[top secret]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Scott Iekel-Johnson > Date: January 16, 2012 9:36:41 PM EST To: “Moran, Brian” >, “Gill, James” > Subject: Separated at birth?

[cid:D0351D2A-3B7D-4AD4-8FDC-6A43B1115711@globalsuite.net]

Today was normal in most details. I will recall as many normal details about today as I can.

Woke up with E in the middle of the bed carrying on a thorough conversation nobody else could understand. And at 5:30 AM, didn’t really want to.

Sat down to work on the couch at 9 when she went for a nap. Had 2 emails from SS and 1 from RS already in. Talked with SS on the phone right up and into the 10 AM “call” I needed to get to (that’s E).

Listened to Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream on the way to school.

Went home for lunch, watched an episode of Futurama. Booked it back for the 1 PM call.

Worked right up until 5:58 and got my head wrapped around something … looked up a moment later and it was after six. Almost missed the feeding of the sweet potatoes.

Sandwiches for dinner, exactly what I was hoping for.

Watched a couple episodes of Mad Men. Scribbled this down, retired.

Who knows what of these details will be interesting in the future. Any? What else is to be said about a normal day?

I am always amazed at people who can predict the future with any amount of accuracy. At the end of 2010 I found JWT Intelligence’s publication “100 things to watch out for in 2011” and it was reasonably accurate. At least enough that I wasn’t flatfooted when things like 3D printing, tap-to-pay, e-book sharing, and CAPTCHA advertising showed up.

Somehow, I lost that link during the year but kept thinking of the presentation.

So now, here it is for future reference … and also the link to “100 things to watch out for in 2012”

Thank you, http://www.jwtintelligence.com/

Got this far primarily on caffeine and nervous energy. Certainly not making much progress on the resolutions. A couple of other folks I know have told their resolutions and they are primarily rules for restricting or forbidding. My resolutions this year are all for doing. Some are for doing daily, some are six-week-or-so projects, some are things to be done once, some are things to be planned or saved toward for months and then executed. I wonder about myself with this. Is it an age thing? Am I getting lazy? Have I been down that path?

Anyway, I have commented all week at how many exercisers I have seen out in the fairly mild winter weather. Hey, good for them, right?

If one of my resolutions is to take notes more, and I’m writing now for the 3rd time in 6 days, I’m at 50%. To some extent it comes down to having a time to do it, to making it part of the daily routine. This is sitting down to scribble in a text file for 15-20 minutes we’re talking about, not run 5 miles. For context, one of the things I tried to work out today was a regular time to take a shower during the week. That would be nice.

Watched Lost In Translation again, there is something that happens in movies and — i feel like — in the real lives of smart people. When a conversation is over, they walk away. When the figure out that someone around them is a jerk, they immediately distance themselves.

T-rex arms, they really are kind of funny. Aren’t they?

There’s something I should note here for posterity, and that is that KB is a better wordsmith than I am.

The Flyers lost the winter classic to the rangers in philly. Hopefully 24/7 makes hay out of it.

Downtime with Jeffy was great. I have almost forgotten what that feels like. I gave him a gnome stamp and he told me the story of how it became a thing with him. Short version: accidentally and at college; like so many other stories that people become known for, I guess.

Evie’s night time cough is strange, she coughs three or for times but can’t seem to catch her breath in between. And although I’m told that babies don’t have “productive” coughs, I feel like hers us because I hear her swallow afterward. And then her breathing goes back to sounding perfectly normal. To quote our pediatrician on xmas day, “I hate this [HSV] virus!”

Two Amy’s makes good pizza, but not so good that the fuss and crowds are worth it.

…and many other thoughts that slipped away today…

Now we begin a conversation of how a want to define our lives. Of what we want the next part of our story to be. I/we need that. We are really so happy and comfortable here we could stagnate, I think.

Happy new year.

One of my resolutions this year is to resume noting observations and such. Here is as good a place as any, so, welcome to my steamed consciousness.

Here its my complete list of resolutions: Get house financing in order. Get photo and music files organized and accessible. One hundred pushups. One hundred situps. Run 1-2 times per week. Get college savings in order. Online coffee. Eat fresh food: Fruit daily. Salad 2-3 times per week. Fix up ricco.

Here we go.

“I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” — Ayn Rand, Anthem 1946

Aim to succeed wildly and be fulfilled by failing really well.

SAMSUNG

Art deco ceiling of newark penn station waiting room.