Yearly Archives: 2009

Thursday night – I luv my veapon of doooooooom

Did I really just say “I luv my veapon of doooooooom” on TV ? You guys.. I cannot even get close to describing how unutterably wierd it is to sit down with my family and friends and watch The Colony. I’m seeing it for the first time just like everyone else… The key difference is that I got to see all the stuff that isn’t on the show. All the cooking cleaning, writing, hanging out, arguing, goofing around… etc.. There was so much stuff that I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to edit it down to an hour of TV each week. It’s really strange to see how people and situations are portrayed.. For example. it kinda seems like the women in the show aren’t getting as much face time as the guys. .. not sure why.. they awere all amazing. it’s quadruply wierd to see how you yourself are portrayed. I gotta say that I’m enjoying the ride.. though it can get bumpy at times. You need to have pretty thick skin to not let some of the more mean spirited blog and twitter comments get to you.. (eg.. one recent twitterer wrote : Colony Ep.1: pretty good until old, pale, naked computer engineer in the rain lol”).. On the other hand.. I’m really digging most of the feedback. it’s actually very good.
   Tonight’s show was fun for me because I remmeber this was the week I really started to figure out what I was doing on the show. It was strange for me… a pacifist..  to be making weapons (we made many more than they could show).. I can now say that the phrase ‘do not try this at home’ has appeared on the same screen as me.. I would have liked to have been able to explain the science behind the flame thrower .. actually a ‘propane accumulator’  a little more. It’s actually a very cool device I learned how to build at Burning Man..  

Oh man.. it’s 1:30 AM.. gotta sleep.. more tomorrow !  Nite all.. nite Sam

-me

Monday night – too tired

Just back from a 650 mile roundtrip to ny in 28 hours . I had some meetings in somers and did a mad science show for several hundred kids in the IBM Somers cafeteria. Giving those shows is one of the things I feel most good about doing these days.. When I’m talking to kids about science is when I feel most at peace with myself.. and most … i don’t know.. aligned wiht the cosmos or something…   Aside from the show, the trip was pretty good. I stayed with my friends Chandu and Patty in there new carbo nuetral house, It’s an engineering and architectural marvel. Chandu and his late father designed it from scratch.  The idea had been for Chandu’s parents to move into the house from india.. Sadly, Chandu’s father passed away early this year.  He was a great man,..
    Mutual friends of Chandu and Mine.. Prof. Ralph O. and Clara from the Netherlands  were also staying at the house. It was a wonderful coincidence.. I got to catch up with both couples. I even smuggled Ralph in to see my show today..
    I have a ton of IBM work  and hobby work that I should do tonight … but I’m just too exhausted.. I can’t even think straight..  The long drive back and forht to NY is sometime energizing.. and sometimes exhausting.. this time it was the latter. I came hioome feelign sad and worn out.. I hope it will be better in the morning after a good nights sleep.. let’s hope..
  Nite all. Nite sam.. thanks for riding with me today..
-me

Sunday night – amazing story

I’m driving tonight.. so this will be short.. but I have to relate an amazing story. A few hours ago we got a call  out of the blue from a guy named Bob who told us that he’d received one of Sam’s kidneys.  He’d always wanted to reach out to us , but the organ donation agencies wouldn’t give out our contact info. We had sent all of the organ recipients a letter and one of our SamStones ( with no website info on the back) , but the agency had removed all contact info from the letter  The stone and the letter were  on the wall over this guys TV when he  saw me placing that SamStone in the water filter in episode 1.He called and we got to hear how receiving Sam’s kidney had saved his life.. We were able to tell him stuff about Sam.. It was one of those laughing and crying conversations..  Isn’t that cool ?!?!?! Thought you guys would like to hear this story..   I can’t help thinking that Sam is gettign a kick out of this too !.

Love you all.. Nite Sam.
-jc

Friday night – Little Fenway

Beautiful, beautiful day.. low 70’s or high 60’s during the day.. 50’s at night.. My favorite part of summer.. the part that feels like winter.. seriously.. it never needs to get hotter than this for me..

Te last two days at work have been busy and productive.. not much to report there… I did host a lunch for our summer interns. We have about a quarter the amount we usually have. The interns have had a good time.. though they admit it’s been a little quiet and strained this summer. We spent abotu an hour and a half talking about their summer, The colony.. and what they and I wanted to be when they grew up..

Speaking of ‘growing up’ today was Anita N’s last day at work.. at least for a while>She is off to business school at Dartmouth with her new fiancee.. that would be so cool to be heading off to school again..

Everyone brought Anita the perfect going away gift for someone going to grad school.. pasta and Ramen ! 

After saying hi/bye to Anita, I zoomed home, picked up Diane and headed back to Essex to Pat O’s for the opening of the Travis Roy Wiffle ball tournament.  Pat is an old buddy of both Diane and mine from work. I’ve known him for 28 years (gulp !)

Pat has devoted a large part of the past several years building replicas of Fenway and Wriggly fields in his back yard. The fields are exact scaled down replicas of the real thing..


The Fenway field even has a little Citgo sign.. I could see that sign from my dorm room window at MIT.

The event today is an annual fundraiser for the Travis Roy foundation. Travis was paralyzed 11 seconds into his first hockey game in college. He is completely paralized from the waste down. He has focusde his life since the accident on doing motivaitoanl speaking.. and raising money for spinal cord injury research> The wiffle ball tounrnement will raise more than 200,000 dollars for the foundation this year !

Both Ben C and Jerry G. were on hand to through out the first pitch. I;m used to seeign them on the timecycle project.. it was fun seeing them being celebrities. Ben brought peace pops to share with folks which was very generous …   Here are B and J with my friend Ron.

Around 5:30 things started to move.. the crowd got seated..

And Pat, marge O and Travis Roy opened the tournament..

Our friend Mike R. was honored as the volunteer of the year.. which was wonderful..

They then invited down a bunch of local ‘celebrities’  to help kick things off. They had Ben, jerry. the head of Jetblue, Ms. Vermont, a retired hall of fame pitcher from the Red Sox, a UVM basketball start a wounded vet from Iraq (got a 10 minute standing ovation) . .. They also unexpectedly asked me to come down because of the show.. whcih was both nice and weird. ..   (Johnny V.. this would be the equivalent of the Covina new years parade for me)

Both Ben and Jery through out the first pitches.. we’d shared stories about being last chosen for sports in middle school.. but their aim was pretty good today..

I couldn’t wait to get home and see Gabe.. he’s been gone nearly 3 weeks and I missed him so miuch. All night he’s been tlakign about his trip out west. he had a great time.. Max is here too with friends whcih is also relaly wonderful. Max, Aaron, Lianm and I ran into Home epot tonight to find parts for the time cylce and Dan’s new store.. We then came hoem and had soem of Diane’s killer Gneral Tsao’s Tofu.. all vegan for max..   Everyone headed to sleep so I started workign on the timecycles electronics. I got the LED strips and Laser in the mail today from China.. I just got the LED strips workign.. is this beautiful or what ? !

OK.. I gotta sleep.. lots to do tomorrow.. Night everyone. nite sam !
-me