My nephew John stopped by the house today to visit with Kyle and to help with the design of his new Yard Dogs website. We are fortunate that he is so close by and enjoy it immensely when he drops in.

I needed a break from the insane pace of my life over the last month and relaxed for a good potion of the day by organizing my photography gear. I also assisted Kyle as he searched for suitable photos to use for marketing purposes.

Several weeks ago I sold my 3 year old primary camera and flash days before their replacements were announced (timing is everything in the used market so my online research proved most beneficial). Nothing could have been more satisfying after another long work week than to receive my new camera today. I spent the better part of 2 hours learning the new features and programming user settings to my taste. Although the new model has dozens of improvements the most compelling are a highly improved auto focus system and significantly improved low light performance. The latter is the more valuable as it effectively makes all of my current lenses “faster” allowing me to shoot at four times the shutter speed under similar lighting conditions.

In New England, the first days of spring often feel more like winter. This has been the mildest winter since we moved here almost nine years ago and the trees and bushes are already beginning to flower. This photo does not do justice to the bright yellows that can be found on the road leading to our house. Spring always feels like the shortest season in Massachusetts and this year I am determined to more fully enjoy its beauty before it is overwhelmed by summer.

Kyle is back from college for spring break. Unfortunately, he had to complete a final project which is due this evening leaving little time to catch up. Jeanine prepared a special dinner and it felt really good to have the whole family gathered together. His ankle remains swollen from a nasty turn he suffered while playing basketball but he says it doesn’t hurt. He has more ailments than his old decrepit father at this point. With my soccer season set to begin shortly, I may have to drag him out for a run or two to help with his rehab and my 5 pounds of stress-induced weight gain.

My mother is the most organized person I know. I recently came across an envelope containing all of my scholastic report cards including one from the third grade! I have begun the process of scanning old family records and photos that my parents collected over a life time. I estimate the effort will take three years to complete if I set aside 15 minutes a day for the effort. Several years ago I completed a multi-year scanning project for all of my old photos and documents. The motivation for this daunting task is to preserve precious memories and share them with all family members rather than having them wind up in a box in someone’s attic. Children please note that dad was not a half bad student and that good grades do pay off.

All I am going to say is that this was a very difficult photo to make. I don’t particularly care for spiders and the big white dot on this one’s back warns of its venomous bite. Jumping spiders have a total of 8 eyes and can jump many times their body length. They generally do not spin webs but rather stalk their prey, ambush them with a prolific leap, and use their fangs to inject them with their fast-acting poison. If you can look past all the creepy stuff I think this one, probably a juvenile is rather cute.

Spring is in the air and a more beautiful day you could not ask for. Arriving in the middle of March seems a bit early but who am I to complain. My league soccer season opens in two weeks. This morning we had a friendly match against Belmont’s division 1 team as a tune up. At the half we were down 0-2 and our team was looking just awful. During half time we made some strategic adjustments which proved highly effective. Five minutes into the second half I scored a really sweet goal. I received a nice pass into open space as I charged down the right side of the field. My first touch was the key to this goal which I used to improved my angle on the goalie. My second touch set up my right foot and forced the keeper to commit to the near post. I drilled it past him to find the side netting on the far post and to open my season with a strong finish. My team went on to score an additional four goals to their one resulting in a 5-3 win for Concord. Maya and Nico spent a large part of the afternoon indoors doing homework but I could not resist being outside where I made time for a little photography.

This evening Jeanine and I joined three other couples for dinner in downtown Boston at Sibling Rivalry. This restaurant featuring modern American cuisine is run by two brothers from a family of ten. The menu offers competing selections designed by each sibling. The result of this competition is inspired culinary innovation. I cannot remember when I last enjoyed a meal so thoroughly.

Like the two before it, this has been a very long work week. On average I have been spending 12 hours a day in the office and another couple of hours at home on e-mail. I expect this level of intensity to last another few weeks and then return to more normal levels. With my recent promotion came the responsibility for integrating two largely dissimilar divisions into a single cohesive team. I like managing complex transitions and despite the long hours, I am genuinely enjoying the opportunity to innovate at the organizational design level. My energy is buoyed by the strong support from my new leadership team and the positive feedback that I have received from all corners of the organization. Even as I left the office at 8 pm there were several other cars in the parking lot which speaks volumes about the work ethic present at iRobot.

I left for the office before sunup and returned after sundown. I am still working in my home office, so no picture for today.

Temperatures are steadily climbing and it will not be too long before our field is green again. Work is occupying all of my time right now but I really enjoy the process of organizational transformation making the time commitment worth every minute.

UPDATE: This photo is taken 5 years in the future. The one originally posted here was lost due to an archiving problem, which impacted many photos in the 2011-2012 time period.

Before visiting with us last weekend, my brother visited our childhood home in Schenectady where he gathered various items of sentimental value as we prepared the house for sale. The wood jewelry box pictured here is something I made for my mother many many years ago. Seeing it again brought back fond memories and it was as if I had reunited with an old friend. It has withstood the test of time well and I will pass it down to Maya when she is a little older.

I could not resist adding one more photo of Rose from this weekend. It is hard to decide whether she is cuter when she is happy or when she is not. Both of Mark’s girls are at that magical age when everything they do is adorable. I remember when Maya was this age and how much I enjoyed playing with her. By contrast, she now seems very mature. Even so, I still see through to the little girl inside of her and I am pretty sure I always will.

We were relieved to learn that Kyle’s ankle injury is not as severe as it initially appeared. The doctor feels he can make a full recovery in time with physical therapy. Kyle’s absence was somehow amplified with all of his cousins visiting and we are looking forward anxiously for his return during spring break.

Nicolai, Mario and Rory joined me this morning for my regular soccer practice/scrimmage. Four Calabria men all on the same team made for a powerful combination and one extremely proud father and uncle. The beauty of soccer is that even men of a certain age can give a bunch of young bucks a run for their money. Minuteman Park and the Old North Bridge were the afternoon destinations for the adults where we combined exercise with a walk through history. Later in the day, I secured a group photo using the promise of an ice cream outing as an incentive and upon our return, photographed my brother who requested an individual portrait.