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This week in review

What a week…

Monday was a holiday, and we got to do some work on the house. Mike bought us a bunch of parts, Micky and Mike went to IKEA to buy stuff, and then we pulled off a few new lights, a re-worked coat closet, and taking down the doors of the toy room closet.

Tuesday I learned a lot about personal goals, and life next steps.

The rest of the week the kids just weren’t sleeping, and the stress level at the house was too high.

It’s been a bad week. We saved it a bit with a nice weekend. We took Mike to Sonoma today, and that was really grand. But in general, I’m looking forward to hitting reset.

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This week in review

This week was epic. Everything was down, then up, and then down again. I’m emotionally spent, and I’m physically exhausted.

Monday morning Micky woke up screaming in pain. We had to call an ambulance, and she headed off to the ER. Unfortunately, Amelia had woken up, and so she saw it all. She understood that her mom was in pain, and that she had to go see the doctor. I got her back to sleep thanks to the big bean bag, and the Bay Bridge light show, but that was total chaos.

At the same time, the whole company was in town to do homecoming. It was going to be a long week anyway, and Monday morning started it off with a bang!

Tuesday was really good because Aydin came into town for his annual pilgrimage. We changed plans because of Micky’s back pain, but otherwise we were off and running.

Wednesday I had a good work day; but a weird personal day. In chauffeuring Micky, Aydin dinged the car. Everyone freaked out. When I came home, I saw the damage, and it really wasn’t that big of a deal. It sucks. It’s a nice, new car. But at the end of the day, no one was hurt. And it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a car. But a weird day nonetheless.

Thursday, Aydin headed out to visit the Pacific. I finally felt like it was a normal day. Micky’s dad came into town, and the kid’s went to the airport to pick him up. It seemed as if we’d turned a corner… but alas.

When I got home, Amelia got sick. Micky ran in, and picked her up, throwing out her back… again. Back to the ER. A long night.

The next day, we couldn’t send the kids to school (fevers), couldn’t leave Micky by herself (bad back), and also had Mike to consider. It was a hard day with a lot of angry words. Finally though, the drugs kicked in (everyone’s), and somehow we saved the day. The big news… we closed on the house!

So the weekend has allowed us to recover. Tomorrow is a day off, and I think that will help as well. I’ve definitely hit a wall (and I’m 100% sure I’m getting sick), but the roller coaster has stopped.

I’ll finish with my new favorite Dr. Seuss line from “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”:

Today is gone. Today was fun.
Tomorrow is another one.
Every day,
from here to there,
funny things are everywhere.

 

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Aydin’s annual pilgrimage

Every year since about 2002 (for argument’s sake. I can’t actually remember), my father, Aydin Yardim, and I have met in Las Vegas during CES to ring in the new year; eat at a steakhouse; and get in a show.

It’s become the one family tradition which is constant and memorable.

The trip always starts in Las Vegas, but also tends to find its way to the Pacific Ocean where an annual pilgrimage is performed. It may be January, but the ocean can still speak warmth despite its cold temperature. We’ve done road trips up and down CA-1. Visits to Portland and Seattle have happened. Funny stories about late night visits to BnBs with only one bed left are still told today.

Aydin also holds the title of only person who has visited me at every house at which I’ve ever lived. I actually don’t know if this is true for homes in NC, but it’s definitely true of homes in San Francisco.

Put it all together, and you get a fun week with family we don’t get to see enough of, making memories that we tell stories about for years to come. On to the photos 🙂

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Always late to the music party

I recently heard “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri on the radio. I was super psyched to have found a new moody song to listen to. Check it out here:

I just looked it up on Wikipedia (as I didn’t see it listed on any charts), and it turns out it’s a 3-year old song 🙂

I do this all of the time. I remember I found “Viva La Vida” by ColdPlay, and then told my brother about this awesome new song. He told me it’d been out for years.

I’ve never been one to really keep up with music. I just find something that I like, and then over play it to the point where I can’t stand it. Then I move on to the next one. I’m also rather disappointed in how similar all of the radio stations in San Francisco are. How many top 20 stations can one city really support? It just doesn’t make sense.

Maybe one of the new music services will become a favorite and save me… otherwise, it would be nice if someone told me what was cool in a weekly newsletter, and I’ll keep up that way 🙂

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The week in review

What a wonderful week this one was 🙂

Getting back to work full time was actually really hard. I think it did everyone a lot of good though. There’s been a lot of late nights, waking up on funky schedules, and the like. It was getting to be too much for all of us :-/

Luka started pre-preschool this week.

I went to CES in Las Vegas with my dad and Aydin. It was fantastic!

With my dad and Doruk here this weekend, we got to do a bunch of family bonding. My dad and I swam with the kids, and then afterwards we went to Benihana for dinner. The kids love the show and the food (and so do I). It took me 4 years, but I finally converted Micky as well.

Today we went to soccer, and then created an awesome brunch. Turkey bacon is delicious, and something we’ll get into the fridge more often methinks. Amelia is on a weird no-nap kick, and somehow we have to break it. The hard part is she passes out at 4:30ish, and it just makes for a long afternoon. All the while, Micky was up in Marin having fun with friends. It was an awesome day.

We took my dad to the airport before dinner, and then Doruk to the airport after the kid’s bed time. Great week, and a great weekend to top it all off.

On to the next one!

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Dede visits

It’s going to be a fun month of visitors. My dad and brother are here this weekend. Aydin is coming on Tuesday. Mike is coming on Saturday. Let no one say that we’re anti-family 🙂

Here’s a video of Dede and Amelia after swim class…

Ever the rule breaker!

And also a photo with Luka…

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Las Vegas scorecard

I’m posting this the next morning, but this is really Friday’s post

The final score is in. I lost a little bit of money, I saw a little bit of CES, and the rest of the time was better than it has been in years.

We stayed at both the Cosmopolitan and the Mirage. I’m too old for the former, and so I guess it’s the latter for me from now on. Vegas has definitely become a young person’s playground. The emphasis everywhere is clubs and pool parties. Blackjack and roulette. The slots are much quieter than they used to be…

CES was good. I didn’t get back to the emerging tech section like I would have liked too. Also, the partner device that I came to see wasn’t on display. I guess I can’t bail yet (let’s see if Ian is reading 🙂 ). All kidding aside, I do hope that they have it here next year. That would be a nice personal win.

The craps table was good while I shot, and bad otherwise. I threw 9, 6, 9 (win), 9, 9 (win), 11 (win), 11 (win), 7 (win), 8, 8 (win), 10, 9, 7 (out). That’s quite a good roll for me. After me no one hit anything. Oh well. I was happy with the strategy, and it was only my dad’s money anyway 🙂

The bonding is the best part though. Me, my dad, and my uncle – the three boys. We laugh about stupid stuff. Tell stupid stories. And all of a sudden the world doesn’t feel quite so big.

So final scorecard reads – another big win in Vegas

Fatherhood, just thinking out loud, Life Updates, Uncategorized 0 comments on A body at rest stays at rest unless acted upon

A body at rest stays at rest unless acted upon

Saturday morning – filled with shrieks of joy. Pancakes sizzle in the frying pan. Amelia carts off to gym with Micky. Luka and I sit and watch the late Premier League soccer game while testing the boundaries of how much a son can do to drive his father crazy without injury or death entering the equation.

Lunch. Nap time. Swimming.

A young family tradition of fish sticks after swimming fulfilled with a stroll through the aisles of Whole Foods on the way home. Often a cheese stick, a bunch of grapes, or a chocolate bar fall victim to the the grabbing hands of a toddler.

Dinner. Bath time. Curious George. Stories. Songs. Bed.

Then silence – an envelope of exhaustion and thought.

From the thought has been an overbearing sense of isolation – friends not seen (weeks, months, and years); phone calls not made; a series of physical connections lost.

A constant conflict between being present as a father, a husband, and a friend. Not knowing how to balance my own triumvirate, inertia decides. And inertia finds me at home with cartoons one moment, and wrapped in a blanket next to Micky falling asleep to a movie that only just started the next.

I miss my friends. Mea culpa for the moments lost. I adore my family, with no regrets for the memories created.

The conflict continues without resolution. Only a next chapter…

Life Updates, Uncategorized 1 comment on It’s a real thing now!

It’s a real thing now!

I’m really excited because with the help of eMinutes I’ve been able to formally incorporate Big Fish, Big Pond.

With the paperwork finished, the game plan is to really spend some time exploring my favorite non-video chat problem space – organizing people – which ranges from helping the individual build a better calendar all the way to helping the masses get where they’re going with less friction.

The problem is a new one – born from an ever-more demanding pace without the tools that help us cope with these demands. Being more digital has forced all of us to update our ability to process. However, that transition, in the context of how we organize, has tended to be extremely literal. Our calendars look just like the ones from our mother’s kitchen wall. To figure out where to be, we’re constantly shuffling through emails, text messages, or desperately calling the one person who has the information. Finding time to meet with friends is hard, and even our own neighborhoods seem foreign when we don’t know where to get a hair cut or an ice cream sandwich.

I’m going to really enjoy figuring out these problems. Stay tuned at the Big Fish, Big Pond blogto see the output.