The road to recovery

It looks like Isaac is finally starting to feel better - his sniffles are subsiding, his cough is clearing up, and his appetite is returning. Better, his appetite is back: Lots of bottles, but also human snacks. I got him to eat almost a full hot dog today... boy, it makes me crazy that I feel like it's a huge success to get him to eat a HOT DOG or a chicken nugget... but that's our lot in life.

I can only hope that this will signal slightly more restful nights - or at least nights where Isaac will allow Pamela to comfort him! At least I've had a lot of cuddles with him... and many with Bella too: I've been spoiled with hugs these days. It's wonderful.

At least we're relaxing around here during the days and evenings: We watched the full Bourne trilogy - simply FANTASTIC: And I hadn't figured out just how closely interlinked 2 and 3 are.... it was amazing to see how they slotted together. As a fill in we've been watching Two Fat Ladies and All Creatures Great and Small. And there has been much snacking.

I am trying to not let work hassle me these final few weeks... I fully admit that the past couple of weeks were a bit of a horror, with pretty major revelations throwing all sorts of spanners into the works. But with these behind me, I think I can move on and be proactive!

I'm off work tomorrow, which will be nice to ring in 2008. Resolutions? I think that simply moving to my new work will create new opportunities. As long as I keep with my working out schedule, keep on learning my new languages, keeping the family going... no major changes required! Perhaps work on my relaxation!

Hola Amigos

Been a long time since I rapped at ya. Things have been, how you say, CRAZY around here.

1) Christmas Etc: We have had a great season - starting with dinner out on Friday the 21, guests here on the 22nd, hanging with Bella's birthfamily on the 23rd, Xmas eve at grandma and grandpas, Christmas proper, and now Pamela's parents, brother, and niece here through the new year! So it's busy. And the kids are trying to be troupers, but Bella is chronically low on sleep which impacts her mood, and Isaac seems to be a magnet for every single virus that checks into the Twin Cities, and is back with the sniffles, with occasional puke-age (though I think that might be more of a sore stomach from too much phlegm!)

But we have taken time to watch some videos (Bourne, BladeRunner), read, sit by the fire... so while busy, we've tried to have fun.

2) Work. Oh man am I ready for my new job. In the past 2 weeks I've got nothing but terrible news at work. For all of my project management mojo, I am limited to delivering what the Vendor can provide. And I've got lots of fresh info that says
- They're delivering what they can even later than before.
- What they're delivering won't be what we wanted particularly
- They're canceling future development in one area that we were counting on.

So once the docs hear about this, they're going to go ballistic. The software DOES do a few things well, but not SO much better than the system it replaced: This whole project was based around a "future state" that the next software release was supposed to deliver, and now they've canceled it. WHAT TO DO?

I've been documenting "Plan B" and "Plan C" and communications plans and what if responses like mad, hoping that we can act quickly once the docs DO go nuts.

But also, honestly, I'm counting the days until I'm done... which is sad because I do like to do a good job, and I do see that this leaves them in a limbo state, but I can't put off the new work any longer!

3) Sleep: With Isaac back into having a cold, he's been up a LOT in the night, and it's starting to impact my sanity. The big problem is that right now, he is EXTREMELY Daddy-focused. Pamela can hold him for 10 min, him screaming at the top of his lungs, and if I walk in the room, he stops, smiles, and reaches out his arms for me. At 1am, at 4am, I'm the only guy who can get him back down to sleep...

I've had some sleepy moments that have been frankly scary: I've had situations where I'm watching a show, and I could swear it's like clutch cargo - the lips and eyes move, but the faces take a moment to catch up - as if my rendering CPU is lagging and only processing the key information. I actually caught a 10 minute nap in my office (I'm glad I have a door!!!)

Ooh - Isaac is crying again. Gotta run.

From the mind of Bella

The holidays are in full swing, and we've been out and about - we visited friends last night, saw the Macy's Nutcracker thing today, and had extended family over tonight. The kids are way out of whack with their bedtimes, going down well past 9 both nights, and we've got to get them back in sync sooner than later! Poor Isaac was a wreck tonight!

Anyway, Bella had two quotables today:

1) Bella spent the afternoon at Jenny's house making cookies. Family was coming in the evening, including Grandma and Grandpa. As I fetched Bella she had questions:

Bella: Why do I have to come home?
Daddo: Because Grandma and Grandpa are coming over.
Bella: Why are they coming over?
Daddo: They're bringing Taco fixings - we're having a Taco Party!
Bella: Well, I sure wouldn't want to miss THAT kind of party!

1) I took second shift in helping Bella go to sleep (quite wound up after the evening festivities that included more than a few rounds of Rock Band and Katamari Damacy with the cousins Ryan and David - Karen's nephews.) Here's what she wanted to let me know:

"Casey believes something that is completely wrong. He thinks that Pterodactyls are still real. But they're gone. Long gone. Can you believe that people dig up dinosaur bones? Imagine if they could dig up Pterodactyl bones - boy, you'd have to go way up in the mountains to find Pterodactyl bones...

"Who would want to fall up into space, anyway? I mean if gravity stopped working and we all started floating up into the sky. Not me. I would NOT want to fall up into space. But if gravity DID stop working, the Pterodactyls would be ok. Because they can fly. They could probably come save us."

"And a baby pterodactyl could help carry the baby humans... and the baby human could ride on the back of the baby pterodactyl. And if the baby pterodactyl got tired, it could ride on the back of mommy Pterodactyl. So you'd have a Pterodactyl, a baby Pterodactyl, a baby, and so on all the way up, and on the very top would be a single grain of salt.

"A grain of salt is so small, i bet you can't even SEE it. I wonder what it looks like up close?"

With that, she fell asleep.

Bella figures it out

Today Bella was talking to Pamela and revealed the following:

I: "You know, Mom, I'm half dog."

P: "Oh yes, we know that dear."

I: "And Lilli? She's half horse."

P: "Yes, that makes sense!"

I: "And Isaac.... he's half squirrel and half rock star."

I'd say she has the right idea....

Kwick Kindle Update

I've devoured three and a half books on my Kindle so far, while still enjoying my daily NYT. It is still getting daily use, so I'm calling this thing a success in my home.

Apparently for all the naysaying, Amazon has seriously sold out of them, and they're going for over $800 on eBay, so if I was unhappy, I could cash out easily... but I'm not unhappy in the least.

My only regret is that I have four deadtree editions I've got for gifts recently that will be next in line... I can't quite see re-buying them in Kindle editions... that would be crazy. CraziER than I'm usually comfortable with, I guess.

Did I mention that Pamela's back? I'm just so happy to see her smile, to hear her padding about the house - I was missing my friend.

She's back!!!

YAY! My sweet Pamela has returned!

Apparently she had a wonderful time - I've got a few stories and more are on the way...

That's all. She's back, we're all good.

Current Scotch List

In the past 18 months, the following Scotches have made their appearances at our semi-regular "Avenger Nights". It is an amazing list.

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beis
Ardbeg Uigeadail
Balvenie 12 Doublewood
Bowmore 17
Bunnahabhain 12
Bunnahabhain 18
Bunnahabhain 25
Caol Ila 18
Caol Ila 1981 19 year
Compass Box Asyla (Blend)
Cragganmore 17
Dalwhinnie 15
Dalwhinnie Double Matured
Deanston 12
Deanston 17
Deanston 30
Highland Park 12
Highland Park 18
Highland Park 25
Highland Park 1967 37 year
Glenburgie 1969 34 year
Glenfarclas 12
Glenfarclas 21
Glenfiddich 15 Solara Reserve
Glenlivet 15 French Oak
Glenlivet 18
Glenmorangie 10
Glenmorangie Madeira Cask
Lagavulin 2005 12 year Special Release
Lagavulin 2006 12 year Special Release
Lagavulin 16
Laphroaig 1999 7 year
Laphroaig 2000 7 year
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Laphroaig 15
Laphroaig 30
Ledaig 10
Ledaig 16 Sherry Cask
Longmorn 1967 37 year
Macallan 14
Macallan Cask Strength
Oban 14
Port Ellen 1979 22 year
Scapa 14
Springbank 10
Strathisla 1967 37 year
Suntory Hibiki 17 (Blend)
Suntory Yamazaki 12 year
Talisker 10
Talisker Double Matured
Talisker 18
Talisker 175th Anniversary
Tobermory 10

The newest addition was the Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beis ("Shelter of the Beast") - a 1990 bottling that is a new favorite. Ant had it poured for us as a blind test, and we got close, but didn't quite suss the distillery... Chicken declared upon tasting "I think I just met my fiancee!" Sir Ant replied "then next time you shall meet your mistress" - his basement is full of delights we have yet to meet...

Rest assured, at any one night between 4-6 are sampled, BUT no more than 3-4 ounces are actually imbibed across a 4-5 hour evening. So we are NOT lushes. Really. Hic.

Surviving and Thriving

Well, Pamela has been gone for 4 nights so far, and tonight will be five. How am I holding up? VERY WELL THANK YOU! In fact, up to last night, I'd say it all went swimmingly: Isaac had only one wake up each night, Bella slept well in my bed, I turned in early to get extra rest. Bella's sick stomach did not return thankfully, and Isaac's cold and coughing took a break as well: The kids were healthy and well rested, as was I.

Last night, three things changed:
1) Bella was out late to see Jenny's Xmas pageant and came home over 2 hours past her bedtime. The poor girl was nearly unconscious, and was fast asleep within 10 minutes.
2) Isaac was off by a few hours, had his wakeups at different times, and was up by 4 this morning and couldn't get back asleep...
3) I had the Ant and Chicken over for some Scotch and watched Die Hard (they had never see this Christmas Classic)... and didn't get to bed before 1am.

So all three conspired to put us all "off" today, though a late morning nap for Isaac and I helped restore some equilibrium. Bella was just a bit brittle all day, but she had some good playtime with George up the block. Dad had us over for pot-roast dinner (and tortellini for Bella - a new "food that works") and an unexpected surprise of Cranberry Steam Pudding. Grandma kept Isaac and Bella good and occupied so I got to catch up with Dad. It was a great treat.

At the end of the day, as I was to put Isaac to sleep I didn't want Bella to watch another show (a Scooby before bedtime equals strange energy sometimes), so I suggested she do some artwork - perhaps a picture for Mommy?

She got good and mad (as she will when she is overtired) and grabbed a red pen and a piece of paper: She drew a sad little girl face with tears streaming, and said "LOOK: THIS IS ME. I AM SAD AND MAD".

I took the hint and spent a few extra minutes getting her started on a nice picture for mommy, setting her up in front of the fireplace. Later after Issac was asleep, we played three games of "go fish" in front of the fire (real Go Fish with playing cards, not the animal verson). She was so cuddly and close it was all but impossible to not see her cards... But even so, and with my every effort not to win, I won the first two games, which brought tears to the brims of her eyes. Fortunately the third game went all the way to the last card in the deck, and only by palming the last card was I able to "throw" the game, which made her evening. Then we read the fine Japanese trilogy about Feet, Scabs, and Poop, and she dropped off quickly.

Pamela comes home tomorrow and I will be happy to see her: I handled the house pretty well (especially with a little babysitting help!), but I miss having my best friend around. She's called every day and it sounds like she's having a wonderful time!

So that's the update: All is well!

Spoke too soon.

WAY too soon.

No sooner had I posted the last update... I went upstairs to find Bella contentedly asleep in our bed. Covered in puke. I had to wake her, shower her, put her into her bed, change all of the sheets, start the laundry... Ugh.

Guess we're not going to school tomorrow!!!

And I hate that "sympathetic nausea" you get when you encounter other puke: Your body thinks "that's sickness - I must be sick too!"

Wish me luck in the night.

We have liftoff!

Pamela is finally at Miraval!!! She left this morning, and called this afternoon with a rave review of her room - with high ceilings, a fireplace, a private veranda with mountain view... A fine place to relax! After two tries (Try one cut short by the arrival of Isaac, try two canceled when Mark died) it's nice to have her out there enjoying her 40th birthday present, a year late, but no less appreciated!

I took the day off: Bella had a puking incident last night - more likely food related than flu - but nonetheless that meant school was no-go. We had our fun, building a gingerbread house, drawing, and playing a lot. Isaac's health seems back on track too, as is his appetite. Knock on wood, but things seem ok.

I'm a bit tuckered - I still did my 6am workout, but got no nap in the day. I had a babysitter for the evening so I could go learn about options for Bella at our elementary school: They have a great program called "Continuous Progress" where a teaching team keeps the kids for 5 years, and there are mixed grades: Very grade specific things like Math are still taught in grade settings, but the core class is mixed grades...

The more I listened to it, the more sense it made, and it really sounds like something Bella would do well with - especially considering her two best friends are a year older than her, and she plays regularly with kids even older and younger... So I think we'll have to try for CP. I'm a believer.

And now I'm off to bed!

Somewhat quiet?

Friday night, I went off to the annual holiday party for the company whose software I helped write with my dad back at the very start of my career. Even though I haven't worked with or for them for many many years, they keep me on the list as a participant... which is growing odder and odder as the company grows and the number of people who have no idea who I am far outnumber the ones who remember my history.

But this party wasn't about me... it was about Dad, who is finally deciding to "retire" from the business. He has been working there full time for almost 8 years, and it was 17 years ago that the software got started, when we both worked on it in our "spare time"...

So 3 years ago I came in to do some analysis work to help figure out what the next phase of software would look like and document the current system. All this year, Dad has been transitioning his knowledge. And come Jan 1, there will be no Reays there. So the Christmas party was partially a celebration of his service... There was a "roast" in there, but it didn't feel all that toasty... but there were some good heartfelt tributes in there too. The food and the band were fabulous too: If you're looking for a party band, I heartily recommend Belladiva - they were simply amazing. Really.

Pamela didn't come because she was battling a slight head cold... which she got either from Bella or Isaac both of whom are nursing colds... Bella's is a lot less severe, but Isaac has been wiped out for almost a week now (yes, we did take him to the doctor!) In spite of being under the weather, Isaac is still more than capable of causing household mayhem.

He has figured out that his signs (More!), and words (Baba! Banana! Bella! Dis!) will get us to jump up and DO THINGS, so he's more or less randomly pointing at things and rejecting them once they're in his hands. Total boy who cried wolf syndrome.

Bella has been at Grandma and Grandpa's house all weekend - she helped pick up and decorate the tree, and did some sledding, and I imagine a lot of arts and crafts... we said bye at 10am Saturday, and hi at 4pm Sunday! It was strangely quiet in the house (Isaac notwithstanding).

So we took advantage and read the paper, did Christmas cards, I finally wrote thank-yous for my birthday, I worked on my guitar chops for Rock Band...

Speaking of thank-yous - Apparently word got out that I like scotch, and it has become a very giftable item for me. The other night, Uncle Chicken went to my cabinet, and backed away, gasping "It's like Buckingham Palace!" So until a few more bottles are consumed (and I do have the boys coming over more often now), no more need arrive...

Finally, Pamela takes off Tuesday for her long awaited trip to Miraval... and I'm on daddy duty until Sunday! I'm looking forward to it. Fortunately, I'll have help - our super sitter will be around many days, and family and neighbors are more than interested in having Bella around! It'll be just a taste of what Pamela goes through all the time (and will go through more as I start to travel a little), I know, and I welcome the experience.

Back into it.

Poor Isaac: Sunday night he came down with some intestinal discomfort (lots of toots and wakeups - I had him for a few hours again), and by Monday it had revealed itself as a stomach bug. Fortunately it coursed through his system fairly quickly... but then in the evening he started doing a sparky the seal impersonation: Yep, he got Croup. So Pamela and I took shifts, because he was only sleeping up to an hour at a time between coughing fits.

Today, he still has it, but his spirit is strong: He played a new fun game with us, called "it's for you". Take one real telephone, hand it to Isaac, and he'll press a few buttons and give it back to you. Variations include throwing it to you, and alternating handing the phone to the other parent too. Hours of fun (well, at least one hour of fun).

So tired is the word of the day...

And tired will be the word of next week as well: We're starting 5-day-a-week 6am classes at my workout place, though I'll only be able to attend monday-tuesday, because Tuesday I'm shipping Pamela off to Miraval for the third attempt at her 40th birthday extravaganza. Whoo hoo! Superdad to the rescue.

A moment of peace

There's a fresh white blanket of snow falling, Isaac is asleep, and Pamela and Bella are out. I've got the fire turned on, I just finished a half hour on the elliptical, and I did a Pimsleur Japanese lesson (number 73 of 90 - I learned about headaches, stomachaches, and fevers)

Bella is off to a "princess tea party" for one of her friends. But Bella is QUITE done with pink and princesses right now: she has been giving away pink things to her friends (though not Doggie the Dog, of course). And her "fancy dress" for the day is a grey pantsuit that makes her look like a 1970s photojournalist... but the black bow in her hair and a bangley bracelet makes it "fancy".

We went to put the wreath on Alexander's grave only to find that the ground is frozen so hard, we couldn't stick it down... so we left it as is and crossed our fingers that the wind would be kind... and vowed to return with a powerdrill.

Now, for fans of the surreal: I should share that I had a very strange and vivid dream:

I was visiting a restaurant that our family had been long time patrons of in my youth (this is the story in my head - in truth I remember no such restaurant like this!). There's a roundabout for the front door, which leads to elevators, which take you down one level (or stairs if you prefer). As you stand in the elevator lobby, there are three rooms: To the left, there is the main dining room, which is a very average, white tablecloth affair... low ceilings, but the walls are all tall windows which look out onto a nice lake. Straight ahead is the bar, which runs parallel to the dining room: All dark wood, no tables, just a looooong bar.

But to the RIGHT is the "Starlight Room". This is a medium sized sphere, with the walls bulging out just a little. There's clearly an iron gridwork, and there are 2x2 gold brocade wall panels. There are only around 10 tables in here, and it's lit by pinpoint lights peeking out from where the panels meet in the corners. A few panels are off of the wall, allowing me to see behind. (they are in the middle of renovating this room).

All around the OUTSIDE of the sphere are scaffolds with chairs on them, with music stands. There are two rings of musicians. Yes, as you eat in the Starlight room, right behind the panels is a small orchestra, surrounding you with live music. Immediately by the door to the room is a small control room where the conductor keeps the players in sync with 1960's era radio headsets, and small cue lights for each chair.

Alas, the future is coming to the Starlight room: As they're reworking the room, they're replacing the chairs with surround sound speakers. The live musicians are hard to come by these days, and too expensive. But to compensate, they're also replacing the brocade panels with thin LCD panels. In their normal state, the room looks as it used to... but with a few key strokes in the control room, part of the wall turns into an aquarium. With another few strokes, the sky turns into a starry night, with meteors streaking across.

I'm struck that while the old technology was very charming, this new room might just be an allright place to be. We leave the workers and our old friends the Maitre D' and the Conductor (now the video/audio orchestrator) alone to their work, and back into the elevators. We may be back for dinner sometime... but if memory serves, the spectacle of the Starlight room was always better than the food...

The house turns for the season

Ah, Thanksgiving has passed, and it is now time for the house to shift from Autumn footing to Christmas style. Pamela and Bella got going on this in earnest yesterday, and by the time I came home today, all of the leaves, acorns, squirrels, and whatnot are back in the basement, and trees, garlands, doves, and owls are now the order of the day. Pamela is a decorating genius, and try as I might, I can never see/comprehend what she's up to until it's done - it's as if she waits for me to leave the room, then wiggles her nose and makes it all "gel". It is a true art.

Bella loves the house decorating just as much as Pamela, and gets a faraway look in her eye and a beatific smile as she carries around decorations. She insists on packing a box of decorations for her own room... which will be done mother-daughter tomorrow. Her sparkle is truly wonderful.

Christmas carols are the soundtrack of our life now.

Isaac is changing too for us: He's been spectacularly restless in the night: Monday had me holding him for over 2 hours: He would settle, but refused to be set down, with the most pitiful wails of spiritual angst. I'll give you angst, kid. But the byproducts of the "brainstorms in the night" are new skills - He's learned a new sign for "crackers" (in addition to his previous sign for MORE PLEASE). He has a new spinning dance he does - round and round. His fine motor skills keep refining - he was stacking blocks with me the other morning. And his babbling is quite multisyllabic with some new phonemes... he's really conversing.

So I don't mind that I'm exhausted, that I slept right through two workouts this week, that I passed out at 8:30 last night... My kids are fabulous, and this time is short. I look at Bella, so big, and remember when she was Isaac sized, and smaller, and know I have to love all of their phases - there are no replays.

Kindle Update

I've finished reading my first book on Kindle, and it was GOOD. Both the book and the experience. The go-anywhere, instant-on nature of the Kindle made it possible for me to read a 350 page book in the edges and corners of my days - waiting in lines, killing a few minutes waiting for tea to brew, a few pages while the kids were playing well...

I'm realizing that the best use is to keep it close at hand, and pick it up when a moment presents itself. For as large as it is, it does fit easily into my coat pocket, AND it clips nicely onto the outside of my moleskine, so it's no fuss to carry around.

The newspaper delivery has actually improved in the week I've owned it: The NY times is sending along more pictures, which do help add context to the stories.

You're not tied to the Amazon content: I do have a few E-books in TEXT and HTML format, and I sent one along to Kindle (you just email it to your device), and it's the second book I'm reading now.

So one week in, and I've got solid use out of this device every day. We'll see how this goes!

Yes, it was busy

So many fun things this weekend... Thanksgiving/Birthday was very nice - as noted in previous entries. Another Scotch night with a few avengers on Friday, with some very nice old ones sampled. Saturday was a bit lazier... Erik treated us to bacon and eggs while we sat around.

Isaac wound up LOVING Erik to an almost disturbing degree. If I was holding Isaac, and Erik walked in, Isaac shrieked and reached out for him. Erik got not a minute of peace with his little "fan" around. Isaac also continued on his slow taper toward eating "food", enjoying a full piece of bacon... probably since Erik made it and all.

Bella, Erik, and I went off to a story telling celebration, and Bella amused herself with French Lady stories, but started fidgeting... so off to the next thing: The comic book store. She sat down in the kid's section, and very carefully browsed through, to find two comics she wanted to take home: Yes, Scooby Doo.

Then off to a Model Store: I've told Bella many stories about making models as a kid and she wanted to know more about this activity. She picked out a few snap-together kits: An SR71 Blackbird spy plane, a fire truck, and a french rally car. We made two of them that afternoon, and she was GREAT at following directions. I think she'll be a good kit builder in time.

One treat I got was the game "Rock Band" for Playstation3: This comes with a guitar, mic, and drum set. Songs play and you're supposed to hit drums/frets/sing as specified. It's not EXACTLY mapped to real notes (ability to PLAY said instrument can be a liability actually)... but there is definitely an element of skill...

Erik and I made a "band" called "Eclectricity" and began our tour. Two hours later (and 20 songs) the game politely informed us that we were no longer allowed to use the "Easy" setting... and bumped us to Medium, and we collapsed in ineptitude. Well that's not entirely fair - we did OK. The songs for the game are very fun - Blitzkrieg Bop, Should I stay or should I go, Wanted Dead or Alive, Gimme Shelter....

I think I need to create "synthpop hero" where you and 4 friends stand around with monophonic synthesizers while your drums come from a 1/4 inch reel to reel tape deck.

Sunday Pamela "encouraged" us to get out into the beautiful weather, so we went out to Uncle Franky's, which I haven't been to since switching to the "new client" back in July. Still delicious. Then off to a real record store, the electric fetus for good old fashioned shopping.

An old tradition of mine and Erik's is to spend an hour or more browsing in record stores, and we try to bring worse and worse "recommendations" to eachother. My Japanese Import of Queensryche "Operation Mindcrime" was the winner this time.

When we got back, the kids had so thoroughly exhausted Pamela, that she took a 3 hour nap...

In the evening, after "rocking out" for a while (with Pamela and Bella helping out on Vocals), Erik and I watched "Live Free or Die Hard" - the 4th in the franchise, and a worthy member of the family. I had read about some nerds who didn't like the way the interweb was depicted, about how the computer use was completely unrealistic. Yes, and in this same movie, he drives over a fire hydrant, and the resulting gusher of water is high/strong enough to knock a sniper out of a helicopter. He tumbles out of a moving car which retains enough momentum fly up a concrete barricade and crash into said helicopter, while only getting some scratches.

Sister, if you're worried about realism what with the computers, perhaps we should start with the basic laws of physics which were being violated. So with that said, I made an agreement with my brain to go ahead and enjoy this... and enjoy it we did.

Erik took off this AM, and it was back to the salt mines for me. I did spend an hour in a meeting in my NEW position (yes, the one I start in February... i want to get myself wrapped into it), and as if to keep pushing me toward the door, the vendor at my current client just came through with the news that one more piece of functionality that we were counting on will be ready for us in December. 2008. YES.

And now it's off to bed: The morning will come early, and I need to get back on my workout schedule, getting the less "good for me" parts of the weekend out of my system.

(And I hope you can forgive my geeky KindlePost)

Kindle and Me

This is a geeky post wherein I describe my experiences with the new Amazon Kindle E-Book. Here goes.

You all know that I am something of an early adopter of technology. I got the first iPod. I got the first Macintosh back in the 1980s. I had anywhere wireless service in 1999, with Metricom (wireless at dial-up speeds!!!) I had early TIVO service. I've had a few palm pilots, a few gaming systems, and of course, I was VERY early into the virtual synthesizer game, retiring my hardware keyboards (my first virtual was back in 1998)

Sometimes my experiments are good (iPod), sometimes they don't work out (Roku media player? Metricom? Chapman Stick?) So it was with some interest that I noticed the announcement of the Amazon Kindle.

I've always been interested in E-Media: I have many books in PDF form on my computer, and I've tried various ways of "enjoying" them in any way... but everything has been been too complicated, too many issues. Reading long documents on a computer is completely ridiculous. Palm Pilots were interesting, but it took work to move the documents TO them, and once loaded, they had this tendency to turn off the screen after 60 seconds on inactivity (apparently it couldn't SENSE my eyeballs reading). Plus, traditional backlit screens are just a bit rough on the eyes. Finally, there was the battery issue - when scrolling through text, the screen, hard drive, everything is working... so you're stuck with 6 hours MAX on either a Palm or a computer.

Add to this, that Palms and Computers are primarily for other things... they're not tuned to the reading experience, and they suck you over to their other uses... oh, let's check mail, surf the web, check our calendars clean up my contacts... You CAN read on them... and you CAN store recipes on them too, but who does?

So along comes the Kindle. On one level, it's a reader to beat all: A crisp high contrast screen that uses "E-Ink" technology: What this means is that once the page is "set", it takes NO electricity to keep it. It's matte, with no backlight, and is perfectly readable in sunlight and candlelight: Wherever you could read a real book, you could read this. The other advantage to this technology: Almost 30 days of reading on a battery charge.

Next, it's light and compact: Smaller than a laptop, bigger than a palm it's exactly Moleskine sized, with a reading area a little smaller than a typical paperback. Around 10 oz, it's easy to handle. It has dedicated buttons for turning pages, and a really cool navigation wheel to get you around.

But the BEST part is that it has an integrated bookstore: It has a cellmodem, which connects you to the Amazon Kindle bookstore, where you can buy books (it's tied to your Amazon account), and have them immediately sent to your Kindle, no computer, no wifi, no nothing needed. Using the modem burns battery faster (you need to charge every other day when it's on). Also, you can subscribe to newspapers and magazines, and they show up overnight.

Ok. I haven't told you anything that you couldn't get from just going to the Amazon site and reading. But I just wanted to introduce the technology to you. Now, let me tell you about two days with it.

Sunday Morning: A crazy runaround - Bella and Isaac had cabin fever and needed a lot of attention. Isaac in particular needed to escape the kitchen, and had a running circuit from the dining room to the fireplace and back. And I was the sentry keeping him away from the fire.

In my right hand, the Kindle, with the Sunday NY Times loaded. As I walked with Isaac, keeping an eye on his mischief, I browsed the news, the editorials, and the NY book review (they liked "Options" by Fake Steve Jobs). When both hands were needed, I set it down anywhere. It was perfectly readable at full arm length, and the page forward and next buttons made it a strictly one-handed affair.

End result - MOST of the NY Times were read while I was on my feet. I'm not sure that Erik and Pamela were able to consume as much of the Sunday paper. One downside - can't do a crossword or sudoku on this: It's strictly for reading.

My first bought book is the Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - the movie opens next week and I wanted to re-read it. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, when I had a free 5 min, I'd pick up the Kindle and do a chapter or two... sitting, standing... no matter. I put it down, and it stays in the right place. I switch to the Times, and come back to the Compass, and it remembers where I was.

Monday I popped into a favorite place to grab a quick lunch before a meeting... I'm told there's a 15 min wait. I can do that. I stand against a wall, load up the Golden compass, and read... and read... and get so lost in the actual book that by the time they call my name, I realize I've been waiting a full half hour, and didn't even notice. The Kindle offered a fully immersive reading experience.

I now have 5 books on it: One is a Japanese Language primer (while my verbal is good, I need to work on my reading...). I switch over to it for a little review. Also, I check the headlines on the Times. Now, if this was all paper, it would have been a full satchel. As it is, it's still a small compact device.

So far so good, I say. My goal was to take this technology out for a drive and see if it delivers on the promise. And so far it is. There are issues, and I'll get into them in the next update.

If at the end of 30 days, the Kindle is seeing daily use, it will stay in my home. If not, that fancy package will make its way elsewhere....

Got it.

Pamela with Bella tonight. Scene, Bella in bed, stories have been read, Pamela's looking for an exit:

P: I need to go check on the boys (Jim and Erik)
B: Why?
P: To make sure they're doing their job
B: What's their job?
P: To finish carving the turkey and get rid of the carcass
B: What's a carcass?
P: It's the bones... it's like a skeleton.
B: (Holds her arms out) Wait... I GOT IT... Only it's an Ostrich. In a pet cemetery.
P: ... ok...

Thanksgiving dinner with Erik was great. Isaac was completely nuts throughout, and crashed well before dessert. Now we're off to watch a fine holiday film: Probably Die Hard, which was just delivered in Hi Def yesterday. Good times.

Happy Birthday....

TO ME.

I rang in the new year last night by seeing Beowulf with a few buddies... IN 3D. It was an odd movie. Definitely some fun stuff in there, some cool 3D effects, but the entire movie was undone by the horrible dead-eyed cyberpuppets that Zemeckis seems compelled to make his movies with. Of particular note, the Queen and Beowulf's consort: I've seen more compelling virtual actress performances in the Barbie Fairytopia movies.

Given that the whole movie takes place in around a 5 square mile area, it's not as though the sets were SO fantastic they needed CGI to make it happen, either. This movie could/should have been done for under half the cost, blending live action and CGI. But hey, I'm not a moviemaker. I just like movies.

Today Bella and Isaac woke up before 7, and I got the kind birthday gift of a little sleep in... since I didn't get to bed until 1:30. The sleepin ended when Bella decided enough was enough and I needed to get up. At 7:30. Pulling my covers off and hollering. I love that girl.

My former college roommate and best man Erik is flying in today, joining me for the holiday and gadding about for the long weekend! For now, we're just tidying up, and getting started on the cooking - Pamela did a TON of prep work, so today shouldn't be too intense. It's a small Thanksgiving this year - just the four of us and Erik. It'll be a nice relaxing day, and a fine way to ring in the fourth decade.

From the mouth of Bella

Tonight...

"Guys, didn't I used to have a leopard that was covered with salad? Salad leaves?

Or was that in a dream?"

The best book in the universe

The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary

This thick volume has over 1000 pages, each filled with very detailed drawings of objects, with what they are in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Why this is brilliant is the RANGE of information presented... it's frankly astounding.

Page 375: Cuts for Gemstones (schifformen für Edelsteine), including Stop, Rose, Table, Cabochon, Emerald, Brilliant Full, Eight, Scissors, Baguette, French, Oval, Navette, Pear, and Briolette cuts - all illustrated, all with 5 languages. and that's HALF the page.

How about pages 474-475: A detailed overview of how postal distribution works - from mailboxes to sorting facilities, to distribution centers, to postmen. Page 830 - an Olympic Swimming Pool, with lane ropes, false start rope, stroke-placing-turning judges, backstroke turn indicators?

Page 254: Wood flooring arrangements? Inlaid parquet, overlay, strip flooring with alternate joints, herringbone parquet, chantilly parquet....?

Page 101 - Insects: Flea, louse, mosquito, tsetse, termite, furiture beetle, ladybird, sexton, yellowjacket, hornet, horsefly, bumblebee, oriental cockroach, peppered moth, giant water bug with eggs, monarch buterfly, great green bush-cricket, cicada... Followed on 103 with a tarantula and a diagram of the internal organs of a spider?

Every page is an adventure. I LOVE THIS BOOK. Get it.

Countdown...

To Thanksgiving, to Christmas, to New Years, to my Birthday, to my new Job... so much that we're on the approach to.

Today we got up bright and early and had a parent-teacher conference with Bella's teacher Suellen. Now, last year, when i went to the conference, I felt like I was hearing stories about a kid I didn't know: Bella had a truly VERY different home persona from school, and we were amazed to learn about this girl. This year, the two Bellas have really merged, and I felt I was hearing my daughter described, which is a good thing.

Something I heard was that Bella is very considerate and has deep friendships with a few people, but is not out in the front of the crowd. This jives with our perceptions. But one thing that was touching: There's a girl in class who never speaks - she's amazingly shy. Bella seems to have decided to try to be her friend, to take time out to check in on her, and the teacher really thought that was a sweet gesture. It made me proud.

After that, we piled in the mobile and headed out to Bachmans for the annual arrival of Santa. We got there early so Bella could enjoy a quiche, and then settled in for the arrival (pulled by one beautiful reindeer), the show, and the pictures afterward. The Bachmans Santa is just the best in the world. But the "Arrival Day" has become something of a zoo: Even last year, it was still a pretty mellow affair, but this year, it was PACKED, and frankly a little less fun for it. We'll probably adjust and just go a week or two later in future years. Naturally, Bella watched the show intently. Isaac and I walked all through the store.

As we walked through the fake christmas tree section, Isaac would occasionally pause, and give a lusty "HA!!!", as though he was a mighty viking warrior, pleased with the tribute offered to him. The he'd be back to not just walking, not just running, but skip/galloping. The boy is a speed demon.

Pictures with Santa... Isaac pulled a Ghandi and went all limp in Santa's arms, shrieking. The moment we picked him up, the waterworks ended, and he politely waved to Santa. I tell you, that kid knows what he does and does not want. Bella, she did give us a sweet smile, unlike previous years where a serious glare was all we were allowed to photograph. On the ride home, Bella did want to know why Santa didn't ask what she wanted for Christmas: Alas, the pictures thing moves kids through pretty fast. We told her the elves have been taking notes all year, so she doesn't need to tell him: After all, what if a kid didn't get a chance to SEE Santa? How would he know what that kid wants unless he had a network? Bella was satisfied with that.

And finally, continuing on my countdown to 40 consumer frenzy (new TV, new suits), I finally caved in and got... yes... the iPhone. AND I AM SO MAD THAT I DIDN'T JUST DO THIS MONTHS AGO: This is the finest piece of technology I have ever possessed. Mein Gott, was dachte ich? It is a great phone, it's a great ipod, it shows pictures, it surfs the web.... man. MAN. To everyone who supported me in my quixotic quest to abstain from that thing - thank you. But come on, it is just too great. Man was not MEANT to resist this. Much less geeky, mac-loving man, like me.

The Skeleton Factory

Last night, Bella told me about a dream she had:

It is a factory with a long conveyor belt, where skeletons are made bone-by-bone. At the end of the conveyor belt, the skeletons jump off, and they work on the line for a while, building other skeletons. After doing some time on the line, they climb on the SECOND conveyor belt.

The second belt is for "Skin patching": There is a giant robot hand with skin on it. It slaps down onto the skeletons, giving them skin on one side. Then a spatula flips the skeletons, and the hand slaps down on their backs, giving them skin there.

And that's the end of the line: Now they're people.

And now a message

From my left arm: Recipient of a flu shot today.
"Ow."

Ok, remember that one posting I made that I had to take down because it wasn't public yet? Yeah. Well it's back up... I can announce it because it's been revealed to the hundred-odd people in the company, so I'm not spoiling any secrets.

Yes, I am moving to a new position - and it's in the glamorous world of SALES. I'm returning to the nest of the firm I've worked with on-and-off for the past 7 years, and coming in as a VP for business development. The important stuff (money) has been figured out, but start date, and my exact territory is still up in the air, but it's looking very west-coastey. No worries, travel is limited, and it's only for account management: Mondays and Fridays are always here... it's fundamentally different from a traveling consultant position.

One fun bonus is that I need to kick up the presentability quotient: Jackets and suits are far more needed. Fortunately, there's a store in town (Kuhlmann) with very reasonable prices, extremely attractive merch, and a strange phenomenon: Their suits fit me PERFECTLY off the rack without alterations. I got one of their suits 2 years back for my 10th wedding party, and I just went back for a few more... Alas, with my skinny neck and long arms, I can be hard to fit shirt-wise. Kuhlmann always lets me down (they need to add 2cm to their sleeves!!!). But Thomas Pink of Jermyn Street (and Macy's Downtown) was quite able to accommodate my very scottish/german look and were quite happy to sell me some dressy shirts.

As I approach 40, I am sadly noticing that my eyeglass prescription is in dire need of an update... things require a few more blinks to get into focus, and for the first time, close up things are starting to blur slightly. OH ACCURSED GENETICS. So I'll be making an appointment with Dr Eye soon enough... and updating the lenses in a few of my frames... retiring one or two... and maybe getting 1-2 new looks. Lasik? Don't make me laugh. Glasses WORK for me.

And on the eyes front: I can't recall if I told the blog about my 40th birthday present to myself: a large Hi-Def LCD screen and a Blu-Ray player. High definition is absolutely blowing my mind: My cable box gets HD, and there's a show called "Sunrise Earth" which is 1 hour of sunrise around the world. It is flat out amazing... especially in the crisp clear hi def. We watched Blu-Ray Ratatouille, and it was so bright and clear, I thought they were jumping out of the screen at me.

I am now a hi-def evangelist. This is to DVD as DVD was to VHS. I'm not exaggerating: The clarity is incredible. And watching Heroes at that size, in HD... Oh Sylar, I can see your devious cunning EVEN MORE CLEARLY now.

I end with a quote from Bella the other night. She was mad because it was late and her friend had to go home. Stomping her foot, she declared:

I AM NOT VERY HAPPY WITH THIS WHOLE "NOT PLAYING WITH FRIENDS" BUSINESS.

Again, it was very hard to keep a straight face and sagely nod my head to empathize.

Oh, the dots.

Yes, we were affected by the AquaDots recall: Bella had got a big set of them, along with some expansion packs. Truth be told, she preferred directing OTHERS to the tedious work of arranging the beads on the trays... and actually her favorite part of the whole thing was loading the beads into the hoppers, and turning on the drying fan.

In case I need to back up a bit: AquaDots are little colored beads that you arrange on a grid to make pictures, then you wet them, they melt slightly, bond with eachother, and your art can be lifted off the grid and proudly left around the house to be tossed out eventually.

The scandal is that the manufacturer (or more precisely, the manufacturing subcontractor in... wait for it... CHINA) substituted one of the chemicals for a cheaper one. The problem being that that cheaper chemical essentially turned each dot into a powerful drug called GHB - which causes blackouts and hallucinations.

Given that we have a kid in the house who puts everything including dead centipedes in his mouth, our risks of him eventually ingesting one of these beads was quite high. So we had to get rid of the toys.

Bella cried for 20 minutes, pleading to keep them, and in the end, we did keep some of the non-bead plastic bits (which will NOT cause blackouts). She also insisted that we write a letter to the company to make them promise never to take a little girl's toy away again.

Ok. Another Bella Quote:
Last night, Pamela and I were talking about how the word "Foxy" has fallen out of common usage, but how it was the ULTIMATE gauge of hotness when we were in highschool.

Pamela related that the popular girls would greet eachother in the halls with a "Hey, Fox!" She then lamented that that was NOT a greeting she and her friends could use with eachother.

Bella said "well, you then could probably say 'Hey, Turkey!'"

We were paralyzed with laughter. She really didn't have the concept of the meaning of "turkey" in this context... but landed on it quite randomly. And hilariously.

The Latest

First, a new quote from Bella:
"My teeth feel like secret knives that cut food up"

Now, onto the news:
They have made an arrest in Mark's death. There are some things happening in the news, some unsavory details that may or may not be accurate, which I would prefer to not address right now... let's let the dust settle for a day or two and then I'll share my thoughts.

On that subject - since Google kindly shows my blog as a destination for people looking for info for Mark, there is a rather active set of postings happening on the "Missing Mark" entry. I'm letting some of this continue for a while, but there are some angry people over there... I'll keep an eye on it. Just letting you know.

No more for today. The knives post would have been enough, but I wanted to at least mention the other big news.

The next generation

I went over to visit Mark's family tonight, and brought along a surprise for Max: I have been reading about and desperately wanted to see a game called "Portal".

This is a completely wild game in which you're presented with simple, non-violent challenges that require that you use portals, which let you enter and exit from places in walls. So you can put an entry portal on the floor, and an exit portal in the wall, jump down, and you'll fall out of the wall. It truly requires some 4-dimensional thinking.

The reviews have all said "it's tough, but it teaches you as you go..." and "seriously mindbending".

Naturally, when we put it in, Max had some innate knowledge of how it all worked. In the short hour I was there, he finished over 3/4 of the game. It was fun, though, as the WHOLE gang of us were transfixed on the game, coaching him for ideas.

Still, it's a remarkable thing for me, a guy whose game experience stops with a mustachioed plumber, to see how even an advanced concept game like that can be totally assimilated by a smart 12-year old. I was, dare I say it, proud?

A nice halloween

Short Halloween Update

We had Jenny's family over for Chili and pizza to fuel up and warm up for the Tricking and Treating. This year, the ENTIRE neighborhood converged at Casey's house, so we did our own thing up the block until we got there, and then the PACK ravaged the neighborhood - I think it was 12 kids...

Bella the Penguin did a great job, and quite the haul. The important number was 6: Six Reeses Butter Cups (as she calls them). Isaac the Lobster did around 5 houses, running up the sidewalk and generally not comprehending any of what was happening.

He got a bit cold by house 5, so I carried him home, gave him a warm bottle, and packed him off to bed. When Bella came back, and after examining the loot, she waited patiently for trick or treaters so SHE could give some candy out. Alas, none came... it was a quiet year. She got increasingly upset, and it was going to be hard to get her to bed without some action.

So I ran out the back door with Isaac's costume, put on the lobster head, and tucked the rest of the costume under my chin, and came to the front door on my knees. She proudly gave me the candy, I raced back around the house and nonchalantly asked if anyone had come to the door. Bella was BEAMING. It was the right move.

She dropped off pretty quickly too, so it's been a quiet house for a while now... and I'm going to try to get to bed pretty soon too, since tomorrow's a workout day!

I should mention that Isaac is getting a bit more adventurous with eating: Today he had a few apple slices, and stole a hunk of french bread right out of my hand and gnawed it for a good 5 min. It was a bit crusty for him in the end. A handful of shredded cheese worked, but he had no interest in chili meat. I'm noticing that when he does eat, it's more than a taste now - he's going for a few mouthfuls (or with the apples, whole wedges), so I am cautiously optimistic that he'll start taking to "people food" a bit more.

This morning, I did have a completely FAILED experiment with oatmeal however. While his palate is evolving, it doesn't mean he'll stand for being spoon fed for even a SECOND. That kid has got some willpower.

How it happens:

Imagined after watching Michael Clayton.

Director:
For the female lead, I really want Cate Blanchett. I need those eyes and that classic look... But is there any way to have her sort of be a bit more neurotic, have more of a permanently panicky look on her face and a bit more frailty to the voice - sort of a cross between Cate and Jodie Foster, with maybe just a little something "Off"... perhaps blending in a little Christina Ricci to skew the proportions? So can I get Cate and Jodie and Christina sort of put together?

Casting Director:
I'll get you Tilda Swinton

Director:
Who?

Casting Director:
Trust me.

On the Eve of Halloween

Tonight there was a little pumpkin carving happening... Bella and I helped a cat face emerge from a small pumpkin. Bella did SOME of the carving, but there's a lot of Daddo in this project. We've been working harder on Isaac's eating: He's been seeming pretty grumpy these past few days, and I think it's because he wants/needs more and different foods, but is realizing he doesn't have the skills to eat them (because he's been such an ornery cuss about the whole deal). So we're back on the program of trying food out on him and we're sticking with it.

Because we want to sleep. Two wakeups a night is no good for the people. I'm getting pretty good at living on 3-4 hours of good sleep, but it's destroying Pamela.

Moving on,
This morning Bella came across some money in mom's purse: $15. "Wow, you could buy a lot of houses for fifteen dollars! Or a lot of hamburgers!" We're still working on the value of money I suppose...

While I was cleaning up Pamela's computer hard drive, I ran across a folder I hadn't noticed before, and being nosy I opened it. It was a cache of over 50 short videos from Bella's 18-month to 30-month period: We've been watching these treasures: Our current favorite is her walking hand in hand with me up the sidewalk on her second birthday. Here's the conversation:

"So Bella, do you know what today is?"
"TWO!"
"So it's your second birthday today?"
"YES - RIGHT NOW!"
"Happy Birthday, Bella!"
"THANKS!" (Said with a lisp, and an emphatic foot stomp).

On to bigger girl quotes: Out of the blue the other day, she said:
"Daddy, when we both are dead, I want to be buried right next to you so we're together forever and ever. And mommy can be right next to me too, and so can Isaac. And we can move Alexander too, so he's closer."
No good answer to that, except for a long long hug.

Final notes for the night:

Things are still going well at the day job - I've had successes this week, and I've been creative too - doing design work with pretty pictures of how I want screens to look. Days when I get to make drawings are good days for me.

It may be a few weeks before the actual piece of paper with my job comes out thanks to the byzantine rules of the larger company they're now a part of... So we're still going underground on this... but we remain positive.

We went to see the new George Clooney movie last night: My god, that man is so fantastic. And the movie wasn't half bad either.

That's the update for the day!

The Bella.

Yesterday, we had Mark's family and their/our friends Gene and Amy over for a Chili Feed and chillout. The whole clan minus Annabel came, and it was a very nice time. We spent a good bit of time in the basement playing Playstation - we hit Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and I was proud to introduce them to Katamari Damacy - one of the strangest games ever, where you roll a sticky ball around picking up items (tacks, erasers, pieces of sushi, frogs, butterflies, electric tea kettles, pedestrian crossing signs... people... cows....)

Bella was enjoying being the "big girl" showing little Eve around (who just turned 3). Eve is almost eerily like Mark: Of all the kids, she looks the most like him, and she uses her features to the same comic effect: This three year old is a true comedian. Whenever she's around, you know Mark is too.

Bella stayed up WAY too late - past 10, because we were all having such fun. So Pamela and I both encouraged her to sleep in: Even if you hear us moving around, please, just get some rest. She actually took our advice and snoozed until an unprecedented 8:30...

And when she got up, she was in a great mood, and was making us laugh all morning. She started up with the "sassy waitress" routine pretty quickly, offering to make us all French Toast - which she whisks up, but otherwise isn't too directly involved in making. Last time, she tried to flip them, but touched the pan with her wrist, which hurt for the rest of the day. She said "Dad, when it comes to the hot stuff, I think I'll sit that out this time, ok?" That said, she DID flip them, and they were delicious.

Not that Bella actually ate them: She actually doesn't like sweet breakfast that much (pancakes, waffles, or French Toast have no sway over her). We did cook up some sausages, and I put two on her plate and mine. As I walked away she said:

"I could sure use one more of those Sausages... And i bet you could too!" So it was 3 on the plate. By the end of the meal, she had scarfed 5 of them.

She went off to play for much of the day down the block, but came home to be babysat (with Jenny) while we did our quarterly "non-progressive progressive" dinner. When I got home, Bella had on a silk chinese outfit, a pirate eye patch, the guitar hero guitar, and was doing Pete Townsend windmill arms yelling "YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!" while Jenny had on a dress with a purple wig, pretending to be the lead singer. Isaac, up past his bed time was dancing and laughing, and Tara the sitter was standing off to the side holding her guts in from laughing so much.

So Bella was pretty wild today... and she only just now dropped off. Now I'm going to take a little time and actually watch one of the netflix that have been sitting on my counter for over 4 weeks...

Best laid plans...

So I can still say there's a new opportunity that I'm planning to get started in February. I broke the news to my boss yesterday: She just got "re-orged" at work and has to reapply for her job, and has decided to retire sometime early next year as well, so as she was talking about continuity, I needed her to know right away not to count on me to carry the torch. She is very understanding and excited for the opportunity for me - and really this will force the department to take "ownership" of their product - get beyond the consultant.

BUT...

My plans were all based around some dates being met by the vendor. And last night I learned those dates will not be met. They'll be delayed by 30-45 days. Which means I MAY be out the door before a few key deliverables are met. Which is not how I wanted to work this!!!

I'm not going fully public with anyone until the paper offer is in my hands, but my boss is good people, and I have known of her retirement plans longer than anyone else - so we have a level of trust.

In other news - we were to have a VERY INTERESTING scotch Avengers night tonight: Tastings of the SAME AGE bottle, but different years: A Laphroaig 7-year bottled in 1999 versus 2000. A Lagavulin 12 year Cask bottled in 2005 and 2006. See what the differences are in that family.

Alas, Uncle Chicken was laid low by a horrible illness, and And and I were solo tonight. So the Lag pairing wasn't do-able. But we improvised... and we did the Lap pairing - which was frankly SHOCKING: The 2000 had a much butterier taste - a marked difference! We watched Aliens - ant had never seen this classic. Alas it does show its age - 24 years old now - and it's one of those where the leitmotifs have been taken as B-Movie Canon since, so the gritty, foul mouthed, multi-ethnic marines laid low by an incomprehensible villain, the corporate traitor, the resilient youngster...

So you need to squint to see the brilliance - and say yes, I've seen this all before, but it's all FROM THIS!!! Also, some classic lines - including the all time great "Game OVER, man! Game OVER!!!!" I think Ant did like it, but we've had stronger movies...

We hope to get Chicken over here still next week before he jets back to Seattle... But we appreciated not getting sick for sure!!!

W'happen?

I have suddenly realized that the reach of this blog often extends beyond the close friends and family who are my regular readers... and as such, have decided to remove a posting which contained forward looking statements which were not completely inked just yet.

So once the paper comes through, and more importantly, once an official communique comes out, THEN we'll clink the glasses.

Til then, you read NOTHING, and you tell NOONE about what you didn't read. It's our little secret, kapiche?

A fun night

Tonight I spoke at my old alma mater Macalester to a group of 25 alumni about my path from Mac to my current career. I was joined by 4 other amazing panelists, and we each spoke for around 10 minutes, and then did Q&A and schmoozed afterwards.

The goal of the stories was to tell these grads that it's ok not to know exactly what you want to do, that your liberal arts background sets you up for being able to assess a situation, and make more out of opportunities. We all had distinctly non-linear histories to tell.

The other people had great stories - one is a recent grad (04) who went right into consulting, but now works non-profit lobbying for better public transit options. Another (95) was a non-profiteer who 4 years ago decided to throw it all away, mortgage her house, and open a high-end baby/toddler clothes boutique, which is quite successful. Another (86) was a marketing assistant for 8 years before leaping into the world of food writing, and now he's a columnist for the Boston Globe and was on TV with America's Test Kitchen. And yet another (96) was a history major Academic, who thanks to taking a part time job in a non profit and having her boss quit the next day, learned about real estate development and financing, which she took to, and is now very high up in one of the biggest twin cities development firms.

I think we all brought different perspectives, and I found myself wanting to add more thoughts as each panelist added something new... but held back. I think we gave a very rich picture of the different ways people find their path in life. People seemed very appreciative.

It was very odd and wonderful to be at a point in life where I not only feel like I have a good career, but I have advice for others... advice they can use and that I wouldn't have minded hearing. One good question was whether we thought Mac should have done more to help us find that path. I responded that after coming out of Mac, it took 3 years for me to find something that I truly loved doing (programming), and that the most important thing Mac gave me was the skills to experiment and look critically at a situation, to maximize an opportunity.

I related that when I picked my major in Music, the department was very small - just a handful of music majors every year. So with a large staff and few majors, that meant the department was really my playground, and I could have access that you'd never get at a larger school that was more conservatory based. I took that "carpe department" philosophy to my subsequent jobs, and that's how I found my next job and the next and the next...

So it was great fun, and I appreciated being given the chance to speak. And I think there's a chance they'll invite me back. They're having two more panels in this vein - one for living in non-profit, and one for making a career in the creative field. I told the crowd I'd be back for both, referring to both my year at Citizens for a Better Environment, and my year working for Midi Music USA doing Karaoke backing tracks...

Now it's off to bed!

Yes, another week!

I'll try to do a more comprehensive update a little later, but here are some highlights.

- Today Isaac said "Banana" perfectly. Once. Also, we figured out he likes Ginger Snaps... a LOT! He walks backward now (not exclusively), and has been throwing lots of micro-tantrums when things aren't going exactly perfectly. We still like him, however. At this instant, he's dragging an easel that is exactly twice his height across the kitchen floor with great intent. He's a boy alright.

- The other night, Bella was obsessing about death. She said "I wish I was something that never dies - like the wind or air." That girl is a poet.

- Paul Sebastien and I are team writing music: I started with a little verse-chorus, he sent back some guitar, I added more structure... we've gone back and forth 4 times now, and this song is almost complete... Paul sent me a guitar riff, and that's forming the basis for another song too, which I sent him some tracks on. Basically we're trying to challenge each other to be creative. We've both enjoyed a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - teaching you to really be purposeful in your creativity - to just go to work. So we're having a lot of fun.

More later - gotta go help a neighbor with some computer issues!

A the back of the week

Oof - a long week this was. With the water heater nonsense in the beginning, coming off a busy birthday weekend for Bella, a continuing poor sleeper in Isaac, and Bella waking up hollering two nights from growing pains in her legs... Not to mention a week of mild frustrations at work:

- I had thought I had everything engineered for a tidy "big bang" rollout of much of our remaining work in December and January - it would have been busy, but very do-able. Who puts the kibosh on this? The vendor. Nobody is available to take care part X of the project until February. Apparently they're hemorrhaging people after having been acquired by a bigger company.

- My kind and mild mannered boss looks about to be downsized (a big meeting will be on tuesday), which will leave my boss-ship adrift. Her only hope is to keep working until February, which is when she can retire with full benefits. Surely what is a couple of months in the context of a 40 year career? Truthfully, it's got me worried.

- The new opportunity, while not a full "offer" yet, is beginning to take shape (quite attractive shape at that), and if I could possibly be free of the client by February, that would be advantageous. With both of the above, I have my doubts... and I'd hate to burn a bridge.

- The diva doctors may be wearing on me: The place was abuzz this morning because the doctor on call last night missed his password 3 times and got locked out. A 2 minute call to the help desk would have reset it, but he refused - "that's not how I work". My other favorite doctor has taken to muttering about needing a sledgehammer whenever he walks near the new workstation.

- The "missed requirement" I spoke about last week is still missing, and the vendor has decided to put fingers in their ears and say "lalala", even to my clever idea. So my only real option is to tell the doctors they need to change. Please see the above anecdote for an indication of how well that will work.

Ok that's worklife. Homelife: Both Bella AND Isaac got shots today - they had their 5 and 1 year checkups respectively, and Pamela was stuck in the doctor's office for 2 hours. Bella got completely freaked out about the shots, hiding under a chair pleading with Pamela. Isaac was just Isaac. They're both sore tonight, and motrin is a good thing. The doctor was full of brass tacks comments about just putting in earplugs and letting Isaac cry it out in the night. In truth, he's not eating that much - one is a diaper change, and one is a cuddle usually.

A not very busy weekend is on tap and I'm thrilled. I actually plan to be in bed by 9pm tonight.

Hot Water.

YES. The water heater was installed. All is well in our world. Apparently the old one was in GRIEVOUS condition, and we're lucky it didn't just drop its entire water load at once. It's good to have fresh, well running appliances.

I say again: We have hot water. I took a shower with the kids. It was delightful. Also, we can use the dishwasher and clothes washer too. Life is grand.

Other updates:
We're discovering that the secret to Isaac eating grownup food is to give him whatever we're eating, and let him walk with it. Tonight, he wandered around, eating most of a large pork potsticker. He'd pause after a bite, and squeal with delight.

The trick may be to see if he'll eat anything TWICE. Tonight he rejected the Sweet and Sour chicken that he loved the other night. Hmmm.

I took the morning off of work and took Bella and Isaac to school, playing with Bella in class (it was "parenting day"). It was VERY fun, and there was over an hour of "parent education" where we all sat at a table and talked about strategies for the kids...

Tonight, out of the blue, Bella asked about German: How to say some things in it, and why is it different from English? She was pretty game to try some new words... I am so proud of that girl! Also she wanted to what is England? That was fun.

Off to a relatively early bed now. Wish me luck.

Update and what was I thinking?

Well, still no hot water: Turns out the way our water heater was put in was just fine for 16 years ago, but code has changed, and one must not install water heaters in such a manner. We went around and around on the possibilities, and it turns out my only option is an ELECTRIC water heater. Which entailed me calling an electrician (who confided he too had to put in an Electric due to code too... and it works), having new circuits wired, and a slightly more expensive heater unit, but far less in construction costs (at one point we were looking at 4+ hours just to drill a new set of vents into our very sturdy walls....

Hopefully this adventure will be over by tomorrow. I've always said humans are 3 days of hot water away from complete savagery. I am approaching this state.

In the meantime, MaeMae graciously let us take showers at her place tonight, and we're feeling fresh as daisies. Pamela hadn't showered since Sunday... and I was extra ready for a wash because...

Tuesdays are double-workout-days. Yes, every Tuesday you'll find me up at the crack of dawn for my 6am BodyPump class. This morning was beautiful: I saw the stars on the way in, and the sunrise on the way out. Then off to the hospital for a 7:30 cardiologist conference... a typical workday, then home to pick up Bella to go to the 5:15 BodyJam, and then off to a father-daughter date.

Bella still doesn't want to DANCE at Jam, but she loves watching me, and gives me thumbs-up or thumbs-down depending on my moves. So far it's all thumbs up, thankfully. I think my study sessions with the DVDs paid off - I was feeling much more confident in the moves. Then it was off to Chipotle for a burrito... and then we crashed the "pre-opening" night of the new ultramegasupertarget out by Southdale, with rows and rows of untouched merch.

But when I do the double workout, this dog gets TIRED. It's a lot of work. And with Isaac still not sleeping so well, I'm functioning on <5 hours still. I know I know - why am I blogging and not fast asleep right now? Good point. But I'm ravenous and need to finish this bagel.

And Isaac

He likes Depeche Mode. He was dancing to Everything Counts tonight. He says "DANCE" too now.

Good kid.

Menacing Signs.

1) I've posted before about the iPod count at the house... and I've posted that two have mysteriously died recently, one quite possibly from a drool overdose... most likely parties - either myself or Isaac. The police have been over every square inch of the joint and I tell you they can't prove NOTHIN.

So we got the new iPod for Bella. And Isaac noticed it.

Yesterday during Bella's big family bash, Isaac somehow eluded the attention of all 15 adults in attendance and made a move. I was standing in the kitchen and heard what I could best describe as a maniacal laugh from upstairs. I moseyed on up to take a look and found Isaac:

Alone. In his room, with Bella's new Ipod in his hand, LAUGHING.

He had snuck upstairs and stolen his sister's iPod the moment he had an opportunity, and absconded back to his room with the loot. He must have had this caper planned down to the nanosecond.

2) An unrelated event (I'd like to believe): I got a panicky call at 11:30 this morning. The water heater decided to give way and our basement was flooded. . Fortunately, Papabam were still here, as was Ana (our cleaning helper) and Randy, the federal agent neighbor (thank YOU Columbus Day), so I could finish my meeting before heading home...

It's a 50 gallon water heater. That's a lot of water, and it took the collective intelligence a while to figure out the following data: You need to shut off the water intake, or the water just keeps on going. You need to empty the water heater or it'll keep on leaking. You need to purge the pipes, or you'll accidentally send another gallon on through. These are all lessons we learned gradually, but they are lessons I shall not soon forget.

Turns out the unit has been running since 1991, so 16 years is not too bad for a water heater. We'll be getting a new one tomorrow morning, so showers will be had by tomorrow night. I'll be skimming right on the edge of social acceptability. I'll be walking in a cloud of cologne.

The event got me thinking: One really never goes SHOPPING for a water heater, or a furnace. When these things die, you call somebody reputable (hopefully NOT just the guy who takes out the 1/4 page ad 'AAA-AAA-AAAAA Dependable Furnace' at the top of the yellow pages listing)and say "NEW ONE NOW" - or maybe "NEW ONE NOW PLEASE". One doesn't spend a lot of time perusing the Consumer Reports on brands... nor does one wait for a sale. No, this is quite the impulse purchase. Only in this case, it is the impulse to survive.

Life just keeps on going... interestingly.

More geekyness

1) One of the workouts I love at Time Out is BodyJam, which I've written about (just two posts back I believe). At Time Out, when a new class comes around every quarter, they usually do a hybrid - a shorter program (40 min versus 60), and they hold over a track or two from previous sessions, so that the class doesn't feel lost.

Of course, the instructor has to switch CDs to make it work... So one of the things I like to do is rip the CDs, and assemble a custom mix for them.

This time, I actually took the CDs home, and I noticed that the INSTRUCTOR DVDs were in there too... So I took a peek at the lessons that teach our instructors. And I just got so excited! It was fun to see the teaching points, and also to see the dance moves being done by a whole room full of people who know the moves... it helped me re-visualize the steps, and I think that if I can make the class Tuesday evening, I might just be able to Krump Jump a little better!

2) Technology is currently in full rebellion in my house: Two iPods have died in the past month: One of old age, and one from being sucked on by Isaac. So Bella officially had no music going for bedtime. I picked up the cheapest new iPod for her, and was amazed at the state of the art: The new Nano is ridiculously small, with an amazing screen, and the new menues.... I was stunned by how great the new ones are! And when you recycle a dead ipod, they give you a decent discount.

Now, I use Audiofy Bookchips for my language learning: These are SD chips with encrypted audio, which requires me to use my Palm Pilot... or a computer. Since it's encrypted, they're not simple files I can put on the Ipod.

Anyway, just in the past week, my 2-year old Palm Pilot has started to get ornery: It spontaneously reboots, it's unresponsive to the touch... it's starting to die. So now that's 3 audio players going south in a month... plus the hard drive crash last month (which I did recover from, thanks for the cards and letters)...

AND I should mention that the XBox360 I got for the Loesches died as well within a few days, and I had to return it and get another. I'm telling you, I have crazy technomojo. I give off mad electrons.

Kids getting bigger!

Papabam and Lilli are here for the weekend: Bella is turning Five tomorrow: It's just so wild to think that our big girl is, well, a big girl. We gave her some presents last night, and she was awestruck to be the recipient of some American Girl merch: the doll she picked is Kaya, a Native American. When she opened it, she stood with her mouth open, making a gentle high pitched "eeeeeeeeee" - it was a pure expression of amazement.

She has been playing with the new dolls in a VERY serious, very involved manner. She also got a horse, which is very big, but in relation to the American Girl doll, it's a good half-size, but with a saddle, so there's something sort of comic about this very realistic horse with a HUGE girl on top of it. Her sense of possession of these dolls led to her getting into a bit of a tiff with Lilli, who Bella thought used her horse without asking...

Today we went to an apple orchard, which was a mixed experience: It was a bit of a zoo out there, and Bella got overheated and was a bit crabby. I bailed a little early with a sleepy and crabby Isaac. Fortunately all we needed was a good old fashioned burrito to help Bella find her mood.

Tomorrow is her big Birthday party: 3 friends for the afternoon, and family in the evening. Pamela has gone ALL OUT to create a "Tree Party" per Bella's request. We even cut down a "junk tree" (one of those that grow like crazy and need to be cut back every year) from the back yard and we now have a forest in our living room.

Isaac had another rough few nights - it looks like he's cutting two teeth at once, AND he had his fever too... but today it looks like he's turned the corner and his mood was vastly improved. Tonight he grabbed a big piece of fried sweet and sour chicken (no sauce), and chomped the whole thing down while strolling around the kitchen. He is a walking eater. Bama tried to give him a second piece, but first cut it in half... he rejected it flat out. I handed him a whole piece, and he ate quite a bit of it. We're learning what that creature will eat and how.

I'm encouraged that he WILL eat things - he just completely rejects "being fed", and "having food prepped for him". So I'll just have to give him whole pieces of food and watch that he doesn't choke...

Last night, Isaac got a hold of a frito, which he loved. Lilli tried to offer him a piece of bread, and he held out the frito like a magic wand, and barked "DAAAAA!!!" as if ward off the advancement of the bread. He turned on his heel and sprinted to the next room, where the frito was consumed.

PS - working out

I haven't given you a food OR workout update for months.

1) I'm now working out 3 times a week: 2 weights, one step. The club has created 3 days of 6am classes for me, and I'm singlehandedly shaming people into sticking with the program.... or they'll cancel the classes! We need a minimum average of 7 per class per day, and we're usually at 9-12, so we're doing GREAT. Step started up 3 weeks ago, and I've gone for two of the weeks... I love doing cardio in the AM - it just gets me PUMPED UP for the day!

This week, going to Jam with Bella at 5pm was hard because I'd already done a 6am weights class... I was almost asleep by 8, but toughed it out to 10. So yes, that means 4 workouts this week.

Should I mention that most of my pants are loose these days, with my boxers barely staying up? It's not bad skinny (the weight has gone into muscle in other parts of the body), it's trimness. Also, I can jump like 15 feet straight up into the air.

2) I have a new favorite lunch spot downtown: Harry's is on Washington Ave near the Guthrie, and it's cheffed by the former chef of Levain. It's American Bar Food done with artistic perfection. Every single french fry is perfect. The burger is a symphony of spice and hearty flavor. The decor is high-ceilinged class with a good warmth. It's 6 blocks from work, so I get a little walk in each way, perfect for a Pimsleur.

My other love is Cosi in the IDS, where the salty flatbread forms the basis for very fresh tasting sandwiches. I love a hummus with cucumber and tomato sandwich with a side of tomato basil soup... or a wasabi and ginger roast beef...

Downtown is fabulous.

Plus ça change....

One of my famous "numbered updates" today:

1) Isaac has a fever and has been sleepygrumpysweet all day. We've got him on drugs for pain and fever, and he doesn't have much of an appetite. He's been trying to play as usual, but has had to fall back to cuddling far more than is his wont. We are both sad for him, and thrilled to have a snugglebear in the house. Also, another tooth has cut through... oh that poor boy. It's good that memory doesn't stick at that age - we'd never hear the end of the "oh the pain" stories.

2) Bella and I went to BodyJam last night... but she again abstained from dancing. She told me she's happy watching me dance, and doesn't want everyone to see how she dances. I said that's just fine, but she shouldn't worry about how she looks - after all, look at ME dancing! She smiled... and said we could try again next week. Afterward, we got quiche from Patrick's.

That girl will rarely eat an egg, leaves the crust behind on pizza, and won't eat anything green - even Jello. But put her in front of a Patrick's spinach quiche, and you'd better pull the plate away when she's done or she'll take a bite right out of it. She's completely MAD for those quiches. Add it to Burritos and Tacos in the "Bella eats strange things" storybook.

3) So no sooner do things get mellower at work with the departure of my officemate, but things have gotten sticky: Turns out that around 1 year ago, a good 8 months before I entered the picture, a VERY key requirement was quietly dropped by the project manager, and somehow made it through the full contract negotiations and the purchase before someone figured out it was missing.

And this is not a minor requirement: It would require many hours of data mapping and some not insignificant changes to the software. And it's not in the contract, so the Vendor does not have to deliver it. And the affected docs are aghast at the discovery and are talking about pulling the software entirely.

Fortunately or not, my geekiness has kicked in, and I'm trying to pave a middle road - understanding that the vendor is not obligated, I'm offering a third path - a more minor modification that will get the job done, with most of the cross mapping to be done by yours truly. I think that my design is pretty straightforward, and it shouldn't be too hard....

But the Vendor is dragging their heels, not saying yes, and I'm pretty concerned that if they don't get on board, it's game OVER for them... though due to the contract, we'd be out a good 40% of the not insignificant purchase price. Well, I can lay out a path, recommend it, advocate for it... but if they won't meet us halfway, I don't know what I can do.

The doctors are truly happy to have me advocating for them by the way: The heads of Cardiology and the Cath Lab got me alone and asked "where did you come from? You're the best thing that's ever happened to IT over here" - The grumpiest doctors are now smiling and waving at me in the halls, and we have lots of laughs...

Indeed, I'm having a good time with this gig, but boy, it's NOT EASY some days/weeks/months. Stay tuned on this one.

Isaac has a game

Little 1 year old Isaac has invented a game: He has a small soft ball with a bell inside. He picks it up, and throws it one way, runs to pick it up, turns around, and throws it the other direction. He's spent over a half hour running back and forth across the kitchen chasing that ball, giggling madly.

It's pretty remarkable self-entertainment, really.

A fine Birthday

My sweet Pamela turned 29L today... I gave her a full night of sleep (covering Isaac duty), and bringing in breakfast. We had a fun little evening tonight - an impromptu dinner party with 7 grownup guests and 5 kids for Bella to play with. Lots of laughter and great food (brought in from D'amico).

I gave Pamela a series of "coupons" to help her recharge given that Isaac and Bella can be quite intense: 6 coupons for "uninterrupted sleep" - putting me on full night duty. 6 coupons for "sleeping in" for 2 hours after the kiddos are up. 6 coupons to "disappear" during a weekend day or weeknight - no questions asked.

She thought those were maybe the best gifts EVER. Of course, we're still working on getting her out to Miraval too - now it'll be in December.

Anyway, just a quick update to say Happy Birthday Googy - and bring some lighthearted news to the Blog!

A crazy end to a story

You may have read about my trials and tribulations of having an office mate... from posts 4 weeks ago LINK. Well, things have finally resolved themselves, and I have my office back to myself.

Now, this person is a temp, employed by the vendor to move data from our old system to the new one. Not a great job, but not too bad. In terms of where she fit "on the team", she didn't: She had one small job to do. But she made a lot of fuss doing it.

Yesterday, we decided to move her to another office, after she made a series of frankly bizarre statements about people "looking at her funny", "criticizing her" and one person "gazing deep into her eyes". After checking in with the people identified, most had no idea who she was, and none remembered any major interactions. So we got a picture that reality was a pretty malleable object for her. But her work wasn't too bad - we were prepared to keep working with her, just give us a little space.

Well, apparently moving her wasn't going to work for her: She complained to the depatment director that it was "just for Jim's benefit - why should HE get what he wants?", and that "Jim has it in for me - he's always criticizing me", and the best "he cracks his knuckles because he knows it disgusts me".

Believe me, while I was none to happy about sharing an office, I was always civil. Where I would tune out would be after hearing a long story about, oh say, making meatballs for her ex, who still lives with her, because he's middle eastern and women take care of their men - it's what they expect, and do I think that Dr X (of Syrian descent) is a Christian? Because those middle eastern Christians are an odd bunch.... and so on. As I said in the earlier post, my monosyllabic grunts grew more noncommittal as time passed. And she never commented about my knuckles, so I really had no idea.

What sparked the whole thing was that I was checking her work and discovered a full month of missing data, and asked her about it. That was it. Suddenly she was asking people (including people who are not even in the department or on the project) about my role and why am I looking at contracts and why am I checking her work...

The problem is, of course, that I am the project manager and AM responsible for everything. So checking up IS my job. And she seemed to forget that. Over and over again. See, she had once had a class in "project management" and she KNEW that project managers don't look at contracts, and they don't look at details - they just manage timelines. So I wasn't doing my job. Right.

Between the insubordination, the theories about my personal motives, the inappropriate discussions, the nonstop blather, and many other things I can barely care to remember, it came time today for her to go.

She was walked out mid-afternoon, and I spent a good long while in my office enjoying the silence.

I have to say, it is DEEPLY disconcerting to be faced with what I believe was true mental illness - she had very deep paranoid tendencies, and every story had her as a victim of some sort... she was eternally "wronged" in life... and I'm sure I'll be a good villain in her next narratives.

So that's over. And I feel a great weight lifted: I think that being in that energy field was affecting me. So it's time to move on.

More Mark-isms.

A couple more Mark-isms that popped into my mind:

- "Can I axe you a quextion?" or "It's not set in conCREEK". These were two linguistic gaffes from previous co-workers that we kept going with for many many years.

- "Why you all up in my Kool-Aid when you don't even know what FLAVOR?" - this complete non-sequiteur came from a brief bit of time when Mark was doing training for Wells Fargo someplace in California. This was NOT a good gig, and the people he trained were prone to outbursts like the above.

- Back at ValueRx, we had a bit of a goose problem, and our route into the building was constantly littered with goose poop. Mark had a tendency to find the smeariest, most "liquid" poop, and would stop with a concerned look and say "I hope that little guy is going to be OK...". Somehow EVERY SINGLE DAY he would find another sample, and make the same grave diagnosis.

- "With my FINGERS!!!!" - we had a co-worker who was testing a program with mocked-up data. We were asking what his SOURCE was for the fake data - namely, how was he sure his fake data would represent real-world situations. He wasn't understanding our question, and in response to the query "But HOW are you getting the data?" he shouted, exasperated, "WITH MY FINGERS!!!!" with a wild eyed look and wiggling his fingers. Since then, it was our shorthand for "he is missing the point".

Those were the ones that popped to mind this AM! Boy I miss that guy. Post your own in the comments and I'll assemble them into another post if you want!

Going visiting

Allright, another Mark post...

My friends in the videogame industry have been coming through for Mark's family: My buddy at Disney sent along a dozen movies and 8 Wii games, and even a few Playstation games too... it was an amazingly generous package that the family couldn't believe. And my friend Caesar at Microsoft is putting together a package of games for the XBox 360 - including Halo3...

Well, they didn't have a 360, and I do remember Mark talking about how much he wanted to get one... and it was on his list for Christmas. So I just decided to pick one up for them - since there would be games coming... and Max SOOOOO wanted one.

I brought it by tonight, and I kept it quiet for a good 20 minutes while I played with Eve, and checked in with the rest of the kids. We had a really nice time, talking and laughing - lots of goofing around. Then I brought out the box, and Max almost fell over, so we had to hook it up immediately. I should point out that I did clear it with Samantha beforehand, so it was cool by her.

Max was fully planning to bring the manual in to school to show all of his friends. He was so crazy excited! But at the same time, he kept the conversations going too, not disappearing into the game. I found out how school is going, and related my relevant stories about German, and the horrors of Sadie Hawkins dances, which made Chloe laugh. We talked about robotics classes, and I bragged about Tyler's prowess at both programming AND making with the ladies in his genius move of writing a program to ask out a girl. (I will note: Chloe is into robots and German. And that just makes my heart glad)

It was a really nice visit, but as I got ready to leave, my heart just fell, because I realized that for just a moment, without really setting out to do so, I was being a dad, holding Eve who was getting sleepy, offering guidance to the kids, helping Samantha with computer stuff... and just being there.

It made me realize that while I did bring them a gadget that they will enjoy, the more important thing I brought was company, and laughter, and love.

As I left I suddenly wanted to stay - to keep being there for them, to fill that void in their lives. And it made me sad for Mark all over again. I had a good long hug before going out... and I'll be back again, because I love that family, and want to do whatever I can do to help.

Bella Quote

Tonight, I was walking to the car with Bella. I sniffed the air and said "I smell something good: someone's frying chicken!"

Bella took a deep sniff and said "I smell something even BETTER".

"What's that?" I asked?

"A fresh summer breeze."

That girl is just too sweet.

Moving on....

I'm glad that this site has helped people remember Mark... he was a good man, and we are all missing him. That said, I need to "warn" people that this blog typically examines my normal geeky life, and so the tone will likely change back to my own ruminations about life... I hope people don't mind.

Here we go.

Last night I started reading a memory training book by Harry Lorrayne. It gives you memory tips of a few different types, creating links between items to help remember a list, and creating absurd "sounds like" tips for remembering words. One exercise is to remember the 50 states in alphabetical order... something I've never been able to do. Now after just one evening, I can do it front to back. How? I made up a story:

I was looking through a photo album (alabama) and wondered who one of the people was, so I had to ask (alaska), when the album rose up (arizona) in a tornado (arkansas). I had to call a forensic scientist (california) who colored (colorado) in the dots he had to connect (connecticut). He stood and said "I declare!" (delaware) when he saw an alligator (florida) chasing George Washington (georgia), who paused to say "Hi" (hawaii) to a hooker (Idaho) who got sick (illinois) on an indian (indiana) who was holding an IOU (Iowa) he was going to give to Dorothy (Kansas) for some (Kentucky) Whiskey she bought in New Orleans (Louisiana). Drunkenly, he shouted "Remember the Maine!", and the Virgin Mary (maryland) appeared in church mass (massachusetts). Freaked out he jumped into his american car (michigan), drove through Minnesota, across the Mississippi, and nearly missed my eye (missouri) as he pointed out the mountains (montana). On the radio was bruce springsteen (nebraska) singing about one-armed bandits (nevada) whch had presidential candidates (new hampshire) and Tony Soprano (New jersey) instead of fruits in the windows...

Suddenly a ufo flew overhead (New Mexico) driven by the Statue of Liberty (New York) who shouted GO NORTH and find Caroline! (North carolina), and our friend's dog Dakota barked (North Dakota). We got to starbucks filled with Japanese people shouting "Ohio Gozarimas!", and on the TV was Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, where Ruprecht shouted "Oklahoma!!!". Then Ruprecht turned to a computer and played Oregon Trail, but the wagon train turned into a real train leaving from Penn Station (Pennsylvania), but it couldn't reach the Island (rhode island), so we had to take the UFO, and the statue yelled "GO SOUTH and find CAROLINE!" (south carolina), and Dakota barked again (south dakota).

A truck rolled by that said "Follow me to Tennessee, dolly dolly dolly", and it was as big as Texas. It was driven by a mormon with 8 wives (Utah) and filled with Maple syrup (Vermont). One of the wives was still a virgin (Virginia), and that lecherous George Washington showed up again and chased that virgin west (west virginia) across Wisconsin to Wyoming.

OK - that's just crazy, and what's important is that each idea links to the next... and you don't need to say the story, just have a quick image, and it brings up the linkage. And of course, there are tons of personal references (the dolly dolly dolly was a toy truck my dad got from a transportation client in the 1980s, for example) And it WORKS.

I'm pretty excited to see how this develops. I did start using a similar technique to remember some harder Russian words last week: I couldn't remember "From Here", and built up "I bought my Matsuda sunglasses here" - "atsuda". Others are easier - "prichitat" is to read - and I read Terry Pratchett, so that association was automatic.

Ok - that's my geek update for the day. Welcome back to JimVentions.

Quite the Vigil

Some of Mark's friends and neighbors decided that the senselessness of his passing demanded a vigil of sorts - something so that the community can register their support and outrage at what happened. Catherine, a very organized person, decided to get the ball rolling, and came up with the general idea: Walk from near Mark's house, across the freeway, to the spot he died, and have a candlelight vigil.

Catherine asked if I could help, but in the middle of everything, I felt as though the organization wasn't something I could take on. So she turned to the neighborhood watch, and the city council, and the media... In truth, she got the ball started, and then it took on its own velocity, well beyond Catherine's designing... but she deserves all of the credit for pulling it together.

As we approached the park today, we were overwhelmed - a full city block full of people ready to show support. As we started walking, the procession was at least 4 full city blocks of people walking right down the street... I'm guessing a thousand people participated, but I'm a lousy estimator. Could have been 500. Could have been 750. It was well over a dozen, I tell you.

At the yard where Mark was found, people piled flowers, and someone had set up lawn chairs for the family to sit on. Samantha was still not ready to emerge, but Chloe, Annabel, and most of the extended family were all there... and as the sun set, we all stood with candles. Well, many did. I was chasing Isaac through some yards for a while. Bella helped out by chasing him like a border collie. She was such a trouper...

The family was still not ready to talk to the press, so the family asked me to speak to the press for them. I was plopped in front of some TV cameras and asked some questions:

Why do I think so many people came out? Some came because they're angry at the senselessness of this crime and want to show that they won't take it. Many more came because they knew and loved Mark - so many of his friends and colleagues.

Do I think it's important that they catch who did this? If they had asked a week ago, I would have said no because I all I cared about was the loss of my friend. But today, I don't have a thirst for vengeance, but I want whoever did this to know how much he has hurt all of us, and I want him to be accountable.

We'll see how I come across...

Unfortunately while being interviewed, I missed the councilmembers and the mayor's speeches from a half block up (the speaker truck couldn't make it up the street, so they stayed at the end of the block). Actually, that was ok: I preferred to be in that yard, with that simple memorial, with the family.

On my way back to the car, I stopped into the house, and gave Samantha a big hug: Max was engrossed in a zombie game, Annabel had a friend over, Chloe had run out with some pals, and Eve was asleep... Life almost looked normal for a moment.

And in a few days when things start getting even quieter... that's when it's going to get unbearable for them. And we're going to have to make an extra effort to be there for them.