Recap of 2008

• I went to Chicago for the first time. The architecture was beautiful. The local food was quite good, nearly as good as the Neapolitan fare I had in 2007.

• Cycled through New York City and reconnected with old family relations.
  

• Kept up with the martial arts. Competed twice.
  

• Almost up to 5 years without a broken bone!!!
  

• Worked another year with Python and Plone. Started to work professionally with Django.

• Stayed with NASA. Managed to see my team evolve into a group that doesn't make me want to pull out my non-existent hair.

• Launched our big project at work (http://nasascience.nasa.gov)
  

• Got my son into physical fitness again.
  

• Shaved my head.

• Got our finances more in order.

• Helped shepherd my students forward for the most part. I'm so proud of them.
  

• Didn't lose anyone close to me.

Update:

• Worked with Alex Clark to launch Take Back the Tap.

• Helped support Food and Water Watch.

• Lasted another year (4 years) at NASA.

• Had a painful kidney ailment in the spring that was a combination of bruising and dehydration.
  

NYC cycling ride part 1

The night before we decided to wake up at 5:30. That would give us time to get dressed, eat, and take a leisurely pace to get to the ride start, south of Central Park. We woke up at 5:45 because I mis-set the alarm in the room, but JSR had also set his cell phone. Breakfast was bagels with cream cheese and a slurp of watered coffee.

We arrived 45 minutes early. It was damp and chilly. I don't like chilly. I grumbled about the cold while JSR took pictures. It was impressive the number of cyclists there. You can get a small sense of what we were in right here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jsaintrossy/5BoroughsRideNYC/

The ride finally started. Except for the first mile or so it was mostly a walk. Heck, in the first mile I probably did 10 beats on the pedals. Everyone had a great laugh at this. Things did pick up, but not until Central Park, which is where Roxanne started her ride.

More to come...

Best NYC trip ever!

This weekend I went up to NYC with a co-worker (JSR) to enjoy the famous 5 Boros Ride. We stayed with my family, specifically my mother's cousin and her husband, Roxanne and Michael. And all of it was great.

Our hosts were wonderful. They made very certain we knew how to get there, and even me with my bad sense of direction felt I could navigate there if needed. Their condo in Harlem was light and airy, large but cozy. Roxanne made an incredible lasagna for dinner the night before, which has spoiled me for life. More family came to share dinner, including their grown daughter Rose (who seems to have inherited all of the positive Aaron traits and none of the negative ones), her sister Diana and her husband Aria, and their adolescent daughter Jordana. It was Rose' birthday so we indulged in her ice cream cake.

The ride itself deserves its own post. Lets just say it was wonderful. More to come...