The Shawsheen River Conservation Area is less than a mile from my work and normally I walk there during my lunch hour during the summer. Today I decided to drive over instead and came back with a few half-decent images. I was particularly attracted to the beautifully sculpted snow mounds.
I stopped into Great Meadows again this evening and found this muskrat making dinner out of the marsh vegetation. Wildlife activity picks up with the arrival of spring which in theory is now. In reality, it is still feeling a lot like winter around here with cold temperatures and frequent snow.
With the sun setting later each day, I am now afforded an opportunity to visit the Great Meadows National Wildlife Reserve before dusk during my homeward commute. I did not stay long because it was rather cold and I was not dressed for the temperature. I did manage a few photos before heading back to my car of which this was my favorite.
I placed my new picture frame (40″ TV to anyone else) on the back corner of my desk at work on top of the matching riser I constructed this weekend. I am now greeted with a new image from my collection of favorites every time I enter the office. I have enjoyed the wall mounted frame we have in our breakfast nook (currently featuring photos by Jeanine and Maya from their India Coming of Age adventure) so much that I decided to carry the idea over to work. The challenge now is selecting photos to display. It is certainly not a question of having enough but the process of selecting my favorites has proven to be a challenge.
In my office I have two 10″ digital picture frames which sequence through a selection of my favorite photographs. Last week I decided to purchase a 40″ TV which I plan to replace them with. Rather than have the facility folks mount it to the wall (not appropriate given this is a personal purchase and not something needed for my work) I will be placing it on the top of the back side of my wrap around desk where it will look best if raised by about 5 inches. This weekend I made quick work of a custom sized riser which will sit under the stand and match the set nicely. It took roughly 30 minutes to complete over a period of 24 hours (5 minutes to cut the MDF, 5 minutes to glue the joints, 5 minutes to round over the corners, 2 minutes per coat of black enamel repeated 8 times). I will install it on Monday and load a set of recent photos.
Maya was asked to choose a restaurant for our family dinner this evening. Having spent 3 of her 4 weeks of adventure on a diet of roti (wheat-based flat bread) and dal (dried lentils, peas, or beans that have been stripped of their outer hulls, split, and prepared in a stew) we thought she might enjoy choosing from a familiar menu. Her choice was Papa Razzi. Unfortunately, the Shamrock Ball is this evening and the restaurant was overrun with elegantly dressed fathers and daughters. We ventured outside of Concord to the River’s End restaurant in Maynard where Maya ordered cheese fries. Both Jeanine and Maya struggled to stay awake through the meal but having done so are well on their way back to operating on local time.
Before leaving for India a month ago, Jeanine prepared detailed instructions for me to ensure all went smoothly on the home front. The list of items included everything from when to water the plants and take out the trash to contact information in the event of emergency and her complete travel itinerary. As the weeks passed by I started to focus exclusively on the date and time of her return flight, March 15th, 7:50PM. Imagine my surprise then, when she called me last night from the airport wondering why I was not there to meet them. Thirty minutes later, Nico and I were reunited with Jeanine and Maya and enjoyed hearing many of their stories on the ride home. Fortunately, I was off the hook because the date error was not mine. Between them, Maya and Jeanine shot close to 1500 photos which we have whittled down to just over 800. The one posted here, taken by Maya, is one of my favorites.
Tomorrow my boss, the Chief Operating Officer of iRobot, turns 50. Today we paused from our work to surprise him with a brief celebration which included cake (of course) and the reading of a top ten list (Dave Letterman style) of “Jeff-isms” which was really quite funny.
In other over-50 news, my indoor soccer team competed in our winter league playoffs to determine a divisional champion last night. We made it to the finals and were losing 0-1 with 3 minutes left to play. I received a pass at midfield and dribbled up the middle for a few yards and then unleashed a long-range strike which was shielded by the defender (the goalie could not see it coming until there was no time to react) which tied the score and sent us into Golden Goal overtime (first goal wins). With 90 seconds remaining before the end of overtime (and a penalty kick shoot-out) I scored the game/championship winner. It was a powerful strike into the upper left corner from distance. No better cure for growing old than playing young.
Jeanine and Maya made it to Agra where they visited the Taj Mahal. They are now officially on their way home and we expect them back on Friday evening. I also received Indian newspaper clippings covering an International Women’s Day event during which organizers honored Jeanine and Maya for their volunteer work teaching English and Math respectively at the Yeklavya Parivartan School. Although I cannot read the article, I know my wife and daughter when I see them, even if I have to squint.
Jeanine reports from India that she is feeling better and that after a day of rest in New Delhi they are pressing on to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. She has also posted a couple of images. I do not know the story behind either of these photos yet and can’t wait for the girls to return so I can hear all about their adventure. I had to make a trip to Maya’s middle school today to submit her course selections for high school. She will be in all honors classes and I have signed her up for 3D CAD, a prerequisite for the school’s engineering certificate program. Meanwhile, Nicolai has developed an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin he is taking for his abscessed tooth. Fortunately, he had completed all but one day’s dosage and his tooth is better.
It has been several months since I made changes to my engineering leadership team and an updated photo has been long overdue. The gentleman standing to the right was one of my first hires after joining iRobot. He has advanced from the role of Manager to Senior Manager and now to Director over the course of 3 years. Few things give me more satisfaction at work than recruiting and developing top talent. He joins a group of equally impressive Directors to round out one of the best engineering and program management teams I have ever assembled. My work life becomes easy when I am surrounded by “A” players.
I spent a few hours at the Fenn School this morning playing futsal (indoor soccer on a hard court). Several members of my outdoor soccer team got together to start getting ready for the spring season. While my speed is an advantage, this game favors technique and creativity, the former of which is not one of my strong suits. Although I enjoy this version of soccer the least it is probably the best game for helping me to develop as a player.
Jeanine called from India for the first time. Unfortunately, it was to seek my assistance with modified flight arrangements as she has come down with the dreaded Delhi Belly and is not sure she will be able to tolerate flying tomorrow. I am hoping she feels better and will not be forced to shorten the sightseeing part of her adventure with Maya.
My mother’s 17 day visit came to an end today as I saw her off at the train station this morning. She returns to Douglaston, NY where she is living with her sister and brother-in-law in a beautiful house that overlooks Little Neck Bay at the base of Long Island Sound. She managed to avoid catching the cold that both Nicolai and I caught using early intervention with homeopathic preventatives. Her visit has been a blessing, helping us to survive while Jeanine and Maya are in India.
Kyle checked in this afternoon and sounds like he is ready for a new living arrangement next year which offers less partying and more privacy. It seems he is running and working out regularly and says he is almost ready to take up soccer again. He has also started making plans to spend several weeks in New Zealand this summer (too bad he no longer needs a chaperon or I would volunteer to go with him). Jeanine and Maya have completed their volunteering stint and are headed to New Delhi and Agra for a few days of sightseeing before they start the journey back home. There are two guys and a dog here who will be very happy to see them.
It has been snowing like mad all day long. As I left the office this evening the sky was lit up and the snow was piled up. We had a total of about 12 inches in Concord. Fortunately, I cleared half of it before goingtoo work which made the final cleanup much easier. Today was the end of a “Biggest Loser” weight loss contest I joined at work back in December. I lost 17 pounds which represented 9.1% of my prior weight and has put me in good shape for the spring soccer season which starts in just a few weeks. The winner lost more than 15% so I was never in real contention for the top prize.