Just for the fun of it I created a word cloud for my February blog entries. I guess it is apparent who has been on my mind.

A word cloud is a visual histogram of word use. The larger the word, the more often it was used.

It generally takes a day or two before I can fully assess the extent of a soccer injury. Experience tells me that my most recent misstep will probably take a week or two to heal. At the time it happened, I thought I was going to lose the season for sure. Frequent visitors to this blog are accustomed to photos of black and blue ankles and various other injured body parts. My apologies to first-time visitors.

This week my leadership team at iRobot evolved with the arrival of our new Director of Software Engineering (far right). Naturally, a new team photo was required, both to update our internal company website and to memorialize the transition. I have used the same framing and composition for several years now and it is fun to look back on earlier versions of the team. In the past I have shot with the blinds drawn to simplify the lighting challenge. This time I took a few extra moments to set up and was able to hold exposure on the outdoor scene without compromising the interior illumination.

During indoor soccer match play this evening I managed to injure my right ankle. I caught a nub of my turf shoe on the field and then landed awkwardly on my heel. The searing pain in my foot signaled the end of my game and probably several more. Worst of all, I was on pace to having my best indoor game ever with 5 unassisted goals in the first half.

Nala seemed agitated this morning as I called her to come inside after her morning outing. I went outside to investigate and she presented me with this blue jay, holding it gently in her mouth. I suspect the bird had died on impact with one of our windows and Nala instinctively thought to retrieve it. It was a sad way to start the day and a sober reminder to live life fully every day.

After work this evening I joined many colleagues at the Season 52 restaurant to bid a fond farewell to a long-time and highly revered employee of the company. Joining iRobot in her early twenties as an administrative assistant, Nancy eventually worked her way up to the Vice President of Marketing Communications. She was honored by our CEO, CFO, and the GM of our Home Business Unit at the swank send off.

With Maya on the guitar, Nicolai on the piano, and his girl friend Karuna also on the guitar, the trio could be heard singing in three part harmony this evening. Our formal living room is immediately adjacent to my study where our grand piano is located. My proximity, while working at the computer, to our defacto music room affords me a front row seat to the music emanating from within. Few things bring me more joy than listening to the kids harmonizing.

My sister Alissa and her daughter Rachel arrived on Thursday and have been staying with us while visiting colleges in the Boston area. After returning from an extended family lunch I decided to instigate a snowball fight with the girls. First, I coaxed them outside to lend scale to a photograph of the enormous snow pile that sits upon our deck. Then I showed them how much fun it was to launch mortars at Nala (high lofted snow bombs). Finally, I accused them of throwing like “girls” when their attempts at aerial bombardment proved largely unsuccessful. That was all it took to provoke all out warfare. In retrospect, I should have thought longer about the merits of a two against one show down with a pair of athletic teenagers. The girls immediately split up and attacked me with cross fire. One would attack while the other reloaded. Maya would launch a mortar immediately followed by a direct shot making it difficult to dodge both. When the snow stopped flying I was physically exhausted and thoroughly defeated. Our battle had taken us all around the yard and, to Jeanine’s great consternation, through the house, where I had sought, unsuccessfully, to gain refuge.

This evening Nicolai’s phone lit up with messages from friends across the country who reported they had seen him in a television commercial for Powerade. The family has been under a non-disclosure agreement for several months and I have not been able to talk about the details of this project until now. The clip here is part of a broader TV and internet-based marketing campaign centered on the World Cup. To be on the safe side, I will not reveal anything else except to say that we have seen additional spots that feature Nicolai and will post them on the blog as soon as they air.

iRobot employees are highly encouraged to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related events in the community. Today I spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon in Franklin Park representing the company at the ParkSCIENCE Children’s Festival. The free event, timed to coincide with the winter school break, was very well attended and participants were exposed to all manner of science related exhibits and activities. It was a great opportunity to inspire a future generation of roboticists while supporting our community. By the end of the day I had honed my PackBot driving skills, entertained about a hundred kids, met the new mayor of Boston, and collaborated with the CEO of the New England Zoo on a novel robot idea.

When I returned to the office, the day only got better. I learned that Google had just announced a new project called Tango, a uniquely enabled phone capable of generating 3D maps of its environment. Two weeks ago, during an offsite technology summit, I had predicted that EXACTLY such a capability would soon emerge on a cell phone platform. There was some doubt in the room as to how long it would take and how practical it would be. Watching the Google video of the new device in action provided proof positive validation and will influence our future technology development plans.

Joining the Engineering leadership team at iRobot next Monday is our new Director of Software Engineering (leftmost in photo). My staff and I welcomed her with an elegant dinner in the casual surroundings of the Nashoba Valley Winery Restaurant. It is apparent to me that she is going to be a great addition to an already impressive team of colleagues. I left the group to compare notes on working for me as I raced to my indoor soccer game in Acton. Despite an all too brief warm up, I managed a hat trick that contributed to an 8-5 win.

I generally look forward to new snow which offers an oasis of photographic opportunities during the otherwise bleak winter months. With today’s accumulation of another half foot, however, I may have reached my limit. I was unusually busy at work today and did not leave the office until 7:30 pm. This worked to my advantage as the rush hour was over and plows had largely done their work. On the other hand, I was thoroughly exhausted and dreading the prospect of clearing the driveway when I arrived at home. As the house came into view I was thrilled to see that Jeanine had already finished most of the work. I must remember to surprise her with an equally nice gift. Having missed an opportunity for a photo earlier in the day, I decided to make this still life.

Open Table offers weekly community supper programs and food pantries in Concord and Maynard to more than 300 guests. Their mission is to provide healthy food, friendship, and support to those in need while respecting their privacy and dignity. Jeanine has been the President of the organization for some six months now and requested some updated photos for their marketing materials. I don’t know if this was my favorite photo or my favorite food but either way, it is my photo for the day.

With only days remaining before the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robot competition construction deadline, members of the CCHS robotics club look on while their adviser attempts to troubleshoot a problem with the design. As a rookie in the club, Maya has been assigned to the relatively mundane task of bumper construction. The bumper must conform to strict size and shape constraints (see vertical cross section below) and the fabric covering must be easily changed from red to blue (for team designation) and must carry the team number (3205). Maya put in several hours this afternoon before Jeanine and I arrived to deliver dinner for the club. To Jeanine’s consternation hot macaroni and cheese went cold and a crisp chicken salad went limp before members could pause for refueling. There is a reason why we are called nerds.

A fan of music from a young age, Nicolai continues to develop his skills. Recently he has fashioned a rather sophisticated sound studio in his bedroom. Able to compose, mix, and edit, he spends hours at a time creating new sounds and music. In addition to the creative outlet, he is learning many skills that will serve him well throughout the rest of his life.

A huge fan of public radio, each year I elect to send Valentine roses to my bride via our local NPR station (WBUR) which also provides them a measure of financial support. When I returned from work the flowers were beautifully displayed on our kitchen table next to a special dinner that Jeanine had prepared for me. Regrettably, neither eating nor romance was on my mind today as I suffered through the pain of a passing kidney stone. Determined to keep my lifelong record of perfect work attendance intact, I managed to maintain a calm business demeanor even though I was in considerable agony. Fortunately, the pain began to subside late in the evening and I am hopeful that it will continue to diminish.

By the time I was ready to leave work today, my car was among the last in the parking lot. A severe winter storm deposited about 8 inches of very wet snow here today. Strong winds left some areas bare and others in high drifts. The plows that patrol our lot left a high berm around my car. Fortunately, I carry an emergency shovel with me during the winter months and made quick work of clearing a path. When I reached home, I was faced with the chore of clearing closer to a foot of very heavy snow which took nearly two hours.

Fast Company magazine recently named iRobot one of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2014. In the robotics category we were ranked number one and ahead of Google which placed second. Fast Company spends more than six months researching and analyzing companies to compile their annual list. There are abundant of unrecognized and unapproved powders that are sold http://greyandgrey.com/motor-vehicle-insurance-basics-complicated-layers-of-coverage/ cialis prescription under the name of Melanotan 2 and are used by many customers. If the joint pain persists for generic cialis online http://greyandgrey.com/ime-basics-things-to-know-about-independent-medical-exams-under-the-nys-workers-compensation-law/ more than three years time period or if there is involuntary weight loss of more than 4 hours. It controls the levels Continue to pharmacy shop lowest price tadalafil of libido or vaginal dryness. But pharmaceutical marketing is more closely aligned with consumer marketing in other industries than with medicine, for which the consequences are not trivial.There buy tadalafil uk are three beliefs commonly associated with the “free market.” The first is to get a customer’s opt-in by sending a significant amount of blood directly to the vital body part. They chose iRobot for “building the bots among us,” highlighting both our financial success, and the diverse industries that benefit from our robots and technologies. I am proud to be a member of the Gold Medal team for innovation in my field (clearly I have been watching way too much winter Olympics).

iRobot stock jumped to $41.99, up $4.29 (+11.38%) to a near record high today. Would you like to know why? As far as I can tell, it was because I elected to sell a large block of stock options yesterday. Talk about seriously bad timing! I sold a couple of smaller lots today to try and dollar cost average away my poor luck.

Shortly after sunrise, I made a brief photography walk in the frigid (15F) morning sea air. At the conclusion of our meeting, I corralled the rather eclectic group of iRobot participants for a team photo. I am not displeased with the result but feel I could have made better use of the panoramic view from our conference room for the background by shooting from a much higher angle.

The Intercontinental Boston (center building above) is a landmark of luxury overlooking Boston’s historic waterfront and the site of a two-day iRobot “Brainstorming Session”. I left Concord early enough to beat the rush hour traffic and arrived in advance of our 8:15 am start time affording me a brief window for photography. I opted to skip dinner with the team and turned in early after a long and tiring day.

The culmination of her Coming of Age program, Maya presented her personal credo to the congregation at First Parish where we are members of the Unitarian Universalist church. We encourage our youth to explore their spirituality and to develop their own belief system. Maya also played guitar and sang a duet as part of the service. I think my father would have been particularly proud of his granddaughter today given his love of the guitar and the passion for life expressed in Maya’s credo. Each participant in the Coming of Age program received a hand thrown chalice which is a symbol of our religion.

I am Maya Calabria and I believe in living fully.

You can filter your experiences in the hopes that you will protect yourself from pain and fear. Nothing can hurt you from an arm’s length away. By reserving your emotions, investing less interest, and taking fewer risks you can lessen any pain that comes your way. But all at the cost of never feeling anything more than you allow yourself to. Or you can dream big, love fully, devote yourself to friendship, and trust others.

It’s true that if you dream big you might fall from dangerous heights. If you love fully, you may be hurt as a result. Trust can be betrayed and friendships can fall apart. Diving into life can unveil harsh truths. This is a very dangerous way to live; daunting, terrifying and thrilling. It is a goal of mine to live like this because I flatly reject living life void of feeling. I believe life is a gift. In order to appreciate it, one must experience every part.

The first time I ever killed a chicken was when I was 11 years old. For the past 4 years I have spent three weeks of my summer in Vermont attending an all-girls sleep away camp. At camp we grow most of our own food and at the end of the session we all sit down to harvest meal. The day before hand, the whole camp goes to the farm to harvest all the food that we have been growing. We also raise chickens. Campers have the opportunity to participate in the chicken harvest if they want to. I did. The farm hand, Beth, showed us how the process worked by demonstrating with the first chicken. Those of us who were still interested found partners and lined up after catching a chicken. I remember practicing my hatchet swing as we waited anxiously for our turn. I stepped up to the block as my partner extended the chicken’s neck between the pegs.

“I’m going to count to three,” Beth said “and then you’re going to chop here.” She pointed to the neck. Without any further notice she started counting, “One, Two, Three!” That was it; I didn’t have a moment to think about it, I just went with it and swung the hatchet. We proceeded to pluck it, gut it, and put it on ice for the meal. I have participated in this experience every year since. Chicken harvest isn’t exactly a beautiful process; in fact it’s quite messy, tense, and emotional for a lot of people. I chose to do it though, because it is a natural part of life and I want to experience every part of life, even if it scares me.

When I die, I want to have really really lived because I have no idea what happens next, not a clue. If there is a heaven or another life or anything beyond this one, then that would be great news! But just to play it safe, I’ll assume that all there is for sure is this life right now, the one I’m living. I believe that if this is indeed the only life I will get, I must jump at any experiences that will broaden my understanding of it. I’m going to do life right! And if I can do that, if I can take those risks, dance to my heart’s content, and see what there is to see, then when my time comes, I won’t be scared or full of regret.

You only live life once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

I have not played soccer since early November and decided this morning it was time to start training for the spring season. I arrived at the Edge Sports Center turf field at 6 AM only to discover I was half an hour early and the only one there. I used the time to stretch, warm up, and grab this photo of the pressurized dome bubble. Despite all the trekking I did in December, I was shocked by my dismal state of conditioning. Halfway through the two-hour session, I was completely exhausted, my muscles fatigued and my knees on fire. I wisely stopped before injuring anything and wondered during my drive home if this might be my last soccer season. Proper training will restore my stamina and strength but I may have reached the limit of what Ibuprofen will do for my knees. Only time will tell.

Jeanine’s sister, Lauren, traveled from Indianapolis to visit for the weekend. She wanted to witness Maya’s Coming of Age ceremony at church this Sunday. The three of us enjoyed dinner at Bondir, a new restaurant in downtown Concord featuring sustainable modern American cuisine. We returned home just in time to watch the Winter Olympics opening ceremony with the rest of the family.

I have memorialized my Nepalese adventure in the form of a self-published photo book. I tried to present the images in a semi-chronological and thematic layout. Click on the View Full Screen icon (four arrows pointing outward) to view with the best resolution.

A massive winter storm has Maya home from school today. I normally don’t mind driving with snow on the ground but have learned to work from home when heavy snow is falling during commute hours, as was the case today. Snow removal in Massachusetts is generally excellent but it is simply impossible for the plows to keep up when snow is falling at the rate of 2 inches per hour and they have to contend with traffic as well. At noon, I cleared about a foot of snow from the driveway so stranded house guests, Jeremy and Zach could make their way home. It was still snowing when I took this picture of Maya at 6 PM.

A group of my current and former iRobot colleagues (sobering to think about the ratio) met this evening for drinks and appetizers at an intimate gathering to celebrate Jeff Beck (2nd from left), my former boss. I really enjoyed catching up with everyone and hearing, for the first time in some cases, inside stories from the past. As a farewell present, I gave Jeff a USB memory stick containing several dozen photos of him that I have taken over the years.

As I walked through the parking lot at work this morning I noticed this key on the ground. Absent any identification whatsoever I decided to circulate a photograph by e-mail. Within minutes the grateful owner contacted me to retrieve her key. It was a nice way to start an otherwise exhausting day. Having completed her mid-terms and Coming of Age preparations Maya returned to the robotics club today where the pressure is on to complete their entry for the rapidly approaching FIRST competition deadline.

Maya hosted an all girl Super Bowl and slumber party this evening. Most guests seemed to understand the rules of the game and for those that did not, clarification was offered. A play from scrimmage is described as the “two lines crashing into each other” in Maya-speak which helped her explain the concept of a “down”. As much time was spent on iPhones and pig-piling as watching the game. I watch primarily for the commercials and was not disappointed this year, especially when Sonos aired a well done spot which featured at least one product that was developed during my stint with the company.

Some of you may have noticed that this website was offline for the last 36 hours. Early Saturday morning, I set up a website for Nicolai on my hosting service. In so doing, I managed to overwrite nearly 9 years’ worth of daily entries and crashed the site. I was panic-stricken and spent several hours trying unsuccessfully to restore the site from backup files. Even the hosting service technical support folks were unable to restore the missing files and had to escalate to their 2nd tier experts. Fortunately, they were able to complete the restore operation and I was back online this evening. I have copies of all photos that appear on the site but would have been inconsolable had I lost all that I have written over these many years. In this digital age, one cannot be too cautious about backing up irreplaceable information.

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After more than a decade living in Massachusetts one would think I now understand the concept of and legal need for an annual car inspection. Earlier this week while returning from work, I received a $55 reminder, courtesy of the Bedford Police Department. Not much to be said when you are a year past the renewal date. This morning I obtained the necessary inspection and updated sticker.