The Next 24

When the twins turned one, I’d become accustom to sleep deprivation, and used those night time hours to create “The 1st 21 Months”, a Movie documenting the journey that led up to their first birthday. When they turned 2, we’d moved, taken a new job, bought a new house, and were at the heights of stress. So in filmmaker terms, the project was shelved. Today, 08/26/06, they turn 3. Two days ago, I got that typical, creative, ‘wild hair up my butt’, so to speak, and made an aggressive effort (two very late nights/early mornings) to make up for the missed year, and encompass the last one as well. Thus the title,” The Next 24“.



As it says in the end… to be continued…

Do Psychics Run In The Family?

When I came home this evening and, talking to my wife, relayed the details around my conversation with my mother and learning of my father having been a twin, something pretty wild happened. When I told her what his sister's name was, she gasped, stepped back and had goose bumps raise on her arms. She explained to me that just yesterday, while watching our daughter playing in the park, she suddenly thought, regarding her name, "she'd have been a good 'Amelia'"! She even said she ran the name repeatedly through her head... "Amelia"... "Amelia"... "Amelia"... pretty freaky. Makes you wonder about the timing and coincidence.

By the way, we'll be open for palm readings this weekend, and all forms of payment will be accepted.

... and a GPS Chip In Every Child

Today's work day was interrupted by a phone call from my wife, in a state of sheer panic, over the disappearance of our son at the 'Children's Discovery Museum'. He'd disappeared by the entrance, was no where to be seen inside, and did not respond to her repeated efforts to locate him. He was not outside either.

I was on my way within 60 seconds, the only thing going faster then my heart were the wheels of my car...

Do Twins Run In The Family?

Ever since the kids were born, people who find out I have twins usually say one of two things: "Did you do IVF?" and "Do twins run in your family?". My typical response to the first question depends on who's asking, as it's a relatively personal question to be asked by the 17 year old gum-snapping Britney-wannabe sliding a pack of pull-ups over the bar code scanner at Target. The 2nd question is usually answered with "Yes, they run all over the place" or "No, we did IVF". Until now. Until a conversation this morning in which my mom casually mentioned that my father was a twin.

That's right. My father was a twin and I didn't know about it. Or I forgot. As it's been relayed, I was told about it years ago, when I was around 10, but at the time my comprehension was probably limited or my focus was more on fireflies and snow angels. That, or the power-hits I took off a joint from a very attractive girl at a Police concert in 1980 really did have something other then pot in it. In either case, I've been reminded, and it's pretty stunning.

The reason I don't have a stronger recollection of Amelia Louise Mitchell is that they were premature and she [yes, he was a boy twin to a girl sister, just as is my own son] did not survive more than 6 days before passing away. So it's probably nothing that he would have had any conscious memory of, nor would I have any recollection of as a face at our birthday parties or somebody else who'd have been involved in our lives.

Does this make me think that our having twins is genetic? Absolutely not; IVF is IVF, in which one takes a relative gamble and chance at having multiples, and it's a given that this was the cause. Had it not been IVF it'd clearly be a genetic thing.

But, what this does make me consider is, had she survived, how would his life have differed? He'd had a pretty rough childhood... was her passing a contributing factor in any way, direct or indirect? Had she survived, would her presence have made things better, or perhaps worse? And what about my own life; what changes and influences has her not being here caused?

I know, it's a complete unknown, but it does make one pause and think about how each and every minor nuance in your lives, everything from the way you're greeted by a colleague, all the way down to the absence of somebody you never even knew existed, might impact your life in one of many ways, both good and bad.

Take a power-hit and dwell on that for awhile. :-)

Pitch Black Comedy

I went with my four good friends tonight to see ‘Lewis Black’ at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, an outdoor theatre. Just as the warm up act was leaving the stage, the speakers went *pop* and the power went out for the venue. The staff improvised, putting large candelabras on stage and using a power generator to drive the audio and a weak spotlight. The show went on, was fun, but the conditions proved more distracting then optimal for a standup routine, for myself and perhaps for Lewis as well. I’ve greatly enjoyed all of his CD’s and consider his topical humor and social observations to be akin to those of such greats as Bill Hicks and even Lenny Bruce, but this particular event was not quite up to par, or the bar i’d set going into it. It was still a great evening out with friends, though.

A Screw Loose

Allow me to vent. I just set about a ‘quick fix’ of something in the house, and wanted to capture my frustration with screws. It’ll have certainly be one of my ‘pet peeves’ whenever I get around to documenting them. WTF is it with the concept of/retention of the ‘Standard’ vs ‘Phillips’ head screws? Once we had the ‘Phillips’, what possible benefit/reason is there to still produce and sell the ‘Standard’. They suck. There’s nothing about them that is functionally superior to the ‘Phillips’ style, which is far easier to use and does not slip about, not to mention the hassles of switching between screwdrivers or bits. So why are they still out there? Can’t we recognize and evolve, even if it’s just in tools and hardware? Grrrrrrrr.

Conquer Haste

My Aunt, who recently visited us and stayed in our home for a few days, sent a package to us via my Mom. I stopped by this morning, en route to work, already well behind schedule and under the gun with a full day’s worth of work to accomplish in what never amounts to a full day’s worth of time.

When i picked up the package, I was momentarily tempted to start exploring the contents, and suddenly thought of an insightful passage I’d read many years earlier in ‘Zen in the Martial Arts‘. It gave me cause to take the box with me and go through it this evening when I can be ‘in the moment’.

The passage from the book is as follows:

I was having tea with Master Han in his office when the mailman arrived with a letter from the master’s family in Korea.

Knowing he had been eagerly anticipating the letter, I paused in our conversation, expecting him to tear open the envelope and hastily scan the contents. Instead, he put the letter aside, turned to me, and continued our conversation.

The following day i remarked on his self-control, saying that i would have read the letter at once.

“I did what I would have done had I been alone,” he said. “I put the letter aside until I had conquered haste. Then when I set my hand to it, I opened it as though it were something precious.”

I puzzled over this comment a moment, knowing he meant it to be a lesson for me. Finally I said I didn’t understand what such patience led to.

“It leads to this,” he said. “Those who are patient in the trivial things in life and control themselves will one day have the same mastering in great and important things.”

I need to do this more often. I only seem to be able to stay this conscious every now and zen.

I Almost Lost My Header

I’ve been searching for some time for the original ‘header’ for my website, and stumbled across it tonight. This was a custom ‘cluster’ of icons and images I put together way back in 1999-2000 when i first started geoffmitchell.com. It was intended to represent the many areas I hoped to focus on, from movies, music, technology, photos, rantings and more. I played with a few updates tonight and eventually tossed them out, wanting instead to honor the original vision. Sure, it’s a bit outdated, as the video tapes and bondi-blue imac imply, let alone it’s ‘pixeled’ appearance, but it’s just what it was some 6-7 years ago. That’s ~23 in web-years.

Kids Make Me Sick

We had to cancel plans to have friends over for dinner tonight and it started me thinking about the change that kids bring about relative to your health and the health of your friends. As I told my pregnant friend today, there are two scenarios on the horizon for the next few years of her life; you’ll have friends call and cancel due to their kids being ill (desired) or you have friends arrive a bit late and attribute it to their child having had violent vomiting and explosive diarrhea fits on the drive over…. which they explain just in time for you to see your kids sharing sippy cups… lovely.

When you have sick kids, you tend to get sick as well, as do your friends and their kids when they play together. It’s a given. Hugs are exchanged, food is prepared and passed, kids cuddle or worse, sneeze without forewarning….so when you have friends with kids, or even far more important, friends that are pregnant, you’re doing them a great favor by being considerate of their health.

Observations On The WWDC Keynote

Like many long time Mac users and definitely, as an Apple Employee, any time we get to hear Steve speak, we look forward to walking away mesmerized and enthused. The man is a truly dynamic and captivating speaker, and has the ability to rally the troops like no other. Having worked at Apple under Scully, Spindler, Amelio and Jobs, no leadership besides that of Jobs has taken Apple forward and upward.

Yet at this years WWDC Keynote, as the press appears to have noticed as well, it was not quite 'up to par' with most of his previous speeches. Even my close friends and co-workers were surprised at the handing off of many portions of the keynote to other leaders within the company while Steve stepped back into the sidelines. Also, many have commented on his appearing thinner than usual.

I have my own thoughts on this, some echo that of the popular press and others are more 'first hand' observations.

Working at the Apple campus in Cupertino, you have the opportunity to encounter Steve on campus, and in the last couple of month's I've found him in the cafeteria as well as ended up sitting, unintentionally, within arms reach on one occasion. I had the initial 'shock' of having seen him thinner than usual, but at the same time, when put into perspective, the man's had a battle with cancer, and that can take it's physical toll, regardless of the success of the surgery or not. Also, Steve's a staunch vegan, so his resemblance to the wafer-thin checkout clerks at Whole Foods might also be based on the diet practices.

What I can say is that the times I've observed him on campus, he's always appeared to be as animated, engaged and enthusiastic as always. Sitting beside him and Jonathon Ive, one can only hope to pick up tidbits of the conversation.

WWDC is about Developers. The keynote was tailored to just that; what developers needed to know. It was not about iPods, Media Centers, Phones or all the other speculations that ran rampant before the conference. And in that context, I thought the presence of additional executives related to those areas was a good opportunity for their visibility as well.

Are You Dying For A Soda?

Yes, that’s a harsh title to use when posting links to reports of the effect of soda’s on health and weight, but it’s also an ultimate truth; if you don’t pay attention to what goes into your body you can expect it to respond adversely. I’ve had my shared of periods of constant consumption of Coke, Pepsi, etc…. but being in the mindset of a parent and of trying to get back into shape means being aware of what you’re consuming and its impact on your body. For a while there, I’d have a Pepsi and try and ‘hide it’ from the kids in a large cup. They’d say ‘Soda? I want soda’. Insert shudder here. That helped me stop that trend, and these reports might help you do so as well if you’ve not already.

Report Says Sugary Drinks Pile on Pounds
Singling out soda pop justified, say experts

A Little Crowing

Allow a proud parent a moment of ‘Jagger-esque’ strutting… our daughter was tested for preschool placement, and although she’s not quite 3, the results put her in 4-year old + ranking for language skills. Although he was not formally tested, they expressed a similar feeling about her twin brother as well. Insert big grin here. :-D

You Already Have a Portable Security System

Next time you come home for the night and you go to put your keys away, think of this:

It’s a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation.

Start keeping your car keys next to your bed on the night stand when you go to bed at night. If you think someone is trying to get into your house, or if you hear a noise outside your house, just press the panic alarm on your car key chain. Test it! It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar or rapist won’t stick around…..after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won’t want that.

Try yours to make sure it works before you rely on it. Just know that you must press the alarm button again to turn it off.

And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.

This is something that should really be shared with everyone.