Coccolare

The Italian verb 'coccolare' means to cuddle. While the English word is cute and sounds a lot like the act that it describes, the Italian version is so much more evocative. But that is what the Italian language is all about - it's not just for communicating, but it is also an art. Something to be savored for its beauty and its utility. Unfortunately, I don't think that English is very beautiful - it serves well for communicating but doesn't roll off the tongue in a way that Italian does.

Another meaning for 'coccolare' is 'to spoil'. How interesting that the word should have such divergent meanings! But then again, perhaps cuddling and spoiling are not so very different.

Tendons

We all have a past, some of us longer than others. Mostly it is buried in our brains, and never resurfaces. Sometimes memories are released, by a smell, an image, a sound. Suddenly they are there in perfect clarity, as if they had happened only yesterday. I like blogging because I can capture these memories when they resurface.

Here's one.

I was in college, Cornell University, winter 1974. My senior year, living in a house perched on the side of a gorge, with three other guys. I slept in a room with my good friend, Tom. We used to talk a lot. I was into photography, took pictures all the time, and wanted to do it for a living. Tom and I were talking about photographing women; I had just shot a model for a photography class.

I said to Tom, you know what I really like about a woman's body? The way tendons look under the skin. Such as the tendons behind the knee, on the sides of the neck. They show you what is really beneath the skin.

He looked at me an smiled. Now I really understand you, he said.

The only time anyone has ever said they understood me. Because I certainly don't.

Il cognome racaniello

If you search google for 'Racaniello', you get a post (see below) from the Italian wikipedia site which provides the following information. If you are interested, paste it in Google translate to read it in English. Looks like the Racaniello name dates back a long time, to a noble Umbrian family.

I wonder if we are related, albeit distantly. It would be great one day to try and track my family as far back as possible. I am sure this would require an extended trip to Italy. Perhaps I should first start in my father's town, Castelgrande.

"Racaniello, famiglia nobile di origine Umbra di cui parecchi membri ebbero cariche pubbliche in Todi. Un ramo di essa si trasferì nelle puglie nel 1412 al servizio del vescovo Dondei di Bari. Un'altra parte della famiglia si trasferì nel 1405 sotto la protezione degli Albizzi per i quali con Ludovico Racaniello capitano di Montecchio svolse il ruolo di procuratore di Arezzo (1419).

Ludovico Racaniello fu un capitano di ventura ( Todi 1352 – Montecchio 1441), primogenito di Riccardo e discendente da una nobile famiglia umbra.

Dopo alcuni anni dedicati, sotto l’indirizzo del padre, agli studi di legge, nel 1376 alla morte di lui, si trovò sulle spalle la responsabilità della famiglia. Abbandonati gli studi, si mise allora al servizio di Ercole I, dedicandosi così alla carriera militare che, grazie ad una notevole abilità di comando, lo vide in breve raccogliere numerosi successi.

Nel 1380 si sposò con la Giulia Albizzi figlia di Maso Albizzi, assicurandosi in tal mondo i favori della potente famiglia che in quegli anni aveva conquistato il potere a Firenze.

Nel 1385, un anno dopo l’acquisizione di Arezzo da parte di Firenze, Racaniello divenne capitano della rocca di Montecchio, base di un potere sempre più grande che, negli anni a seguire, lo videro espandere la propria influenza nell’intera val di Chiana.

Nel 1397 entrò in conflitto con la famiglia dei Casali per il possesso di Cortona, conflitto che si protrasse per più di quindici anni, fino al 1411, anno in cui il territorio passò sotto il controllo di Firenze e rientrò nel ducato di Racaniello. Nel 1419 Rinaldo Albizzi gli affidò la carica di proconsole di Arezzo.

Firenze nel 1434 passò sotto il controllo dei Medici e Racaniello dimostrò di essere oltre ad un ottimo condottiero anche un eccelso diplomatico. Nonostante gli anni passati al servizio della famiglia rivale nel controllo di Firenze, infatti, riuscì ad ingraziarsi la famiglia medicea, che non pretese nessun ridimensionamento dei territori amministrati dal ducato di Racaniello e lo riconobbe come garante del potere della signoria fiorentina su quelle stesse terre.

Rule of the day

Now and then I frequent a rather irreverent website whose main function is to make fun of celebreties. I won't post the link because it's not family-friendly. Today I found something interesting there that I'd like to share. Now and the the webmaster publishes a 'rule of the day'. Here was todays:

"...for the ladies, and get this through your head, if a guy cheats on you, it's because he is not committed to you. If you dump him and he begs to get you back, it's only so he can dump you later. It's a power play. Ask Sienna Miller. In the end, you will thank me."

No further comments are necessary.

Second childhood

When I was much younger, I took years of clarinet lessons. I was quite good but never really connected with the licorice stick. Then towards the end of high school I decided to be cool and took guitar lessons. I did this for a few years; I loved it but my guitars were all poor quality and I never developed much talent.

Last year I saw that Fender made an inexpensive electric guitar, less than $200, and in red, no less. So I bought it. Now I'm trying to teach myself to play again, not only chords but picking notes. I want to get really, really good so I can stand outside, turn up the volume, play and have people turn their heads.

Last night I was playing "Go Your Own Way", an old Fleetwood Mac song which in the end is comprised of only five different chords. Very easy. I turned the 'distort' on in the amp and put the volume high. I was having a blast. Then my son Aidan came down and said to me, 'Mom says you're going through a second childhood'.

Perhaps. Does that mean I get to do everything over again? With the benefit of hindsight? Now THAT could be fun!

Balanchine on Ballet

In yesterday's post on ballet, I paraphrased George Balanchine, the creator of the New York City Ballet and choreographer extraordinaire. The nature of the exact quotation has been bothering me all day, so tonight I sat down with "Balanchine A Biography" by Bernard Taper (Times Books, 1984) which I had read many years ago. After some searching I found the quotation I had remembered after all these years.

It comes in the first chapter of the book, which describes how Balanchine created a ballet and taught it to his dancers. Here is the entire passage:

"While Balanchine was working on his choreography and transmitting it to the dancers, he concerned himself little with nuances of performance. The last few days before the premiere, he usually concentrated on that aspect: Getting his ensemble to approach his idea of perfection. Balanchine's style demands unusual precision and energy, and as he worked on his dancers' performance techniques he could be constantly heard exhorting them to more vigor, to more clarity in their attack on every movement. "Audience must be made aware that leg is your leg and is going right there!"...Balanchine's intense vision of beauty as the end result of all this was always present, however, and no one was permitted to forget it. "Isn't it selfish of you," he chided one corps de ballet member, "to expect three thousand people to sit and watch you lift your leg if you're not going to do it beautifully?"

It should come as no surprise that Balanchine's most famous statement is "Ballet is woman". Nearly all his ballets said it, just as they also said that the only way a man can achieve or approach the liberation of his soul is by the homage and devotion he shows woman.

I fear my soul has not yet been liberated....but it isn't too late to start now, is it?

Ballet

This post is not really about ballet, but about Wendy Whelan. She is a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet. In the 1980s, when I lived in NYC, I went to see the City ballet often, and I saw Ms. Whelan dance many times. She is a wonderful dancer. She fulfills George Balanchine's credo: that ballet be beautiful. He used to say to his dancers, when you dance, you always have to look beautiful. If you raise a leg, make sure it looks beautiful going up and going down. I loved his ballets because there were no plots; just beautiful dancing set to music.

Back to Ms. Whelan. She is now 38, and having danced for 20 years at the City Ballet, the question is how she will know when to stop. This is the topic of a NYTimes magazine article today. The article explores her growth into ballet, and also explores her relationship with her husband, an artist. They married last September; the article calls him 'her longtime boyfriend'. Here is the part I liked. They met in 1993, when he first asked her out. Then:

"That fall, like dancers in any pas de deux, they glimpsed their future but returned to separate lives on opposite coasts and got distracted in other relationships. They kept in touch; four years later the timing was right, and they moved in together. They were engaged in Venice in 2004."

It's nice to know that they glimpsed their futures but still did other things and even got distracted, but in the end realized their initial feelings were correct.

I suppose you could say they believed.

i carry your heart with me

I remember reading the poetry of ee cummings when I was in high school. It was my mother who explained to me that he used the arrangement of words on the page to enrich the message of the poem. My Mother, so conservative, got it! Now and then she would surprise me.

Today I was looking at some of ee cummings poetry when I found this one, which I particularly like. It seems to strike a chord with me these days. Hai capito?

Remember, the arrangement of words (missing spaces, lower case letters, funny grammar) is part of the poetry. That's why ee cummings was a master.


i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

by E. E. Cummings

Trial and Error?

This past Sunday I read an article in the NY Times magazine entitled "Trial and Error". Its thesis is that the scientific publishing system does little to prevent scientific fraud. I happen to agree with that; but another part of the article I strongly disagree with.

The author writes: "John Ioannidis, an epidemiologist, recently concluded that most articles published by biomedical journals are flat out wrong."

Che cazzo dici!

I am sorry, John, but your research is what is wrong. I do not agree that most articles are 'flat out wrong'. I have spent my career reading articles about viruses and I can tell you that most of them are correct. You just do not know how to do an experiment, John. You cannot possibly have sampled all the biomedical disciplines to make this conclusion, because you simply do not know enough about each one to determine whether the article is right or wrong. You probably never even looked at an article about viruses! Look at my publications - I would say most of them are right! I'm not trying to boast, it's just correct!

This is the kind of garbage that makes the public distrust scientists. It doesn't matter if the conclusion is patently ridiculous; the public cannot distinguish. They come away from reading the article thinking we all publish junk. Thanks a lot, NY Times. Nice work.

Believe

At the end of the movie 'Matrix Revolutions', Seraph says to the Oracle, 'Did you always know?' He is referring to the saving of Zion. She replies, 'Oh no... No, I didn't. But I believed... I believed.

I believed.

It may seem like drama, but in our everyday lives, believing is everything. If you do not believe you can do something, it will not happen. If you do believe - in yourself, in your abilities, in anything at all - you are on the right path. We cannot know the future, but we can believe.

I have always felt this way, and try to apply it subconsciously to every aspect of my life. For some reason, in the context of this movie, it made a particulary strong impression on me.

Cracked Cup

This morning, I was drinking my cup of coffee alone in the kitchen, as usual. I was using a large coffee mug, made of ceramic with nice blue designs on it. I used to have three of these mugs; then a few months ago one cracked. This morning I noticed the coffee was leaking from the bottom. So I took out the coffee and looked at the bottom of the mug, trying to find the crack.

I noticed stamped on the bottom of the cup: "P.B. Made in Italy".

I found the crack on the side, and threw out the cup. It made me quite sad. The reason is quite personal.

But there is a happy ending. Later my son saw the cup in the garbage, and asked me why I was throwing it out. I told him. He said, 'Why not use it as a pencil holder'. Great idea! So I rescued the mug, and now it sits on my desk, next to the monitor, full of pens.

Don't you love happy endings?

Heartbreak

A few weeks ago my daughter Nadia asked me what heartbreak is. I tried to explain it to her with some examples.

A friend of mine read my last post ('After') and told me that I really cannot tell Nadia what heartbreak is, because I have never experienced it.

I had not thought about that. I guess I was telling Nadia what I had read about in books, or have seen in movies. Not the real thing, of course. I am not sure I want to learn about it.

After

I stumbled across a blog by Doran Damon called 'Come Again'. He writes some very nice poetry. I was particularly struck by the following piece:

After
Doran Damon

Look at my hands.
See how they shake,
How they tremor?

Do you know
What it takes
To forget you?

But my heart will repair
In time.


I wonder...if you are truly in love, can your heart ever repair? Maybe when you do repair, it is because you were never in so deep to begin with.

I can't say that I have ever had to heal in this way. No one I cared for ever left me; I have always done the leaving. It's not a boast, just a statement of fact. I've been lucky, I guess. I hope I never have to experience the hands shaking and tremoring.

Masterpiece

Masterpiece

He drew small pictures for her
Each day
Scribbles on napkins
And notebook covers.

He said,
If I were an artist
I would draw you a masterpiece
Every day.

She said,
But you are an artist
and these are my masterpieces.

What Friends Are For

Each morning, I drive my two younger children to school, where I park and walk them to the front door. Most parents drop their kids off, but I like to walk them - we chat a bit and the kids like it too. And once these years are gone...

Today our daughter was unhappy - she did not like how her pants fit; they were too low on her hips, and her socks were falling down. She was in a foul mood for breakfast, and during the walk to school, she freaked out and started crying. All because of the pants and socks. I picked up her backpack and put my arm around her tiny shoulder, and told her I would fix her socks at the school entrance. But on the way, one of her little friends came by; and my daughter smiled, the tears stopped, and she ran in without further assistance from me.

And that is what friends are for.

Aimee Mann

In my last post, I put up the lyrics of an Aimee Mann song that I like. Afterwards I remembered when I first saw Aimee Mann. It was in a small bar in Boston, called Cantones. This bar was a restaurant in the financial district by day, and a punk rock club by night. I worked at MIT from 1979-1982, and during that time I often went to hear music with a colleague of mine, Ihor Lemishka. One night we went down the the financial district to Cantones to hear the 'Young Snakes'. We sat in one of the restaurant booths while the band played just a few feet away. An odd arrangement, but very cozy and effective. The band was not bad, but I remember very well the lead singer, a lovely blonde with a killer voice. A few days later I bought their record - vinyl - which I still have. And the young lady was none other than Aimee Mann at the beginning of her career. Later on I watched while she moved to other bands and became famous. But I'll always remember that night in downtown Boston when she was but a few feet away.

She's still as good as ever. Just look at those lyrics!

Mr. Harris

I spent more time than I wanted these past four days, painting my son's bedroom. So many other things to do with precious free time....but it's for a good cause; he does appreciate it.

I'm told that I am good at 'mindless work' such as painting. It's the same with plaque assays: I'm never bored because I think about all sorts of things.

But while I was painting the last few days, I decided to listen to music. When I was much younger, I used to do that all the time while doing 'mindless work'. And it made me realize why I like music so much: where else can you find wonderful poetry set to a terrific tune? What is more, you always seem to find lyrics that apply to you in some way. While painting I listened to Alanis Morrisette, Aimee Mann, Black Crowes, Maroon 5, and Counting Crows.

I was struck particularly by one of Aimee Mann's songs; I have not listened to it in years but I recall it striking a chord long ago.

By the way - I'll be 53 tomorrow.

Mr. Harris - Aimee Mann

So he's retired
lives with his sister in a furnished flat.
He's got this suit that
he'll never wear outside without a hat.
His hair is white but he looks half his age.
He looks like Jimmy Stewart in his younger days.

And honestly, I might be
stupid to think love is love
but I do
and you've waited so long and
I've waited long enough for you.

My mother's calling
from where she's living up in Troy, Vermont.
She tries to tell me
a father figure must be what I want
I've always thought age made no difference.
Am I the only one to whom that's making sense?

And honestly, I might be
stupid to think love is love
but I do
and you've waited so long and
I've waited long enough for you.

The day I met him he was raking leaves
in his tiny yard.

Of course I know that
we've only got ten years or twenty left
but to be honest
I'm happy with whatever time we get
Depending on whichever book you read
sometimes it takes a lifetime to get what you need.

And honestly, I might be
stupid to think love is love
but I do
and you've waited so long and
I've waited long enough for you.

Kids Gone Wild

There was a piece in the 27 November NY Times called "Kids Gone Wild", subtitled "Parents are more involved than ever before. So why do children today seem so rude?" It struck a chord since I have noticed our oldest son, who is 11, sometimes behaves rudely. Not always, but more than I would like. Is it my fault?

According to the article, "Most parents would like their children to be polite, considerate, and well behaved. But they're too tired, worn down by work and personally needy to take up the task of teaching them proper behavior at home. People don't necessarily feel great about their spouse or their job but the kids are the bright spot in the day. They don't want to muck up that one moment by getting yelled at. They don't want to hurt. They don't want to feel bad. They want to get satisfaction from their kids. They're so precious to us - maybe more than any other generation previously. What gets thrown out the window is limits. It's a lot easier to pick their towel off the floor than to get them away from the PlayStation to do it".

Amazing! It's exactly my problem! I can't believe I fit the bill perfectly. I'm glad I know what the problem is.

So now what do I do? The article doesn't give any answers.

Non so niente

I am practicing my Italian by listening to recordings in the car to and from work. If I am dedicated I can study for at least two hours a day, even more if there is traffic. Why am I doing this? I would like to be able to communicate when I go to Rome next spring. I also feel I need to get in better touch with my cultural past. And there are probably other reasons as well.

This is what I learned today:

Non so quando.
Non so chi.
Non so niente molto bene.
Non so dove.
Non so quale.
Io so poco
e quest'é male.

Very nice. Extremely useful on the streets of Rome, I would say.

Or maybe it's just what I am.

Children

Many years ago, when I brought our first child to the pediatrician, I saw a poem on the wall. It made a huge impression on me. Not long ago I read the obituary of the author in the NY Times. The poem was written by Dorothy Law Nolte. Apparently she had dashed it together to make a newspaper deadline. Now it's a classic:

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

I hope I have and will always give my children encouragement, tolerance, praise, and acceptance.

It's never too late for adults, either.

Are You the Needle or the Thread?

I've been the needle and the thread
Weaving figure eights and circles round your head
I try to laugh but cry instead
Patiently wait to hear the words you've never said

--"Must Get Out", Maroon 5

Mentors

"Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It's the only way to grow".

--Padme Amidala, Star Wars, Episode II

(I admit it. I saw it on a box of Corn Flakes).

Stem Cell Fraud

I think it's quite sad that the Korean scientist, Hwang Woo Suk, fabricated his results on establishment of human stem cells. This great advance was greeted with fanfare this past summer.

It's bad enough for a scientist to fabricate data. As a scientist I fully understand the pressures to push research forward. Personally I would never fake data; if I can't do it myself, I want nothing to do with it. I'd rather fail than fake scientific results; it's a matter of experimental pride.

What is particularly sad in this case is exemplified by a photograph I saw in the NY Times on Saturday. It shows Dr. Suk waving to a crowd of rather young people, ostensibly students, some of them weeping. The caption is "Hwang Woo Suk said farewell to students as he left his office at Seoul National University yesterday, after resigning his post there". This is the real tragedy - that he misled his own students. These are the people he was to have mentored, to have taught to become excellent and honest scientists, and he failed miserably. In so doing he scarred these future scientists, perhaps robbing them of a productive career. The data can always be supplied by someone else; the damage he has done to these young scientists will be present forever.

Narnia

I went to see "The Chronicles of Narnia" yesterday, with my three children and the child of a friend. The movie is quite well done, and evokes its share of tears from those who are so inclined (such as myself). I particularly liked Lucy, the youngest Pevensie - wonderful acting for a young child. I was least enthralled by the actress who portrayed the White Witch - I don't think she quite got the part down.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film (as did the children) without reading anything religious into its story. It's a great tale on its own, and both adults and children will enjoy it.

I particularly liked the line "I haven't felt this good in 100 years". Can't remember who said it and when, but it's a good one.

Gandalf quote

A few days ago I sent this wonderful quotation from 'Lord of the Rings' to a friend of mine. It is from the mouth of Gandalf:

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that we are given."

Every now and then I think we all have to step back and think about that one. In fact we all have a limited amount of time here, and we should make the most of it.

Thank you, Paola, for making me think of that.

Virologist?

I'm thinking about the title of this blog: "Ramblings of an east coast virologist". Why do I define myself by my profession? This is after all a personal blog, not virus-related (that one can be found at www.virology.ws) - so why can't I find another title that characterizes me? Am I only defined by work? Is there nothing else? I better think of something, or else it will be very sad.

Young Man?

This past Monday, as I was walking up the ramp to my workplace, I caught up with an older man who was walking slowly, with a cane. I slowed behind him; as we reached the door a gust of wind took his black baseball cap and flung it back down the ramp. I turned and ran after it; as I reached for it another bit of wind blew it just from my reach. Finally I retrieved it for the man. He smiled and said, 'thank you, you are so kind, young man'. I laughed and told him that I was not a young man; but he just smiled and said 'enjoy your youth'.

Learned from the best

This weekend, our oldest soon took six hours of karate, in preparation for the test next weekend for his first star. I was so proud of him, I told him so on the way home, and I said he is 'a really good kid'. He said 'thanks Dad, I learned from the best'.

Now isn't that something I'd like to remember in ten years?

Summer's Gone

It's too bad I haven't posted since July....we had such a great trip through western Canada in August, I would have loved to read about it years from now. But internet access was spotty, and the energy barrier too high. Let's summarize: flew to Edmonton, drove to Grande Prairie, drove to Jasper, drove to Lake Louise, drove to Sicamous, drove to Vancouver, drove to Tofino on Vancouver Island, drove back to Vancouver and flew home. Over 3000 kilometers in 20 days. But what great country!

This weekend we went back to the shore. There is nothing like the Jersey shore after Labor Day - not many people on the beach, water is warm, and if the sun is out - like it has been the past two weekends - it's grand. Saturday evening I just walked in the surf around 6 PM; water must be in the high 70s, calm surf, clear skies. The people there now really love the beach. Sunday - today - was just as great. The tide was way out, leaving a flat, wide expanse of beach, more so than any other time this year. Our oldest finally mastered skim-boarding today - was he proud! I told the other two it would be their time next year.

But now the fall is here in earnest - this week summer officially ends, and I start teaching Virology to graduate students. I'll be so busy, I won't notice the time flying, and before you know it, snow will be here...or should I say next summer?

Aprilhop

I found a new beer worth drinking: Dogfish Head Aprilhop. It's an India Pale Ale brewed with apricots. While that might sound odd (the apricots part) the taste is not at all apricot-y. I'm a big fan of Oregon IPA and I'll vouch that Dogfish Head stands up to the challenge. It's a great summer brew.

Bon Jovi?

I went to a Bon Jovi concert last night at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ. I am not a Bon Jovi fan - I don't like the sound of the band, and I never bought any of their recordings. But last night, Jon Bon Jovi performed an acoustic set without his band. He was accompanied by Lorenza Ponce on violin, Jeff Kazee on keyboards, and Bobby Bandiera on guitar. He would sing a few songs, then sit down with Philadelphia DJ Pierre Robert and talk about his life. The music was very good, and the talk was interesting. Mr. Bon Jovi has a good sense of humor! I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't want to go, but in the end I was happy I did.

The theater, by the way, is brand new. It's small (350 seats), with excellent acoustics and a very nice design. The concert was a benefit for the theater company. It was called "Jon Bon Jovi: Off the Record".

Polio Giants Week

This was an important week for poliovirus (the virus I work on): Tuesday was the 50th anniversary of the licensure of Salk's polio vaccine strains. Salk attended medical school at NYU, and they have a week long celebration there in his honor. I gave a seminar on Tuesday as part of that celebration. On Monday they had a poster session, with contributions from students from a local middle school. They were great! I was happy to see that many of the students had found our work online, and used our images. By the way, not only did Salk attend NYU, but so did Albert Sabin, whose live poliovirus strains supplanted Salk's in 1961. Furthermore, at NYU Salk worked in the laboratory of Thomas Francis, who conducted Salk's clinical trial of his vaccine.

Yesterday I hosted Hilary Koprowski for a lecture on the history of rabies. Hilary is one of the remaining giants of virology. He developed the first oral poliovaccine, given to children in February 1950, made a vastly improved rabies vaccine, and developed the first therapeutically useful monoclonal antibodies. He's also an accomplished pianist and composer. I had met him before, but it was great to hear his story - he has been around so long, and rubbed shoulders with so many scientists, that he is full of history. I had him autograph a copy of his biography (Listen to the Music: The Life of Hilary Koprowski, by Roger Vaughan) which I will treasure.

Blue Norther

I read the following statement today: "I was taught... to urinate South when a blue Norther was coming through Dallas". What exactly is a 'blue Norther'? Here is the definition, from the Handbook of Texas Online (www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online):

"The term blue norther denotes a weather phenomenon common to large areas of the world's temperate zones–a rapidly moving autumnal cold front that causes temperatures to drop quickly and that often brings with it precipitation followed by a period of blue skies and cold weather. What is peculiar to Texas is the term itself. The derivation of blue norther is unclear; at least three folk attributions exist. The term refers, some say, to a norther that sweeps "out of the Panhandle under a blue-black sky"–that is, to a cold front named for the appearance of its leading edge. Another account states that the term refers to the appearance of the sky after the front has blown through, as the mid-nineteenth-century variant "blew-tailed norther" illustrates. Yet another derives the term from the fact that one supposedly turns blue from the cold brought by the front."

Arm & Hammer

I work in the Armand Hammer building. Someone asked me today who he was, and whether his name had anything to do with Arm & Hammer baking soda. He was a philanthropist and chair of Occidental Petroleum, and his name has nothing to do with baking soda.

Then the question arose as to the origin of the name 'Arm & Hammer'. Here it is:

THE HISTORY OF THE ARM AND HAMMER® TRADEMARK

The ARM & HAMMER symbol was first used in the early 1860’s by James A. Church, the son of Dr. Austin Church, one of the founders of our business. James A. Church operated a spice and mustard business known as the Vulcan Spice Mills. In Roman mythology, Vulcan, the god of fire, was especially skilled in fashioning ornaments and arms for the gods and heroes. The ARM & HAMMER symbol, therefore, represented the arm of Vulcan with hammer in hand about to descend on an anvil.

Church & Dwight, Company Information, History of the Logo
www.churchdwight.com/company/company_information.htm

John Paul II

I heard this morning that the papacy of John Paul II began in 1978. This brought back a few memories from that era - specifically, watching his motorcade drive through central park from the 16th floor of the Annenberg building (5th Avenue and 100th St.). I couldn't see in the car windows, and it was too high up anyway, but the idea that an important person was in there made it a memorable event. I suppose this was during his first visit to New York. A few days later, my alarm at home went off and I heard his farewell speech - of which I only remember 'the kingdom and the power', and his soothing, accented English. 'John Paul II, he's for you' also originated during that trip, I think.

Gee Five

For the record, I started up the new G5 in my office today. Copying all the files and applications from my G4 was a snap - when you start up the G5, it has you connect a firewire cable to the other computer as a way of moving the files. It's seamless and very well done.

The G5 - a dual 2.0 GHz processor model - feels snappier all around. Applications start up faster, and everything is completed in less time. No scientific analysis here, just a happy customer.

The G4 - a dual 1.25 GHz processor, dual optical drives - is now in the lab. It's still a great machine.

I'm looking forward to Tiger. I guess it's not enough to have a new box!

Snapple Caps

Two weeks ago I ran my son's Cub Scout Den meeting, helping them to earn their scientist badge. I brought a box of stuff with me to do demonstrations, and as I was setting up, I noticed a Snapple cap among the material. It had a question on it: Where was the first sailing ship made? So I asked the scouts the question. One boy raised his hand right away, and gave the correct answer: Egypt. I was impressed. Then he told me it was Snapple cap #177.

The moral is, we should have kids read Snapple caps at school, then they would remember things. Having them read books just is not as effective!

Lehman College

I gave a seminar at Lehman College yesterday. This is a small college in Bronx, NY that is part of City University system. The audience comprised mainly undergraduates taking a biology course and a few faculty. They were attentive and asked good questions. The best part was lunch afterwards at Arthur Avenue.

I drove there and back; no weather problems. Next up: University of Michigan in late April.

Boston blues

I spent yesterday in Boston to present a seminar at Harvard Medical School. I know many virologists there and it was enjoyable to speak with them and the graduate students. However, I have vowed never to travel in the winter again.

I left home at 5:30 AM to catch a 7 AM flight to Boston. The weather was mild and I was warm in scarf, coat, and gloves. It was raining. The flight was one and one-half hours late. Fortunately I had not had coffee! When I arrived at HMS, instead of going to my first appointment, I stopped to pick up a tank of coffee at the local Starbuck's. During the day, the temperature dropped slowly, and the rain turned to freezing rain. In the late afternoon I was told I should probably take the train back to New York. By 4 PM my flight had been delayed two hours, to 9:30 PM. I ended up taking the Acela to New York, 3 1/2 hours. Then NJ Transit from Penn Station to the Liberty Airport station (20 minutes), then the airtrain to the parking lot to get my car. I was home just after 11 - and who knows if my flight ever made it.

A miserable traveling day. So what is worse - miserable traveling, or miserable commute? Not a great choice. But that's it for traveling in the winter on the east coast.

Blue sky

Between WNPR stories, they often play a short clip of music that is relevant to the preceeding news piece. For example, a few weeks ago, after an interview with Christo about the gates in Central Park, they played a bit of 'Mellow Yellow' (I'm just mad about Saffron....). Then one night this week they played the guitar introduction from 'Blue Sky' by the Allman Brothers. It brought me back years; I haven't listened to the brothers in ages.

These days, if you want a song, you can get it in minutes. So the other night I bought 'Eat a Peach' from the iTunes music store and listened to 'Blue Sky' this morning driving in. What a great guitar duel - two lead guitars spinning lovely riffs. It is really a wonderful song, inspiring, I might even add.

Miserable traffic

Yesterday was a commuter's nightmare...two and one-half hours to drive in, due to a massive auto accident on the southbound NJ Turnpike, just south of interchange 18. Then in the evening, thanks to the snowfall, another two hour plus commute. Nearly five hours sitting in the car. Good thing I have an iPod...although I like WNPR/WNYC, there are times when I have had enough.

It just goes to show that wonderful AM commute such as that of the past Friday must be savored.

C.S. Lewis

A few weeks ago, while reading "Tolkien: Man and Myth", I became interested in C.S. Lewis, the Oxford Professor who was a great friend of Tolkien. In particular, I decided it would be useful to read "The Chronicles of Narnia", Lewis' seven-volume work.

It was therefore very surprising to read in the New York Times Arts section this past Sunday that the Disney company is preparing movies based on this set of stories by Lewis. Apparently "Narnia" is the last classic set of childrens' books that has not yet been made into movies. Furthermore, turning these books into movies is no trivial feat; one cannot insult those who love the stories for their religious value, nor alienate those not interested in Christianity.

Needless to say, I will be reading these books in coming weeks.

Fifty Minutes

My commute was fifty minutes this morning...door to door, 38 miles, suburban NJ to upper Manhattan. That is because there is no school today, and it is just before President's Day.

It was a pleasure.

If it could only be like this every day, a great deal of stress would be subtracted. I could deal with the commute. But alas, it is like that once a month if I am lucky.

Young Romance

I am writing this post mainly because I want to remember it in 10 or 20 years, and show it to our son.

For some time our older son has professed his interest in a young lady at his school. For Valentine's day he prepared a box of homemade chocolate lollipops and a wonderful, candid, handwritten love note. In the note he professed his love for her, and why he did love her. He read us the note a few days before and I recall it was wonderful. It began with "I am writing you this note to tell you that I love you" and it ended with the exact same phrase - very well done, I thought. In between he reminded her when they first met ("you remember, I walked into class crying"), and that they both wore eye glasses, and many other cute things that I can't remember. This note was delivered to the house of the young lady on the evening of Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, she was not at home, but the Mother promised to deliver the items.

A few nights later the Mother called our home and conveyed the fact that the daughter was not happy with this profession of love. She preferred to be a friend instead, and did not like the contents of the note. Furthermore, the Mother indicated that 'we do not encourage this kind of behavior'. My wife, who took the call, answered that we encourage our children to be affectionated and the letter was consistent with that behavior.

I fully understand if this girl is not interested in our wonderful son. However, I cannot understand the 'we do not encourage this kind of behavior' comment of the Mother. What kind of behavior? Writing notes? For Pete's sake, the kids are 10 years old - it's basically meaningless. What will the parents do when the children are a few years older and become seriously interested in such matters? Will they not be permitted to interact, and thus grow up cold and lifeless?

This is all so bewildering because they are so young and it means nothing. I think it's awfully cute. I wonder if the poor child has been so stifled by the parents that she cannot respond meaningfully to such an overture.

It will be very interesting to look back on this in coming years.

Childrens' Books

Why do I read childrens' books every now and then? I never did before I had children of my own. Books like 'The Bad Beginning', and 'The Artemis Fowl Files'. Not Dr. Seuss mind you, but for a slightly older audience, perhaps 8 years old and up (although I do like Seuss as well!).

For one, childrens' books can be very simply written, which is a delight in itself. Second, at times the plots are not bad. Third, they can be read in a few hours. Fourth, I want to learn how to write childrens' books - I might want to write them some day.

Perhaps best of all, to see what my children like to read! All the childrens' books I have read were first read by - yes - my children!

Leaving the nest

During our visit to Sedona, AZ over Thanksgiving 2004, we were having dinner in the hotel when an interesting event transpired. We were seated at our usual corner table, and this evening an elderly couple was next to us - both in their late sixties or early seventies, she in a wheelchair. Shortly after we ordered I noticed them getting up to leave, and suddenly the lady was next to me, reaching for my hand and introducing herself. She told me that it was so wonderful to see a family together, and began to explain that their children were grown and long gone, and I suppose they both missed doing things with them. We chatted for a while; he is a retired architecture Professor, and he was very much enjoying traveling.

I guess I did not appreciate their angst until tonight, when I was reminded that soon our children will leave, and our wonderful times together will end. It is something to cherish now; I believe I do but I wonder if there is something more I could do to appreciate it. I asked my seven year old boy tonight what I would do when he left; he said that I could come with him, or that he would allow me to see my grandchildren. We have such good times together, and they want to be with us so much, it is hard to look forward to the time when that will no longer happen.

I realize this happens to everyone, but again, everyone is different. I wonder how others cope. Of course, we do have at least eight years in the case of our older one, but still, it bothers me a great deal when I dwell on it.

Today's quote

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

--Mark Twain

Moved again

Just moved this blog to blogger from dreamhost.com, and before that from my office G4. I'm trying it out on blogger now, because I like the idea of being able to post from anywhere; with my other blog, posting involved firing up an ftp client, downloading a template, writing, then uploading. Not a big deal, but this way is much easier. I also like the ability to change the date of the post; I want to back-post some of my old writing with the correct original posting date.

So far I like being able to post from a web browser, anywhere. I also like the simple look.

Today's quotation

Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.

--Elbert Hubbard

(From under the cap of a bottle of Honest Tea).

Today's Quotation

Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.

--Elbert Hubbard

(From under the cap of a bottle of Honest Tea).