Tuesday night – learning center

I’m down in Armonk for the night.. with a show and meetings tomorrow here. I’m staying in my favorite hotel in the world. The IBM Learning Center.. it’s part prison, part monastery and part luxury hotel.. It is a strange time capsule of a time that never really  existed when men and women went on business trips and worked studiously through the nights on reports for the next day (as I am doing now) ..

The hotel is divided into 6 ( think) stone buildings spread across a beautifully wooded and mysterious shady campus. Eahc building is filled with small stone cells with just enough room for a bed, a desk and a chair..   Each floor has a ping pong and pool table that is never touched as far as I can tell….      there are wonderfully soft bathrobes to add a little comfort to the austerity,..

A couple of years back I was here on Dec 23rd.. I realized I was the only person in one of the buildings.. I was so sure that I went around and knocked  on every door.. sure enough.. no one home.. .. So .. what does one do when you are the only one in a spooky hotel building ?

You make a spooky movie by putting a sheet on your head and film yourself running around the halls…

or at least that’s what I did ..

nite all, nite sam

-me

 

Monday night – Boston down and back

Drove down to boston just to record a short video for a work project.. Lots of driving, but fun nonetheless.   OI spent the way down on friend/work calls (glad to say the two are mostly mixed).. had a nice evenign with my folks.. then back by 4PM.. without missing a work meeting. Not much to report on my day except for one very cool weather event.. Around sharon vermont the sky durned dark grey and my car was pelted with marble zied hail.. it was lie being inside a trash can while soemone hammered on it.. I had to hang up the phoen since I could no longer hear.. THe sky was streaked with coud to cloud lightning that was so dramatic, everyone’s btake lights came on with ever strike. The whole thing lasted less than 3 minutes.. and by the time it had passed .. the 91 degree air befor had becoem 68 degree air !.. Wowo…

Only wish it had stayed cool.. !

 

more tomorrow.

night all, nite sm

-me

Sunday night – Beary !

 

Greetings from my folks home in Sherborn MA. You know your parents love you when you arrive at their home and find your 54 yer old childhood teddy ear (Beary ) with a cheerful welcome sign sitting in your bed.. hugging him now).. you’re never too old to visit home.

 

IMG_1251

 

Got down here around 8:30 after a nice slow day at home. Max and Jac were still up visiting..We took a nice hike up honey hollow in the steamy afternoon..

 

IMG_1189 IMG_1190 IMG_1191

 

We were surprised to find a microwave that had comeout on the wrong end of a gun fight up in one of the mountain streams near the trail head.. we fished it out and brought it home to through away.. it had been shot several times.. bad popcorn.. I’m guessing..

IMG_1187 IMG_1199 IMG_1200 IMG_1201 IMG_1202

We had a nice lunch which diane ended with home made cantaloupe and black pepper sorbet.. it was amazing !

IMG_1203

 

max and Jac left for the bus .. and I left for Massachusetts.. but not before max and I shared a toast of the fine rum he’d gotten me for fathers day.. since I was driving.. I only had a spoonful.. but it was a very  delicious spoonful !

IMG_1204

 

Drive down was fast.. .. i noted our cr passing 88.888 miles.. nice.. and a spectacular set of rainbows.. (though Reuther never as good by camera, i know )

IMG_1210 IMG_1226 IMG_1229 IMG_1232

 

Ma and pa fed me a great dinner.. sushi, hummus, enchiladas..  and apple torte..  eating here is always fun and eclectic.. IMG_1249

 

Dad and I did what we always do.. start talking then both fall asleep.. it feels like old times when we do 🙂IMG_1250

 

ok. early work tomorrow.. gotta sleep.. more tomorrow

nite all, nite sam

 

-me

 

ps. happy solstice !!!.. forgot to say that the other day.. and watch out for the super moon and king tide !

Saturday night – icarus

Just back from the Icarus burn at friend Chris’s.. and it was my favorite ever.. !  My only job on this one was to bring my flamethrower.. which I happily did. I dropped it by mid afternoon..

IMG_0911

then went home annd went ou with , gabe, max, jak, and diane to have d a little pre-burn sushi

 

IMG_0916

We got to chris’s just after 8.. the guys were still rigging icarus up with fireworks..

IMG_0917

 

Once again Chris had built a thing of of beauty. Icarus was about  15 feelt tall and standing on one strong leg. his wings were held together by cannon fuse and his body was full of fireworks.   The idea is that as the fuse burned , his feathers would fall just as in greek myth, the character Icarus’s feathers started to fall off when he flew near the son/ That icarus’s wings were fashioned for him by his father.. the great ‘artificer’ Deadilus.. a man I’ve always fet a great affinity for. He was a wizard and magician.. IMG_0921 IMG_0923

 

here are our hosts kim and chris.. IMG_0925

 

 

along with their friends shane and amber .. who are flame dancers from Connecticut (and really nice people !) IMG_0927

 

Here are the four of us from burning man: chris, homer, dave and iIMG_0930

 

some last explosive rigging..

IMG_0940

 

wouldn’t be complete without a samstone !IMG_0943

 

when it got sark. out came shane and amber. They did a wonderful set of fire poi staffs, fire hips and fire eating. it was fluid and beitiful !IMG_0952 IMG_0967 IMG_0985 IMG_0987 IMG_0988 IMG_1004 IMG_1011

 

Their routine ended with both of them blowing fire on Icarus to set him alight !!! it was incredible .. IMG_1016

 

Then up he went.. first a little, then alot !IMG_1026 IMG_1034 IMG_1038 IMG_1046 IMG_1049 IMG_1058 IMG_1063 IMG_1064 IMG_1070 IMG_1081 IMG_1088

 

a very appreciative crowd looked on.. IMG_1097 IMG_1108 IMG_1111

Just when it looked like things were dying down. an magnesium engine block that Homer had put into the fire caught fire and bathed everything in a searing white ligt for nearly 20 minutes.. it was so crazy!

IMG_1114 IMG_1119 IMG_1121

 

as things queted with teh fire, shancene and amber came out and did a few tricks.. then max stepped up and tried the staff.. He was outstanding !.. he looked like a pro !!!  i was really proud of him !IMG_1129 IMG_1133 IMG_1142 IMG_1146 IMG_1152 IMG_1156 IMG_1175

 

i took a few more shote of the flame thrower before we all called it a night.. IMG_1181 IMG_1183

 

Later on i had a great conversation wiht Shane about life, fire and everything else.. he taught me a good trick.. when someone says “I can’t do X”.. invite them to add the work ‘yet’ onto the end..

ie. I cant do fire poi”   translates to .. “I can’t do fire poi yet ?”  there’s always time to learn !

 

and he let me play with fire baton’s.. how cool is that ?!?!?

what a great evening..!

 

nowI”m too sleepy to keep typing.. so more from here tomorrow..

nite all, nite sam

-me