With all the rain we received this week rivers and streams are swollen everywhere. Also swollen is my right pinky toe which is causing a disproportionate amount of pain for the relative size of the digit. Hopes for a recovery in time for my playoff match on Sunday seem remote. I took advantage of the working holiday to make further progress on the fireplace renovation I started last week completing the tile setting for the base.
Occasionally the planets align for a brief moment and something exceptional happens. This evening, under the lights and a relentless cold rain, my soccer team faced Needham in a rescheduled match to determine first place in our division and promotion next season. Both teams were undefeated on the season and our last head-to-head match resulted in a 0-0 tie. I stepped on the pitch fully recovered from the string of injuries that have plagued me this year and played one the best games of my career in the most important match of the season. In the opening minutes, I stripped a defender of the ball and drew two others to the end line before splitting them with a perfect pass to a forward at the top of the box who touched once and easily beat the keeper to gain the early lead and momentum.
Shortly before the end of the first half I volleyed a rocket past the keeper off a rebound. The ball found the back of the net before I hit the ground after the goalie took my legs out. In the second half I scored again off a rebound, this time with my first header of the season. Beyond the goals and the assist, I played with an unprecedented level of intensity and feel like this set the tone for the entire team. We celebrated this pivotal victory afterwards at Serafina’s by which time the adrenaline had worn off and I discovered an excruciatingly painful injury to my right pinky toe. It remains to be seen if I will be able to compete in either of the two playoff matches (north vs. south divisions) the first of which is scheduled for Sunday.
This squirrel was literally cooked from the inside out when it shorted out the high tension lines that service iRobot. Shortly after 3:30PM power to the entire facility was knocked out. It was not difficult to determine the cause as the aroma of cooked meet could be traced to the base of the pole which carries the electrical wires which service the building.
With an estimated repair time of 2 hours, employees were advised to leave early for the day. Given the continued perfect fall weather this was a most welcomed gift. I am only sorry that it came at the expense of an innocent life.
A more perfect autumn day one could not wish for. The air was crisp and the sun was warm as I took advantage of my lunch hour to enjoy a long walk and being outside. I have a favorite circuit which takes me past this building but I have never really paused to admire its beauty. Perhaps it was the color of the sky or the fall colors but I found myself compelled to photograph it today.
Town governance in Massachusetts is at the same time an exercise in futility and a spectacle of democracy in action. This evening Jeanine and I attended Town Meeting where the major ballot vote was to approve a new $92M high school to replace the dilapidated CCHS facility. After contributions from the state, taxpayers in Concord and Carlisle will pick up the tax burden for $64.5M. Mercifully the question was called after an hour of debate (amazing what happens when you offer a microphone to anyone with an opinion and half the town a captive audience). Registered residents raise their ballots to indicate their vote and in the event the outcome is less than obvious they are collected and counted. Pictured here is one of three venues filled to overflow capacity and linked by remote video monitors as the measure was overwhelmingly approved.
Nicolai turned in a very respectable set of grades for the semester and with the term and soccer season now over, he had some time this weekend to just hang out. I photographed him before leaving for my soccer match while he was texting a friend and watching TV at the same time.
I played reasonably well with an assist on our only goal which was good enough to secure a 1-1 tie and retain our hold on first place going into our final match of regulation play on Thursday night. My right quad is returning to full strength and the numbness in that leg is ever so slowly diminishing. While I am sure this is a good thing, I must admit that it has been very liberating to play without any sensation of pain since the numbness set in.
When we first moved into our Concord home, Jeanine and I both disliked the casual brick hearth and surround decorating our living room fireplace. This morning I started a renovation project and made good progress between outings to buy materials, and shuttling Maya to her soccer game, guitar lesson, and a birthday party. My first task was to correct an installation error on the flue. Indoor air was able to flow freely around the closed flue because a large gap had not been filled. I built a frame from wood and poured in a batch of concrete which did the trick nicely. Next I removed the top course of bricks from the fireplace arch since they stood proud of the face by about an inch. Finally I used thinset to adhere cement backing board to the facade and hearth covering the existing brick. This will provide a nice flat surface to which the new stone will be applied. A sample tile of the marble is shown in the lower left corner of the after photo. I plan to complete the stone work over the next few weeks.
Clad in my slippers and bath robe, I wandered into Jeanine’s garden this morning searching for signs of the changing seasons. I am not sure what I photographed (although I am sure Jeanine will help me with the identification) but I liked the patterns and composition. Work was unusually hectic for a Friday which meant that the day was over before I blinked twice. Maya was invited by a friend this evening to attend the Boston Ballet’s production of Romeo and Juliet which she enjoyed immensely.
I recently built a very simple adapter that allows me to attach my point and shoot camera to our spotting scope. Some further refinements are needed but this morning I was able to photograph a rafter (yes, that is what a group is called) of turkeys who were gathered in our back yard. Nala was going out of her mind as we observed the intruders and I had half a notion to let her retrieve our Thanksgiving dinner. Fortunately, the memory of several recent jail breaks (traversal of the electric containment fence) informed my decision to keep her inside.
Last weekend Jeanine was in Lebanon, Indiana for her thirtieth high school reunion. Today I downloaded photos from her camera and found this one of her posing with the school mascot and yearbook. She reported having an absolutely wonderful time and has reconnected with many long lost friends. She also had an opportunity to visit with Bradley, her nephews son and her great friend Monica. I think after taking stock, Jeanine concluded that her life has turned out pretty well since high school. The other photos which included her classmates turned out too blurry to post but were clear enough for me to conclude that Jeanine is still the hottest girl in her class.
If I have an addiction, it is the constant pursuit of finding the right tool for the job. My tripod collection (to which I made an addition from Craig’s list this evening) is a case in point. Each one of these carbon fiber tripods is designed and optimized for a specific application. The ideal tripod would be weightless, infinitely adjustable and able to support the heaviest telephoto lens/camera combination. In the real world one must trade each of these attributes for another and hence the array of sizes, shapes and weights.My work horse is the second tallest but there is no way I was going to drag it to the top of Kilimanjaro (that application was better served by the second shortest). If I go more than a few months without using one of these then it winds up on eBay or Craig’s list. My passion for tools is in their use rather than their collection.
Incidentally this photo does not include the stand on which I mounted my camera to make this photo. Although technically not a tripod it is yet another tool in the camera support family. Speaking of families, I wonder if I could have saved money by buying the two big tripods first and leaving them alone in a candle lit room with some nice wine and mood music.
This may be the first Halloween I can remember with snow. As a result, we had less than a dozen trick-or-treaters and a massive oversupply of candy which I was very tempted to personally rectify. Instead, I decided to bring all the excess to work and distribute there in a reverse trick-or-treat scenario. Pictured here is the horse farm across the street. I liked the punctuation of the orange pumpkin within the otherwise gray-scale scene.
As predicted, Massachusetts was hit pretty hard overnight by a snow storm which set records for this day in many parts of the state and did considerable damage to trees and in turn power lines. I was working at my computer at 5:30AM when our power went out. I was actually thrilled because I recently installed a standby generator for the house and was eager to see it in action. My computer, cable modem, and routers are all on battery backup so I had no interruption of service. The generator is programmed to wait for 20 seconds after power loss and then to automatically start. Everything worked perfectly and all critical circuits in the house were back on line. (Un)fortunately the power came back on within a few minutes and the system went back into standby. Shown here is a long exposure of the view out our front door. A snow plow drove through the scene during the extended predawn exposure adding some nice color to the otherwise gray scale image. By 6AM I was in my car searching the neighborhood for good photographic opportunities of which I found many. During my 1 hour outing I encountered dozens of downed trees and power lines. My soccer match was cancelled because the field was under several inches of snow and I spent the day relaxing indoors, working in my shop, and doing a little shopping with Nico.
Maya is carried from the field by her coaches during today’s game against Lincoln Sudbury. She was kicked in and then twisted her right knee. The injury does not appear to be too serious but we iced it all day long as a precaution. Her team prevailed with a 3-1 result and all were happy to get out of the freezing cold for our post game detour to Dunkin Donuts. Nicolai spent the morning working as a referee and the afternoon doing community service with his church youth group. I prepared for a forecasted early season snow storm by getting the snow blower ready and installing snow sticks along the driveway contours.
With a co-located engineering organization my work routine is rather constant. In virtually every position I have held over the last 20 years my teams have been distributed and travel has been a requirement of my job. Today I attended the Mass TLC (Technology Leadership Council) Innovation unConference at the Hines convention center making for a nice departure from my routine. I was invited to attend as a so-called “expert (entrepreneur)” and part of my responsibility was to meet with three different aspiring entrepreneurs to provide feedback and guidance. Conference sessions are created in real time and are self organized. Attendees propose topics which are assigned locations. Interested participants join and/or migrate to sessions of interest to them. At the end of the day the conference is primarily a networking and recruiting opportunity. I ran into Colin Angle, our CEO and Kirk Arnold, Avid COO and a former boss as well as several other shakers and movers from the Boston high tech community. Jeanine traveled with her sister Lauren to Chicago yesterday to visit their long ailing aunt Karen who has been struggling with cancer. They visited with her again today before she passed away peacefully this evening. I know it meant a lot to Jeanine to have this chance to say goodbye and I am sure it was of great comfort to her aunt as well. Karen was kind and pure in heart. She believed in God and Heaven and I am sure she is resting there now with her sister. Not to be found in that neighborhood is this she devil who attended her school’s Halloween dance this evening.
I dropped Jeanine at the airport very early this morning for a flight to Indianapolis where she will be attending her 30 year high school reunion on Sunday. I made a second trip downtown later in the day for a pair of meetings in Cambridge at the Field Pub. The first was with a new employee at Sonos who was interested in understanding the company and its founder better. The second was with my new MIT Gordon Engineering Leadership program mentee. Justin is a senior from Nevada who is studying materials science. I am looking forward to getting to know him better as the year unfolds.
With five minutes until sunset I found myself passing the Great Meadows Wildlife Refuge and decided to interrupt my evening commute for a quick visit. The last rays of light were captured in this photo. Three minutes later the entire scene was in shadow. Days are growing very short and I will soon be leaving the office in darkness. Not my favorite time of year but a good catalyst for planning my next solo photo adventure to someplace sunny and warm. Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow providing further motivation.
As I was walking around the office today I noticed a couple of engineers standing on the desk in a vacant cubical. Curious about this high altitude gathering I was drawn in to investigate. They were testing a new design concept for picking up dust with one of our robots. Dust it turns out is rather difficult to simulate so they went in search of the real McCoy which they found in abundance on the tops of the cubical bookshelves. Earlier in the day I met with a former colleague of mine who I hadn’t seen in 6 years. He is a brilliant individual and would be a great addition to the team at iRobot. The trick now will be finding the right opportunity for him. We announced Q3 earnings after the close of business and reported another stellar quarter.
A tough day for Nico and his team on the soccer pitch. Newton South proved to be a very strong opponent, winning a hard-fought match 3-1. Despite the tough going, Nico demonstrated great leadership both on and off the field in his role as co-captain.
I scored an inconsequential goal in the final minute of my soccer match this morning. It was an easy tap in following an intense sprint to intercept a pass in front of the net. The one sided affair ended in a score of 9-1. A win next week will secure promotion and it is sure to be a close match (we tied in our last meeting with Needham). After the game I took a team photo which will be used to update the league website.
Although the sky was overcast I decided to get out for a little photography taking advantage of an otherwise perfect fall day.
Maya’s team scored in the final minute of the game to beat Framingham 1-0 early this morning. The coach had players experiment with new positions and Maya did a great job as both an attacker and a midfielder (where I see her in the long run). She had two powerful strikes on frame and served several nice passes to the front line for shots on goal. Despite being right-handed, Maya is most definitely left-footed (the photo series above illustrates that she also has a very good right foot). I do not know how common this is but I suspect this unique brain wiring explains why Maya is so good at so many things. The Head of the Charles Regatta is a rowing race held each year on the Charles River in October. I decided to drive into Boston this afternoon to enjoy the spectacle. The race is named the “Head” of the Charles because it is a head race (timed competition, boats released 6 seconds apart).It is the second largest 2-day regatta in the world, with more than 8,900 athletes rowing in around 1,750 boats in 56 events. I took up a position on the Eliot Bridge where I had a good view of the home stretch. Because of the turns in the river and six bridges over the 3.2 mile course the race is known for its many crashes. Watching a faster boat overtake another while making the final turn for the finish line is quite exciting. In one race three boats were running abreast of each other.
Jeanine was in Bedford this morning having her car and hair serviced (not at the same time) affording us an opportunity to meet for a lunch date. We rendezvoused at the Asiana Bistro for a very nice meal and conversation. Unfortunately the day ended on a much less enjoyable note. Nicolai took Nala to a friends house where she escaped from their backyard. When she was returned to the house by a neighbor she was covered in deer ticks. I managed to remove and kill 65 before Jeanine and Nico took over and found another 35. Not my idea of a good way to spend a Friday evening.
Today is the one year anniversary of my father’s death. In some ways I am more sad now knowing all that he has missed. He would have taken such pleasure seeing Kyle enter college, listening to Maya as she learns to play the guitar that he loved so much or watching in amazement as Nico dominates opponents on the soccer field. He would have been so impressed by and supportive of Jeanine in her pursuit of a second Master’s degree and would have continued to follow my exploits with great curiosity and pride. The only solace I take is in the belief that he still reads this blog. I often imagine that he is my audience as I write each day.
Despite what he has missed I am sure my father would be happy knowing that my mother continues to live life fully despite her grief. In words only he would appreciate: “She’s Still Dancing.”
This photo of a woodchuck is courtesy of Jeanine who spotted the little fellow in our backyard today. This guy drives Nala out of her mind and she opted to pursue him across her electric containment boundary to ensure he was thoroughly vanquished from her domain. Fortunately, her collar was set to the lowest shock level. It is now set to medium and her next yard break is going to be less inconsequential.
Nico’s coach asked me if I would take a photo of the soccer team before today’s match and I was happy to comply. Two teleconference meetings prevented me from enjoying the whole game but I did get to see about half. Nico had an outstanding match serving up perfect passes to his attackers and dominating in the air. Late in the game he unleashed a missile from about 25 yards which struck the far post and rattled the entire goal. His team was able to fend off a late surge to win 3-2.
The highlight of my day was a call at work from Kyle. He was bubbling with excitement after receiving the results of his first mid-term test (in Economics). He scored a 97% which was the highest grade in his class. We are delighted that he is off to a good start and more importantly that he seems to really be enjoying himself at college. This photo is of First Parish and the Wright Tavern in Concord. The light from the setting sun was perfect so I paused to take this photo on my homeward bound commute. Jeanine and I were triple booked with meetings this evening. She attended an orientation meeting with Maya for a middle school trip to China while I attended a mandatory parent meeting for the wrestling team forcing me to miss a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Board meeting.
My sister Alissa and her husband John are in the area attending Parent’s Weekend at Babson College where their son Johnie is attending school. They spent the night with us while their daughter Rachel got to spend it with her big brother on campus. We went to lunch at Verrill Farms after I returned from my soccer match. My team beat Nashoba 4-0 and slipped past Needham to enter first place in our division. So far this season we have scored a total of 26 goals and given up only one. I contributed to that total this morning with one of my prettier goals in recent memory. I ran on to a ball lofted from midfield and head flicked it just over a much taller defender who was looking to clear with a header. I skirted past him, one-touched to a good shooting position and unleashed a perfectly struck low rocket from the top of the box. It found the side netting before the keeper even moved. All goals count for one point but the pretty ones are recounted for years to come. During the late afternoon I took advantage of the perfect fall weather and drove through southern New Hampshire on a 5 hour photography excursion. Although I did not find the peak color landscapes I had set out to find, I did encounter countless great subjects and came home very satisfied with my bounty. The photo below is one of my more artistic.
Showing terrific form Maya played a great game this morning helping her team to a 2-0 victory under ideal fall weather conditions. Nicolai was up bright and early for his PSAT exams and reported afterwards that he thought he did well. Jeanine attended a talk on brain health while I took care of a long list of lingering tasks around the house.
The rain today has been intense and incessant. Normally, I especially long to be outdoors at this time of year with the leaves beginning to change color. Not so today. I was quite content to observe the deluge from my warm, dry office. Pictured here is a flooded road that I wisely traversed at slow speed. Had I been really wise, I would have found an alternate route. Having to suffer the mediocre gas mileage of an SUV, however, I take advantage of any opportunity to make use of its unique capabilities. Driving over curbs is another such activity I enjoy.
I picked up this waveform monitor after work today. It was offered up for free on Craig’s List and was right on my way home. I used a very similar model extensively during my early career. This device displays a waveform which represents a video signal and is a key diagnostic tool for evaluating signal quality and compliance with standards (the square wave pictured here was all I had handy to run through it). I cleaned it up and put it through its paces. Everything functioned perfectly. The two hours I spent testing took me on something of a technical stroll down Memory Lane right back to the days of Truevision, the company I co-founded. Unlike my more general purpose oscilloscope, however, I have no practical application for this piece of equipment, especially since the world has gone high definition which uses a different signal standard. I put it up on eBay with a starting price of one cent in hopes it will find a good home.
My division put up another great set of numbers this quarter and as has become our tradition we knocked off work a little early to enjoy a casual celebration. Our financial results were impressive but my real cause for celebration this week is that our very fluid product roadmap has solidified and my team and I now have a clear line of sight on what we will be designing and building next year.