Writing, writing

I went to my college's 25th reunion this last weekend. It was strangely and truly gratifying to see people from 25 years ago. I connected with some old classmates that I hope to stay in touch with, which was the best takeaway from this meeting.

One surprising result of the reunion was getting good feedback about my writing. Everybody from the class of 1987 was asked to write a biographical statement of sorts. Some wrote a lot, some wrote a little, but it ended up being a pretty big and beautifully put-together book (kudos to Keith Laezza for putting it together!). To my surprise, about a half dozen people said something nice about my six paragraph piece. They either said it was the best written biography in the book (some especially liked its humor)or enjoyed its refreshing honesty. This spontaneous response reminded me: "I need to write." I put off writing because of big goals (I want to write a pseudo-memoir or historical novel) or because of the time required to realize those big goals. In the end, I end up not writing at all. But, as a writer, if you don't write, you're not doing anything. So, I'm going to use this blog again to get started with writing. I hope to develop my voice this way as well as open up some possible avenues for bigger projects. But I hope to write -- more.

It's funny how this blog supplies a backdrop for this chapter in my life. The earlier entries come from the nadir of my separation from my now ex-wife Karen. I stopped writing when I could finally see some progress towards some happier times. I credit my family, my beautiful Arlington neighborhood and friends, and my dogged perseverance. I may be a lot of things, but not a quitter. Seeing my old classmates recently gives me hope for a bright future (perhaps it reminds me of the dreams I had for a rich life ahead in 1987) and inspires me to use writing to cultivate that life.

So here we go. See my next post for the short biography.

Fairchild Gardens (Not Arlington, part 2)

Our last day was spent in Fairchild Gardens.
It was designed by a disciple of F.L. Olmsted,
who designed Central Park in NYC and the
Emerald Necklace in Boston.

Upon returning, Davis said that this was his
favorite place to visit in Miami. There was a
cageless butterfly park that we spent 45
minutes in. Davis was trying to get the butterflies
to land on his hand. He was the leaves (green shirt)
and Ben was the tree (brown shirt).

My mom came along that day. She was great
with the kids.

These vistas almost come out of nowhere as you
walk in the park. Very impressive.

They remind me a little of the back yard
of Olmsted's National Historic Site in
Brookline MA. See a photo on this link.

This Sure Doesn't Look Like Arlington, part 1

We made it to the King Mango Strut, one of my favorite
events around Miami. Look at this article with a bunch
of good photos you can access from the Miami Herald.
More personal takes on Miami later. . . .

Winter Came

It happens every year, but it's still impressive. It's also tiring if you need to shovel a driveway or a car out from under the snow. But, once that's done, it's one of the most beautiful and peaceful scenes you could ever imagine.

This is a view down my street in Arlington taken today in the afternoon. This morning, I walked down this street, took a left, and had a coffee and croissant at one of the best bakeries in the area--Quebrada Bakery. Chatted with a couple of neighbors and looked over Saturday's NYTimes. Heaven.

The day before, one house over going in the opposite direction, I
attended a great little Christmas party. There, I learned that my
neighbor is a very accomplished violinist. She may be the music
buddy I've been looking for around here. She suggested going to
see an opera put on by the MET and broadcast live on HD at a
local movie theater. That could be fun!

In a couple of days, I'll be in Miami and photos like these will
seem like a fantasy. But my sons and I can tell stories about
the snow and enjoying our quiet time inside. (They were happily
stuck at their grandmother's place over the weekend.) I hope
to have some contrasting pictures of our Miami trip later.

Coincidence -- maybe

So today I went to two Christmas parties. I was psyched to get out. The first one was the annual Christmas party held by my old boss at Harvard Business School, Tony.
Very friendly gathering at his house in Needham, as usual.
(Main drag in Needham pictured here.) One of the guys I talked to at the party had met my CEO at a conference. Not too unusual, because he works at MIT and my company is so tech-oriented. But still bit of a coincidence.


Then I go to this other party in the Back Bay on Beacon street
held by a new friend of mine named Jane. (See the facade on Beacon
Street close to her house.) So, one her many talkative and smart guests
(my kind of people) turns out to be a classmate of Tony's from Harvard
Business School. THEN, an old friend of mine--whom I knew years ago in
Lowell--named Kate Carpenter turns out to be an old friend of Jane's.
Kate was also one of my ex-wife's childhood friends. That
was really far out. And I live next door to Kate's brother-in-law, Cole.

Complicated? Yes. Coincidence. Who knows?

This very enjoyable evening seems to tell me that getting out and mingling
can do wonders. It was great fun. We're definitely going to get people
mingling at my place with a fondue party here next February.

Frog Pond, and other things I'm grateful for today

Today I took the kids to Frog Pond -- which is
frozen and great for skating. It's in the middle of
the city in Boston Common. Assets like this really
make urban life lovely.

I was also thankful for --

My son Davis's great athleticism. He was skating
all by himself today--it was the second time
he had ever skated.

My son Ben's tenacity. He was slipping and sliding
all the way around the rink. After the first time
around I assumed he would be tired and would
want to rest. "No, no, no. I want to go around
again." So we did. And he got better!

Feeling happy and exhausted after holding Ben
up while skating around the rink.

"The Upper Crust" -- cute pizza joint close
to the common on Beacon Hill.

The parking spot I found in between the pizza
joint and Frog Pond.

The chocolate we ate after the pizza.

The friends I talked to this morning while I was
feeling a bit down -- they helped me get off my
butt and make this day possible.

Generous neighbors and their kids -- we had dinner
with them tonight.

The spirited conversation my son Davis had with
his grandfather over the phone tonight.

A rainy night -- perfect for sleeping.

We Don't Always Have this Much Fun

So, it's almost Thanksgiving. Must be time to talk about
Halloween.

Had a GREAT night with the boys. My neighbors from across
the street, Bill and Allison (wearing fedora and orange jacket)
got the evening started off with a pizza party for adults and kids.
We started in this big group (there were actually a few more that
came right after the photo was taken) and actually stayed
together for about 45 minutes or so before splinter
groups started to break out.



Yes, I was the yellow Teletubby, La-La. Tinky Winky
(aka Alison Glastein) asked me to wear the yellow suit
when she felt a little awkward being the
only Teletubby of Grafton Street. Who could blame her?
Unfortunately, Tinky Winky called it a night early and
left La-La to himself (or herself? --I could never tell).
We made up the next day with a "Big Hug" -- and a big
glass of wine.

If you look behind, Davis is the menacing vampire; Ben
is next to him -- he could have been a snake, but he
felt that the costume was too hot.