a bit pumped up, as she enjoys those sort of challenges.

It promises to be a quiet day at work as well. Not sure who on my team is actually showing up today.

I ran across a funny Doonesbury today: Som...

October 21, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I ran across a funny Doonesbury today:

Sometimes, it just seems too true.

Jamie's up and about these days, mostly norma...

October 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie's up and about these days, mostly normal except for continuous low-level nausea. Jamie's dad is in town, watching the dogs while the boys are at the beach. We just got back from Mt. Pisgah where we ran through the dry leaves until Sam collapsed from exhaustion.

It's another low-key day so far. Sam and I spent a fair amount of time on our respective computers this morning. I'd like to pick up some roses at Gray's, but I'm not sure if we'll get around to it.

Tomorrow is another work day for me. I'll miss these last few days with Sam and I hanging out so much. Lots of play time together.

Sam and I have done some serious gaming runs ...

October 19, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Sam and I have done some serious gaming runs these last few days. He's discovered the single player part of Jedi Knight Outcast, and working his way through it. Being invulnerable certainly helps, and I've been assisting with the puzzles. Still, he's a big Star Wars fan, as well as a computer game fan, so he's in heaven.

I've been enjoying No One Lives Forever 2. The humor is top notch, and I enjoy the RPG-lite parts where you get skill points for completing objectives or finding hidden items. It makes exploring even more rewarding, as it has a real effect on the game.

I'm also working hard on completing the fourth module in my Neverwinter Nights campaign. At this point, it's basically finished and fairly well polished. I'll run through with the work crew next Friday then post it for the world to play. I had a funny bug this morning. There was an NPC who was supposed to join if you held a particular item. Instead, he turned into a badger and followed me. Fun with typos.

Jamie seems much improved

October 19, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie seems much improved. I'm not sure if we'll ever be sure if it was the flu or just really bad morning sickness. She's still a little tired, but showing signs of life again. Jamie even managed to vaccuum and generally clean up, which is one of those signs that she's up and alive.

Jamie's dad is in town today. We may end up doing a run to Johnson Brother's and pick up some new roses. I transplanted some blueberries that weren't doing well where they were. I'm hopeful that they'll become quite prolific over the years. I'm a big fan of blueberries.

Sam and I had some wet playtime after the blueberries were moved over. I had to soak the roots, so I broke out the hose and began spraying. Sam took advantage of the situation and ended up soaked, blue, and shivering. It took a warm shower, warm clothes, and some time under a blanket before his cheeks turned rosy pink again.

Well, we decided not to go to the beach

October 18, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, we decided not to go to the beach. I've been watching Sam all day while Jamie has been resting on the couch. I think she's slowly on the mend - it may have been the flu after all. Now she's dreading that we'll get sick next. At the moment, we're doing great. Sam and I played with Legos, fiddled with our computers, and spent a couple hours at the park. Now we're getting ready for dinner and a quiet evening.

Ah, the joys of parenthood.

It was an odd evening last night

October 17, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was an odd evening last night. Sam went off to my mom and Dick's house last night, giving Jamie and I a night off. Of course, Jamie mostly wanted to rest on the couch and sip Ginger tea. She's had morning sickness pretty bad the last couple weeks.

What? Morning sickness? Well, we decided to tell everyone last night. For those of you diligent enough to check the web site hourly, I posted an update on the New Baby page. Jamie's pregnant.

Here are the answers to the most common questions:

• When is she due?á Late May.


• How is she doing?á She's been feeling the morning sickness pretty badly, and is tired a lot.


• How are you doing?á I'm excited, worried, and hopeful, as well as feeling sorry for Jamie.


• How's Sam doing?á Sam seems to think that the baby just stopped growing last time. He'd sometimes come up to pat Jamie's stomach and say, "Start growing baby." We'll probably start explaining in greater detail as the time goes on.

Well, we've decided to tell everyone

October 17, 2002 by Adam in Emma

Well, we've decided to tell everyone. Jamie's pregnant. Her morning sickness was getting harder to conceal, and she was running out of excuses as to why she was so tired and didn't feel well. So, we decided it was easier to simply make the announcement.

We went in for an ultrasound last week, just to make sure everything was looking okay. So far, so good. We even got to see the tiny heart beating away. Of course, there's no possible way to tell the gender, so we're still calling it "peanut" for the moment.

Jamie has morning sickness pretty bad this time, with non-stop nausea for the last few weeks. I think it has taken its toll, so everyone please be extra nice to her.

No One Lives Forever 2 showed up on my doorst...

October 16, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

No One Lives Forever 2 showed up on my doorstep yesterday. Sam and I raced downstairs to load it up and give it a try. I think I managed to play about 20% of the time, as it became quite difficult to pry the keyboard out of his tiny hands.

The game itself looks quite nice. It's one of the first games that I can't crank up the graphics to max, a sure sign that my computer is over a year old. The game is also quite funny, with witty dialog and amusing situations. I'm barely into the game, so it's hard to give a full review, but so far so good.

Sammy arrived Monday and we're keeping busy!G...

October 16, 2002 by Dorothy in Danica Miller

Sammy arrived Monday and we're keeping busy!Going to lots of activities at Allegheny

Isa made it beautifully through her first wee...

October 14, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Isa made it beautifully through her first weekend without mom and dad. And, mom and dad made it sorta ok without her.

Although happy to see us on Sunday afternoon, it sounded as though Isa spent a fun filled weekend getting spoiled! I suppose it's good for her, considering her parents spent a fun filled weekend spoiling themselves!

We stayed Saterday night at the cost in a cozy B&B, and were treated to a decedent breakfast in the morning. We rolled home early because there was a meeting at our church. We're doing some committee restructuring, which is keeping everyone on their toes.

Dick - the Wonder Man - came over with his man eating weed-wacker and took a chunk out of our black berries. If the weather promises to stay nice I may go and hose them down with poison this weekend. This is also the week we're to start our wood floors, though I'm having a hard time motivating Robbie.

I'm back at work, somewhat reluctantly

October 14, 2002 by Adam in Family

I'm back at work, somewhat reluctantly. It was difficult leaving the computer-warmed nerd cave and heading out on my bike through the cold and the wind. I somehow made it here, remembering to wear gloves this time.

The weekend came and went, with very little happening to separate it from other weekends. Sam and I spent a lot of time indoors on the computer, and Jamie read a bunch. I think everyone got a bit bored at the end, except for Sam who was content to make his character in Jedi Outcast jump around the screen.

It's looking like we're going to the beach next weekend, assuming everyone's up for it. It'll be nice to get away for awhile and have some distractions. Sam seems to have a great time playing in the sand and running with the wind.

Sam and I played way too many computer games ...

October 14, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Sam and I played way too many computer games over the weekend. It started out innocuously enough, with a little Jedi Outcast among other outdoor activities. Sunday, though, it all fell apart and we must have spent six to eight hours down in the nerd cave. I was pretty sick of being down there towards the end, but Sam just wouldn't stop.

Probably because of all this, he's become quite good at playing games. In Jedi Outcast, he can run around quite well, jumping on to platforms and doing tricks. He's even picking up on the interface itself, even though he can't read. Once I load up a level, he can pick is light saber color, player model, and click "Start Game". The irony is that I'm pretty much just like him, only with better balance between computers and the rest of life.

I've got a new game coming in a day or two: No One Lives Forever 2. I hear it's really good, and I loved the campy humor in the original. It'll be good to have a new distraction.

So here it is FALL already

October 13, 2002 by Lohring in Lohring

So here it is FALL already. Scheesh..time is moving so quicky and we all seem to be so busy. That's always a good sign. At my last posting Lohring was off to Montana. At this posting he is on his way back from Las Vegas. He and a friend drove down to the Gas World Championships, cracy/weird huh. Anyway, he did fairly well and will have some trophies and stories to tell when he returns. He also has a new work schedule which means he will be working in Grants Pass every week (gulp) leaving Wednesday afternoon and returning Friday evening. He loves his job and it pays the bills! Hurrah.

On Sunday...October 12...two of my walking pals and I did our walking marathon....all 26 miles in one day. The first 18-20 miles were easy then it became more difficult because my right leg was sore and my other friend had a sore left leg. Despite our pain, we limped/gimped along,over ate and rested many many times. It took us a total of 10 hours which included tons of potty breaks, lunch and snacking.

Luckily we were not concerned about how fast we walked. Our concern was that none of us ended up in the Johnson Unit for psychiatric treatment or the Intensive Care unit. We are strong but crazy crones who were committed to this goal. This was the BIG event before I turn 60 next year.

Contrary to the idea that you can walk away pounds we found that the opposite happened! To my surprise I gained 2 pounds from the experience. My friend also reported the same weight gain. Could it have been all the junk food we ate for sustenance? Does diet soda really have calories? Go figure!

Our marathon was an adventure, great fun and an amazing day! We ended up at Maria Calenders (again) eating hot Razzleberry pie with a huge scoop of icecream!

I'm also working for PeaceHealth on a referral basis doing employee consultations for parent care issues. So far I've seen 10 clients and am hoping to drum up more business. I love the work which is exactly what I do pro-bono for the Alzheimer's Association! So enough for now! Gotta go ice my leg.

We had a nice, low-key Saturday

October 13, 2002 by Adam in Family

We had a nice, low-key Saturday. Sam and I played together most of the day, while Jamie relaxed a bit. Sam entertained himself for a long while doing "experiments". I sat him at the table, and we played with ice, water (hot and cold), food coloring, oil, and a few choice Legos. We did a park run, made cookies, and generally had an enjoyable day.

Our e-mail at home has been re-established

October 11, 2002 by Judy in Hanes

Our e-mail at home has been re-established. So for now you may reach us at jimhanes1@excite.com. We're trying to get a semi-Seafood Extravaganza organized for Oct. 18,19,20,21 weekend. Looks like we can get 4 out of 6 there.

GOOD NEWS -- the downstairs couch and chair have finally arrived and will be delivered to our garage on Wed. Then Judy will drive the U-Haul down on Friday. The first hefty folks who get there on Friday can help move it in! Once we see how that goes, we can continue with paint colors and see what else is needed. This is a long, convoluted process.

Just a small note of thanks that I have such ...

October 11, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Just a small note of thanks that I have such a wonderful family and everyone is safe and well. I talked to Sadie last night about her chest pains. Apparently they suggested she cut out coffee for awhile. How can she lead a happy life?

Happy anniversary to Seraph and Robbie!

Well, five years ago today was a Saturday

October 11, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Well, five years ago today was a Saturday. Friends and family decended on Ashland/Medford for our wedding. Life moved at a slower pace.

Now, life flies by at a mad rush. Robbie and I managed a quick anniversery kiss when he dropped me off this morning, with Isa squealing in the background. We can't decide if we should stay in and watch a movie, or brave the theater on a Friday night. I think the last time we went out to a movie was Harry Potter on Christmas! Now we stay home and read the books.

Slowly but surely we're turning into happy "old farts" (as Yayoe is fond of saying)! What's so amazing to me, is that I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, the 6 GB drive turned out to really jus...

October 11, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, the 6 GB drive turned out to really just be a 2 GB drive. I also had a bear of a time getting the network card to work (funny incompatibilities with the motherboard) as well as the hard drive (primary IDE controller was shot). Still, I managed to ressurect the beast and load up Unread Tournament. I now have three computers in the basement that can run basic games, and another upstairs if I had to. The funny thing is that most afternoons, there are three people on the computer. As soon as I arrive, Josh, Sam, and I descend to the nerd cave to play computer games. So, now we can all play together. A nerd's dream come true.

Another pleasant Friday, a mocha settling in ...

October 11, 2002 by Adam in Family

Another pleasant Friday, a mocha settling in my belly and a crisp Fall day outside my window. My fingers almost froze off riding my bike to work today. It promises to be a quiet Friday here at work, with a couple people on my team away for the day.

Sam was in a bit of a mood last night. I didn't quite get him to a bath, and he stayed up a bit late. Last night, I woke up when Jamie was returning to bed. A little later, we found Sam standing in our doorway just staring at us. I got out of bed, scooped him up, and plunked him down between us. Funny kid.

The nerd cave looks like a techno-whirlwind p...

October 10, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

The nerd cave looks like a techno-whirlwind passed through. I've got computer parts strewn about. I temporarily gave up trying to run Linux. The picture quality of my t.v. card was pretty bad. I recorded a couple shows on my main computer just fine, and encoded them to DivX format this morning. It went from 3 GB to 250 MB, which was pretty amazing. Reasonable quality, though not perfect.

The Pentium III 550 that was going to be the Linux box now has a 6GB hard drive in it and is being transformed into a simple gaming box. I may send it to the beach, or perhaps to Josh's house. It has some issues, and isn't top of the line, but it'll work for most of the old stuff. I'll try to finish it up this week and figure out what to do with it.

Sam and I had a good time last night

October 10, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I had a good time last night. I came home a little early (prompted by Jamie), and improvised a couple new games. We played "Toss the Foam Frisbee", where a flat block of foam was thrown around the room. Later it became a shield to deflect bean bags. Finally, I chased him around the room with the Dirt Devil, trying to suck him up with the vaccuum attachment. Good times.

After dinner and some computer games later, we headed out to the park. Well, it was pretty dark, but that didn't dissuade us. We took a flashlight and ran around like the mad fools that we are. Sam found a massive dirt pile and played in that a bit. At the end, he led us home, finding his way back even in the dark.

I've been reading bits of Amy Vanderbult's bo...

October 09, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

I've been reading bits of Amy Vanderbult's book on etiquette before bed the last few nights. Last nights section was on hosting a dinner with a staff. Not likely to ever happen - but at least I'll know how to boss people with the correct manors.
Last night we had Hanni over for a birthday dinner (without a staff!). Isa was unhappy that she couldn't play with the fondu forks, but I rushed through, eating and playing with Isa, before sneeking out to a slightly nutty church council meeting. I think next time I'll bring my etiquette book!

We're well into the week, another gray day ou...

October 09, 2002 by Adam in Family

We're well into the week, another gray day outside my office window. Dad and Yayoe came over for dinner on Monday, which was nice. Sam's been sick the last couple days - runny nose and a little groggy. He was bouncing off the walls when I came home last night, so I think he's mostly recovered.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNI!!! After a crazy mornin...

October 08, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNI!!!
After a crazy morning at work, I'm sneeking a 30 second break to post. Hanni is coming over for a birthday dinner tonight before I run to my church council meeting. We're having fondu - which should be fun.
Our anniversery is this week, and we're heading over to the coast on Saturday night. On top of that we're trying our first full weekend of babysitting! I'm a little nervous, and I keep trying to think of times we could check in, but overall it should be a nice relaxing weekend.
Next week we're going to try and refinish the wood floors in the living room. We're not quite sure what we'll find under the carpet!

A laid-back Sunday came and went

October 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

A laid-back Sunday came and went. Seraph and Robbie's old computer is working again - Sam wandered down in the morning to help me out. We hung out at the house for a bit, then went off to Circut City with Seraph and Robbie to return their laptop. It was a short trip and I was mostly there for moral support. Sam and I hung around afterwards to play with the assorted video games, then it was off to the library to pick up books.

After convincing Sam that we couldn't check out every book from the library, we picked up Willy Wonka at the video store, then headed back home. Jamie and Sam watched it together, and he came down later raving about how good it was. I quizzed Jamie on what she wanted for dinner, which resulted in us going to the Glenwood and postponing the decision.

Well, I got Mandrake linux installed on the n...

October 06, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, I got Mandrake linux installed on the new computer. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it runs at nearly 600 Mhz, almost twice what I thought it did. The hard drive was way too small, though, so I ordered a 60 GB one for $60 after rebate. What a deal.

Anyway, I'll probably reinstall on the new hard drive when it arrives, and try to get the PVR software working. Pretty cool stuff. It is weird having five computers down in the nerd cave now. It's living up to it's name, I suppose.

I've got Seraph and Robbie's old computer dow...

October 05, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

I've got Seraph and Robbie's old computer down here in the nerd cave. I'm downloading linux as I type - soon I'll be as trendy as the other nerds out there. The tentative plan is to install linux and some t.v. recording software so that I can record t.v. shows and watch them later. Not sure if it'll work well, but that's the tentative hope. Otherwise, I'll probably take it to the beach for entertainment purposes. It'll go well with the other Pentium II 300's. Lots of old network games could be played on them without too much problem.

It's been a somewhat lazy Saturday, full of m...

October 05, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been a somewhat lazy Saturday, full of much playing with Sam. Jamie has been out and about most of the day, and she's taken Sam to the park while I have a few moments to myself. Sam and I did a hike in Hendrick's park, then lots of computer game playing, then a trip to the store. I did a mini version of my big pre-cooking thing I did a few weeks ago. I made some lasagna and pizza, then put them in the freezer. Soon, I'll start in on the real dinner for the evening.

We enjoyed our visit with Adam, Jamie and Sam...

October 04, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We enjoyed our visit with Adam, Jamie and Sam last night. As soon as I got there Isa became grumpy, so kudos to Super-Sam for making her giggle and shreek with laughter! We realized that hppy children could be loader than cranky children, but as Jamie pointed out, they wore less on your nerves.
At work today I've got the place to myself. I'm hoping to catch up on multiple projects without tripping over anybody. And, if the boss doesn't read this, I might even try to sneek out of work early!

Seraph and Robbie were over for dinner last night

October 04, 2002 by Adam in Family

Seraph and Robbie were over for dinner last night. It was quite the spread and I was extremely stuffed towards the end. Kudos to Jamie for getting everything ready, especially while watching the boy the whole time.

I picked up Seraph and Robbie's old Pentium II 300, which I'm going to try to turn into a PVR (like a VCR, except on a computer). Not sure it's hefty enough, but I'll give it a try. I also tried to fix the touch pad on their laptop, but I think it's just plain broken.

I'm sipping down a mocha here at work, looking out on the dim, wet street. It promises to be another fairly low-key weekend. I'm sure Sam will want to play a ton of computer games, but I'm going to try to get him out hiking with me. Chip off the ol' block.

It's 5:35 and I'm still at work waiting for s...

October 04, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

It's 5:35 and I'm still at work waiting for some dumb attorney to call me back! If I ever get out of here, we're supposed to go have dinner with Adam, Jamie and Sam. I had mentally prepared "good things" to cook and bring, but it looks like I'll run by the store for back up goodies. Ahh... the joys of being a working mother.

Sam's been on a computer game kick lately

October 03, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been on a computer game kick lately. Every day when I come home, he'll be playing with Josh, then both of them will wander down to the nerd cave to play on the computer. He was really getting into Black & White a couple days ago, enjoying playing with his little creature. Last night, we fired up Drakan, but hadn't quite gotten to the part where we get to ride the dragon. Still, he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

I've given up on the age-appropriate software. Sam liked the Preschool software when he was two. Now it takes something like Grand Theft Auto to grab his attention. We also have lots of discussion about reality versus fantasy. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

We had a great time in Portland last weekend ...

October 02, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We had a great time in Portland last weekend with Raven and Cheikh. It was nice to get out of town for awhile and feel social.
We kicked off October 1st by starting our first fire in the fireplace and chopping wood! We've been gravitating away from the family room, which gets very cold in the winter, and spending more time in the living room. Isa has gone to sleep on the living room floor the last two nights, curled up with a blanket and her doll.
Life continues to be realitivly peaceful.

October already! The weather appears to have...

October 01, 2002 by Adam in Family

October already! The weather appears to have synchronized with the date, as it's been cold and dreary the last couple days. Over the weekend we "battened down the hatches", moving a lot of outdoor things inside, and it seems like our timing was good. It is also a test of my will to bike to work each time the temperature drops. So far so good.

It turns out they were blocking ports

September 30, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

It turns out they were blocking ports. They were having some network issues and they decided I was using too much bandwidth, so they blocked all of my external ports. So, I'm back in business, but I get the impression I'm on some kind of probation. So, I'll try to be good . . .

I'm having weird Internet issues at home thes...

September 30, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

I'm having weird Internet issues at home these days. Suddenly, other computers in the world were unable to connect to me. It seemed periodic, and I suspected at first that there was something wrong with my computer. I ended up doing endless configuration changes, installing the DSL modem on another computer, and am now convinced that my ISP has an issue. I'll give them a call this afternoon and hopefully figure it out. Sigh.

And so ends another quirky weekend

September 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

And so ends another quirky weekend. I spent a lot of time at home watching Sam, which was both wonderful and tedious. He got a bee sting on the bottom of his foot, and was limping around like Quasimodo much of the time. Since we couldn't really run around outside, we spent hours in front of the computer playing Alpha Team and Grand Theft Auto III. My mom and Dick came over Saturday night for dinner, and played with Sam for awhile. We all went out shopping Sunday afternoon and returned with a new Lego. I bought rain pants. I made pesto from scratch. That's about it.

I'm laying looking through a bright window an...

September 30, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I'm laying looking through a bright window and tangled up in comforters, contemplating how I should play for Mountain Day, the great Smith tradition of spontanious day offs on one nice fall day. I'll probably take a shower and meander to the chapel. perhaps a visit to Will's old haunt, Shelburne Falls, which was always the perfect new England town. Thank the universe he lives in a commune in Shutsbury now. Which I actually visited on a chapel retreat this weekend, where we interpretive danced and kumbaya sang. he was in maine. all went well. all is well, by the way. I'm perfect, save the absence of you.

Sam told me his dream this morning: I drea...

September 28, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam told me his dream this morning:

I dreamt I was Superman and there was asteroids falling down and I escaped from them and mom was following me and we went through a door and that's all. That's it.

In preparation for the Friday Night Fights wi...

September 26, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

In preparation for the Friday Night Fights with NWN, we've got a multiplayer test tonight. Last time we had serious network problems, with massive lag. I'm not sure what the issue is exactly. Hopefully it'll go better tonight.

I've been working on the fourth module, which is turning out more complex than I thought. I've been having fun with it, though I think I'm letting Grand Theft Auto influence me. I put in a couple "take care of this person" quests. And I don't mean babysitting, either.

The week continues to move along

September 26, 2002 by Adam in Family

The week continues to move along. Sam and Jamie went to the farm yesterday to pick up fresh produce and play with the goats. We all went for a walk to the ice cream store after dinner, much to Sam's delight. We got Sam to bed, then collapsed ourselves. Life moves on.

Just a little note on a lovely day

September 25, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Just a little note on a lovely day. I talked with Sadie last night. She sounded absolutely happy - enjoying being in her woodblock class, even if she doesn't like the teacher. She likes the woman who runs the Religious Life program; I personally think Sadie belongs in Divinity School. She otherwise sounded cheerful. I think Anna is good for her.

It was a Tuesday

September 24, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It was a Tuesday. Nothing special about today, other than Jamie stealing me away for a morning tea. I rode my bike to work as the sun came up, worked on my computer all day with a visit to the gym at lunch, and now it's time to ride back home. In some ways, my life is pretty simple.

A quiet Monday came and went

September 24, 2002 by Adam in Family

A quiet Monday came and went. Jamie's cold is still lingering, though I think she's on the road to recovery. She and Angie went out to dinner last night, while Sam and I stayed home and watched Monsters, Inc.

The only moment of excitement was when Sam, Jamie, and I were playing "keep the balloon off the floor". Sam was laughing so hard that it was infectious, and we were soon all giggling hysterically and bonking a balloon around the living room. Good times.

We've returned from the beach, exhausted but ...

September 22, 2002 by Adam in Family

We've returned from the beach, exhausted but happy. We had a pretty good time, with Judy coming down Friday night, fresh from her trip to Europe. Dave and Josh appeared Saturday morning right before Judy left. I'm getting better at managing Sam for the two hour drive. I had a laptop with adventure games, as well as a couple cartoons on the video recorder.

The beach itself was great, with wonderful weather the whole time. Friday night was incredibly gusty again, much to Sam's delight. I carried him around with his arms outstretched, as he pretended to fly about in the wind. Other days we puttered in the sand or went for long walks. The beach house is slowly coming along. Once again, I brought my computer, which was fortunate. The only other form of entertainment is a collection of 70's board games. Either that or we'd have to - gasp - talk to each other. So, the computer was handy.

I think we'll spend the rest of the day recovering and unpacking. Sam's watching Monsters, Inc. while Jamie organizes the kitchen. I'll probably put on some shorts and relax as best I can.

At the coast Saturday, we went walking along ...

September 22, 2002 by Adam in Sam

At the coast Saturday, we went walking along the beach and came upon a dead sea lion. Sam looked at it for a long while, a strange look on his face. I checked in with him, asking if he was okay and if he felt weird. He said, "I feel a little strange. Kind of like when I was a baby." We looked a bit longer and I noticed a tear in his eye, "I kind of feel like I'm crying." We headed back and talked about the cycle of life. "I feel a little sad," he said. "Yep, me too Sam."

Later that day, Sam, Dave, and Josh returned to poke at it with a stick.

Generic Heading

September 20, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

happy 19th birthday, Jamie!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE!!!! May you paint your ...

September 19, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE!!!!
May you paint your toenails and dance to crazy music!

Jamie just called me here at work

September 19, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie just called me here at work. She relayed a message, chatted for a bit, then asked me if there was anything I wanted to say to her. "Hmm. I already told you I love you . . . is there something I'm supposed to say?" She prompted me again, and I thought a bit harder. Finally, the caffiene worked it's magic and I remembered.

"Er! Ahgh! Happy birthday!"

Well, the cold that's been going around final...

September 18, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, the cold that's been going around finally hit me hard yesterday. I made it through the work day with Advil, then collapsed once I made it home. Fortunately Sam and Jamie were nice to me, drew me a bath, and let me take it easy for most of the evening. I did end up relieving Jamie after a half hour of trying to put Sam to bed. He was bouncing off the walls and didn't fall asleep until close to nine.

Putting Sam to bed has changed a bit. We now have a nice reading chair by his bed, and he's in his bed by himself. I read for awhile, occasionally wrangling him back on his mattress, and waited. Around nine, he climbed under his covers, pulled them up around his neck, rubbed his eyes a couple times, and fell asleep.

Well, I finally got a laptop

September 17, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, I finally got a laptop. It's old, but the price was close to free. It's an Omnibook 2000CT, a Pentium 133 with 64 MB of memory. It's just enough to run old adventure games like Sam and Max, Day of the Tentacle, and Pajama Sam, and so on. Unfortunately, it's not enough to play back video, which would have been idea. Still, it'll make a good little trip computer. I expect lots of adventure game playing with Sam this weekend.

The rains started again

September 17, 2002 by Adam in Adam

The rains started again. I walked to work today, after riding my bike for a couple weeks. There was a funny moment when rain was pouring down and I walked by a row of sprinklers, spraying in futility. It's quiet today at work - I rebooted an unruly server a few minutes and will soon delve into writing code. I find I like the quiet.

I picked up an old laptop from work. It was one that was several years old, so it's close to free. Though it's not powerful enough to play movies, the idea is for Sam and I to play old adventure games in the car on long trips. So far I loaded up Sam & Max Hit The Road. I think that Sam was duly impressed, especially the part where the robot mad scientist's head was really a bomb.

Over the weekend, Sam and I were in the craft...

September 16, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Over the weekend, Sam and I were in the craft room, and he wanted me to open up the window there. Well, it's complicated, as there's a storm window too, but I opened it up to show him how it works. While closing it, though, I accidentally wacked him in the lip. It started to bleed and he cried for awhile.

Later on at dinner, I asked Sam if he wanted to tell mom about the event. He put on a conspiratorial voice and whispered, "No!" I asked him why and he responded, "I don't want mom to be mad at you."

We're BACK!!! The couch and 2 chairs are her...

September 16, 2002 by Judy in Hanes

We're BACK!!! The couch and 2 chairs are here from Dania, but the downstairs furniture is NOT! Hope to make a U-Haul run the weekend of Sept 28th.

I spent a good chunk of the weekend playing G...

September 16, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I spent a good chunk of the weekend playing Grand Theft Auto III. Both Josh and Sam seemed mezmerized by it, driving like a maniac through the streets, pulling off insane jumps, and blowing things up. When I went to sleep on Saturday, I kept envisioning driving recklessly through the streets, careening off of streetlights and other cars.

It's a wildly fun game. I think my favorite part is finding the insane jumps hidden around the city and trying to pull them off. For that, we ususally take the Banchee (pictured here), which can be stolen from the show room at a car dealership. It's insanely fast and handles well, but tends to blow up if you hit things too hard.

Well, the weekend's gone and I'm back at work

September 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, the weekend's gone and I'm back at work. It was less fun than previous weekends, though there were some highlights. Saturday morning found us taking Sam for a bike ride. My favorite part of the whole weekend was holding on to Sam's arm and running beside him as he pedaled along, laughing like a maniac. Jamie's family descended on our house soon afterwards, and I watched Josh and Sam for the rest of the day. Sunday was breakfast at a greasy spoon of Brant's choosing, then watching Sam for the rest of the day. I was pretty beat by the end of the weekend.

I think the cold that's been going around finally caught up to us. Sam was really sniffly Sunday, and tired and cranky the rest of the day. I've been stuffed up, but not too bad.

Another strange highlight of the weekend is that my stair stepper mysteriously fixed itself. I had taken it apart to try to fix it, then resigned myself to taking it into Sears to be fixed. When I took another look yesterday, it was working just fine. Perhaps the huge volumes of WD40 I sprayed around worked its magic.

I picked up a couple games recently: Grand Th...

September 13, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I picked up a couple games recently: Grand Theft Auto III and The Thing. The Thing is a survival-horror game taking place in a base in the arctic after the movie happened. It's okay, though nothing exceptional.

GTA3 is the game that's been villified in the press for being violent and without moral character. What they don't mention is that it's exceptionally fun too. There's something viscerally exciting about stealing a police car and crusing through the streets going way too fast. Traffic laws become "traffic suggestions", and I often go off road if it's more convenient. And if you accidentally total your car - not a problem. Just pull out some unsuspecting driver and take theirs. I haven't let Sam play this one, of course, but it's an entertaining adult game for sure.

Tonight is also the Friday Night Fights where the work group gets together to play Neverwinter Nights. It's the third module in those that I've put together, and I always get a little nervous showing my "creative works." It's still lots of fun, though, and I'm looking forward to playing.

It's a pleasant Friday, the morning mocha bub...

September 13, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's a pleasant Friday, the morning mocha bubbling through my veins. I don't think we have particularly big plans this weekend. I'm going to try to pick up a present for Jamie's birthday, get my stair stepper fixed, and hopefully spend some time with my wife. Oh, and finish painting the mantle somewhere along the way.

Our family's been well the last couple days. I haven't seen Jamie much, except at dinner. Sam's amazing as always. He spent about an hour playing Morrowind, running his character off cliffs, into the ocean, and finding other strange things for him to do. Then we wrestled for a half an hour. The wonders of childhood.

Like Adam, I was remembering the choas of las...

September 11, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Like Adam, I was remembering the choas of last year. I went to a moving service this morning, and tried to keep it all in perspective. Also, like Adam, it made me remember how good the last few days and weeks have been. Isa and Robbie have had colds, but that just means that we've gotten to snuggle up under a now needed down comforter each night!

The terrorist attacks were a year ago today

September 11, 2002 by Adam in Family

The terrorist attacks were a year ago today. I read back through the old news items, trying to get a sense of what was going on with our family then. In contrast, these last few weeks have been quite wonderful. Sam's first day of preschool went well, with lots of play time with other kids. Jamie seems in a good mood. The only bad thing I can think of is that my stair-stepper broke last night, and I don't have a long enough screw driver to open it up.

Today was MY first day at preschool, as snack...

September 11, 2002 by Jamie in Jamie

Today was MY first day at preschool, as snack parent. Sam did great, and seemed to enjoy school more than ever. I, however, worked my ass off trying to give attention to 18 energetic three-year-olds while performing my required duties. I need a nap. Preferrably someplace quiet and semi-tropical. I am excited to hear about Mom and Jim's trip to Europe which ends tomorrow (sorry guys)...maybe they can update me at my retreat to the beach house the weekend after my birthday (which is the 19th, if you were wondering ;-)

The web server that hosts adamandjamie

September 10, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

The web server that hosts adamandjamie.com died Sunday night, and we were down for most of the day Monday. Not sure if there's much I can do on my end. I have a hot mirror on tinboy, but that's not useful if no one knows about it. Of course, I'm not sure if there's anything that needs to happen - network outages are a fact of life, and it's been pretty reliable. Plus, it's free through my friend Chris, which is a big plus.

I dug out my MP3 player and hooked it up to S...

September 10, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I dug out my MP3 player and hooked it up to Sam yesterday. It was hysterical, watching him dance around with a funny look on his face. He was particularly fond of the Beastie Boy's Intergalactic, calling it the "alien song" due to all the funny synthesized noises. He ran upstairs to Jamie and announced, "Look! I'm just like a big person, doing the things that big people do."

My house and computer projects have been mini...

September 09, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

My house and computer projects have been minimal lately. I did do a bit with the mantle today. Darren had put it up, though it had been many months since he last touched it. We were wanting to finish things up, and hadn't heard from him in a long time, so I puttied and sanded it down today. I also had to put in a few screws and nails, as there were some boards barely hanging on. So, a couple hours later, it's ready for painting. Slow going, but it should look nice.

Oh - and the last computer issue? It's fine now. The other set of memory was really cheap, and worked just fine with the previous stick. I'm running at 512 MB of DDR and lovin' it.

Another fine weekend comes to an end

September 09, 2002 by Adam in Family

Another fine weekend comes to an end. There were a few exiting events, but for the most part it was fairly low-key. Sam was in a good mood for the most part, and we didn't want to jinx it.

We had Jason and Bridget over for dinner on Saturday. I hadn't seen them for a long time, and they'd recently gotten engaged. I've known Jason for fifteen years, probably the longest friend that I'm still in touch with (not that I really have friends I spend much time with these days). It was nice, chatting about marriage, kids, and what they were up to.

Today Sam and I went for a really long bike ride today. It had been awhile since he'd last gone for a bike ride, and he was a bit hesitant at first. After a few minutes, he was riding and laughing endlessly. He kept going into "crazy Sam" mode, biking as fast as he could. There was an international soccer match, with really good players, next to Roosevelt school. We had a snack and watched them play a bit before heading out again.

I was driving Sam home last night, and the st...

September 06, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I was driving Sam home last night, and the stars started to come out. I taught him the song people sing when they wish on a star and he told me:

"Starlight, starbright. Wish I may, wish I might. Have the wish I wish tonight. I wish I was really a blue Power Ranger."

For some reason, he picked a blue Power Ranger costume for Halloween, even over things like Batman and Spiderman. I think it was the big sword that did the trick.

It's another Mocha Friday

September 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's another Mocha Friday. The week's been chugging along. Sam's basically recovered, back in pants again. Jamie went out to a preschool meeting last night, and Sam and I went to a Bar-B-Que with my coworkers. He was in good spirits, and I tucked him to bed as soon as we got home. We're trying to get him to be earlier, as preschool is starting up again.

Today is his first day in the three's class. His new teacher, Karen, came over and visited with him yesterday. We're all crossing his fingers hoping he enjoys school. He's been a bit skeptical, but it's probably good for his social skills to go.

Isabell was napping when I got home from work...

September 05, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Isabell was napping when I got home from work last night, and proceeded to sleep until 8ish. She was then up and ready to go. We decided to hop in the car and go grocery shopping, as the store is pretty quiet at that time. Isa ran through the store in her PJ's chucking everything in the cart. We had to keep her occupied with the things we needed and not the Hostess Cupcakes! I was impressed with the arm on that girl, as she was hosting the canned corn over the top of the cart and into the basket!

It's been a good last few days

September 05, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been a good last few days. Monday night, we had Dave, Josh, and Kirsten over for dinner. Afterwards, they amused themselves for an hour playing with some flubber that Jamie mixed up. Josh hung out at our house Tuesday, as he had a short day at Roosevelt.

Sam's wearing pants again, which makes life easier. As well as being less embarrasing when taking him in public. I think he's mostly recovered from his surgery, though we're still slowly removing the surgical tape.

How'z IT? And HOWZ by YOU? Looks like we las...

September 04, 2002 by Yayoe in Yayoe

How'z IT? And HOWZ by YOU?
Looks like we last posted 2 months ago. Where has the time gone? It's been a wonderful, sunny summer. The best in a long time! So here's the newZ! Sayer and Sasha are getting married September 6th. Their wedding reception is on the 7th and you're all invited to attend. It's at John Jones' warehouse on 1160 Grant. 7 p.m! Food/music and more..

I'm off to Florida from September 14-22nd. I'm helping Dorothy pack up her house since she recently sold it. She's doing well and keeping very busy and active. Lohring is off to Montana from the 19-23rd for another boat race. In just a few more months the race season will be over and you can (hopefully) find him at home when he isn't racing boats and working in Grants Pass. I'll have home projects for him to do IF I can tie him down! He's loving his "retirement," his job and his fleet of boats!

I'm still walking and plan to do our Alton Baker Park marathon on October 12th. We've already planned 15 potty breaks, 4 breaks to change shoes and socks, and 3 more breaks to lie down, eat junk food and relax before finishing. As you can see, us "Hula Crones" are walking for the fun of it. No BIG crowds of women jocks...just 3 aging but cute crones who want to accomplish a goal before age 60!

I haven't heard much from Josh. But I'm sure he's busy with the house and getting it ready for a winter rental. If all goes well he will be in Kauai with Jody this winter..surfing and trying to decide if he should move there.

Oh by the way...it's Rosh Hashana! Happy New Year to you!

Sam's reached another milestone on the road t...

September 04, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's reached another milestone on the road to recovery: he wore pants.

Well, shorts actually. Jamie took he and Josh for a walk to the store, and he happily put on those most humble of overgarments. He was strutting his stuff like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Girls were turning their heads, whispering "nice pants." It was all good.

The last few weeks have been pretty busy in o...

September 03, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

The last few weeks have been pretty busy in our household. Robbie was off at camp the week before last, and a big thank you goes out to all the grandparents who helped with Isa in the mornings. We kept the week quiet and on a schedule as much as possible. We were also treated to dinner with different people each night!
Last week was pretty rough, as Isa was cutting some more teeth and not sleeping very well. Getting back in the swing of things with two parents was an adjustment.
We did enjoy our three day weekend! On Saturday we went to Dexter Lake with Raven and Cheikh. I got sunburned and Isa splashed around naked. Good wet fun! After church on Sunday, we packed up and went to the coast for the night. It was nice just to get out of town. All Isa wanted to do was go swimming, either in the ocean or the hotel pool. She's turning into quite the fish these days.

I finished up Warcraft III this morning

September 02, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finished up Warcraft III this morning. It was okay, though nothing too special. The work group and I played Neverwinter Nights on Friday, staying up late and having a great time. My series of modules is over halfway done. The third of five is in "polish" mode, and the fourth is starting to be mapped out.

While there are a few new games that I'm tempted to pick up, I'd like to focus my energies on Neverwinter Nights until my campaign is finished. It's sometimes tedious, but I think it ends up giving a lot of people some simple enjoyment.

We had a good day yesterday

September 02, 2002 by Adam in Family

We had a good day yesterday. Sam and I went for a long bike ride to the mall, with Sam in the "batmobile" towed behind me. He had a pretty good time, dressed in a long shirt of mine so that he could go out in public. We puttered around the mall a bit, picked up a Lego computer game at Toys-R-Us, then biked on home. After a couple hours of playing the new game, Jamie arrived back from her shopping trip, then wisked him off to a baseball game.

I don't think we're up to anything particularly exciting this Labor Day weekend. Sam hasn't seen Josh in awhile, so we might call him up. I'd love to go for a family hike too. I suppose we'll decide these things over a yummy breakfast, as always.

A couple exiting events yesterday

September 01, 2002 by Adam in Family

A couple exiting events yesterday. At bedtime, Sam put on pull-ups, a milestone on the way to wearing pants. I'm hoping that we can get him fully dressed today and go out into the world again. It's been hard not being able to take him out into public much.

I also had some strange passion come into me yesterday. Like my mom used to do, I prepared a ton of meals for the week ahead. I think Jamie gets sick of planning, preparing, and cooking all the dinners during the week, so it's a mini-break for her. I ended up making two lasagnas, two sets of enchiladas, chili, soup, pizza, and some herb scones. They're all frozen and ready for use as needed.

Jamie and I also hopped on our bikes for the first time in a long while. Jamie took Sam for a bike ride with Victoria (the non-neighbor), and he amazingly fell asleep in the middle of the day. Since it's past 8:00 and he's still in bed, the boy must be tired. I even slept in until 7:00, probably because of my late night on Friday.

Soon the coffee and yummy breakfast will appear as if by magic. I can't wait.

It's Saturday morning, the last day of August

August 31, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's Saturday morning, the last day of August. Fall is sneaking up on us - t.v. shows start up again, Sam begins preschool, and Josh is here in town this year. Jamie has made an amazing breakfast that will soon be served - lemon ricotta pancakes. Sam and I are busy salivating.

It was a funny night last night. Jamie went off to her friend's birthday party, and didn't return until 10:30 (we'd expected her a little after 8:00). I had my gaming night, so Sam followed me down to the nerd cave around 8:30, where he watched me play on the computer with my friends for awhile. After about ten minutes, I pulled out the sleeping bag and he fell fast asleep. I finally made it to bed around midnight, having a lot of fun in the process.

Jamie and Sam had also made a bunch of "flubber", which Sam and I played with last night. We discovered that it did an excellent job turning us into creatures, which we had a good time doing.

It's Friday here at work, and a fine Friday it is

August 30, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It's Friday here at work, and a fine Friday it is. I may end up taking Monday off as well, which would make it a second three-day weekend in a row. I don't think we have any particular plans for the weekend, other than the goal of getting Sam to wear pants. It's been quite the challenge after his surgery - no one told us about the "no pants" issue.

I'm hoping to get my old buddy Jason and his fiancee Bridget over for dinner next weekend. I haven't seen them for quite some time, and I'd like to catch up. Tonight is also the big Friday Night Fights computer gaming night, which should be entertaining. I fully expect to get little sleep tonight.

Sadie called this morning to say that they ...

August 30, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Sadie called this morning to say that they were in Minnesota
and making good time. Hoped to reach Detroit this evening.
I think Smith must be a couple day drive from Detroit.
We had fun watching Sam last night. Hope to have some time
with the other grandkids soon. Love to all, Mom

Well, I got a call around 2:00 today at work

August 29, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Well, I got a call around 2:00 today at work. Jamie was begging me to come home early. Sam was buck naked for a third day running. Evidently he's fairly sensitive after his surgery, and he doesn't want to have any article of clothing coming close to his groin area.

Jamie bathed him, and got off the bandage and a fair amount of surgical tape. Nothing really close to the area, so he's a bit swollen and taped up. Still, he seems in good spirits, running about the house like a maniac. Right now, he's watching a DVD while I type this up.

Last night was fairly uneventful, which was n...

August 28, 2002 by Adam in Family

Last night was fairly uneventful, which was nice for a change. I'm itch-free today, with only normal lotion on my back. Sam seems to be in good health, other than collapsing into bed at 7 o'clock. I guess his 5:30 wake-up left him a bit tired. He's ran around yesterday just like his normal self. We ended up playing quite a bit of hide-and-seek, and watching some old cartoons.

Tonight we soak off his bandages in the tub. He still has the one from the IV taped to his arm, plus those around the surgical area. Hopefully he'll start to wear pants too, as keeping him inside the majority of the time is driving us all a bit stir-crazy.

Well, this has been an eventful few days

August 28, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Well, this has been an eventful few days. Dick and I went up to Portland an hour or so early on Friday, so I could stop at Daisy Kingdom and another store which sells fabric. Sadie's plane arrived right on time, but traffic coming south was bumper to bumper even after we hit I-5.
Saturday was a flurry of activity, including Dick and me scurrying out to buy a dryer while we still had the pickup. Finally got a pretty snazzy model at Costco. The kids next door in Reardon's old house helped us unload it. (Read- they unloaded it in the time it took Dick and me to get our shoes on. They were headed to the Burning Man get together - hope their "classic" VW van makes it!)
Sadie's friend Anna came in by plane Saturday night - they were up bright and early Sunday, and with a little help from our friends - and family- we had a good brunch on Sunday morning. The kids were all cute and fun, and a good time was
had by all. Everyone needs to ask Yayoe to bring her famous
Faux Pate sometime again in the future.
Monday had its share of stresses, although Sam certainly sailed through his medical drama in great good humor. Adam, Jamie, Sam and I were waiting in the Stage Two waiting room, when a nurse came in with a "knock-out" cocktail for Sam. She
told Adam and Jamie that he would get "a little loopy". They
both looked at her, and, as one, asked, "And how will we know?" He was so funny - someday this kid is going to be the poster boy for legalizing mood altering drugs.
The rest of the day, from an attorney point of view, was pretty weird. I represent a sweet 70 year old trying to divorce her loud, overbearing husband. He alleged she was daffy and filed a Petition to be appointed her guardian. We
started our hearing on Monday afternoon.
At about 2:30, I looked around to see Anna and Sadie sitting morosely in the back of the courtroom. Since I thought they were long gone, I asked the judge for a recess so I could say
good bye. Bless her heart, she has kids too, so she didn't even holler a little.
Well, Sadie and Anna looked so morose because my pickup guru, who was just back from vacation on Monday morning, and who promised to give the truck a going over before the kids hit the road, had told them that the clutch might give them trouble. His kid graduated from one of the back east schools, Harvard, I think, and when I talked to him just before he left for vacation I told him Sadie was driving back and I wanted him to let me know if he would have let his daughter drive the truck 3,000 miles. He sent the message, via the girls, that he wouldn't. I trust his judgment, and I didn't really want them broken down in the middle of Indiana, so the girls and I did a quick key switch.
And so it's another winter of us driving either the truck or the really ratty Subaru to the symphony,while Sadie tootles around Noha in my 2K2 Honda.Anyhow, Sadie promised they would call today, and sure enough, they called from Butte, Montana. Apparently the driving is going well and they are making good time. Sadie said that they camped last night, but because it was a time zone change, an hour later, they were staying at Ed's Motel, at $38 a night. Probably no mints on the pillow.
I had to be in court this morning, but came home to change clothes and have lunch. Jamie had Sam out for a ride in his cart, Sam wearing nothing but a shirt and Chanel No 5 (old person joke) He and I started a game of checkers. I want to retire. Soon.

It's been a rather exciting last day or so

August 27, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been a rather exciting last day or so. We got Sam home, who hung out watching shows for awhile. Without warning, my back began to itch uncontrollably. It was extraordinarily painful, probably due to my sunburn a few days ago. I rolled around on the floor moaning, took a bath for awhile, and ended up putting on hydrocortisone cream and rubbing my back against the chair. This morning, it's still a bit itchy, but manageable.

Dave, Kirsten, and Josh came over for pizza and checking up on Sam. Sam's been doing quite well. I think the Legos help considerably. He and Jamie didn't sleep well last night. I woke up at 5:30 to get going to work, when Jamie came down bleary eyed. Evidently Sam had a bad dream and Jamie begged me for a little sleep while he was up. So, I've put off work for a bit and I'm keeping an eye on the boy.

Well, we just came home after Sam's surgery

August 26, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, we just came home after Sam's surgery. All went well. We scooped him up at 6 o'clock in the morning, arriving at the hospital and having my mom visit with us for awhile. After Sam had his "cocktail" before surgery, he got quite wacky and tired. He'd press his face against the pillow and say things like "I see a purple house." He also explained how he wanted a brain transplant with a robot brain.

When he got out, his stomach hurt quite a bit, though it cleared up in ten minutes or so. Then it was a matter of feeling returning to his legs, which took until after noon. Now he's watching cartoons, and I've promised to make a run to pick up a new Lego, as he was very brave.

We just came back from a brunch at my mom's h...

August 25, 2002 by Adam in Family

We just came back from a brunch at my mom's house, in celebration of Sadie's return and soon departure. She and Anna are heading across the country on a week-long road trip, which is something that should only be attempted when you're young. The whole crew was there too, and it was nice to see everyone, especially my dad who I haven't seen in awhile.

It was a bit of an exciting day yesterday. Jamie had requested that I move a couple shrubs from the front of the house. Well, I started digging, and one came out relatively quickly. The second, however, was the Moby Dick of shrubs. I ended up cutting through the roots using a hammer and chisel, spending two hours in the hot sun. I burned by back pretty badly, and injured my arm. I moaned and groaned for the rest of the day, all through Jamie's brothers (and dad and girlfriend) arriving for the Nebraska game. Josh came too, and I supervised the boys through video games and science experiments.

Tomorrow's the big day for Sam's surgery. We're loading up on rented DVDs just to distract from any possible discomfort.

Neverwinter Nights continues to suck up most ...

August 23, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Neverwinter Nights continues to suck up most of my time. I am playing a bit of Warcraft III here and there, but I find myself drawn to NWN when I have a little free time. My passion seems to be in building modules, testing them, and then releasing them to the world. It's a bit nerve wracking, as it's a matter of bearing my creative soul to the world. The first module was posted, and was fairly well received. The second should be done in a week or so, and is even more complicated in some respects. Great fun.

It feels a bit like the calm before the storm...

August 23, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It feels a bit like the calm before the storm, though not a necessarily unwelcome storm. Like any good parent, I've been worrying about Sam's upcoming surgery. I'll probably load up Sunday with rented DVDs to aid the recovery process. I'm hoping we can find some time to just hang out as a family, even though there are many exciting things happening this weekend.

Work goes relatively well. I impressed myself with actually figuring out some tricky programming problems. I spent some time today doing things that I though was somewhat unneccesary, but that's not unusual.

I'm heading home in just a few minutes. Lots of Sam play time, and a hearty breakfast awaits me in the morning.

The week is slowly moving along, with promise...

August 22, 2002 by Adam in Family

The week is slowly moving along, with promises of a busy weekend ahead. Seraph and Isabell are coming over for dinner tonight, as Robbie is off being a camp councilor. Josh is back from California and spending the night at our house as well, as Dave is out late with friends. Sam should be greatly pleased, as Josh is one of his all-time favorite people.

We've got Jamie's dad in town this weekend, Sadie's brunch on Sunday, and Sam's surgery early Monday. We've been trying to relax while we can.

Jamie and I haven't been doing anything particularly exciting these days. We got Sam to bed around 8:30, so we actually had some time to visit last night. Sam and I went swimming yesterday, though the Easter Seals pool is raising the rates to $10 for 2-5 people, so we may have to find another place to go. It's kinda nice not to have anything too exciting for the last few days.

We all went for a family walk last night, and...

August 21, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We all went for a family walk last night, and I spent a good deal of time chasing Sam around Amazon park. He found a dandelion and blew it out while making a wish. His wish was "I wish dad would stay home and not go to work, just like mom does."

Sam and Jamie also put together a Spider Man comic book, which I've scanned in for everyone's enjoyment.

Sunday was great

August 19, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sunday was great. We did very little, just puttering and playing around the house. I'm slowly finishing the construction of Sam's blackboard, after a 6 month hiatus. Jamie got the matching ottoman for her new chair. We went for a family hike near Autzen stadium, and Sam and I played at the cheese park a bit. All quite nice.

A pleasant, quiet Saturday came and went

August 18, 2002 by Adam in Family

A pleasant, quiet Saturday came and went. Sam and I did a lot of "science experiments", from Cartesian divers to looking at insects under a microscope. He's on a science kick lately, though perhaps mostly because it's a new way to play together. I think he especially likes the kind he can eat, such as the sugar crystals we grew.

I finally used my gift certificates I got for my birthday, picking up a swimming suit with my dad and Yayoe's, and an apple pie at Marie Calendar's using Jennys. Very cool.

Dave stopped by last night. He had finally managed to grow back his toe nail from last year's canoe accident. Well, he did it again, dropping another canoe on his toe when pulling it out of the water. Sadly, it had to come off completely, so he's got another year to wait. We chastised him severely for lack of proper footwear.

I just got back from visiting the Short Stay ...

August 16, 2002 by Adam in Jenny

I just got back from visiting the Short Stay Unit, after Jordan's surgery. He's got tubes in his ears now, and was awake when I came by. He seemed relatively good, though he did cry a bit. I think that part of it was that he couldn't eat anything all night - he sucked down a bottle in a couple minutes after I got there. Jenny looked a little nervous, but better now that he was awake and done.

Of course, we get to do the same thing in another week or so with Sam, so I was asking all sorts of questions about what to expect. Ah, the joys of family.

It was Jordan's birthday and all the cousins ...

August 15, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was Jordan's birthday and all the cousins were together. There was cake, good vegitarian spaghetti, and lots of family. I think it was a bit overwhelming for Sam, as he was really quiet the whole time. He kept shrugging his shoulders and sighing. Of course, once he got over it, he had a good time.

We all showed up at Jenny's house for Jordan'...

August 15, 2002 by Adam in Jenny

We all showed up at Jenny's house for Jordan's first birthday party. Jenny even made vegitarian spaghetti for Sam and I, which was quite tasty. Jordan didn't quite understand the present concept, so Destin and Sam helped open presents, while Jordan enjoyed playing with them. After dinner, it was running through the sprinkler until it was time for us to go home.

Jordan's surgery is this Friday, when he gets tubes put in his ears. He's had some terrible ear infections lately. Hopefully this will take care of it.

It's going to be a busy day today

August 14, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It's going to be a busy day today. Big project at work, that I'm slowly sloshing through. After reading mom's posting, I'm fretting about Sadie. Also, Sam and I head over to Jenny's house for Jordan's first birthday. Busy, busy.

Well, I'm embarrassed to say that I'm posting...

August 14, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Well, I'm embarrassed to say that I'm posting because the computer is in the basement bedroom/study, which is the only cool room in the house. It was hot at the office, and miserable in the courthouse. I wore a short loose fitting dress which buttoned down the front to trial this morning, with the minimum legally required underwear (read that as no petticoat). Fortunately, the dress waited until I was back at the office to
lose a strategic button. Ingenuity being a reasonable substitute for advance planning, I found a spring clip and guyed myself together.
We had an e-mail from Sadie - she and another girl in the program were mugged, but the other girl kicked and screamed and the would-be mugger walked away. They were not hurt, fortunately! I want Sadie home. Now.

I'm looking forward to Jordan's birthday tomorrow evening. Cute cute kid.

It was a quiet evening last night, which was ...

August 13, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a quiet evening last night, which was a nice contrast to the weekend. Sam ran through the sprinklers in the back yard, while I jumped up and down trying to get all the ripe figs off the tree. The downstairs freezer is getting pretty full of figs. I'm going to try to make figgy pudding for Christmas, though others may think me mad. Ahahaha! Figgy pudding!

We had a full schedule this weekend

August 12, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We had a full schedule this weekend. Robbie suprised me at work Friday with a call that Isa was going to stay at his mom's for the night! We went out to dinner (we we able to take more than 20 minutes to eat, and didn't leave our usual mess!), and got to stay up late talking! It's nice to occasionally get reaquainted with ones spouse.
One Saturday morning we got some mulch for the back yard, and then picked up Hanni and Isa and headed up to King Estate Winery for an event. Not only was there yummy food and wine, but we all had fun catching grasshoppers and walking through an old cemetary on the property.
At church on Sunday we had a new woman, Lauren, to watch Isa. Although we miss Tracy, Lauren seems really nice. After, we went blueberry picking with Hanni and our friend Lynn, her sister, and her daughter Syan (I'm not sure I spelled that correctly) who is Isa's age. We now have a ton of berries to get creative with!
We finished of the weekend with Shakespeare's "Tempest" at Amazon park and a trip for ice cream after. Sigh... good weekends...great family!

Well, we arrived safe and sound from the coast

August 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, we arrived safe and sound from the coast. We had a pretty good time, spending the weekend with Dave and Kirsten, which took a bit off the Sam-watching load. Mostly we hung out at the house, which is still quite barren. Fortunately, I took my computer, which provided music, shows, and general entertainment for myself and others.

The coast was pretty windy the first night, and later the second day, though otherwise the weather was beautiful. It was fun actually seeing the new beach house, which is quite spacious. The ride was long, and we'll have to come up with a better way to entertain Sam for the two-hour ride, especially if I'm stuck in the back with him.

It's nice to be home. Soon I'll have to figure out what to make for dinner, as it's already past five.

Another Mocha Friday here at work

August 09, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Another Mocha Friday here at work. My team has finally returned from their various vacations, and things have quieted down again. There are the endless huge projects looming on the horizion, but I've learned to put such things in the back of my mind.

I'm looking forward to the weekend, whether we go to the beach or not. No one else would be at the coast with us this weekend, and the house isn't really furnished yet, so we may decide to just hang out here. It's nice that these decisions are the hardest we have to make.

There has evidently been some confusion about...

August 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

There has evidently been some confusion about what a "cheese park" is exactly. The cheese park is really Washington park, which is a couple blocks away from our house. It has a large yellow play structure that's riddled with holes, looking suspiciously like a big block of cheese.

The week's chugging along. Sam and I went swimming yesterday. He's slowly getting the hang of swimming and can move himself around the pool (with a life jacket on, of course). We might be headed to the coast this weekend, where Sam and I would finally get to see the beach house. It depends on the weather, of course, since there isn't much in the way of entertainment at the house itself. I may bring a computer and the microsope for Sam entertainment. We'll see.

The programme students and staff just had a b...

August 08, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

The programme students and staff just had a big long talk about strengths and weaknessness of the last three weeks, and it was pretty nice. I wish I didn't have a cold or that the whole group wasn't alternately sick and/or being treated for post traumatic stress disorder, but we're chuggin' along. We're leaving for Durban tomarrow morning, which will certainly change, if not improve, our situation. All we needed as a group was to have a bit more sharing and to hear that our profs were also negotiating things and struggling with the programme fuck ups.

Mucho love.

Generic Heading

August 08, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

So what's a "cheese park", anyhow?

Well, Jamie went to the coast today, leaving ...

August 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, Jamie went to the coast today, leaving Sam and I to fend for ourselves. Needless to say, we managed to stay out of really terrible trouble, while still having a great time.

We started with a hike of Ridgeline trail, walking the entire loop much to my surprise. We swung by the video store to rent Lord of the Rings, which we watched with frequent breaks over the next few hours. Finally, a trip to the cheese park where Sam discovered a mud puddle. Half the fun was coating his entire body in mud. The other half was spraying him down with a hose, cleaning all his clothes, giving him a bath, and cleaning the tub afterwards.

I was so happy to hear about the water pick i...

August 05, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I was so happy to hear about the water pick incident that I shared it with my friends scattered around the UCT computer lab. These things keep me going.

I'm a bit tired, having spent the morning in class listening to lectures and the afternoon at a residential home for disabled and abandoned children, who didn't have toys, medication or diapers, let alone adequate diets. It was frustrating to do as much as we could, knowing that toys would dissapear, the underpaid nurses would take donated funds, and nothing we could do would be sustainable. So we got a new carpet and put in new ceiling tiles, and held these increadibly neglected children for four hours. Hmm. I don't know what else to say, for I haven't processed it myself yet.

Missing all of you.

Poor Sam woke up screaming last night

August 05, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Poor Sam woke up screaming last night. We couldn't figure out what was wrong - he just kept crying and screaming for about ten minutes. Finally, he calmed down and said he was hungry. Strangely, he couldn't remember crying at all. I got him some milk and break, then he was off to sleep within a few minutes.

And so the weekend comes to a close

August 05, 2002 by Adam in Family

And so the weekend comes to a close. We mostly hung out, with few grand projects or trips. That was fine with us, as lazy Summer days should be treasured.

On Saturday, we started with breakfast on the patio, cleaned the living room, and then Sam and I went out to the farm to get blueberries and feed the goats. Today had another patio breakfast, jam making around noon, a fast and furious bike ride with Sam, and then Jamie and Sam went to baseball. All the things you're supposed to do on a warm Summer day.

Sam did great on his bike today, other than when he ran over my foot several times. I held on to his arm and we went blazing along the trail, Sam yelling "Full power!" at the top of his lungs. He got going pretty fast and I had to run along beside him.

This has been a difficult summer so far

August 04, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

This has been a difficult summer so far. Just received news that Uncle Phil died last week. Us older Jones grandkids can remember the five kids and their spouses when they were young - a more witty, educated, boisterous lot would be hard to find. I
certainly learned my love of poetry from my mother, grandmother, and aunts. Phil was, I think, 95 when he died. His letters were so funny that when Meg was helping mom or Betsy clean up old correspondence, they decided Phil's letters, though scatological, were too good to throw out.

On the brighter side, we are nearly moved in. We put in five or six hours of gardening and cleaning up, with no chest pains for me. The beta blocker meds must be working.

Dick and I are thinking about going to Kowloon's (the bar part has a different name - Tsunami's, I think) tonight. They have a comedy night, and I think one of the people is a guy I
went to law school with. It would be fun to see him.

Well, we had our big gaming session last night

August 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, we had our big gaming session last night. I was up until 11:30. It was . . . interesting. I think everyone had a good time, though there were definately issues. We lost a couple people for awhile when the game crashed. The henchmen weren't behaving right. The party would separate periodically. But again, despite the frustration, I think it was pretty enjoyable. I'll probably debrief with everyone on Monday. We'll see . . .

The work week is almost over, and I am very m...

August 02, 2002 by Adam in Family

The work week is almost over, and I am very much looking forward to the weekend. Tonight we're going out to dinner with the neighbors, then it's the first round of Friday Night Fights at 8:30. For those of you not in the know, it's where a bunch of guys at work and I play multiplayer computer games together. Should be entertaining.

As for the weekend itself, I have but one goal: get blueberries. I'm thinking of taking Sam out to Lone Pine farms just for that . . .

I'm on my second week of getting up at 5am so...

July 31, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

I'm on my second week of getting up at 5am so that I can have some quite "alone" time. As long as I drink large amounts of coffee I can make it through the day. Trading sleep for peace and quite has also helped Isa and Robbie sleep in each morning. I think (I hope) it means that Isa might be ready to move into her own bed. I'm still a little worried about her falling off at night.
On the fun side of life, Alex is coming to visit us this weekend. It will be fun to catch up, and for him to see how much Isa has grown in the last seven months. I'm not sure we can have her saying "grandpa" by Saterday, but we're trying!
P.S. We will probably stop our e-mail service next month (the earthlink address). We're looking into a new computer and will probably use a different service when we get it. In the mean time I can get mail at work: suemiller@worldnet.att.net

It was a bit of an odd day yesterday

July 31, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a bit of an odd day yesterday. Jamie called a little after lunch, asking me to come home early. Evidently Sam was being wild and crazy, while Jamie didn't feel well. I got home around three, and everything seemed fine. It was going great until right after Sam's bath, when he had a complete meltdown. He calmed down after awhile, but we still didn't get him to bed until close to ten o'clock.

Sam's graps of abstract ideas periodically am...

July 30, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's graps of abstract ideas periodically amazes me. We were playing with Legos, and he explained that he didn't want to use an existing spaceship, but rather "make one with our minds." When I looked at him as if I didn't know what he was talking about, he explained, "your mind is the ideas you get from your brain."

I just had to laugh and tell him that I couldn't have explained it better.

Another great weekend has come and gone

July 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

Another great weekend has come and gone. Sunday was another lazy morning, having breakfast together, doing a "Spring Cleaning" of an upstairs bathroom, then getting all our bikes cleaned and ready to ride. Our big event of the day was heading over to Washington park for a picinic with the neighborhood. We met up with the neighbors and played some games. There was a raffle too, and watching Jamie listen to the numbers was pretty funny. She was quite intense, even though they weren't raffling off anything exciting. I don't think a Vegas trip is in our future.

Fortunately, Sam won a couple prizes from his games. They kept him busy for most of the afternoon. I got to make dinner, play frisbee with Sam, and watch the last part of Cider House Rules with Jamie that night. Very nice.

A very postmodern lecturer this afternoon

July 29, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

A very postmodern lecturer this afternoon. All she did was humbly challenge and renounce essentialism with the vision of moving beyond to a new progressive, not reactionary, individualist psyche within collective histories. Her discussion of bringing Coloured identities from the margins between black and white cultures was fascinating, because she didnÆt shy away from the issues so entrenched in antiracist work- the traps of colour-blindness, assimilation, and multiculturalism. Holding up critical antiracism and personal work is a new movement in sociology towards multiplicity and transcendence of essentialism. She questioned the narrowness of æblackÆ as privileging black æAfricanÆ identities over black Coloured and black Indian identities. She critiqued the Rainbow nation as depoliticising and multiculturalism as disregarding the history and process of power in shaping cultural identities. I drank it in.

Then she began discussing her newer work, her personal work, and a process of ôtaking down the armour of blackness without losing [her] politics and location.ö As someone who found herself arguing vehemently with one of my closest friends on the trip about the consumerist commodification of womenÆs bodies the hour before, I asked how one could separate a kind of defensiveness with maintaining strength in conviction. She said that defensiveness was a sign of weakness more than strength, and openness (but not porousness) is a key to opening needed dialogue about race. By this time, for me at least, this discussion has moved way beyond race in South Africa to a discussion of Smith and anti-oppression work as a whole.

The most essential thing she discussed was shifting racism from pathology (everyone is racist except for the person accuser) to norm. Thus, people may move away from a hierarchy of righteous black politics to a discussion of what we do with who we are. In that, all must acknowledge and work through their position within racist norms.

What I find most problematic about her discussion is that on a personal level, taking down the armour of blackness (as an example) works, but its implications are potentially depoliticising. In addition, this is an academic discussion that takes place apart from the pain of life and apartheid, and doesnÆt acknowledge a need for continued political solidarity that may be exclusive. A class analysis of race discussions was left out too- the conversation that may happen between a white Afrikaner and Cape Malay Coloured over a pool table in some club is accessible only to those who can pay the 30 Rand cover charge. I was impressed by the emphasis on dialogue, but like my views on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, there is a place for such things, and they cannot marginalize the equally essential issue of redistribution.

An issue that I have found too easily skirted with passive voice and an academic emphasis on symbolic cultural revival and African renaissance. IÆm still holding onto the perspective that cultural roads are formulated, paved, and used with money as fuel. I canÆt privilege classism over racism, but I canÆt forget class eitherà even in South Africa.

It was one of those fine Saturday mornings

July 27, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was one of those fine Saturday mornings. I puttered around in the nerd cave, while Jamie and Sam slept in. Around 8:30, Sam wandered down, completely naked, and we played with Legos until Jamie called us up for breakfast. I got a good helping of eggs with spinach, tomato, and feta cheese, along with muffins, sausage, and fresh coffee. What a wonderful life I live.

We decided to go for a hike, so the family went up to Spencer's Butte. About a year ago, Sam and I went, barely made it a half mile up, when he fell and hurt his hand. This time was completely different. He climbed up the trail, mostly by himself, and made it to the top. It was quite exciting, and we were all in a great mood. Sam got pretty tired on the way down, so I carried him the last half mile. Still, quite impressive for our little boy.

When I went to the dentist last week, he reco...

July 26, 2002 by Adam in Sam

When I went to the dentist last week, he recommended that I get a water pick to hook up in my shower. It's this small attachment that, when turned on, puts out a fairly high-pressure stream of water. Well, Sam was fascinated by it, and kept want to play with it. Unfortunately, he's still only three, and wasn't very good at keeping the spray inside the shower stall.

So, being the resourceful dad that I am, I stripped him naked, put on his swimming goggles, and threw him in there with the thing turned on. Within seconds, he had managed to spray it up his nose. This resulted in giggles and screams, especially after he let go of the water pick. The water pick, once released, spun around wildly like a rocket out of control. Sam kept squealing and trying to escape from the shower, causing water to spray from the now-open curtain. Eventually, I got him out and managed to turn off the shower.

This entire experience was followed by great laughter and a trip to mom to tell the tale.

For some reason, getting a firm grasp on the ...

July 25, 2002 by Adam in Adam

For some reason, getting a firm grasp on the day somehow eluded me. There were endless meetings, work to catch up on, and emergencies popping up. I had another headache this morning, like I did the day before, but I fended off the desire for coffee to fix it and instead took some Advil. Not that it was a bad day - I just never felt that sense of resolution like I do other days. Maybe it's knowing that with most of my team out next week, I'm going to be deluged with calls.

Sam went to bed much better last night, after...

July 24, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam went to bed much better last night, after chewing through the last of his pacifiers a couple days ago. He was pretty exhausted all day, which probabably helped. Jamie also reported that he sang himself to sleep by singing, "Spiderman, Spiderman, friendly neighborhood Spiderman . . ."

Sam's surgery date is set. We'll be wringing our hands in the waiting room bright and early on the 26th of August. I'm taking the day off, though I'm not sure how long it's really going to take. We could be out in a few hours. Not sure.

Well, Sam passed another milestone last night

July 23, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Well, Sam passed another milestone last night. Since he was a baby, he used a pacifier to help get himself to sleep at night. Initially, he had three, one for his mouth and one in each hand. Lately, he's been chewing through them and we've been throwing them out accordingly. Last night, the last of the binkies was destroyed, so he had to go to bed without one. I myself went to sleep at ten o'clock, when poor Jamie was still trying to get the boy to sleep. He's already been staying up late, so I expect some difficult nights ahead. Sigh.

I took Sam for a bike ride along the river Sunday

July 22, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I took Sam for a bike ride along the river Sunday. He decided to wear his Superman outfit, complete with cape. Virtually everyone who passed by had to say hello to Superman, which made for a very interesting trip. I think Sam was pretty tired by the end, as I mostly just pushed him along. It was hot yesterday, in the nineties, so we went home and ran through the sprinkers for awhile.

Saturday was one of those great days that com...

July 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

Saturday was one of those great days that come along infrequently. If all my days were like Saturday, I would die a happy man. The odd thing is that there was nothing especially extraordinary about Saturday.

I woke up with my family, played with Sam, and had a hearty breakfast. We painted Sam's room and I entertained Sam with movie summaries of The Goonies and Raiders of the Lost Arc. I then took Sam over the hill to mom's house, leaving Jamie and I to finish painting, hang out, and eat lunch. The afternoon was a movie for Sam, having dinner, then playing with the neighbor kids. Jamie and I watched Kate and Leopold, then collapsed in bed around eleven.

It was just one of those very nice days where we didn't try to do too much, everyone was in a good mood, and we balanced accomplishing work with relaxing.

Well, as suspected, there was a birthday part...

July 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, as suspected, there was a birthday party for me last night. My whole family arrived and there was much libation. I must be getting old, as I mostly got gift certificates. Anyway, lots of excuses to buy things for myself. Not that I really need much excuse for that.

Sam's heading over to my mom's house for a little visit later this morning. Jamie and I are hoping to start prepping and painting Sam's room. We're doing pretty good with the house projects. We cleaned up the garage and it looks considerably better.

Angie has her house warming party tonight. Not sure if we'll make it, depending on our schedule. It's nice just to hang out as well, and we may do much of that today.

I think Mom meant to say "No POSTED RULES", a...

July 19, 2002 by Jamie in Hanes

I think Mom meant to say "No POSTED RULES", as opposed to "NO RULES" :-)
Rule 1: Have fun; make a mess
Rule 2: CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!

First: We no longer have access to the inter...

July 19, 2002 by Judy in Hanes

First: We no longer have access to the internet at home. Our ISP stopped providing service and we probably won't have time to research this until we get back from Europe. So use the phone! or my e-mail at work.

Update on the painting: The 2 upstairs bedrooms are done and beds are reassembled. (At least I think Dave and Brant set up the second bedroom.) Jim went down yesterday eve after work to start on the downstairs rooms. The washer and dryer are hooked up. I have ordered both upstairs and downstairs upholstered furniture pieces and the dining room table. So things are coming together.

I am planning to call the Bayshore BeachClub today, so we can start using the swimming pool, pool tables and tennis courts.

Everyone has been down to see and help now except for Barb and Jeff. So everyone has a key and you should really think about driving over for a few days during this nice weather!! There are no RULES yet,except no pets and write in the journal!!

See the calendar! Look at all the weekends!

The week slowly meanders along

July 17, 2002 by Adam in Family

The week slowly meanders along. I'm mostly caught up with work, which began with a somewhat daunting 200 e-mails to respond to. I'm now down to a handful and a few projects to deal with.

Sam's still staying up really late, though it wasn't quite so bad last night. We took Sam over to the neigbor's house, where they ran around with Ben and Sabastian for a good hour. I think that tired him out enough so that he got to bed closer to nine than ten.

Going over to my mom's house after so many ye...

July 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

Going over to my mom's house after so many years was quite strange. I almost had a physical feeling going through the back door as I had so many times before and seeing all the furniture in the same place as it always was. Very odd. We wished Sadie a good trip in South Africa and sent her on her way.

My birthday is coming up, which I'm pretty excited about. I tried to prod Jamie into reveiling any birthday plans, but I didn't do a very good job. All I got was a "you're not supposed to ask questions like that."

I just got an e-mail from my old friend Colin

July 15, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I just got an e-mail from my old friend Colin. He's living in Germany with his girlfriend, working as a carpenter and enjoying Europe. I also heard that Jason proposed to Bridget, two other names from my past. I gotta get on the phone and see what that man's up to.

I went over to my mom's house today, and was surrounded by all my nieces and nephews. With my 33rd birthday coming up, I'm continually reminded that time passes and everyone's getting older. Pretty amazing.

Well, I picked up more memory to replace the ...

July 14, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, I picked up more memory to replace the stick that melted in my computer. Unfortunately, it wasn't compatible (evidently you can mix registered and unbuffered memory). So, I have a spare stick of memory at the moment. If I keep this up, I'll have parts for half a computer. I ordered some more, though I'm not sure what kind it is. It was such a super deal, however, I couldn't pass it up.

Well, Josh had his birthday yesterday

July 14, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, Josh had his birthday yesterday. We all had a good time hanging out there, eating bar-b-que and playing with the dogs. Tracie came down, looking very tan from her time in California, spent the night and headed off with Josh to Portland this morning. We did have a weird and annoying thing happen - someone broke Tracie's side window of her car. Nothing was taken, but it did annoy me greatly.

I finished my birthday present that Jamie got for me. She picked up some unfinished CD boxes at Ikea in Seattle. I stained them and attached some antique drawer pulls. I asked if she wanted to wrap it, but she just gave me a funny look. I also completed painting the closet door, and it's now back up in our living room. Lots of things accomplished today.

Jamie just left for Angie's to look at her own house, leaving me with Sam. I'm sure we'll find something interesting to do.

It's nice to be back home

July 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's nice to be back home. Sam's watching t.v. in our newly arranged living room (complete with the new chair that Jamie ordered). Jamie's cooking up french toast, using the bread I made from scratch. It's all good.

We puttered around yesterday, doing errands, house projects, and trying to beat the heat. I had a great time spraying Sam with the hose as he ran around the back yard. One of those activities that's fun for both parent and child.

Josh has a Saturday birthday party at the boy's house, and I'm hoping to at least say "hello" to my family at some point. I'd like to see mom and Dick's house especially, now that they've moved over the hill. Maybe we can walk by some evening since they're so close.

The Fossil computer is back in business

July 12, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

The Fossil computer is back in business. It turns out it was a faulty memory stick. I've ordered a replacement, which should be arriving shortly. The only "oops" from this experience is that I have a power supply that I don't need. Plus, it's really loud (the fan hits the case). I may just try to fix it myself and keep it as a spare. You never know when you'll need another power supply.

I've been doing house projects as well. We took a closet door off the hinges, stripped off all the old paint, and I'm almost finished repainting it. Whew!

We were having a conversation at the table la...

July 12, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We were having a conversation at the table last night, when somehow the talk turned towards removal of body parts. We all agreed that removing your tongue is a bad idea, when Sam piped up, "Because your tongue has important things. Like your taste buds."

We were amazed that he'd picked up on that little anatomical fact, and quizzed him on where he learned it. "From Blues Clues," he replied. Evidently there is some redeeming quality of television.

Oh, and this morning, he looked at his two triangular pieces of peanut butter toast and exclaimed, "These are different angles!"

Well, we're back in town, safe and sound

July 10, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, we're back in town, safe and sound. We came home a bit early, having done the highlights of Seattle. We had a good time at the Science Center, and Sam and I visited the aquarium as well. Jamie and Judy did a little shopping at Ikea, which is a huge furniture store. I also had coffee at one of the millions of Starbucks around town. All great fun.

I have a few more days before I head back to work. I'm hoping to do some of the long list of things on my to do list. I've still got to clean and paint the door, and Jamie's getting her new chair as I type. It's nice to have a little vacation, and it's equally nice to return to our home.

The best part about having Isa sleep with us ...

July 10, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

The best part about having Isa sleep with us is that she does most of her talking in her sleep. She'll wave and say "bye-bye", giggle, and the other night excitedly yelled out "choo choo"! Must have been a pretty great dream!

Gadzooks

July 09, 2002 by Lohring in Lohring

Gadzooks. Can't believe we haven't posted our newz for months. Lohring is preparing for the NAMBA Nationals boat race which will be held in Springfield at THE POND. He will be preoccupied from this week on until July 21st! Full boats ahead and hanging out with other crazy "boatheads" from all over the country. There are 600 boats entered in this race! My job is to work in the "store" selling stuff for the club and trying to extract money from the "boatheads." This money will help pay for all the club expenses including 3 deluxe Porta-potties. Come out and visit if you have time. Use the potties for fun and excitement. IT should be a fun but very noisy boating event.

Meanwhile, I'm still volunteering at the VIM medical clinic. The clinic was featured on national TV (Peter Jenning's show) a month ago! Very exciting. I'm also working very part-time for the Center for Senior Health doing care planing services specializing in dementia care. Part II of our Japanese garden has been completed. So far a few neighbors have visited and THE unwelcomed DEER, whom I have threated with brooms and stones! I feel like making Sashime (raw deer) out of them. They would be a big hit for ambivalent Vegans considering a return to meat. Yucky Yum.

Sayer, my nephew and his lovely fiancee Sasha are getting married in Monmouth on September 6th. He is having only the immediate family at the wedding but there will be a wild and fun reception on Saturday, September 7th at John Jones' warehouse in Eugene. You will all be invited to attend this soiree.
So enough for now. Gotta go now and chase THE DEER off my garden.

It's been an age since I posted last

July 08, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

It's been an age since I posted last. We've been slaveing away on our back yard, but it is slowly taking shape. So far Robbie has decided to stay married to me!
Isa has been cutting several new teeth. Her lastest word is "Choo Choo", which comes with a new obsession for trains. Robbie had to make a run to the Library yesterday to stock up on train books!
Tomorrow is my first night as chairwoman of the Administrative Council at our church, and Robbie's first meeting as Chairman of the Education Committee.
We tried to help Mom, Dick and Sadie move some this weekend, but I think our greatest contribution was the Sat. pizza run.

Well, I'm posting from the Pacific Science Ce...

July 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, I'm posting from the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. We've been doing well, hanging out in our hotel and wandering around downtown. Sam especially enjoyed the Pike Place Fish Market. They would throw fish around and yell, as well as having a nice assortment of live crayfish.

The Science Center has been fun too, with more exciting adventures on the way. We're spending another night in our current hotel, then off to another place further away from downtown. Great fun!

Danica and Ben arrived for the 4th of July

July 07, 2002 by Dorothy in Danica Miller

Danica and Ben arrived for the 4th of July. Danica was bringing Ben to spend a week at JedÆs to help out on the farm for a week. Ben got to play golf on Friday with FranklinÆs old golf buddies while Danica and I took a trip to Falls Creek, PA where my Grandfather and Grandmother Black lived. We found the house they moved into in 1896, the year before my mother was born. We also met a nice woman who lived across the street and had known the Blacks.

I "finished" Neverwinter Nights

July 05, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I "finished" Neverwinter Nights. Which means that I finished the official module, though people are coming up with endless other modules. I personally am working on an extensive series of them, which has turned out to be pretty complicated. It's fun, though, watching my creations play out within the game. I also have the work group coming together - I can definately see a "Friday Night Fights" kind of thing happening.

Today's the big day

July 05, 2002 by Adam in Family

Today's the big day. I'm busy packing and doing laundry while the sleepy heads stay in bed. Amazingly, I actually got to sleep around ten o'clock, even though it sounded like a war zone outside our house. We had fireworks on the other side of our hill, over the baseball stadium, so it was quite exciting.

The Bar-B-Que at Dave and Brant's house was fun. Sam had a good time hanging out with Josh. When we came home, Sam wanted to do some experiments. I broke out the corn starch and water mixture, which forms a nice goopy mess. For fun, I added food coloring. Evidently this also colors skin quite nicely, as Sam ended up with zombie-green hands.

I think we're coming to the conclusion that S...

July 04, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I think we're coming to the conclusion that Sam is going to need to be circumcised. Though the topical cortisone treatment helped open the hole some, it appears to be closing again. Though I'm still nervous about the general anasthetic, it'll probably be good to get this finally over with.

Happy 4th of July to all! We're soon heading...

July 04, 2002 by Adam in Family

Happy 4th of July to all! We're soon heading over to Dave and Brant's for a Bar-B-Que. I'm also officially on vacation, which makes me very happy. I get to leave my pager at home and completely be free from work.

The big family news for the day appears to be that Josh's mom, Tracie, is getting married to a man in San Diego. They evidently asked Josh who he'd like to live with, and he decided to live with Dave. So, we'll be seeing a lot more of Josh, which makes Sam happy. Though it was a surprise to us, we also hope Tracie the best of wishes.

Yesterday, I was scraping paint off a door in...

July 01, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Yesterday, I was scraping paint off a door in the basement and trying to entertain Sam. I had resorted to telling him the plot of the Ghostbusters movie, and had made it most of the way through. He interrupted, announcing: "The moral of the story is to not live in a town with ghosts."

I've got short timer's syndrome here at work

July 01, 2002 by Adam in Family

I've got short timer's syndrome here at work. I'm leaving for vacation on Thursday, so I'm already thinking that I'm halfway out the door. Plus, my boss and coworker are gone, so it's very quiet here.

Sunday was nice, if uneventful. We had a nice hike out at Hendrick's park again. I'm slowly finishing my paint stripping project. I just need to sand up the door a bit, then it's ready for priming.

I'm looking forward to this vacation very much. It's been far too long since my last one. My PTO almost hit 200 hours last time I checked.

Well, I don't think SAM will be much help in ...

June 30, 2002 by Jamie in Hanes

Well, I don't think SAM will be much help in the technical aspect, but Adam will add this info to the sidebar of this page!!!

It was a quiet Saturday

June 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a quiet Saturday. Mostly, Sam and I hung out in the "nerd cave" playing with Legos. We headed over to our neighbors for a surprise birthday party. It was a fun little gathering, and Sam enjoyed playing with their kids. I've also been taping shows for Sam onto our camcorder. There's a tiny screen where you can watch tapes, so we'll be well prepared for our trip north.

OK

June 29, 2002 by Jim in Hanes

OK. Cari and Marilyn were down to paint David to come next weekend. Phone #s and E-mail addresses follow.
Jamie: jamie@adamandjamie.com; home: 541-343-4497; cell: 541-954-2616
David: dmellor@peacehealth.org (work so be careful); home: 541-689-3164; cell: 541-912-1192
Brant: mellor@4J.lane.edu (only during the school year); home: 541-69-3164; cell: 541-954-9881
Jeff: rockowhanes@msn.com; home: 503-474-9983
Cari: chanes2020@aol.com; work: 503-225-6706; cell: 503-789-9391
Jim/Judy: jimhanes1@excite.com; Home: 503-657-5438
Jim cell: 503-860-4871
Judy cell: 503-201-6819
Judy work: 503-215-3854
Well, how do we digitalize this? Adam and Jamie??? Sam???

Sam called me at work to tell me his dream

June 28, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam called me at work to tell me his dream. He was walking through the forest, and there were monsters with claws. So, everyone ran back home.

It's always funny to pick up the phone, expecting some business call, only to hear Sam's little voice talking on the other end.

Well, the results of my echocardiogram came back

June 27, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Well, the results of my echocardiogram came back. Everything's normal. So, I'm evidently as healthy as a horse. Must be all that time in front of the computer - the radiation from the monitor must do me good.

While we were driving to the swimming pool la...

June 27, 2002 by Adam in Sam

While we were driving to the swimming pool last night, Sam and I were discussing what he wanted to be when he grows up.

"I want to be a dad when I grow up."
"Why is that, Sam?"
"Because I want to play with Legos all the time."

Well, Jamie just called - the electrician jus...

June 26, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, Jamie just called - the electrician just left. I had been having computer problems and came the conclusion that an ungrounded outlet in the basement was giving me problem. So, that's fixed now, along with a light switch that was broken and some outlets upstairs. He also cleaned up a bunch of extraneous old wires down in the basement. Even though I haven't seen a bill yet, I'm pretty sure I'll be happy about it.

Well, my main computer is in pieces at the moment

June 26, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, my main computer is in pieces at the moment. I've been having weird problems - reboots and strange error messages. The solution presented itself when I popped open the case and shocked myself on the metal chassis. It turns out the outlet I was using wasn't grounded. I also suspected the power supply of being flaky.

So, to remedy both, I've purchased a new power supply and had a new outlet put it. Hopefully that'll take care of it all, though I'm forced to use the Tinboy computer until the new power supply arrives. Sigh.

It's been a pleasant week so far, though admi...

June 25, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been a pleasant week so far, though admittedly it's only Tuesday. When I arrived home, Jamie was squirting Sam repeatedly with a squirt gun. The look on both their faces was priceless. Whenever Jamie stopped, Sam would ask her to squirt him again. I took over and gave Jamie a break. Sam seemed satisfied, as long as someone was hosing him down.

I realize I haven't posted for several weeks,...

June 24, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I realize I haven't posted for several weeks, and as I'm presently in a contemplative mood, I'll write a bit. Luke and I just parted after a wonderful evening listening to Mark Allen at Jo Fed's. He is travelling to Alaska to work for a native rights preservation council. It's difficult to know when I'll see him next, for after Alaska is Palestine, and I am still bound to New England for another year. Most of the rest of my buds are also scattered about the country. We are trying to arrange a life that includes each other in the long term, but the good fight has too many fronts to keep us all in one town. Since I don't think I will be reproducing for a while, my friends will (hopefully) remain a priority. We just have to work out the vacinity issues.

I am still plowing right along on the fulbright, and considering taking the GREs in the fall. Ugh. Please send any suggestions and/or vocab priming my way.

Neverwinter Nights continues to be a great game

June 24, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Neverwinter Nights continues to be a great game. I played with the toolset a bit this weekend, making the first few areas in my module. I have a few conversations in place, so that the player can move around a bit. Lots of bugs still, as I try to figure out how it all works. It took a good ten minutes before I could make a merchant work right. He kept telling me that he couldn't find the store. What's fun is that when an NPC isn't working as I expect, I can smite them dead. If only the programs I worked on at my job acted the same way . . .

The weekend comes to a close

June 24, 2002 by Adam in Family

The weekend comes to a close. It's been quite wonderful, with jam making Saturday morning, and lots of family time. Sam and I played Legos until our eyes popped out. We also went for a hike this morning up at Hendrick's park. We must have ran through the paths for nearly two hours. Great fun.

Pretty soon, mom, Dick, and Sadie are visiting for dinner. Jamie's enjoyed setting an ambiance and preparing a yummy meal.

The only really frustrating parts of the weekend revolved around my computer. I've been having strange error messages and reboots. I think I figured it out, however, when I opened up my computer. I touched the case and was suddenly shocked. So, I've got a hot lead connected to the case somehow. I'm borrowing a power supply from a friend - hopefully that's all I need to fix it. Sigh.

For some reason, I was really happy last night

June 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

For some reason, I was really happy last night. It had been a busy day at work, non-stop coding and meetings. When I got home, all I wanted to do was hang out with my family. Everyone seemed in a good mood. Jamie and Sam picked strawberries. I'm hoping to make some jam this weekend. I may even try jelly, in the hopes that Sam would try it.

Well, I finally got a chance to play yesterday

June 20, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, I finally got a chance to play yesterday. It was hard fighting Sam off of the mouse, as he was wanting to play at the beginning. After I got him to bed, I created a cleric and started in on the game. It's pretty darn' good so far - looks beautiful and is fun. I haven't played with the toolset yet. Perhaps this weekend I'll have more time, though I'd like to play through the single player game before I get too serious.

I've been getting portraits ready for the game. I counted 44 NPCs in the first module alone, so I'll need quite a few of them. Fortunately, I found a great source of artwork on the web. The copyright issue should be okay, as all the original artists are long dead. At least I hope so - I actually had a dream about copyright issues last night. Sigh.

I haven't talked to anyone else about this page

June 20, 2002 by Judy in Hanes

I haven't talked to anyone else about this page. We have keys made now and I want to get "beachy" key rings. I also have a journal so we can write down exciting news about our visits. Need a photo album next. No written rules yet, but the disgrace board is still a great idea.

This is a belated posting

June 19, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

This is a belated posting.
Sad family news, that Sue Stohl died late Monday night. I
need to call Peg, Dad and Meg, which I will do.
Sadie is off camping with Luke and a bunch of high school buds. Dick and I sat around looking at and packing photo albums yesterday evening. Quiet fun...

As soon as Sam wandered in to our bedroom thi...

June 19, 2002 by Adam in Sam

As soon as Sam wandered in to our bedroom this morning, he announced to Jamie, "Morrowind comes out today!" Well, he got the game wrong (it's actually Neverwinter Nights), but his intentions are good. We went to the mall yesterday to see if it's there, and he's evidently picked up on my excitement. After lunch, Jamie and Sam head to the mall on my behalf to pick up the game. Ah, the joys of having the perfect nerd family . . .

Well, today's the big day

June 19, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, today's the big day. Supposedly, today at 1 pm, Neverwinter Nights arrives at the software store. I keep hearing excellent things about it, so it's hard to stay calm. Basically, it's the game I've been waiting for for many years. The best part is being able to create your own modules for it. I already have several ready to be built, and eager players at work ready to play. Should be fun.

Another week zips along

June 19, 2002 by Adam in Family

Another week zips along. It's Wednesday already, and I'm doing a quick update from work. Monday night was a little tough, with Sam showing his three-year-oldness. We tried to do a timeout, which resulted in screaming and crying. Eventually we put him in the guest bedroom until he came out sniffling and saying, "I'm ready to be a big boy now." I suppose all kids need to go through this phase.

Last night, Jamie was off working out then out to dinner with her Tiny Tots group. Sam was great, and we played a ton with Legos. We did have an issue putting him to bed. He bit through the second to the last of his binkies. His remaining one was designated his "holding binkie". Sam was quite distraught, crying for a half an hour until he finally went to sleep. I think that once this last binkie is gone, he's officially weaned off pacifiers.

Sam visited me a few weeks back, and my cowor...

June 17, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Sam visited me a few weeks back, and my coworker Dave snapped this picture of Sam and I. Sam's favorite thing to do at work is to accost my coworkers for whatever interesting things they have in their cubicles. I think he's under the impression that we sit around and play with toys all day.

I got an echocardiogram today. It was pretty cool, watching those valves pump away. I once did the math and it turns out my heart has beat many millions of times since I was born. It's amazing to think about. Although the results haven't been reviewed by a cardiologist yet, the technician let me know that I seemed to be just fine.

Happy Father's Day to all

June 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

Happy Father's Day to all. We had a great day yesterday. Sam slept in, so I spent a leisurely time waking up and puttering around. We all gathered together for a hearty breakfast, then sent Sam off to my mom's for a bit. In the afternoon, we had the neighbors over for tea. Sam's favorite part was having Ben chase him around with a squirt gun, soaking him through. We also spent a considerable amount of time playing with Legos. Great fun.

The cloudy sky was welcome this morning after...

June 14, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

The cloudy sky was welcome this morning after the heat of the last few nights. We went from heavy blankets last weekend, to none at all the last few nights! I think Isa has held up better than Robbie and I have.

Sadie turned 21 last Sunday, and I think I'm heading out tonight for a night with the girls! A bit frightening, as my usual "wild" nights include a beer with dinner and staying up to watch the 11 o'clock news!

I can't believe how hot it's getting these days

June 13, 2002 by Adam in Family

I can't believe how hot it's getting these days. I walked to my car from work, about six blocks, and by the time I got there my shirt was soaked through. Bleah.

It's Thursday already. I'm amazed at how quickly the week has gone by. Father's day is coming up this weekend, and I'm feeling utterly unprepared. Sam has another doctor's appointment in a couple hours. We've been pretty happy with how things have been going so far. I'm looking forward to having a few hours to relax - maybe I'll get a chance this weekend.

It's pretty funny when Sam tries to use the J...

June 13, 2002 by Adam in Sam

It's pretty funny when Sam tries to use the Jedi Mind Trick on me. We were playing with Legos last night, when he started to get grumpy and whiny. I told him I didn't like to play with him when he was this way. He looked at me pitifully, waved his fingers in front of me and said, "You will play Legos with me when I'm sad." I couldn't refuse.

Neverwinter Nights just went gold

June 12, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Neverwinter Nights just went gold. I'm starting to get excited, as I've been waiting for the game for almost two years now. It'll be a challenge to play the single player game as well as working on the modules I'm planning. The work group is solidifying, and it may be that I end up running the campaign for that crew. It's a bit weird, as I'm basically exposing myself in a fashion. Of course, I do already have an Internet site, so it's not so much of a big deal.

It was a pretty nutty day today

June 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a pretty nutty day today. Jamie called around 11 this morning, indicating that Sam was being wild and she wanted me to come home. I finished up with work and made it there around noon. By this point, Sam was doing quite well, so I ended up watching him until a bit after seven. So, it was a long day.

We all went out for Sadie's 21st birthday las...

June 11, 2002 by Adam in Family

We all went out for Sadie's 21st birthday last night. The whole crew was there, with endless small children encircling us in a vortex of chaos. It was nice to see everyone, and Sadie was elegant as always.

The only catastrophe was one I didn't find out until later. When I went to work the next day, I couldn't find the wallet. As the day went on, I got more and more worried. Jamie called our credit card folks and had the cards cancelled. Fortunately, it turns out my wallet had dropped out in Yayoe's car when they took me back home. I'm going to go pick it up pretty soon.

I slapped in my new video card in the new com...

June 09, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

I slapped in my new video card in the new computer. It took me awhile, as it had to be positioned quite carefully in the AGP slot. If it was screwed in, it popped out the back and stopped working. So, after a little finessing, I now have GeForce3 class video cards in my main and backup gaming computers. Sam and I need to test it out this weekend.

I was in the basement last night and heard mo...

June 09, 2002 by Adam in Family

I was in the basement last night and heard movement upstairs. Suspecting the worse, I hurried up the stairs to see what the matter was. My fears were confirmed: Jamie and Sam had returned home early.

It's actually quite nice having them around, though I never really had much quiet time this weekend. Friday night, I mowed the yard, and got a surprise guest. Jamie's uncle Darryl was heading through town and the boy's house didn't have a spare bedroom. So, I made him breakfast and we talked about computers.

I also accomplished a ton of things around here. I did the simple stuff, like mowing the law, doing the dishes, and the laundry. I had breakfast with my mom, Dick, Sadie and Isabell Saturday morning, then took off with Sadie to Costco, Home Depot, and the library. I weeded the back yard and put in a vegitable bed. It's amazing how productive I can be when I'm not chasing after a three-year-old.

Jamie and Sam are headed East as I type this

June 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie and Sam are headed East as I type this. It was touch-and-go whether or not they'd go, as John (one of Sharon's kids) was sporting a fever last night. This morning, everyone's fine, so it's solitude and yardwork for me all weekend. Jamie tried to call on her way out, but the reception was terrible and cut out after a few minutes.

I have a couple more hours of work. I may try to do some painting tonight while the weather holds. According to the forecast, it may rain tomorrow.

Jamie just called to relay a story about Sam

June 07, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Jamie just called to relay a story about Sam.

She and Sam were playing ball in the back yard, when Sam's nose was accidentally hit. It evidently hurt, though Sam didn't cry. He responded, "I want to play with dad because he always misses."

So evidently my inability to throw straight isn't the liability I thought it was.

Well, tinboy

June 07, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, tinboy.com is up and running again. I'm not really doing much with it yet. I've made a duplicate of this site in case this server is hit by an asterioid or something crazy. I even set up a little routine where I can copy everything from this server to the one in my closet.

My GeForce 3 card arrived a couple days ago. I've got to throw it into the new computer sometime this weekend. That'll turn it into quite the gaming PC as well, almost as good as my main computer. Well, that'll keep Sam and I busy for the next year or two.

Sam got a new pair of pajamas today, which he...

June 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam got a new pair of pajamas today, which he proudly wore to the park at lunch today. We played a little game where we couldn't figure out who he was. I'd ask questions like "Uh, are you Aquaman?" And he'd say "No, I can't talk to fish." Sam was also in a much better mood that he's been all week. It makes life easier for all.

Jamie and Sam head out tomorrow. I've got my to do list growing ever longer. Let's hope for a productive weekend.

Isabell's been going through an amazing groth...

June 05, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Isabell's been going through an amazing groth spurt this week. Her sleeping and eating patterns are all out of wack, and she's either a perfect angel or a holy terror! On the good side though, she has started getting up from naps by herself and coming to find us. She's also climbing on everything. We got her a little foot stool so she chould get onto the bed. Now she uses it to get books off the higher shelves!
The joys of children!

The week moves along

June 05, 2002 by Adam in Family

The week moves along. Nothing big or exciting happening these days. Sam's getting out of a funk that he's been in for the last few days. We had a good time last night hanging out and playing with Legos.

This weekend, Jamie and Sam head to Sunriver with a friend, leaving me alone at the house. As usual, I have a huge list of things that I'd like to get done. There are painting projects, gardening, yardwork, and maybe even some jam making if blueberries are in season. We'll see.

Hi there, Well, Dick is off at woodworking c...

June 05, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi there,
Well, Dick is off at woodworking class, Dad and Sadie are on their way out to dinnner, and I'm off to do my volunteer stint at Legal Aid.
Dad has had such a nice time seeing all the cute great grandkids. Jenny had a really nice barbeque on Sunday evening for the gang, and Seraph and Robbie had a Harry Potter viewing. He's got to get together with his friend Ann, after some false starts.
He leaves on Thursday morning. Alas!
Love to all, om

Over the weekend, I put together a new comput...

June 04, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Over the weekend, I put together a new computer, moved the DSL connection over to it, and moved the black computer upstairs. The amazing thing is that it all went smoothly, with virtually no problems at all. I must be getting good at this sort of thing.

Man

June 02, 2002 by Adam in Family

Man. June already.

My allergies continue, if a little milder than they've been this last week. Our big Saturday treat was going out with the neighbors, Todd and Victoria, minus the kids. They're both science nerds, so we got to chat about parenthood, life, and research. Plus great food at Cafe Sorias.

Jamie's brothers and their respective attachments come over tonight for dinner. I think Sam will have a good time with Josh. Ah, the joys of Summer.

Well, I finally finished Morrowind last night

May 31, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, I finally finished Morrowind last night. Once I got toward the end, it wrapped up fairly quickly. The odd thing was that there was a basic "thanks, but feel free to keep playing" message. There's still a bunch of places to go and things to do. I could join one of the Great Houses, become head of the Fighter's guild, or any of a number of things. Still, I think I'm better off getting ready for Neverwinter Nights. I've got lots of stuff to do still.

For a four day week, it's been a little on th...

May 31, 2002 by Adam in Adam

For a four day week, it's been a little on the long side. I think it's my cold/allergy that I've had for a few days now, coupled with Sam being equally wacky. Fortunately the cafe mocha + Advil + Afrin is a winning combination.

Some new computer parts should be arriving shortly. Hopefully I can get it up and running soon afterwards. I'd like to resurrect tinboy.com, which is a distinct possibility. Could be fun.

It's been an age and a half since we last pos...

May 31, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

It's been an age and a half since we last posted! Life has been chaotic, but good. At work we've been fighting off a computer virus that won't go away! Mom's computer finally crashed out today, and I think I'll have to call in the hired guns tomorrow. Sigh...
At home we've been enjoying as much outside time as possible. Although we got Harry Potter on DVD, and had to have a movie night on Tuesday.
Other than that we had a busy Memorial Day weekend. Robbie and I went to the memorial service for my friend from highschool, Conan, on Saturday. Sunday evening was Raven and Cheikh's wedding (beautiful, but I cried like a fool!). On Monday we piled into the car and went down to Wild Life Safari. I haven't been there in about 15+ years, so that was cool. Isa loved the zebras and giraffes, but the ostrich yapping at our car freeked her out. She then proceeded to sleep through the lions, tigers and bears (oh my)!

I am testing the new BEACH CALENDAR

May 29, 2002 by Judy in Hanes

I am testing the new BEACH CALENDAR. We want the family to be able to use the beach house as much as possible. This is a way that everyone can look to see if the place is "reserved". If already reserved, another family group may be able to come down too -- but that requires contacting the family that has it scheduled first. If no one has it scheduled, just e-mail Judy/Jim using the e-mail provided by the adamandjamie.com page or use jimhanes1@excite.com. This is cool -- just like WorldMark theClub.

Jamie's been complaining that the Lego comput...

May 29, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Jamie's been complaining that the Lego computer is being annoyingly slow these days. Since it's only a 266Mhz system, it's certainly understandable. So, I decided to bite the bullet and get a new system.

I thought a lot about getting a laptop, which would be nice for travelling with Sam. Watching movies or the like would be really handy. Instead, I opted for the $200 Duron barebones system. I'll throw in a new hard drive, and possibly put in the DVD drive from the black computer. That way it'll match the new black case I picked up. If I really want to haul it along, I can get a power inverter to plug into the lighter. If I'm brave.

Although it's been awhile, I'm going to try t...

May 29, 2002 by Adam in Emma

Although it's been awhile, I'm going to try to post a little something here from time to time. Like most big life-changes, some things take awhile to get used to. We still talk about the idea of a new baby. I think Jamie's slowly getting ready again, after a hard winter when nothing seemed to go right.

We made tie-dye shirts over the weekend. Everyone got one, and we took a couple of Sam's old onesies for the new baby. I did one, with blue and yellow stripes, and Jamie did another, with red and yellow spots. Great fun.

Jordan is still a big baby, though slowly get...

May 29, 2002 by Adam in Jenny

Jordan is still a big baby, though slowly getting back into the normal range. He's basically the happiest baby ever, quiet and smiling most of the time. He's started crawling around and getting into things, so Jenny's moved all the toys out of reach.

Destin seems to be basically the same kid every time I see him. He's doing better with playing with Sam. Last time the two got together, Sam was the wild one and Destin was pretty calm in comparison. Still, they were both leaping around in the front yard playing with light sabers, so it was hard to tell.

Well, not to get anyone's hopes up, but the c...

May 29, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Well, not to get anyone's hopes up, but the cortisone cream seems to be doing it's magic. The hole is wide enough so that he's not shooting a high-pressure stream randomly around the toilet. Jamie's pretty happy about that part.

Of course, this is part of my ongoing attempt to embarrass Sam when he's older. So all you future girlfriends, hope you enjoyed reading this particular posting!

Sam was in a terrible mood yesterday

May 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam was in a terrible mood yesterday. He spent much of the day crying and driving Jamie a bit wacky. I had ordered a couple new Legos (Spiderman and Harry Potter) from amazon.com, with strict instructions to Jamie that they should only be opened in case of emergency. Well, they were opened right away, which helped some. Towards the end of the day, I suggested Tylenol. Well, that seemed to do the trick, and he returned back to our loving boy again.

I think it was viral, as I started to get bad headaches towards the end of the day. They started getting pretty bad, to the point where I wanted to just lay on the floor and cry. I've still got a bit of it this morning, hidden behind my Advil and cafe mocha.

We tried to have a fairly quiet day at home today

May 28, 2002 by Adam in Family

We tried to have a fairly quiet day at home today. Sam was a little on edge, probably because of the changes in schedule over the last couple days. I think he's settled down by now, hopefully in part from the hours of Legos I played with him today.

We went off the the rose gardens for awhile, which were in full bloom. Sam had a good time climbing the rocks and running about. After dinner, we headed outside again, with Sam in his stroller. It was drizzling a bit when we left, so we rolled up the rain covering for Sam. After ten minutes, it was pouring down, and we quickly became soaked through. By the time we came home, our only recourse was to strip naked and dry our hair with towels. Great fun.

Jamie returned home safe and sound yesterday

May 27, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie returned home safe and sound yesterday. Evidently the beach house is great and she had a good time. We'll have to do a family trip out there some day.

Sam woke up early yesterday, and our big even was seeing the new Star Wars movie together. Sam loved it, of course, and sat through the whole thing except for a quick bathroom break near the end. I thought the movie was reasonably good. Excellent special effects, some slow parts in the middle, and a few cases of marginal acting. But hey, it's a Star Wars movie. What else could I expect?

Sam and I waved goodbye to Jamie as she heade...

May 25, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam and I waved goodbye to Jamie as she headed off to the coast. We went back to playing with Legos, then called Sadie to organize a hike. We stopped off at Humble Bagel for supplies, then headed out to the arboretum for a long walk. Several bagels and a bear claw later, we returned home and descended to the nerd cave. For the last hour or so, we've been happily playing on the computer and fiddling with Legos. Having Sadie over is wonderful, and Sam is enamored with her.

As the end of the workday draws near, I'm loo...

May 24, 2002 by Adam in Family

As the end of the workday draws near, I'm looking forward to spending most of the weekend just Sam and myself. Jamie leaves for the beach 9 am tomorrow and returning Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping we can hike about with Sadie tomorrow, and go see Star Wars on Sunday. It's been a long time since Jamie's gone off leaving Sam with me. She's been nervously making sure I remember to do everything right. It's kinda cute.

Well, I called Dr

May 24, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Well, I called Dr. Mehlhaff yesterday and explained how we'd like to try a topical cortisone cream. I had put in a question via PeaceHealth's Ask-an-Expert system (a program I designed). It turns out that his partner answered the question, recommending Mycolog and saying that it's probably a good course of action. Dr. Mehlhaff sounded skeptical when I spoke with him, since he'd never used this treatment before. The cynical part of me wonders if it has anything to do with the fact that he doesn't get compensated for just prescribing drugs. Anyway, I should be able to pick up the prescription today. Hopefully it'll take care of Sam's ongoing issues.

SADIE'S 21st BIRTHDAY LIST: (in order of mos...

May 24, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

SADIE'S 21st BIRTHDAY LIST:
(in order of most essential to least essential)

1. Drinks on the fam
2. car tape player
3. jump rope
4. hiking stove
5. coolant and car oil

That is all.

Sadie watched Sam while Jamie and I went out ...

May 23, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sadie watched Sam while Jamie and I went out last night. It was good to get away, if only for a bit. A pint of Black Butte Porter and a rant about work was all it took to put me in a much mellower mood.

Sam accidentally discovered a hidden cache where Jamie had stashed a Lego toy for Sam. It was given long ago, and I think she was saving it for emergency. Needless to say, he was very excited and I helped him put it together. I remember the days when a toy costing a few dollars would bring sheer bliss to me for hours. Now it takes computer equipment in the hundreds of dollar range to get the same effect. Fortunately, weekend breakfasts with my family tops even that.

Morrowind is deep, really deep

May 21, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Morrowind is deep, really deep. I've been going on the lengthy main quest, and the end is not in sight. I've basically stopped most of my guild quests as well, and only periodically go exploring. I figured out how to make big sums of money, found a Daedric shield, and enchanted it to give me +56 strength. The natural maximum is 100, and I'm running around with a strength of 173. It makes carrying things pretty convenient.

I'm also playing around with the toolset for Neverwinter Nights. It's a beta, so it's not complete, but I've started work on some of the modules I've been planning. Should be fun.

We've just returned from an amazingly filling...

May 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

We've just returned from an amazingly filling Easter dinner. Seraph's potato chocolate cake was to die for, as usual. There were an amazing number of kids running about. We ended up leaving a bit early, as Sam was starting to get a bit tired (not to mention myself).

Jamie and I actually got to go out to a cultural event last night. I picked up tickets to Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolfe, which was quite good. Of course, we did end up heading home after the second act, as it was past ten, we were exhausted, and we didn't want to loose the good graces of our babysitters.

The folk festival was this weekend as well. Today, Sam dressed himself as a superhero and we all went down to campus to hear the music. Sam really enjoyed dancing. And by dancing, I mean running around me in circles then falling over.

All things considering, it was a good weekend. Jamie and I actually had a little time to visit, which was nice. Sam was generally in a good mood and was more funny than usual.

We all gathered at the photo place last night...

May 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

We all gathered at the photo place last night, with four generations of people and all the extended family for a single picture. I'll hopefully get a copy of it soon - it's practically a family tree in itself. Poor Sam was a bit distraught yesterday. The day itself was exciting, with preschool, visitors, and a surprise trip to the doctor. We tried to get everyone home at a reasonable time, and Sam promptly crashed out.

I've been feeling a bit blah the last few days, so I gave into my coffee habit. On the plus side, I continue to use my stair stepper in the mornings, in addition to my lunchtime exercise. That certainly helps work off life's various frustrations. I'm looking forward to the weekend, which can't come soon enough.

We took Sam into the doctor yesterday

May 16, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We took Sam into the doctor yesterday. He had a little blood come out of his penis after he peed the other day. It looks like it was just a little cut or something, rather than more serious problems with his kidneys or something. It did, however, bring up the issue of his condition with the small opening in his foreskin.

I ran across a really good article, which talks about the use of cortisone cream to treat the issue. So far, no doctor has mentioned this treatment to me, and it sounds like the best choice. I'm trying hard to avoid circumcision, as general anesthetic has risks, and the post-operative issues seem uncomfortable at best.

A friend of mine at work, Ben Amacher, had hi...

May 16, 2002 by Adam in Adam

A friend of mine at work, Ben Amacher, had his baby yesterday. He was over here at lunch, right after his wife had an epidural, and the baby came out a couple hours after that. Well, the interesting part is that he has tickets to Star Wars this morning. And, well, he's going.

Not for any movie in the world could I imagine leaving my wife right after she gave birth. It's interesting how different other marriages are. The phrase, "my wife would kill me" kept coming up during the discussions around the office.

I was driving Sam to the park yesterday, when...

May 15, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I was driving Sam to the park yesterday, when a van ran a red light in front of us. Fortunately, the Subaru has great brakes and everyone was fine. Sam and I did launch into discussion about seatbelts and how important they were. After a few quiet moments from Sam, he asked me if I was going to die. I had to explain that I was always careful, and I probably wouldn't die until I was very old.

Later at dinner, I was telling the story to Jamie. Sam interrupted and said, "I don't want you to die. Because who would drive me around?" So, evidently we're seen as transportation to Sam.

I've been having too much fun with Morrowind ...

May 14, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I've been having too much fun with Morrowind lately. I'm actually becoming quite powerful, maxing out a few skills and slowly working on my minor and miscellaneous ones. The only skill I regret not taking as a major one is Enchanting. I've discovered that it's clearly the best one around.

This morning, I cleaned out a Dremora shrine, picking up some great magical items in the process. It was pretty easy, and I even went back to another area that had given me great trouble earlier. I've basically become badder than bad bad Leroy Brown. Perhaps this quote from Shaft will help get my message across:

They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft.
THEN WE CAN DIG IT!

Mother's Day was fun

May 14, 2002 by Adam in Family

Mother's Day was fun. Sam and I headed over to my mom's house, where everyone proceeded to descend for brunch. I mostly kept an eye on the boy, who has become adept at escaping. Sam and Dez spent a considerable amount of time playing with snails, then we said our goodbyes and headed home.

I think Monday was a little hard for Sam. He went to preschool late after sleeping in, but cried for much of it. Jamie stayed to keep an eye on him, and he perked up after coming back home. Jamie was off to a meeting last night, so Sam and I played and I tucked him into bed. Another day in the life of our household.

Well, I think I inadvertently caught a glimps...

May 13, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, I think I inadvertently caught a glimpse at the end of the game. Sam came down to visit, and he really wanted me to see what was in the middle of the volcano in the center of the island. Well, after much difficulty and many levitation spells, we made it to the top, only to find a strange city among the magma and steam. Sneaking inside, we ran across who I think was the main bad guy. We almost killed him, but I'm not really quite powerful enough.

The game continues to be lots of fun. I'm going back to a save game before our little exploration. I want to do some of the guild quests and perhaps join one of the three big Houses. The fun of this game is definately getting there.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there

May 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. We had a great Saturday, watching Sam ride his bike by the river, then later going to dinner at my dad and Yayoe's house. It was great to see Sadie again. I've got to remember to take some pictures of her today.

In a couple hours, we're off to brunch at my mom's house. Jamie's present to herself is some quiet time this Sunday, but she'll be there in spirit. She baked a ton of cinnamon rolls and made a present for my mom. What a woman.

Another exciting week day, and another present

May 10, 2002 by Adam in Family

Another exciting week day, and another present. I discovered a gift in the refrigerator as I went to get my morning cereal. It turned out to be a Hawaiian shirt, expanding my repertoire for Hawaiian shirt day to two items. Ironically, it's the same print as another person on my team. I'm sure there's much hilarity to be gotten from that concidence.

We're heading over to my dad's for dinner. My grandmother is there, and it'll be nice to see her. I think we're trying to get everyone together for Sunday brunch as well. Hopefully we can get everything coordinated.

Well, I'm leaving on a jet plane tomarrow aft...

May 09, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Well, I'm leaving on a jet plane tomarrow afternoon, and plan to get into Portland in the late evening. I sure hope someone is going to pick me up...
I had an interview with the Chapel this morning- Hoping to be their big intern next year, although I think it's somewhat competative. I still have a twenty or more page paper to write, which I plan to finish next week. No worries. Can't wait to see yous all.
kisses,
Sadie

I'm chugging along at Morrowind

May 09, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm chugging along at Morrowind. My character is slowly getting up in levels, which means I can now get into places where the creatures really kick my butt. Having good armor helps a lot, but when there are a bunch of Bone Lords wacking at you, there's not much you can do. I may try an invisibility potion and sneak through, unfortunately it only lasts for 30 seconds or so. Basically, I'm having way too much fun exploring and trying to puzzle my way through these situations. Great game.

The week moves along

May 09, 2002 by Adam in Family

The week moves along. Thursday seems to have come quickly. The secret presents from Jamie continue to roll in. This morning it was a Starbucks' gift card on my keyboard.

Sam's been in a bit of a wacky mood the last couple days. No preschool yesterday. When I asked why, he replied in a distressed voice, "because I love mom!" Hopefully he'll settle down by the weekend.

I keep adding goodies to the Fossil computer

May 08, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

I keep adding goodies to the Fossil computer. First it was a TV tuner card and now it's an extra hard drive. I recorded Frontier House to watch later, only to find that it took up 3 GB per 2-hour episode. Whew! Now I've got huge volumes of space to record things on. Very handy.

Hi, Grandpa gets in Saturday night at 9:00 pm...

May 08, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, Grandpa gets in Saturday night at 9:00 pm, and Sadie gets in Friday night at 9:10. What I want for Mothers Day is for everyone to go on the Million Mom March with us at 2:30 on Sunday. Maybe a pot luck afterward - or Sunday morning potluck brunch? What do you think, Hanni and Yayoe?

I went to Portland today to see the oral surgeon about my jaws. It seems to be more complicated than I thought, but I
don't think I have gobs of choice in the matter. I'll probably schedule the surgery after we move. It sounds as though it takes a while to get over.

I'm beginning to suspect a conspiracy

May 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

I'm beginning to suspect a conspiracy. After finding a present yesterday on my computer chair, another showed up on my desk at work. I discovered some pretty yellow daisies along with a card from Jamie. There's something about surprise presents that put a smile on my face.

The week continues to roll along. Work is fairly busy, and Sam is a wild boy. Our latest activity is to wrestle, typically utilizing a towel to capture Sam and let him wriggle free. He's become quite the wriggler.

I picked up Morrowind Friday, swinging by on ...

May 06, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I picked up Morrowind Friday, swinging by on a lunch date with Jamie. It's a huge game, very immersive. I haven't started along the main quest at all, but instead joined the mage and fighter guild, and have been doing quests for them. The island is huge, with endless little side quests and dungeons. I've been having a great time just cruising around the wilderness in search of adventure. My main character is around level 8 now. I need her to practice magic some more so that I can advance in the mages guild. So, off to a room to cast "Summon Boots" over and over some more.

It was a great weekend

May 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a great weekend. I got to play my new computer game in the morning, then upstairs for a hearty breakfast with the rest of the family. We mostly puttered around. Sam was feeling sniffly, so we spent most of the time inside. I got to apply my master's degree in science, fixing the motor of our lawn mower. Well, it was probably my basic electronics class in Junior High that was most of it, but it's all the same.

Sunday was a momentous day for Sam. I took him to see the Spiderman movie, and he sat through the whole thing. It was a first for him, having not made it through Chicken Run, Osmosis Jones, or Harry Potter. For Spiderman, though, he pulled through. I was amazed to find out that we'd been at the theater for over two hours. Amazing.

Jamie left me a little present on my chair this morning. New 501 jeans. I can't wait to get home and try them on. For some men, the way to their heart is through their stomach. For me, it's the pants.

This has been a strange week for us (or rathe...

May 03, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

This has been a strange week for us (or rather me). I've been exhausted and grumpy, but the sunny weather today is helping greatly!
Robbie and I have been watching The Frountier House on PBS (check it out, they're running it again on Sunday), and have had "homesteading" on the brain. I guess it's that history major blood in our veins.
The weekend looks promising. Cinco de Mayo and Fiesta Latino is this weekend, it would be great to see everyone there again!

Well, I plugged in the flat panel display to ...

May 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, I plugged in the flat panel display to the upstairs Lego computer. It makes it look far cooler, especially with the wireless keyboard and mouse. The all-black look is fairly cool. Still, it's hooked up to a Pentium II 266, which is not exactly the zippiest computer around.

I may end up having to do a computer reshuffle at some point. The next obvious choice is to move the None More Black computer upstairs, making it Jamie's computer. The Fossil computer would be my main computer. The catch is that I use the None More Black computer all the time, for Internet stuff, as well as a second game when playing with Sam. Well, for now, things stay where they are . . .

It's a beautiful Friday, and I'm mocha'ed up

May 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It's a beautiful Friday, and I'm mocha'ed up. Since I did 25 minutes of stair stepping at 5:30 am, I don't feel guilty about the scone I munched down with my coffee. Tonight's a chick movie night for Jamie and whatever womenfolk she finds, so Sam and I plan on playing Morrowind (if we can get it) and hanging out in the nerd cave.

I'm slowly getting all the anniversary plans together. It's not really a secret this year, as I took Jamie's advice and we're heading to Seattle. Judy's coming along to babysit, which is wonderful. Should be fun for everyone.

One of those days I spent in trial, with the ...

May 02, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

One of those days I spent in trial, with the classic Mom stayed home and took care of kids while Dad got his journeyman's liscense - he now makes 4400 per month and she makes 400 per month. The reason this issue is so hard is that the judge spent 10 minutes apologizing to the Dad before making him pay $500 in spousal support - giving him an income of 3700 per month and her, 900 per month. Why would I ever suggest to a client that he or she stay home and take care of the kids, even though I personally think it is so good for kids to have a stay home parent, when it may mean poverty for him or her if the marriage ends? This attorney stuff is still a pain.

Love from the cranky mom-

The other day, we were giving a bath, and jok...

May 01, 2002 by Adam in Sam

The other day, we were giving a bath, and joking around with Sam. Jamie was asking Sam if he loved her. Sam, being quite silly, was saying things like "Yes No". Jamie joked back saying, "Well, if you don't love me, I might as well go away!" Sam responded, "You can't go. We need you to make the new baby!"

So, evidently Sam's pretty clear on the whole cycle of life thing already. Though perhaps we've been a bit negligent on the whole "Women's liberation" thing.

It's the last day in April, and looking a bit...

April 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's the last day in April, and looking a bit on the soggy side outside my window. Jamie was out last night, so Sam and I ate "guy food", watched cartoons, and walked over to play at the park. Fortunately, Jamie returned in time to watch the momentous Blue's Clues episode where Steve goes to college, leaving the show forever. Jamie almost seemed more excited than Sam, who practially fell asleep.

I'm still using my stair stepper. I was up at 5 am, watching television and sweating. All great fun.

Well, I just finished Dungeon Siege

April 30, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, I just finished Dungeon Siege. It was a quick little ending - colorful and fun, a fitting end to a beautiful and mindless game. I had no idea really why I was defeating the evil badguy at the end. Only that he was evil.

Soon, Morrowind hits the shelves and I'm sure that will keep me busy for some time. Also, I'm starting to get into Neverwinter Nights preparation again. My modules progress well. I've been adding scripting pieces as we find out more of the scripting language. Hopefully my modules end up being interesting and fun.

I'm nearing the end of Dungeon Siege

April 29, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm nearing the end of Dungeon Siege. Having practically no story is a bit disappointing, though the game itself is beautiful. Having completely new foes and landscapes appear frequently certainly helps. I'll probably finish it up in a few days, just in time for Morrowind.

I picked up an exercise machine today

April 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

I picked up an exercise machine today. It's a stair stepper, on sale at Sears. We rearranged the "nerd cave", moving out the couch and putting the rear computer speakers on the ceiling. The exercise machine is now positioned so someone can watch t.v. or fiddle with the computer while exercising. Very cool.

The day itself was good. Sam played with Sue and Guidu while Jamie and I shopped, set up the exercise machine, and hung out at the house. Sam's now watching Justice League and should go to bed soon. Great fun.

Sunday afternoon

April 29, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Sunday afternoon. What a lovely weekend! We puttered around Saturday morning, then picked up Isa while Seraph and Robbie went to tea. Dick, Isa and I went out to the farm to see the horses, definitely one of her favorite trips. It was so pretty that we sat out in the sun rolling an old basketball around after we exhausted our supply of sugar cubes. Isa is definitely
fearless. For some reason she is at a stage when she looks a lot like my kid brother Dick and Meg's middle daughter, Julie.
We came back into town to meet Seraph and Robbie at their house, while Dick ran the manly man weedeater around the edge of their yard - the big gas one rather than my wussy electric one.
Then Dick and I picked up some tortilla chips, salsa, some Pacifico beer, a couple of lemons and Training Day, and settled in to get a head start on Cinco de Mayo next weekend.
We have such a big Latino/Mexican population that our Cinco celebration has been renamed Fiesta Latina. For the first time, the League of Women Voters will have a table there; our state organization is now printing our Voters Guide in Spanish as well as English.
A quick movie review..I'm not sure that Training Day is exactly a funny lighthearted movie, but Denzel Washington definitely earned his Oscar.
Adam and Jamie brought Sam over, and we made another trip to the farm. Sam watched someone burning garbage, and told me that he wanted to be a "Burner" when he grows up. Well, a Burner and a Cowboy. It was kind of fun for him to meet our tenant, Jerry, and see his rodeo belt buckle. A good time was had by all!

Sam took a tumble down the stairs today

April 29, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam took a tumble down the stairs today. He had run up to get his blaster in order to pretend playing spies. He wacked himself pretty good, but miraculously recovered a couple minutes later. I think he'll have a bruise on his shoulder, but that's about it.

Sam continues to be endlessly silly. We built him a Lego scuba outfit for his bath tonight, which he thought was great fun.

Sam's sitting on my lap, and we just finished...

April 28, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam's sitting on my lap, and we just finished a hearty breakfast, my favorite part of the week. Yesterday was a Spring cleaning morning, and this time we cleaned the main floor bathroom. As always, Sam danced to music while he dusted. In the afternoon, we hung up Jamie's new blinds. They ended up being far more complicated than the woman at the store promised. The directions were mostly meaningless, but we managed to stick it together.

Today we may look for a new chair for Jamie's sitting area. I'm also interested in stair stepper machines. We'll see how much time we have and what's really open today. (Sam wants me to write, "and my toy fell", since he's playing and listening to me type). Sam's going to grandma Sue's sometime today too. Hopefully it'll give Jamie and I a chance to visit.

Now Sam wants me to write, "and I slipped and fell." Talk about a ham.

Yesterday Robbie, Isabell, Hanni and I treked...

April 26, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Yesterday Robbie, Isabell, Hanni and I treked up to Portland. I headed off to a continuing legal education class on Collecting Judgements and Bankruptcy (Please pay your bills now!), while the gang went to the zoo and Powells. I'm not sure who saw more wild wooly animals - me or them!
Tonight we're going to our friends, Bryn and Paul's house for dinner. Hopefully Isabell will try to behave herself, and not torture their cat.

I ordered a flat panel monitor yesterday

April 26, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

I ordered a flat panel monitor yesterday. It's a fairly small 15" one, and really cheap. The plan is to hook it up to the Lego computer for now, though it may eventually get hooked up to the Fossil computer, as it has the digital output for LCD panels. I'm not really sure how much it will be used - it's kind of an experiment at this point. Who knows? Perhaps it will make it into some sort of future case mod . . .

It was a beautiful day yesterday

April 26, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a beautiful day yesterday. Jamie and Sam picked me up for lunch, and we headed to Hendrick's Park for an impromptu picinic. Sam and I pretended to be spies, peeking through the bushes at Jamie and running about. All great fun.

Brant and Wendy came over, as a mini-birthday for Brant. Jamie made lasagna and cake from scratch while teacher Phyllis watched Sam in the afternoon. It was a fun, low-key evening.

I think allergy season is upon us. I had a mild headache this morning (though nothing that coffee can't cure). Jamie's been a bit more achey, however. I keep trying to push Claratin on her, but she usually refuses, denying the realities of living in the valley.

The other day, Sam was talking to Jamie and h...

April 25, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

The other day, Sam was talking to Jamie and he said, "Mom? Did you know there's a new game coming? Neverwinter Nights."

So, it appears some of the enthusiasm has rubbed off on the boy.

The weather has been so nice these last few d...

April 24, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

The weather has been so nice these last few days that I keep trying to sneak out and garden. Playing with Isa and Robbie usually takes priority though, so I'm not getting to much done.
Isabell has been cutting about 4 teeth right now and has just been miserable. Robbie thinks she may have allergies, but I'm still in denial about that possibility.
We're off to Portland tomorrow. I have an all day class, and Robbie, Isa and maybe Hanni are heading out to play for the day!

Sam donned his gear last night, and we took h...

April 24, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam donned his gear last night, and we took his bike to the park. He seems to have a great time zipping about, and even managed to make it down a small hill by himself, applying the brakes as needed. He's getting really big, both physically and mentally. The other day, Sam made a cryptic remark:

"Sometimes I feel like I'm still in mom's uterus. It's dark, but I'm not scared. Because it's really just in my mind."

Hmm. Pretty deep.

Any suggestions on summer internships? I'll d...

April 23, 2002 by Jamie in Sadie & Greg

Any suggestions on summer internships? I'll do anything for May and June...
How about a crash course in child development and the social lives of human young (aka nanny :-)?

I continue to slash and burn my way through D...

April 22, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I continue to slash and burn my way through Dungeon Siege. It's slowing down a bit, as I keep asking that age-old actor's question: "What's my motivation?" The game is beautiful and fun, but there's a nagging voice that keeps asking why my lowly farmer decided to go off and fight evil.

I signed up for the Neverwinter Nights beta signup. I doubt they'll pick me, but it's promising that they're getting close to releasing the game. After Morrowind, I'm hoping that game keeps me going for quite some time.

It was more gardening for me this morning, fr...

April 22, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was more gardening for me this morning, frantically weeding and cleaning before Jamie came home. It looks quite beautiful, and I'm pretty proud of myself.

Jamie and Sam had a good time at the beach. They mostly hung out, visited the sea lion cave, and played at the beach. As soon as he arrived, he wanted to get in his dad playtime. We were building Legos and flying them around the yard in no time.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to work, hopefully cleaning more of the various projects up. It'll be good to give my hands some time to heal. I've lost track of the various cuts and splinters.

What a day

April 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

What a day. I woke up early, made myself pancakes at the crack of dawn, then started in on weeding. Since I already had the truck, I began the bark-o-mulch runs. By eleven, I had moved and spread three truck loads. I then had a brief interlude of launching rockets and eating lunch with my dad, Hanni, Jenny, Seraph, and their respective offspring. Quite the crowd. Then it was a final bark-o-mulch trip, then trade back to my car. Oh, and somewhere in there I managed to finish the laundry and unload the dish washer.

For a treat, I made a trip to Johnson Brothers' in Coburg. Excellent plant selection, and I managed to come back with a few nice treats. There's still some outside cleanup to do, and the plants to put in the ground. Since it's still only seven o'clock, I may try a bit of that before I collapse to bed.

I just got back from that cellebrating collab...

April 20, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I just got back from that cellebrating collaboration poster session- had an interesting conversation with a prospective Ada comstock scholar from Ghana about structural adjustment programmes and the World Bank/IMF. Fascinating perspectives. John Foran came and offered me a lifetime of UCSB lovin as a graduate student. they have a very good graduate programme in cultural sociology, which is one of those weak in the knees interests I have. It might be nice to be in a sunny place for seven years. He wants me to be a professor, which I'm a bit dubious about. but all that's a year away. Hope everyone is doing well.

Sam just called to let me know that he and Ja...

April 19, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam just called to let me know that he and Jamie loved me, and that they were heading out for the coast. I'm hoping for a productive weekend, with lots of yardwork so I don't miss them too much. I'm hoping tonight that I can pick up my mom's truck in preparation for the activities.

Work has improved. It's been great to actually get things done, as I start feeling fidgety when the work piles up. Combined with a mocha and some good tunes on my headphones, it's all good.

Work has been exhausing today

April 18, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Work has been exhausing today. I've been in all-day meetings the last few days, and work has been piling up steadily. This morning, I started work on some of them, but our main Intranet server died right before eight in the morning. It took two hours before I figured out what was going on and could fix it. It was pretty stressfull, especially with everyone calling to see how it was coming along.

The rest of the day has gone well, and I've actually cleaned up a number of the smaller projects. This weekend should be productive at home, though I'll miss Jamie and Sam. Tonight's my last time to visit before the weekend, so I better make it count.

Hi, just the quickest note to all from mom th...

April 18, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, just the quickest note to all from mom the attorney, who is right in the middle of a custody case. I truly think that after this batch, I'm going to stop taking custody cases. They are emotionally wrenching, and generally hard on people, and kids.

Other than that, life is fine. Sadie wants to take a car back to school next year. I wonder if the old Nissan can make the trip. Of course, that means that Seraph and Robbie won't have an extra car. We'll have to work on this issue.

We had a nice, albeit form, letter from Smith, saying that
Sadie was part of some event for outstanding scholars this Saturday, and we were welcome to drop in. For more details, call me....

Hugs to all, om

The Fossil computer was acting up last week, ...

April 16, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

The Fossil computer was acting up last week, a fan on the motherboard getting overly loud. I had recently done the 7 volt fan mod on the case fan that was cooling my video card. That took care of the fan there, but the motherboard fan was driving me nuts. I searched around, found that others had the same problem, and ended up just removing it. The heat sink under it never got warm to the touch.

For the first time, the Fossil computer is really quiet. Since that was a primary design feature, I'm glad it's finally accomplished. Ah, Nerdvana.

Jim and Judy were in town last night, going t...

April 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jim and Judy were in town last night, going to a concert by someone who sang a song about "cigarettes and red vines." I suspect something in the country venue, but I can't really remember. Anyway, Jamie worked out, had dinner with them, and then off to a meeting. Sam and I had a boys night, watching an X-Men cartoon, having a bath, then going to bed. He's a neat kid, and funny too. Tonight it's off to Glen Campbell, my boss' house, for a dinner with my team. I get to show off my family too, which should be fun.

Jamie cleaned my room yesterday, which was ve...

April 16, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Jamie cleaned my room yesterday, which was very nice. The one additional thing that I noticed was that my cute picture of Sam had been replaced by Reese Witherspoon. Now, I can appreciate a curvy blonde as much as the next guy, but I did wonder where the picture of Sam had gone. I sent off an e-mail to Jamie asking her to please replace the picture with one of my family. She replied simply, "Good boy."

Another weekend come and gone

April 15, 2002 by Adam in Family

Another weekend come and gone. Saturday morning was a Spring cleaning day. We cranked up the music, gave Sam a duster, and watched him dance around waving it about. Eventually, we cleaned the guest bedroom too. The rest of the weekend was fairly lazy. Lots of hanging out and playing with Sam.

It turns out that I'll be by myself next weekend. Jamie and Sam are going to the coast with Judy. I've got a ton of yard work I'd like to do. Time to butter up my mom and ask her for the truck. The bark-o-mulch calls to me.

Work is wrapping up and a pleasant weekend lo...

April 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

Work is wrapping up and a pleasant weekend looms ahead. It's been a busy week here, and promises to be busy next week again. Fortunately, that all goes away when I head home. I'm sure I'll get an excited "Dado!" from Sam as he runs up to me. The joys of fatherhood.

No big plans for the weekend. I'd like to get out with Jamie a bit and spend a little time together. I'm sure Sam and I will play a bit on the computer. I'd also like to do another bike trip along the river - Sam had a great time last weekend. Time will tell.

Oh, I forgot to say that when we took Sam out...

April 12, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Oh, I forgot to say that when we took Sam out for pizza, he discovered centrifugal force while spinning the pizza pan with a piece of pizza on it. Science. It's great.

Well, the Great Zimbabwe is pretty great! If ...

April 12, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Well, the Great Zimbabwe is pretty great! If you like African history, you've seen pictures of it - an elaborate complex/village of beautifully fitted stone walls and a huge conical tower. It was built about 600 or 700 years ago, and in spite of white explorers trying to tear down the tower, which is solid, in search of gold, the tower still stands.
While we were on our way, the most amazing thunderstorm came on. The clouds looked as though they were a solid black ceiling, about 30 feet above us, and I expected space aliens momentarily.
This part of Zim is home to the opposition party, and road blocks and searches seemed more frequent. Even though we appeared unlikely terrorists, at one roadblock we had to open the trunk of the car while they patted it down for guns. We didn't have any trouble, and got adept at hauling out our passports and the car rental papers.
This, our last night in Zim, was spent at a motel/resort which must have been new and quite fashionable in about 1960. We had a rondeval, and the dining room had a roof but was otherwise open. Actually, it was lovely, even if a bit down at the heels. The tree in front had obviously been a home for weaver-birds for many years, and was hung with all their nests, looking like large Christmas ornaments waiting for Martha Stewart to come alone with a little gold spray and some tasteful lighting.
And so, the next morning we regretfully said goodbye to Zim
and headed back to the Johannesburg airport, aiming to be there in time to put Sadie on the night plane to Amsterdam.
Dick and I stayed at a hotel near the airport, and spent (aargh!) the next day hanging out at the Johannesburg Airport. The trip back, which is more or less one continuous
flight, punctuated only by the mayhem of transferring from Gatwick to Heathrow, is pretty mind numbing. I did learn from my last trip; wear comfortable underwear.
And so a year of adventures ended, and we spent a lovely New Years Day with the family at Lohring and Yayoe's, celebrating a belated Christmas.

I was giving Sam a bath last night, and he wa...

April 11, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I was giving Sam a bath last night, and he was upstairs in the one that has the jets. Now, the jets by themselves are pretty cool, but when combined with a bubble bath, they're a force to be reckoned with.

Sam cranked up the bubbles to almost overflowing and he stood up in the bath, covered in bubbles. He explained how he was doing an experiment to turn himself into a goblin, and that he had all the ingredients ready. The funniest part to me was hearing him carefully pronounce "experiment" and "ingredients". I have no idea where he picks up these things. Well, except from me, of course.

As soon as Sam and I got home last night, we ...

April 11, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

As soon as Sam and I got home last night, we loaded up Dungeon Siege. Although I was itching to try out the game, that just wasn't going to happen. Sam happily clicked through the game, relegating me to telling the characters to drink health potions and fiddle with the inventory. He seems to do a pretty good job with the game, even though he kept telling me to equip weapons that might have looked cool, but weren't very effective.

The game itself is pretty good. It's got that addictive quality, though the gameplay is fairly simple. The graphics are nice, and some of the environments are beautiful to just walk around in. It's strange playing a game with no load screens - there's very little to distract from the feel of the game world.

It feels like I'm just now getting in the gro...

April 10, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

It feels like I'm just now getting in the grove of the time change. I'm suprised at how hard it hit us this year. So far the big advantage has been that Isa is still on the old time and sleeps until 7am!
Work's been crazy/interesting this last week. We have a big case involving medical records. I always get morbidly fasinated by human biology!
Robbie and Isa have been swimming at the YMCA a couple of times each week. Since our trip to Kah-Nee-Ta, Isabell has really been into water (unless you're trying to wash her hair). She has now learned how to get in and out of the bath tub by herself!

The week is slowly moving along

April 10, 2002 by Adam in Family

The week is slowly moving along. Since the weather has been dreary, we've moved back inside for most of our play time. Sam and I suited up in our rain gear last night, then ran around the house, just to get some exercise. I've noticed the pollen quite a bit these days. Lots of early morning headaches, even with the Claritin.

We're still in pretty good spirits, though. No exciting projects or plans these days. I'll usually come home and play with Sam while Jamie is either out and about, or hanging out relaxing. It's all good.

On Sunday, Sam was going to bed and talking t...

April 09, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

On Sunday, Sam was going to bed and talking to Jamie. "Not tomorrow, but the next day, is a special day." "Why?" asked Jamie. "Dungeon Siege."

So, it looks like Sam is almost more excited than this game than I am. Now, UPS is saying that it won't be in until Wednesday. Poor Sam will be disappointed.

We were having dinner last night, eating spag...

April 08, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We were having dinner last night, eating spaghetti. Now, Sam's not big into vegetables, so I was explaining how he was technically eating vegetables, because spaghetti sauce had tomatoes in it.

"It's a fruit," says Jamie, who's correct from a scientific standpoint. I was about to launch into an explaination of how congress categorized tomatoes as a vegetable in order for the tomato growers to get a certain tax break. Jamie put on an exaspirated look and asked me why I was even going to try.

Sam simply asked, "Is it complicated and boring?" I shut up, and that was that.

Back at work, after another good weekend

April 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

Back at work, after another good weekend. That makes three great weekends in a row - a sure sign that Spring is here and no one is sick. Sam and I played on the computer Sunday morning, then went off with Jamie to the river trail. There, Sam amazed us by riding his bike for an hour as we struggled at times to keep up. We stopped by the mall, where I picked up a new shirt and jeans. I was amazed by the various fit and treatment options for blue jeans these days. I ended up with "standard fit" jeans with an "antiqued" finish. Too many choices these days.

All is well here- finishing up an OCD paper a...

April 08, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

All is well here- finishing up an OCD paper and hoping to write one on SA this afternoon. Crunch time is upon me, but I've perfected the art of muddling through. I'm hoping to go to Southern Africa early and do some research in South Africa or Botswana, but don't have much time to formulate the details of any of it.
We'll see.
Love and hugs to all.

Well, we had a delightful Easter weekend

April 08, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Well, we had a delightful Easter weekend. Seraph and Robbie planned a short spring vacation trip to Kahneeta, a resort on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. It was beautiful and warm, and although there is a casino there, the resort is fmaily oriented. There are literally warm springs on the reservation, and two big swimming pools, open year round. Apparently the water is so hot when it comes to the surface that they have to mix in cold water before it goes into the swimming pools. Seraph, Robbie and Isa went over on Thursday, and Dick, Hunni and I drove over on Saturday morning. We went into town to the Indian Museum, which was really interesting. On Sunday, there was an Easter egg hunt.
One part of the resort has a huge public swimming pool, playgrounds, a spa, and so forth, and this part must be open to all the Native people who live on the rez, since
the Easter egg hunt was crowded with lots of kids. I can't help but wonder if Native people from other Oregon tribes don't go to Kahneeta because it would be so nice to be surrounded by people who look the same, even if only for a
weekend.
I want to finish up our travelog. We left you, dear reader,
just as we were going into Harare to meet Brian and his family. In spite of some worries about whether we would be
imposing, we had a wonderful time. Brian is a banker, and Irene is a pharmacist. They have a five year old, Holly, who is amazingly cute. Brian has two older children, Ashley and Warick. Ashley lives in London, but she and her boyfriend were home for Christmas. They have a lovely home, with a pool and I actually went swimming on Christmas Day.
I had fun with Irene; they took us shopping at both a shopping mall very much like any shopping mall in the US, and a market which is quite a lot like Saturday Market in Eugene without the tie-dye and aging hippies.

While we were there, Dick, Sadie and I drove to a site north of Harare with cave drawings. These were huge hills which looked as though each hill was one continuous rock,
with water apparently flowing up out of the rock. Signs at the little museum at the site explained that the area had been a religious site for centuries. I don't know if I saw anything else in Africa which was so moving.

With great reluctance, we left the next morning, facing a hard drive from Harare to Johannesburg. We had trouble finding gas, but after some delay, headed southwest.
Next report: the Great Zimbabwe.

With Sam perched on my lap, we finished up Je...

April 07, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

With Sam perched on my lap, we finished up Jedi Outcast. The end was non-stop fun, dueling evil Jedi, driving an AT-ST around, and helping out Luke lay down the law. The final battle was frighteningly easy - it was over in about 30 seconds. I had horded all these moble sentry units, which I used to great success.

The good news is that Dungeon Siege on it's way to me. According to UPS, it's coming in Tuesday. I've heard fairly positive reviews from it, though I also hear that the game practically plays itself. That's good, in one sense. Sam should have no problem playing it, which has been problematic with Jedi Outcast. His poor light sabre spent more time cutting through walls that any evil Jedi.

When I arrived at home last night, Jamie had ...

April 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

When I arrived at home last night, Jamie had prepared a relaxing faux bed-and-breakfast surprise. Sam greeted me at the door in his new fancy Hawaiian shirt. I had quiet reading time, snack and drinks. Then Sam went off with grandma and guidu while Jamie and I had a lovely dinner.

This morning, Sam woke up early, and came down to play the Star Wars game with me. Then it was yummy breakfast, and now we're off to play firefighter games in the back yard, putting out the steam from the dryer. Looks like a great beginning to another weekend.

Jamie called to relay this story to me

April 05, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Jamie called to relay this story to me.

She had given Sam his socks, then turned around to do something else. After a few moments, he called out "Mom?" When Jamie turned around, she found Sam had stuffed both socks into his shirt. "Look mom, I have breasts!"

Sam and I were playing on the bed the other day

April 05, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I were playing on the bed the other day. He started to slip off the side of the bed and I grabbed his leg, unfortunately after he hit his head on the wall. I asked him if he was all right.

"I'm okay. Just bumped my noggin. Good thing I had my skull in."

It's been a beautiful week here in sunny Eugene

April 04, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been a beautiful week here in sunny Eugene. Jamie stole me away from work today to have lunch at the 5th Street Market. Very nice.

Jamie's mom bought a house on the beach - Waldport, I think. I suspect we'll be making the periodic visits to the coast whenever the sale is final. Should be fun for all.

Just got into the Smith South Africa Programme

April 04, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Just got into the Smith South Africa Programme. Send chocolates.

Sam's sleep times seem to have shifted about ...

April 04, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's sleep times seem to have shifted about an hour. These days, he goes to bed a bit after seven at night, and wakes up around seven or eight in the morning. It's strange to have the extra hour or so in the evening. Jamie's feeling it too, as she's been going to bed earlier just to keep up.

Allergy season has started

April 04, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Allergy season has started. I awoke with a bad headache earlier in the week, then started popping Claritin soon afterwards. I'm feeling fairly normal now, and I'm hoping that the online prescription refill application works. I wrote the damn thing, so the irony of it not working wouldn't be lost on me. In theory, I can pick up my refill tomorrow.

It's been freakishly busy at work. They're making a big change to the directory that stores all our users and computers. Unfortunately, all the automated setup tools I wrote need to be fiddled with again. Should be fun.

I'll probably quaff some coffee again today. I get the serious pick-me-up, then I usually get exhausted around three in the afternoon. Such is the price I pay.

Sam and I have both been enjoying Jedi Knight...

April 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Sam and I have both been enjoying Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Sam's favorite thing is to play team multiplayer with a bunch of bots, switch to the lightsabre, then cut holes in the walls while jumping around.

The single player game is pretty fun too. It starts slow, but ends up quite good after you get your light sabre and force powers. The Matrix-like sabre fights with the Reborn are worth the price of admission right there.

Also, I found this fun easter egg where you can get a two-handed light sabre. Great fun.

Well, I have this presentation for special st...

April 02, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Well, I have this presentation for special studies works in progress on friday, and thought you guys might be interested in what I'm actually doing here in teh ivory towers. Here's what I have- suggestions are welcome!

First, I want to say that IÆve left a hundred things out for the sake of brevity and clarity. IÆm not talking about the labor movement, nor about the Pan African Congress, which organized pass law boycotts in 1959. One of these, the Sharpeville massacre, led to the banning of the ANC. I donÆt even come close to addressing the psychological impact of the ANCÆs shift to military resistance, or of the Black Consciousness Movement. I canÆt unpack the relationship between race and class in South Africa except to say that capitalism and racism were as symbiotic then as they are now. One of the important things that I leave out is the global context of colonization and the cold war. It is essential to remember South AfricaÆs geopolitical and mineral importance in both imperialism and cold war politics throughout this entire discussion, because it was international economic support that kept the apartheid regime in power.

My research on the political revolution of South Africa works within John ForanÆs theoretical framework of third world social revolutions. First, he uses Theda SkocpolÆs definition of social revolutions- the rapid, basic transformation of a societyÆs state and class structure, accompanied and in part carried through by class-based revolts from below. He has theorized that in a third world context, five factors cause such social revolutions: dependent development; a repressive, exclusionary, Personalist state; the elaboration of effective and powerful political cultures of resistance; and a revolutionary crisis consisting of an economic downturn and a let up of external controls. IÆm going to explain the first two as a historical basis for South AfricaÆs political cultures of opposition.
Basically, dependent development is economic growth with social consequences. In South Africa, this refers to the 26.3 billion dollars of foreign capital invested in the economy by 1978. In 1979, South Africa was producing 47 percent of the worldÆs platinum, which is used for refining petroleum and 60 percent of the worldÆs annual supply of gold.
Now the dependent part of the equation is that the whole population was not getting rich on the countryÆs mineral wealth. In 1980, out of ninety countries surveyed by the World Bank, South Africa had the most inequitable distribution of incomes. While white South Africans had the highest rate of coronary disease in the world, an industrialized disease, the principle African diseases were pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and tuberculosis. The main causes of black infant deaths were pneumonia and gastroenteritis, which are products of malnutrition.
There are also some fundamental structural problems with keeping most of your population at sub poverty levels. Apartheid kept black labor cheap for industries. It also kept them poor and therefore unable to consume what was being produced. Apartheid policies didnÆt allow black laborers to become skilled. Unskilled workers canÆt meet the changing labor needs of an expanding economy.
In addition, South AfricaÆs economic growth relied on increased mechanization to increase productivity and profits. This required imported capital goods, making the state vulnerable to balance of payments deficits. This can be contrasted to other third world nations that have labor-intensive industries like textiles instead of farming or mining.
So thatÆs a basic overview of dependent development.

Now a repressive, exclusionary, Personalist state. What does that really mean? Foran describes it as a dictator-like leader who represses the lower class and excludes the growing middle classes and the economic elite from political participation. Collective military rule isnÆt a Personalist state because it usually has the support of the elite and is

A very good Easter Sunday was had by all

April 01, 2002 by Adam in Family

A very good Easter Sunday was had by all. Sam and I were invited over to the neighbor's Easter egg hunt. I think Sam's favorite part was picking up the balloons that had popped and collecting them in his bag.

We picked up Josh around noon, then did a short trip to a playground. That didn't last long, as everyone was hungry, and we ate egg salad sandwiches as fast as Jamie could make them. I entertained Josh and Sam with the various toys obtained through Easter activities. Then it was down to the nerd cave where Josh and Sam played the Star Wars game for several hours.

Sam went to bed early and Jamie and I visited for a bit. Life is good.

We just came home from an exciting four day v...

April 01, 2002 by Robbie in Cortez

We just came home from an exciting four day vacation at Kah-nee-ta resort. When we arrived on Thursday, it was sunny, but there was a cold northernly wind. We thought OH NO, but by Friday the warm weather returned. If you haven't been there before, it is up in the high desert. Beautiful plateues and canyons make up the area. We hiked down from the lodge down to the village where there are teepees and an olympic size warm-springs pool. We went swimming back at the lodge and relaxed. Saturday morning Seraph had a relaxing one hour massage, while Isa and I went to the fish hatchery. In the afternoon my mom, Sue and Dick came up for the night. Dick and Sue took care of Isa, while we pretended to be carefree adults. On Sunday, we had a brunch and then we went to an Easter egg hunt. Isa had fun picking up eggs and tossing them back onto the ground. The grandparents took Isa back to Eugene, while I played a round of golf and Seraph read a book. We had beautiful weekend, but it is nice to be back.

Happy Easter to all! As I type, I hear tiny ...

March 31, 2002 by Adam in Family

Happy Easter to all! As I type, I hear tiny footprints running around upstairs. My guess is that Sam is searching the house for eggs as we speak. I'll have to join them soon in the festivities.

Another great day yesterday. We headed out to Hendrick's park, where many of the flowers were beginning to bloom. Combined with a sunny, warm day, it was hard to beat. After lunch, Jamie headed out to shop and pick up Josh, while Sam and I played the Star Wars game and weeded the garden. Josh hung out until Dave came for dinner.

I periodically amaze myself. I made up a pasta sauce using garlic, garlic, white wine, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cream, and cream cheese that turned out amazingly well. Must be my background in biology and chemistry.

Well, my copy of Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast...

March 30, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, my copy of Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast arrived yesterday. I think Sam was more excited than me, as he made me put on the t-shirt that came with it right away. Sam demanded that he get a chance to play first. It took him awhile to get used to the controls, and he wasn't that good at aiming. Still, in God mode and with a little help he managed to get through a bit of the game. He spent a lot of time shooting at walls.

Sam and I also played a bit of Diablo II together. It's a very simple interface, so he can actually play. He also likes it when we both play together. I think his favorite part is making his character talk to mine: "Follow me. Um . . . oops. Run away!" It's hard to hold a conversation when you can only say six phrases.

The evidence continues that Sam is going thro...

March 30, 2002 by Adam in Sam

The evidence continues that Sam is going through a growth spurt. I measured him the other day, and he'd grown an inch since I last looked. He's also been eating and sleeping a lot. A sure sign indeed.

Sam will sometimes get overly excited and shout out gibberish. My theory is that he has Tourette's syndrome, but just doesn't know any bad words yet.

What an exciting time it's been over the last...

March 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

What an exciting time it's been over the last few days. I took Friday off, so I'm well into my three-day weekend. Thursday night Sam and I went off to practice bike riding again. He's getting more and more confident in his skills. There's a flat reservoir just up the hill, so I pushed him up and he rode around for quite awhile.

Friday was another most excellent day. It started with gardening, pulling ivy and planting honeysuckle. I caught Jamie watching me, a smile on her face. Then it was a hearty breakfast with the two of us as the boy slept in. Sam was in a wonderful mood - funny, smart, and constantly entertaining. Sam and I played computer games together for awhile, ran around outside, then went off to the Harry Potter movie. He was mesmerized and made it an hour and a half into the film before we had to go home.

Once at home, we said "hello" to Jamie who was busy rearranging curtains. We played the new Star Wars game for a bit, then played with the neighbor kids. Sam started getting pretty frazzled, so we put him to bed early.

The wonder of three-day weekends is that it's not even close to over. I'm hoping for another day of sun and relaxation.

We're getting pretty excited about our trip t...

March 27, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We're getting pretty excited about our trip tomarrow. Jenny is graciously taking Ducky, who will be thrilled because she not only has a doggy door, but because there will be people around who will pay attention to her!
Well, back to work, work, work, before I play, play, play!

The week's been chugging along

March 27, 2002 by Adam in Family

The week's been chugging along. I got so jealous of everyone at work taking time off, that I decided to skip work this Friday. If the weather holds, I'd love to do some gardening. Soothing to the soul.

My biggest worries these days are around Sam's medical issues. I talked to him a little last night. I think he was mostly worried that it would hurt. I explained that he'd be asleep during the circumcision, which appeased him some, but he wasn't happy about the possible post-operative "stinging". Of course, none of this is imminent, and may not be necessary anyway.

Sam and I had fun trying to color Jamie's hair last night. She wanted it a bit lighter, but it turned out to only even it out with a darker color. I guess we'll have to try the heavy-duty stuff next time.

I came home from work last night with a kille...

March 26, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

I came home from work last night with a killer headache. Robbie was very nice and plied me with Advil. After dinner, he gave Isa a bath and I slid in bed with some ice cream and chocolate syrup and a Martha Stewert magazine. I'm not sure, but I think ice cream can solve anything!

We took Sam to the urologist this morning

March 26, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We took Sam to the urologist this morning. It looks like he has some scar tissue around the end of his foreskin, which is preventing it from being pulled back. So, it looks like we get to wait awhile and see if it'll soften and open up by itself. If it doesn't, he gets to have a circumcision.

I don't really have any deep philosophical issues, one way or the other. I mainly want to avoid doing any surgical procedures, especially ones that involve general anesthesia. Still, the doctor thought we'd end up doing it eventually. It's good to know what's going on, and what our options are. The doctor seemed like a really nice guy, so I feel fairly confident that Sam's in good hands.

Fun weekend! Hunni invited us over yesterday ...

March 26, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Fun weekend! Hunni invited us over yesterday evening for a wonderful dinner, along with Robbie, Seraph, and Isa, and to watch the Oscars. Very fun...
Also a very fun weekend to be a grandparent. We had Jordan overnight on Saturday, and he has to be the most easy kid in the world. Jenny said he would cry only when he's hungry, and she was right.
Took Sam to a railroad show at the fairgrounds. What a goofball!

Sam's been going through a growth spurt or so...

March 25, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been going through a growth spurt or something. He's been eating and sleeping like there's no tomorrow. On Friday, he slept 14 hours. Sam's starts getting noticeably wacky earlier than usual, a sure sign of sleepiness.

We're also getting quite fond of the recent potty training. Last night, he announced, "I have to go pee." I asked if he wanted me to help him. "No, I'm okay." It brought applause from Brant and Dave, who were over to watch the Oscars.

We just finished up with one of the better we...

March 25, 2002 by Adam in Family

We just finished up with one of the better weekends lately. Nothing special, just a lot of good moments. Sam and I managed considerable play time together. The gardening began, with blueberries, shade plants, and some sage out front. I've yet to put in the honeysuckle, which I'm fond of. Jamie and I had some time together, as Sam went off with Sue and Dick. All-in-all, a fine weekend.

Well, I'm finally done with taxes

March 23, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, I'm finally done with taxes. Looks like we'll be getting quite a big return, which makes us all happy. I'm leaning towards getting an exercise machine, but we might end up being practical and just putting it in the bank. Oh, and I'm done with the software, so anyone who wants to borrow it, just let me know.

Gadszook folks

March 23, 2002 by Lohring in Lohring

Gadszook folks. It's been months since I last posted some newz in our section. So here goes: Lohring is off to see his mother and Danica and family on Friday, March 29-April 4th. They plan to do a special ceremony for Franklin and will bury the other half of his ashes in the Meadville Cemetary by the Miller family plot. As you recall we put half of his ashes in the Gulf when we visited Florida. Lohring is also working one additional day in Grants Pass so he is gone for 3.5 days every other week. I've grown accustomed to his absence but I don't like it very much. The good part is that he is bringing in the bucks and that makes us both happy for now!

Dorothy is coming to visit us sometime in May. She will first go to Seattle to help care for her sister, who is having surgery in April. I'll keep you posted when we know the exact dates. She also plans to sell the Florida house. It's too much upkeep and worry to deal with on a long distance basis.

We had unexpected but most welcomed guests this weekend. My two nephews stayed with us for an overnight and are on their way to Seattle. Max (Maclen) Marvit is the computer geniuss (Cal Tech) who helped develop "Disappearing Ink" and was written up in the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. He's accepted a job in Seattle in a "think tank" and will evaluate whether he wants to relocate there on a more permanent basis. His younger brother Seth is also into computers but got laid off from the "Red Herring" magazine. He's currently looking for work and is thinking about going back to Japan since he is fluent in Japanese and majored in Asian Studies. You folks would really enjoy meeting these guys who are from San Franciso. He'd be great for Sadie! If only we could get them together. Sigh.

I proposed a wonderful part time job to Lohring that I could do at home with little or no expenses.I suggested he hire me as a private contractor to "get off his back." He could pay me either full or part-time at minimum wage and I could file quarter taxes to the goverment but he refused to help me fullfill my need to return to part-time work. Sigh. So enough for now. I'm expecting two house guests next week!

Well, the TV card went in this morning, just ...

March 23, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, the TV card went in this morning, just before the cable guy arrived. It seems to work fairly well. The image quality is a little grainy, but it seems to work reasonably well.

I also took off the noisy fan on the video card and screwed in a case fan to the heat sink. It takes up a PCI slot, but I've got a few spare ones. The main problem is that the new fan is a bit noisy. I'll probably need to get a rheostat to turn down the voltage, and thus the fan rpms. Should keep it quiet.

With Spring finally here, we headed out to Jo...

March 23, 2002 by Adam in Family

With Spring finally here, we headed out to Johnson Brother's nursery and returned loaded with plants. There's a certain satisfying feeling putting new plants in the ground. Though it may take years, we'll eventually end up with a beautiful landscape. Sam's favorite part of the whole trip was putting his Lego boat in the ponds and covering them with algae.

The cable guy also came this morning, hooking up cable to the guest bedroom and the "nerd cave". With my new t.v. card, I can now watch television on my computer. It's not the best quality, but it'll do in a pinch. I'm also interested in seeing how easy it is to record shows. There's an old Bogart movie I'm going to give it a try with.

I dug up this picture of Sam wearing goggles

March 23, 2002 by Adam in Family

I dug up this picture of Sam wearing goggles. He had a great time at OMSI, and I think he especially liked the chemistry area. He happily put on his goggles, mixed chemicals, and tried to emulate Josh as much as possible. You can see a bigger version here.

Jamie and I were set for a romantic date last night. Yayoe came over to watch Sam and we were about to head out the door. Sam, unfortunately, started acting really strange, so we bagged the whole thing. We fed him, then put him to bed by six, so it's looking like he was either really exhausted or sick. Jamie was coughing a bit last night, so I'm hoping it's not the return of yet another virus. I'm quite sick of being sick.

Well, how about them Ducks! Now, it's on to t...

March 23, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Well, how about them Ducks! Now, it's on to the Elite Eight. I think that will probably be the end of them, but it's been a great ride.

Tomorrow I'm going to a luncheon (older ladies have luncheons, not lunch) for the Daughters of the American Colonists. There's nothing to make me feel young like belonging to these organizations with old ladies. I'm a mere youth among those of the League of Women Voters.

The family cold/ flu has finally caught up with me - my third cold sore in as many weeks, a cough straight out of Moulin Rouge, and a jaundiced view of reality.

Got an e-mail today from Sadie in New York. She said she and Luke were visiting Sarah and having lots of fun. I'm getting frustrated with Sadie's never ending stream of sweeties. I still vote for Marshall or Luke. Why don't we just take a poll and present the results to Sadie as a fait accompli - We'd could certainly start marriage negotiations with their respective parents before someone else snaps them up, and Dick and I would even spring for a cow or two, like dowries in Botswana. (Although Uncle Douglas in Botswana is certainly the one we need to have conduct negotiations for a dowry.)

This has been a sad time at work - one of my favorite clients has cancer, and another, a 91 year old woman who has always been so bright and funny, is starting to go senile.

Jamie brought Sam to work, to trade cars whil...

March 22, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Jamie brought Sam to work, to trade cars while she worked out. Sam was fully geared up in his new biking equipment: helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and gloves. Very cute. When we got home, I managed to put the finishing touches on the bike that Jamie had mostly assembled and we took it to the park for a test drive.

Though Sam was a little nervous at first, we found a good flat place and proceeded to try it out. After awhile, he was riding around and playing racing games with me. Towards the end, we were practicing braking on hills, much to Sam's enjoyment. It was hard taking him home, as he kept wanting to ride.

Jamie made a wonderful dinner, then she was off to Victoria's for girl's night. Sam and I had a quick bath, then I put him to bed. It was a good day to be a dad. I love that boy so.

Abit more travelog - we went south from Victo...

March 22, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Abit more travelog - we went south from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zim. We stayed at a backpackers' hostel (Don't go anywhere but the bathroom without a Lonely Planet guidebook). We were the only ones there. The young woman running the place fixed us dinner; standard South Africa fare of a maize (Best way to describe it is that it's like a very stiff Cream of Wheat)
with a beef/beef gravy topping. I actually was still feeling a bit shaky, so Sadie and Dick put me to bed and I slept a couple of hours before dinner. Dick and I sat outside on a little patio in the evening. I love summer evenings in the residental parts of big cities, and this
was particularly pleasant. The British influence in Zim is
very pronounced - no pun intended. English is the common language, but it's used in a way that I can best describe as flamboyant... My favorite was a bar named the Linger LOnger Lounge.

Next- on to Harare, feeling a little nervous about spending three days with folks we had never met before.

After not doing much to my computer, I'm actu...

March 21, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

After not doing much to my computer, I'm actually going to crack open the case and install some new hardware. I was up at Fry's and ended up with a TV capture card for the computer. It should let me watch television as well as record it.

Another thing I'm thinking of is getting an exercise machine, now that it looks like we're getting tax money back. If I can record enough shows to create an "exercise/entertaiment zone", it might actually get Jamie and myself to use it more often. We'll see . . .

I'm getting to be a pro at putting Sam to bed

March 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

I'm getting to be a pro at putting Sam to bed. Jamie was off at a Tiny Tots meeting, so I took care of Sam last night. We had a great time, running around the park and stomping on the stump of a tree that had blown over in the storm. A little dinner, a little Lego playing, a bath, and we were ready for bed. It's all good.

Sam was also a very lucky boy yesterday. Jamie took Sam to Toys-R-Us and they ended up coming back with a kid's bike. Sam wanted to put it together and try it out immediately. We still need to get a helmet and pads, then it's probably up to me to start putting it together, either tonight or over the weekend. Great fun.

Jamie and Sam came by after work

March 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie and Sam came by after work. Jamie went to workout in the gym while I took Sam to the library. When I arrived home, Jamie's dad was there. He and Sam played while I baked some bananna bread and made enchiladas. It was nice to have the opportunity to cook dinner, as I rarely do these days.

Sam was clearly over excited by the days events. During dinner, he demanded bananna bread and when I took him out of his chair, he lashed out with his tiny fist. I told him that it wasn't okay to hit, and swept him upstairs to bed. Within minutes, he was fast asleep.

Now I'm back at work, a computer upgrade finished and a meeting beginning in a few minutes. How funny life is.

Work has been crazy lately

March 19, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Work has been crazy lately. Mom asked me this morning "So, if we can just make it through May things should be ok. Or have you just not scheduled it yet?" Although I too am hoping things calm down, I think it's just that I haven't scheduled it yet.
This weekend was pretty uneventful. But it just may be that I don't remember anything happening. Isa was perticularly clingy. It's really cute for the first 5 minutes. Mom and Dick saved us on Sunday by taking her and Ducky to the farm for a few hours. We went and had lunch with Raven & Cheikh, which lifted our spirits greatly!
We're getting excited about our Ka-nee-ta get away weekend over Easter. Four days to do nothing but order room-service! Heaven!

Sam woke up early again this morning

March 19, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Sam woke up early again this morning. I came up to visit the two of them before I headed off to work. Jamie and Sam were discussing their dreams. Sam had one where there was a nice boy and a mean boy, and he was hiding from the mean one.

In my dream, I was tasked with blowing up a building. I planted the explosive, activated the timer, and ran off. It blew up the building, and I went to my car to make my getaway. Just then, I realized I'd left my keys in the building I blew up.

Dick and I rented an old movie, Gallipoli, wh...

March 19, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Dick and I rented an old movie, Gallipoli, which I'd never
seen before. This has been a busy, busy time at work, and I'm not sure why. Heavens knows, people in Oregon are even more poor than ususal.
We had fun over the weekend. We wemt to the annual St. Patrick Day party on Friday evening. The old gang is grayer and grayer. On Sunday afternoon, we took Isa down to the farm to see the horses. She is quite fearless, and patted away with great vigor.
We have been dismayed to see how the Zimbabwe elections turned out, and worried about my cousin and his family there.

Sam woke up this morning and crawled into bed...

March 18, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam woke up this morning and crawled into bed with Jamie. Neither of them could get to sleep, and after a few minutes, Jamie felt a tapping on her chest. There was Sam, blood all over his face and shirt. Evidently, he had been removing mucous a bit too vigorously and he'd given himself a nose bleed.

Jamie cleaned him up and put him in front of the t.v. downstairs. I came up from the basement and Jamie filled me in. Sam didn't really want to tell me, as I periodically warn him about picking his nose.

I sat down next to him and he explained the whole thing. "I forgot not to pick my nose." I told him that it was okay and to be more careful next time. He was so sweet, sitting on the couch with a tissue stuffed up his nose. Very cute.

I'm back at work after a three-day vacation

March 18, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I'm back at work after a three-day vacation. More importantly, I'm not sniffling, coughing, or otherwise feeling bad. It makes all the difference in the world.

Here at work, our team went through a major move. My manager is actually next to me (hope he's not peeking), and the rest of my team in this region is close by. It's very strange, as we've been widely separated across the floor.

Coming back from Portland, there was an accid...

March 18, 2002 by Adam in Family

Coming back from Portland, there was an accident involving two tanker trucks full of fuel, so traffic was incredibly bad. The two hour trip was turned into a three hour one, which we amazingly survived. Sam announced he was bored a half hour into it. We managed to play with two toys for almost the entire trip - a snake-like plastic thingie and a hole punch. Never underestimate the creative power of a desperate father.

It's amazing how great life is with everyone well. Sam and Jamie seemed in good moods. I cleaned and did laundry like there was no tomorrow. It's all good.

Hi

March 17, 2002 by Jamie in Jamie

Hi. Adam made me say this

I was going to work on taxes yesterday, so I ...

March 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

I was going to work on taxes yesterday, so I booted up Jim and Judy's computer, only to find that the keyboard didn't work. Somewhat puzzled, I fiddled around with the software, which did nothing, and finally turned it over to see if a wire was loose. Well, when I did, a viscous green liquid poured out. Surprised and puzzled, I surmised that someone had spilled a drink and it had shorted things out. Well, I took it apart and tried to clean out the goo, only to eventually give up.

When Jim finally came home, his first question was, "do you know how to open up a keyboard?" I explained how I'd already done so, and asked him what happened. It turns out their cat threw up on the keyboard. Completely grossed out, I promptly washed my hand over and over again. Sadly, the memory of the stench is burned into my brain forever.

This morning, everyone but Jamie went to OMSI, and had a great time. We spent about three hours there, and Sam had a great time. He was especially into the chemistry area, wearing the goggles and doing experiements. Later, we headed home, dropped off Sam and Judy, then took a trip to Frys for a new keyboard.

Well, Frys and Adam should never be brought together, as I ended up spending about $100 on a mouse pad, blank CDs, and a t.v. capture card. It's all good.

Tonight, Jamie and I are going to a romantic Italian restaurant while Sam is entertained by Josh, Jim, and Judy at the same time. Should be bliss for everyone.

Well, I haven't posted for so long because I'...

March 15, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Well, I haven't posted for so long because I've been... err... busy. but I have this application/story for a South Africa programme, and thought you guys might like it:
Every evening before dinner, my Gaborone father- I called him uncle Douglas- read the newspaper. And every evening I slid into a velour chair next to him, and waited for his sitting room stories. In the beginning I had to ask about his life as BotswanaÆs first news broadcaster, his plans to buy a Mercedes with my bride price, or the children he sent off to South African private schools who came back white inside. After a few weeks, Uncle Douglas would fold up his paper without prompting and, eyes half closed as if dictating straight from remembered imagery, begin his monologue.
Like everyone else in Botswana, he had South Africa stories. He worked in Mafikeng when it was still the capital of Botswana, met his wife there, sent two ambitious children to work in Johannesburg, and crossed the border for weddings and funerals every month. We had family there. We spoke Xhosa and Setswana and listened to South African news in Zulu. We brushed our teeth with toothpaste manufactured in South Africa. Uncle DouglasÆ South African stories were not animated like the ones where heÆd get off the bus at the wrong Kansas City. He was quiet, and slower with the plotÆs unfolding. I remember one story more clearly than the rest, when he told me about his certificate from the South African government. During apartheid, Aunt Jean and Uncle Douglas helped ANC members cross the border to Zambia. The story whispered of SADF raids and BotswanaÆs plea for sovereignty in political neutrality policies- the periphery of something I needed to see for myself.
What he couldnÆt tell me, what I had to understand on my own terms, was how the other side of our family lived. I listened but didnÆt have my own images to recall, eyes half-closed. After a seminar and special studies on South Africa, research on Zimbabwe, Angola, and Mozambique, and a semester in Botswana, I have a coherent social, political, and historical framework of Southern Africa. I can articulate how racism is constructed, codified, and inherited with real estate planning. IÆve theorized on the causal factors of the countryÆs political revolution, analyzed dependent development and neoliberalism and examined the race-class dialectic. IÆve even argued politics with Afrikaner farmers on vacation at Chobe National Park. But I havenÆt negotiated my skin privilege in a country where the top five percent consume more than the bottom eighty-five or felt the implications on a kombi. My academic focus on Southern African revolutions is incomplete without an experiential understanding of South Africa. Learning in context would bring two years of regional study into acute focus. Hopefully IÆd also return with my own stories and quiet convictions.

Well, we made it to Portland

March 15, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, we made it to Portland. Somewhere around Salem, we had a minor medical emergency. Sam got an eyelash stuck in his eye, but he wouldn't blink. We spent several minutes with him crying and holding his eye closed. I finally pinned his arms and manually moved his eyelids back and forth. Amazingly, it worked just great.

Jim and Judy are doting over Sam while Jamie and I relax. It's hard to imagine that our life was like this all the time.

I downloaded this little program from the Int...

March 14, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I downloaded this little program from the Internet that allows you to view some of the monsters that you'll see in an upcoming computer game. It's pretty cool - you can rotate the creature, make them attack or run, and zoom in and out. I showed Sam, who proceeded to go crazy playing with his little creature.

Well, Sam rotated the creature so he was looking straight up from underneath. I was providing the voice over and ended up saying something like, "Argh! Fear me and my shiny underpants!" Sam thought that was hysterical and he couldn't stop laughing. Hmm. Maybe you had to be there.

I just had lunch with Isabell while Robbie we...

March 13, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

I just had lunch with Isabell while Robbie went to read Harry Potter to Destin. She is certinally independent these days!
Last night I had a "night out" at a church committe meeting. They've asked me to be the next chair, so I thought I'd check it out. It's rather an honor, as the current chair has been doing it for years and years, and she really wanted me to replace her.
Tonight it's just Isa and I, as Robbie heads out to EEI's March Madness. I think it will be fun for him to sit back and enjoy it, rather than helping put the show on!
Well, luch's over, and I wouldn't want to get evil looks from the boss for posting at work!

Recently, Sam discovered this picture of Sadi...

March 12, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Recently, Sam discovered this picture of Sadie up on my bookshelf. It was taken when she was around thirteen, and she gave it to me as a gift at some point long ago. He's become quite enamored with her, remarking on how beautiful she is. "I like beautiful girls," he explained to me. Well, at it sounds I've got a good shot at grandchildren some day.

Sam's also been very good with potty training lately. We'll be in the middle of playing or watching t.v. and he'll announce, "I need to go to the bathroom." We'll wander into the bathroom and he'll say, "Just pee, not poop," presumably to let me know how to handle the situation. Man, could I get used to this no more changing diaper thing.

I so desparately want to be normal again

March 12, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I so desparately want to be normal again.

I had a bloody nose for most of last evening, probably from dry sinuses. Jamie was out and I did the evening routine with Sam. I kept falling asleep while Sam watched Dexter's Laboratory, so I knew it was time for bed. I conked out while putting him to bed, not waking up for well over an hour. I tried to go to sleep next to Jamie, but I kept coughing and ended up in the guest bed again. I'm getting to know it quite well.

Jamie and Sam seem mostly healthy, so I'm hoping that's a preview of things to come. It's been hard being sick this last month. Well, at least I can justify this morning's Cafe Mocha. Mmm . . . coffee . . .

I spoke with Jamie yesterday afternoon, who p...

March 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

I spoke with Jamie yesterday afternoon, who proceeded to detail how terrible Sam had been all day. She sounded very much like an overwhelmed mom, so I snuck out of work a little early to see if I could do some help. When I arrived at home, they weren't in the living room as normal. From the basement, I heard a series of loud thunks and Sam screaming.

Fearing the worst, I ran down the stairs to find Jamie throwing balls at Sam, a gleam in her eye. Sam was dodging left and right, trying to escape. After they both started laughing hysterically did I realize the true nature of the game. Being a sport, I decided to pick up the balls and try a few throws as the boy. It was actually quite satisfying, for all parties involved.

I have to say that this soggy weather has bee...

March 12, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

I have to say that this soggy weather has been tough to keep chugging through.

While we were in Kasane, Dick went on an afternoon game drive while Sadie napped and I sat by the pool. He came back with great stories and photos. While in many places wild animals were not in the wild, but rather on game farms,
Dick and the tour ran into a bunch of elephants on the edge of town.

From the north boundary of Botswana, we went due East to Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was the closest I've ever come to a police state, and as close as I ever want to get. Throughout Zim, we were regularly stopped at police roadblocks and asked for identification. The thoroughness with which we were questioned/searched was totally inconsistent. Most of the time, we were stopped because we were driving a rental car - there was a small red sticker on the front bumper, and we assumed that car jackings are common and they wanted to make sure that we were the people who had rented the car. But at least one place, they asked us to open the trunk, and patted it all down, presumably looking for weapons. However, at only one roadblock did we see any conflict - the police questioning someone who was not enthusiastic about being questioned. The police and Army are controlled by Mugabwe, the current President. At least, through the last day of the elections, which are going on as I'm writing this.
There is no way to avoid feeling the tragedy of Africa. If South Africa was bad, Zimbabwe was terrible, because it is such a beautiful, vibrant country. The art, music and something ineffable which I can only describe as "spirit"
were amazing in Zimbabwe. Unlike Botswana, which is dry and desert like, most of Zimbabwe was green and lush. Particularly lovely was Victoria Falls. Sadie and I walked all along the southern edge, which is so misty from all the falling water that it was jungle like. We were seeing it during the rainy summer season, so there was a lot of water in the falls. It was almost a mile from one edge to the other. If I ever go back, I want to go back at full moon -
it's reputed to be beautiful, or I guess, even more beautiful.
We were there at the hottest time of the year -I think we were the closest to the Equator on December 21st, the longest day in the year in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, this was the only time I didn't feel well - I think I got dehydrated. From Victoria Falls, we went south to Bulawayo, past huge farms and game farms.

As you probably know, at least some of the conflict in Zim
is related to issues over the ownership of the large farms, nearly all white owned. I have to say that I came away from Africa thinking that it was hard to see much of anything good that had happened to Africa and Africans as a result of white people. The life they had developed, over the last 100,000 years was compatible with the environment and the climate.

More sober thoughts later.

It feels like we haven't posted for an age! ...

March 12, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

It feels like we haven't posted for an age! This last week was full of ran, sun and snow -- in all manners of speaking! After a warm spring weekend, where we dreamed of gardens and warm days, we were hit again with rain-and snow-as well as sneezes, coughs, and groggy heads.
This last week at work was hectic, but Mom worked her magic, waved her wand (I know it's hidden in that desk somewhere, along with the lost files and misplaced hole puch) and settled cases and hearings, and generally tiddied up our schedule and calmed our lives.
We enjoyed a quiet weekend, though it went far to fast. We did get to take in the Home & Garden show at the fairgrounds. This of course lead to a plant buying trip. We now have rows of pots in the window, waiting for enough sun and warmth to sprout with lavendar and beans!
Sunday night we headed over to Adam & Jamie's to have a wonderful dinner (yes Adam, you may "toot your own horn"), and great entertainment from Sam. Jamie made a beautiful dress for Isabell. I think I'll lie to everyone at church and tell them I made it! Not really, but Isa sure is blessed with a family that loves her.

A pleasant weekend has come to a close

March 11, 2002 by Adam in Family

A pleasant weekend has come to a close. Sunday was quite productive, with shopping, cleaning, and hanging out with Jamie's dad. Sam and I played with Legos, though not as much as the huge amount on Saturday. We also had Seraph and Robbie over last night, which was nice. They hadn't been in our house for months, so the recent additions were new to them.

Jamie handed over the dress she'd made for Isabell. Sam was fairly fascinating to his young cousin. He'd invented this game involving repeatedly smashing Duplos. Isa would break into this huge grin every time he hit them together and blocks began to fly.

It's back to work for me today. As soon as I sit down, I'll be cleaning up social security numbers from a data file. Woo hoo! Hopefully the work week will be short, as I'm going to try to get Friday off. I bough zoo tickets many months ago, and we're going to try for a Portland trip this weekend. Should be fun.

Sam's medical intrigues continue

March 09, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's medical intrigues continue. It turns out that he never had a urinary tract infection. When Jamie went to the emergency room in Newport, they ran tests, but no one ever bothered to look at the results. Later, they turned out to be negative. The doctor just prescribed antibiotics for fun. So basically, he didn't follow normal procedures, misdiagnosed Sam, and prescribed drugs unnecessarily. Ah, the joys of the healthcare system.

Sam's normal pediatrician wasn't as sure, and he told us so. Friday, he went in for another test for UTI, which was negative. They're doing a culture, but I suspect it will be negative as well.

So, Sam's going in to see a specialist in a couple weeks. He's doing fine now - no pain while peeing. It may be that he's just irritating the area while he learns toilet training issues. It could also be due to the opening in his foreskin is smaller than normal.

This entry will probably be endlessly embarrasing to Sam when he's a teenager, but it'll hopefully assuage all the nervous relatives out there.

Today was a good day

March 09, 2002 by Adam in Family

Today was a good day. I woke up early and started work on a new paper building, this time a windmill that's very complex. Sam and hung out until Jamie finished making breakfast, which was quite tasty. For some reason, Sam has been hysterical all day.

Sam and I played outside, then had a little snack with mom and Dick at New Day bakery. Sam scarfed down eggs, toast, and part of a cinnimon roll while listening to a guy playing guitar in the corner. After our fun little counter-culture experience, we came home and have been playing Legos ever since.

Jamie has taken advantage of this time to herself by spending time on a secret sewing project. Since it's a secret, I can't talk about it here, but it'll be cool when finally completed. She also did a little rearranging of the craft room, which seems to change on a weekly basis.

One final thing. About a month ago, there was that fire up the street. Jamie finally heard the story behind it, as told by the neighbor. It turns out that a woman with Alzheimer's lived there. When the power went out, she had set out candles. Her daughter came to pick her up, and evidently some were left burning. No one was hurt, but it's still a sad story. I'm endlessly glad that our family is doing relatively well.

When I awoke this morning and headed off to w...

March 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

When I awoke this morning and headed off to work, snow was coming down. Our lawn had a light dusting of the white stuff. If it was December, it would have filled my heart with happy feelings. Now, it's just one more reminder that spring isn't here yet. Well, at least it's melting away.

Sam seems to have his "pee problem" again. Last night, he started complaining that it hurts when he pees. I think the plan is to get him to a doctor today. I feel so bad for him, as there's not much I can do to alleviate his fear. He gets so scared that he holds it in until it hurts. Poor kid. The irony is that we were finally starting to recover from our colds. Had to be something else, I suppose.

It's Friday and I'm well caffinated. Jamie's family is in town this weekend, so we'll probably try to get Sam and Josh together to play. I also have a romantic evening out with Jamie planned, assuming I can arrange it. Life seems complicated these days.

Sam's been pretty funny lately

March 07, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been pretty funny lately. He made up a joke the other day: "What noise does someone make when they fall down?" "What, Sam?" "Bonk."

We also had a long conversation on how you can tell good people from bad. Evidently it's all in the clothes, although there's some complexity when good people put on disguises (e.g. when Luke wore a stormtrooper outfit). Also, if they have a weapon behind their back, they're bad, unless they're a police officer, in which case they're good. These things are quite tricky.

It was a good day yesterday, despite being sick

March 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

It was a good day yesterday, despite being sick. Jamie and Sam went to the Air and Space museum by the airport. I think the original plan was just to get out of the house on a rainy day, but they ended up having a really good time. Sam got to sit behind the controls of a couple airplanes. "But I didn't fly it," Sam added. Jamie admired the collection of airline kitch collected by an airline executive over the years.

I tried hard to be in a good mood yesterday, if only to make up for my general grumpiness the day before. I bought Jamie flowers and played Legos for hours with Sam. Even though I'm still achy and sick, it seemed to help with everyone's mood. Sam was kind and polite, quite the contrast from the night before. Even Jamie smiled a few times over the evening.

I had gone to bed early, and woke up about 4:30 in the morning. Not having anything better to do, I watched Stargate episodes and made another paper house. This one was really elaborate, with a chimney, front porch, and more. It was very relaxing, bringing me back to the kindergarden days when life was simple.

For some strange reason, I've recently gotten...

March 06, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

For some strange reason, I've recently gotten into making paper models of castles and buildings. I was ran across a link to a page that let you print and cut out little buildings. Since I was watching Sam that day, I decided to get them ready so that I could make them with Sam. Well, I ended up having more fun than he did. It's vaguely relaxing, like how Jamie does crossword puzzles.

I've already built two towers (one ruined and one normal), a wall section, and a variety of smaller houses. Sam and I got some Knight Legos last weekend, so we had a good time playing with them. I think Sam's favorite is the ruined tower, as his characters could fall down into it and get stuck on the second floor.

I was walking to work from my car today, spac...

March 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

I was walking to work from my car today, spacing out a bit as the rain pattered on my umbrella. Like an old horse, my feet knew the way, as I ended up at Starbucks instead.

I'm still sick, as is the rest of my family. Sam was completely wacky last night. It was frustrating getting him to bed, as he had lost the ability to have a rational conversation. I keep wishing there was something I could do to make everyone happier. Sadly, I think we just get to wait it out.

It was my dad's birthday party last night. I dragged myself to it, practically falling asleep once I got there. It was nice seeing everyone again, as it seems I haven't seen much of my family lately.

When I arrived home last night, it was if my ...

March 05, 2002 by Adam in Family

When I arrived home last night, it was if my wife and son had been swept away and replaced by pod people. Jamie was silent, a sore throat keeping her from talking much. Sam was trying to be good, but his tiny body would flail about and knock things over. It all made sense this morning when I woke up with an achy body, sore throat, and headache. It appears we're all sick again. I imagine that our immune systems are becoming super-efficient from all the viruses thrown our way this winter.

It's dad's birthday tonight. I'll try to make it, come hell or high water, though I'm not so sure about Jamie and Sam. I'm hoping this is one of those mild illnesses. My Cafe Mocha and Advil trick seems to be working reasonably well, though the day is still early.

Oh, funny note about Sam

March 05, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Oh, funny note about Sam. We had him a weekend ago, and went to New Day, sitting so we could look out the window. Sam was wearing blue jeans. A guy with a motorcycle drove up and parked the motorcycle. Sam watched with great interest. Finally he said, "He's wearing blue jeans. " Then he added, rather sadly, "But they're cooler than mine."

On to our last stop in Botswana, Kasane

March 05, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

On to our last stop in Botswana, Kasane. This was on the river which makes up the northern border of Botswana. As we drove into the lodge, I looked out the window, right into the eyes of a warthog. There were signs all along the dock, "Beware of crocodiles." We had a pretty rondeval, near the river (No crocodiles appeared), with monkeys playing all around the trees near us. Some of them had babies, and it was fun to watch them. We stayed a couple of nights here - it had a wonderful restaurant, overlooking the river. Restaurants nearly always had a breakfast bar with an amazing array of native fruit combined with "British Cooked Breakfast" foods, plus good old German pastries - an unbeatable culinary combination. Ah, stomachs across the sea -much better than hands across the sea.

It was so nice to hear mum and dick's voices ...

March 04, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

It was so nice to hear mum and dick's voices last night- I'm still in the middle of my papers, and people really do go crazy during midterms. Anna Levitt came into my room last night to say she that her night was full of weeping women- lord. I just hope I can manage to finish my OCD presentation and South Africa paper today without losing any more sleep or drinking too much coffee. Wish me luck, people.

By the time we got to the Rhino Sanctuary, I ...

March 04, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

By the time we got to the Rhino Sanctuary, I began to feel as though we were in Africa the way I imagined it, with vast empty spaces, monkeys everywhere, like squirrels are here, and colorful birds.

The next camping spot, Nata Lodge, was even more lovely. We had a huge (maybe 20'x30') tent up on a platform,with a front porch, and permanenet bathroom, shower, and bedroom.
The lodge had a swimming pool, and we all had gin and tonics
by the pool before dinner.

By this time on the trip we were really enjoying ourselves, other than the fact that it got hotter and hotter as we got farther north, toward the Equator. Since it was close to December 21, the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, we expected it to get hot, and understood why all the women, and younger children, carried umbrellas against the sun. Also, nearly everyone we saw wore a hat - not necessarily a straw sun hat, but something to protect them from the sun.

A funny thing happened along in here. One day at lunch time we drove to a restaurant fairly far out in the country for lunch. After lunch, we headed back toward the main road, only to find that our way was blocked by a herd of cows. Sadie got out, and like a professional herder, clapped her hands and said, Shoo, or the equivalent, and they all ambled off. We told her that we felt much more comfortable about her getting a job after graduation.

Sam and I hung out together yesterday

March 03, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam and I hung out together yesterday. It was a fairly fun-filled day, full of checkers, backyard playing, going to the play, buying some Knight Legos, a trip to a park, and hanging out at home. Very busy and full. The good news is that Sam appears fully recovered, in a good mood, and generally polite and cheerful again. It makes a huge difference.

We're having the neighbors and their kids over for tea today, so Jamie's gearing up for that. Sam and I will probably make a Borders run, since I have a 20% discount through work today. I've been getting into making paper models of buildings for some strange reason, so I may poke around and see what they've got.

When I was a kid, they used to say that trave...

March 02, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

When I was a kid, they used to say that travel was so broadening, and it's true. There is something about being physically in a place which can't be duplicated by the Internet.
Finishing up- the evening game drive was amazing. I've heard descriptions of how night comes in Africa, but I wasn't quite prepared for the fact that night comes like turning out the light. The sun set, and then it was night. There wasn't a moon, and the night was so clear and bright that the stars seemed to cast shadows. We got out, with our guide, and walked down to the water hole, with frogs, who must have weighed about fifty pounds each, to judge by the sound, ribbiting, or whatever Botswanan frogs say. We could hear the wildebeests and water buffalos snuffling around. We slept well that night.

The next morning we had to go into the closest town to change travellers checks, and got a good close look at the sort of manana approach to life in Africa. The bank was supposed to open at 8:30 (everything opens early because of the heat). It opened about 9:30, and there were hordes of people, since it was the day everyone gets their Social Security check. We finally got out about 11. We had left Sadie, and thought she might be worried, she said she knew how things go in the business world.

I haven't yet figured out how Adam can just d...

March 02, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

I haven't yet figured out how Adam can just drink coffee on Fridays. I've started to restrict myself to no more refills after noon. What I find myself doing though is getting a really big mug of coffee at 11:59 am and spiking it with a lot of sugar! Usually that lasts me through the afternoon.
I've decided that this weekend we really need to take our christmas lights down. Something about lights up in March seems tacky. I'm also going to convince Robbie that the Memorial through Labor Day apporach to life only applies to shoes, not lawn mowing!
Happy weekend to everyone!

There's a special feeling I get every Friday ...

March 01, 2002 by Adam in Family

There's a special feeling I get every Friday morning, dressed in my jeans and drinking a mocha, that I don't get any other day of the week. The weekend is soon upon us and this final workday seems almost like a prelude of events to come. Almost.

Jamie's doing the play again tomorrow, so Sam and I get to be Men About Town. We'll probably take in the play ourselves, and perhaps run an errand or two. It's still a bit too early for much gardening, though I can definately feel it calling.

I slept for almost ten hours last night. I fell asleep when putting Sam to bed, and only briefly woke up to move back to ours. I'm still a little sick, and get that annoying cough from time to time. Hopefully our family is on the mend.

More travel - We returned from the village to...

March 01, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

More travel - We returned from the village to meet with the family in Gabarone with whom Sadie stayed during the latter part of her stay in Botswana. They were a truly international family - they had come from South Africa, and both spoke English with a British accent set to African music.
He had been one of the first radio news announcers in Botswana, and she operated a nursery school. Since schools are operated in English, parents try to help their kids get a head start. One of their sons had gone to the University of Michigan.

The next day we started north, toward our first up county stop, at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Sadie had stayed there before. We had a rondeval, or round house (although ours was rectangular), thatched, with nothing around us but trees. Dick managed to generate a meal from beans and corned beef hash. As he headed back to the check in area, he ran in to a gemsbok (not literally, however). We went on an evening game drive. There is nothing quite like watching giraffes out in the wild jumping and playing.

More later.

I'm in the middle of a lull between games

February 27, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm in the middle of a lull between games. Early April is the time when a whole slew of games hit the shelves. I had a coupon for Amazon burning a hole in my pocket, so I preordered Dungeon Siege.

Maybe the weather will be good in March and I'll spend some time doing gardening. It would make a nice contrast to the indoor nerd-life that will soon consume all.

I made it through the entire night last night...

February 27, 2002 by Adam in Family

I made it through the entire night last night without cough syrup or waking myself up coughing. It was a good night. I feel much better, though that lingering cough pops up on occasion. Being healthy sure is nice.

While Jamie was off working out last night, Sam and I made pizza. He really got into it, making a little mini-pizza just for him. When Jamie finally arrived, he decided it was a surprise and wouldn't let her see. Sam positioned himself in the doorway to the kitchen, hand outstreched, saying things like "Stop! Look away!"

I think Sam is still a little under the weather. He went to bed a little after seven last night, which is a bit early for him.

I am plowing into a week of midterm papers, a...

February 27, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I am plowing into a week of midterm papers, all due on tuesday, when Megan Wells Jamieson returns for a visit from Germany. The list goes as such: today, citizen crusaders paper; thursday through monday, obsessive compulsive disorder and South Africa papers. I'm so glad one of my classes is a self-directed independent study- it means I just have to e-mail my professor on occasion and say things like "I'm really getting my head around this issue of dependent development." On the social front, everything is as interesting as college can make it. Going to watch a movie tonight with Tommy, the European gentleman caller. There are other such things, but none as exciting as pretending to be in Southern Africa for eight credits of my life. Hope everything on the homefront is settling down- happy birthday to the old man (aka Dave), and hugs to the little spastic childrens.

Frazzled today

February 26, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Frazzled today.

I've been relying on cough syrup to let me sleep, otherwise I'll wake myself up with coughing. No fun at all. The abdominal pain that Sam and I had for a few days is mostly gone. Even my sinuses are slowly drying out. This has been a particularly bad illness this time around.

At least the weather is turning, with beautiful blue sky outside my window. I'm looking forward to garden plans at our house. It's approach time for planting blue berry bushes, some honeysuckle, and perhaps budlia as well. Ah, the joys of growing new things.

I think Sam is finally getting over his long ...

February 24, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I think Sam is finally getting over his long series of illnesses. His appetite has returned and he's going through yogurt and cheese like it was nobody's business. Yesterday he ate a couple pancakes worth of breakfast (though I think the syrup helped).

It's been very hard these last couple weeks, as he'd get wacky and destructive so easily. The contrast these last couple days has been amazing. We now have our good, polite kid back again. Kinda nice.

Now all I have to do is get over the last of this sickness myself, and our family will be happy and healthy again. Woo hoo!

Saturday was a pretty fun-filled day

February 24, 2002 by Adam in Family

Saturday was a pretty fun-filled day. Jamie left early to help out at the preschool play, while I was left to keep an eye on Sam. We had a good time going through the morning routine, and headed out to watch the play around eleven. Jenny, mom, and their associated crew were there, Isabell tagging along as well. Sam appeared mesmerized by the play, watching it intently. We later tracked down Jamie, who was out in the courtyard selling popcorn, cookies, and coffee - bilking each patron out of their last cent. Later, we headed home, visited briefly with my dad, then played until Jamie arrived.

It was then off to Dave and Brant's house for a pre-party dinner for Dave. He turned 30, and was having a bunch of people from work over for a big birthday bash. Fortunately, they had an early dinner just for family, which suited us just fine.

We also ended up taking Josh home with us, presumably to protect him from the wild partygoers. Sam though it was exceptionally cool that Josh has glasses now. But then again, Sam thinks everything that Josh does is exceptionally cool.

It's been tough this last week being so sick

February 23, 2002 by Adam in Adam

It's been tough this last week being so sick. Jamie was home last night, so I snuck away for a hot bath. There was this "anti-stress" bubble bath that I decided to use. It was supposedly champagne scented, and came in this small, bottle-shaped container.

Well, I peel off the foil (just like a champagne bottle), open the top, and prepare to pour, when I realize that the thick soap is never going to make it out of the top. The hole is so tiny, that the laws of physics dictate that it would take a few hundred years before it would begin to pour. So, cursing the marketing people who came up with such a brilliant idea, I tried squeezing it out. Well, the plastic is so hard that I have to practically crush it, teeth bared and grunting.

I finally got the soap to pour into the bath, much more stressed than I was before. It didn't even make very good bubbles.

Haven't posted for a few days, so I just thou...

February 22, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Haven't posted for a few days, so I just thought I write really quick that Isa cut a top tooth last weekend. That brings the grand total to 3! We had a visit from our neighbor Katy and her 20 month son. It's nice to know that he's not a big talker yet. Isa seems content pointing and grunting at this time. For now it gets the job done!

I've been at the UofO helping the League of Women Voters to get students to vote in the student body elections. It's a nice change of pase, but my piles at work to add up!

Sometimes I wonder if our household is like a...

February 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sometimes I wonder if our household is like a Poe story: "And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all." Well, maybe it's not that bad, but I sure am using a lot of tissues. I'm at work today, though admittedly quite stuffed up. Less coughing, which I'm thankful for, and I slept reasonably well last night.

Looks like life is getting busy again. The preschool play is this weekend, with rehersals tonight. Sam gets to have a sniffly dad take care of him while Jamie's busy tonight and Saturday.

Still sick today, feeling cruddier than I did...

February 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

Still sick today, feeling cruddier than I did yesterday. Jamie and I went out to dinner last night, where she ended up mostly venting. The last few weeks have been pretty stressful, with everyone sick and Sam acting wacky. Sigh.

I went to bed at eight o'clock and woke up at four in the morning. Having nothing better to do, I wandered into work at six thirty, where I'm now working away. Not sure I'll last the day - we'll see.

Here's a funny kid story

February 20, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Here's a funny kid story. An attorney friend has a son named Max, who must be about four or five. Chuck was fixing a bath for Max, who came in and announced, introspectively, "You know, Dad, my hand likes to snuggle with my penis." Ah, kids....

All's well. Hope to do some babysitting this weekend.

I sometimes have strange dreams when I'm sick

February 19, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I sometimes have strange dreams when I'm sick. Last night, I dreamt of some evil woman who was vaguely gelatinous and her henchmen. She was coming after my family, and I kept using increasingly bigger guns to fend her off. Finally, I came up with the idea of burning, which seemed to scare her off. Putting on my Doctor FreudÖ hat, I appear to personify the viruses replicating through my body as some sort of hideous mother of evil. Either that, or I was running a bit of a fever.

We've all been sulking around the house emerg...

February 19, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We've all been sulking around the house emerging whenever the sun shines! I'm getting excited about spending some time in the garden, trying to finish up all of last years projects, so we can begin to enjoy the yard.

We've also been dreaming up ideas for a weekend get away or two. I think we are both feeling the need for a family vacation. Preferably one with room service!

Well, my hubris has finally caught up with me

February 19, 2002 by Adam in Family

Well, my hubris has finally caught up with me. My throat is sore and scratchy and my head is hurting a bit. I'm at work, doing the pain killer and mocha combo. I've got to come up with a name for it - like "CafT Madvil." Well, it seems to be working so far.

I'm hoping I've perked up by this evening. Serina is coming over to watch Sam while Jamie and I get out on the town. It's been hard finding time to spend together the last few weeks. I'm hoping to pretend we're a hip young couple in love, at least for a couple hours.

"I have a funny feeling that I've never felt ...

February 18, 2002 by Adam in Sam

"I have a funny feeling that I've never felt before." That's what Sam said when he crawled into bed with Jamie last night. Jamie suspects it's because she'd given so much cough medicine to the little guy and he was feeling spacy. Poor Sam.

The end of a long weekend has finished up, an...

February 18, 2002 by Adam in Family

The end of a long weekend has finished up, and I've returned to my cubicle here at work. I slept for an amazing nine hours last night. I only got five hours of sleep Saturday night, due to a four a.m. page. It left me in a foul mood all Sunday.

I did a little gardening Sunday morning, laying down bark-o-mulch and weeding a bit. There's a certain theraputic value in pulling invasive plants. I felt better afterwards. Jamie also had a few hardware projects. We hung hooks in a closet and moved a bar around. The joys of home improvement.

Sam's still not up to par. He went to bed around six last night, but woke up coughing on occasion. Poor kid.

Sam may be better, but he's definately not qu...

February 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam may be better, but he's definately not quite back to normal. Jamie's been out and about today, leaving me with Sam. I played with the boy a bit this morning, then he crashed hard around one, and is still asleep almost two hours later. I think he's still fighting off the flu.

This morning, Sam's sickness became a "teaching moment." His binkies were invading viruses, which were fought off with a combination of mucous (his pillows), antibodies (some Legos), and various macrophages (Sam's hands). Great fun.

I think Sam is finally coming out of the last...

February 16, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I think Sam is finally coming out of the last of a series of lousy health problems. The latest was probably the flu, as I'm the only one who got a flu shot and also am the only healthy one. I think Sam's fever is gone and he is now just extremely mucousy. His runny nose puts many slugs to shame.

I finished Medal of Honor this morning

February 15, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finished Medal of Honor this morning. The last minute of the game was incredibly hard, and I played it over and over until I made it past. The actual end was a bit of a let-down, as there was no congratulations or ending movie, just the finish of your last mission.

The hype for the next batch of games is beginning. It looks like Morrowind and Dungeon Seige will be out at the same time. I may just have to buy them both, as they look really good. For now, I'll probably catch up on some television shows and perhaps play a bit of Civ 3 with the new patch.

Sam's almost back to normal

February 15, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam's almost back to normal. When I arrived last night after work, it was off to the nerd cave to play with Legos. He still looks a bit beat, with dark circles under his eyes. He also went to bed early with an, "I want to be next to mom and I want my binkies."

Valentine's Day celebrations were minimal. I blindfolded Jamie and made her find presents hidden about her, giving her simple "you're getting hotter" commands. Fun, but short, as we had to run back upstairs to check on sick Sam watching television.

I'm hoping Jamie's not sick. Last night, she was reporting a stuffy nose and achey feelings. I feel pretty good myself, though perhaps it's because a tall mocha waits for me when I go to work today.

Sam's still sick, but doing a little better

February 14, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sam's still sick, but doing a little better. He slept for most of the day yesterday, coming out of it periodically for something to drink or a few pretzels. Jamie's tired too, from keeping an eye on the boy so much. So, it looks like we'll be having a low-key Valentine's Day. Lots of snuggling up on the couch with those that I love.

Poor Sam is sick again

February 13, 2002 by Adam in Family

Poor Sam is sick again. He had a fever of 104 degrees and was throwing up last night. Jamie and I have both had bad headaches, but it sounds like it hit him even more. He wasn't eating anything and we could barely get him to drink a little hot chocolate.

The only high point in Sam's evening is that my friends Jason and Bridget came over. Jason brought his GameCube and Rogue Squadron game, which Sam completely loved. He was flying over the ice planet of Hoth, crashing into the ground and shooting at the snow. Towards the end of the evening, Jason was showing him how to blow up things in various ways. When we finally got him to bed, he said, "My finger still feels like I'm pushing a button."

I think everyone is slowly recovering from th...

February 12, 2002 by Adam in Family

I think everyone is slowly recovering from this last week. I'm releaved to hear that everyone has power again. Even the neighbor's lights turned on yesterday morning. I had a terrible headache last night, but the miracle of coffee and Advil once again saves the day.

Tonight, my old friend Jason Kronholm is coming over. He's promised to bring his GameCube and show off a Star Wars game for Sam. Jamie's going to a book club, so I suspect a fair amount of "guyness" this evening.

The heat returned to our house Saturday

February 11, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

The heat returned to our house Saturday. We propmtly cranked it up to 75 until our toes thawed out.
Saturday we went for a long walk with Raven and Cheikh. I should stress the LONG aspect of that, because none of us were able to move much afterwards!
By Sunday our cheery dispositions were returning with the sunshine. We have decided though that we are ready for summer!

You can't imagine how pissy and grumpy I feel...

February 10, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

You can't imagine how pissy and grumpy I feel right now, having just hung up from a recorded message from the Eugene Water and Electric Board which certainly didn't include our neighborhood as the places crews were working today. I do understand that it was probably the worst windstorm in forty years, and the Eugene crews, along with crews down from Washington and Portland have been working incredibly long hours. But as dirty laundry piles up, I feel none too cheerful. Fortunately, all the kids have electricity.

About an hour ago, I heard sirens that kept c...

February 10, 2002 by Adam in Family

About an hour ago, I heard sirens that kept coming closer. I looked out the window, and a bunch of emergency vehicles were coming up the block. I walked out towards the street and saw that one of the houses without power about four houses up and across the street was on fire. I don't think anyone was hurt, as no one came down to the ambulance.

Sam slept through the whole thing, and Jamie was out to dinner. I wasn't able to get through to her, so she had a bit of a fright coming back home. The street had been blocked off by police, so she had to walk up the street.

Mom and Dick are here too. We ended up telling all our house fire stories to Todd and Victoria as we watched the fire being put out. This weekend has been far too exciting.

We stayed with Hanni last night, as we still ...

February 09, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We stayed with Hanni last night, as we still didn't have power. It was nice to be warm! When we came home this morning the power was back up. The neighbors across the street still don't have power, but I think our side does. We can also offer spare beds to anyone who needs a woarm place tonight, as well as refrigerator space for peoples parishables! Lots of Warm Hugs to All!

Life continues to be interesting

February 09, 2002 by Adam in Family

Life continues to be interesting. Sam's still afraid to go pee, and he holds it until it hurts sometimes. The neighbors across the street still don't have power. We've offered to let them use our showers and such. They came over for an hour or so to warm up and change their littlest one. Mom called and they may stay here tonight if they still don't have power.

Although I am exhausted from the week's traum...

February 09, 2002 by Jamie in Jamie

Although I am exhausted from the week's trauma, I'd like to take this time to thank a few key people: My Mom was wonderful about helping keep me calm and Sam entertained on our trip to he_ _... um, the beach. Although it wasn't the vacation we were planning, I am so glad I had another adult around to share the joy.
And to Adam, who, while he was alone in the house, hammered down a six-pack AND our new bannister! Thanks honey, I should leave more often :-)

I think Sam's finally feeling better

February 09, 2002 by Adam in Family

I think Sam's finally feeling better. We're not sure what it really was, but we'll finish up the antibiotics just in case. He seems like a normal boy again.

Jamie took Sam in to see "Doctor Jimmy," Sam'...

February 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

Jamie took Sam in to see "Doctor Jimmy," Sam's pediatrician. He thought it actually wasn't a urinary tract infection, but rather just a cut that was irritated whenever he went to the bathroom. So, Jamie picked up a topical antibiotic and analgesic. Hopefully that will make things easier for him.

What's frustrating is that the emergency room doctor didn't actually examine his penis. He just assumed it was a UTI and prescribed antibiotics. The lab result showed bacteria, but it could have come from the cut or just appeared due to time delays (they sent Jamie back and forth from the Emergency Room to the lab). Very annoying.

So, hopefully he'll start feeling better in a few days. Jamie's taking Sam to get the "fire Bionicle" because he was so brave during the office visit.

We braved the storm last night, but are still...

February 08, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We braved the storm last night, but are still without major power. I say major, because some of our lights come on very weakly. Although we have gas heating the thermostate is electric, so no heat yet. There was a tree down on a power line the next street over, so when that's cleaned up we'll probably be back up and running. We spent most of the evening in frount of the fireplace eating sandwiches and drinking wine. Other than no hot showers, I could almost get used to it!
The power's up at work just fine, but I cleaned up several sticks and "tree debris" from the parking lot. I also picked up a huge bunch of misletoe (?) that had fallen from the office oak. A neat little trophy of the storm.
Robbie went off to walk the mall this morning to check on all the ladies there. They are all so spirited that I'm sure the weather didn't even phase them!
We're off to Isa's 1 year Dr. apt this AM. Most shots I'm sure.

Fortunately, Sam seemed to sleep well last night

February 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

Fortunately, Sam seemed to sleep well last night. I think that's the first full night of sleep for both Jamie and Sam since early in the week. It was pretty tough last night. I think he finally peed, felt better, and I tucked him in bed a little after 8 pm. Ironically, I checked our company's internet site, and it had good suggestions for urinary tract infections in children. I guess our site is more useful than I thought.

The storm was evidently quite severe. When I left the house today, some plants and our recycle bin had blown over. Walking to work, I saw a tree that had fallen on a house. Several of my coworkers had lost power and some had it still out. Crazy.

Like the Chinese curse, we're living in inter...

February 08, 2002 by Adam in Family

Like the Chinese curse, we're living in interesting times.

Sam's pretty miserable. He'll be fine for a long while, then run around crying hysterically. I can't tell if he's afriad of going pee, or that it hurts to do so. It has Jamie and I a bit on edge.

To top it off, there was an incredible storm late this afternoon, blowing over trees and shutting off power to most of Eugene. Seraph and Robbie, mom and Dick, and Brant and Dave are all without power. We had a brief interruption of power, but that's it. We're connected to the Internet, got the gas fireplace going, and have lots of lights on. It almost makes me feel guilty.

I finished the banister last night

February 07, 2002 by Adam in Family

I finished the banister last night. It took considerable nail pounding and swearing, but it turned out pretty good. It's not quite as solid as I would have liked - I suppose I can pound yet more nails into it if I need to.

Jamie and Sam return today. The house has been too quiet without them. Sam should be happy, as his first Lego magazine (with Bionicle comic book) is sitting on the table for him.

One more little tidbit: right now I'm explori...

February 07, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

One more little tidbit: right now I'm exploring the internships this summer. There are interesting international baccalaureate (the IHS thing)schools in England that I'm looking at, as well as possibly trying to find an internship with the IB programme itself. I can also apply for UN internships around the world, and see where I end up. Smith funds an intership for the summer- basically if you can get it, smith gives you 1500 bucks. Pretty nice of them, I think. Right. But that's enough from me.

I think to the globalization lecture last nig...

February 07, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I think to the globalization lecture last night, and the woman who said -This would be a much easier course if we were teaching in Jakarta. It's hard to be smart inside the seat of power. I think this is important. I learn so much more in the way of analysis and history, but there isn't the emotional attachment like being there. I know so much about paper South Africa, but I can't feel it save a deep sense of distanced sympathy. I think this is the strength of the Pitzer program- the experiential stuff. Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of supplamentary analysis. I didn't get so much of the "wait- look at 'customary law' and the kgotla... do you really think that's customary, or a codified version of what (male) traditional elites and (male) missionaries and colonists wanted for 'customary law'?". The history teachers in Botswana were all male, and didn't give us much juice to interpret things with. Its nice to be with feminist teachers, thinkers and deconstructionists again. But it's hard to go home to something so different (Morris house), lose perspective and juice, being dulled by the seat of power. So I'm a little jealous of there and a little glad I'm here. But certainly there is a need to go everywhere and get living perspective on everything.
Things are great here. Crispy cold and midnight blue and brown hats with matching gloves and friendly electricians to fix the old fashioned metal heaters. Gotta appriciate overdevelopment.

I've survived the first few days without Jami...

February 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

I've survived the first few days without Jamie or Sam in the house. Admittedly, I've been reduced to obtaining most of my nutrients through chips, beer, and Metropol bread. I've been getting a lot done. I took off the banister posts and sanded, painted, and put them back up. Tonight I need to nail them in and do some touch up painting. I also had a moment of excitement when I stapled up the network cable I ran last night. When I went to test it, nothing worked. It turns out that I had stapled through it and shorted it out. Fortunately, pulling the staple fixed the problem.

I just spoke with Jamie

February 05, 2002 by Adam in Sam

I just spoke with Jamie. They made a hospital trip. It turns out that he does have a urinary tract infection, and he's now taking antibiotics. Sam himself seemed fine. I talked to him briefly, but he was more interested in playing with Grandma Judy.

I'm still working away at Medal of Honor

February 05, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm still working away at Medal of Honor. I think I'm close to the end. There are eight major missions, and I've finished six or seven of them. I'm not really sure what I'll do for the next couple months. There are several RPGs coming out around April, each of which look quite good: Morrowind, Dungeon Siege, and Icewind Dale 2. The one I'm really waiting for, Neverwinter Nights, has been delayed until Summer, which I'm a bit bummed about.

On a positive note, Lynda Carter, the actress who played Wonder Woman, is doing some voice over for Morrowind. She'd doing the female Nord character, so I'll have to play that one for the game. Sweet!

Poor Sam appears to have a urinary tract infe...

February 05, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Poor Sam appears to have a urinary tract infection. He's in Newport with Jamie and her mom, and evidently he's started having pain while peeing. After some assorted phone calls this morning, it sounds like they'll take him in to the hospital for a urine test, then get him on some antibiotics. Hopefully he'll be doing okay in a few days. Poor kid.

The Lego computer is now in it's new location...

February 05, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

The Lego computer is now in it's new location, next to the front door in the living room. The next part was running network cable from the basement "nerd cave" to the upstairs. Easier said than done, as the scrapes on my hand can attest to. I was using an existing hole that was previously used for the baseboard heater. I had to expand that slightly, then carefully thread the cable through. Once that was done, I drilled a hole in my closet and hook it all up. I think it took me two full hours, several drill bits, and some creative swearing before it was finished.

A little more of the travelog

February 05, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

A little more of the travelog.

Going north through Pretoria was a genuinely trumatic experience. We finally escaped Johannesburg and the airport from Hell, and headed toward Pretoria, where we got lost for about the 100th time. Oregon was laid out by a bunch of neurotic Northern Europeans, and all roads are marked not just once but many times. Ah, did we have much to learn about letting go of the need to move from point A to point B via the roads we expected. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what side of the trees the moss grew on - there aren't a lot of mossy trees between Johannesburg and Gabarone. But about this time on the trip, Dick got the hang of driving left handed - sort of like trying to eat in a mirror. We got lost in Pretoria in a slum which felt like
a surrealistic view into a really bad future. We saw squatter towns in South Africa - though we didn't see people begging anywhere in the three countries we visited.

Botswana was a wonderful change from South Africa. Sadie explained the difference as being based on the fact that Botswana was never colonized - because, she pointed out, diamonds hadn't been discovered there yet, so nobody wanted it. Maybe it was just that Sadie could speak enough of the language so we could say hello (Da Mel Ah) and occasionally remember the social niceties, like holding your right elbow
with your left hand when you give or take something or shake hands.

We stayed in a bed and breakfast in Gabarone. amd used it as a home base to go up to the village where Sadie had stayed with a family during part of her time in Botswana. The village was actually a town of about 10,000 people, but like towns in Mexico, there really isn't much of a Main Street. There are wide places along the main road with stores, shops and indivuals selling food and various things. The rest of the town is pretty much cinder block houses and the ubiquituous rondevals, small round houses with thatched
roofs. It is so hot that there is usually a cooking hut separate from the main house. We also met Sadie's Gabarone
family - a cosmopolitin family whose son had gone to the University of Michigan.

Moe later, Moe

We were delighted to meet Sadie's host mom in the village -
she didn't speak any English, and Sadie and one of the other girls there helped translate my thank you to her. There was going to be a wedding in the family (like Russian weddings, wedding there apparently fo on for three days) and all the family was gathering, so we met eight or nine relatives, sitting in the shade in the front yard. By about this time on the trip, we stopped feeling the awkwardness of being a different color of the vast majority of the population and being in a new culture, and just started to relax and have fun. Those common bonds among all of us are pretty amazing.

Hi, I'm trying to see if this will work

February 05, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, I'm trying to see if this will work.

We had a great time at Destin's birthday on S...

February 04, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We had a great time at Destin's birthday on Saterday. Isabell enjoyed seeing kidos her own age. I'm afraid this doesn't happen very often, and she can get a little weirded out by it all.
Robbie and Isa visited Tiny Tots with Jamie and Sam last week. There's still a long waiting list, but Robbie thought it might be a fun thing to do.
Work has been slugging along, with trial after trial, but thanks to the mirical of coffee I make it through!

I'm back at work on this very cold Monday morning

February 04, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I'm back at work on this very cold Monday morning. I left Sam and Jamie sleeping in our bed, as Sam wandered in sometime in the night and I got bumped to the guest bedroom. My last act as a father for the next few days was giving Sam a glass of water. I suspect the house will be a little too quiet for the next few days while they're out.

I've got big plans for tonight. I'll probably swing by Radio Shack on the way home and pick up some network cable. Now that the Lego computer is in the living room, it should be easier to hook it into the basement network. I also want to sand and start painting the banister posts today. My guess is that it'll take longer than I think to do them all. Wish me luck!

Destin's birthday party was yesterday, so Sam...

February 04, 2002 by Adam in Family

Destin's birthday party was yesterday, so Sam and I ate a hearty breakfast that Jamie made, headed off to Toys-R-Us, then met the family for the festivities. Strangely, I ended up getting more than I had given, with magazines from Yayoe, oranges from Dorothy, and maps from Sadie. All great fun.

Today Sam and I went to the park for an hour or so, then off to my friend Chris' house. He has a bunch of Star Wars Legos, so it was hard dragging Sam away. I also checked out his new Xbox, which is fairly spiffy. We now have a total of three computers in the house, so it's hard to justify another.

Tomorrow Jamie and Sam head to the coast, so I'll be a bachelor until Thursday. I stocked up on beer, bread, and chips, so I think I'll pull through. Lots of projects pending. I'm hoping to run network cable to the Lego computer which I just upgraded and moved into the living room. I've also got the banister, which has been calling out my name since Christmas.

Well, Seraph and Robbie's computer is complete

February 02, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Well, Seraph and Robbie's computer is complete. I soldered the fan, slapped it all together, tested it all, and it's good to go. I even wrote up directions on how to put all the plugs back in. I'm taking it to Dez's birthday party and do the exchange there. Hope they're happy with it!

Seraph and Robbie's computer is progressing q...

February 01, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Seraph and Robbie's computer is progressing quite well. I hooked everything together and managed to turn it on by shorting out the two connectors for the power switch. After getting the appropriate drivers loaded, I worked on getting the switch actually functioning. It was a bit tricky, but I traced the wires and "made" them fit correctly. So, you can actually turn it on by pushing the power button. Of course, there aren't any lights and the reset button doesn't work, but those aren't really necessary in my opinion.

I also replaced the power supply, as it was making a funny high-pitched noise when I plugged it it. I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad noise, but I decided that any explosion risk for my family was a bit too much.

The final piece is to get the case fan hooked up. The power connector is for the motherboard, and it doesn't reach on the new motherboard. I'll need to solder on a new connector tonight. That should finish it up. I'll test the sound and verify things are working, but I'm pretty happy as to how things are working out.

Don't tell Seraph and Robbie, but I've been d...

January 31, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Don't tell Seraph and Robbie, but I've been doing some Very Bad ThingsÖ to their old computer. They dropped it off so that I could upgrade it (my Christmas present). Unfortunately, it's a Dell and it's not quite standard.

I ended up having to drill a hole in the back of the case in order to provide room for the second serial port. Now the new motherboard fits, but I'm running into a problem turning it on. Dell uses a weird ribbon of wires that connect to the power switch, lights, and reset button. Standard motherboards use individual wires, so I'll have to jury-rig some way to hook the two together.

Never daunted, I'm going to try to go at it tonight. If lucky, I'll even be able to turn the thing on.

I had ordered a Microscope from Intel a while...

January 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

I had ordered a Microscope from Intel a while back, and it arrived yesterday. I plugged it into my computer, and was soon watching magnified pictures of strange objects on my computer. Sam thought it was pretty cool, and we were magifying Lego people, dead insects, and pond water in no time. He also got a kick out of the equipment that came with it.

There was one plastic container that Sam dubbed his "containment unit", after a device in one of his Pajama Sam games. We hunted for insects around the house, mostly finding dead ones and plucking them with the tweezers. Great fun.

My classes are amazing, and it looks like all...

January 30, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

My classes are amazing, and it looks like all of them are based on a large final paper, student presentations, and constant reading, all seminar style. Even qualitative methods in sociology is based on a large research paper on a community activist of our choice. South African international relations and politics is fasinating, and the teacher is so passionate- I'm thrilled. We only have six in the class, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders has thirteen. I'm meeting John tomarrow for our first meeting on the special studies on south Africa. I'm getting the pre-independence period from the special studies and the post-independence period from the S.A. seminar. She also seemed intent on covering relations with the region, with an emphasis on Zimbabwe. All very rewarding.

It's been fairly low-key the last few days

January 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been fairly low-key the last few days. My cold continues, but my "cold-be-gone" cocktail of coffee and Advil seems to have conquered it. I've been paying my dues as a dad and playing lots of games with Sam. Lots of Legos, pretending to be superheros, reinacting Star Wars scenes, and the occasional wrestling match. Jamie called and will hopefully be coming over for lunch. Always fun to visit with the family.

We had a lot of fun in Portland on Sat

January 29, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We had a lot of fun in Portland on Sat. helping Raven and Cheikh move. It even snowed for us! Unfortunatly Isa caught a sniffle, and Robbie seems to be right behind her.

I was playing MoH this morning and ran across...

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I was playing MoH this morning and ran across a strange sound. When I'm manning a stationary machine gun and firing a lot, there's this weird knocking noise that seems to be coming from my left. I kept thinking that someone was knocking on the door, but determined that it was really coming from the game. I still wonder what it's supposed to be. Shells being ejected and hitting a wall? Ricochets? I'm sure that there's a real-life reason for the sound, but it's pretty baffling.

Still sniffly today

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Still sniffly today. I'm also feeling amazingly tired. No coffee today, so I'm going on all self-produced chemicals. It's not working all that well so far, as I find myself having a hard time working through problems.

Got my new work computer. It's all black, so it's gotta be better, right?

I finished up AvP2, found it to be quite the ...

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finished up AvP2, found it to be quite the enjoyable game. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, showed up the day before I finished, so I got the opportunity to jump right into it. It is a most excellent game. It's supposedly quite short, maybe eight hours of straight play time, but every moment is pure gold. The variety of missions, the music and sound, the graphics, and the heart-pounding excitement all make for the best first person shooter I've played in years. If I had to sum it up to someone, I'd say it's like being in Saving Private Ryan.

I stormed the beach at Omaha yesterday morning, everything going to pieces and virtually all the men under my command dying within the first few seconds after the Higgins landing craft unloaded. Just making it to the bunkers brought a strong sense of accomplishment. Very tense, very frightening. Glad it's not real.

Sam's been working really hard at potty training

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been working really hard at potty training. He has a slew of cool underwear, from Darth Maul to Batman. Every day for the last couple weeks, we dutifully put on underwear and keep a close eye on him the whole day. He's usually pretty good, remembering to let us know if he has to go. When he does, he can do the whole thing himself (well, sometimes he can't quite get the seat of his pants all the way up). We're still having the occasional accident, though. I keep reminding myself that urine is sterile.

The snow this morning took us all by surprise

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Family

The snow this morning took us all by surprise. Sam wandered down to play with me, first thing in the morning as he always does. We fiddled around for a bit, then I looked out the window to see everything blanketed in snow. Sam was terribly excited, and immediately wanted to head outside. We played and played, coming in after I started to get pretty hungry.

Unfortunately, all the excitement and lack of food was a bit too much for Sam. He threw a huge fit and we had to let him cry a bit before he'd settle down enough to eat his breakfast. The rest of the day was much better, and the neighbor kids (Ben, Sebastian, and Graham) came over to play for a bit. Jamie took a trip to the craft store, which turned into a three-hour long expedition. I was a bit played out with Sam towards the end of the day.

Otherwise, the weekend was very quiet. We did a few projects. I got the sound card back in my computer, and we hung up some shelves. Nothing too exciting, which was fine by me.

Well, I typed out a long addition about our t...

January 28, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Well, I typed out a long addition about our trip, but I managed to erase it before inputting it.

I'll do my best to reconstruct. Seraph, Robbie and Isa took us to Portland, and our plane left at 1:20. We were a little surprised at how full the plane from Portland to Chicago was, and how crowded the flight was from Chicago to London.

We had made arrangments to meet cousin Sandie at her office in Pimlico, and we left our stuff at Left Luggage (sounds vaguely politically, doesn't it?) and took the Heathrow Express and Underground. We were pleased and surprised to find that Mary had come in from the Isle of Wight. We had a good but all too brief visit.

It was a little eerie to be back in the London airport. Security there still seems much more thorough than here.

We had more space on the night flight to Johannesburg, and both got a little sleep. However, we both arrived a bit groggy, and were promptly set upon by hordes of people obviously not airport employees, who were anxious to direct us in the right direction, for a small gratuity.

We had reserved a hotel, called The Senator, over the Internet. We were even further non-plussed when we got there and the desk clerk said, cryptically, "We've been having Big Brother parties, and there have been complaints about the noise. We're going to move you to The Emperor". The shuttle took us a little further, to a gaudy, glittering hotel with a huge statue of four horses leaping through an enormous fountain.

At this point, it will be obvious that Dick and I don't watch enough TV to figure out that Big Brother is a reality type show, and the Africa version of the show had just ended. It will also be obvious that we don't spend much time in Las Vegas, or we would have recognized a replica of Caesar's. The place was surrounded by a wall and patroledby men with police dogs, and the only auto entry was through a security check point. Even so, the parking lot had guys offering to watch the car, and we were advised not to part in a secluded area of the lot.

Sadie was due in on Friday, so we picked up our rental car at the airport. For some reason, it was hard to find anything but manual transmission. Dick spent an hour driving around the parking lot at the hotel, trying to get a handle on left hand driving.

We weren't quite sure when Sadie was to come in by plane, so we spent yet more time in the Joburg Airport. The Johannesburg airport is one of the least lovely places on the planet. It's dirty, and the sound system blasts unintelligble Afro-pop and old 80's american hits. The food is awful, and Joburg has a higher percentage of noveau riche and white trash, all of whom seem to hang out at the airport. I did find passable coffee, but coffee went rapidly downhill from there.

Dick and I decided we might as well stay at the Emperor on Friday night, in part because everyone uniformly advised us of the dangers of travelling around Johannesburg. Sadie finally arrived, looking brown and lovely, and we all went back to the hotel. Sadie was slightly stunned by the opulence, having spent at least some of her time in Botswana
using an outdoor privy at a house with no electricity.

We had thought we would heading north to Botswana the next morning, but Sadie wanted to wait for her gentleman de jour, who was flying home through Jburg on Saturday. However, instead of spending more bonding time with Jburg International, I said I wanted to go to Sterkfontein Cave, part of a World Heritage archeology site, so we all piled in the car. Dick was still white knuckle driving, but we finally found the cave, and had a wonderful tour. We saw our first Weaverbird nests, and guinea hens, too.

We never did find Sadie's boyfriend, and learned later he got hung up in customs.

South Africa was very strange. It took me awhile to figure out that what I felt so uncomfortable about was the fact that white people did all the sitting jobs and black people did all the standing and stooping

Just a quick note from work to say that Sadie...

January 26, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Just a quick note from work to say that Sadie made it back to school ok. She's probably snuggled deep in her bed catching up on her sleep.
Robbie and I are off to a movie reight now, "A Walk to Remember" I think we'll need our Kleenex! Then tomarrow morning we head up to Portland to help Raven and Cheikh move into their new apartment.

Hi from mom

January 25, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi from mom. Sadie should be getting into Northampton just about now. While Dick and I were at symphony last night, Sadie called, and called again just as we got in to tell us that there was some security breach in St.Louis, which meant that their flight was delayed and she missed the flight into Hartford. They put her in a Ramada Inn, and she was fine. Thank heavens we had made arrangements for her to go back a couple days early (classes start Monday).
Dick and I are going to the Coast this weekend, but hope to have some grandkid time next week or next weekend. Love to all

Another Mocha Friday

January 25, 2002 by Adam in Family

Another Mocha Friday. Sam got a Bionicle Lego character yesterday, so we basically played with the new toy for four hours after I got home. It was fun playing with him, though, and I always appreciate his quirky sense of humor. In the bath, his Bionicle guy was "Sitting the Seven Seas" (instead of "Sailing the Seven Seas"). Not sure where he heard that phrase, but he definately paused and looked at me to see if I got it.

More exciting work meetings today. Our whole team is together, going through various issues. It's a good thing I enjoy what I do, otherwise the various politics involved with getting big projects moving would drive me mad. I think I've been pushing an Internet redesign for a couple years now. May actually happen this year.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I think we'll mostly putter around. I'd like to spend some serious dad-Sam time, possibly going for another hike. For some reason, I feel I haven't really been hanging out with the little guy much this week. With being sick and a few family things, it seems I've been absent more often than usual.

Happy Birthday Isabell! Isa's First birthday...

January 23, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Happy Birthday Isabell! Isa's First birthday was great fun as all the family decended to our house for cake and ice cream. Thank you for all the wonderful presents! Isa's looking quite stylish today in her designer clothes.
Hanni knitted Harry Potter scarves for Robbie, Isa, Sam and Destin! We'll have quite the fmily Quitich (sp?) team soon!

Exciting evening last night

January 23, 2002 by Adam in Family

Exciting evening last night. Jamie was going off with a friend for dinner, while I was trying to make it to Isabell's birthday. It was touch and go, but I managed to entertain Sam, get Sadie's webcam hooked up, assist with dinner, wrap (sort of) a present, do Sam's post-dinner bathroom routine, and get everyone and everything into the car. Whew.

The birthday party was great fun. Lots of family descended on the house. Seraph made a great cake, so seconds were necessary. Sam had a great time playing with Robbie's old Star Wars action figures from when he was a kid.

We rushed home for a quick bath and bedtime by 8 pm. Jamie returned well fed and rested. After a little computer gaming on my part, I went to bed, woke myself up snoring, then retreated to the guest bed so as not to bother Jamie. What a wonderful, quirky life I live.

Massive headache last night

January 22, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Massive headache last night. I kept upping the dosage of Advil until I had well exceeded the recommended amount. This morning, I'm doing my usual cocktail of Advil and coffee to keep me going. Not bad so far.

My time seems to be disappearing again these days. Tonight is Isabell's birthday party, which I'm going to try to get to. I think I'm meeting with mom and my siblings tomorrow night, though I'm not sure about the topic exactly. Maybe I'll have time again this weekend. Work is following a similar trend, with meetings all afternoon and Thursday and Friday completely booked. Sigh.

I walked out the door to go to work today, wh...

January 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

I walked out the door to go to work today, when I found everything covered in snow. I took a few steps through the slush in my normal work outfit, then turned around to put on some sensible clothes. Getting to work wasn't too bad, though the sidewalks were pretty wet with slush. I'm now looking out over campus, the buildings looking like frosted gingerbread houses. Must be time for a morning snack.

Sadie, Dave, and Josh all came over today

January 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sadie, Dave, and Josh all came over today. It was nice having them over to entertain Sam and visit. Jamie started the actual miscarriage today, so it looks like a second ultrasound won't be necessary. I think part of her is glad to get things over with. We both want to move on with our lives. The support everyone has given us has been wonderful. Thank you all.

Tomorrow work starts, which is vaguely disappointing. The more time I spend with my family, the harder it is to leave. We'll probably continue to take it easy over the next week. I'm not sure if we'll make it to Isabell's birthday party, though we'll try.

We had a fun day today

January 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

We had a fun day today. We were mulling over our weekend plans at breakfast this morning, and Jamie suggested we head up into the hills and play in the snow. Sam thought that was a fine idea, so we dressed up warmly and piled into the Subaru. We headed towards Oakridge, and then went another fifteen miles past that. When we found the place where everyone was putting on their chains, we turned around and found a place next to the road to park.

We spent an hour throwing snowballs, building snow structures, and re-enacting the Star Wars scenes that took place on the ice planet Hoth. Jamie plays a pretty good tauntaun, and gave Sam several rides. Sam also found great joy in peeing in the snow. I suppose there's a first time for everything.

I picked up Aliens vs Predator 2 pretty cheap...

January 18, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I picked up Aliens vs Predator 2 pretty cheaply after the Christmas season. I loaded it up the other day and found it immensely gripping. I'm currently playing through the marine mission (there's also one for the alien and predator). It's like living through the Aliens movie, which I thought was the coolest thing when I was a teenager.

In a strange way, it's a useful outlet to my current personal stresses. Most modern problems are solved by internal processing, leaving my good ol' caveman instincts screaming for attention. There's nothing quite like opening up on full auto, watching leaping aliens explode in yellow ichor. Sometimes, Grok just want to smash.

Thanks to all those who sent in notes, flower...

January 18, 2002 by Adam in Family

Thanks to all those who sent in notes, flowers, and reassurances. We're doing better. It helps to think of this as part of life, not unusual or uncommon.

Sam is quite good at convincing us of his utter need for Star Wars Legos. Evidently Jamie and Sam were at Fred Meyers looking for a Boba Fett Lego, but instead found one with two Ewoks, a Stormtrooper, and an Imperial Scout (with speeder bike). Of course Sam had to get one, and it was funny that his wiley ways worked on Jamie too. So, that's what we played with much of last night.

It's Friday, and that means Mocha day. Looking forward to the soothing caffiene. Work continues to be busy, so it may not be much in the way of relaxing.

We sat down with Sam to explain what's been g...

January 16, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We sat down with Sam to explain what's been going on to him. We told him that the new baby wasn't growing right, and that it wasn't strong enough to get big and come out of mom's uterus. "Why?" was his first question, which we tried to answer as simply as we could. "Well, let's have another one," was his solution. We agreed, deciding that Sam was probably smarter than the two of us put together.

After the doctor's appointment yesterday, we ...

January 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

After the doctor's appointment yesterday, we were all feeling a little sad. We hung out in the living room by the fire, ate dessert, and watched cartoons for Sam's sake. I was exhausted and slept from about 7:30 until 5:30 this morning. When I went out to get into my car, I realized we never picked it up. So, I'm here at home until everyone wakes up to take me to work.

I've had a little time to think about things, and I'm feeling better today. I didn't realize how many pregnancies end in miscarriage (somewhere between 25% to 50%), so it's seeming like more of a normal thing. I suppose the downside to genetics is that chance ends up producing fertilized eggs that simply won't turn into a baby. Knowing that miscarrage is a natural thing helps some.

I keep thinking about what happens next, both short term and long term. There are short term things we need to deal with, so I may be a little quiet or absent the next week or two. We still hope to have a second child, though the timing is up in the air. We'll see how things go.

Sad news about the new baby

January 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sad news about the new baby. We went to the doctor's today for the heartbeat visit. While it's not certain, things didn't appear to be developing the way they are supposed to. You can read more here.

Sad news

January 16, 2002 by Adam in Emma

Sad news. We went to the doctor's office today for the appointment to hear the heartbeat. Unfortunately, there was none, and an ultrasound confirmed it. There's a small chance that things just aren't as far along as we thought, so Jamie has a follow-up ultrasound next week. Still, it's likely that this pregnancy is over.

We're still a bit in shock. Last time, we waited quite a ways before telling anyone. I think we weren't expecting problems this time around, so we're having to communicate both the good and the bad news. We still haven't sat down with Sam yet.

I think Jamie would like a little bit of space for awhile. Neither of us have really had time to think about things. I'll keep posting to the best of my ability.

Greetings from Florida, Please share this e-...

January 15, 2002 by Yayoe in Yayoe

Greetings from Florida,
Please share this e-mail with the rest of the family. I can't add them to the address list for some reason. The Cortez' address is not correct..it still lists them as using the pond as their ISP.

It's so wonderful to log onto this website to learn about what you folks are all up to these days. So glad to hear that Jamie is feeling better and that the morning sickness is fading. I'll be at Isabelle's baptism on Sunday but Lohring will still be in Florida racing his boats.He'll return on Monday eveningIF they let him on the airplane.

Dorothy is looking wonderful and keeping very busy. She's cooked up some delicious meals and has planned some fun stuff for us to do. On Sunday we rented a pontoon boat and sailed down the Homosasa River with the mission to sqatter half of Franklin's ashes into the river. The ashes floated out toward the gulf but some of them blew back into the boat.I think it was Franklin's way of being with us and also hitching a ride in the boat on a more permament basis.We were fortunate to have a warm and sunny day to send him off. The other half of the ashes will be buried with a tree in Meadville in March.

We later dropped anchor in a warm part of the river and watched two spectacular manatees swim by. It was awesome. They were so close I could have touched them IF I wanted to jump into the water.

Suspicious looking Lohring got searched and frisked twice while trying to get into the Eugene airport and into the airplane in Phoenix. I almost laughed hysterically but realized that I would be next. I guess he fits the profile of a terrorist. When Dorothy heard that story she said she was also searched at the airport only she was searched when she was in a wheelchair being transported from one terminal to another. I guess the suspicious look just runs in the Miller family! If they try to search me I'll flip out and confess to something but what?

So enough for now. Dorothy's computer is now hooked up. Please write to her with time permits. I'll see you folks on Sunday. I hope this baptism stuff for Isabelle means she will be Bat-mitsvah'd when she is 13! Adios/Sayonara

I had a dream last night that I was a god

January 14, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I had a dream last night that I was a god. Evidently, it wasn't such a big deal, because I was at a big convention center where all the other gods turned out. They had seating according to how good or evil you were, putting those that were really good on one side of the room, the evil on the other, and those that were neutral in the middle. I was somewhere between the good and neutral side, which probably reflects my true personality.

There was more, but I don't really remember much. I think I had some cool godly powers, but they unfortunately didn't carry forward to my typical workday. Sigh.

And so another weekend ends

January 14, 2002 by Adam in Family

And so another weekend ends. Jamie and I had a nice Saturday breakfast together, after trucking Sam off to grandma Sue's house. It was a little hard, as he was in such a good mood that we didn't want to let him go. The rest of the day was spent running errands. Sam and I got our hair cut and we picked out a new dresser for Sam (after he almost dropped a drawer on his foot from his current one).

Sunday was equally lazy. Sam and I played for most of the day, going off on a hike at one point. It was pretty cold on the Ridgeline Trail. We shared some bagels and told stories from the Lord of the Rings as we trudged along.

Jamie's arranged for a date for us tonight. Angie's watching Sam while we go off somewhere mysterious. Should be fun.

Sam was explaining how a Lego spaceship we ju...

January 14, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam was explaining how a Lego spaceship we just put together worked. He talked about the elaborate relationships between the various engines, ending with "It's complicated."

Jamie let me know yesterday that she and Sam ...

January 12, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Jamie let me know yesterday that she and Sam would be heading to the beach in early February. Fortunately, that coincides with the time my preorder for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault should be arriving. It's a first person shooter, based in World War II, and is getting rave reviews from everyone who sees it. So, if anyone wonders where I'll be in early February, I'll be drinking beer and storming the beaches at Omaha.

The new baby keeps growing every day

January 11, 2002 by Adam in Emma

The new baby keeps growing every day. Jamie's got a noticeable bump, so she's wearing maternity clothes most of the time. I think the nausea is finally tapering off, though she's still tired from time to time. I'm excited for next week, as we have an appointment to hear the heartbeat.

We're also working on having Sam become as independent as we can. Dressing, potty training, and being generally helpful are high on our list. We also do playacting with Sam's doll Emma. Of course, he did try to run over one of his little babies with the monster truck. I had to tickle him a lot for that one.

Ah, Fridays

January 11, 2002 by Adam in Family

Ah, Fridays. The one day where I let myself drink a mocha and cruise through the day in caffinated bliss. It's been a good day at work, whipping out code and listening to bif naked. Coupled with my new black leather jacket, I feel much cooler than I really am.

I had a hard time with Sam last night. I was a tired, he was tired, and we ended up getting on each other's nerves for awhile. I also ended up injuring myself in a dumb way, involving an impromptu cardboard box slide on our stairs. Note to self: sliding upside down while holding a child and only your skull to cushion the blow is not a good idea. I begged Jamie for a half hour so that I could take a bath, afterwards which I felt much better.

Jamie took off to watch television with a friend, while Sam and I hung out in a much more subdued way. We played a funky Lego game for awhile, then watched Friends together. "Why do you sometimes watch silly shows?" was all he asked afterwards.

I tucked him into bed, told him a story of high adventure involving Tommy and Tess, and he fell asleep next to me. I love being a dad.

This week seems to have turned into a series ...

January 10, 2002 by Adam in Family

This week seems to have turned into a series of busy days. Last night, Sadie came over to work on her Botswana project while I tried to manage Sam. He was tired all day, and was a bit on the frantic side in the evening. He wanted to pretend to be an "evil guest" for awhile, whatever that is. Later on, we slid down a flattened box we'd put on the stairs. Much cooler than the Christmas present that was inside.

Jamie was out last night giving an orientation for Tiny Tots. Tonight she's going to Victoria's to watch television. I'm hoping to take Sam shopping tonight. I think we'll just crash this weekend as best we can.

Come One, Come All! Isa's baptism is next Su...

January 08, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Come One, Come All! Isa's baptism is next Suday during our church service (starts at 9:30am). Hanni is hosting a brunch after the service. The location will be discussed at that time

Happy New Year to all

January 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

Happy New Year to all. Over the last few days leading up to the weekend, I've been discovering presents at my desk. They were from Jamie, but I was mystified as to how they got there. The person in the next cubicle would call me over, then I'd return a minute later to find a present next to my keyboard. Jamie wouldn't say how she did it, and I still haven't found out. On Friday, I was wisked away by her for a romantic evening. All very cool.

Saturday was a bit quiet. All of us went swimming, then hung out at the house. I finally managed to get my new computer hooked up to the Internet, and I cleaned "the nerd cave" at the same time. No big plans for today. Probably just hang out as a family.

After much fiddling and lots of patience by J...

January 06, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

After much fiddling and lots of patience by Jamie who watched Sam for several hours, I finally got Internet Connection Sharing set up on my main computer. I can now access the Internet from my new Windows XP computer, which I haven't been able to do for several months. I promptly updated all the security patches, surfed the net, and generally enjoyed myself. Great fun.

The nerd gene is strong in Sam

January 04, 2002 by Adam in Sam

The nerd gene is strong in Sam. Last night, Sam and I discovered all the online games on the Lego site. He was instantly addicted, even though many of the games were too hard for him. Jamie called and evidently it was the first thing he wanted to do when he woke up, even before breakfast.

I picked up a couple cheap Lego games for Sam from a clearance sale that Amazon was doing. Hopefully those will entertain him for awhile.

Isa is now walking and escaping all situation...

January 04, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Isa is now walking and escaping all situations at great speed! Yesterday she got out of her car seat without unbuckling it. Robbie was driving and heard her cry. When he turned around she was sitting on the back seat! We proptly upgraded to the larger, and more difficult to escape from, carseat.

She has also been taking a few steps here and there the last week or so, but last night we decided she is offically "walking." As, she went across the family room by herself with no prompting from us. I guess now the really exciting times begin!

We were eating dinner last night and Sam aske...

January 03, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We were eating dinner last night and Sam asked for some bread without any crust. "Here's the juicy insides," said Jamie as she handed it to him. "Mmmm, brains!" Sam exclaimed as he stuffed it into his mouth.

I did a small amount of project work over the...

January 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

I did a small amount of project work over the holiday break. Almost all of it was spent watching Sam, which means that many tasks were left undone. I did drill holes in the living room floor to run the rear speaker wires through. It looks lots better.

I also moved the Lego computer up into the craft room, which Sam immediately thought was cool. He'd turn it on himself, then sit in his antique writing desk playing the Elmo game. The only thing that was lacking was speakers, so I bought some cheap ones that should be arriving soon. After we move all his games up too, Sam should be able to play on his computer while Jamie scrapbooks away!

I'm also waiting to get my hands on Seraph and Robbie's computer. I've promised them a computer upgrade for Christmas, and I have a new video card, motherboard, processor, and memory to stick in. Should be fun.

Over the Christmas break, I actually got a ch...

January 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Over the Christmas break, I actually got a chance to play a few games. I found a super deal site and bought four pretty good games for fifty bucks. I finished The Longest Journey, one of the better adventure games I've played in quite some time. I also picked up Civilization 3, which is way too addictive. Finally, I got Rune and Wheel of Time, both fantasy action games. I've been pleased with them in general, though I've been comparing them to games that are coming out right around the corner.

Towards the end of this month, I should be getting Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which is getting good previews in the gaming press. Then it's a long dry spell until some of the year's big hitters: Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Seige, and Warcraft III are all at the top of my list. Should be a fun year.

I've been sick the last couple days

January 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I've been sick the last couple days. Last night, I came home from work and started in on the Advil. By the time I got Sam to bed at 8pm, I fell asleep on the couch. I think I slept nearly ten hours straight.

Work has been crazy busy the last couple weeks. I'm hoping today quiets down a bit. My head still hurts a little. I'm holding off on the coffee, as I partook far too much over the holidays. It feels good to get back to the normal exercise routine.

Yesterday, Sadie was over visiting

January 01, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Yesterday, Sadie was over visiting. Sam spontaneously moved his two fingers in front of him and said to her, "You will come upstairs and play with me." Sadie was initially confused, then I explained that he was using the Jedi mind trick on her. Needless to say, it worked like a charm after we stopped laughing.