Long hard day… It began when I got to work only to find my wallet missing.. uh-oh.. I had to bluff my way into the building. … I went on about my business then just before 6 I headed over to the Huanted fores.t. I was meeting Homer to do a little mid event set of repairs…   The beast was covered with snow.. we dusted him off and started repairing.. As generally happens.. we broke two things for every thing we inteed to fix.. it was a brief and hectic comedy of errors.. but by the time we left around 7 everyhting was working well..

First thing I did when I got home was to ask Diane if she’d sen my wallet.. the good news.. is she had.. the bad news is.. it was in the wash when she found it.. She’d put all the things in there out by the fire to dry.

It’s amazing the memories we carry around in our pockets…  Look at these pictures.. not that much worse for the washing…

Max’s first business card.

My original organ donor card… who ever imagined….

Money from all over.. india

Singapore

Serbia

My IBM badge…

IEEE card.

My brothers biz card drilled thorugh with a high poer laser…

Looks like it will all be dry by morning.. my eyes should be by then too..
nite all.. nite Sam
-me

Happy Diwali folks.. Tonight is Diwali, the Hindu  festival of lights..   It commemorates when Lord Ram defeats the evil Ravana.it’s a magical story with fyling arrows, spinning fish , banishment to the forest, goldent deers, rings of fire, flying monkey kings and magic birds. I know this because Isha told me the whole story..

I’m lucky enough to be stuck here at the Ruchir and Rashis by the bad weather.. I was on my way up to VT from Yorktonw when the bad weather and lack of sleep made me decide to stop here for the night. It’s a good night to be stuck. It included soem traditional Diwali celibrations..  Including sand painting

Ansd a faily prayer ceremony or puja…

Delicious hoemade sweets.. then a wonderful dinner.. Here’s  Isha.. showing a bhindi (okra) next to her bindi (red dot on forehead).. I dunno.. seemed cool to me..

Finally fireworks inside !.. All part of the Diwali tradition…

Lights outside too !

Hope all have a good and peceful Diwali.. I’m going to get some much needed sleep !
Ashanti all.. Ashanti Sam..
-me

ps.. Here’s another very wierd visual pun/concidence.. Duing my (excelelnt) metings today I ran into many. many friends. One was Audrey… as I passed her.. I realized that I had a used syringe of Heperin, an anticoagullant , in my pocket.. My sister hashad given me the used (and needleless) syringe to use for a scince experiment.. Somehwo I couldn’t resist the photo..I give you.. . Audrey Heperin…  (ugh !)

Greetings from my folks house in Sherborn, Ma.. I deceided to come down here this morning because my bay seeeeeester and her family were about to go back to Mpls. . She’d been grounded here for the last 5 weeks (!)  They were in town visiting my folks when her water appeared to have broken during the 30th week of her pregnancy.  She ended up spending the last 5 weeks in the hospital just laying down.. while her husband John and their two kids Ellery and Jake hung out at my folks.. It has been quite an adventure. Last week , Mary got a lean bill of health.. and  is able to travel back to Minnisota to do the rest of her pregancy. I didn’t want to miss her..

So..  I worked at home this morning.. and about midday started the drive down to boston. I had to stp for two conference calls in bad cell coverage.. but other than that was able to work more than a full day.. and still make it down here in time for dinner. A nice suprise on top of that was . About an hour out of Bostonn Max called to tell me that he and Emma had decided to come in from NYC for the day. They had a few days off from school and felt like explorign so they ended up here. We made a plan to meet in the West natick train station.. He got there 5 min before I did.. it couldn’t have worked out better if we’d planned it..

My folks, and mary and John wee so suprised ot see Max.. it was great..   We had a wonderful night.. eating and drinking and joking  as my family always does…

It was great sing Ellery and Jake !

And they all loved seeing Max and Emma.

We had a big take out Chineses feast… which relaly hit the spot

Ther ewas one fly in the ointment though.. actuly .. it was a roach in the Sake.. We were using a Sake set that my folks had never used.. as we poured the last glas.. out popped a very old an dessicated texas styel roach.. must have been in there sonce their move from Texas…. ewwwwwwwwwwwwww   I drank some of that !!!

After dinner I started look at some of the toys that my neice and newphew were playing wiht.. some of them had been mine nearly 50 years ago !.. Like this handsome couple.. I don’t remmebr them.. but my mother swears I loved them.. which must explain my deep psychological scars 🙂

My mom also brought out the sacred box of toy trcucks. This one has always been one of my favorites.. it must be 50 years old !

And my first 2 hot wheel cars !

I even thumbed through soem picture books of mine. Il always loved this one.. Marina. the trained seal.. This picture always scared the hell out of me.. !

I remember her mom bringing her this boguet of sardenes !.. What a cool idea !

And it ends with this very good advice !

And here’s out fairly tale advneture book !Dragons on every page !

Here’s Mary and Joh’s freind Lilly and Jake.. Nite nite you guys !

Emma and Ellery hit it off wel.. Emma looks really witchy in that hat !

Spookier still !

And the mandatory family shot.. Note the samstone in my hand !

Around 10 I dropped Emma and Max off back near Camridge for them to meet up with their friend Bill.

Bill used to be npth max and Sam’s instructor at camp abenaki !

OK.. Time for me to sleep. I gotta be back on the road early tomorrow. ttyl folks.. ttyl Sam
-me