When I arrived at work this morning there were more piles of snow than cars in the parking lot. Eastern Massachusetts has been under the influence of a massive Nor’easter over the last 36 hours. Snow accumulation varied greatly from over 24 inches near the coast to 8 inches in Concord. Temperatures are extremely cold which translates to very dry and fluffy snow, easily blown into drifts by the frequently gusting winds. Most employees chose to work from home rather than risk the commute on what proved to be very messy roads. When I lost control of my car and smacked into a curb, I decided I would make good use of my lunch hour to have my very worn down tires replaced. Concord schools were closed so Maya was home for the day and Kyle wisely postponed his return flight to Santa Clara until tomorrow.

When they were youngsters, Kyle and Nicolai would play chess with each other everyday. They were so passionate about the game that I built the chess table pictured here for them nearly 15 years ago. It was so satisfying to watch them engrossed in hours of play again today. In addition to playing each other they both spend a lot of time on their iPhones playing opponents from all over the world. Kyle is also earning a fair bit of pocket change as a chess coach in California.

I can think of no better way to spend the first day of the new year than celebrating with the co-founders of SideStix, Sarah and Kerith, who are in town to visit with family over the holidays. Nicolai recently spent 2 months living with them in their Sunshine Coast (near Vancouver, CA) home while working as an intern for their business. Nicolai has a small equity stake in SideStix, received in partial compensation for the work he has done for the company over the years. Jeanine and I just completed a significant angel investment as well and we are thrilled to be in partnership with such a talented pair of entrepreneurs and genuinely nice people.