Monthly Archives: March 2011

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Spring is in the air .. almost, at least.. It’s prime sugaring time.. nights are still cold.. in the teens or twenties.. but it’s starching to crack freezing by midday.. yesterday morning it was actually in the 40’s. when we got to Bromont..

I spotted this license plate as we were waiting to ross the border back in to the US. Probably not the right place to snap a picture.. but I couldn’t resist.

Woke today to a breezy and relatively warm day.. 30 degrees, windy, sunny with clouds . You could hear birds singing.. not a sound we’ve heard for many months

the yard is about 1/4 free of snow.. but it’s still piled up high in places..

Another sign of spring is the start of Lacrosse season.. That means a bottle drive. Gabe, Will and I spent a couple of hours knocking on doors collecting returnable bottles to help fund the team.. it was  like Halloween .. only with bottles.

We had to turn around in one neighborhood.. the roads were really bad. It’s definitely mud season.. Diane and I went  running on Dugway rd. a little later in the afternoon and you could just feel how deep the mud is.. there’s just no bottom. The school buses actually were rerouted yesterday to avoid places where the roads were bad.. Al l the kids on Stage road and notch road had to walk home..

All of these were signs of Spring.. but nothing said Spring to me like the  sign of Diane’s Daffodil’s  deciding to make an early showing..    I loved seeing them pocking up around the snow.. Soon it will be warm and green..   it’s been a nice long winter.. I’m ready..

OK.. that’s it for now ,,, More tomorrow !

note all.. nite sam

-me

ps. Check out the moon tonight..it’s a ‘supermoon’ !  it’s closer than it’s been in 18 years !

Friday night – Naches

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I had a great trip to visit my friends in IBM Bromont Quebec today. I promised to go back up there this month.. and today worked out toe be the day. My friends Brent and Marian joined me for the 1.5 hour ride up through southern Quebec. The forks up there are so warm and welcoming. They’re also really energizing and fun to hang out with.  We got to hear what they were working on.. and where they were going. I came away really inspired..   I have a few pictures.. but they’re up in our room and Diane’s already asleep.. so the pictures will have to wait.

The other topic I wanted to write about tonight is “naches’.. (pronounced ‘nach-ess’).. It’s a yiddish word that roughly translates  taking pride in something.. usually your kids.. When you kids do something good. it brings you naches..   It’s a word my dad loves to use.. I picked it up from him..

I have many occasions to think about naches as I watch my boys grow up to be realty, really  good guys.. I had a real sample of it last night when Max helped me unsnarl a computer hw/sw system I was writing. I’m trying to interface a set of sensors and lights to my laptop using a system called Max-Msp.. Max-Msp is the most amazing system deisgn tool.. you write programs by instantiating small function blacks that you wire up point to point on the screen. it’s incredibly powerful.. and .. it turns out.. incredibly complex..

I was trying to figure out how to trigger a synthesizer note when one of the systems sensers was touched.. and was havign a nasty prblem.. all the notes were firing and I coouldn’t figure out why..

I finally gave up and sent the example to Max.. he’s a realty whiz at this type of visual programing..

Here’s my annotated example of the problem I sent Max

Less than an hour later he sent me the corrected program.. along with detailed notes of why it worked.. and why my example did not.

I am so impressed and proud of the way max though, remapped the problem.. and ost of all.. explained it to me in a way that I learned something new.. adn I didn’t feel like a dummy..

It’s amazing and fun to work with Max ..I’m so proud of all the skills he’s picked up in his 22 years.  I think he can now make or build anything.. I’m so glad we made him. !

It’s the same kind of nachesI get when I make something cool and artistic with  Gabe.. Here are some pictures form a few month back with Gabe and I  using  the homemade forege we made out of an old car wheel.. Gabe did all of the welding for that.. here he is forging our first throwing knife. I also love watching him work with stone at ChrisesGabe is learnign to make so many things with his hands..

So there you have it.. the word for the day : naches..

hope you have some too !

nite all, nite sam.. proud of you too, my boy !

-me

Thursday night – St Paddy’s day

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Before I start on today.. here’s a picture of Gabe last night when he came home from the MMU basketball championship down at UVM (we lost) ..  Gabe like the game. Who knew we could breed such a sports fan ?!

Today started with Diane making very green banana chocolate chip pancakes.. yum !

Then it was nother insanely busy day.. in my office by 8:45 .. out at 6:45 without stepping outside my office once.

I did have a great work session with Max.. he helped me fix some code I was writing.. made me so proud to work with him more about that tomorrow..
 I was excited to finally get to go home as we were having a little St. Patty’s day thing with a few friends..

Another green meal awaited.. including pesto noodles

two green salads

Green olive tapenade

And even fresh baked green sourdough bread !

Then mint chocolate chip ice cream

and freshly made green whipped cream.. yow !

At dinner I looked up and toasted Sam’s picture on the wall…   he was in to this holiday..


I wnet back to my post on this day in 2008 to fund this picture of Sa… He was wearing his Flogging Molly shirt.. .. I htink it’s the last shirt I saw him wearing.. it’s a great Irish Punk/Folk band that he loved.. Here are two pictures that Sam R took one day..

And here’s a cool version that Sam R made of the same photo

What a beautiful, beautiful kid

That band pays a wonderful song..called ‘If I ever leave this world Alive’

Max played a beautiful version of it on the night of Sam’s Memorial at Memorial Auditorium..


If I ever leave this world alive
by Flogging Molly

If I ever leave this world alive
I’ll thank for all the things you did in my life
If I ever leave this world alive
I’ll come back down and sit beside your
feet tonight
Wherever I am you’ll always be
More than just a memory
If I ever leave this world alive

If I ever leave this world alive
I’ll take on all the sadness
That I left behind
If I ever leave this world alive
The madness that you feel will soon subside
So in a word don’t shed a tear
I’ll be here when it all gets weird
If I ever leave this world alive

So when in doubt just call my name
Just before you go insane
If I ever leave this world
Hey I may never leave this world
But if I ever leave this world alive

She says I’m okay; I’m alright,
Though you have gone from my life
You said that it would,
Now everything should be all right

She says I’m okay; I’m alright,
Though you have gone from my life
You said that it would,
Now everything should be all right
Yeah should be alright

Here’s a recording of it I found on youtube

Happy st patty’s folks..

nite all, nite sam.. missing you
-me

Wednesday night – island

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I just realized that I got in to work at 8:45.. and did not walk outside of my office until 6:30.. I didn’t go out to eat, I didn’t get anything to drink.. even go to the restroom. .. I ate a handful of peanuts… and the last half a handful of wasabi coated peas I found.. but nothing else..  I do remember opening  the door once when my friend Steve knocked.. I must have looked a little deranged.. a hermit in his cave.. I think I was on the phone the entire day. I know I had 15 min free.. and that’s when I found the peanuts.

The funny thing is.. I think I enjoyed my day.. I think i got things done.. and I think i learned some stuff.. i think.. or at least I think i think..

One thing that I did spend time thinking about today was how out of touch I sometimes get when I’m busy .. I had been emailing back and forth with friends in Japan since the earthquake and tsunami last week.. My Japanese friends are stoic and strong.. the picture they painted did not alarm me too much.. but I must confess until Diane started showing me pictures, I had little idea of the magnitude of the destruction and suffering. I spent some time today looking through the pictures and stories and it breaks my heart.

I have said here before that I have chosen to disconnect from the world a little. Even though I live a very public life..i try to disconnect from the news of the world.  I rarely  watch news, read newspapers, listen to radio news or look at news websites. I started doing this after Sam died.. I had enough of my own emotional trauma that I felt I didn’t need more from  otuside.. Even as I’v ebecome stronger these past years, I’ve never gotten back in the habit of plugging in..

Now when a tragedy of this magnitude strikes a place I know and care deeply about.. I don’t know if I’m making the right choice.  I feel selfish for unintentionally shutting out the magnitude of whats just happened in Japan..

Now.. what can I do to help ? Is there anything I/we can do ?

night all. nite sam

-me