Blogging About Children

Ayelet Waldman decided to end her BLOG. She appeared in a late January New York Times article about parents who BLOG about their children. When I finally visited her web page, I was surprised to read "The End."

In the article, she said: "Fundamentally children resent being placed at the heart of their parents' expression, and yet I still do it." Another parental blogger, Molly Jong-Fast, said "There comes that inevitable moment when parents who write about their children need to choose between their writing and their children's privacy and honor."

These words gave me pause. I used to write an online diary about my daughter Mia. And even though I've stopped, I still regularly post pictures of Mia. Now, after reading that article, I sometimes wonder if I should stop my picture site as well. I used to joke that I'd stop posting the pictures as soon as Mia herself asked me. The punchline was that this would happen around the time she was old enough to date.

So what I think I'll do is post fewer pictures for the upcoming year. And next year, when she goes to kindergarten, maybe I'll bow out from the picture site too.

Essential Software

My wife and I just bought a new computer from Dell. It took Jenn only minutes before she asked "Where's WinZip?" Here are the programs that I downloaded so that the new computer could be as helpful as the old one.

• WinZip
  
  How in the world is this not even installed with this new PC? My registration key for WinZip dates back to 1997!
  
  
• PuTTY
  
  I can't compute without a good terminal client. A terminal client allows me to access my UNIX machines, where I do nearly all of my professional and recreational computing. I have a registration for SecureCRT from VanDyke Software but PuTTY is free and quite fully-featured.
  
  
• Firefox
  
  What? Did you expect me to use Internet Explorer? Firefox is light and safe. It blocks pop ups. It has tabbed browsing. It has a whole bevy of cool plug-ins that make web programming much easier.
  
  
• TightVNC
  
  To access our old computer to migrate files off of it, I just plugged it into our router. Then from my new PC I ran the TightVNC client to access the TightVNC server running on my old PC. This software allowed us to run our old PC without a monitor!
  
  I am still impressed with this technology. When I learned about it a few years ago, I thought it was amazingly cool. Now, it's not only cool, it's useful too.
  

Rhapsody in Blue

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue was first performed on this day, February 12, 1924. I found my DVD of the Woody Allen movie Manhattan, and listened to this lovely piece of music.

I first heard Rhapsody in Blue when I was a kid. It was the signature music in those television commercials for United Airlines. When I saw Woody Allen's movie for the first time (on VHS), his use of this music to score the opening and the ending of his movie verges on sublime. The way he slowly pans through beautiful Manhattan using that clarinet "smear", and then rushes through the details of that big beautiful city with the full orchestra booming is for me one the most thrilling opening sequences in all of movies.

And Woody calls on it again at the end, Isaac and Tracy in an apartment lobby, a departure imminent. She needs to catch a plane. Full circle, don't you think?

Patriots Win Superbowl

Super Bowl XXXIX was a back-and-forth affair that had me frustrated and nervous all the way to the end. My muscles were taut from playacting the runs, fakes, tackles and throws. Every snap had me holding my breath. I paced and shadow boxed after every play. The New England Patriots were seven point favorites going into tonight's game: why couldn't they make it an easy one for the fans? I'll tell you why. The Philadelphia Eagles didn't want to be walked over. They wanted to climb the mountain, and knock off the reigning champions.

Fourth quarter. Philly controlled the ball and the clock, but they were down by ten. Down after down after first down after first down, and then they finally get a touch down, cutting the lead to three. With 1:48 left in the game, Pats needed to play mistake-free. They needed to keep the ball. They needed to eat up the clock. But it was three and out, and I was back to biting my fingernails.

The punt by Josh Miller was a master stroke, pinning the Eagles to their four yard line. Three futile throws by Donovan McNabb. And on his last throw, the Patriots' Rodney Harrison intercepted the ball with nine seconds remaining! Tom Brady takes the knee and it's over.

The Patriots are the Super Bowl champions again. Again! And Again! I've had the pleasure of blogging about their two previous Super Bowl victories on this BLOG. And you know what? Winning doesn't get boring!

Jenn's Birthday

It's my wife's birthday today. Happy Birthday, Jenn. I Love You! (It's OK to say that on a BLOG, right?)

My Guitar

A few weeks ago, I bought a Yamaha F335 guitar. Mike, a guitar playing colleague from work, helped me choose it. It's a beginner's guitar. He and I liked the sound when we played it in the store. I have been playing it every night since I bought it.

I knew last month after Mia received her guitar that I'd eventually want one of my own. I'd often tinker with her little guitar after she went to bed, playing my simple songs, reviewing my chords.

Shortly after the holidays, I bought an instructional DVD titled You Can Play Guitar! (from Homespun Tapes). The instructor on the DVD, Happy Traum, has a very welcoming and enthusiastic teaching style. I enjoy listening to him, and watching him play. He breaks down some very tricky sounding songs into simple steps. I spent a few weeks with this DVD playing on Mia's little guitar, learning different strumming styles, finger picking, and simple chord progressions. My hands felt too big on Mia's small guitar. Hence the new Yamaha.

When I stopped playing the guitar sometime in high school, I knew that I wanted to take it up again. I guess now is the time.

A Group BLOG

Wow. I'm part of a group BLOG, my very first. I enjoy experiments like these.

Shoveling

I shoveled for two hours today. And my kind neighbor used his snow blower on the heaviest accumulation in my driveway. Yeah, I'm eating my words.

More Snow

Last year, it was bitter bitter cold. This year, it's just bitter. But with more snow. AccuWeather's headline for tonight is "Winter at Its Worst". "A major storm swirling out of the north-central states will disrupt the lives of millions from the Midwest to the Northeast this weekend."

I've seen estimates as high as 18" of snow. I'll believe it when I'm shoveling it. (And yes, I'll be eating these words.)

Knee

Boy, does my knee hurt. The left one. I have pain when I flex it. So walking up and down the stairs tonight, I've been favoring the left leg, being all ginger with it. Even sitting stings a bit. On the floor, when I bend my leg to pull my knee up to my chin, there's a tension as press my leg closer to me, as if I'm approaching some breaking point.

I hope sleep takes care of it. Maybe I'll put a little ice on it.

NFL Playoffs

Playoff football on my mind.

Tonight, I really felt bad for the New York Jets. A great friend of mine, not to mention nearly all of family, were hoping against hope for a win. And they almost got it too. How can you miss field goals at a time like this! Jets lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-17.

Tomorrow night, it'll be the New England Patriots versus the Indianapolis Colts. I think we all know where my rooting interests lie. This year, I'm especially fearful of the Colts because their quarterback, Peyton Manning, had such a stellar year. He was the league's MVP for crying out loud. But football is a team sport, and the Patriots have brought new meaning to team. Game on!

Best Movies Watched in 2004

I only watched 41 movies last year, four in the theater.

Out of all of these movies, I really liked Lost in Translation, the Bill Murray movie, written and directed by Sophia Coppola. Just some wonderful pacing and sentiment. I feel as if I get the Murray character. The movies captures the boredom of life, the loneliness one can feel even in a crowd, and the desire to connect, to be understood.

My other favorites from last year: Snatch, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Minority Report, Waking Life, Punch Drunk Love, and Sideways.


Some special categories:

• Best DVD Commentaries: Comedian, The Limey
  
  
• Favorite Male Acting: Paul Giamatti
  
  
• Favorite Female Acting: Uma Thurman
  
  
• Finally Glad I Watched: Narc, When We Were Kings, Paths of Glory, Donnie Darko, Solaris
  
  
• Not So Hot: The Cooler, Heat
  
  

Best Books Read in 2004

My Previous Best Books: 2001, 2002, 2003.

I read 32 books in 2004.

My favorite for the year was Word of Honor, by Nelson DeMille. Mr. DeMille has been writing books since 1978, but this was my first DeMille story. If they're all like this then I'm going to enjoy reading his works.

Word of Honor follows the tribulations and trials of Ben Tyson, a business executive who served in Vietnam. His good name becomes the subject of a controversial book about Vietnam, asserting that Ben Tyson's squad killed civilians in a skirmish there. The resulting publicity and military trial put him at odds with his family, his government, his community, and his own self-image. I was swept away by Ben's story, his feelings, and the way he handled himself. This is a terrific book.

I want to highlight two others from my year of serious reading. I'd consider these selections "second favorites" from 2004.

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen is incredible. It's a literary masterpiece. The Corrections contains such rich detail that you are completely encased in his narrative. There are some crazy happenings in this book about a dysfunctional family. Each family member goes under the microscope, and Mr. Franzen's prose renders the complexity of their thoughts. It's a fantastic book.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World by Haruki Murakami was recommended by my manager, and I was so very pleased with it. It's a blend of science fiction, with a dash of psycho-analysis, all within the confines of a straight detective story. I'll point out that the book contains a map, and by the time you figure out what the map "really is", you'll be blown to bits. I love books that do that. Highly recommended.

Resolution 2004: Only Eight

OK, I only wrote eight letters last year. Eight! My goal was fifty! The last letter that I wrote was in August. So one of my resolutions this year is to write at least eight letters. I hope the momentum of reaching my 2004 output will propel me to getting all fifty letters out.

By the way, the eighth state alphabetically? Delaware. The next state? Florida.

Hello 2005

Good-bye 2004. The year the Red Sox won the series. The year I changed jobs. The year I wrote a novel (and no, I haven't read it yet). What's up for next year? What about my books and movies from this past year? Did I really write fifty letters? Tune in again.

Good-bye 2004. Hello 2005.

Tuning a Guitar

My daughter Mia received a guitar this weekend. It's a kid's guitar, but it's a fully functioning instrument.

I used to play the guitar when I was little (around fifth, sixth grade). I took guitar lessons, and learned how to play some basic chords. First song I ever learned: Bad Moon Rising (G-D-C). I can also hit the notes for Happy Birthday and the main theme to Star Wars. I still remember how to play these songs even though I haven't owned a guitar in several years.

I got my hands on Mia's guitar in the afternoon and tried some of my songs, but the guitar was sorely out of tune. Mia also enjoys playing with the tuning knobs at the end of the guitar, which wasn't a help.

I visited a web site to relearn the basics of tuning. I eventually found Tuner Tool, a free program that let me hear the correct notes for the guitar. But this wasn't enough. I had a hard time matching the notes played by the tuner to the notes played on Mia's guitar.

After more minutes with Google, I found a better program, by Encore. This tool not only played the correct notes, but using a PC microphone (which I had), it "listened" to the notes the guitar was playing, and pointed out whether it was too sharp or too flat. It's quite amazing seeing the display change as the note played. I was able to tune the guitar in minutes! I recommend this tool (and yes, I'll be buying a license).

Jeri Ellsworth

The New York Times ran an article about Jeri Ellsworth who recently produced a version of the ancient Commodore 64 computer that runs on one chip. A company has packaged this up into a joystick, and it's now being sold on QVC (search for E22494). Jeri is a self-taught computer chip designer, who quit high school, but has clearly followed her interest in chip design to the highest level. The article contains a marvelous quote from Andrew Singer, a high-tech executive, who hired Ms. Ellsworth as a consultant: "It's possible to get a credential and not have passion." How true. How true! Are we doing work that we're passionate about? I can relate to Ms. Ellsworth's resourceful childhood and her deep interest in knowing how her computer worked. She pursued something she was very interested in, and didn't let her lack of a degree keep her from learning, or making a contribution. I admire people like her!

Behind the Counter

I sometimes wonder how I'd do working behind the counter at McDonalds. I'd probably kick some serious ass.

I go to the same McDonalds nearly every Saturday for lunch. I've observed how the orders go from the cashier to the monitors, and then onto trays or into take-out bags. I can see where the sandwiches are deposited after they're made. I can see the fries as they're being salted and then scooped into serving cartons.

Yet the level of service can really vary, despite all of these sytems. Sometimes the person behind the counter is new, and doesn't count the order. Sometimes they don't know how to ring up the order, or make change. Sometimes they're just plain slow. And even though I have the look of patience on my face, inside I'm wondering: how long will this person keep their job at this McDs? How many botched orders, or slow transactions will it take before they're back out on the street looking for other ways to make money?

I have never worked in a restaurant, much less a fast-food restaurant. I don't have a real foundation for my complaints, other than it's taking long enough to take the "fast" out of "fast-food". Moments like this, I ask myself: Why didn't I just do the drive-thru?

Ice Skating

There is now an ice skating rink in the Eiffel Tower. That's right, in the Eiffel Tower itself. Patinez au Premiér Etage de la Tour Eiffel! The rink is nearly 200 feet in the air, and the sensation of flying must be quite acute!

Unlike golf, where the course is often a beautiful destination, ice skating rinks are largely utilitarian and indoors. There's a lot of hardware needed to keep a sheet of ice hard smooth. For pure destination ice skating, you must go outdoors.

I've been lucky. When I first moved to Boston, I lived near the Public Garden, a gorgeous walking garden that features a quiet pond with swans and swan boats. During my first cold winter in Boston, I found that the pond froze into a perfect patch of ice. In the late evening hours, I would skate around the darkened pond, careful to avoid thin ice, thrilling to how open the space was. It was glorious.

I haven't had that kind of raw ice skating experience since. When Jenn and I visited Rockefeller Center in New York City, I told her we'd have to ice skate there, but we never have.

Maybe the news of the Eiffel Tower hits me because I first experienced ice skating at an outdoor rink. Jersey City. Palisades Avenue (Pershing Field). I had borrowed ice skates. I somehow knew that I was taking the very first steps in a long ice skating love affair.

Gift Ideas

My wife was surprised when my holiday gift list didn't include any kind of electronic gadget.

Honestly, I can't think of anything I might want, much less need. Last year, I asked for and received a Tungsten E, but I have rarely used it (I have most of my data in an old Handspring Visor). I kept resolving to migrate my data over to this sleeker, more powerful PDA, but I haven't done it yet. Maybe next year I'll do it.

My shelves have plenty of items that I have bought, but never used. I don't like the idea of adding to this pile.

A lot of the cool stuff that I want really require a new computer (I run an ancient 530Mhz Windows 98 box). Because of this, I can't use an iPod, nor can I really get a digital video camera. I need beefier hardware.

So what do I want this holiday season? Same thing that I want every year: books and DVDs. And socks are always a great gift.