Mocha Friday

February 15, 2019 by Adam in Family

It's late Friday afternoon before a long weekend.  The week slowly improved - we were all a little sick and my mood improved with my health.  Yesterday we passed around Valentine's goodies.  I got flowers for Joanna.  She got cards and candy for the kids and I.  I think we also sorted out some insurance issues, Joanna doing battle to figure out if they'd cover something.  I think the end result is we probably can afford buying a second car - I suspect a Subaru Outback is in our future, but we'll see.

Kate Weaver was let go from Health Catalyst today, which is sad.  I've known her since middle school, working together at PeaceHealth for a long while too.

Last night I was so sleepy.  Emma was playing an old Lucasarts point-and-click adventure next to me and I closed my eyes and conked out.  Eventually she sent me to bed, where I napped, woke up to watch a show with Joanna, and conked out again.

My work projects are coming along nicely.  From time to time I feel like I might be a comptent developer.

Worn Out

February 12, 2019 by Adam in Family

Joanna and I are both a little worn out.  Ben hasn't been in school for the last couple days, reporting that their legs are hurting.  They hung out in my office for most of yesterday, drawing and listening to music as I went through my day's meetings.  I've also had headaches the last couple of days, though I'm not sure it's stress or a cold.  Plus the cat woke me up at four this morning.

That being said, we're all alive and well.  I managed some good hang out time with the kids over the weekend.  Emma and I played through a couple artsy games - Doughnut County and one that was hand drawn that I can't pronounce.  Mom came over Sunday and my dad came over last night.  Joanna was teaching a class last night, so I appreciated Sam stepping up and helping Duncan with his vision therapy.  I spent the time chatting with my dad about replacement vehicles for the minivan.  I suspect an Outback may be in our future.

Work is moving at a steady pace.  I break things.  I fix things.  The cycle of life continues.

Hoping for Springtime

February 08, 2019 by Adam in Family

I have some bulbs popping up next my office - I secretly root for them every time I walk by.

It's been an occasionally exhausing week.  Things with Ben have been a bit rough.  Joanna and I went on a date and I noticed the tire was flat on our way out.  Sam continues to be swollen and achy from his wisdom teeth removal.  I've had a few headaches.

That being said, we're all alive and generally hanging in there.  My latest complicated work project is getting in front of people to start poking at.  Health Catalyst is officially a "unicorn" company, valued at more than a billion dollars.  Hopefully that means things will continue to go well.

Tomorrow is mocha Friday and I'm hoping to have coffee with mom to boot.  Hopefully we have a quiet weekend after that.

Not So Wise

February 06, 2019 by Adam in Sam

Sam had his wisdom teeth taken out today.  We took him to the oral surgeon first thing in the morning.  He remembers getting a shot of medication in his IV and then nothing until I met him in the recovery room.  He was pretty groggy and I had to help him put his shirt on like when he was little.  I got him settled down watching Netflix, sipping water and taking it easy.

Jamie came over, bringing a basket of assorted foods, Emma's favorite stuffed animal, and a get well card that Emma made.  I think Sam appreciated the company, as he was feeling pretty lousy.

He moved from Austin Powers to World War 2 documentaries.  Towards the evening Skye came over to keep him company.  I made him a peanut butter milkshake and applesauce for dinner.  We asserted that our good smelling solid food was actually terrible and chastised Joanna for her terrible cooking.

He's working to stay on top of his pain meds.  Tomorrow is warm soup and scrambled eggs.  Hopefully he can work back to normal food soon enough.

Snowy Monday

February 04, 2019 by Adam in Family

It snowed last night, blanketing our little town in white.  We still have school, to the kids' dismay - the roads are fine and nothing is sticking to the concrete.  Sure looks pretty, though.

We had a generally good weekend.  Sam was around, which was a treat.  Emma is still recovering from being sick, so Saturday was low-key with the usual Mythbusters and Adam Ruins Everything.  Joanna went to talk at a service, getting all gussied up in a dress and makeup, which she seemed vaguely resigned to do in order to be presentable.

Sunday was the usual big breakfast, followed by a trip to get a battery for Sam's van.  He put it on Craigslist for sale, a mixture of not needing a vehicle and the cost of fueling up the van.  We went to Lowe's to get a new kitchen sink faucet, which Sam mostly installed for me while I offered advice and handed him parts.  For our reward, Sam, Emma, and I walked over to 16 Tons for coffee and lunch, playing Magic the Gathering, Give me the Brain, and Coop.  I really enjoyed it.

The day wound down with laundry, video games, and Joanna going off to get her office put together.  Emma broke her phone screen, which made her feel sad and guilty.  We'll fix it next weekend.  Skye returned from their mom's house, so Sam wandered over.

I've got some interesting work queued up for me at work - it'll probably take most of the week to truly finish up my big security switchover, but it's getting closer.

Mochaless Friday

February 01, 2019 by Adam in Family

I didn't manage a mocha today.  I couldn't eat or drink before a blood test - the usual work-recommended one that gives me an insurance break.  Afterward I got together with coworkers for breakfast and scarfed down an omelette and coffee.

It's a no-school day.  Joanna's been running Benny around to appointments and Duncan has a friend over.  Emma's been sick the last couple days, which makes her a little anxious as she missed midterms.  Hopefully she feels better by Monday.

Not much excitement these days.  Work is going along nicely.  I'm playing and really enjoying God of War.  The usual dishes, laundry, and feeding children keep me busy.  Joanna and Benny are going to a concert tonight.  Emma might come over.  Hopefully I see Sam a bit over the weekend - he's off and about more and more.

Mid-winter updates

January 31, 2019 by Seraph in Cortez

Just a couple of updates on the Cortez household. Isabell has enrolled at Fort Lewis College in Colorado next fall. A friend of hers is also going and they are hoping to be dorm mates. Her senior year is dwindling away, and she's added a job with the school's history department a few days each week.

Robbie's year has been busy. His class has finished their winter testing and he's getting a new student tomorrow. He's been having fun reading a lot of books about Alaska and wants to add a trip to his bucket list.

I head back to work on Friday, and I'm already dreading the endless paperwork to catch up on. I am looking forward to hugs from all my students. I also had the first of two basal cell carcinomas removed today. The other surgery will be next week. This first one is at my hairline and I'm not allowed to wash my hair for a 2 days. I hope the world is ready for crazy hair days! The second one is right under my eye. I think I'll wear a pirate eye patch for a few days so my students chalk it up to the usual Mrs. Cortez looney behavior, instead of my slow morph into Frankinstein.

We've had a real winter this year and stay warm under the piles of our furry animals (cats, dogs, and now a rabbit). I'm definitely looking forward to spring!

Midweek Update

January 30, 2019 by Adam in Family

The week has been somewhat uneventful.  Duncan's started working with robots in his Bits, Beats, and Bots class.  Hopefully they don't become self-aware and take over the world.  Ben has been sick and watching a lot of Star Trek, occasionally doing homework.  Joanna looks a little worn out between getting her office ready and taking care of Ben.  

I had fun chatting with my dad, though it was a little shorter than usual as I helped Duncan with his vision exercises.  We were both a little bored, so I had him balance on the exercise ball while reading letters from a piece of paper I whirled about.  I should make an 80's training montage out of it.

I finished my Spiderman game and started God of War.  It's a story about fathers and sons, with fighting monsters.  I keep thinking of Sam when we would go to Spencer's Butte and I'd pretend there were orcs hiding in the bushes to try to get him to hike along with me.

Monday, Monday

January 28, 2019 by Adam in Family

It was a generally good weekend.  Sam and Skye hung out with us for a couple dinners.  Emma played way too much Spiderman on the PS4.  Duncan played a ton of Minecraft and hung out with his friend.  Ben went to a Spark academy thing and later worked on building some machine using their hand-held 3D printer.  Joanna dutifully went food shopping and cleaned her office.

There were some fun highlights this weekend.  I got everyone to play One Night Ultimate Alien, which ended up being lots of fun.  Emma and I went down into the basement and played some of our classic games we played as kids - radioactive ball, obstacle course, jumping on the foof, and she even gave me a brief airplane ride.  Later on Sunday Emma drove around, still remembering her driving skills.  My mom came over for dinner and we chatted about her parents while studying for Emma's AP US History class.

Mocha Friday

January 25, 2019 by Adam in Family

It's the end of the work week.  Somehow I managed to scoop out our old security system and mostly replace it with a new one that's a lot more complicated.  Hopefully it'll be worth it.  My mocha waits patiently beside me, ready to be imbibed.

It's been a generally okay week.  Sam and Skye came over for dinner a couple nights, which was nice.  Ben had some anxiety issues and was picked up from school early.  Duncan is his usual funny, cheerful self.  He's been dutifully doing his eye exercises in hopes of fixing some focus issues that were pointed out by Dr. Arbow.  Emma arrived in the afternoon, declaring that she'll walk home from school despite the hill - she'd been calling and asking for a ride most weeks.  Joanna was asked to speak at a service the Saturday after next, which she looks forward to. 

We're still using the one car, generally pretty well.  Between taxes and some of our medical expenses, we're not quite sure how much cash we have on hand.  Our neighborhood is filled with Priuses and Outbacks and we might just get one to blend in properly.