All posts by johncohn

Saturday night – calling all artists !

Very simple day… I woke to find Gabe nursing a black eye: a trophy from last night’s gymnastics class. He managed to land a double front flip.. but also managed to meet his knee coming up as he was coming down. He didn’t seem to shaken up by it.

The only goal I had for the day was to get the interior and exterior storm windows up. I wasn’t looking forward to it at all.. but we called in reinforcements to make it tolerable. Around 10 Brad, Pucket, Pj. And Corey came over to help and made quick work of it.. it’s so much easier with help.

I can’t recall doing muh of anything else during the day. Rand came over and schmoozed for a bit.. I managed to sneak in an accidental nap.. we managed a short run.. then before I knew it , it was night time

Austin was having a Friends of Sam party at his house, so we went up to give his dad David some moral support.. and some help in with his wine and pizza surplus. Gabe and his friends were in the hot tub looking pretty adult-ish… They’re all growing so fast…

Austin‘s chinchilla Chester was running around the house too.. we all took turns rubbing his fur…


Speaking of fur.. check out these mustaches !

So that was all that happened today.. …Now that’s a perfect Saturday !

Ahh… one thing I want to bring up… On Friday. November 30th. The Friends of Sam are going to hold an art auction. The folks at JDK have kindly offered to host the event which will be used as a fund raiser for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. The kids are looking for art that can art of the auction. They’re especially looking for art from kids… in the spirit of kids helping kids.If you know how to paint, draw, sew, weld, weave, whittle, print, sculpt, forge etc , please consider making something that the kids can auction off. Any piece no matter how big o how small can help Vermont families put food on their tables this holiday season. If you have some thing to donate.. or know someone we should approach, please contact me.. or call Deb at 802-434-6421

OK.. that’s all for now.. Peace out everyone.. peace out Sam..

-me

ps. Here’s a ccool movie that Scott made for us while we were in India.. I really like it..

Thursday night – social day

I woke up today with such a funny array of feelings.. This is November 1st.. the day that I officially start my new assignment at work.. I feel excited and scared to be doing something completely differnt for the first time in many years. It also feels  like a huge weight has been lifted from me. I’m really excited about being able to work on something that might help society out…   It’s also the beging on fthe month that marks the year anniversary of Sam’s passing.   That feels wierd.. in some ways the anniverary scares me.. how will it feel ? In others, I know that it will hurt like every day hurts.. I’ve learned not to predict how I’ll feel

What ever the month brings, today was a good start..   It was full of chance meetings with friends.. That’s always a good hing. It started with me talking to Phil and Shawn at Road ResQ in the five corners while I got one of the cars inspected. We got on the topic of blowing stuff u.. always a favorite topic. Phil showed me a very cool pcket size potatoe launcer he’d built .. very cool

In the middle of the day I had to run out to buy liquid nitrogen and ice cream makings for Ron Rose’s quaeter centruy celibration at work. My buddy Jason came with me as we tried to find where to score soem liguid nitrogen. The cryogneic gods were not smiling on me as I tried to get the dewer filled.. one place had no one to work the pump.. the next place alost wouldn’t sell it to me since my dewer lacked the appropriate top.. In the end they did fill it for me.. but just this one last itme  (as they’ve said to me the past 5 times) …
   I then had to run into the store to pickup the cream and choclate I needed.. I was happy to run into my friend Juergen in the parking lot. He was heading back to Germany today.. his suitcase was packed with steaks !  He told me that he hoped that his luggage wouldn’t get lost.. (it would give new meaning to the words ‘carrion luggage’ … (get it ? ))

Speaking of meat.. i ran into my friend Joe in the store.. he and I were treated to a cool demo of a bag vacuum outer thing by a woman named Lorraine.. we were facinated that she’s made the fake hambergers out of play-doh.. pretty cool ..

Hey Joe.. were you goign with that bag in your hand… ?


Hi Lorraine.. se.. you really are in my blog

I got back to workjust in time for Rons quarter centrury celibration. The folks in the cafteria were kind enough to let me do my mixinign in their kitchen.


About 60 folks showed up to wish Ron a happy 25th .. He’s such a great, great guy. he devotes so much time to helping othe r folks.. It was great listening to speaker after speaker talk about how much Ron had helped him/her through the years. He’s one of my all time heroes.


Pete O was master of ceremonies


When it came my time to talk.. I dragged out the lab coat and the liquid nitrogen and gt Ron to make the ice cream.

That’s to Ron’s expert stirrng the ice cream came out great.. It was a really nice event..

After work I went back to Champlain to see a demonstration of 4 kids who wrote 3 video games in 3 days at a conference a few weeks back. It was really, really cool. The kids were set up at a table at this major Leanring conference… they clicited ideas for the game from the conference attendees then coaded round the clock .. What they came up with is pretty amazing.. I’ll try to post my favorite one here when it coems out on their website in a  week or so.   I figure i need ot spend more time with these kids if I’m goign to become an expert in video games… (which is sort of my job now !)

From their I drove home and piked up Gabe.. We’d made a date to go out to Bridge Street for dinner…  The place was full of our friends.. Including Casey , Jake, Justin. and Alex L..

After dinner we sauntered over to Film Buzz to help thme celibrate 5 years in business.. and Kelly’s birthday… SHe’d set up court ou on the street.. pretty wild !  They served us champagne.. and showed us soem of Kelly’s very cool paintings.

So.. that was the day.. one theme goign through my head all dayt was about pririties. Itfelt strange not worrying abut the things I normally worry about at work. I heard som many conversations today.. as I do every day.. of folks arguing, cursing and gernally worrying about such small stuff eithera t work or in their lives.. I had a wonderful case of ‘so what’ today.. and it felt great.. It’s a good perspective..I hope you can borrow the feelig from me and apply it to your own life..   

Whatever sam….
-jc

Wednesday evening – Halloween

Happy Halloween.. and it was more or less. I woke up wondering/worrying how this day was going to go. As I’ve said over hte last few days, Hallowen was one of Sam’s most favorite holdiays. How could it happen without him ? Well…. it did..   and I missed him like crazy.. as I do every day.. *and* I was able to enjoy the day with Gabe, Diane and our wonderful community. That’s life these days.. remembering, integrating, moving forward….

The first sign I got that the day was really Halloween was at the security gate at work.. Seems everyone was in the spirit !

The day passed pretty quickly. I had a very interesting lunch meeting withthe folks form the Green Mountain Childrens’ Museum project. GMCM is planning a hands on fun museum for kids 0-8 in the old Moran building down by the waterfront.  I’m goign to help out with the invention theme.

I also had a good meeting with my freind Ann at Champlain College on ‘Serious Games’ : the use of video gaming technology for learning and public good. It was my first official meeting of my new assignment at work. It felt good to begin digging in.

The rest of the day passed quickly. I managed to get home early in time to get out trick or trating with Gabe before dark.. Just before we left, our firend Adam came by the house…   He had soem new ink done.. a perfect Halloween tribute !

We were readdy to roll about 5 PM…

Gabe and Jack took off for Richmond with Adam while we got the house ready for the 2-3 trick or treaters we typically get..

Diane and I drove down to Richmond and walked back down to Jack’s .. The street was already hoping with Halloweeners.

We met up with the newest trick or treater.. Baby Indira born last Saturday !. Congratulations Ben , Ezra and Rachel !  Welcome Indira !

The kids were getting readdy at Jacks.. this has been our tradiion for the past several years.. normally Sam would already be off with his friends .. and we’d meet up later This year.. it was the trhee of us.. I was thinkign of our earliest trick or treating with Max in Pittsburgh.. (Max what did you do tonight ? )

I had a bit of an equipment malfunction withthe lights I was wearing.  I ran up to Marshall and Gretchen’s to borrow their soldering island.. I was somewhat successful in my fix.. I then ran back down and met up with Gabe, Jack , Austin , Diane, Jack, Gay, Jean and David. The streets were jumping at that point.

Pleasant Street is always Halloween Central. I remember every year standing on that street and thinking how lucky I felt to live in Richmond Vermont. I thought that even more tonight.

Mr.  Rainey is always there adding a bit of Scottish background music.

We ran into Michael with his new ‘Mr T’ hair… now THAT’S a costume !

Martha wante da picture.. so here it is !

Todd serves up hot or cold cider

Ad Gretchen serves up doughnuts to go with them.. That’s a Richmond tradition.

It also wouldn’t be Halloween without a sto in Bridge Street Cafe to see Marvin and family.. and get a quick ‘soda’ .   We ran into Chris while there..

Kelly-aka-Frieda-Kalo was just outside.. (not yet in unibrow)

We eventually worked our way up to Southview. We dropped off the kids then Diane and I went to Susan W’s house to wait for them. They have a nice phot montage of Sam there..  We sat and talked about Sam, Sumner, life  and everything else. She’s so easy to talk to .

Eventually Gabe and his buddies got to the Susan’s and we trundled thme down the hill to Jacks. On the way home we drove by Tower’s in Huntington to get a look at the annual pumpkin display.. another tradition..

We got hoem around 9. I got a few pictures of Gabe’s costume.. Standing and jumping.. He was pretty flashy !

I wnet out to blow out the pumpikins.. Looks lke we’d had a hnadfull of trick or treaters come by.. there was plenty of candy left.

This pumpkin just spoke to me … part of me feels just like he does right now..

Inside, Gabe was counting his loot..

Here are my favorites.. yum !

Gabe told me that he had 272 pieces of candy !  That’s quite a haul !

Things wound down quickly from then on.. I fell asleep on the couch. Gabe and Diane went up to bed… I woke up and remembered I hadn’t blogged. What to say abotut a day like this.. I didn’t feel like I thought I feel.. it’s rarely the things you expect that are hard… Sam.. I felt you with me so much today… It made me happy … As I lay down to blog, I found that Diane had forwarded a picture to me from Rand and Julie. It’s of Sam and his friends at their house one year ago tonight getting ready to go out trick or treating. So much can change so quickly.. Look at these beutiful kids !  I love you guys.. I love you Sam !

-dad

Tuesday night – Haloween eve

The day before Halloween. Sam’s favorite holiday. It will be sad goign out without him.Everything is sad I guess.. I’m still looking forward to going out and seeing everyone tommorrow night . I alwas come back from Halloween beign so greatfull for living in such a close and wonderful town. I’m going to really need to tap into that tomorrow. .. that.. and Reese’s peanut butter cups are goign to have to get me through.. Not much more to say tonight.. I’m just  beat.. I need to save my strength for hauling all of Gabe’s ‘s candy tommorrow night.. Until then.. Trick or treat everyone.. Trick or treat Sam.

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