Juddmansee.com

How Many Have You Read: I tried to read A heartbreaking work of staggering genius. I couldn’t finish it. Too self-indulgent, too many words to get to the point. I made it about half-way through before it returned to the library.

Things I Get Jazzed About: Sarah, I can’t wait to see you at your holiday party and hopefully I’ll get to chat with you before then. We did hire Rachel (the woman to whom I made reference) and she starts Jan 2. I’ve been told I’ll get part of her time on my project (Painful Yet Satisfying).

Painful Yet Satisfying: despite my efforts, the demo was a flop. Nonetheless the program will continue. I think this is the best result but it’s a little mind-boggling.

Feeling Appreciated (Volunteering at MIT): I haven’t made it to an AILG Board meeting in a few months, and the breakfast meeting in November was really anti-climactic for me. In the mean time I was asked to be on the IRDF board of allocation. While I’ve not been able to make one of their meetings either, they held a special lunch at the Harvard Faculty Club to welcome me, since our chair David Latham is a professor there. (By the way, this was the epitome of civilized. Madrigal singers provided muted but melodious accompaniment. The staff brought the next course with sub-minute precision of when one was done with the previous course. The food was delicious. The waitstaff was inconspicuous. There was no rush.) I have to admit, I think this is the way I’m heading in my volunteer career. Lesser time commitment, easier to participate remotely; where there is money, there is influence. Also the smaller committee suits me well, as do the particular members of the group.

Ticked Off and Tired: Brian has made a complete recovery from Lyme Disease. No ticks here. We haven’t had a successful hike since that infamous day, but he’s been back to most of his usual activities and sleep patterns, with perhaps a slightly higher affinity for naps now that it’s Daylight Savings Time of the year.