This piece of ceramic artwork has adorned each of my work offices over the last decade. In addition to its intrinsic beauty, the piece has served me as a convenient tie holder for those rare times when I am expected to wear one. Today was such an occasion as I stood before the iRobot Board of Directors responding to questions about how we might improve development speed. In the lower right corner is a framing nail I drove through my hand while building our home theater. It is there to remind me how painful self inflicted wounds can be. Fortunately my performance in the board room was very strong and no such wounds were sustained. Before leaving the office I returned the tie to its resting place, ready for the next adventure.
I sold my trusty 100-400mm telephoto zoom (pictured) today on Craig’s List just as Canon’s latest 70-300mm arrived on the UPS truck. The new lens is sharper, lighter, more compact, and has better image stabilization. When I travel I usually do so with a wide-angle zoom on one camera and a long telephoto zoom on the other. The new lens will get its first workout next week when the family travels to Mexico for winter break.
Maya decided to create a Valentine’s Day outfit for school today. Apparently, it was very effective because she received a necklace from a secret admirer and many cards. Jeanine treated the family to a lovely dinner including heart-shaped tarts that were out of this world. I sent roses to my favorite author and she reciprocated with a gift for me to be worn by her. No photo will be provided.
Nicolai and a group of his friends from Church will travel to El Salvador later this year as part of a service project. This evening they sponsored a Latin Dance Night to raise funds to benefit the people in the village they will visit. Young and old alike took to the dance floor after an introductory lesson. I had two dates; Maya and her friend Lydia so I got a pretty good work out. Jeanine is still recovering from the flu and thought it best to stay home and get a good night’s rest.
Our entire division left work at 4PM to meet at the Rain Forest Cafe where we celebrated another great quarter of financial performance. A massive aquarium framed the entrance to the bar area where we enjoyed passed hor d’oerves and an open bar. The company stock has more than doubled since I joined last March and I am looking forward to helping that trend continue.
On the way home from work I stopped by the hospital to pick up the MRI study (comes on a CD) of my right shoulder. I have an appointment tomorrow with an orthopedist to determine the next steps. It has been almost a year since I injured myself playing goalie and my shoulder shows no signs of improvement. I launched the viewer program and read the radiologist’s notes which referenced the image above. The dark area between the yellow crosshairs is not supposed to be there.
On a more positive note I played my first indoor soccer of the winter season this evening after giving my body several months to heal from the various injuries sustained during the fall season. I scored 3 goals and an assist to help my team win by a margin of 7-4.
Maya has been playing indoor soccer this winter and I had a chance to watch her compete this evening. After beating her defender, she drills a shot on goal but it is just wide. I pass the facility on my commute so it has never been so convenient to see her play.
Maya performed in concert this evening playing alto sax and also helping to introduce one of the pieces to the capacity crowd. Two prior attempts to hold the winter concert were thwarted by snow cancellations. The third time was the charm and I must say that this group of sixth graders sounded quite musical.
I was in the mood to organize today and spent several hours on the south wall of my workshop. I enjoy having my tools close at hand and organized by function. This little grouping is for measurement, layout, and cutting. When I constructed my shop I used plywood for the walls specifically so I could easily affix all manner of holders, fixtures, and screws.
We are expecting rain today which will be absorbed like a sponge by the two feet of snow on most roofs. The combined weight of the snow and rain creates a serious risk of collapse. Workers at the farm across the street spent the better part of the day clearing their horse stable roof.
Jeanine is hosting a dinner for the women of her book group. Maya has been “banished” to the basement and I to my study. Occasionally I venture out for morsels of food in between courses. It has been a very hectic week at work but also extremely productive and I am looking forward to relaxing this weekend.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
