Summer Blues

English, Book 1

We make it to Friday so I hi-five Molly, over for the afternoon with Madeleine (I almost write 'play date' and, boy, Madeleine would not go for that). Both kids flushed after an hour on the trampoline. (Neighbour Helen: "The kids are welcome on the trampoline any time this summer as long as Martin is not sleeping on it." Dad's note: Martin is in his late 70s)

Eitan, never to be out excercised, joins Zak for a 5K run in Richmond Park then an afternoon of tennis with Shaheen followed by football training in Palewell Park. Sonnet and I watch five or six of them stroll home, not a care in the world, as it should be, this time of year.

Me (at football practise): "So should your mother and I walk 20 paces behind you so you can pretend we're not your parents?"
Eitan:
Me: "Or do you need 30 ?"

Talk To The Hand

I once paid the Shakespeares for a photo with a small coin or gum drop.  They outgrew that bribe pretty fast and are now resigned to the camera - most of the time.  I do hope they, as I, shall look back on the continuity of this blog and value it (as much as I do now).  Already I cannot believe we are nearing their adolescence.

More Fun

Harrods

Over lunch we create a new game requiring sixty-seconds of non-stop talking, no 'ums' nor pauses, using a word offered by us, the panel.  Madeleine goes first, bravely, and makes it 20 seconds before cracking like a walnut.  Eitan has success ("McDonalds") and Aneta nails it ("dog").  Me, I tackle 'glasses' by telling my life story. The kids blank face me.

Bowie Expo

South Kensington

We, the family+Aneta, to the VA and the David Bowie exhibition which is, by far, the most popular exhibition in museum history.  Bowie employs radio linked digital display combining music and voice over  bringing London's most eccentric and iconic '70s and '80s pop artist to centre front in a fusion of style, (bi)sexuality, platforms and psychedelic colour.  Wonderful stuff.

"This is a very pleasing end of year report of which Madeleine should be extremely proud."
--Mr R A L, Form Tutor, Year Six Full Report

"Madeleine thinks imaginatively. .. this can be seen in her idea for her animal puppet which is half ant-eater and half jaguar."
--Ms S, Art Teacher, Year Six Full Report

The Changing Faces Of Eitan

Hasta la vista, baby 

Arnold Schwarzenegger had 16 lines in The Terminator :

Nice night for a walk.
Nothing clean, right.
Your clothes, give them to me.

The 12 gauge auto-loader.
The 45 long slide with laser sighting.
Phase plasma rifle in 40-watt range.
The Uzi 9mm.
All.
Wrong.

Sarah Connor.

I'm a friend of Sarah Connor. I was told that she's here.
Can I see her please? Where is she?
I'll be back.

Fuck you, asshole.

Give me your address there.
Get out.

Dog Days

Rusty takes a break from Wimbledon

It is hot, hot hot in London and the temps to last for ten days. A miracle of sunshine and the Brits fry like lobster, God bless their merry chubby cheeks and sunburned scalps, made all the jollier with Andy Murray's Wimbledon victory - first Brit in 77 years to take top honours and so what if he is Scottish ?

Eitan has the inconvenient swim practice of Sunday, 2 to 3:30PM and yesterday he is wiped out from A) Saturday morning Delta Force paint ball; followed by B) Elm Grove Awards ceremony; followed by C) Overnight birthday party at Luke's resulting in D) six hours of sleep.

Good thing he and Madeleine on summer break starting now.

Recognitions

Eitan and Marc

Eitan and I at the Elm Grove home pitch for the final wrap on their wonderful, magical, season.  Today, a hot day, is filled with team spirit, BBQ and beer; the women bring all sorts of foods and dips and we sit under canopies and re live games and goals covering two years.  It is a good crew, a group I will miss next season and beyond as Eitan no longer with the Allstars as Marc stepping back as coach.

Eitan selected the 'Player's Player 'and the 'Parent's Player' of the season, unusually taking the two most coveted awards, and Coach unable to chose a Manager's player as every lad deserves it.  There are smiles and hi fives all around as Eitan's teammates and everybody clap him on the back and congratulate his and their success.

I am filled with pride at Eitan's comportment - he allows himself a bashful smile - then off the stage as quickly as possible. This has been his style always.

Summer Shakedown

Rusty unwinds

DC and I have a ramble which begins at Cliveden House (surrounded by 400 acres of National Trust gardens), along the Thames Path, ending in Bray and Heston Blumenthal's pub, The Hinds Head - Blumenthal's next door "Fat Duck" has three Michelin stars and a perfect score of 10/10 every year since 2007 in the Good Food Guide.

David back from Lake Como, where he and Tab spent a few days after a drive from Geneva through the Alps; they and family are off to Martha's Vineyard next week for the summer.  He builds his consulting business, full steam ahead.

The best part: Summer has arrived in the UK - glorious sunshine and all day sunsets. Wimbledon finals and a holiday spirit, August yet to come.

And It Was

Guy Sap

Here is Guy, backbone of the Northern California liberal establishment, former legal defender of the Black Panthers, ex President of the Sierra Club, part owner of the Oakland A's, on the Board of the Oregon Shakespeare festival, friends with Lew Wolff, Alice Waters and Jerry Brown, Governor of the Great State of California.

Guy's survival given less than 5% following multiple organ failure during a routine operation several years ago. Last week we walk the Huckleberry Trail in the Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve in the East Bay.

Me: "Hey, Madeleine, I've got a big surprise for you."
Madeleine races into the kitchen, breahless: "What is it?"
Me: "You are going to love it. We can get started on it right now."
Aneta:
Madeleine: "Is it a mini iPad? Is it?"
Me: "Books. Maths. English and history."
Madeleine: "Thanks, Dad. Won't be reading those."
Me: "Now that it's summer vacation, let's get going today."
Madeleine races up the stairs.
Me: "I am serious, you know . .!"

So Far Ago

Matt Dillon is old now

Nothing makes one feel, well, old, than seeing a film cherished from  way back when. In this case, Madeleine and I watch "My Bodyguard" about a bully who gets his comeuppance - in short, something an 11 year old can get into, as I did in 1980 and Madeleine does now. 

I saw "My Bodyguard" with Katie and Maggie and a bunch of Barracudas on a summer week night, no school, but morning swim practice nonetheless. We exited the Oaks Theatre (long gone) on a warm night ,  all the world good.  The film a hodgepodge of future talent: Matt Dillon, Jennifer Beals (Flashdance), Joan Cusack . .  kids reading this blog now have no idea who these people are but for me it was our yuf.

Me: "Let's watch a movie, me and you kid."
Madeleine: "Yep."
Me: "You're going to love it, though there is a lot of sex."
Madeleine: "No there's not! It's PG."
Me:
Madeleine: "Really, Dad, that's not very funny."

Mother Daughter

My gals

Z over last night while her older sister (age 12) at swim practice so I use the opportunity to ask Z whether older sister is texting boys, to Madeleine's eternal mortification. Z's older sister is, in fact, texting boys and, in addition, they have gone to the movies. You know, on a date. Seems OK to me. These days information comes in snippets.

The Gipper

US Embassy, Grosvenor Square

Ronald Reagan gets respect and why not, given the special relationship with Margaret T, RIP, which defined the 1980s and the backbone of the Western World. Remarkable that two democratically elected leaders could have such an influence on us all.  And how rapidly the world's focus has moved from cold war Chess to fast moving revolution across the Middle East. A slow train coming.

Egypt's President Morsi taken into military custody.

Skip

Monday Madeleine plays trumpet in her school's Junior Brass Ensemble and the Sumner Concert. We recognise the theme song from the Titanic. She also sings in the Junior Choir.

Before, Sonnet and I arrive on Emanuel's campus, and observe her playing kickball with a group of Hill formers. She is happy as only a kid can be happy in the summertime with vacation right around the corner.

The Mall

Horse brigade

The Mall connects Buckingham Palace to the Admiralty Arch and on to Trafalgar Square. Notably, the London Marathon ends here and I found myself in a First Aid booth about where the horses are now, 2009. I was in bad shape, man.

I first became aware of The Mall via David, a Euro fag in my college dorm; David had a lion's main of hair, a trust fund and a cocaine habit.  He breathlessly informed me of "shagging" a girl he had met on the day off The Mall, in St James's Park, after dusk.  I thought, back then, wow! now that shit would never happen in Berkeley. But I was probably wrong.

Ouch

It is a concrete jungle out there.  Fortunately no stitches though I am informed: "blood everywhere."  Sonnet and Aneta rush to the scene and our gal makes the trip to the A&E.

Me: "Nice to have so much sun in the morning."
Madeleine: "Yeah, I like it too."
Me: "Do you prefer summer or winter?"
Madeleine: "Summer, definitely."
Me: "Spring or autumn?"
Madeleine: "Sometimes, late at night and I am reading in bed, and it is raining really hard, that is cool."
Me: "Yep."

East Bay

We all have a restful place somewhere in the mind's eye and mine is the Nimitz Way off Wildcat Canyon Road in Tilden Regional Park.  I have been coming here since age four, made out with girls in high school in the dry grass, trained up for several marathons on the ancient cracked blacktop, and Sonnet and I visited inside one week of knowing each other.  I can rely on it.

Madeleine sets new school records in the 100 and 200 m dash for Hill Form (under 11s) during Emmanuel's sports day.  We are thrilled for our gal.

The Forecast Is Sunshine

Moe this morning

Moe is all about the routine, which is up at 4AM to hit the Berkeley Y by 5AM where he is part of a crew of the fit and the young at heart. This morning I meet Willis, a former Navy SEAL, who tells me his 200 missions in the '70s left his knees shot and we joke about push ups : his qualification was 1000, which he did in increments of 100 straight, with 15 minutes in between.  The next day, 1000 pull ups.

From there I go to Peet's coffee and observe three guys playing Frisbee in the intersection. Why not? A suburban pulls up with a dog in the front seat, the wife and kid in back. Another wears a Chinese hat I've seen only on the rice paddies and always there is talk talk talk.  These hippies don't go away though now their homes make them millionaires.

Industry Ventures

Justin works a deal

I arrive in California on a beautiful day, blue skies and 80 degree temperatures. It even smells good, like home. On the way to 1530 I pick up flowers for my parents and think how it might feel to be them, waiting for their kid to arrive. It is a nice feeling.

In London : At a Hampton School competition Eitan runs the 1500m in 4:59 setting a new course record for the Under-12s (Sonnet says he is not impressed though we are). Otherwise Eitan off to Kew Gardens on a biology field trip and Madeleine practicing with the Brass Band for Monday's summer concert.  It rains.

"The State Capital"

 I write from Tallahasee, Florida, where Thierry and I stay at Hotel Duval, one of three four-star hotels and billed as the city's best.  It was formerly a Howard Johnson's.  Before our meeting with the Florida State Administration, a potential LP in Astorg's next fund, I bone up on my local knowledge : The Seminoles won the Orange Bowl last season. Disclosing this as important as anything else we discuss. And so it goes.

The friendly young women at the hotel front desk looks at me like I have grown horns when she hears me talk in French.  Every now and then the dog has his day.