Mocha Friday

August 29, 2025 by Adam in Family

I just finished the last gulp from my mocha, which was delicious and much appreciated.  It's been a busy week - I'm on call and was already dealing with issues from the week before, so I've been feeling a little frantic trying to take care of all the things.  Hopefully I get through the weekend unscathed - theoretically I'll have Monday off and won't be on call.

Jo's off to a three day event.  Yvonne rode her bike around the neighborhood as she explores transportation options - I think we'll get an electric bike conversion kit for it as the hills around our house are pretty steep.  I also want to help her prep for her math placement test and get her signed up for fall classes.  Duncan's been working for his Minecraft YouTube person doing his usual editing and Minecraft magic.  Emma had a job interview at a nearby winery for a paid internship - she said it went well but won't have news for awhile.

This weekend is Delta Green, which I'm super excited for.  Emma and I have some car things to sort out before she can drive the Subaru away, and we need to take photos for our Canadian passports.  There's also a fun puzzle game we've been itching to get back to.

I hear the farm property is coming along, with the demolition of the old house starting soon.  My oldest kid continues to wrangle all the various contractors and keep things moving along.  I still want to go out there and get a sense of the progress.

Exciting Weekend

August 25, 2025 by Adam in Family

It was a full weekend.  Friday had Emma and I playing Blue Prince again, unraveling yet more secrets.  I made crepes in the morning for everyone, then Emma went to pick up Francis and spend the night in eastern Oregon with the aunts, uncles, cousins, horses, and doggies out at the ranch.  Both of them got to ride around for awhile, which I think was a treat for them both.  The fires were bad around there and everyone was helping with evacuations and moving horses, since Emma's aunt Wendy is a vet, but the air was clear where they stayed.

As for the Eugene crowd, I puttered around until Jo was free, then we headed to Wordcrafters to fix the plumbing before heading to the Subaru car dealership where we bought a low-mileage used Outback.  We'll pass along the old Subaru to Emma and then maybe donate the Sentra since no one seems to want it.

I got some quality puttering around time on Sunday, playing Abiotic Factor and generating some more images for an upcoming Delta Green game.  Emma came home that afternoon and she unloaded her truck, worked on her Canadian passport, and wandered off to her mom's house.  We had a big Sunday dinner and Yvonne's friend Liria made us creme brule which was delicious.

Now it's back to work - I'm on call this week so hopefully it's not too exciting.  Lots of bugs for me to fix and things on my plate to deal with, so we'll see how far I get.

Mocha Friday

August 22, 2025 by Adam in Family

It's been a full week.  I've had to wear my big boy pants at work, jumping onto customer calls, pouring through logs to find clues to problems, and digging through unfamiliar code to find potential bugs.  Microsoft seems to have decided I'm useful and my manager said nice things about me at my annual review, so that was cool.

I've got a bunch of house/financial things going on that I need to follow up on - some days I wish I didn't have to adult quite so much.  We're reviewing insurance, looking to install another heat pump, and looking to get a newer used Outback for Jo.

The kids are generally doing well, with Yvonne's Canadian friend hanging out this week for a visit.  Emma's going off with Francis to Bend for the weekend.  The farm project continues, with demo of the old house planned for next week.

As for me, I'm trying to sneak in the occasional video game playing time and do a little side prep for my roleplaying games.  Everyone's been busy this month, but Delta Green starts in another week and D&D the week after.  I'm itching to get together with everyone to hang out and do silly things.

Beach Trip Weekend

August 18, 2025 by Adam in Family

It was a nice three day weekend, visiting dad and Ana at the coast.  Friday morning I puttered around, slowly packing and sneaking in the occasional video game.  Emma was dropped off and we headed out of town - me trying to figure out Tesla's autopilot and Emma DJing our Spotify list.  We made it there before dinner and began our official beach hangout.

Saturday Emma and I headed into Lincoln City, where we hit up a couple thrift stores along with Robert's Bookstore.  The latter was amazing, miles of shelves with fascinating artifacts tucked away everywhere - author signatures, archeological artifacts, and more.  We spent the most time there, though only returned with a couple books.  We hung out again in the evening, mostly chatting, though dad foisted an antique typewriter and slide projector on us.  We'll see if it turns into a project of some sort or another.

Sunday we returned home, stopping by Newport's Irish Pub for lunch, and I returned to ordinary life once again.  Jo had been busy making jam and juicing apples in my absence.  Now I'm back to work, trying to remember how to write code and get things accomplished.

Road Trip Mocha Friday

August 15, 2025 by Adam in Family

It's been a somewhat exciting week, but I'm glad to have taken the day off to have a leisurely morning that started with blueberry pancakes and a mocha, followed by a mix of video games, house projects, and preparing for a coast trip with Emma.  I've got an appointment with Alpine Heating next week to install a second heat pump, got the American flag stuck up again, and am looking into getting cheaper insurance.  I also started playing Abiotic Factor, which feels like a throwback to playing the original Half Life, just with some base building and crafting thrown in for fun.

As for the trip, the plan is to hang out in Lincoln City, see dad an Ana, and poke around thrift shops and bookstores.  It'll be a nice change from the relative frantic valley life.  I welcome rainy, cool beach weather for a change.

Back to Work Tuesday

August 12, 2025 by Adam in Family

It was a generally exciting weekend with an extra day to get some things done.  Saturday I went on a hike with my eldest kid, braving the heat to wander Ridgeline Trail and talk about life.  Sunday Jo and I went to the Shelton-McMurphy-Johnson house for high tea, which was very fancy and tasty.  I managed to finish up Horizon Forbidden West by the end of the weekend, which grew on me and I was a little sad to finish it up.  I also spent some time prepping the next Delta Green game, polishing up a few surprises for the new retro computer I finally assembled.

Emma returned from the east coast late Sunday - everyone had a successful trip and loved hanging out with Sadie, Greg, and Simon.

On Monday Jo and I headed to Corvallis to a mattress store, enjoying fiddling with the Tesla on the way.  We picked out a mattress that should be delivered today, crossing yet another thing off the endless house project list.  I spent the afternoon hanging out with a tired Emma, reading her travel journal, looking at souvenirs, playing a new exploration/puzzle game called Blue Prince, and heading to the library to stock up for the week.

I'm settling back into work today, deploying things left and right.  I've got loan stuff to sign late morning.  Duncan's sweetie leaves tomorrow.  Next Friday Emma and I go visit my dad at the coast.  Busy, busy.

Mocha Friday

August 08, 2025 by Adam in Family

It's been a little bit of a slog at work this week, setting up big complicated environments to try to test a bug that I'm pretty sure I know the cause of.  It's all educational, but it takes a certain type of personality to wade through poorly maintained documentation and constant error messages to progress a little further in my endeavors.  I suppose I'll get there one day.

Emma, Francis and mom are enjoying their adventures with Sadie.  I've been sending Emma a steady stream of Data pictures so she doesn't miss out too much.  Jo and I had a nice date night on Wednesday, walking down the hill to 1960 Cochina and returning to play some co-op video games.  I continue to play Horizons Forbidden West when I get a chance, plus making pictures and props for a future Delta Green game.  I made a couple tourist pamphlets for a town full of UFO sightings and they turned out amazing.

As for the weekend, Saturday is looking fairly light, though my list of house projects is long.  Sunday Jo and I have a fancy tea scheduled.  There's also the last of the compost shelter to build, so hopefully we can fit that in.  Next week Jo and I are going to Corvallis in part to pick up a new mattress.  Friday Emma and I head to visit dad on the coast.  A little time away sounds lovely.

Hikes, Board games, Trips, and Compost Shelters

August 04, 2025 by Adam in Family

It was a full weekend, starting with picking up Emma in the new Tesla and taking her to grandma's in preparation for the trip.  Seraph successfully picked up everyone and took them to Portland, followed by a long plane ride to Boston where all is well.

Saturday I helped Yvonne with a math placement test for a little while, followed by a hike with the eldest son up at Hendrick's Park.  It was nice to hang out and chat, which we don't seem to manage as often as I'd like.  Next up was board game night at Jason's, along with Bridget and BJ.  We played Flip 7 and Heat - I ended up winning the last one after following Jason's previous advice and getting lucky.  Poor Jason was in last place every time, so I suggested we can play a coop game next time so we could all loose.

Duncan and Yvonne's dad arrived Saturday night and despite the failures of VRBO, eventually got a place for everyone to hang out in.  He was in and out with kids and whisked them away by the end of the day.  I assembled the Retro PC, putting in the screen upside down initially, but it all turned out well.  Jo and I put in hours of work in the afternoon with the compost bin cover.  Plans changed as we built, as is often the case, but we ended up with a mostly sturdy frame that we can build a small roof over.  We retired to collapse for the rest of the evening. 

I took solace in video games and got to the climactic battle in Horizon Forbidden West.  It took awhile to grow on me, but in the end I was doing various side quests just to make it last a little longer.  I think I have the DLC to play next, so I'm not quite done with it.

Now it's back to work, doing the usual mix of non-programming tasks to keep everything moving along.

Tesla Mocha Friday

August 01, 2025 by Adam in Family

Well the big news is that dad and I went up to Salem and I returned home with his old Tesla.  Having driven Nissan Sentras for the last few decades, it's a pretty big change.  I'm still getting used to the electric charging and various automatic features.  Driving up with lane assist and adaptive autopilot was nice, though after switching to my own driver's profile on the way back it didn't get turned back on so I had to drive it like a normal car on the way back.  Still, it's cool to have something more reliable to drive and not going to gas stations anymore will be nice.

As for the rest of the week, Summer is moving right along.  It's August already.  Emma, Francis, and mom are headed back east to visit Sadie and family.  Duncan's sweetie is visiting for a couple weeks.  Yvonne is getting ready to take math placement tests and sign up for classes.  The eldest son's been helping sort through the final farm house details and hopefully start demolition next week.

Work's mostly juggling various projects and moving things forward.  I'm having fun prepping for my next Delta Green game, adding some red yarn to the evidence board and organizing things a little better.  Hopefully it helps the player's pick up after a few weeks off, plus it was super fun to do.  Kevin is taking the kids away for a few days to a country house to hang out for a few days, so it'll probably be quiet at the house.  Jo's off to Portland for a Wordcrafter's event tonight.  I'm hanging out with Jason, Bridget, and BJ for a board game evening tomorrow.

Now it's time to finish my mocha and get to work.

Second Birthday, Delta Green, and County Fair

July 28, 2025 by Adam in Family

It was a busy weekend, full of various fun activities and some occasional downtime.  Saturday was the cousin gang with my friend Jason, playing another session of Delta Green.  It was followed by my favorite chocolate potato cake made by Jo, along with some fun presents that should let me finish building my retro PC.  Emma and I rushed off to the library, followed by my usual soup making and pizza for Jo and the kids.

Sunday was a hearty breakfast of crepes, blueberries, whip cream, and mocha.  We've been hearing the music from the fairgrounds all week, so I took Yvonne and Emma down to check out the county fair.  We skirted around the carnival madness to check out the various amateur photos, quilts, jams, cookies, and the rest.  Next up were the bunnies, goats, chickens, and horses.  By the time we were wanding back to the car through cheap plastic swords and cowboy hats for sale we felt pretty much done.  After collapsing for a couple hours Emma and I went down to thrift store central near downtown.  I didn't find anything that spoke to me, but Emma ended up with a shirt and sunglasses.  Eventually we returned home, she packed up her things, and headed out for her adventure.

I'm back to work, catching up on endless little things, and settling into the usual routine.  The most exciting thing happening this week is heading to Salem with dad where he's picking up a new Tesla.  I've somehow become the recipient of his old one, finally getting away from driving a torn up 2008 Sentra that squeaks when I drive.  We should put in an electrical outlet in the driveway, and buy new tires soon, and I've got to choose the right sticker to put on the back, but it'll be nice to drive something more reliable.