Yikes, 1AM again.. and I’m still working. I seem to be busier than ever these last couple of weeks. It doesn’t make it feel much like summer. Diane, Gabe and Kristin decided to hike Camels hump today.. and I was working at home. About 2 Pm my head got so full of work that I colsed my laptop drove down to the mountain and ran most of the way up the trail .. I met them coming down less than a half mile from the summit. it was so nice  takign that mental and physical break in the middle of the day…  I got back in time for my two afternoon calls then we all went to see Transformers 2.. (very cool.. though I’m not sure I followed the plot)  It felt good taking those two mental health breaks..   I didn’t feel too guilty since.. a) I got in at 2AM last night form a work trip.. and b) here I am still working at 1AM. ..
   I do need to get some sleep tonight… .. .. Oh, I have one more thing to share. My good friend Tim just made a commercial with Catherine Zeta-Jones .. Here he is being goofily awkward.. He’s famous !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVvhMOBXbp8

It’s 2Am and I just got back home from a 6 hour drive home from NY. Believe it or not.. I love those drives.. Still.. I’m too tired to write much. One good thing I learned on the way home is that I was one of 6 first prize winners in the Instructables ‘Get the LED out’ contest. Thanks to all of you guys that got the vote out !..   Many.. I need ot sleep.. more tomorrow. Nite all.. nite Sam !
-me

2 weeks ago I was looking for old friends in Facebook I was specifically looking for friends from the time I lived in Vienna, Austria back in 1979-80. I couldn’t find any of my friends name, but I found a familiar last name.., Erol,  and reached out.. it turned out that the woman, Nani, was the daughter of one of my good friends.. and the granddaughter of my Houseparents. Sadly, I leaded that my Housefather, Necat, had just passed away a few weeks earleir at age 87.  Necat was a really great guy.. He was born in Turkey and moved to Austria in the 50s .. he met his wife when he was injured in a motorcycle accident.. she was a nurse.. he didn’t speak german.. and she didn’t speak turkish.. so they got to kow each uther in English.. Necat’s wife, Helga.. .. well.. I should not call her that.. in German you must always be polite even with good freinds.. to me she will always be ‘Frau Erol’  .. was my Hausfrau, mentor, gatekeepr, tutor and fairy godmother while I lived in Wien. I was very close to herr and Frau erol and their kids  but have been in pretty sparce contact over the past several years. Last time I saw them was for Frau Erol’s  was in Wien in 2006 when I showed up iunexpecdetly  to suprise Frau Erol at her 75th birthday party.   Today I called her to see how she was doing. Herr Erol had been in ill health for more than 3 years. At the end she needed to be with him all the time. Today she sounded really good. She was sad.. but also relaxed and rested. We talked about Necat.. and how his passing had effected her. we tlaked abotu her kids and grandkids..   We talked abotu her son Ale who passed away at age 3 and about Sam. We even talked about her  coming and visiting us. I don’t know if she’s ever been to the states.  It was so good reconnecting  .. with all the time I spend on airplanes and international phoencalls.. for soem reason I still feel funny abotu callign soemone overseas ‘just for fun’.. I’m really glad I did taday.. It made my day..
   Do yourself a favor, Call somebody up that haven’t talked to in years. it feels really good..   OK.. all for now.. Nite folks.. Nite Sam
-me

ps. Here’s where The Erols live in Wien (and wher eI lived in 1979-80)