At midnight I generally prefer to be asleep in my bed rather than napping on an indoor soccer field. My match this evening did not start until 10:40 pm and finished an hour later. We played with only one sub and ran out of gas by the end of the match losing 3-4 in the final few minutes. I scored our first goal but was relatively useless after that and even more so after knocking heads with an opponent. I was so tired after the game that I needed to rest before I could muster the energy to drive home. For reasons that now seem less than sound, I am playing in the over-40 age group this session rather than the over-50 age group that I qualified for 6 years ago.

A second record setting snowstorm has engulfed the Northeast in recent days and is still going strong. Snow depth on our deck (an area immune to drifts) now stands at 33 inches. School has been cancelled and most iRobot employees are working from home today. A FaceTime chat with Kyle this evening was the perfect antidote for our worsening cabin fever. He shared this photo he took of the meal he had just prepared for himself. He used the panini maker that Maya gave him for Christmas for the first time. He was in great spirits having completed some midterm exams and we were thrilled to see him eating so healthfully.

Surrounded, as I am, by magnificent cooks it is rare when my culinary exploits venture beyond the preparation of toast. Last night, when I proposed waffles for breakfast today, there was vigorous support but an absence of volunteers to prepare them. My offer to be the cook was met with laughter by Maya and Jeanine who view me as inept in the kitchen. Unswayed by this overt lack of confidence, I nonetheless prepared Belgian waffles for breakfast this morning. I used a formula which did not require yeast as this would have meant starting preparations last night. I measured ingredients with great precision unlike Jeanine who just eyeballs proportions. I separated eggs with only one post processing operation required to remove bits of shell. I beat the egg whites to within an inch of their life creating a wispy foam that I carefully folded into the rest of the batter. The first prototype is pictured here and full production was approved after initial customer sampling. I thawed frozen raspberries harvested from our garden to complete the offering. On a scale from “terrible” to “as good as mom’s” I received a very respectable “they are good” from Maya and her friend Fiona.

Maya knows that I am freaked out by her ability to spread her toes in cat like fashion. I believe that toes are meant to huddle cozily with their neighbors rather than spread out as if preparing to capture a small mammal in their grip. I do not recall how this topic came up in conversation but when it did, we learned that Maya’s friend Fiona, who is spending the weekend with us, also shares this ability. The picture tells the rest of the story and will no doubt impact my ability to sleep this evening.

The American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists will hold their annual national conference later this month in New Orleans and have generously granted the American Amputee Soccer Association a free exhibitor’s table. The AASA will use this opportunity to enlist the help of prosthetists in recruiting players for the US National Team. Today I worked on several versions of a 4×6 handout that we will distribute at the show. This one was the most impactful and will also be used for a large banner that will be displayed at the booth.

The CCHS Nordic Ski Team’s season came to an end today with an unusual race in which competitors were encouraged to wear costumes. Maya was easy to spot in her glittering disco jumpsuit. She has become remarkably proficient at cross country skiing over a very short period of time and I hope she will continue with the sport.

Some issues at work required me to stay late and I was the last electric vehicle in the charging lot.  Our parking lot keeps shrinking as all the recent snow must be piled somewhere.  More is forecasted for tomorrow.

Even as construction is underway to increase the height of this railroad bridge, another truck tried to squeeze under. Fortunately, this driver took a very cautious approach and backed out when it became clear he was too tall to fit under. It has been fascinating to watch the construction project over the last several months. It is an active two-track rail line and I am guessing that they will raise one track at a time, diverting all traffic to the other side.

Jeanine returned from her visit with Kyle this evening. I made it to my indoor soccer match with only minutes to spare after picking her up from the airport. Normally, I like to have a half hour to warm up but that did not stand in the way of a very sweet early goal that I volleyed in off a perfect cross.

Another 10 inches of snow fell today and I opted to work from home. Bitter cold temperatures meant that the snow was of the light fluffy variety but high winds still made the snow-blowing job a pain in the neck. Knowing that school would be cancelled, Maya spent the night at a friends house. When I retrieved her just before dinner time the secondary roads were still in very bad shape and I was really glad I had decided not to venture into the office. Snow on the deck now stands at 27.5 inches (20+10-settling/melting).

I spent the better part of 10 hours volunteering as a judge at a FIRST Robotics competition today. Seventeen teams competed for awards recognizing excellence in Design, Innovation, Teamwork, and Community Outreach with the most coveted Inspire award going to the overall most impressive team. Our jury of five judges interviewed teams and observed them in action before selecting the most deserving teams in each category. Pictured here are the Gear Ticks, winner of the Inspire Award. Their robot was as impressive as their team and I anticipate that a few of these kids will one day work for iRobot. I did make it home in time for the Super Bowl and for the first time ever, enjoyed the game as much as the commercials.

Jeanine departed for California this morning where she will be spending a couple of days visiting Kyle. Every time one of the children moves into new living quarters, mother has to fly in to make sure the nest is properly feathered and the chick is sufficiently cozy. So as not to disturb his social scene, Jeanine is staying at a nearby airb&b run by an Islamic woman and plans to watch the Super Bowl with friends from Las Madres, a new mother’s group she joined when we moved to California when he was one year old.

Kyle has an ambitious course load this semester, having added a computer science minor to his finance major. Although it will be significantly more effort and delay his graduation by a semester, I think the decision will improve his attractiveness in the job market enormously.

Maya, having never before been on nordic skis, decided to join her high school team this season. Today, for the first time, I was permitted to witness and photograph a race.  Up until now, I have been banned because she felt too inexperienced.  To my eyes, she looked pretty damn impressive and finished the 7km event with a great sprint.  The season is very short and I only hope I have another chance to see her in action.

How do you top a couple of feet of snow? How about sub-zero temperatures? Without a doubt, it has been a week of weather extremes here in Massachusetts. I was planning on shooting a couple of snowscapes on the way to work this morning but thought the better of it when the hairs in my nostrils froze when I walked outside. My new electric car has handled the snow and cold temperatures quite well and I could not be more thankful that I changed my order at the last minute to include heated seats.

This juxtaposition of doors at the Concord Carlisle High School struck me as very funny. In just a few months, students will move into our newly constructed high school building and this hallway will be no more.