Remembering Bill Brainard

There are people you see in life whom you never quite go out of your way to connect with, whom you know would enrich your life but for whatever reason – distance, the routines of your respected lives, work, whatever – it takes far longer to make that connection than it should.

Bill Brainard was one those people, a completely honorable man who eschewed the pursuit of money for the pursuit of helping as many people as he could. He passed away several weeks ago.

While the loss I feel, for not connecting with him as best I could, is substantial, it pales in comparison to the loss that those in his immediate yet broad circle feel, for he helped an incredible number of people directly and substantially.

He was an attorney who worked on housing issues. I once worked on housing issues – trying to insert plans and incentives for affordable housing to be built into the luxury housing that the Bloomberg administration propagated throughout New York, a hypothetical tilt at windmills that never quite worked out (hence our flight to DC because it was more affordable).

The housing issues that Bill worked on were real and immediate, working to keep ordinary or hurting Americans in their homes as the inhumane banks and landlords tried to force them out when rents or mortgages went unpaid. He was a people person, and he embraced both his cases and his clients. Countless colleagues spoke at his memorial service of how special Bill made everyone feel – even as he performed the invaluable service of making sure they did not become homeless.

There is so much to be learned from such an unselfish life. And perhaps the worst of it is that there is one less teacher in the world today.

---

Photos from the reception after the memorial service can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/80262249@N00/sets/72157622291173687/.

If folks want access to other family photos, please shoot me an email.

Out and about...

...and really enjoying the Mini...



Sorry for the delay in posting. FYI, I've started to upload more and more photos and video to our flickr account. If you want to see those (they're not available to the public, sorry) please join flickr (it's free, and simple if you already have email or something with yahoo) and let me know.

Cash for Clunkers

Before:



After:



CJ watching anxiously as the nice car salesman installs the license plates.



CJ found the new car to be just as comfortable, maybe more so.



It's been a busy summer, and I hope that our coming vacation will allow me to catch up and post more photos. The biggest development has to be the new car. It's small, with hopefully enough room so that we can go on vacation (fingers crossed). Overall, we're getting acclimated to the new house, and loving it. Life is going quite well indeed. And it's great that when we finally are ready to move forward with some major life purchases (i.e., new house, new car), the federal government provides some great incentives...

Summer time and the living is easy

It's been a while since the last entry, mostly because moving is, well, not so much fun and moving into a house is, well, not as easy as it looks. But I am happy to report that we are in, the house is shaping up, and the the backyard jungle is just about tamed. Let's put it this way: the tomato plants go into the garden today.

I have to say that living in a house you own is a completely different experience from anything else. In a month and a half, I have taken on the jobs of contractor boss, building super, tree guy, and safety expert. The amount of new knowledge crammed into my head lately has been insane; it's been one of the more enjoyable and tiring aspects of home ownership.

The neighbors to the right of us are nothing short of amazing. Our first night after the move, when we were sweaty, dusty, and swamped in boxes, they brought us dinner. Seafood risotto with jumbo shrimp and scallops. Need I say more?

The other neighbors have all been very nice and welcoming as well, but that seafood risotto will always be one of the tastiest meals I've ever had. Even if we ate it on the staircase (the only flat surface we could find.



CJ, shown here cruising the house with her buddy Tomoki, has adapted marvelously. We were more than a little concerned how she would handle her third major move in two and a half years -- that's a lot of transition for a three and a half year old. But after maybe one rough week, she settled in nicely and is quite happy. She's been helping with the gardening and tree pruning, and even mowing the lawn.

The best part is that yesterday was her second day at the swimming pool and after only a little hestation, she was swimming like a champ. Takes after her mom, of course.

That's all I have for now. I'll have a more complete photo tour of the new castle, and maybe some video of the backyard at some point. Right now, I'm going to sign off, snag the sunday paper, and finish my coffee on the front porch.

Keeping up on current events

Scary headlines just can't chase away the morning appetite, apparently...

Life moves pretty fast sometimes...

There are times when the wisdom of Ferris Bueller trumps everything. "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." And that would be one of the points of continuing this blog, an occasional glance at where things are and how they look.

The latest "distraction" is our hopefully soon-to-be new house. We agreed to the seller's counteroffer on April Fool's Day, of course, and the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of inspections, disclosures, decision-making, happiness, and anxiety. But it is a cute house, don't you think?



Yes, that screened in porch is as good as it looks.

Built in 1927, the house is a "Sears Kit" home, meaning that the blueprints and materials were selected from a Sears catalog and then assembled by a local contractor. It is also in really good shape (for the most part) and has no additions whatsoever (many of the houses here are kinda dull with additions that are even duller).

Aside from being exceptionally cute, the price fit nicely into our budget and we locked up the mortgage two weeks ago, when rates were at an all-time low. We're very happy.

Jammed into all the home-buying craziness was a three-day frisbee tournament where a large number of friends from New York came down to play and visit, and then a spring break-Easter family visit/invasion. Much fun was had, and the dust just settled.







Meg and CJ came to watch one day of the ultimate tournament, which was very nice because, at my tender age I'm not quite sure which tournament will be my last. I am particularly fond of this shot:



So now we brace ourselves for packing and moving, followed by the ups and downs of home ownership. But hopefully, we'll be settling down in our new house for a while. We've been living in transition for an eternity, it seems. It's time to lay down some roots.

they call her...

...bucket head?

Sweet dreams...

'nuff said.

Field of dreams

We've been into milk mustaches lately.



Enough said on that. What this post is all about is a nice diversion that our realtor, Bill, took CJ and I to after looking at yet another house on Sunday. It was so nice and warm this weekend that all the crocuses (crocii?) came out in full force, and seem to have concentrated in one vacant lot. CJ had a lot of fun, needless to say.







If only we could find a house that suited us as well as this field did...

At the zoo

Last Thursday, Mommy called in sick. So I had to take care of CJ for the day. We went to Chinese class and then spent most of the day at the zoo, where CJ bonded with the one panda that mingled with everyone. Afterwards, we went home to make chicken soup. End result: Mommy is all better, and Daddy had a great day.



The previous weekend, we went up to NYC to visit NaiNai and YeYe and Bogey and wish NaiNai a happy birthday. CJ and NaiNai had a lot of fun playing with Bogey in between helpings of birthday cake, of course.

Winter hiking can be fun

You just can't argue with this smile.



After five days in Lisbon, Portugal, and one day in Camden, Indiana (my very first work junket--the Lisbon leg, at least), I was very happy to be home for a three-day weekend with no work to do the entire time!. While Mommy rested, CJ and I checked out a nice piece of woods an hour north of us. Much fun was had, apparently...

Glory Days

CJ's really getting the chord changes down pat, don't you think?

Our new laptop is coming!

Tracking the path of our new laptop (a Lenovo/IBM, made in China). We probably should have stayed domestic, but we are supporting a number of fed-ex depots, from the look of things.

01/30/2009 1:56 P.M.
DELIVERY

LAUREL, MD, US
01/30/2009 4:39 A.M.
OUT FOR DELIVERY

LAUREL, MD, US
01/30/2009 3:04 A.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN

BALTIMORE, MD, US
01/30/2009 2:39 A.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN

BALTIMORE, MD, US
01/30/2009 12:03 A.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN

LOUISVILLE, KY, US
01/29/2009 2:25 P.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN

LOUISVILLE, KY, US
01/29/2009 10:57 A.M.
IMPORT SCAN

LOUISVILLE, KY, US
01/25/2009 8:47 A.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN

ANCHORAGE, AK, US
01/24/2009 5:59 P.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN

ANCHORAGE, AK, US
01/24/2009 3:23 P.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN

INCHEON, KR
01/25/2009 2:10 A.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN

INCHEON, KR
01/25/2009 12:37 A.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN

GUANGZHOU, CN
01/24/2009 9:00 P.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN

GUANGZHOU, CN
01/24/2009 8:00 P.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN

GUANGZHOU, CN
01/23/2009 8:53 P.M.
EXPORT SCAN

GUANGZHOU, CN
01/23/2009 7:00 P.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN

SHENZHEN, CN
01/23/2009 4:50 P.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN

SHENZHEN, CN
01/22/2009 10:58 P.M.
ORIGIN SCAN

CN
01/23/2009 10:02 P.M.
BILLING INFORMATION

Watching history

Musical interlude worthy of the day

Today represents so many things: the beginning of hope in exceptionally dark times, an end to the worst presidency ever, but most importantly the realization that anything at all is possible--that anyone no matter what skin color can become president of this fine country. It's beyond fantastical.

Regrettably CJ had a cold on Sunday so we did not go down to the free concert on the National Mall to see these boys in person. But, in the absence of poetry suitable for today's historic moment, we will rely on Bono, Edge, and the rhythm section.

Oops

In a wonderful moment that perfectly captures how frustrating this month has been, I spilled a cup of coffee on our laptop at home. I thought I was ok until it started making weird noises... Most of the data is backed up, with the exception of photos and videos from the holidays. So I don't know if I'll be able to save those, and I don't know when I'll be able to post any others. Until then, you'll have to make do with the photos from our Hong Kong-Taiwan trip, which you can see on the side column here.

Merry Christmas

In some instances, a picture is worth so much more than a thousand words.

(vacation photos will be posted online soon)

Catching up, all the way to CJ's birthday party

Let's first start out with the best shot from Halloween, when CJ was a pirate (briefly) at her school parade. It was a typical kid's halloween. CJ was sporting an outrageous pirate costume that Meg spent much of the previous two weeks concocting, and all the other kids ooh'd and ah'd over her accessories (which included a well-stocked treasure chest, below).



CJ, of course, took one look at some of the store-bought costumes and got her own case of costume envy. Mayhem ensued. Film at 11. When the the time came to actually go out trick or treating, everyone was so tired of the holiday that we just went to the park so CJ could run around with Tomoki.

The following weekend, we went for a nice walk in the woods with Tomoki and his parents to catch the last of the fall foliage.



The next day, we hung out with Felix, who tried to show CJ just how cool it was to play in a box. From the looks of things though, CJ was clearly thinking outside of the box.



This past Sunday, we took a handful of CJ's friends from school and the neighborhood out for a dim sum birthday party. Much fun was had by all.



We ate at the restaurant's first seating, which thankfully meant a clean floor -- as the kids pretty quickly took the party under the table.



I'm not too sure what's going on here. It's been a while since I was three.



After CJ blew out her birthday candles...



...most of us continued the party at our apartment. CJ and Sloan decided to drive over.



Katherine's mommy read a great story:



And then it was time to open the presents.





After all was said and done, we were wondering what had happened to CJ's guitar and new camera. It turns out that, while she was more than happy to hang out with her buddies, CJ still needs to work on sharing. She chose instead to put her prized possessions under lock and key (or behind bars at least).

Vote early and vote often?

Not in this country. It took us three hours and twenty minutes to vote this morning. No one told us we were supposed to be disenfranchised.

Here's CJ, contemplating our country's future:



And if you haven't voted already, what on earth are you waiting for?

UPDATE: Unlike the last two elections, enough smart people voted so that the good guy actually won. Every now and then, this country can be quite an amazing place.

Plug for a non-Pug and that singular breed of human known as Birders

Home for a Husky and the timely A Husky Howl-O-Ween are the first in a series of children's books a dear friend of mine from high school has written about a nature-loving girl and her canine companion.





CJ was howling with joy upon receiving the advance copies; a million thanks, Rebecca!



For more information about "The Husky Tales," visit wolfjumppub.com.

Luke Dempsey, the significant other of another high school bud Liz, has just published A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All.



The book is touted as "an environmentally sound This Is Spinal Tap with binoculars." Armchair amusement for us nightowls -- who who!



Read The New York Times review or check out this recent interview on the Late Late Show.



Better yet, have one fly off the shelf to you from Borders or Amazon.

Liz, I would love a copy (hint, hint). P.S. Sending it by carrier pigeon would be just fine.