Applesauce

September 18, 2023 by Adam in Family

It was a quiet weekend as expected, with the highlight being making applesauce with Jo.  I love the little machine that cores, peels, and slices the apples in seconds.  We also stuck some in the humidifier and soon will join the dried figs I've been working my way through.

I've been slowly printing miniatures for the next campaign, listening to Pathfinder podcasts, and playing Baldur's Gate 3.  The table saw that's been taking up space in our garage has finally been returned to the neighbors'.  It's the last week before school for Emma and Duncan.  The seasons continue marching on.

Mocha Friday

September 15, 2023 by Adam in Family

The end of summer is creeping up, though we continue to get the occasional 90 degree days.  Emma's off to Bend for the final trip of the season tomorrow.    The two of us went for a Hideaway coffee and game run yesterday just to hang out for a little.  Ben's already knee-deep in high school, mostly adjusting to his first week.  Duncan's school starts right around the corner.

As for me I've been puttering along.  I had a physical and flu shot, both of which went fine.  I've started a new podcast of people playing Pathfinder that keeps me entertained as I do dishes and make dinners.  At lunch I run and watch One Piece, which is full of silly pirate action.  Baldur's Gate 3 continues to entertain.  I've started printing miniatures for the next family D&D game.  My nerdy life continues on in joyous revelry.

Low-Key Weekend

September 11, 2023 by Adam in Family

It was a good weekend, D&D on Saturday and hanging out on Sunday.  Seeing the family group again after a couple weeks away was a treat - their adventuring party managed to stay alive another day.  Sunday Jo and I managed some dirty home maintenance tasks - they disassembled and cleaned the heat pump heads while I cleaned the sewage ejector pump.  Emma and I went to the library with her driving.  The afternoon felt like one of those lazy summer days, puttering in the garden, doing some art, and playing video games.  It was lovely.

Now I'm back to work, fixing bugs and getting things done.

First Day of School

September 07, 2023 by Adam in Ben

Ben started his junior year this morning.  He was cheerful and got himself ready to go with plenty of time to walk down the hill to school, stopping by the neighbor's house to take care of their cat.

Emma and Duncan start in a couple more weeks.  It's strange being down to just one kid in high school.

Home Sweet Home

September 06, 2023 by Adam in Family

Our last day in Chicago was low-key, hanging out in a coffee shop for a couple hours before the comic book store open.  The owner was great and chatty and we ended up buying a new D&D campaign that Emma said she's play solo with me.  Next up was a cute little bookstore that was fun to browse though we returned with just a little present for Jo.  Then the blue line to the airport, followed by lots of wandering through the terminals until we found our gate and waited the hours until our departure.

Emma was a great traveler, all the planes were on time, and I managed a little shut eye on the last leg so the drive home at midnight wasn't too bad.  Sleeping in a quiet, comfortable bed was lovely.  Now I'm wading through the vast quantity of emails at work - hopefully I get through them before too long.

Heading Home

September 05, 2023 by Adam in Family

We're wrapping up our whirlwind Chicago trip, about to leave our Airbnb.  It seemed a bit on the expensive side, but it's served us well and was generally comfortable and close to the train station.

The last couple days we'd meet up with our Chicago son to have breakfast and then head downtown. Sunday was the Art Institute, which had an amazing selection of medieval armor, weapons, and art.  Seeing things in person that I'd only seen in pictures was cool.  The miniature rooms in the basement were remarkable as well.  Monday we went to the aquarium where they had a huge tank of beluga whales.  Passing through the Pacific Northwest exhibit was amusing - the pine trees and ferns looked a little worse for wear.  We didn't stay too long and headed home for an afternoon of two Fast and Furious movies.  After picking up dinner and chatting a bit, we said our final farewells and turned in for the night.

We have a day of puttering around as our flight doesn't leave until after dinner.  Mostly we plan on staying in cafes and bookstores as long as they'll let us.  We may be forced to keep ordering mochas as payment.  

Hopefully all goes well and we'll return home a bit after midnight.  Theoretically I work tomorrow but we'll see how functional I actually am.

Architectural River Tour

September 02, 2023 by Adam in Family

We headed out again for our regularly scheduled tourist attraction, making our way by train and bus to Navy Pier.  It was pretty quiet - we wandered around the pier and picked up a Chicago hat for Emma.  The tour was entertaining, more educational than expected.  Our Chicago son pointed out the buildings he'd worked in and took us down to the sub-level below the main street where the workers keep the skyscrapers running.  Now we're back at the Airbnb hanging out.  I think we'll try the board game and food place for dinner down the street for dinner.

Field Museum

September 01, 2023 by Adam in Family

It was off to the Field Museum this morning, the three of us taking the blue line into the Loop, the bus running late, and a long walk down to the lakefront.  We started somewhat worn out and Emma didn't sleep great, so we had an early lunch and cup of coffee before beginning the epic journey through as many exhibits as we could manage by the end of the day.

We spent quite a bit of time in the archeology exhibits - The early kings of Europe, Mezoamerica, North America, China, Egypt and Africa.  They were generally excellent, with a surprising range of artifacts.  Eventually we made it to the dinosaur exhibit, the plants, and animals.  There was far too much to see in a single day but we got pretty far, especially through the excellent exhibits.

Eventually we called it a day and took the bus and an overflowing train back to our stop, squeezing out slowly through the mass of bodies.  Then it was dinner and winding down with a show, preparing for an architectural boat tour tomorrow.  The fun never ends!

Chicago

August 31, 2023 by Adam in Family

Emma and I woke up early yesterday to hop on the airplane to Chicago. All our flights went well and we slowly made our way to the train station. Our only hiccup was the vending machine that sold train passes was out of order but we figured it out and took the blue line to our Airbnb. The boy met us and we had an evening of poke bowls, grocery shopping and catching up. Eventually he left and Emma and I conked out in our respective rooms.

This morning Emma made pancakes for everyone after not quite enough sleep. Soon the three of us were playing various RPGs and doing funny voices. We took a break to go on a long walk to get train cards and meet up with my coworker Jess for lunch. We chatted away mostly not about work and gobbled delicious vegetarian quesadillas.

Now we're crashing back at our place in a food coma. Time to schedule our touristy things soon.

Old Friends

August 29, 2023 by Adam in Adam

It was the late 80's and I was living with my girlfriend Rachel and our mutual friend BJ in a house by the fairgrounds.  We'd collectively hang out with Rachel's brother Jason, her friend Bridget, and a family friend Colin as we were all roughly the same age.  Though Rachel and I broke up, I kept her brother - Jason, Colin and I swam at Fall Creek, played Car Wars and Cyberpunk 2020, saw Akira in the theater, played early PC games, and generally had a great time.

Now Jason and Bridget are married with two girls.  Colin and his wife Suzanna live in Germany with their two boys.  Last night we descended on the Beer Stein for Colin's birthday to celebrate and wax nostalgic for old times.  Jo came along and patiently listened to our in jokes and references to mischief we got up to long ago.  Colin and BJ's parents were there too, the generation ahead of us, slowly getting older.  Some of them I haven't seen in thirty years.  It was a lovely, wistful night.