Vaccine Mocha Friday

May 07, 2021 by Adam in Family

I'm surviving my post-COVID vaccine symptoms, which are mild if a little annoying.  My stomach feels out of sorts and I'm a little tired, but otherwise I'm just taking it easy today.  I had my mocha, which was nice, helped Ben with math, worked a little, had my arteries ultrasounded, and I'll be off to slowly treadmill before lunch.

The Eugene household of Ben, Leia, and I continue on.  I haven't been pushing school too much, though I think he occasionally attends classes.  Yesterday was Jackbox games with a friend from Argentina and another from California.  I played a little Monster Train as I was feeling pretty worn out, stopping only to make a meal from Purple Carrot for the two of us.

I think the Portland household of Joanna and Duncan has been a little rougher this week.  Things aren't going as well as hoped with the new program and we're not sure what the next steps are, if any.

I look forward to the summer and life hopefully starting to return to normal.  This weekend's Mother Day at the farm is a step in that direction.  Maybe I can see Sam.  Getting out and about in the world again seems like waking up from a long, strange dream.

Second Dose

May 06, 2021 by Adam in Adam

And today I had my second dose.  I feel a little funny, but nothing too bad.  Same person at Wallgreens - he made some comment that everyone he was seeing today was getting their second shot.  It's nice to finally get to the end of this thing, though theoretically it'll be a couple more weeks until we can go out into the world.

Work's been a little stressful lately.  Our team has been asked to shrink by two people, which is quite a bit from our current five.  There are good openings within the company and there's a reasonable chance I'll stay where I am, but it still means our team is going to change.  I've really grown to appreciate the people I work with - work has kept me sane this last year and has been one of the few things that has been relatively stable and calm.

May the Fourth Be With You

May 04, 2021 by Adam in Family

The weekend was a mix of exciting, frustrating, and relaxing.  Joanna forgot to close the garage door, so someone walked in and stole our electric chainsaw.  They didn't take any safety gear, but fortunately didn't take any batteries either, so hopefully they can't hurt themselves.  The police came and we gave them the camera footage, but it seems unlikely anything will come of it.

After a hearty breakfast, Duncan's friend Nichole came over and we all headed down to the library for an outdoor murder mystery.  It sounded cool, but sadly turned into a march around downtown for an hour, giving up, and going for bubble tea.  At least Duncan had a good time hanging out with a friend and the usual pizza night was much appreciated.

Sunday was somewhat relaxing - a little homework, watching Ben and Emma play games, Duncan playing Minecraft with his dad, a walk with Joanna, puttering in the garden, and a movie in the evening.  It's always hard when Joanna and Duncan head to Portland, but we keep doing the best we can.

Polaroids at Dawn

April 30, 2021 by Adam in Family

Ben woke me up this morning in a hopeful way, asking if he could go on to the balcony to take pictures of the sunrise.  We hung out in the crisp morning air for a long while, chatting about the trees and the clouds and the city around us.  I watered the balcony garden, which is doing very well.  Taking a moment to appreciate the world around us was much appreciated.  Too much this week has been frantically crossing things off my list or rushing to another appointment.

Duncan and Joanna come home tonight, along with Emma from her mom's.  Our quiet week will get more exciting and perhaps a little messier, though I miss everyone when they're away.  Tomorrow we've got a murdery mystery around the library to solve, along with a multi-part mailed murder mystery that Ben got for his birthday.  Should be entertaining.

I picked up mom from the airport - it was nice to see her again.  I had a physical this week, which went well, though of course my doctor wants more tests to make sure everything's okay.  I suppose she'll want me to stop sniffing glue next.  I get my second COVID shot next week too, hopefully doing my part to get Lane County back from the extreme risk category.  It's nice to finally feel like this disaster is coming to a close.

Visiting the Farm

April 26, 2021 by Adam in Family

Weekends are always a whirlwind of activity in contrast to the usually quiet weekdays.  Duncan and Joanna arrived Friday afternoon, Leia becoming silent again and Data excited to be home, flopping down in the middle of the floor.  We did our usual routine of fancy breakfasts - waffles Saturday and crepes on Sunday, along with pizza and anime/science Saturday night.  Duncan hung out with a friend.  Joanna did some work on the farm.  Ben, Emma, and I went to the farm Sunday to play with chickens and walk through the woods.  Dad came over for dinner Sunday night, entertaining Ben in particular with tales of aviation, space, and engineering.

Today's a little frantic with endless work meetings, taking Ben to and from school, getting mom from the airport, and trying to get some actual work done.  I think I'm finally understanding this complicated feature - my brain is full of numerators and denominators and filtering now.

Photoshoot!

April 25, 2021 by Adam in Emma

Emma and I had a photoshoot this morning, getting something ready for her senior picture.  The one in front of the azaleas was the best looking, but I was fond of the cabbage background myself.

Mocha Friday

April 23, 2021 by Adam in Family

I never would have gotten a Spotify subscription for myself, but Joanna likes it and got us all a family subscription.  Little did I know just how many sea shanties were out there, not to mention bluegrass covers of Eye of the Tiger.  I try not to think too hard about all our subscription services, but this one has turned out to be pretty cool.

Life continues, with all its ups and downs.  Duncan knew the South Eugene student killed in a car accident this week, rooming with him at Newport Academy.  We talked to the kids' parents over Zoom earlier this year.  Too many losses this last year.

At the same time, Ben's doing great in math and shooting for an A+. His enthusiasm for French isn't quite there, but he's doing okay in art and science.  He's also been a good sport this week, going to endless appointments, helping with dinner, and being a scifi binge watch buddy.

Emma calls every day - we chat about chemistry, gardening, and the ordinary things we do each day.  Joanna, Duncan, and Data arrive for dinner tonight.  It'll be nice to get the crew back together again.

New Normal

April 22, 2021 by Adam in Family

Life seems to have a steady stream of new normals.  Joanna and I chat over video and exchange text messages throughout the day. 

Ben and I have our computers nearby. He'll occasionally laugh at my meeting comments and I have to explain that my local coworker was amused by my Shrek joke.  Monday Ben cooked dinner and served me the last of the birthday cake, which was very nice.  We chatted about helicopters on mars, talked about school, and continued our epic Expanse watching spree.

I occasionally get away from my desk sneak outside into our garden which is in full bloom.  I put up the hammock an briefly tested it out before work called me back.  I've got interesting little problems and puzzles to work on, as always.

Tomorrow brings the whirlwind of Emma, Duncan, and Joanna, not to mention Data.  Leia's personality has changed with everyone's absence.  She's far more vocal, unfortunately in the middle of the night sometimes, and very needy in terms of pets and attention.  I can sympathize.

Vaccinated

April 19, 2021 by Adam in Emma

I took Emma down to get her first COVID shot.  It was at the WOW Hall, which normally does a lot of concerts, so it was way cooler than Walgreens where I got mine.  The live band was nice, as were the bleachers and general ambiance.  They seemed more organized than Walgreens, with a timer for the 15 minute wait.  Mine was a chair in the store and it was up to us to leave after 15 minutes, or I guess gasp for air and stumble to the nearest employee.

Trials and Tribulations

April 19, 2021 by Adam in Family

We continue to muddle through, as best we can.  Duncan had a hard weekend and we weren't quite sure if he needed a different level of care, but we opted for the existing program as that's where he seemed to be doing best.  He and Joanna headed up to Portland again this morning and hopefully things go better this week.

As for the rest of the weekend, Ben celebrated birthday festivities with Chloe and Francis, eating cake and going to an escape room with a Russian biohazard theme called the Red Scare.  They didn't escape, but I think they enjoyed themselves.

Ben, Emma, and I hung out quite a bit, watching shows, playing games, and generally having a good time.  Ben's been working on art projects, getting some fancy china for his birthday that he's been attaching clay fingers, eyes, and mouths too.  It's creepy, but awesome looking.

Joanna continues gardening projects and is quite happy at how much produce has appeared recently.  I was compelled to eat freshly harvested greens in my salad, which was quite tasty.

Lots of running around today.  Ben's headed to school shortly.  I'm taking Emma in for her first COVID shot.  Hopefully things quite down by this evening, just Ben, Leia, and I.