CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Bill Pam and Nolan
Sunday Dinner

0504 -    ..
0505 - Summary/Objective
0506 -
050601 - Follow up ref SDS 5 0001.
050602 -
050603 - Visited Pam and Bill for dinner today.
050604 - ..
050605 - Nolan is growing fast in a lot of ways.  He already weighs about
050606 - 65 pounds, and is only in the 2nd grade, so growth in stature is
050607 - remarkable.  But, in addition, he shows a lot of character for his
050608 - age:  well mannered and attentive, responding with deliberation in
050609 - conversation, which indicates an interest in the world beyond the
050610 - moment.  Nolan is attending a summer camp sponsored by a local school.
050611 - There are a wide range of activities that give kids the chance to
050612 - participate in sports, crafts and games, similar to recreation in the
050613 - Cupertino area when were growing up in the 50s.
050614 -
050615 - Today, we played catch with a soft ball that was okay for throwing in
050616 - the house.  Nolan is very skilled for his age.  He has a much better
050617 - sense of hand-eye coordination now, movements are smooth, well timed,
050618 - and on balance.  This is a lot of improvement from a year ago when we
050619 - threw the ball around, on 990531. ref SDS 3 AV4I  Bill mentioned that
050620 - Nolan plays ping pong at summer camp, which helps develop hand-eye
050621 - coordination.  Tumbling and trampoline can grow strength, coordination
050622 - and balance.
050623 - ..
050624 - Bill coached Nolan's little league team to the championship this
050625 - past season.  Nolan pitched the last few innings of the game, and shut
050626 - down the opposition, even though he is one of the younger players.
050627 - Pam is already an accomplished "fan," getting nervous seeing her son
050628 - out there competing with the other kids.  Bill is considering coaching
050629 - again next year, which requires, not only helping the kids, and
050630 - dealing with opposing choaches moved by the heat of competiton, but,
050631 - also, accomodating parents anxious about their child's opportunities
050632 - and progress.  Since Nolan's team won the championship, there will
050633 - likely be a lot of support for Bill to manage the team next year.
050634 - ..
050635 - Nolan is following in his Dad's footsteps.  He got his hair cut
050636 - short, like Dad, which may have caused Mom to pause; and clearly
050637 - shares his Dad's passion for baseball.  Nolan offered to demonstrate
050638 - growing prowess with a baseball computer game he likes to play,
050639 - Backyard Baseball.
050640 -
050641 - Pam noted that Nolan had already spent 3 hours today playing the
050642 - baseball game, and so suggested not firing up the game before dinner.
050643 - Advanced graphics have made computer games attractive to young and old
050644 - alike. Nolan's interest shows in part success of Intel's planning on
050645 - 970603 for increasing sales of high performance computers that are
050646 - essential for games. ref SDS 2 4486
050647 -
050648 - Bill is in wireless telecommunications.  His company was recently
050649 - bought by Marconi, which reflects broader changes occurring in the
050650 - industry, reported recently during a conference in Paris, France.
050651 - ref SDS 7 FM6J  Bill related challenges wireless consumer products,
050652 - like a Palm Pilot, face in attempting to generate sufficient for R&D
050653 - to discover how to create something useful, discussed by Landauer in
050654 - his book reviewed on 950710. ref SDS 1 3848 and ref SDS 1 3Y7J
050655 - ..
050656 - We reviewed impacts at PG&E suffering from both economic
050657 - slowdown reported on 001207, ref SDS 4 V54M, and a financial crisis
050658 - caused by energy issues this year.  Pam mentioned her group has
050659 - vacated offices that were being leased, and is now in the main office
050660 - across the street on Beale.  Another indicator of trends in
050661 - telecommunications is deferring or cancellation of a fiberoptic
050662 - project PG&E was developing, reported on 010111. ref SDS 6 0001
050663 -
050664 - Bill has a meeting in Texas tomorrow, where his group reports, and
050665 - plans to connect up with Pam for a visit in Chicago on Thursday.  They
050666 - will see relatives, including Millie's Uncle Joe, who has recently
050667 - been living in a nursing home, due to infirmity from advanced age.
050668 -
050669 - They, also, plan to see the Brewer's play in their new baseball
050670 - stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
050671 - ..
050672 - For dinner, Bill barbecued chicken.  Pam prepared broccoli, and
050673 - Millie brought potato salad.  It was a big hit with Pam and Bill, but
050674 - not Nolan.  Bill complimented Millie's potato salad, saying it
050675 - reminded him of the dish his grandmother made.  Nolan is not yet a big
050676 - fan of potato salad.  Past experience tasting prevented discovering
050677 - today whether Grandmother's potato salad might justify a different
050678 - conclusion.
050679 -
050680 - Bill asked Millie, who turned 65 this past January, if she has
050681 - retired, or is considering retirement soon?  He related hearing
050682 - discussion to this effect from somewhere, and asked if this is true?
050683 -
050684 - Millie indicated planning for retirement in the next few years, but
050685 - not in the near term.  Recent concerns about blood pressure issues
050686 - might adjust that planning.  Her doctor posed the proposition that
050687 - tensions at work may be contributing to high blood pressure, so that
050688 - is a factor to be weighed carefully, along with pressures at home.
050689 - ..
050690 - After dinner, Nolan showed his birthday present, upstairs in his
050691 - room, which was squared away pretty well.  That, in itself, is a big
050692 - accomplishment for a young person his age.
050693 -
050694 - Pam got him two pet Geckos, which are small lizard like creatures that
050695 - originate in Pakistan or Afghanistan.  Nolan let us watch the feeding
050696 - procedure that entails processing live crickets in a kind of powder
050697 - that adds nutritional value, and/or makes them attractive to the
050698 - Geckos, and then placing the crickets in the Geckos' cage. The male
050699 - ate three, but the female only ate one.
050700 -
050701 - Nolan noticed that two of the 6 crickets on the menu this evening were
050702 - "lucky."  They were removed from the pen to live another day.  This
050703 - combines lessons in mathematics with social conscience.
050704 - ..
050705 - After they finished eating the crickets, Bill brought the
050706 - Gecko's out of the cage for closer observation.  He showed how they
050707 - make good pets by not trying to run away and hide.
050708 -
050709 - Nolan, also, showed his hamster.  Millie held it and noticed how
050710 - sensitive and responsive the hamster is to attention, reflecting the
050711 - care Nolan is providing.  The hamster's cage seemed to have a lot of
050712 - features, including a running wheel for exercise.
050713 -
050714 - Millie invited Pam to stop by for a visit one day next week, before
050715 - leaving on her trip to Chicago on Thursday.  This would be a big
050716 - thrill for Millie's friend, Marilyn, who coincidentally is visiting
050717 - here for the next few weeks from Chicago.
050718 -
050719 - Pam will try to work in a 10 minute visit.  There a of things to do in
050720 - preparing for her trip.  Nolan's summer camp is near the Pleasanton
050721 - BART station, which takes more time for travel; there is laundry and
050722 - last minute shopping to get ready for the trip, plus her job at PG&E 3
050723 - days a week, so there may not be enough time to visit before leaving
050724 - on Thursday.
050725 - ..
050726 - We are picking up Marilyn at the airport tomorrow.  She will be
050727 - here for about 3 weeks, so hopefully there will be time for everyone
050728 - to get together during her stay.  Pam indicated Steve is planning the
050729 - annual houseboat vacation for mid-July, which is just about when
050730 - Marilyn will be leaving.  Figuring out how to make time for family and
050731 - friends is a lifelong job that brings joy and commitment that enables
050732 - families, communities and great nations to endure.
050733 -
050734 - Nolan is fortunate, like his cousins, to have a family that puts
050735 - family first, and provides a sustaining environment that offers many
050736 - opportunities for a promising future.
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