Yearly Archives: 2008

Wednesday night – snow

It’s snowing Sam… you’d love it.. it was so peaceful and beautiul waking up to a real snow storm. I had almost forgotten how much I loved it.. Driving Gabe to school was almost magical the way that everything  faded into white a few hundred yards from the car.

Burlington traffic was a mess.. the snow parking ban was in effect.. cars were sliding around. it was freaky and fun

There was something different about the snow.. it wasn’t flakes.. it was needles.. long straight needles that clumped together.. very different than cartoon snow.. the funny thing is that nearly all of them looked just the same.

I’m not sure what I did to pass the day.. I know I was working.. thinking hard about you. I think my birthday is making me feel you more than most times…

this evening we went up to Bolton for night riders..  All your friends were up there too..

Gabe had a good night.. he’s got great style…  He tried your bindings tonight on his new board.. but it’ll take some adjusting yet to make them feel right..   Gabe ended up getting 1st in the 12 and under boarders.. Whoo0hooo.. he picked up a sweet Burton backpack..

Matt T. picked up 2nd in the 12-18 skiers !.. Great night for him. too !

Wendy picked up the ‘name most like a ski trail’ prize.. Not sure where she found that,

After prizes we went down to the townsends.. such a beautiful and warm place. Deb.. wanted me to say hi to her cousing Megan (Hey Megan) .. 

The house and coat rack were empty when I walked into the house at 8:30… By nine the house was packed..

By nine Deb had whipped up another amazing feast.. pasta with three sauces, fish soup with home made aioli , several salads, vegetable plate, wine, beer, fruit.. She makes it look so easy..

You should have been there Sam.. you really should have been there…

I love you my son,
-me

Tuesday night – laissez les bon temps rouler

Happy Mardi Gras everyone.,.Fat Tuesday  As they say in New Orleans, laissez les bon temps rouler . (let the good times roll) .. I remember going to New Orleans to ‘do’ Mardi Gras many times as a kid … We’d stay with my grandparents or my uncle and aunt , eat weird food like king cake… the cake with a choke hazard built right in… then go and catch beads and dabloons thrown from floats . I really loved it.. The thing I remember most about Mardi Gras was New Orleans without the sweltering heat..   Those are great memories..  Even post Katrina, New Orleans  is my ninth favorite city in the world ( after Burlington, Montpelier, Austin, Shanghai, San Fransisco, NYC, London, and Haifa)

Anyway,  Mardi Gras seems pretty far away,…. it’s in the 20’s and drizzly up here… I had an extremely productive morning.. of phone calls.. then a mad dask out to a lunch meeting.. Thankfully, my fairy god wife had put reminders of all the important stuff in my car.

I did do one quick errand to Burton on my way to Champlain this afternoon. As I said in last night’s blog, Gabe is trying to retrofit Sam’s bindings unto an 802 board that he had won in 2006. The trouble was that all of the screws didn’t fit..
I stopped into Bolton and the guys there helped me understand that some of the boards mounting holes were messed up.   We developed a plan to work around this. After that, I loved walking around Burton .. they have this great ‘poaching’  campaign in which they are actively encouraging folks to ‘poach’ the four remaining ‘no boarding ‘ ski sites on snowboards. They are even offering sizable rewards for folk who poach; and take movies of the event.

I had never been in the Burton store.. I just loved it.. so many cool things to see:

One of the boss guys, Justin, helped me super glue a SamStone up on the nice flagstone fireplace that Burton had in the lobby. I like that there’s a SamStone in this store.. I think Sam would think that was pretty cool.

Here’s the guy that helped me figure out why I was having trouble matching Sam’s old bindings to Gabe’s board.. The answer was.. the threads in Gabe’s board was messed up
 

From there I headed back over to Champlain. we’re in our final crunch I picked up some of the edited interviews from Rafi ..

Then I piked out enough donuts to motivate some late night help

I went back tot the EMC and started working with Iain, Bryan, and Glenn…

Somewhere in there’ my friend Scott’s friend Andrew showed up. . I told him that I worked at IBM.. he asked me if I knew /’John Cohn’ I told him..  ‘sort  of’..’ Then I told him the truth.. Andrew and I had once been out to dinner with Scott.. but it had been such a long time.

I left Champlain about 6:15 in the middle of a call. Diane and I were starting a meditation program at the Shambala center. I was sitting outside the meditation center mindlessly talking on the phone when Dian slid up and put this delicious sandwich in my arms.  It was a soy protein thingy with sweet potato friesin a tortilla .. yum 

The meditation class was pretty full.. more tan 25 folks. It was fun being there.. not sure yet what I make of the vision.. I’ll share it here when I do.

After the meditation seminar.. I headed to Champlain Farms and bought some of my student partners some sweets and caffeine .. I then delivered them to the game lab where many Champlain Techies were hard at work.. making gaming safe for democracy in our lie time.. . 🙂 .

I didn/t get back until after 10.. but the whole family was awake..  Gabe and I started to work the new binding hardware I’d gotten.. In the end that worked !

We were all ready to go to sleep when Gabe crawled into this stove box’ ..chai followed quickly.. then so did we..   it was pretty cozy !

I finally decided to go to bed.. I came over to start emptying my pockets and I found that I hadn’t worn my Sam pin this last day,    It was so weird to reach for it in my pocket and not see it there.   I found it on my night table where I left it yesterday..   It was good to see it again ..

OK. I keep falling asleep.. It’s time for me to sleep.. much more tomorrow.. I love you all.. I love you Sam !
..
-jc

Ps. I just decided yesterday that I’m going to participate in the 2008 Penguin Plunge this Saturday.  The Plunge is when a bunch of crazy people jump into Lake Champlain as part of a fund raiser for the Vermont Special Olympics.  The event is this Saturday, Feb 9th around noon.. it’s also my 49th Birthday !.. I’ll be ducking out of an all day meditation seminar to jump in the lake with the fine folks  from Mexicali Returant  which sometimes feels like my second office. The way this works is plungers find sponsors who pledge to donate to Special Olympics if you agree to strip down to your swim trunks and dive through the ice for a quick 32 degree dunk in the lake.  Most folks collect their sponsors well in advance… So I’m getting a late start at this. I don’t expect I’ll get many takers.. but if anyone is interested in making a tax-deductible pledge  to Special Olympics for the pleasure of seeing me freeze.. please let me know 🙂 . I’ll be sure to get pictures !

Sunday night – crepey day

Hey friends..
   I’m writing from my secret lair in Tim and Jen’s basement..

There are two screens of Super Bow going in the house.. I’m hoping each group thinks I’m with the other.

We’re over here having a crepe party that Deb orgainized. There’s some amazing stuff up there.. savory and sweet.. meat and veggie.  WThe girls ahd quite a production line going.

I had an asparagus , crushed samosa and yogurt one.. it was excellent. After the savory stuff came desert.. complete with flaming liqueurs.

If I;d stayed upstairs I’d surly be asleep on the floor by now . Those that j..know me that the moment I stop moving, I fall asleep especially if I’ve recently eaten… That’s why I escaped for the basement.  (uh-ohhh… I think I’ve just been discovered down here !!!)

I’ve got good cause to be sleepy.. Diane , Chai and I decided to snowshoe the Long trail south from Bolton Notch road back to our house.. I think it’s about 3.5 hours.. but it was touch coing today.. Chai was eager to hit the trail

The snow wasn’t deep.. but covered enough to make snowshoes OK.. at least for the first 3/4ths of the trip

Chai was drinking out of this whole in the ground.. .. we thought.. tilee we looked around and realized we were on a beaver pond we’d not known was there.. The ice wasn’t think.. so we backed off carefully.. There was some recent beaver work all around us

Like this tree.. Wonder if the beaver was proud or disappointed with this project ?

As soon as we started to climb we started following one of several moose tracks. Chai was eager to find this one.. by the … uh.. markers we found he/sh wasn’t far off.

WHover it was.. it sure had big feet !!

Here’s an idea of how big..

I realized while hiking that my birthday is only a week off.. that means it was time for one of my long time traditions.. the au naturel snow angel. Believe it or not.. every year on or near my birthday I do the snow angel equivalent of skinny dipping. regardless of weather.. Today was in the high 20’s so it wasn’t too hard. . not sure why I do it.. but why break tradition. ?

Diane was the phtotographer and spared you all the worst.. but heres the result./..   I tell you.. it certainly wakes you up !

As I got up and tried to warm up, I found someones tree graffiti. I don’t like it when someone carves up a tree.. but I have to admit that this one is pretty amazing.

The rest of the hike we spent trying to find the white blazes in the snow (again).. We ended up getting off the trail one and managed to make an unintentional  loop using an abandoned stretch of trail.. When we came off the steep and rough old stretch and found our own tracks, Diane said it felt like the movie Ground Hog Day.. Ground Hog day was yesterday and I missed it completely.. Must have been the Retrograde of Mercury.. I’m blaming everything on that for the next few weeks. .

I did my trubute to Sam as I do everyday I’m outside…

You could tell that the animals were hungry..w e found chewed bark everywhere

We found lots of signs of moose… including tracks, scat.. even hair… but no beast.. It was a wild moose chase…

The trail has some beautiful views off the cliffs.. the scenery was nice too..

We fianlly came on Duck Brook shelter.. we took a short resat and wrote in the journal there. We noticed that someone had taken the SamStone we’d placed there.. we like that !

From there it was mostly down hill. That side of the trail had less snow and more ice. It was treacherous in some parts.. but relatively short..

There was a nice view of our house and barn as we started to descend towards Stage Road

We got home around 2.. tired and happy… The rest of the day we worked around the house until it was time to come up and have the crepe fest..

I’ve definitely been discovered now..I hear voices !  Must abort… must abort.. more tomorrow..
nite all.. nite sam !
-me


Saturday night – in retrograde

Folks…
  Friends Sybil and Joanne haveboth written me to tell me more about the retrograde of the planet Mercury that we’re entering. A retrograde is when a planet appears to move backwards through the signs of the zodiac. Right now Mercury is going retrograde into Aquarius.. the sign of my birth.  I think it’s pretty interesting that Mercury is coming up so much in my life.. I’m reading a book chapter on mercury the day that the first space probe to orbit  mercury arrives at the planet.. and now I hear it’s entering an interesting (if not terribly uncommon) astrological cycle.  I’ve always loved the element Mercury… Quicksilver some folks called it. . I remember that we used to play with it as kids.. rolling little balls of it around in our hands.. losing it in the floor boards and carpets of our youth. Now  it’s considered so toxic that a drop is enough to evacuate a school (I still have several kilos of it stashed away in a safe place.. but don’t tell)

I’ve never put much stock in things in things such as astrology.. but with what we’ve seen and experienced this past year.. who’s to say that the movements and positions of planets  couldn’t effect our world and it’s working ? .  Though it’s a stretch for me, I love the thought that the movement of a planet through a pattern of stars perceived her on Earth could effect everyday life here..
Sybill tells met that

… Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce, education and transportation. By extension, Mercury rules people who work in these areas, especially people who work with their minds or their wits: writers and orators, commentators and critics, gossips and spin doctors, teachers, travelers, tricksters and thieves.

“Gossips and spin doctors, teachers, travelers, tricksters and thieves !.”. That’s such a cool collection of professions.. I think I’m at least 5 out of the 6 of those ! I Joanne tells me that we can expect the following during a retrograde of Mercury:

1. Communication breakdowns. Anticipate crossed wires, misunderstandings, confused communications and incorrect information. Double check all relevant information for accuracy. Take time to verify instructions, numbers, directions and appointments.

2. People tend to change their minds in midstream, backing out of contracts or agreements at the last minute. It is NOT in your interest to sign contracts during this cycle. It’s OK to consider options, but do not expect or plan to complete negotiations until after Mercury has moved forward.

3. Mechanical problems seem to arise with greater frequency. This includes vehicles, computers, locks and keys, and other vital appliances. If something mechanical breaks down, the culprit is generally the transport mechanism, such as piping, tubing or wiring. Expect a greater frequency of car problems such as flat tires, stalling and accidents. Whenever possible, be prepared with an alternate plan. Throughout the retrograde and shadow periods, back up your computer regularly. Have at least one backup copy stored in a separate location.

4. Schedules get thrown off, often requiring last minute adjustments. Be accessible and flexible.

5. Repairs completed under a Merc’ Retro may have to be reworked.
Hold on to documentation such as receipts.

6. It is best NOT to start new projects under this cycle. Wait until Merc’ moves direct for a more productive beginning, such as opening up a business, an account, mailing proposals or starting a new routine.

7. Expect increased accident-proneness in fingers, arms, hands, limbs, nerves, lungs, vessels

8. Anticipate delays in receiving info- mail can be delayed or info might be filed incorrectly.

9. Watch the tendency to do silly things like lock yourself out of your car or home. And be sure you have the proper paperwork on hand when leaving for outside appointments.

10. Undergo surgery only if it is essential. If surgery is absolutely necessary, be sure that all documentation is in order and that the surgeon knows exactly what is to be performed.

11. Travel plans go awry. Double check flights & accommodations. Prepare for last minute changes or glitches.

My understanding is that this retro period will be  over in early march.. so until then … keep the above in mind.. or not …. as you see fit..

While we’re still on the topic of  our quickest planet.. here’s a cool new picture beamed back from the MESSENGER spacecraft 2 weeks ago.. I knew about the Spiders from Mars.. but never heard about them on Mercury.

OK.. enough about the cosmos . Here’s what’s going  closer to home (and I’m sorry about the italics.. my editor wont seem to allow me to turn them off) .

It’s been a couple of days of very interesting weather.. I caught this sunset on Thrusday night from Champlain.. As always.. pictures of sunsets don’t do them justice. the sky was a blazing red after a day of  rain and sleet

By Friday night we had ice everywhere. the windows all looked like those old rippled glass shower stall doors. Here’s a picture of some of our old Christmas lights as viewed through the ice on the back door.

This morning everything had a thin sheet of ice on it.. very cool.. and treacherous driving ..

Diane and I did a quick run into Richmond this morning.to say hi to my friend John M whom I knew was going to be at Bridge Street. While I was there, I had a great talk with Marvin. He showed me the new ink he got in honor of Brandon K. Brandon worked at Bridge Street  and was Marvin’s daughter in law’s brother. Marvin chose ‘Bam-bam’ because that’s what Marvin’s grandkids called Brandon.  We talked about how the families were doing, how the folks at the Cafe were doing. We also talked about Myspace.. about how the kids use Myspace when someone dies.. I went home and looked up Brandon’s Myspace.  It brought tears to my eyes thinking about him.. and thinking about the early days after Sam’s death .

After Bridge street we went home.. I took a run while Diane took Gabe and Jack up to the mountain. Soon after we got back Avery, Dani. Kevin and Hannah showed up for a surprise brunch they’d put together. It was such a wonderful surprise..

The girls brought these cool fake mushrooms .. they looked absolutely real but were actually made of merreinge and chocolate .  (editor’s note. I just Im’d my friend Bryan.. one of the students I’m working with how to spell merrenge marainge ? mierengge  ?  he said

johncohn at ibm<..timestamp style="display: inline; font-size: 11px;"> (12:25:54 AM)….timestamp–>: how do you spell merrienge ? as in the thing on top of a pie ?
Flessen0<..timestamp style="display: inline; font-size: 11px;"> (12:26:17 AM)….timestamp–>: Ummm John you just asked ME how to spell ..

)

Then we sat around and watched Kevin and Nate’s ‘Bigfoot ‘ video

Gabe got home around 5:30 after a good day at Bolton.. we all piled in the car and headed to Green Mountain Gymnastics for an open Gym day.. The coaches there worked the kids pretty hard.

While the kids did sit-ups, I stole out and took Bryan and the gang working on the IBM project a bag full of empty calories and caffeine. Bryan is working on the Flash programming tonight (and is still at it as I type at 12:30 AM)  The Game lab was full of intense young game devlopers doing their homework on a Saturday night.. ok.. doing their homework is playing halo.. but.. hey.. it’s still homework !

After that.. I zoomed back picked up Gabe and Diane.. and a passel of other kids and we went to Rocky’s for dinner..

All in all.. a very satisfying day…   I’m still just watching out for that trickster Mercury

All for now.. more later.. Love you all. Love you Sam
-me