Yesterday I spent a few hours visiting with  my friends Beth and Tom .. I’m working on a memorial web site for their daughter Kate… It was really good spending time with them and their daughter Kelly. They’re just beginning a journey that we’re a year into with Sam… It is hard to relive those early times with them. yet it feels so kharmicly good to be spending time with them. There are certain things we can say to each other that folks who haven’t gone through a loss like ours can’t really understand.  I know that I’ve already said that a few times.. but it’s so important to me right now…

Tom’s license plate struck me as really special now.. nothing makes you more of a mom or dad than surviving the passing of a child.. It defines you

Even as I touch my friends tragedy, I continue to feel strong and centered. I think it’s a combination of things.. spending time with my family over the break… my new job assignment.. the reiki/massage sessions ? Whatever it is..  I started back to work today and I’m amazed at how energized and recharged  I feel.. Hopefully I can keep the feeling into the year… ..

I spent the day organizing all the things I need to get done this month. My new assignment has all of it’s deliverables falling within the next six weeks. My main project right now is a multimedia package that will show kids some of the cool science behind the video games they love.. I’m hoping that this will increase their interest in careers in science, technology, engineering and math. (what do you all think about that ? )   I’m working with my friends at Champlain college on the multimedia part.. and I’m loving it. I’m learning so many cool things.from them.. And I’m enjoying experimenting on my own.. Like these poor attempts at creating a talking avatar of myself  (see http://www.gizmoz.com)

Beyond the video game theme, I’m also interested in creating some more YouTube-able short videos to promote wild science..  and maybe start to change kids view of science and scientists as being boring.    More and more I see that as my dharmic path..

Coincidentally, my friend Seth, a high school kid in South Hero .. contacted me about collaborating on some sort of science projects… Turns out he’s a whiz on Blender, one of the graphics programs I’m trying (unsuccessfully) to master.   He quickly put together the following animation to explain the quarter crushing experiment I blogged about on Dec 27

There was also another small going away party for our good friend Rusty. He’s moving out to Fort Lewis College in Colorado to be a studious ski bum.. He’ll be majoring in skiing and Spanish.. Sounds like a blast. We’re going to miss him very much.

The not-so-wild party.

Two of the guys got stuck in the snow tonight. They chose a pretty novel way of getting one of the cars out of the snow.