Ladybugs are a little less cute when viewed close up. I found this one climbing up a curtain this morning while eating breakfast.

I spent several hours this afternoon visiting with one of my soccer teammates, Andy Weinstein. He is an award-winning instrument maker and I have always wanted to see his shop and learn more about the art of violin making. He was gracious enough to invite me over for the grand tour. He just recently purchased a DSLR and I shared some advice on product photography as we set up this shot.

I spent the better part of the day (10 hours) at Belmont High School where Nicolai’s wrestling team participated in a 16 team tournament. Nico sustained another shoulder “stinger” and was done for the day after less than two minutes of wrestling. It appears that his initial injury at the beginning of the season has not been able to heal because his constant use of crutches never allows his shoulders any time to relax. I decided to stay and photograph other members of the team for the remainder of the day knowing how much they appreciate seeing themselves in action. I included one of the coach who was apoplectic over a series of bad calls by one of the referees.

Before major competitions, members of varsity teams at CCHS dress up to help build school spirit and support for the team. Nicolai looked rather spiffy as he left for school at 7am this morning but resisted all my attempts to get a proper photo of him.

One of the two new products my team developed was chosen by Switched as one of the top ten gadgets for 2011.

Nico looked sharp this evening building a commanding lead before pinning his opponent late in the second period. Mother and brother were on hand to cheer for him. The squad secured a team victory over Weston in their first competition on a brand-new mat, courtesy of the booster club.

Maya and I took this photo of the night sky this evening. She is studying the constellations and asked if I would make a photo of star trails for her. First, Maya escorted me to the golf course across the street and showed me how to find the North Star (by following a line created by two stars in the Big Dipper). She had me frame the photo with the North Star at the center. I then did some calculations and set up an automatic 36-minute exposure at f/11 and ISO 100. We went back inside and waited for the exposure to complete and then another 36 minutes for the camera to do a black frame subtraction (to reduce noise). Before it finished the battery ran out and all was lost. After Maya went to bed, I went back out with a fresh battery and repeated the exercise with this result.

Pressure is high as my team and I work to resolve last minute issues before starting production on a couple of new products. Here, an assembly error has left an unacceptably large gap which translates to a negative impact on performance. Our new products were announced earlier this week and will be publicly unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas later this week. I will be at liberty to post images of the new robots shortly thereafter.

The holiday season came to an official close as the children took the decorations off the Christmas tree and packed them up. Kyle selected what may have been our finest tree ever this year and with college acceptance letters rolling in, we are all sadly aware that this will be the last time we celebrate this holiday as a family living under one roof. My New Year’s resolution is to enjoy this final year with him as much as possible and to share what remaining wisdom I have to offer as he prepares to spread his wings and fly.

Breakfast service for 9 hungry teenage boys is a fitting way to start the new year chez Calabria. Jeanine is rarely happier than when she is serving up a big meal for people who really appreciate her cooking. She prepared a baked version of French Toast that was a big hit and did a little short order cook work for those that wanted eggs. All in all a very healthy way to start off 2011.

Nicolai hosted a New Year’s Eve party for a group of his friends. Jeanine prepared macaroni and cheese, meatball subs, pigs in a blanket and a salad. I have never heard so many compliments from a group of teenagers in my life. I tried to limit my photographic intrusion and did not venture into the basement where the majority of time was spent. The girls all left by 1AM and the boys remained for a sleep over.

Maya has not been seen in the last 24 hours without this present from her mother upon her head. We do try to manage our carbon footprint by keeping the temperature in the house set to the sweater range but I can state with certainty that it is well above the hat range. It would be safe, therefore, to conclude that Maya loves this gift from her mom.

Although it may be argued that we are contributing to their delinquency, poker was the featured attraction at the Calabria household this evening. Uncharacteristically, Kyle and Nicolai and their respective friends played together in one large group until I called last hand at 11:30PM. It may not be the most productive use of their time but we feel it is a far better alternative to some of the more common activities of teenagers in this day and age.

It is not uncommon in the winter months for me to arrive at the office before it is light out and to leave after it has gotten dark. Today was such a day as I worked with my team to overcome last minute obstacles which stand in the way of beginning production on two new products. Absent any outdoor overlap with the sun, I must rely on indoor photographs to produce my blog entry. After almost six years of daily entries, the family has become tolerant of my incessant photography. On occasions, however, I encounter resistance which takes the form of today’s post. This five finger gesture is more effective at deterring my photographic efforts than the more common single digit form.