As has been the case in the last two presidential primary elections, Jeanine and I voted for different candidates. Even so, we are very much aligned on what we want in a president and I have no doubt we will be voting for the same person in November. We were a little disappointed that only one of our children took advantage of this opportunity to vote. I am confident that this situation will be rectified in the national election.
One of Jeanine’s first goals while on sabbatical is to complete her memoir cookbook. To that end, she has asked me to help out with the food photography which I am more than happy to do. The job pays extremely well; all the cookies you can eat!
This evening we dined with the boys at the French restaurant, Colettes to celebrate the start of Jeanine’s sabbatical. It was great to catch up with them and to discuss our respective thoughts on candidates for next week’s primary election in Massachusetts. Kyle reported on his new job and the difficulty in saying goodbye to his current colleagues. Nicolai who has not been all that thrilled with his master’s degree coursework at Lesley is now in a class with a teacher he admires and it sounds like he is having fun. We missed not sharing the meal with Maya, especially knowing that she is suffering from the flu which she contracted from her roommate.
Had I been more interested in a nice dinner than a photo of these stupid turkeys, I would have run them over when they ran across the street right in front of my car. Fortunately, I was not very hungry.
Today is Jeanine’s last day on the job as Executive Director of Open Table before her 3-month sabbatical begins. Yesterday when she was contemplating gift ideas to leave behind for her staff, I suggested a modern-day equivalent of the Magic 8 Ball. Her team can ask questions of this device and it will respond with pre-recorded answers from Jeanine. We made the recordings last night and I programmed them into the “Ask Jeanine” button. My favorite response; “That’s a very good question. Give me a few months to think about it.”
Maya continues to enjoy her term abroad in Amsterdam. Safe to say she has immersed herself in the culture (and fashion) of the Netherlands. The COVID-19 outbreak in Italy has curtailed her plans to visit there this weekend but we are sure she will find other ways to take advantage of her time in Europe.
Exciting news from Kyle today. He has accepted an offer from Touchplan, the software division of MOCA Systems as their Senior Business Intelligence Analyst/Developer. The company is located 3 blocks from Boston City Hall and an 18-minute walk from his Seaport District apartment. The company develops project planning and management software for the construction industry. It was a tough decision to leave Cengage where he has enjoyed great mentorship and camaraderie but the offer was too good to pass up and will allow him to more quickly advance his career objectives.
I am not one for jumping on viral social media trends but find myself compelled to do so this time. The tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others last month has given rise to the #girldad movement, celebrating Kobe’s joy in being the father of girls and his desire that they enjoy the same rights, opportunities, and privileges as boys. So here is to my girl.
Nicolai returned last night from a week-long vacation in Colorado Springs where he was reunited with Karuna and Kubo. We have received very few details of the visit beyond this photo and can’t wait to hear more.
Jeanine and I enjoyed the afternoon outdoors taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather. We were motivated by news of river otters sightings at the Needham Reservoir. A half-mile hike around the reservoir yielded no encounters so we drove to nearby Cutler Park Reservation where we completed a 4-mile hike down to the Charles River, pictured above. Although we never spotted any otters, we did come across many swans, ducks, geese, and several water dogs.
Jeanine and I drove into Boston today to have lunch with Kyle. He is looking terrific and we used the occasion to discuss some exciting new options on his professional horizon. Jeanine spent the balance of the afternoon making plans for her three-month sabbatical which starts next Friday. Later we went to see The Call of the Wild, the release of which we have both been eagerly awaiting.
While having our weekly townhall style lunch at work today, the power suddenly went out. The interruption affected all buildings in our immediate area and lasted for well over an hour. Some employees continued to work by flashlight while others used their cell phones to illuminate the foosball table for a “night match.”
I have now lost count on how many teeth I have broken. I grind my teeth while sleeping and am apparently quite good at it. At some point, I will need to have several teeth replaced but until their loss interferes with eating, I am in no hurry.
Meet Charlotte Grace Basile-Skinner, the daughter of Jeanine’s niece, Erica. She tipped the scales at 8 pounds 9 ounces despite being a couple of weeks early. Her family calls her “Charley.” Jeanine starts a three-month sabbatical in 2 weeks and plans to travel to Kentucky for a visit with the newest member of our extended family. Charley is pictured below with her siblings, Lily and Will.
