Another Tooth

The Big News this week is Madeleine's front tooth, which fell out Tuesday while at Kew Gardens (pictured). "Dad! There was blood everywhere but I wasn't scared" she tells me breathlessly. The tooth had been wobbling for the past two weeks and it seemed she was playing with it ALL THE TIME or at least WHENEVER I AM LOOKING. So happily the Tooth Ferry delivers £2, which is the going rate on the playground.

In the pool, I tell Madeleine I will give her one M&M if she swims a lap: "No way, dad" she replies.
Two?
"No."
Three?
"No."
Four?
"OK- but it's not because I want to."

While driving, I ask the kids to keep their eyes open for the hotel. Madeleine from the back: "What will you give me?"

Half-term

This week has been school half-term, which basically means 10 days of holiday or hardship for working parents like us. Happily Natasha has a busy program and the kids have been to the movies, had play-dates and visited Hampton Palace where the hedge-row maze kept them entranced. Today, while Sonnet works away, I take Eitan and Madeleine to Marlow on the Thames next to Henley and nearby Oxford. Marlow is charming but it ain't Italy or Spain where most of these Brits seem to go this time of year. That said, we're staying at a five star hotel complete with pool and room service. And limitless movies! I tell the kids we're going to Hollywood and they have been abuzz since Monday. We arrive and head straight for the pool - no disappointment there following two hours and pruny hands. The Little Shakespeares now watch the movie "Mr Bean" and wait for their cheese burgers and chips. Yum!

I wonder aloud where the traffic is going on the crowded M40. Eitan replies "they must be going to our hotel" and Madeleine: "We will have no where to stay!"

Madeleine is motionless in the pool. I ask if she is peeing and she replies, guilt all over her face: "No dad."

And more: "Remember that time on holiday when I peed in the Jacuzi?"

I overhear a conversation in the bathroom about peeing. Madeleine insists girls have it better off because they sit down. "Well" counters Eitan "that doesn't work very well if you are away in nature."

Practice Makes Perfect

Eitan is a serious footballer, and so we practice at a nearby common Saturday afternoon. I have him running all sorts of drills including fast-breaks, ball control and one-on-one's with me. When I tell him his shoe's untied and steal the ball, he is pissed off: "No trash-talking dad!". 

Later walking home I ask him what kind of an office he imagines for himself one day and without missing a beat: "Old Trafford" which, of course, is Manchester United's stadium. 

Our weekend is otherwise routine: swimming practice Sunday morning for Eitan; performance and singing for Madeleine. Sunday is spent with friends Ramsey and Jennifer in Hamstead on a beautiful autumn afternoon. Ramsey used to work for the Prince Al Walid of The Kingdom and the fifth wealthiest person on the planet. The Prince is a night owl who arrives at his offices after noon then works until 2AM. Ramsey and he shuttled from meetings in a private jet - in this case, one of two 747's housed next to the office and private run-way. Jennifer is from up-state Michigan and their children are about the same age as ours. In other words, just your normal London family.

Tower Bridge - 1892

Ah, the Tower Bridge. The crossing opened in the twilight of the 19th century following 8 years of construction work. Prior, over 50 Tower designs were submitted, including one from Sir Josepth Bazalgette who built London's sewer system, before Horace Jones took the cake (Jones was one of the judges). Two massive piers, containing over 70,000 tons of concrete were sunk into the river bed to support the construction. Over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the towers and walkways. This was then clad in Cornish granite and Portland Stone, both to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the bridge a pleasing appearance. The original raising mechanism was powered by pressurised water stored in six hydraulic accumulators which were replaced by new electro-hydraulic drive system in 1974. The longest span is 61 meters while the total length is 244 meters. It's not the Golden Gate but is equally iconic as a working architecture: over 40,000 cars pass daily.

"It represents the vice of tawdriness and pretentiousness, and of falsification of the actual facts of the structure"
H. H. Statham"Bridge Engineering", Wiley, 1916.

"A more absurd structure than the Tower Bridge was never thrown across a strategic river"
Brangwyn, F., and Sparrows, W.S., "A Book of Bridges", John Lane, 1920.

Photo thanks to Creative Commons Attribution.

Dave Ellis - A Self Portrait

Dave Ellis models his inner Storm Trooper, sent from London via me. This is a nice seguay to Eitan's schoolyard where the kids trade action figures. Eitan gets a free start when neighborhood pal Jackson gives him Luke Skywalker which is then traded up for Venom (from Lucas) and then Thumper (from Harry). The ultimate prize is Spider Man and the boys huddle around an outside table and share notes on value. Thumper BTW is one foot and has a wind-up arm that destroys any standing plastic. Of course: No Girls Allowed.

Cal vs UCLA at the L.A. Coliseum and England vs South Africa in the World Cup Rugby championships. Another Big Day of sports.

Madeleine plays "LeapPad" (a touch-and-sound game) telling me her favourite instruments are the Drums and the guitar - she will begin lessons shortly though not the drums.

Shamrock

I enjoy a day-trip to Dublin and sneak a visit to the National Museum next to Trinity College. The museum enjoys Western Europe's largest collection of gold casts dating from 1200 B.C. There is also a gallery dedicated to the 795 A.C. invasion of the Vikings, who had a lasting influence on the island's civilisation: the Nords introduced modern weapons (many gruesome devices like the two-sided axe with nail-like thruster), farming techniques and eventually currency which was used to trade with bits of Europe. Dublin herself is a Viking city and today is one of Europe's fastest growing capitals - evident by the traffic and property value, which makes even London blush. The city looks rich - not the case as recently as two years ago - with a new highway tunnel connecting the airport and an inner city tram system. The BBC surveyed 11,200 residents of 112 urban and rural areas in 2003 and Dublin was found to be the best capital city in Europe to live in, and Ireland the most content country in Europe. I pinched this photo from the WWW and unfortunately cannot spot a four-leaf clover.

Ireland's recent wealth BTW has accumulated from 1986 when Ira Magaziner, who famously created the New Curriculum at Brown University, advised the country to reduce corporate taxes (today, 12.5%) to attract Big Business from Dell to Pfizer

Georg Baselitz

I visit the Royal Academy to view a retrospective of the German artists work. It is dark, gorey, confused, bleak and angry and includes well known paintings "B for Larry" (pictured), "Oberon" and "Big Night Down the Drain" which is a gruesome self-portrait of a boy masturbating. The painting was seized by the police at its showing in 1961 and kick-started Baselitz's career, which began in earnest in the 1950s. He was otherwise trained in East Germany before moving to West Berlin. During his formative years, Baselitze was profoundly effected by Germany 's wretchedness during and following the War - and his work seeks to communicate its deprivation shockingly. And he succeeds.

Joey Turns One!

Joey Junior celebrates numero uno and Joey Senior serves up the cake. It is always even odds as to who is having the most fun at the party. This morning is Harvest Festival at Eitan and Madeleine's school and the children march into the Tim Bernard Lee Hall full of joy and vigor - Head Master Elaine England does a fine job settling them down and orchestrating a number of autumnal songs like: "red, orange and golden brown - see! the leaves are falling down." Madeleine in the front row is wonderfully off-key and Sonnet and I are delighted as her voice soars across the auditorium. Sonnet gives her a secret double thumbs-up, which makes her glow. From the festivities I assist Eitan's teacher in the class-room and today's lesson focuses on imperatives which, the teacher explains, "are bossy instructions." The kids get this one pretty quickly, especially the girls who have younger brothers.

Sweetie Pie

Moe and Grace's cat, photographed by Katie, relaxes in Berkeley. Madeleine fell in love with SP at first sighting two summers ago and chased the cat around the house. Now, when we call home, Madeleine asks about SP and to talk to her. This has fuelled her desire to own a cat (or dog) and we have promised when she is a teenager: and so she saves away. Sweetie Pie replaced beloved Pootsy ("stinky" in Italian - thank you, Katie) who was feral and the runt of the litter. Grace found Pootsy in a vacant Oakland lot befriending her with tuna before throwing her into a pillow case and bringing her home to Euclid. She led a good life, as does SP today.

FAD

Here I am in Madrid next to the Prado museum during the Great Internet Bubble (yes, the Internet has outlived the title of this blog). For those lucky enough to experience the thrill of it all - the world was, and is, at your finger tips quite literally. While I founded eZoka.com too late in Cycle I to earn the spectacular windfall of many of my West Coast brethren, the experience was nonetheless rewarding and positive. I learned, for instance, that there is love in action: and no regrets doing a thing with conviction. The momentum from then carries me today.

Snapper

Eitan shoots away at Kew; skull courtesy of Aunt Martine for the early Halloween. I'm up at dawn to do my power-walk, check email and listen to the Stereophonics. Power walking, for the record, is not a replacement to running but easier on the bod. Afterwards I shuttle the kiddies to school bumping into the usual suspects on the way. It's a good community vibe and the children chat about who knows what? while the parents compare notes on nits or the moment's passing subject. Today Eitan has Spanish which he looks forward to. "I also speak Italian!" he exclaims.

Shai

Shai is a friend from Columbia Business School though we met in London. Before CBS Shai procured weapons for the Israeli government. Now, he invests in clean-tech for Sir Richard Branson. He is a serious guy. This morning I sit in Madeleine's class and smile as Mrs. Reynolds takes the children through their steps. The kids are asked to draw the various ways they got to school - walk, scooter, car, plane - which are then used to create a pictorial. We compare which methods are most popular, counting the totals and the differences. Mrs Reynolds explains that a pictorial is an easy way to see the difference between things. From there, it's indoor pe then lunch. Fun!

"I brushed my teeth with gun powder!"
Eitan uses my sodium bicarbonate toothpaste

"It just takes me longer to chew!"
Madeleine wales, always the last at the dinner table

"Chips! Cookies! Chocolate! Sweeties! Coffee cake!"
Belt Eitan and Madeleine when asked their favorite school lunch

Sunday at Kew

Yesterday morning we meet Shai and Ada Weiss and their boys Yuval and Ynon. Photo of Madeleine at Climbers and Creepers, an indoor play area which, among other things, has a living bee-hive where the insects enter and exit via a system of see-through tubing. C&C is experience oriented which means the kids run amok and here I chase Madeleine to her delight and my exhaustion. Otherwise Kew is the temporary home to 32 Henry Moore bronzes which spread across the grounds like something from the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." Several years ago Sonnet and I visited Moore's work at a sculpture garden in West Yorkshire which was by itself cool but the scale and farm-like setting made it more so. Any case, the kids love climbing in and out of the sculptures which seem to welcome their participation.

"The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for the rest of your life. And the most important thing is, it must be something you cannot possibly do. "

and

"To know one thing, you must know the opposite. "
Henry Moore (1898-1986, England)

Poppy

This is Camilla's dog Poppy, which the family picked up Sunday morning. Camilla has been anticipating the family addition for some time and Paul has prepared her for this new responsibilty with a play-game offering pointers on pet care. Very 21st century. Madeleine is jealous (of course) but we have promised her an animal when she is a teen-ager. Madeleine is saving her allowance. Coincidentally, Poppy is a dead-wringer for Paul in the back seat driving home from Natalie and Justin's dinner party late Saturday night.

Augghh!

England football defeats Estonia 3-nil. England rugby defeats France 14-9. But Cal, number two in the country, can't get their business done against unranked Oregon State in Berkeley. Worse, top team LSU is upset by Kentucky so if the Bears had won... we would have been Number One for the fist time in six decades. Well of course the season is not over and a Rose Bowl appearance is still a possibility (we haven't been there since '59) but Cal is out of the hunt for the best team in the nation and the Championship Bowl in January. I am resigned to a sense of inevitability but thought we would have another week or two before our history came crashing down on the Bad News Bears. One Boiler Maker please!

But wait: the Bears fight back! In one minute Cal scores, recovers the ball and moves to Oregon's 12! But red shirt freshman quarterback Riley doesn't throw the ball away! He takes a sack! the clock runs out - no equalising field goal or game-winning touchdown! Stunning. Fuck. I'm bitter and going to bed with a head ache.

Cone

Photo from the La Veta, CO, country store (elevation 7,100 feet) in July. I walk the kids to football at Palewell Park and Eitan and I discuss cement. He's curious to know what it's made of and why it "sticks" (there is construction work on Vicarage Road as the Victorian water pipes are replaced). Madeleine is in the first group so Eitan and I play tennis - he's keen to learn and why not? From there, I watch Madeleine hustle back-and-forth during a mini-tournament: No goals from her but not for want of effort. Eitan jumps onto the pitch following Madeleine, who is picked up by Sonnet to go to "performance class" in Richmond- acting and singing lessons with her fellow blue Jaye's. Eitan's group plays other teams and he is no longer the best kid on the field now that he is one of the youngest. Still, he's skillful and thoughtful with the ball and the new grouping raises his game.

This is a BIG day for sports: England versus France in the semi-finals of World Cup Rugby; England versus Estonia in a European Cup qualifier and #2 Cal versus Oregon at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. All are key games but the rugby has captured the country's attention since England are World Champs from '03 (the rugby cup is played every four years). France is the better and bigger team but England pulled off an upset against Australia last weekend so who knows? Personally a Bears defeat would be a greater set back as Cal has not been ranked like this since the early 1950s. Enjoy it while it lasts, I say.

Maxïmo Park

Last night Sonnet and I catch the utterly cool Maxïmo Park, whose name comes from Maximo Gomez Park, a Havana meeting place for Cuban revolutionaries. Despite this, the band formed in in the Midlands' Newcastle. Their 2005 release "A Certain Trigger" was one of the best Brit-pop albums of that year and rose quickly on the charts. Last night's show was energetic.

Madeleine is still fixated on global warming and asks: "will it kill the rain deer?" (her thoughts on Christmas).

This pretty much sums it up:
"The Nobel Committee's recognition of Vice President Gore shines a bright light on the most inconvenient truth of all -- the selection of George Bush as president has endangered the peace and prosperity of the entire planet,"
John Edwards, the 2008 White House contender

Franz West

While we are on modern art, I've been invited to Franz West's opening at Place Vendome in Paris next week. West was born in Vienna in 1947 and here is what he as to say from artseensoho.com:

"Early On I realized that the purely visual experience of an artwork was somehow insufficient. I wanted to go beyond the purely optical and include tactical qualities as well. My works aren't things one just looks at, but things that the viewer is invited to handle. There have been many theories of art that try to break down the border between art and the world, but I don't find such attempts to be particularly meaningful. Art remains art. I really see my work as quite compatible with the l'art pour 'lart philosophy. One may think that I try to bring the art object out into the world since my works sometimes appear to have a practical function, but really it's the other way around: things in the world can, under certain special circumstances, enter the realm of art. And, in fact, once they have entered this realm they are art."

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen

In Dusseldorf yesterday I visit the Kunstsammlung, which houses art from the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. A mediocre collection is housed in a spectacular building, which opened in 1986 - pictured. Before, the art was located in the small castle Schloss Jägerhof in the Hofgarten (Central Park of Düsseldorf) but soon outgrew its space. The museum consists of two wings: K20 (twentieth century with deep point on classic modern art) and K21 (artwork beginning from the 1980s). The U.S. is represented with work from Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol. Photographers include Andreas Gursky (who I love), Candida Hofer, Thomas Ruff and Thomas Struth and Jeff Wal. A nifty display on moving film is exhibiting but I found this rather shallow excluding one display of five reels showing different stories with antagonising words: "Jill climbs the electrical tower." "The tower maintains 240,000 volts." "Jill drinks vodka" and so on.

Last night watching "March of the Penguins" I tell Madeleine they are all goners due to global warming. This morning Madeleine tells Sonnet that we have to stop driving our car "because we are going to kill Santa and the penguins!"

Brixton

Sonnet and I catch the Editors last night at the Brixton Academy - pictured (Christian and I saw them recently at San Francisco's Fillmore). The concert is sold out and probably the biggest the band has played. Matching the moment is loud- very loud- rock and roll snatching influences from Joy Division and The Cure. Our date begins at a cool gastro-pub underneath the rail tracks and we watch the interesting people sail by including blacks, the ubber cool and down-and-outs, models and beggars - in other words, this is an up-and-coming part of London and still raw. 


Brixton's ethnic mix is striking and African-Carib. Unlike whitie, the brothers live their lives on the street corner talking, selling, hustling, smoking and gossiping. Our block has no similar gathering point unless you count the school drop. Brixton has no public space yet masses of people making a cramped, urban feel. The neighborhood is famous for its riots in the '80s, jerk chicken and weekend markets where one can buy halal meat, a pink wig or just about anything.

Master Eitan

Eitan rides a donkey at Tia and Stephen's farm. Unlike horse fur, donkey fur is not waterproof and so donkeys must find shelter when it rains. Donkeys have larger ears, pictured, than horses to hear the distant calls of fellow donkeys, and to help cool the donkey's blood. I also learn that a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse (the reverse, the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey, is called a hinny). A female mule is called a "molly." A jackass, a burro and a donkey are different names for the same beast. And there, my Equus-loving friends, you have it.

Madeleine continues to bring things to school for show-and-tell but really, I think, to receive some attention from head teacher Mrs. Reynolds. Items rejected include my passport, mom's pearls and other decorative bobbles, Thomas Pynchin's "Gravity's Rainbow" (that was this morning), clocks, walke-talkies and other items which somehow match her code. Today Sonnet decides enough-is-enough and we lay down some rules: Monday's only. Madeleine cries, whines and begs to take something today and I relent, telling her that if she presents a reasonable argument we may allow her an extra day. A condition, however, is that she must write her position on a piece of paper. We shall see where it goes.

Bendigo

This is Bendigo, Nathan's dog on the farm. Bendigo is a cross between greyhound and dear hound - a breed popular with groundskeepers in the early 19th century. Nathan figures the dog can make 40 mph on the trot - he's certainly lean enough. As for the name Bendigo: In 1851, Mrs Margaret Kennedy and Mrs Farrell, wives of two farmhands from the Ravenswood sheep run, found gold in the Bendigo creek. Word of the discovery spread quickly and soon after the township of Sandhurst was established. By the 1880s, the city was considered the richest in the world due to the size of the local goldfields and many dogs across the Commonwealth got the name "Bendigo."

We watch Sir David Attenborough's acclaimed series on the oceans "The Blue Planet."
Madeleine sees a killer whale eat a seal: "Dad, why does stuff have to be so mean to stuff?"

Madeleine: "What can lightening do to a fish?"

Eitan, seeing a wave: "Surfers would most definitely like that tunnel."

Eitan, listening to the tides on the t.v. show: "It sounds a bit like Connecticut."
And a little later: "No, definitely not Connecticut."

Sack of Potatoes

Nathan tosses gleeful, unrelenting, Madeleine: "Again! Again!" she shouts. Dana and Nathan are the kids' God Parents - we have known Dana twelve years from New York and Columbia; she has lived in London the past eight or so. We spend Sunday with Nathan's mum and step-father at their 17th century farm house aptly named "Sunnyside Farm", which is warm and cozy and perfect for an overcast fall day. We and the kids pick decorative gourds and blackberries (last of summer), ride donkeys and horseplay for most of the afternoon. For lunch with champagne, Tia makes a thick English stew with multi-grain bread. Everybody is sad to leave and Eitan hugs Nathan good-bye.

Ass

Major-General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the sixth Duke of Westminster, is Britain's third richest with an inherited fortune of £7 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List (he trails only Russian robber-baron Abramovich and Lakshmi Mitall, the steel magnate). The Duke is also Major-General of the Territorial Army, and likes to be called "Your Grace." The General's fortune comes from his property and 156,000 acres of land in Britain including 300 acres in Mayfair and Belgravia. He also owns large estates in Lancashire, Scotland and Cheshire, home to his family seat, Eaton Hall. Gerald's assets have an estimated worth of £11 billion and turnover of £508 million in 2006. Ain't it grande?

The Legend of Pappy Waldorf

Cal moves up a spot to Number 2 on the NCAA football rankings, the highest the Bears have been since, my dad points out, the days of Pappy Waldorf. So who is Pappy Waldorf, and when were those Golden Days?

Pappy began his major college career as head football coach at Oklahoma A&M from 1929 to 1933. In his five seasons at Oklahoma A&M Waldorf went 34-10-7, won three Missourie Valley Conference championships, and never lost to arch-rival Oklahoma. In 1932, Waldorf was also promoted to Director of Athletics at the school. Nevertheless, in 1934, Waldorf was coaxed north to Kansas State, to replace Bo McMillin as football coach. Although Waldorf only coached K-State for one season, 1934, it was a remarkable year, as Kansas State captured the Big Six Conference championship – the first Big Six title in football for the school.

In 1935, Waldorf moved again, to Northwestern, where he would remain head coach until 1946. In his very first season at Northwestern, he was named college football's first national coach of the year. In his second season, he took Northwestern to the Big Ten Conference crown. His 12-year mark at Northwestern was 49-45-7. While at Northwestern, Waldorf also convinced future legend Otto Graham to try out for football.

As head football coach at Cal from 1947-1956 and where Pappy's life becomes interesting, he revived the program and established a 67-32-4 record. His teams were undefeated for three seasons, 1949-1951, winning three Pacific Coast Conference titles, and qualifying for three consecutive Rose Bowls. Waldorf also posted a 7-1-2 record against Stanford. After retiring from Cal in 1956, he joined the San Francisco 49ers head of personnel and scouting, remaining with the team until 1972.

Photo from the Cal website.

Kate and Wills - Back On

We are are all pleased and relieved - especially the paparazzi - that the Prince has finally returned to his senses and picked up his relationship with Kate Middleton, who has stolen Britain's heart with her down-to-earth style and rugged good looks (they broke up, dear reader, in April). On the balance, Wils is fast losing his hair, has no career prospects whatsoever and doesn't seem particularly involved in charities or world travel. He's frequently pictured stumbling from Boujis or some other Mayfair nightclub and even the dreadful Harry is making ground on him. So all I can say is: "Thank God for you, Kate" who single-handidly restores some dignity to this situation.

I fly to Bad Homborg then Hannover yesterday, returning to London and my blog today. Meetings go well with the fall-like weather and I have dinner at Titus- one of best in Lower Saxony. It has been a while since I have had foie gras but man do we indulge last night in what becomes a five course meal with three different wines by dessert. This alone makes the trip worthwhile but everything else makes it better.

Wilfie and Bertie

The boys before football at Palewell Common. Saturday morning, rain or shine, hot or cold, us dads are out there on the pitch drinking coffee, comparing property values and talking about the boys' prospects. It's all about us, you see - never mind those playing. Wilfie, on the left, is destined to be a world-class rugby player. He's only five yet twice the size of Madeleine who herself is a big kid. Brother Bertie is a gentle natured soul with a mean tackle which has been known to make a boy cry. Eitan and Bertie have known each since Montessori at St Mary's in Mortlake.

"They say football is a matter of life and death - but it's more important than that."
Bill Shankly, footballer and manager for Scotland

“Me having no education. I had to use my brains"

“Aim for the sky and you'll reach the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you'll stay on the floor.”
Bill Shankly

Texas Funny

A man walks into the produce section of his local supermarket and asks to buy a half head of lettuce. The boy working in the department tells him that they only sell whole heads of lettuce. The man insists that the boy ask his manager about the matter.
Walking into the back room, the boy says to the manager, "Some butthead wants to buy a half head of lettuce." As he finishes his sentence, he turns to find the man standing behind him, so he ads, "And this gentleman kindly offered to buy the other half."

The manager approves the deal and the man goes his way.
Later the manager says to the boy, "I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of that situation earlier. We like people who think on their feet here. Where are you from, son?"
"Texas, sir", the boy replies.
"Well, why did you leave Texas?", the manager asks.
The boy says, "Sir, there's nothing but whores and football players down there."
"Really?", said the manager. "My wife is from Texas."
Replies the boy. "Who'd she play for?"
--Joke from Dale West

Happy Graduation!

Sonnet's cousin Molly, center pictured, surrounded by her family at her graduation from Denver University where she studied International Affairs. On the far right is husband Tim, who everybody calls "Tim Bob" (don't ask me why). They enjoy their honeymoon year. Bravo and bravo!

This morning I am up with Sonnet at the crack of dawn to swim some laps at the Richmond pool. I think I am a better swimmer today than 20 years ago - at least my technique has improved. I now try to stretch my stroke as far as it can go, and use force underneath my body feeling the water. These sound like obvious things but when I was younger it was all about turn-over. Many times gold medalist Matt Biondi took six or seven strokes per 25 yards whereas I was around 18. Any dummy can do that math. Still, my freestyle took me to Junior and Senior Nationals and of course Norcal and the high-school swimming championships. College was less satisfying but I had my moments at Brown too.

Madeleine gives me a ferocious hug last night and says: "I wish I could do this all the time" and when I tell her she can, Madeleine notes "I'm so happy you are my dad." She dampers the feel-good mood by telling me she once hated me "but I changed my mind" she says. And thank goodness for that!

Monday

I start my day in Richmond Park doing a power walk and checking emails. It is dark in the mornings now - the earth's tilt, as at last week, ensures equal parts day and night. Sonnet heads to the V&A to take down her exhibit and return the Costume Gallery to its permanent collection. She's a bit wispy about this I think. I and the kids head for school and I assist Eitan's teacher with her in-school chores - mainly filing and sorting. I also assist the kids with their reading and today, gulp, they are introduced to multiplication. Man, try explaining this to a seven year old! It strikes me that the girls have an easier time grasping the concept of a times table simply because they appear to have a greater ability to focus. I give encouragement and examples, which is like throwing a chair of the titanic at this stage. Practice will make perfect and we all have faith that the lads will come through.

Eitan, after I inform him that he "will be in Big Trouble, mister" if he ever says "Blah! Blah! Blah!" to Natasha again, writes: "Blah! Blah! Blah!" on three pieces of paper which he shows Sonnet during a cross exchange. I must say we are both gob-smacked by this cunning.

More sports excitement: Cal to be ranked No. 3 in the nation following its win over the Oregon Ducks Saturday. The Women's World Cup is won by Germany, who defeat Brazil 2-0. The German ladies did not allow one goal throughout the tournement. The NY Mets collapse on the last day of the baseball season, losing 8-1 to Florida and so fail to win the Division Title or advance to the playoffs. Three weeks ago they were seven games up. The Mets' slide is compared to the '62 Phillies, who proved equally impotent in the home stretch.

Sportif

Today marks a busy sports weekend: on the top of the list is Cal's defeat of Oregon at Eugene 31-24 in a thriller which ends with the Ducks fumbling a completed pass into the end-zone giving Cal a touch-back instead of a tied game. The Bears are 5-0 with a legitimate Heisman candidate in DeSean Jackson (11 catches yesterday for 161 yards) and will remain ranked at least fifth in the country. USC on November tenth looms large assuming, of course, the Bears don't cough up the season to a lesser team. Boy have we been there and done that.

Today is the Berlin Marathon, one of the world's fastest, and the great Haile Gebrselassie indeed breaks the World Record with a time of 2:04:26. That is 4:42 miling for 26 miles - God Damn! While lifting weights, I watch the inspiring Paula Radcliffe (pictured, photo from the WWW) take second to American upstart Kara Goucher in the Great North Run, which is the world's largest race with over 50,000 runners. Kara's first half marathon nets 67:45 - a new American record. That chick has got some legs under her. Closer to home, Eitan starts his Saturday at swimming practice then football, where he has advanced to an older, and better, group of boys - despite this, he scores a goal and is chosen "Player Of The Game." (Madeleine misses out as we bring the wrong shoes to the pitch). Finally, Sonnet is up at 6AM today to jog eight miles around Richmond Park. We are loving life.

Eitan 7

Somehow we have a seven year old in our house, and to prove it we host a birthday party for 20. The theme is football - of course! - and the entertainer takes the kids through various games before the thing is turned over to twixes, chocolate cake, mini-sandwiches, sugary drinks and potato chips. The token carrot or vegetable forgotten - why bother? Drugged up on sugar the kids go bezerk and I take them into the joining sports field to run them around some more: "Dog pile on Samuel!" I shout as 20 kids go for it leaving the kid in tears. They chase me like the pied piper but with murder in their eyes - scary, really. At the end Eitan is flooded with emotion and tears as he realises his party is over. "Cheer up" I say. "Halloween is next month." Pictured clockwise from Eitan are Oscar, Tobais, Samuel, Harriet, Hannah and Imogen.

Madeleine: "Dad who is the second cutest girl in the world - after me?"

Eitan to Natasha, who is scolding him for walking away: "Blah! blah! blah!" (This gets him into plenty of trouble with Natasha and us)

Eitan gets a remote control tarantula as a birthday present: "This is what I've always wanted!"

Ashling, Joe-Y-H's mom, informs me that Eitan has been telling everybody at school that she is giving Eitan a Playstation for his birthday. Apparently, she tells me, Joe informed Eitan that Ashling would buy him one because "you and Sonnet won't."

Super 39

Katie turns a year tomorrow - bravo! (photo from Rob and Sloan's wedding) This has been a good one too: cover story in the New York Times, women's op-ed project, corporate trainings at Lehman Brothers, Stanford University, Merrill Lynch and others and a visit to Florida and Haiti to bring exposure and perhaps justice to one of Haiti's most notorious villains who was, strangely, a lottery ticket winner now living in America. Katie interviewed him last week in Haiti. My sister otherwise is an Upper West Side chick and has great friends in New York especially the women I've met who are writers, film-makers, philanthropists and trend setters- all are part of a cool crowd of sisters doing it for themselves. My sister's remarkable skills include an uncompromised view on fairness, a stubbornness to get things done the right way, an intolerance of dolts, an unbound generosity towards others especially her friends and a heart of gold. Oh, and she likes to have a pedicure every now and then. Happy birthday Katie!

"No wise man ever wished to be younger."
Jonathan Swift

The Definitive Wedding Photo

Here is the defining weekend photograph taken by pro Steve Wrubel. This week my blog has been filled with images of Santa Cruz and David and Sarah's wedding but how rarely do I have the chance to see everybody together and so festive? The last instance, I believe, was Jasper's wedding in Palm Desert two years ago. Somehow the stories get better, the kids arrive or get older and we observe each other with ongoing continued fascination.

Sonnet wraps up her NY Fashion Now this week, taking down the exhibition one piece at a time. Before it ends, Mary flies in from NY to see the show, God Bless Her. Sonnet also provides an evening tour for the school PTA and 25 women, including Mrs Scotland, the Head Mistress, who glam it up from the neighborhood and spend an evening in the museum. Everybody has a great time, drinks too much wine and allows Sonnet to be charming. She raises £600 for the school. Our position in the community rises a notch or two. Go Sonnet.

Jasper

Here is Jasper, another long-time Berkeley friend dating to at least seventh grade when he was adored by King Jr High's tweenie crowd for good reason.

So, let's see- after returning to the UK Monday, Sonnet and I caught Feist at the Shepards Bush Empire. Her voice grainy and memorable, hitting high octives easily while her songs tell interesting stories. I was pretty knocked out from the flight but we had a fun catching up date. The next morning I fly to Geneva and then Helsinki where the bulk of my week has been with investors for my French fund Astorg Partners.

In Geneva with several free hours, I visit Piscine des Vernets where I swam with Geneve Natation 1885 during my exchange year in 1983/84. It was a trippy experience - nothing has changed and the lighting and mood brought back old memories of what was, I now appreciate, a hard 16th year away from home which nonetheless I was fortunate to have. My exhaustion eventually catches up to me and the Hotel Kamp in Helsinki fails to honour my wake-up call as I rise, dazed and confused, at 10:50AM. Shit! Missing one meeting already, I blast out the door for the next (the Kamp, the best hotel in Finland according to Conde Naste, comps my room those bastards).

Thank goodness I am now at home - yesterday evening Eitan and Madeleine look up from the cartoons as I walk in the door - just for an instant- and give me their big smiles. What a good life.

Heathrow

As far as I am concerned, Heathrow Airport is one of the worst in the world despite being the busiest in the world. The airport has only two runways, compared to three at Frankfurt Airport and four at Paris CDG Airport. Heathrow Airport's runways operate at 98.5% of their permitted capacity so there is no room for error, which in fairness occurs infrequently. That said, getting to, around or through the airport can be a disaster and the continual ongoing construction is less than inspiring. Last year 68 million "guests" passed through Heathrow, which was meant to "process" only about 40 million. The new Terminal Five, opening sometime God Knows When should reduce the congestion and, we hope, make for a world class experience. Of course it will increase air traffic and void our efforts to reduce CO-2 - but so what? Weirdly there is almost always a largish group of people regarding the jets as they land - this photo taken by one of them. The wacko plane-spotters set up picnic parks as close to a runway as humanly possible for the jet crushing thrill of it I suppose.

London return

Tyler and his daughter Caitlin. I arrive in London yesterday morning and spend the afternoon unpacking and catching up on some minor work. The kids return in the late afternoon from play-dates and Madeleine sees me from down the block and comes racing into my arms. Her first words: "Did you bring my present dad?" Lucky me that I was able to find her requested walkie-talkie and Eitan's binoculars. Eitan is a bit more reserved when he spots me after a week apart but I happily hug him nonetheless. Aggie arrives at 7PM to babysit and I meet Sonnet in Shepards Bush for dinner and to see Feist, a great band that caps off a joyous return home.

Here is Ben Price who has been rolling with my camera- see below "Sunday." Ben is an icy kid and all-Berkeley meaning he is a Bears football fan - not surprising as Ben's father represents the Pac-10 and his grandfather is Vice Chancellor of UC Berkeley. Ben knows how to get laughs from his audience and announces that he wants to be the next Mel Brooks when he grows up. He is on the older side of the next Berkeley HS generation, which ranges from zero to 11.

Sunday

Ten year old Ben Price receives full credit for this series- unfortunately I don't know who it is, but man he takes an interesting portrait. This is the morning after and we kick outside by the organic tomato fields which supply Chez Penisse restaurant. There is a lot of hangover going on and some did not sleep. The fall sun is splendid and I am reminded that the best Norcal weather comes in September and October. More beer and vodka is drunk but I abstain thinking about my return trip to London this evening. The honeymooners will honeymoon at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, where Sonnet and I spent ours 11 years ago. The day has that sleepy feeling similar to the school playground after the final bell has rung.

Wrubes

Steve I have known since age ten at Camp K&J and then King Jr. High. He introduced me to the La Coste alligator - or was that Eric Price? Regardless, we later teamed up on swimming though Steve always preferred water polo where his power shot was legendary. He once snapped the arm of a defending goalie during a high school match. Since Berkeley, Wrubes has photographed cities, models, retail and us while pursuing his creative and professional media career (he received his degree from the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara). In the mix, he and his wife Lucy spent two years in Rome living nearby the Pantheon; they now reside in Dallas, Texas with their beautiful, and beautifully photographed, daughter Stella. Steve frequently attends the Cowboys on Sunday and otherwise hangs out with the glamorous crowd. Life is good.

The Bride

David's bride Sarah moments before the deed is done. We love her. On Santa Cruz: the city has a population of aprox. 54,000 and is tucked into the northern edge of the Monterey Bay. In 1791, the Mission Santa Cruz was established - the twelfth in California. A university was built with a 'banana slug' mascot. Then, in the 1950s, surfing was discovered and the sleepy hollow became a mecca for surfers and middle-aged water hippies who arrived from the world over. Classic spots include Steamers Lane and three and four mile points - simply that distance on Highway 1 from the Santa Cruz lighthouse. Barnies are not welcome. Farther north at Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay are Mavericks which, on a good swell out of the Pacific, crest at 50 feet or higher. The break is caused by an unusually-shaped underwater rock. Mavericks Point was discovered by Jeff Clark in 1975 and he surfed the Giants for 15 years before the world caught up with him and them in 1991. The story is recently documented in Riding Giants. Driving to the wedding I see the Mavericks on a deserted day - rocky cliffs, kelp and angry froth greet the suicidals who revel in this action. Me, I prefer boogy boarding closer to a sandy shore.

"Surfing, alone among sports, generates laughter at its very suggestion, and this is because it turns not a skill into an art, but an inexplicable and useless urge into a vital way of life."
MATT WARSHAW, Maverick's: The Story of Big-Wave Surfing

Stripey

Guests begin to arrive from all over and Friday evening is spent drinking, eating, telling and re-telling fabled stories and more drinking. We retire around midnight - quite a feat given the number of parents (I'm solo and not complaining!). Some sleep in tents, others in hotels or with each other while I bunk up with Tyler and Sheila, Erica and Paul and Mike and Andrea plus their nine kids ages three to 11. It is not quiet. Molly, pictured, belongs to Tyler and is one gorgeous kid. She's bashful so I have to take a few quick snaps as she ducks behind her mum.

“There are two major products that came out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence.”

Jeremy Anderson

The Mighty Citroën

David in his vintage Citroën , which has been lovingly refurbished by him including plush interior seating, a new sound system and restored original body work. The Citroën hangs remarkably low to the ground, perhaps only four inches, and when I comment on this Dave hops into the car to show me the hydraulics. The car miraculously raises about one foot into the air providing plenty of air space for depressions or bumps in the road. It is all class and perfect for the honeymoon get-away. Here is what I know about the Citroën: the company was founded by Andre, a Jew, in 1919 and is today part of the French Peugeot Group. It was the first car company to mass-produce a front-wheel drive car and its cars somehow just feel Frenchie. Famous models are 2CV ("The Duck"), the DS ("Goddess") and the CX - pictured.

Ultan!

I drive south on HW 1 Friday afternoon following a morning with Industry Ventures and Walden VC. Often The Great Highway is washed out or chunks have fallen into the Pacific but this trip is uninterrupted and in any case always spectacular. David Ultan is getting married. David and I have known each other since the fifth grade back in the day at Longfellow Elementary. Our teacher, Mrs. Riles, was an obese black woman who loved us and all her kids which included Boat People who had arrived from Asia barely speaking english. Ah, Berkeley - that would have been 1976-78. David and I at different times in our adult lives returned to Longfellow to find Mrs. Riles but she has since long gone. I arrive at the wedding house in the Santa Cruz mountains during the set up, which gives me a few free hours with the groom as we hustle food and booze to various strategic locations and David takes calls from his homies who are coming in. The food is prepared by former Chez Panise cooks and man is there a spread. It is all good.