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While we were eating dinner tonight (hamburgers… yes its relevant) the subject of pirates came up. Ruby is very concerned about pirates, and how they might steal her or eat her. She asked what we were going to do about pirates, so we (of course) took the opportunity to turn the question around… Parent: Do you have any ideas Ruby? Ruby (immediately) : I know, we could make a note that says “Pirates don’t steal our boat”, and we could put it in a bottle and send it to them, and then they wouldn’t steal our boat. ...

On Sunday Ruby and I headed out for a test hike in Monte Bello Openspace Preserve. The hike starts a few thousand feet up, close to skyline, and heads deep into the mountains above Silicon Valley. I was impressed with Ruby’s ability to hike for several miles (4 to be precise) without a complaint. The hike was a consistently steep upward slog on the way in, and a nice downhill run on the way out. We stopped about every quarter mile for a snack. I’m not sure that Ruby was tired, or hungry. I got the feeling that she just liked making camp for a minute. Some of our snack stops were barely enough time to catch our breath, but it seemed to be enough for the boo. Here’s a picture of us at the “Last Muffin Stop” which was actually the third from last break of the hike. ...

When we were over at our friends house a few weeks ago ruby fell in love with a nightgown. Last week Ruby and Vick went fabric shopping and by Friday, Ruby had her first nightgown. I think its quite the item.

Victoria and I built a secret garden in our back “yard” yesterday. Vick has been talking about this for a few weeks/months now and the weather and my new found productivity finally converged in a favorable way. I can’t wait to see what it looks like in bloom.

Tonight I said goodbye to Kristy our hair stylist of 10 years. It was – oddly – the hardest thing I’ve done in quite a while. Carma Hair Company is in San Bruno, a one hour drive during rush hour. We have been commuting between thirty minutes and one hour for about seven years, and it just got to be too much to justify. What we’re saying goodbye to is a salon that treats its customers like extended family, and the easy comfort of a big thanksgiving dinner. I’m going to miss the playful banter, what-ifs and did-you-hears that every trip promised. Goodbye Carma, I hope to be back someday!

I was as surprised as anyone when Ruby was called up to test tonight. She was asked to perform four forms and do some rolls. I was completely floored when she executed two forms that I didn’t even realize she could do. Her Uke (Jonathan) was fantastic, as usual, and really helped her to be her best, but in the end, it was all Ruby. She is now 10th Kyu. Congratulations sweetheart!

It all started last weekend when Ruby and Anika started angling for a sleepover No Ru, you didn’t have a nap today and it just wouldn’t be a good idea, Vick calmly states. I will have a sleepover, Ruby corrects. Ruby, listen to your moma, she said no, says I. Daddy, Anika and I will have a sleepover tonight, she insists I don’t know exactly how it happened but the next thing we know Jennifer is trying to figure out how to ride three kids home on her bike, and we were all happily joking about the padawan in our midst. The force is strong with this one. After three or four more successful executions of her new skill, I felt compelled to impress upon her that no sometimes does mean no. You can guess how that went.

Olive rang in her 1.5 year birthday like a princess. I arrived home to both kids yelling “ta-da” and showing me their beautifully painted faces. . We had some wonderful fajitas for dinner and then a 6 minute chocolate cake with home made whipped cream for desert. Olive reveled while Ruby led the group in a round of Halfy Birthday to Olive…

Last night I roasted my first batch of coffee in 5 years. It was a Sulawesi Enrekang “Mount Alla” (from Sweet Maria’s, of course). I roasted it to Full City, as recommended. The first shot was sweet, earthy and fruited (apparently fruity isn’t good), with a tiny bit of sour. The sour was most likely due to extraction, and not a characteristic of the roast or origin. All in all I was quite pleased. ...

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I’m going to leave this world better than I found it. This is a bugaboo of a thing to spend any time worrying about because the scope is grossly un-bracketed. I could satisfy my sense of social responsibility by creating an organization that brings food or educational resources to third world countries, or by raising two fantastic children who carry forward the same desire to do good. ...