Another big snowfall today created difficult driving conditions. Common practice at iRobot is for employees to leave their windshield wipers in the service position when snow is anticipated as evidenced by this photo of our parking lot taken through my office window and the falling snow.
Every couple of years technology advances to the point where a complete conversion from an old technology to the new one is necessary. The device pictured here is a CD/DVD player that can store 400 discs and access any one of them in a matter of seconds. Today I removed my 300 CD music collection from this machine and “ripped” (transferred the digital music content) to the hard drive in my computer. At 5 minutes per CD, it was a time-consuming project but I now have house-wide access to the uncompressed files through the Sonos. The next step is to sell the disc carousel on Craig’s List.
My shop got a proper cleaning this morning as I prepared for the visit of a friend. I had two Roomba’s going at once and they made quick work of the task. The kayak was my last major project and I am getting tempted to start something new.
Nicolai was back in action today competing in a quad meet (three matches) at Arlington High School. In his first match, he won a hard-fought decision which went 6 minutes. In his second match, pictured here, he quickly took down his opponent only to suffer another stinger. If you click on the photo you can see the pain in his face. He took 2 minutes of injury time but was unable to continue. Fortunately, he was able to wrestle again for his third match which he won with a first-period pin. Kyle and I spent a good part of the day getting his truck into shape (jump start after a month left in the cold, new rim to replace the unmatched one, new tire and rotation, and a new battery). Maya was scheduled to get a hair cut but food shopping with her mother ran beyond her appointment.
Jeanine prepared an exceptionally delicious salmon this evening. It is pictured here, straight from the oven. Kyle and Hannah joined us for an adult dinner as Nicolai and Maya were staying with friends.
In the neutral position, Nico prefers to go down on his hands and knee. This gives him a low shooting position and a stable base. When he shoots a tackle he rarely comes up with anything less than an ankle, often both. Once he has an opponent on the mat his hand strength makes escape a lost cause and gives him an opportunity to set up any number of tilts and pinning combinations.
Newton South fell to CCHS this evening as the varsity wrestling teams faced off. Nicolai, wrestling his first match with Holly in the stands and looked fantastic. He worked hard through the match gradually building up a lead before pinning his opponent late in the third period.
School has been canceled and I will be working from home today because of a blizzard which is expected to drop more than a foot of snow throughout the day. With the family around for a shared breakfast, Jeanine prepared a Baby Dutch which was gone in a matter of minutes.
This evening we have traded Maya’s friend, Lydia, who will be spending the night here, for Nicolai, who will be spending the night at a friend’s house. With a Nor’easter set to hit us tomorrow this exchange of children will probably last for quite some time.
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.
We received about 10 inches of snow today during a major blizzard that has wreaked havoc on the Eastern seaboard. Kyle came to work with me today so that I could drive him to Newburyport for a noon appearance at the District Court. Back in the spring, he received a speeding citation 10 days before his one-year driving anniversary making him subject to a suspension of his driving license. He elected to appear before a judge to request leniency in light of his perfect driving record before and since. When the state police officer who issued the ticket failed to arrive at the appointed time the judge informed Kyle it was his lucky day and found him not responsible (no fine, no points, no insurance increase). Kyle has had more than his share of bad luck so it was with no reservations that we embraced his good fortune.
Both boys are dating girls we really like and it is a pleasure to include them during our family outings. Today we enjoyed a mid-afternoon meal at the English Beer Pub in Westford. We decided on an early dinner in anticipation of the blizzard expected to hit our area this evening. The leisurely meal included several rounds of card games before and after the food arrived.
Two years running, Jeanine’s popovers have been an exercise in perfection. The family made short work of these breakfast treats before serious present opening commenced.
It was wonderful sharing the day with my mom and Susan. Their presence only enhanced our enjoyment of the holiday. Even Nala was in a festive mood.
We managed a rare family portrait including the front end of Nala before beginning to open presents.
We did stockings in reverse order this year (oldest to youngest). Maya waits patiently for her turn dressed in her new footed pajamas.
With guests for Christmas, there were too many stockings to hang by the fireplace so we pressed the sofa into service.
Our Christmas Eve tradition includes dining out at the Chang An Chinese restaurant. This year we are joined by Alan Budris and his three daughters (identical in age to our kids). His youngest, Sarinnagh, is Maya’s best friend. It was a delightful meal spent in the company of delightful people.