A tough day for Nico and his team on the soccer pitch. Newton South proved to be a very strong opponent, winning a hard-fought match 3-1. Despite the tough going, Nico demonstrated great leadership both on and off the field in his role as co-captain.
I scored an inconsequential goal in the final minute of my soccer match this morning. It was an easy tap in following an intense sprint to intercept a pass in front of the net. The one sided affair ended in a score of 9-1. A win next week will secure promotion and it is sure to be a close match (we tied in our last meeting with Needham). After the game I took a team photo which will be used to update the league website.
Although the sky was overcast I decided to get out for a little photography taking advantage of an otherwise perfect fall day.
Maya’s team scored in the final minute of the game to beat Framingham 1-0 early this morning. The coach had players experiment with new positions and Maya did a great job as both an attacker and a midfielder (where I see her in the long run). She had two powerful strikes on frame and served several nice passes to the front line for shots on goal. Despite being right-handed, Maya is most definitely left-footed (the photo series above illustrates that she also has a very good right foot). I do not know how common this is but I suspect this unique brain wiring explains why Maya is so good at so many things. The Head of the Charles Regatta is a rowing race held each year on the Charles River in October. I decided to drive into Boston this afternoon to enjoy the spectacle. The race is named the “Head” of the Charles because it is a head race (timed competition, boats released 6 seconds apart).It is the second largest 2-day regatta in the world, with more than 8,900 athletes rowing in around 1,750 boats in 56 events. I took up a position on the Eliot Bridge where I had a good view of the home stretch. Because of the turns in the river and six bridges over the 3.2 mile course the race is known for its many crashes. Watching a faster boat overtake another while making the final turn for the finish line is quite exciting. In one race three boats were running abreast of each other.
Jeanine was in Bedford this morning having her car and hair serviced (not at the same time) affording us an opportunity to meet for a lunch date. We rendezvoused at the Asiana Bistro for a very nice meal and conversation. Unfortunately the day ended on a much less enjoyable note. Nicolai took Nala to a friends house where she escaped from their backyard. When she was returned to the house by a neighbor she was covered in deer ticks. I managed to remove and kill 65 before Jeanine and Nico took over and found another 35. Not my idea of a good way to spend a Friday evening.
Today is the one year anniversary of my father’s death. In some ways I am more sad now knowing all that he has missed. He would have taken such pleasure seeing Kyle enter college, listening to Maya as she learns to play the guitar that he loved so much or watching in amazement as Nico dominates opponents on the soccer field. He would have been so impressed by and supportive of Jeanine in her pursuit of a second Master’s degree and would have continued to follow my exploits with great curiosity and pride. The only solace I take is in the belief that he still reads this blog. I often imagine that he is my audience as I write each day.
Despite what he has missed I am sure my father would be happy knowing that my mother continues to live life fully despite her grief. In words only he would appreciate: “She’s Still Dancing.”
This photo of a woodchuck is courtesy of Jeanine who spotted the little fellow in our backyard today. This guy drives Nala out of her mind and she opted to pursue him across her electric containment boundary to ensure he was thoroughly vanquished from her domain. Fortunately, her collar was set to the lowest shock level. It is now set to medium and her next yard break is going to be less inconsequential.
Nico’s coach asked me if I would take a photo of the soccer team before today’s match and I was happy to comply. Two teleconference meetings prevented me from enjoying the whole game but I did get to see about half. Nico had an outstanding match serving up perfect passes to his attackers and dominating in the air. Late in the game he unleashed a missile from about 25 yards which struck the far post and rattled the entire goal. His team was able to fend off a late surge to win 3-2.
The highlight of my day was a call at work from Kyle. He was bubbling with excitement after receiving the results of his first mid-term test (in Economics). He scored a 97% which was the highest grade in his class. We are delighted that he is off to a good start and more importantly that he seems to really be enjoying himself at college. This photo is of First Parish and the Wright Tavern in Concord. The light from the setting sun was perfect so I paused to take this photo on my homeward bound commute. Jeanine and I were triple booked with meetings this evening. She attended an orientation meeting with Maya for a middle school trip to China while I attended a mandatory parent meeting for the wrestling team forcing me to miss a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Board meeting.
My sister Alissa and her husband John are in the area attending Parent’s Weekend at Babson College where their son Johnie is attending school. They spent the night with us while their daughter Rachel got to spend it with her big brother on campus. We went to lunch at Verrill Farms after I returned from my soccer match. My team beat Nashoba 4-0 and slipped past Needham to enter first place in our division. So far this season we have scored a total of 26 goals and given up only one. I contributed to that total this morning with one of my prettier goals in recent memory. I ran on to a ball lofted from midfield and head flicked it just over a much taller defender who was looking to clear with a header. I skirted past him, one-touched to a good shooting position and unleashed a perfectly struck low rocket from the top of the box. It found the side netting before the keeper even moved. All goals count for one point but the pretty ones are recounted for years to come. During the late afternoon I took advantage of the perfect fall weather and drove through southern New Hampshire on a 5 hour photography excursion. Although I did not find the peak color landscapes I had set out to find, I did encounter countless great subjects and came home very satisfied with my bounty. The photo below is one of my more artistic.
Showing terrific form Maya played a great game this morning helping her team to a 2-0 victory under ideal fall weather conditions. Nicolai was up bright and early for his PSAT exams and reported afterwards that he thought he did well. Jeanine attended a talk on brain health while I took care of a long list of lingering tasks around the house.
The rain today has been intense and incessant. Normally, I especially long to be outdoors at this time of year with the leaves beginning to change color. Not so today. I was quite content to observe the deluge from my warm, dry office. Pictured here is a flooded road that I wisely traversed at slow speed. Had I been really wise, I would have found an alternate route. Having to suffer the mediocre gas mileage of an SUV, however, I take advantage of any opportunity to make use of its unique capabilities. Driving over curbs is another such activity I enjoy.
I picked up this waveform monitor after work today. It was offered up for free on Craig’s List and was right on my way home. I used a very similar model extensively during my early career. This device displays a waveform which represents a video signal and is a key diagnostic tool for evaluating signal quality and compliance with standards (the square wave pictured here was all I had handy to run through it). I cleaned it up and put it through its paces. Everything functioned perfectly. The two hours I spent testing took me on something of a technical stroll down Memory Lane right back to the days of Truevision, the company I co-founded. Unlike my more general purpose oscilloscope, however, I have no practical application for this piece of equipment, especially since the world has gone high definition which uses a different signal standard. I put it up on eBay with a starting price of one cent in hopes it will find a good home.
My division put up another great set of numbers this quarter and as has become our tradition we knocked off work a little early to enjoy a casual celebration. Our financial results were impressive but my real cause for celebration this week is that our very fluid product roadmap has solidified and my team and I now have a clear line of sight on what we will be designing and building next year.
The day started with a glorious sunrise which had to nourish my soul for what turned out to be a long and exhausting day at work. Returning to a full day of meetings after just a single day of vacation has put me substantially behind and it is going to be a busy week catching up. My desire to do a little leaf peeping will have to wait a couple of days.