Little Miss Maya has injured her wing. A boy at school knocked her down on the playground (intentionally). Jeanine contacted his mother last night and he was summoned to the phone to apologize. Not clear who was more embarrassed. The boy or Maya. My medical examination of her shoulder produced wincing at the slightest touch. We fitted her with the sling used by Nico when he broke his arm. Interestingly as a gave her a deliberately strong hug goodbye she exhibited no signs of pain whatsoever. I attribute the miraculous recovery to the sling and hope she remembers to bring it home from school. I am sure it will come in handy in the future.

Reknowned author and screenwriter Jon Land contacted us this evening with an interesting proposal regarding his book Hope Mountain. It was a very unexpected and interesting conversation. More to follow if anything develops. The story is a departure from his mainstay espionage-thriller genre and a heart warming tale of three troubled souls who help each other to heal.

A champion just for stepping on the mat, Nico seems well on his way to gaining real proficiency in a sport that tests both the body and spirit.

Nico finishes his third round match in style with a first-round head-and-arm throw pin.

Although he lost his second round match, Nico catches his opponent with another beautifully executed souple.

Jeanine arrived with her sister Susan, in time to see Nico’s final two matches, and took this picture of father and son discussing strategy. I love this photo.

Had the referee been in a better position, I am fairly sure he would have called this a pin.

Nicolai had another wrestling tournament this weekend and emerged with a second place finish. He won his opening match, pictured here, by a margin of 14-5. He has become fairly proficient with a belly-to-back souple in which he lifts his opponent from the mat and carries him in a spectacular arc as they return to the mat.

 
Kyle playing the Les Paul guitar that was a gift from his brother.

Jeanine’s sister Susan is visiting for the weekend. It occurred to me that there are no pictures of her with all three kids so I suggested we make one. You’d think I suggested walking bare foot to the North Pole for all the feet dragging that transpired. In the end we got one nice shot that I hope Susan will enjoy.

I have volunteered to be a mentor in the the Gordon Engineering Leadership program at MIT. This evening I attended a mixer during which I met my mentee, Nora. She was born in Bulgaria and moved to Japan when she was in the fourth grade. I am looking forward to learning from each other over the coming months. The MIT campus is a ten minute walk from my office and I paused for this photo as the sun was setting.

This evening, I spent some time continuing to scan and clean up old family photos. This handsome-looking gentleman is my great grandfather on my father’s side.

There is no doubt in my mind that Nicolai is much more attractive with short hair. Please register your preference (before or after) directly with Nicolai. It’s hardly been a week since I cut his hair, and I am already feeling the urge to get my scissors out again.

Before.