WEBSITE2008

Events of 2008

Jan 1. Annual cheese and wine extravaganza at the Solomon's. Many acquaintances renewed through the organizational efforts of Susan Solomon. Love their house: designed so that you can see parts of the entire house (with the exception of the bedrooms and baths) from the living room.
Jan 9. My week as a computer geek. Yesterday I spent 2 hours at the Princeton Library watching Bob Keith assemble a computer while he lectured on it. Why do it yourself? It's a hobby, really. The argument that it's cheap (about $350) doesn't hold water when you realize that you still have to supply an operating system and software. If you want to use open software, you have to download and debug it. You pay in either time or money. Today at Frist I heard a lecture on Google, especially Google research, by Nancy Pressman-Levi. It is interesting that Google will translate articles from a dozen or so languages into English. Tomorrow there is another talk at Frist (PU) on Vista, the new Microsoft operating system.
Jan 10. For me the most interesting aspect of Google is Google Docs, which were not discussed yesterday at PU. Docs allow access to free alternate versions of Microsoft Office and enormous storage capabilities. Using these facilities, you can access files everywhere without carrying around a computer. It is unclear how this will play out in the future. My guess is that major corporations, for reasons of security, will prefer to handle document storage on their own servers and storage facilities, but small businesses and individuals may find the Google alternative attractive.
Jan 29. Exhibition-- Life's Pleasures: the Ashcan artists at the NY Historical Society. Paintings of leisure and relaxation--cafes, restaurants, theater, parks, bathing beaches--of the people of New York during the turn of the century by the NY realist painter group referred to as the Ashcan group. A glimpse of NY life in the pre radio, TV and internet age. How did they entertain themselves?
Feb 8. Dinner at the Santa Fe Restaurant in Rocky Hill with the Grey's and the Youngs. Good food and reasonable prices among congenial people, including the waitress.
Mar 12. Exhibition of Minoan art from Crete, 3000-1100 BC at the Onassis Foundation at 645 5th Ave, at 52nd street. First palatial civilization in Europe. Many of the finds, such as representations of a bull, double-edged axes, pots, tritons, dolphins, and starfish, many of them from the ruins of the palace at Knossos, excavated around 1900 by Arthur Evans.
Mar 18.Some good news on the health front. Biopsy tests taken by Dr Eng during my last colonoscopy were perfectly normal. Final test--CAT Scan-- coming up in a week or so.
Mar 19. Had bad smoke inhalation from an overheated teflon pan a week or so ago. Smoke alarm (now replaced) not working, unfortunately. When I looked up from my computer the house was filled with fumes. Seemed OK, but developed flu symptoms a day or so later. Still not fully recovered.
Apr 14. MUSIC FOR MARIMBA AND PIANO at Windrows. Unusual combo of Luba Sindler and Greg Giannascoli from the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. Well received by the retired folks at Windrows, who are urging us to move into their retirement community. Our listing agent is Margie Tucker 609-520-3700.
May 28. Back to the relative calm of Princeton after our sojourn to Dublin and Newton Abbot. What did we meet on our first day--the front door key was broken (call to Sanders Lock brought help within two hours rather then the two days quoted); the old lawn mower wouldn't start (fixed by a visit to Sears, who had a $129 sale on their basic Briggs Stratton model); there was an infestation of carpet beetles in the purple room (fixed (?) by a Raid bomb). Should we have come back?
May 29-31. Annual Princeton P-Rade of Alumni. Heard talks on a virtual walk through Rome by Prof John Pinto of the Art Dept and observing the birth of the universe by Lyman Page, prof in Physics Dept.