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.
Hard to believe my mother is 30 years my senior. At 84 she is still nimble as a cat and graceful as a swan. She has been staying with Nicolai and me for the past two weeks ensuring we are well-fed and clothed. Jeanine will no doubt credit her with our survival during her absence (a probably correct assessment). I thought it would be nice to make a mother-son portrait this evening. I can count on one hand the number of photos I have with just the two of us in it. I thought it turned out rather well except for the intense-looking guy in the picture who doesn’t know how to smile.
Having missed my indoor soccer match last week while in China, I returned to the field this evening with a well-rested body. Unfortunately, I was still suffering from the head cold I had been fighting for about a week now. I predicted ahead of the game to my teammates that I was either going to play exceptionally well or exceptionally badly based on my prior experiences when playing while ill. We won our match 11-5 and I came away with a double hat trick (my highest-scoring game ever) and several assists. The best part is that I managed to do this without getting injured, which often happens when I push myself this hard.
I received another picture from the girls. It appears they are enjoying a latte with fresh buffalo milk.
After seeing an interview with co-directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush, my mother and I went into Boston to see their documentary about hunger in America this evening. 50 million people in the U.S.-one in four children-don’t know where their next meal is coming from, despite our having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all. “A Place at the Table” examines this issue through the lens of three people who are struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader who often has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her and has trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader whose asthma and health issues are exacerbated by the largely empty calories her hardworking mother can afford.
Judging by the fact that the movie is playing in exactly one theater in the entire Boston area and our screening was attended by only 6 other people, I think it is probable that hunger in America will be with us for some time.
Lately, I have been playing around with long exposures which often reveal patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed. Several small chunks of ice caught in this eddy made for a circular pattern when exposed for 15 seconds.
Today arrived word from Jeanine and several pictures including this one taken after a watermelon seed spitting contest. I am left to wonder if this is a routine event at the school or if the idea was imported from Indiana by Jeanine. Both Jeanine and Maya are dealing with sore throats and head colds as are Nicolai and I but they seem to be managing OK. Jeanine reports “I miss bathrooms, cold drinks, wearing shorts and taking showers”.
Even though he is fighting off a bad virus and possible tooth abscess, Nicolai performed in a 4 member band at the high school radio station this evening. The boys, who had not played together before, spent the afternoon rehearsing for the 5 song set. The appearance was in support of the senior project of a fellow student. The lighting effects made a photo of the entire band impossible but I did manage this solo image of Nico on kit.
Attached to this email are pictures of the buffalo farm we visited and me milking one of them. We visited an emu farm as well, but the pictures didn’t turn out as well and I wouldn’t go into the cage with them to get a better shot. Emus are hilarious creatures because of the way that they run and bob their heads, but they are scary. Girish, our go-to-guy, told us that an emu can split a femur in two with its kick, and they also look disgusting. All of their feathers are greasy and in some spots their feathers are gone and replaced with huge scabs where they ran into the fence. Yesterday, we visited an ashram, temple, and the Usgaon dam. I didn’t get many pictures, but some of them turned out pretty well. There was one picture that I couldn’t get at the dam because every time right at the last minute I’d have to lurch forward and scratch my foot. It turned out I was standing on a fire ant colony. They bite hard enough to draw blood, so I decided the picture wasn’t worth it. If only I was wearing your hiking boots. Today we went to a market. Anything at all can be found there including; dried fish carcasses, once used nail polishes, and unprocessed tobacco leaves. One of the union worker’s wives works there. After showing us their business (makeshift tent selling fried something), he brought us to a nearby jewelry place. He, Girish, the merchant, and one of the cook’s apprentices that we brought along, all were speaking in rapid Marathi. They forced some bangles on my wrists, outfitted both ankles in matching garments, and swapped out my earrings for something a little more Indian. Mom kept it simple with a “gold” necklace. The price was bargained for us by Girish and the others, who knew what the right price was. The whole excursion only cost 380 rupees (7ish dollars). We are having a great time and hope your trip went/ is going well.
After completing our business in China we crossed the border into Hong Kong for our final meetings of this trip. Pictured here is the lobby of the Langham where we are spending the evening. I like the understated elegance of this lobby more than the ostentatious ones found in most of the high end hotels we have stayed in so far. Diner this evening was an exquisite affair hosted by one of our vendors. A six course meal was interleaved with as many courses of wine and after diner drinks. While the food was superb, I was happy to excuse myself after the fourth course for a 10PM conference call (the meal went on until near midnight). I am totally comfortable in social settings where everyone around me is drinking. Unfortunately, I find that many who drink feel compelled to try and convince me I should give it a try. Even after explaining that I have reached 54 years of age without consuming a drop of alcohol they seem intent on tying to persuade me to abandon a lifetime commitment to abstinence. All I can do is smile politely and turn my glass upside down.
Every factory visit includes a tour of the production line and often requires that visitors don special suits, hats, and shoe covers. In some cases it is to protect the factory from dust carried by the visitor, in others, it is to protect visitors from the grime of the factory.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
