About Me

That’s me, there on the left, holding my cat Bilbo: circa 1994.  If you click on the picture, you can have the dubious pleasure of seeing a larger version.  I look a lot different these days…

So, who is Kelly Adams? I was born in an igloo in Edmonton, Alberta to Margaret at the beginning of 1964. I had lots of different homes in Edmonton during my childhood, so I know the city reasonably well. Only one of my childhood friends persisted into adulthood (greetings, Tim!). I attended McNally Composite High, where I met my two “best friends”, Chris and Jeff. I briefly attended University at the University of Alberta, but withdrew long before I could become educated.

I’m a computer geek of the first magnitude, having worked on everything from Timex Sinclairs to Mainframes. It all started when I saw a movie called Colossus… I now work for the company that, in fiction at least, built that fancy computer in 2001: A Space Odessy (“The HAL series has never made an error or miscalculation”).

I’m also a minor-key trekker, and am naturally a science fiction and fantasy fan. I read The Hobbit starting at the age of six, I, Robot at the age of eight, Dune when I was twelve, Foundation when I was thirteen, and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever when I was fifteen. Naturally, that isn’t all I’ve read 🙂

And, without a doubt, I am a role-playing gamer. I played AD&D from the age of 15 until my late thirties, and still game (albeit in other mediums) today: if you want some ideas as to why, check out my Old Gamer’s Legacy. I also play computer games, having spent a couple of years engrossed in the world of Norrath (EverQuest). I’ve also played Dark Age of Camelot, Asheron’s Call 2, Anarchy Online, EverQuest 2, World of Warcraft and then back to EverQuest 2 again.  My wife Irene started playing EQ2 in 2006: we slew dragons together for a couple of years.  

More recently I’ve spent most of my gaming time in single player RPGs such as Mass Effect, Fallout, Witcher, Pillars of Eternity, and others.  Plus a couple of sims: Elite:Dangerous, and Flight Simulator.

Since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted animal friends. Allergies and my mobile childhood made this difficult, but now I’m making up for it. I started horseback riding when I was 25, continuing until I was about 35. My horse Topaz taught me a great deal about how to talk to horses during this time.

I met Irene, my wife, soon after I started taking riding lessons. I saw a smart, attractive lady who looked great in riding breeches, she saw a guy who had a steady job and could sit on a horse without looking awkward. It was love at first sight 🙂 We’ve been married now for over thirty years: I’ve kept my job, and Irene still looks great in riding pants…

In 2000 I took advantage of an opportunity to relocate to the West Coast. I gave up Topaz, whom I was no longer riding actively, and we moved our seven cats and Irene’s horse Spirit out here. My wife and I lived in the Lower Mainland of B.C. for twenty years. As of 2021 we have relocated to the West Kootenays because it was becoming too peopley in the Lower Mainland.  It is worth noting that I never thought I’d leave Edmonton…well, you just never know, do you?

Speaking of ‘you never know’… in 2010 I took up motorcycle riding.  Unlike the last time I was on a motorcycle when I was around 20, this time I actually got a license.  Shortly thereafter I bought a bigger bike- a Harley Davidson Road Glide.  Between 2010 and 2020, I put 120,000 km on my bike, mostly in the form of longer road trips.  The COVID-19 pandemic slowed that down a bit, but I still enjoy riding- and with the relocation to the Kootenays, I expect to be out on a lot of shorter rides.

The rest continues to change daily…