Late in the day yesterday, I passed another kidney stone. This one measured 5mm by 3mm. I have been feeling a little under the weather for the last few days but did not make the connection. Back in April, a CAT scan revealed that I had about a dozen stones in my kidney. By my count, that leaves another 8 or so to go. With encouragement from Jeanine and a new Soda Stream machine, I have been drinking considerably more water than in the past. On a positive note, the lower back pain from which I have been suffering for the last year seems to be abating. That, or my brain has rewired itself to ignore those nerves. Either way, I am grateful.

Today, I completed the remaining work to decommission the heating oil tank from the River House. I cut the middle section of the tank off and then proceeded to muck out the sludge (about 2 gallons worth) from the bottom of the tank. The work was time-consuming but not difficult. I cut the bottom off a plastic milk jug which served admirably as a mucking scoop. Kitty litter worked perfectly to absorb the small amount of remaining oil in the tank. Finally, I used an eco-friendly degreaser to remove all remaining residue from the tank.

Maya will graduate from Olin in the spring with a degree in robotic engineering. Two of the companies with which she interned have been actively recruiting her for full-time work after she graduates. The first, Rivian, is an electric car (adventure vehicle) company headquartered in Irvine, CA. The second is Formlabs, a 3D printer company located in Somerville, MA. It will surprise no one that her mother and I (and her brothers) would really prefer to see her remain in the area. At the same time, we want most for her to be happy. It has been clear that she was most excited by the mission of Rivian but earlier today she concluded that the actual day-to-day work at Formlabs would be more in line with what she wants to do long term. We could not have been more thrilled when she informed us this evening that she had accepted the Formlabs offer. A burrito celebration is being planned.