Category: Personal & Family

  • Snowed In!

    24 Jan 2016 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    [N]o posts yesterday or today (except this one) because we are snowed in. Kelly has been sick, and I’ve been busy with the kids, and shoveling snow. Schools here are closed through at least Tuesday and the Federal government is closed tomorrow, so there may be another day or two of absences here on the…

  • I’m Taking the Day Off Today

    18 Jan 2016 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    [I] am taking today off. It was about 11 degrees out when I headed to the grocery store earlier this morning. So here is a photo of a contemplative Little Man from a few weeks ago in Florida, when it was about 80 degrees warmer than it is today. Back tomorrow with a brand new…

  • Christmas Morning!

    25 Dec 2015 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    [I] am taking the day off the blog today to celebrate Christmas with the family. Here are some pictures from my walk this morning before all of the present unwrapping chaos started this morning. And for those wondering, Kelly did get me a watch for Christmas. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

  • Answering the Telephone

    13 Dec 2015 » 3 min read about Personal & Family

    [S]omehow, I have managed to accumulate four phone numbers. There is the land-line at home; my personal mobile number; my work mobile number; and my Google Voice number that I use in freelancing work. I try to consolidate things. My personal mobile number forwards automatically to my work mobile number, since I don’t want to…

  • Psst! Wanna Buy a Watch?

    11 Dec 2015 » 3 min read about Personal & Family

    [I] haven’t worn a wristwatch in over a decade, but I am thinking about buying one. Although I’ve been considering the purchase for a while, I was galvanized into action on Monday while attending the Little Man’s swimming lesson1. One of the kids in the Little Man’s class is a little hellion. The instructor does…

  • Three Things I’m Enjoying

    18 Nov 2015 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    [I] have been enjoying 3 things over the last few days, and each one takes a different form of media. 1. Re-reading The Waste Lands by Stephen King. I have been re-reading King’s Dark Tower books. The first time around I listening to them on audiobook. This time, I am reading the trade paper editions (and making…

  • I Forgot to Go to My Classes!

    10 Nov 2015 » 2 min read about Personal & Family

    [F]or the first time in more than 15 years, I had a dream last night in which I had gone back to school–the University of California, Riverside, where I got my undergraduate degree–and I forgot to go to my classes. I was wandering around a campus that was very different than the one I remembered.…

  • A Walk in the Woods

    09 Nov 2015 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    [F]or the last couple of Sundays, we’ve taken the kids for short hikes in the woods. Last Sunday we took them to Scott’s Run, along the Potomac. Yesterday, we went to a favorite place of ours, Burke Lake. Kelly and I have walked around the lake several times over the years. It’s a 4.5 mile…

  • Playing Shroud of the Avatar and Thoughts on MMORPGs

    02 Nov 2015 » 6 min read about Personal & Family

    [O]ne of the things I’ve been doing while I take a break from writing is playing early releases of Shroud of the Avatar. For those who don’t know, SotA is a crowdfunded MMORPG run by Richard Garriott (a.k.a Lord British) and Starr Long. It is a direct descendant of the Ultima games of my teens. I…

  • No Writing for the Last 2 Days

    27 Oct 2015 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    [I] voluntarily ended my 825-consecutive-day writing streak 2 days ago, and for the last two days, I have taken a break from writing. When I have a few more minutes I’ll post more details about why I decided to end the streak. So if I haven’t been writing, what have I been doing? Well, in…

  • Back From Vacation

    14 Oct 2015 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    [I] have been mostly off the radar for the last week, attending a family reunion in New York, which was a lot of fun. I got to see people and places that I haven’t seen in a very long time. One of those places was Bear Mountain. It was a great time of year to…

  • Earlier Tonight on Twitter I Revealed My Secret to Drafts

    03 Oct 2015 » 1 min read about Personal & Family, Writing & Publishing

    [I] was overcome, earlier today, with the sudden desire to reveal my closely held secret, as a writer, to what I really mean when I talk about draft. Folks, when I talk about first drafts, second drafts, and the occasional third drafts, I’m really talking about beer. #awriterslife — Jamie Todd Rubin (@jamietr) October 2,…