Abulsme.com: Sam

Last Day of my Staycation

I took the last week off from work for the purpose of working on a variety of personal projects.

The above is the timelapse from my home office webcam for my last real day of vacation. Hit play to start it. I’m currently experimenting with a fisheye lens so you can see the whole room, although with a bit of distortion. But this way you can see what Alex, Roscoe, and if you don’t blink Amy too, are doing in the room, rather than just seeing a closer view of me at my desk. :-)

It has been a good week. I got a few things done, although of course not as much as I would have liked. I made a decision early in the week not to worry too much about it, and also use the time to just take it slow and relax a bit. So I didn’t push myself. I’m still a bit under the weather and tired… and I’ll probably end up trying to finish a few more things over the weekend even though that is harder when Alex isn’t in school. So I’m not sure I’ll head back to work fully relaxed and rejuvenated, but it was still good to take the week. I should use my vacation and personal days a bit more than I do. I always end up leaving those on the table because I don’t use them.

Anyway, good week over all. Glad I did it. :-)

15705.415 Days

As of when this posts at 2014-09-16 06:54 UTC (11:54 PM on the 15th Pacific, 2:54 AM on the 16th Eastern) I will be exactly 43 years old. As usual, this takes into account leap days, the fact a year is a fractional number of days, etc.

So, “go me” for living another year, right?

Pics from Jun 2014

30 pictures selected out of 481 for the month. It was a slow month, with no big “events”, but the final narrowing was still hard!

2014-06-01 02:31 – Mom singing with her church choir.

2014-06-02 15:51 – Mornings are hard. Someone really doesn’t want to wake up for school, and often doesn’t until we are already there.

2014-06-03 02:44 (previously posted)- If June had a theme, it was probably home improvement. It started small, with me changing the battery in a smoke detector after it had been beeping for YEARS.

2014-06-06 02:22 – At the end of year ceremony at Alex’s school, Alex was not thrilled about standing up front to sing.

2014-06-06 02:28 – But he would pose for a picture with his teacher.

2014-06-06 02:28 – Picture taking patience was exhausted when it was time for the picture with the assistant teacher though, so time for a duck face!

2014-06-06 04:28 – This thing is a microphone, right? The school presentation is over, NOW I can sing!

2014-06-07 18:09 – A typical pose with Roscoe and Alex together while Alex builds worlds and trains on the iPad.

2014-06-07 19:15 – Joining the new fridge from January, the new oven/microwave combo is finally complete. Brandy has been very excited because it is an INDUCTION stovetop, and the Microwave also has a convection oven mode. And they are shiny.

2014-06-08 20:29 – Sometimes, when the weather is agreeable, Alex rides his wagon to and from school instead of taking the car.

2014-06-09 01:56 – Alex “reading” a Magic School Bus book in the car.

2014-06-10 00:41 – The weather has finally warmed up enough to play in the sprinkler! When properly bundled up of course.

2014-06-10 05:07 – Playing with Daddy’s glasses

2014-06-12 20:27 – I moved to a new desk at work. It has a view.

2014-06-13 02:54 – Next home improvement thing. Brandy put up a ceiling pot holder thingy. These were just the starter pots. It is much more heavily loaded now.

2014-06-14 01:18 – Alex and I sat outside and watched while my car windshield was replaced after a flying rock cracked it. (I’ve been meaning to post a timelapse of the repair, but haven’t gotten around to it.) The beginning was exciting, but toward the end Alex was getting bored and sleepy.

2014-06-16 05:48 – OK, you can’t tell from the picture, but this is me working on the next home improvement project. The projector we used as our primary TV died, and this is me up on a chair getting the new replacement projector all set up.

2014-06-19 21:50 – Amy and Alex hanging out on a sunny day

2014-06-19 21:5? (Photo by Amy) – Amy takes advantage of the moment to grab a quick Alex portrait.

2014-06-23 01:11 – How do we play with the dog Alex? Well, obviously, put a broom on him, then LIMBO!

2014-06-23 03:18 – Alex asked for a rainbow cake, so Brandy made one.

2014-06-23 05:17 (Photo by Alex) – Sometimes Alex takes my phone to take his own pictures. He took this portrait of Roscoe. I chose not to include the pictures he took of the floor, the ceiling, or his foot.

2014-06-25 22:38 – Another home improvement pic. No, not the coffeemakers. No, not the lazy susan under them, although that is new too. I neglected to get a really good picture of it, but the tiled backsplash on the wall is all new. Brandy put it in by hand over the course of a few days, replacing the plain wall that was there before.

2014-06-27 15:56 (Photo by Amy) – Selfie by Amy

2014-06-28 06:40 – Alex can draw people now!

2014-06-28 06:47 – And not just ANY people. Alex is very clear… this… is… BATMAN.

2014-06-28 06:51 – He is getting pretty darn good at writing his name too!

2014-06-29 02:49 – Making new train levels again, this time on my iMac. He starts from scratch and builds the track, adds trains, and then builds the landscape with mountains and lakes and buildings and all. His software of choice is all from the Trainz family.

2014-06-29 23:31 – For the first time in forever, Roscoe gets a BATH. (Alex insists it was a SHOWER though, since we used the hose and didn’t actually put him in the tub.)

2014-06-30 07:32 – Of course, at the end of each day, it is always nice to cuddle and fall asleep.

New Glasses

First progressives too. I am now that age after all.

Pics from May 2014

2014-05-01 01:50 – Climbing a whale at Seattle Center

2014-05-01 02:02 – Surveying the world from the top

2014-05-02 00:40 – What Alex does at a playground… clearly my kid.

2014-05-02 01:22 – Of course that changes once we hit the sand

2014-05-02 23:55 – Spring is time for dandelions.

2014-05-03 03:54 – There was a birthday party at a skating rink. That didn’t go so smoothly. We will have to try again someday.

2014-05-03 20:41 – But a portal shirt makes Alex happy again

2014-05-03 21:21 – Well, at least until haircut time

2014-05-04 22:20 – New day, and it is time for a trip to the zoo, where Grandma Ruth explains warthogs!

2014-05-04 22:34 – Why is mom holding me?

2014-05-04 22:44 – The siamang always seems a little sad

2014-05-04 22:50 – Brandy spends a lot of time with the siamangs, they have been her favorites for years

2014-05-04 23:00 – Walking in the rain

2014-05-04 23:28 – The carousel was a little scary at first

2014-05-05 00:25 – But it was much better the second time around

2014-05-05 00:37 – Then we looked at the penguins, or did they look at us?

2014-05-05 00:53 – Grandma Ruth watches too

2014-05-05 00:57 – While this guy contemplates the sky

2014-05-05 01:43 – After the zoo it was time for dinner, and Alex wanted to know why I was still taking pictures

2014-05-05 01:50 – Working on Trainz Simulator on his iPad, as he often does during dinner

2014-05-05 03:38 – Then out like a light as soon as we were in the car

2015-05-13 20:06 – Back at home, Alex torments the dog as usual

2014-05-22 05:28 – It is me Roscoe decides to cuddle with though

2014-05-25 02:08 – Another day finds Alex whispering secrets into Amy’s ear

2014-05-27 00:02 – Alex made a point of dragging me outside to the back yard to take a picture of this nest of baby spiders

2014-05-27 00:10 – Roscoe lounges as Alex plays in a large box he had carefully braced with toys so it wouldn’t fall over

2014-05-27 00:10 – Seconds later, it does of course fall over, right next to Roscoe. Roscoe doesn’t even blink, let alone move.

2014-05-27 00:13 – Roscoe is used to these shenanigans, and is not going to worry about it. Not at all.

2014-05-27 00:17 – Goofing for the camera

2014-05-27 03:07 – Roscoe really is incredibly patient with Alex. So here he wears shades, because Alex wanted him to.

2014-05-30 04:01 – Even on Mom’s shoulders, it is still iPad time.

To @imbou, @byufan, and all the other beep haters…

Achievement unlocked, battery changed.

Pics from Apr 2014

April was difficult. Started out with 979 pictures for the month. Narrowed down to 77 in the first pass through looking for pictures worth posting. Then had to narrow it down to 30 (one per day) for this post. The last cull was tough! Anyway, here goes…

2014-04-02 02:01 – Alex riding his bike, for real!

2014-04-06 21:58 – Goggle selfie

2014-04-12 07:39 – Roscoe cuddles up to sleep

2014-04-19 21:57 – Amy (and Alex) at the Space Needle

2014-04-19 21:58 – Alex conspiring with Cousin Lev

2014-04-19 22:58 – Still conspiring, now under Alex’s new umbrella, under watchful adult eyes

2014-04-19 23:51 – Walking with Grandma Ruth

2014-04-20 00:02 – The Seattle Great Wheel

2014-04-20 00:12 – Cousin Seth was there too

2014-04-20 00:?? (picture by my mom) – Sitting with Daddy in the wheel

2014-04-20 00:26 – But I was less interesting than Cousin Lev

2014-04-20 00:?? (picture by my mom) – Lev had a good view out the window

2014-04-20 00:37 – Back on the ground, Lev and Alex continued to stick together as much as they could.

2014-04-20 03:26 – Having said goodbye to the cousins, walking back toward the car past EPM/SFM

2014-04-20 03:31 – Alex runs within the “Glass Blades” sculpture.

2014-04-20 21:56 – And then there was an Easter egg hunt at my mother’s college roommate’s house!

2014-04-20 22:02 (screenshot from a video) – Alex even had Amy climb a tree to get an egg!

2014-04-20 22:04 (posted previously) – It was great fun. There was running.

2014-04-20 22:10 – And climbing.

2014-04-20 22:40 – And of course the counting of the loot.

2014-04-22 22:34 – Another day, and it is a trip to a park.

2014-04-22 22:27 (Animated GIF assembled by Google+ Autoawesome) – A park with trains!!

2014-04-22 22:34 – A park with a beach and logs to sit on with Grandma Ruth!

2014-04-22 22:36 – Alex looks over the beach

2014-04-22 22:42 – It was a pretty beach

2014-04-22 22:43 – Alex got brave and dipped his feet in the water

2014-04-22 22:46 – Grandma Ruth and Alex examined things other people had drawn on the sand

2014-04-22 22:48 – But then there was another train!

2014-04-22 22:55 – A panorama of Alex and Grandma Ruth on the beach. (Click it to enbiggen.)

2014-04-27 23:47 – And to finish off the month, Alex running with Roscoe :-)

Edited 23:00 to fix typo.

Pics from Mar 2014

2014-03-02 15:45 – Alex still loves his trains.

2014-03-02 20:48 – Now he draws them too.

2013-03-06 02:11 – Alex and Grandma Ruth’s dog Sara are friends now.

2013-03-08 04:17 – Hanging out ON Daddy

2014-03-11 15:22 – Roscoe was nervous because he had to go to the vet for some surgery.

2014-03-12 00:44 – But while Roscoe was at the vet, Alex’s finger got hurt and we had to go to the ER. I posted the whole story.

2014-03-12 01:16 (Picture by Amy) – Since we were at the ER, Amy picked Roscoe up from the vet.

2014-03-12 02:09 – Some sedatives and a couple stitches later, Alex was on the way to healing.

2014-03-12 05:10 – Roscoe was recovering well from his surgery too, although he was not thrilled with the cone.

2014-03-15 23:14 – Just a few days later it was time for an expedition with Grandma Ruth to find snow in the mountains

2014-03-15 23:24 – We ended up at Stevens Pass ski area, but our agenda was not skiing.

2014-03-15 23:24 – Alex led the way, looking for just the right spot.

2014-03-15 23:39 – Trudging through the snow, but this isn’t it.

2014-03-15 23:39 – Right near here though. We can set up near here for the main event.

2014-03-15 23:41 – Snow Thomas, Annie and Clarabel all set up to chug through the snow.

2014-03-15 23:41 – Alex observes to make sure Grandma Ruth gets her turn… and that she plays the CORRECT way.

2014-03-15 23:50 – With the day’s goal accomplished, it is time to go. What is everybody else waiting for?

2014-03-16 00:02 – Grandma triumphant!

2014-03-16 01:08 – Down the other side of the mountain now, let me in to the McDonalds! I want my Happy Meal!

2014-03-16 01:17 – OK, got my Happy Meal, lets go home!

2014-03-16 01:38 – A quick look at the mountains before heading back over them to home.

2014-03-16 20:47 – Back at home, Roscoe has claimed the duck for a nap.

2014-03-19 13:32 – Alex likes to cuddle with Mommy

2014-03-23 07:55 – Roscoe and Alex sometimes sleep on the couch too.

2014-03-24 16:06 – Sometimes he seems angelic, but he really isn’t.

2014-03-24 21:30 – A trip back to a favorite playground we hadn’t been to since the fall

2014-03-24 21:45 – Climbing very high

2014-03-27 07:57 (Picture taken by Amy) – Sometimes it is Daddy and Alex that fall asleep on the couch.

2014-03-27 07:58 (Picture by Amy) – That is when Amy likes to take selfies (with Dad’s phone) to capture the moment.

2014-03-28 00:32 – Playing quietly at home… by dumping toys all over the floor.

2014-03-30 04:50 – Koala sleeping on Alex, sleeping on Amy

Pics from Feb 2014

2014-02-01 20:58 – Daddy and Alex at a birthday party at Everett Children’s Museum

2014-02-01 21:13 UTC – Alex perched on Daddy’s head (screen cap from a video)

2014-02-03 02:23 UTC – Alex with Grandma Ruth watching some TV

2014-02-04 03:28 UTC – Waxing Crescent Moon

2014-02-04 03:35 UTC – Two moons

2014-02-06 03:02 UTC – Grandma Ruth gives a quick pose for the camera

2014-02-08 06:33 UTC – Alex and Amy at a late dinner

2014-02-08 18:06 UTC – Alex shows off making a snowman treat he learned how to do in cooking class

2014-02-09 04:05 UTC – Sweeping the snow away in the back yard

2014-02-09 04:14 UTC – Walking Roscoe and still sweeping snow

2014-02-09 17:30 – Ready to attack the morning snow

2014-02-09 18:00 – A winter weathervane

2014-02-09 18:02 UTC – Making his own snowball

2014-02-09 18:40 UTC – Observing the people in the snow

2014-02-09 22:22 UTC – Proud of the big snowball we made in the back yard which we watched melt for the next few days

2014-02-13 23:27 UTC – Pic by Brandy – Dentist time for Alex!

2014-02-14 01:51 UTC – Pic by Brandy – Shopping for screws and nut and bolts

2014-02-17 22:00 – Pic by Brandy – Nap time

2014-02-20 05:14 UTC – Pic by Brandy – Snack time

2014-02-21 01:21 UTC – The new projector screen arrives. Note the fallen boxes in the truck.

2014-02-22 01:12 UTC – Roscoe lounges

2014-02-22 18:25 UTC – Step carefully, the porch is slippery!

2014-02-22 18:25 UTC (posted earlier) – Going for a walk in the flurries

2014-02-22 18:34 – Umbrella joy

2014-02-22 18:34 UTC: Umbrellas are fun upside down too

2014-02-25 04:00 UTC – Watching Ghostbusters

2014-02-27 02:21 UTC – Rebecca visit selfie

2014-02-28 18:27 UTC (posted earlier) – Working hard at school

[Edit 20:58 to change the Snack time picture to show it was taken by Brandy, not Amy.]

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Last Day of my Staycation

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New Glasses

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