Recovery

February 22, 2012 by Seraph in Cortez

We had an amazingly relaxing weekend.  The house got cleaned up, furniture rearranged, and a lot of movies were watched.  At school (for Robbie and Isabell) this week is really low-key.  Yesterday there was a school wide field trip to the family fun center in Taos.  The kids got to go swimming and ice skating, and everyone had pizza for lunch.  They have regular classes today and tomorrow, and then their last ski trip is on Friday.  Even with all of this going on, the teachers were panicing yesterday as they realized that there were only 9 instructional days until testing starts (it will last for about 3 weeks).

Today Isabell is home sick.  We've all been trading colds around, and even the puppy (Chester) is sick.  I'll take her into the vet this afternoon.  Sadly, while I can feed my kid Tylanol and cold meds, the dog will cost a lot more :(

Thank You, Mr. President

February 21, 2012 by Adam in Family

We had a wonderful three day weekend thanks to Presidents' Day.  Sam and Emma went to the coast with Jamie until Sunday afternoon, so it was surprisingly quiet.

On Friday, Joanna and I went out to eat sushi and look at new phones.  We didn't quite pick one, but I think tomorrow night we'll be formalizing the arrangement.  My current phone is painfully slow at times, so I'm eager to get one that's moderately functional again.

Saturday morning I stuffed B&D with crepes as usual, and Joanna and I ate gluten free dutch babies.  It's so tasty and easy - I'm craving it already for next weekend.  I left late morning and went off to Jerry's for supplies, as I had a long to do list.  Over the next few days I managed to replace the cutting board, put up cloches in the garden beds, recaulk the tub, and probably a few other things I forgot about.

We headed to Springfield to watch Berry and Duncan's dance routine.  Berry was a little nervous, but they both did quite well.  We didn't have a clue as to what their dance routine was, so it was neat to finally get to see it.  Jessica showed up as well to show her support, which I thought was cool. 

The evening wrapped up with the usual mix of house work and a little R&R on my part.  I finally started to get around to some of the Indie games I picked up last week.  On Sam's recommendation, I played and enjoyed Zeno Clash, which had quite the intriguing art aesthetic.

Sunday morning Joanna and Duncan went off to church and a play date, respectively.  Berry played in the sand box until her hands got cold, while I worked away on the cloches.  They turned out quite well and I'm excited to get some plants in the ground.  Already the things we planted in the fall are sprouting up, and I had some of the greens in my salad last week.

Sam and Emma arrived in the afternoon and the house became the usual happy chaos.  I had Sam finish his first biology assignment with a Playdough plant cell, and start on his second (which involves decomposing cheese).  Emma kept plugging away at her stuffed animal project for her class.  Sam had watched the D&D podcast, and wanted to play again.  Emma was equally enthusiastic and so the two of them rolled up characters and dragged me down to the basement.  Our game went really well, and continued to the next day.  I love how the two of them work together and cheer their successes.  It was a lovely sibling moment.

The day wrapped up with pizza and Mythbusters, and the next morning was crepes all around.  Joanna worked from home, and Jessica watched D&B in the afternoon, taking them to minature golf and ice cream.  Sam, Emma, and I essentially played all day, with a short break to chase chickens and rumpus in the basement.

All is well.

Way Too Much Coffee Friday

February 17, 2012 by Adam in Family

It was great having both kids home last night.  Everyone was pleasant and funny around the dinner table.  Both Sam and Emma really wanted me when I arrived home, and I bounced between the two of them, helping them out with their various tasks.  Joanna graciously helped Emma with her school project, which involved making a stuffed animal - some sort of ant eating marsupial whose name I forget.

I had breakfast with my mom this morning, which was pleasant as always.  The Glenwood supplied me with an endless bounty of coffee.

Joanna and I are going out tonight, likely somewhere for dinner and then off to look at cell phones.  Good times.

The Vomitorium

February 16, 2012 by Adam in Adam

I think I got food poisoning last night.  I started getting a headache after dinner, which got worse even with painkillers.  I woke up around midnight in excruciating pain, ate some cereal and more painkillers, and tried to get back to sleep.  That didn't work and I ended up writhing around in Emma's bed for most of the night.  Somewhere around three I started throwing up, which was strangely helpful.  I finally got to sleep close to five, and was woken up by Joanna as she was about to leave for work.

The moral of the story is to not eat those indian spicy food packets from the ethnic section of the store.  I think I'm going to stick to actual food that I prepare with my own hands using fresh ingredients.  Fortunately I was the only person who had any last night.

I'm feeling much better at the moment, working away from home and waiting for pain killers to kick in.  What was an amazing amount of pain is now just a slightly annoying ache.  I'm going to start getting ready for work and then head in.  Maybe I'll skip the gym and go for a walk during lunch, depending on how I feel.

Post-Valentine's Day

February 15, 2012 by Adam in Family

It was a pleasant Valentine's Day, beginning with presents at the breakfast table.  Joanna unwrapped her gravy boat, which was deeply symbolic of my love for her.  She gave me a funny look and discovered the box with earrings inside.  The kids got their cards and goodies as well.

Jamie and I met for a long while at a coffee house that morning, talking about the kids and child support calculations.  I think we have things sorted out.

I felt vaguely guilty getting into work so late, and left a little early to pick up goodies at Sweet Life.  Sam showed off all his candy wrappers.  He was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who gave him candy throughout the day.  Mostly the night was full of homework, as Sam is completely swamped with a major project coming up.  I called Emma and wished her a happy Valentine's Day.  I'm excited to see her tomorrow.

LA Noire

February 13, 2012 by Adam in Adam's Games

I've been enjoying LA Noire, playing a detective in 1940s Los Angeles.  The gameplay consists of finding clues, talking to suspects, and occasionally running/driving/shooting my way to a conclusion.  The stories are quite interesting, and I particularly enjoy the immersion into the time period.  Occasionally I find myself wandering around town in my car, or stepping out to look at a store front. 

There's not all that much to do, other than the major cases or minor street crimes that sprout up around town.  Still, I'm enjoying that sense of belonging and the emotional stories that draw me in.

Egg Drops

February 13, 2012 by Adam in Family

Friday night was crazy fun.  First was the crazy part, taking Berry and Duncan to the carnival at Emma's school.  The madness level was high and I'm thankful we made it out with our lives.  Afterward Joanna and I went out to Cosmic Pizza to chat and pretend we were a young, hip couple.  It was fun.

It was a fairly pleasant, low-key weekend.  Emma came home late on Saturday, and we had a good time puttering about.  We ended up going through my old memory box, finding all sorts of strange treasures.  I came across the old "Sorry about the egg problem" note that Seraph send me when she was a little kid, so I had to take a picture and send that to her.  Emma found an old piece of art that's now in her room.  I organized a bit and cleaned out some space so that we could use the downstairs kitchen area as more of a pantry.

Sam arrived on Sunday and we had a fairly busy day.  I made pigs in a blanket, which was generally appreciated.  We then arranged an egg drop off the balcony.  Tensions were high, but I think the majority enjoyed themselves. 

Sam and I worked on tons of homework throughout the day.  His Spanish is completely done, and I think he's back to an A after he turns it in.  He's made a good dent in his Hear Our Voices class, which is now his favorite.  We still have a couple big biology assignments he needs to work on, though the due date is way out.

I had a quirky thing happen last Friday.  Joanna found my old wedding band.  Being the honest guy I am, I told the insurance company and they're working out the amount I get to send back to them.

I keep hoping work will calm down, but alas it appears not to be.  At least next weekend is a three day weekend.  Jamie's taking the kids to the beach, so I think I'm going to get some house projects done.

Science Girl

February 13, 2012 by Adam in Emma

Emma has been having fun with science as of late.  Last weekend her fish died, and we stuck it in the freezer as she wanted to dissect it.  I'm not quite sure how much hard science was done, but I think Emma found it quite interesting.

Emma's been doing well in general, getting good grades on her midterms.  We had some good hangout time this weekend, playing with corn starch and water, cooking meals together, and chasing chickens around the backyard.  She's such a sweet girl.

In the final semester

February 10, 2012 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Greg has 11 more weeks of his undergraduate math career. He's applied to teaching fellowships at UMass Amherst and Math for America in Boston, but may also explore other options. Either way, we'll be moving this summer to somewhere with sidewalks, which is exciting.

Work is great, and I'm getting work work on a variety of projects that stretch my liberal arts and public policy backgrounds. I also get to write articles for True Impact's blog and manage our Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media accounts - a good way to learn the field. 

Since the giant, crippling snow storm of Halloween, it has snowed once, so the New England landscape has a barren post-apocalyptic creepiness. I'm definitely looking forward to spring, our June visit to Eugene, and our August scotch tour of Scotland. 

Our meat CSA has finally finished, leaving us with a freezer of pork and beef. Any chuck steak/pork ribs/sausage/ground beef recipes are welcome!

Tuckered Out Mocha Friday

February 10, 2012 by Adam in Family

I'm beat.

Fortunately my mocha lies before me, slowly being sipped away.  It was pretty crazy yesterday, where I hit the ground running and never really stopped.  On the plus side, both kids got all the homework done and Sam is well on his way to getting caught up again.  Joanna has been sick for much of this week, though Emma and I are mostly recovered.

Tonight we have a carnival at Emma's school, and then Joanna and I are going somewhere for dinner.  Tomorrow Duncan has his chess tournament.  Emma arrives around noon.  I'm going to try really hard to take it easy.