Misha (our name for her) is a 6-week-old Siberian cat. Her brother, Dmitry (same), is mostly black with white boots, just as cute, and the most athletic kitten I have ever seen. After Jeanine, Maya, Nico, and I made the 90-minute drive to New Hampshire to visit the breeder we all fell in love with these siblings. We told the owner that we needed to think our decision over as we left. Five minutes into our drive home we texted her to say we would take both as soon as they got all their shots and medical checks taken care of. The euphoria of the moment began to evaporate as Jeanine started to show signs of an allergic reaction. This breed is one of the most hypoallergenic but regrettably, not enough for Jeanine to tolerate. As sad as we all were, it was still a wonderful day playing with these amazing felines.
Which do you think would be a better month to change the oil in ones backup generator, June or December. This is not a trick question. Only a moron, or the author of this blog, would choose to do this on a bitterly cold and windy day. Still, better to take care of this basic maintenance task than to be left without electricity in an emergency situation. I also ordered a thermostatically controlled battery heater from China which should arrive in a couple of weeks at which time I will pose the question; January or July.
Kyle called today to say that he had satisfied all the requirements for and has earned a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University. The additional semester he completed allowed him to major in Finance with a minor in Computer Science, a decision which should enhance his employment options in the future. We will celebrate with him when he returns next week and again in June when he participates in the graduation ceremony on campus. He has two job offers on the table now. Depending on which he chooses, he will either be heading back to California in 2 weeks or over to Thailand for an initial period of three months. More details to follow.
It has been more than a year since I placed a deposit with Tesla to reserve their just announced Model X electric SUV. This week I received an e-mail informing me that I could now place an order for one. Delivery is quoted as mid-2016 and it would not surprise me if I have to wait another year before receiving the red model 90D which I ordered. I love my BMW i3 but its range is limited to 81 miles compared to the Tesla’s 257 miles and a zero to 60mph time of 7 seconds compared to the neck snapping 4.8 seconds of the all-wheel drive Model X. Talk about an exercise in patience. Some times you have to wait a long time to go fast.
Maya, wearing her Elmo PJs, lavishes Nala with love. Soon there may be a cat in this picture. Jeanine and Maya are working in tandem to wear me down using the one tactic for which I have no defense. They are employing the doe-eyed, baby-talk “I wanna kitty” offense. Stay tuned to see if I can resist their charms.
I took a moment this morning to test my most recent tripod design. If not for the challenge of balancing the dumbbells one atop the other, I am fairly certain this tiny tripod could support 100 pounds.
Over the weekend I purchased a good bit of new photography gear. Whenever I do so, I take a harsh look at my existing equipment and sell anything that is not getting consistent use. As a result, I have put a number of items up for sale on Craigslist including this remote flash trigger for my Canon Speedlites. I enjoy keeping my photography equipment current without increasing my total investment in gear. At the same time, I have been shopping on Craigslist to set up a rudimentary photo studio at work where there is a constant need for product and sample shots. So far I have acquired a camera, lighting strobes, a macro lens, and a normal zoom lens. Expect to see a photo of the new studio here once the final items have been added.
Maya returned from a shopping outing with her mother very pleased with the outfit they had created based on a jacket that was a gift from her grandmother. When asked to take a picture by one of my children (normally I have to fight them for the opportunity) I am quick to drag them into my studio and setup my lighting. Maya was very patient with me as I tried some new arrangements and together we produced twenty or so images that will be among my favorites of her at this age. I think she was very pleased with the results as well.
It is possible to do serious damage to one’s waistline during the holiday season. The challenge is even greater while attending a Christmas Dessert party, as was the case this evening. Jeanine prepared a lime mousse which disappeared faster than anything else and a chocolate slab over Kahlua custard. The extent of my culinary contribution was to place the pomegranate garnish on the mousse.
It is hard to believe we are in the middle of December. The weather has been unusually warm and it feels more like autumn than winter. Please note, this should not be construed as a complaint. A very productive and exhausting week in the office, I am looking forward to relaxing over the weekend and this scene puts me in the right frame of mind.
Maya pauses briefly from her studies to check her phone for messages. She held still for the entire duration of this ten second exposure, not because I asked her to or told her it was a long exposure. She simply understood the mechanics of a DSLR and was listening for the shutter to close before moving. Only the child of a photographer and future engineer would be so aware and thoughtful. Thank you, Miss Maya.
A totally unexpected and most appreciated gift arrived today from my former colleagues at iRobot. The Roomba 980 is the company’s new flagship floor care robot and was one of the major projects being worked on by my team when I left the company. It features a sophisticated visual navigation system that allows it to systematically cover an entire floor of your home, a major advancement from the pseudo-random algorithm that was used in previous generations. I am very thankful for the present, but even more so for being remembered by a wonderful group of people that I had the great pleasure to work with for five years. I hope my iRobot followers will convey my deep appreciation for this thoughtful and generous gesture to all my friends that remain at the company.
A 2 minute walk from the office, Fresh Pond Park offers a wonderful 2.25 mile loop trail which took me 40 minutes to complete over my lunch hour today. As long as the weather remains nice, I will try to walk this trail as often as possible. Not sure what the stone structure is all about and this will be worthy of future investigation.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
