I set a new record time for reaching the office this morning of 26 minutes.  All it required was a start time of 5:18 am.

Nicolai has been nominated by US Soccer for 2018 Player of the Year with a Disability. Votes are collected from National Team and Youth National Team coaches and staff, National Team players who have earned a cap in this calendar year,  American professional soccer league head coaches as well as select media members, former players and administrators. The winners will be announced during the first week of December. The U.S. Soccer Player of the Year award is the highest honor awarded to soccer players in the United States. The Male and Female Player of the Year awards are the oldest and most prestigious awards of their kind, dating back to 1984 for the men and 1985 for the women. The Young Male and Young Female awards were added in 1998 and the Disabled Player of the Year in 2012.

Below is the bio listed for Nicolai:

Nico Calabria, Forward – Amputee National Team
Nicolai “Nico” Calabria had an outstanding 2018 for the U.S. Amputee National Team, scoring six goals, and dishing out four assists while captaining the squad for a fourth straight year. He opened his 2018 account by scoring two goals and had an assist in an invitational tournament in Houston that included England and Haiti. At the 2018 World Cup in San Juan de los Lagos in Jalisco, Mexico, from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4, Calabria led the U.S., scoring four goals (one against tournament runners-up Turkey) and providing three assists. These were no tap-ins; he scored with his head or foot, while both assists required impressive athleticism and ingenuity. Calabria was born with one leg and hip and started using forearm crutches at the age of five when he took up the sport of soccer which he has played ever since. At age 17, he was named to the U.S. National Amputee Soccer Team. He has since captained the team at the 2014, 2016, and 2018 World Cup tournaments and is the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. with 17 international goals.

Our backyard is a haven for deer and it is fun to observe them as they try to make sense of Nala.  She barks her head off but won’t cross her electric containment fence to chase them.  Eventually, they figure this out and will come right up to the boundary.  This little guy is sporting a pair of new antlers.  They can grow from 1/4″ to 1/2″ per day so it will be interesting to keep track of this fellow.

DeWalt just announced three new cordless tools which I pre-ordered yesterday taking advantage of some serious Cyber Monday discounts.  They included a barrel grip jigsaw, a 5″ random orbit sander, and a router; all with brushless motors.  To make room in my shop, I listed the tools pictured here on Craig’s List. 

A large number of Formlabs 3D printers are sold to dental labs and dentists. They are used to print 3D models of patient’s teeth, surgical tool guides, and dental appliances.  Today I made a day trip to the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NYC to attend the Greater New York Dental Show.  It was a great opportunity to check out some of our competitors, understand the applications of 3D printing in dentistry, and meet a few of our sales folks.  I left home at 6 am and returned at 10:30 pm traveling by train to Penn Station. I probably covered about 8 miles on foot including the walk from Penn Station to the Convention Center and all the walking I did at the show. Pictured above is a new tower under construction that I passed along the way.

My soccer team played to a scoreless tie in the Division 1, Over-56 League championship match played this morning shortly after last night’s torrential rains subsided.  We went on to win the title in a penalty kick shootout which ended 6-5 in our favor. Our opponent, Juventus, a mostly Brazilian and Argentinian side, gave us a run for our money in the extremely close contest. I was injury free and played well nearly earning an assist off a flicked on header that landed at the edge of the 6 yard box on the foot of a teammate. This is my 15th year playing soccer for Concord United and only the third time we have won the league championship despite many trips to the finals. We finished the season with an undefeated record of 11-0-1 with a total of 28 goals for and 5 against.

Earlier this week, Maya announced to the family that she had declared her college major;  Electrical and Computer Engineering.  Although my degrees are in electrical engineering, I spent far more time studying computer architecture and logic design. I will admit that part of me is very thrilled with the direction she has chosen but I am also confident she came to the decision of her own accord.  This afternoon, out of the blue, she asked me if I had any electronic stuff she could have.  I quickly offered up a USB in-line tester and an AC outlet tester (which we had used during our electrical troubleshooting yesterday).  I then realized that I had the perfect item to pass down to her, a Tektronix oscilloscope that I have owned for 40 years.  I purchased the $3,000 piece of test equipment new with some financial assistance from my parents when I was in college, not the kind of thing most students would dream of spending their money on.  As a visual learner, however, there was nothing more fascinating to me than being able to see waveforms which represented the movement of invisible electrons.  In some ways, this oscilloscope is a symbol of my lifelong passion for and commitment to the field of engineering.  I can think of no more fitting item to pass down to Maya as she begins her own journey on a similar path.  This scope has long since been replaced by more advanced digital models but it is still a fine and very capable instrument.  It may be one of the most pristine surviving examples of this model and while only worth a fraction of its original cost, I suspect it may one day become valuable as a collectors item.

When Maya returned from having her hair cut this afternoon, it was not immediately apparent that anything had changed.  Fortunately, we had before and after photographs, which when studied carefully, revealed a 4 inch change in length.  I spent several hours tracking down an electrical problem which I traced to a circuit breaker which had tripped but still appeared to be in the on position.  Maya assisted with the project as we checked voltage on every breaker in the house.  Naturally, the guilty breaker was one of the last we probed.

This year we enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with my cousin Heather and her husband Burton.  Sadly, it was also our first without Nicolai.  We did manage an extended FaceTime call with him before sitting down to a magnificent meal.  Earlier in the day, Burton and I set out to participate in the Concord 5K Turkey Trot.  Temperatures were in the low teens so we dressed accordingly.  When we arrived downtown, we learned that the race had started 30 minutes earlier than the 9 am start time that Jeanine had communicated to us.  Hard to be disappointed anytime I get a chance to wear my turkey hat.

To keep my commute close to something reasonable, I have been leaving the house every day between 5:30 and 6:00 am.  At this time of year, the sunrise is just beginning as I approach the office.  This morning it was particularly dramatic and I managed this photo, taken through the windshield and while driving.; not something I would recommend but worth the result on this day.

I finally found some time to create GIFs of Nicolai’s World Cup headers.  He scored the first in a loss to Turkey and the second was the winning goal against El Salvador.

Maya took it upon herself to make a pecan pie for Thanksgiving.  Please study the pecan pattern and tell me Maya was not destined to be an engineer. To further reinforce that notion, while waiting for her pie to bake, Maya took apart a NAS hard disk drive for the fun of it.

Snow-covered fields caused the postponement of the championship finals for the over-56 soccer league in which I play.  Weather permitting the match has been rescheduled for next Sunday.  Taking advantage of the free day, Maya and I decided to drive to Schenectady, NY to visit my mother who is recovering from pneumonia and has just been released from the hospital.  We found her to be well on the road to recovery and her ever-energetic self.  She claimed a 50% improvement due to the visit alone.  Maya and I took care of a number of small projects at my mother’s request before enjoying a Chinese take-out dinner.  Judging from her appetite, my mother is well on her way to gaining back the weight she lost while subject to the food at the hospital which she found to be quite objectionable.  During our road trip, Maya and I had a great opportunity to get caught up and we stopped a few times to enjoy the lovely scenery along the way.

Maya has returned from Olin College for the Thanksgiving break.  I got to hear all about her latest school project, an automatic coffee maker (the “Flavorista”) that dispenses a cup onto a conveyor belt that moves it under a stand holding the ground coffee beans into which a robotically controlled nozzle dispenses hot water, in a spiral pattern, over the grounds.  I can’t wait to see her project in action.  She also shared details of her recent trip to Seattle where she was hosted by Blue Origin, a company she has decided would make for a great summer internship.

Two months ago I picked up a used Sony a9 mirrorless camera body.  It is their top-of-the-line offering for shooting sports.  I used it exclusively to photograph the Amputee Soccer World Cup tournament.  It performed flawlessly and was a joy to use.  It is now for sale on Craig’s List because I prefer my Sony a7r3 model for all other types of photography and won’t be shooting sports again until the next World Cup in two years.  By then a new model will have emerged so it makes sense to sell this one now.

I left for the office this morning at 5:30 am and arrived shortly after 6 am.  The next 15 hours passed by in a millisecond.  I attended meetings, prepared a report based on feedback I had solicited from the engineering team, met with many new colleagues and generally set about the work required of my new job.  When I left the office, shortly after 9 pm, I was expecting a quick commute with little traffic.  Instead, I faced an arduous journey through the season’s first snowfall.  The unplowed roads were strewn with cars that had slid off or crashed.  It was a white-knuckled drive that lasted over an hour and a half.   My car is not very good in the snow and I only wish that my new Audi arrives before the winter driving season is over.

I had a chance this morning to join three other Formlabs new hires (AKA Formlings) on a guided tour of the entire three-building Formlabs campus. The most recently developed facility features several employee-generated art installations. Above, an array of our first-generation printers adorns an entire wall.  Below, hundreds of individually 3D printed butterflies in different colors have been assembled into a collage that is really quite spectacular when viewed up close.

I found the pictured welcome box on my desk yesterday when I reported for my first day of work at Formlabs.  In addition to my security key card and parking pass it contained a Formlabs tee shirt, fancy chocolate bar, and Formlabs stickers. A very nice touch that mirrored the warm welcome I have received from everyone here.  My second 13-hour day in what is likely to be a week of the same.  Getting up to speed is always the biggest challenge and I suspect things will taper off to something approaching normal by the end of the month.

Little doubt I will be struggling to avoid weight gain at Formlabs where I started my new job as Head of Engineering today.  Lunch is provided on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Today we enjoyed quiche, corned beef hash, and fresh fruit.  Instead of the one-mile round trips I had to walk for breakfast and lunch at Superpedestrian, I only have to walk about 30 feet here.  This is not a good combination and is going to require that I find a way to get exercise as a part of my work routine which began today at 5:45 am. Leaving at that hour allowed me to reach the office by 6:30 am leaving plenty of time for a workout at a nearby gym, something I will need to sign up for ASAP.

Heavy rain during the past few days has the Concord River overflowing its banks.  The Old North Bridge pictured above looks more like a causeway than a bridge at the moment. Fortunately, the well-drained CCHS turf soccer fields were in perfect playing condition for our semi-final play-off match against the Northshore Seadogs. My team advanced to the finals with a 1-0 win against a highly disciplined and defensively focused team. For the first time ever, the Concord United franchise will advance to the Division 1 finals in the over-56, over-50, and over-40 divisions.  We have an over 30 team in the hunt as well but results were not in at the time of this posting. I played well and most importantly avoided any new injuries.  The finals will be held in Lancaster on grass, which is not a surface we traditionally play well on.  After a celebration barbecue with the team, I paused on the way home to capture an image to celebrate Veteran’s Day.

Jeanine and I joined our good friends Tom and Karen for dinner in Boston this evening.  We dined at Whaling in Oklahoma, a modern American brasserie located in the South End in the legendary space formerly known as Tremont 647.  We enjoyed a memorable meal with exceptional friends.  Tom was my wrestling partner in high school and outside of my family, the person I have known for the longest time.

Each year, timed to coincide with Giving Tuesday (Nov 27), Open Table launches its annual appeal campaign.  This year’s flyer includes two photographs that I took for the project at Jeanine’s request.

She provided me with three very photogenic kids, access to the new Open Table truck and laid out the general “Fill the Truck” theme for this year’s campaign. It was a fun project and I hope that it proves to be a successful fundraiser.,

Sushi and Thai food (outside the frame) were on the menu this afternoon for the farewell lunch at Superpedestrian to thank me for my contributions to the company over the last year. Kind words were spoken and I felt genuinely appreciated.  I also had an opportunity to thank my colleagues for making my time with the company so enjoyable and productive.  I am pictured below with my direct reports and with the COO.  Assaf, the CEO, has been in Spain for the entire week and I hope to catch him briefly tomorrow evening to say goodbye in person.

As much as I enjoyed my time in Mexico last week, the timing of the Amputee Soccer World Cup meant that I entirely missed Halloween in the US.  Fortunately, I encountered several reminders of the holiday on my walk to breakfast this morning.  I must say, innovation in pumpkin carving tools has led to much more intricate designs than were possible during my youth when the main objective was not to stab yourself with a pairing knife that could only cut in straight lines at best.

Formlabs has many ways of introducing new employees to the rest of the company.  Throughout the facilities are a number of large flat-screen TVs which are used to run a looping slideshow with one slide for each new hire. There is a general template to be followed but much latitude for personalization.  I decided to create a new headshot for the project this evening.  As you might gather, the work culture features a heavy component of fun.

Two months ago I accepted a position as the Head of Engineering for Formlabs, a pioneer in desktop photolithography 3D printing based in Somerville. Pictured above is their Form 2 printer.  I offered the CEO of Superpedestrian a two-month notice period which he accepted and asked me to keep news of my departure under wraps during that period.  Today, the embargo was lifted and I was finally able to disclose my transition to members of my team.  My last day will be this Thursday and I will start with Formlabs on Monday of next week.  I am quite familiar with the company having served as an engineering management consultant to them for over a year now.  I was actually days away from accepting an offer from an Australia based public company in the sports tech field when the CEO of Formlabs and I began to explore the idea of a permanent role with the company. As excited as I am about the new opportunity, I am going to truly miss Superpedestrian where I enjoyed working on a product that was guaranteed to put a big smile on customer’s faces, a terrific boss, and a fantastic set of colleagues. 

Nicolai was not able to make my 60th birthday celebration due to work commitments. Spending the week with him at the World Cup has been the best belated present I could have asked for.

Here is a summary of the US results and of links to photos and videos from the World Cup.

Results

USA v Liberia (won by forfeit)
USA v Kenya (1-2)
USA v Turkey (1-5)
USA v Costa Rica (2-1)
USA v El Salvador (1-0)
USA v Nigeria (2-1)

Photo Collections

USNAST Head Shots
October 25-26
October 27
October 28
October 29
October 30
October 31
November 1
November 2

Videos

Kenya Goal
Turkey Goal
Costa Rica Goal 1
Costa Rica Goal 2
El Salvador Goal
Nigeria Goal 1
Nigeria Goal 2

While I spent the entire day traveling from San Juan de los Lagos to Boston, Team USA took care of business winning 2-1 against Nigeria in their final match of the tournament.  Nico had assists on both goals.  Yesterday I took some time to create a proper team portrait which turned out pretty well considering I did not have any of my lighting gear or the appropriate lens on my camera at the time.

Nicolai scored his fourth goal in as many games.  It proved to be enough for the US to defeat El Salvador 1-0.  He received a beautiful cross which just cleared the keeper and he headed it into the back of the net.  The US faces Nigeria tomorrow for their final match.  Unfortunately, I must leave early in the morning so I can be back to Boston for my own soccer match on Sunday. 

Finally, a win!  The US defeated Costa Rica 2-1 in the first round of consolation play. Nico scored on a penalty kick and had an assist for which he is being thanked above.  The coaching and medical staff were equally moved when the final whistle blew. 

The US game was at 2pm local time, our first during proper daylight.  The sun was diffused by clouds, perfect conditions for sports photography and Nico was kind enough to provide some very athletic moments for me to capture . The only complaint I have about this World Cup tournament is the extremely poor night game lighting.  It is so dim that the players complain about seeing the ball. Taking high quality photographs with so little illumination is next to impossible. Today I was excited to finally have a chance to create some nice images. I have already taken two thousand action photos and half as many off field shots.  Slow internet has prevented me from uploading them, something I will take care of as soon as I return to the states.  I will be sure to post links to the albums when I do.

On the way back to the hotel after the match I ran into a couple of girls that were ready for their Day of the Dead festivities.  I can’t wait for tomorrow when I suspect most of the locals will be in costume.