Bill Watt’s Blog

Seems like quite a decent number of posts but really, seems like I’m not doing enough. I have a ton of thoughts and need to be better about writing them down.

I’m adding a new category to my blog and a new thing I want to think about as I go day to day and that is how to live a sustainable life.

I’m not talking about going whole hog and only eating what I grow organically in my front yard but instead want to think of how to live a life that gives back more than it takes. From now on this category on my blog will track my attempts to do a better job at it.

I’m not trying to make a self promotional thread but given it is a public blog, you can think what you want. I also don’t expect everything will be a success but it will be a trail and error that hopefully will be more success than failure. Also, if I do the right things, maybe something that my nephews can learn from as they make their way.

I was just this minute writing a “Happy Birthday Jen!” and “Happy Birthday Eric!” post for Jen Mozeiko and Eric Swanson when my sister-in-law called to tell me that she just delivered a healthy baby girl. So, now I know three people with birthdays today!

Hope you’re all having the bext day ever.

So, on Sept 4th we mark the 4 year anniversary of eBay acquiring FairMarket. Interestingly enough today marks the 6 year anniversary of the round of layoffs where Amelia and Jen were in the “go” room.

Best excahnge of the day:

Statement: “But I’m B2B!”
Response: “Not any more.”

I heard their new daughter arrived on Thursday. Congrats!

Yesterday was the closing on his house in MA.

I visited there pretty much every year I can remember growing up, went for at least one Christmas to visit Grandma and Grandpa without Mom and Dad as a kid, and lived there for about 10 years after college during my, “Oh my God… I have to work for the rest of my life. What now?” phase.

It was good to go back at the end of may and move out most of the rest of my junk (thanks to Mom, Dad and James for getting the very last of it mailed out) and to spend some time with Grandfather. It was also good to see him near the end of my sabbatical but never again will we be in that house that he built while my dad and uncle were just kids.

Some of my fondest family memories are of sitting in the kitchen on summer nights with my grandparents and parents and drinking hot tea (with milk per the style in the Old Country). It was something we did because it was my grandparent’s home and that’s when they would sit and talk before going to bed each night.

Looking back now I can imagine how they would work all day in the opposite of my Web 2.0 world and then take that time to sit and catch up. Funny how talking about my grandfather makes me really miss my grandmother. I wish she could have seen the world as it is now (with the exception of the global political garbage) and to see how her grandsons turned out.

If you ask my brother he’ll tell you I was her favorite but I think the combination of me growing my hair to hippie lengths and those awesome great grandkids would have made James the favorite hands down.

There is a thought that has been brewing this week and waiting for a few free minutes where it can become a blog entry. Now is the time and here is the idea.

Alice often jokes that I prefer her when she is sick because I can take care of her and she doesn’t have the energy to fight back. I have come to the conclusion that this is not the reality but instead it is that Alice achieves a Zen like openness that allows her to see and accept things beyond her normal perception. For instance, that I am most often right in what I tell her.

Here is the short list of what would normally be revolutionary changes in Alice’s behavior that, in the context of her being sick, make me think she has transcended to a higher plane:

* When told she had to stay home she went and got her blackberry and put it on the table next to the bed without once hissing at me
* When told to put socks on when walking around the house… she did
* After heading back to work later in the week she used her blackberry to let me know she was at the doctor’s office getting checked out
* No, you don’t understand… the last one is huge. Normally I can never find her and here she is using technology to let me know she’s ok.
* After we got her work laptop setup for her WFH day she looked at me and said, “I think I need a new laptop for home.” 2 years of me saying that and today she suggests it… that’s progress! (PS- I try to explain to her that I only support hardware less than 3 years old and anything between 2 and 3 is begrudging at best)
* Tonight while telling me how she’s using the blackberry more and more for work when out of the office and she joked about how soon she’d be checking emails over dinner. I fell in love with her all over again.

Yes, I know… first world problems.

It is amazing to think it has been 4 years since Alice’s mom passed away. She would have loved to see the life we’re building out here even if it is 3k miles from home and the family. She would have loved visiting… especially during the winters.

Anyway- if I’ve never told you about her mom you can read about her here.

LOL… as I read this story I’m reminded of so many things about Sarah. You see, she and I got along great. No one ever accused either of us of holding back an opinion. When I read this line, “Those who spoke at the service included… William Watt, a friend of Sarah’s daughter Alice; ….” it makes me think of the first big party Alice threw for her mom.

We had moved into our house in Chelmsford and were having a 1 year survivor party I believe. Well, the place was packed as friends and people she’d met during her treatments filled the place. Alice had of course gone all out cleanign and decorating and Sarah was oh so proud to show it off and to introduce her kids to any who were new to the mix. She kept walking around saying, “Don’t you love Alice’s new house?” and from time to time would offer, “and have you met Alice’s friend Bill?”

I let it go the first couple times but again, not one to hold my tongue. I finally pulled her aside and said, “Come on Sarah, friend is the best you can do?” She replied sheepishly, “Well, I don’t know all the right terms.” Big smile and then she continued, “How would you prefer to be introduced?” I replied, “How about the guy that pays the mortgage?” She found the term boyfriend worked pretty well.

Even after all my hard work carving out my own place in the world the people in Carlise, where Sarah was a very big fish, will think of me as “a friend of Sarah’s daughter Alice.” I guess she won that one after all.

I wish my hosting provider would let me have more control over my blog. My old blogger account gave me way more access to the CSS and let me load all kinds of cool plugins and tracking tools. Oh well… maybe someday.