2007 Year in Review

Today, had a good lightsaber workout with Matthew. The force is strong with him, but, as you can see, he knows the power of the dark side:



As this year comes to a close, we can finally consider the tremendous change it has brought.That we got through it at all is a testament to the tremendous support of family and friends, our own organizational skills (mostly donna's), and a whole lotta luck.

We started 2007 with our Phil and Lois, and our friends in Walpole (MA), playing parlor games and enjoying their teriffic company. Tony came and stayed a weekend in late January, with Matthew, and we watched the Patriots lose (the Pats lose?) to the Colts. Ouch. Sorry bout that, Matthew, but it has gotten a little better for the Pats since. Changes in my professional life are, by tradition, connected to visits with my brother, so I began my new job search in February. In March, I had my interview at Bentley, and got the job offer and the housing offer that same weekend - could hardly believe it.

We made a return trip in April to tie up some loose ends and check out the (new) house, and then we got ready to put our old house on the market. We had our open house on May 6th, and sold the house the next day - could hardly believe that, too (thanks Dottie!).

Donna finished her certificate program on June 5th. We had our Big Good Bye Blow Out on June 9th; we were so happy to see so many people before leaving! I finished up at Rivers the next week. The moving truck came on June 22nd. Then we moved out, closed on the house, and flew west on June 25h. We spent July 4th unpacking; and a few weeks later, my Mom and Dad came to stay a while in Berkeley, and we experienced our first California earthquake. That didn't take long, either.

August was about settling into our new place, setting up the new Computer Lab, and starting my new job. By September, we were old hands, and October brought a Red Sox World Series Championship. Looking back it hardly seems possible that all these things lined up, happened, and/or got done. I hope we don't have to move again too soon.

And so the sun sets on 2007 - for us, it has truly been an amazing year. Thank you and Happy New Year, everybody.

California Xmas No 1

click here to play

School has been on December Holiday now for about a week; I've been out playing golf and walking the Berkeley Hills. While the eastern half of the country has seen some early weather, we've been in the mid-50s. Folks here complain abut how cold the mornings are out on the fairways, and I remind them that they are playing golf a week before Christmas.

Went to Tony and Kris' in Hillsborough for an early Xmas gathering. Matthew is at that age where the excitement of the holiday is really peaking, and it's just fun to watch the kids enjoy the gifts and the general spirit of the occasion. This year, Matthew discovered Star Wars, as evidenced by the Darth Vader helmet and the lightsabers. Sophia immediately fell in love with her wooden blocks and wagon set. She climbed right up on the table to inspect her new toy. And several times during the evening, Matthew mentioned that he was "shaking", he was so excited.

The lightsabers were a particularly memorable gift. These are made by Master Replicas, and are amazing in their details and function. There is some kind of gyroscope inside that can tell if the blade is being swung or struck, and respnds with the appropriate sound effect: red (Darth Maul), green (Yoda), and blue (Luke Skywalker) - beautiful holidays lights. Nothing says Merry Chrsitmas like the power of the Force.

Back at home, I got a little potted Monterey Pine, and installed some twinkle lights in the frieze that runs at the edge of the ceiling, around the living room, dining room, and kitchen. You can see the lights of Berkeley and San Francisco in the windows beyond. Happy holidays everyone!

Breaking News - Situation Normal

I got into the habit of checking the MSM websites because when I worked for a big company (SSRM/MetLife), the "higher-ups" got their tech news from these sites. So I was in CYA mode. Plus, new computers tend to come with MSM links preloaded, and I am a bit lazy on the housekeeping. In any case, I opened up CNN this morn to see the headline above: "Innocent people going about their daily lives" and thought I had mistakenly clicked the link for The Onion. Obviously, when I checked the story, I understood the headline, but I was still in this kind of fake news, truthiness place.

Last night, on Nightline, the big story was a profile of the mall shooter in Omaha - these incessant cries of "why did he do that" echoing the (media-generated) fear in all those cries of "why do the terrorist hate us" from six years ago. People gotta get a grip: in Baghdad, a day when only eight people get shot is a sign that our War Against Extreme Fundamentalism is "succeeding" [end airquotes]. Which side of the MSM's mouthes do we want to listen to? Do we really need an explanation for the shooting or the terror act? Was there ever a time we cold have prevented the death of innocents? Is it important that we measure someone's the guilt or innocence?

Or do we need some unbelievable and intensely immediate news item to help sell ED drugs?

Though the headline above might suggest otherwise, it sure seems like we should have passed the tipping point where these acts become the norm, or maybe the expected, and we are just living, if not in Baghdad, in The Onion World.

Or maybe we just want so much that the world not be the way we've made it, that the expected becomes the news.