The Straughan family motto is Non Timeo, Sed Caveo – “I am not afraid, but I’m cautious”. So wrong for my dad. (He wasn’t afraid of much, but he certainly wasn’t cautious, either!)
Category Archives: bio
My Dad’s Death
I haven’t been good at long-form personal communication in the last few years, partly for lack of leisure, partly because, well, these years have been rough on many fronts (outline here). But this seems like a time when telling everybody everything at once will be more efficient, and perhaps easier on me.
My father, Al Straughan, had long been ill – although, as he often emphasized, not with anything that was likely to kill him soon. In spite of 50 years of smoking, no exercise, and a lifetime of being overweight, he had a healthy heart, and there’s no family history of cancer. The lungs… not so good. In the last three years he was in the hospital just about every month with a lung infection, and the doctors seemed unable to find a root cause, except a general diagnosis of COPD.
Several years ago they did a bronchoscopy to examine an obstruction in his lung, and found a pea that Dad must have accidentally aspirated some time before. If you’re a fan of House, you may recall an episode in which a patient coughed up part of a lung for exactly this reason. Dad’s bronchi were weakened or damaged as a result, so a stent was put in at that time. (I may be getting the details wrong because I was usually not geographically close, and such a lot happened that it was hard to keep track.)
Dad had been living in the UK for at least 15 years with his third wife, Ruth, who is British. They met in Jakarta around 1987 or ’88 – he was there on a contract job, she was working for the Hilton hotel chain as a trainer (Ruth, forgive me if I get these details wrong, too). They met at a party when Dad walked up to her and said: “For once, I’d like to dance with a woman I can look in the eye.” Ruth is 6′ tall, Dad was 6’3″.
They came together to my wedding to Enrico in 1989, and soon thereafter moved to Texas, then the Maldives, then “home” to the UK (though Ruth had been away as much as there: she’d lived in Hong Kong for 15 years, then Bali…). As it turned out, the UK, with its National Health System, was the best possible place for them. Though Dad never became a citizen nor even had time to contribute much to the national coffers, the NHS took excellent and expensive care of him. There were a few procedures they chose to pay for privately to shorten wait time when Dad was in pain, but the NHS did most of it, and bore most of the cost. I am deeply grateful for this, and wish we had a national health system here in the US – it’s a matter of social justice.
Dad’s other area of health troubles was arthritis. Being overweight and never having exercised routinely contributed to the degeneration of his bones and joints such as we all suffer as we get older. He had his first knee surgery to clean up damaged cartilage in 1982, and his first knee replacement far earlier than doctors usually like to do them: the artificial joint wears out and will eventually need to be replaced again, and this is major surgery. Over the years they replaced the other knee, had to do repair work on one or both at least once, and one of these surgeries resulted in Dad being in intensive care. He had other surgeries to try to alleviate pain that was being “referred” from his deteriorating spinal column all over his body. Recently they tried implanting electrodes in his spinal cord which he could activate using a device outside his body, to interrupt the pain signals before they reached his brain. Apparently these devices are hard to tune; it was never wholly successful in stopping the pain, which was at times so severe as to keep him confined to bed. He had been effectively disabled by pain for over 10 years.
For most of this time, I was living relatively nearby in Italy, and could get over for visits fairly often, especially once the era of low-cost airlines began (I am grateful to them, too). Those of us who have internationally-scattered families know the pains of being far away when a loved one needs us. There was one week in which my mother, in Iowa, was having a large tumor removed from her ovary, and Dad, in the UK, was having yet another major operation that could have landed him in intensive care again. I chose to stay in Europe in case Dad needed me. Mom was attended by her sister, and her tumor turned out to be benign, but she never forgave me for not being with her – one of the causes of our eventual estrangement.
In 2008 I moved to the US, and visits to Dad and Ruth became fewer. I stopped by on my way to India on my last major trip for Sun Microsystems in March, 2010, then did not travel overseas for over a year. I was finally able to see them again this June, when Joyent sent me to Italy, so I extended the trip a bit and popped up to the UK for a weekend.
I can’t say that the deterioration I saw in June was shocking; I had known most of what was going on with him (I assume), and could observe some for myself in the many phone calls during which he was coughing, quickly out of breath, or simply too tired for sustained conversation. But I was deeply saddened. Caring for him had become a full-time job for him and Ruth both. His world had shrunk to their small home, sometimes just the bedroom, and the TV. This seemed cruel for a man who had lived large, hard, and adventurously all over the world in his 72 years.
I was also concerned for Ruth, who had been his only caregiver in all this time. There was little I could do to help from Italy. Again, international divides complicate everything: neither Dad nor I was living in our passport country, and by the time I moved back to the US, he was uninsurable here and could not risk even a visit to his beloved birthplace, New Orleans. This is why I give very short shrift to the brainwashed Americans who shriek: “Socialized medicine is evil! It’s not the American way!” Justice for all? Yeah. Tell me how it is right that my father could not afford to visit his native country before he died. Then go fuck yourselves.
We all knew that this June’s visit might be the last time I would see my father. I didn’t (and still don’t) understand what all was going on, but he was clearly going downhill, and he even stated baldly that, whenever he did go, there likely wouldn’t be time for me to arrive at his bedside. But he also told me that one of his doctors had said there was no reason he couldn’t live another 15 years. Then, at another moment, he mentioned that he had looked into assisted suicide in Switzerland, but could not afford it. This was all confusing, though understandable. I can’t know for sure how I would react in his situation, and I shudder to think of becoming as reduced and confined as he was. I thought of my aunt Rosie, who told me in January of 2006 that she had had enough (after 10 years of severe health problems) and was ready to go. I had replied: “I will miss you terribly, but if you feel it’s time, you should go.” She died in late March of that year.
Last weekend I was in Austin to catch up with an old school friend who was visiting mutual friends, and for my daughter Rossella’s birthday. My brother Ian also lives in Austin.
I received email from Ruth letting me know that Dad was in hospital again, with what seemed to be yet another by-now-routine lung infection. Ruth and I spoke on Sunday; he was wearing an oxygen mask and unable to talk on the phone. The doctors were not happy with his oxygen levels, and could not get them up.
That evening (would have been the deep of night in the UK), Ruth called again. He was hemorrhaging from his lungs for unknown reasons (they suspected the stent may have got misplaced) and not expected to live til morning.
I called Ross and Ian, we sat together and talked and drank for a while, but there wasn’t anything we could do, even for each other. I guess I slept a bit that night, probably not much.
The next day Ruth reported that he had regained consciousness sufficiently to let her and the doctors know that he wanted to fight for his life. We should have expected that, I suppose – going gently was just not in his character. Later that day he was transferred by ambulance to a lung hospital some distance away. He survived the trip, and another night passed in observation (and no sleep for anybody).
Tuesday he was “well” enough for an exploratory bronchoscopy. They found that the stent had indeed moved, in a way that would require surgery under general anesthesia to fix. His other lung was also “compromised”. His condition was such that he might not survive anesthesia and, even if he did, would be on a respirator. It was kinder to opt for palliative treatment and let him slip quietly away, which he did Tuesday evening, with Ruth beside him.
Ross, Ian and I will be flying over in the next week for a funeral with our English family and friends. Sometime later in the year, we will arrange a jazz funeral and burial of his ashes in New Orleans, I hope in St Roch cemetery where his parents are. It should be one hell of a party. We hope all those who knew and loved Al will be able to join us.
My eternal gratitude goes to Ruth, who (besides being a wonderful person whom I’d love anyway) did so much for him, for so long. Not out of any spirit of self-sacrifice, but because she loved him. We could all count ourselves fortunate to be loved so well. I hope that now the rest of us will have a chance to do some things for her.
photos and other memorabilia here
Al Straughan, 1939-2011
“It’s showtime, folks!” Dad was a huge fan of Bob Fosse, and musical theater in general.
Tribute from his friend Celeste:
“Al had a positive optimism that permeated his life and work. No matter how sick he was, he always looked toward the future. He was a nurturing person who never foresook the maternal within his masculinity. We had a fantastic time together from 1959 through 1965 as the twin nexus of a group of wild scholars romping through LSU in Baton Rouge, the City of New Orleans and the Louisiana countryside with imperial abandon but doing no harm. Alton and I lost touch around 1970 to find each other again in 1992. Since then our friendship illuminated my adult life. He was a linguist, a helpful consultant to developing communities throughout the world with the US foreign service and independently, a true mystic, artist and writer. It’s hard to believe we’ll never again engage in stimulating arguments over the nature of the world and spirit or in gut-busting reminiscences of the past.”
Celeste’s visit to England (pdf with photos)
More reminiscences on Al in the comments below, and here and here.
The Twitter Diaries: June 5-18, 2011
@NomdeB I don’t think age actually matters. What’s important is to be ready for each other at whatever ages you are right then. #
@bubbva yes, that is definitely a good commute. If it’s us time it hardly counts as a commute. #goodcommute #
@NomdeB Women often outlive men, so it makes sense for older women to be with younger men, rather than the more common older man+younger wmn #
@om What’s a watch? 😉 #
Just posted a photo #
photo #
Still figuring out Instagram. Damn poor UI/usability. Accidentally found hidden setting that explains why so many great pix got thrown away #
@pborenstein Been there, done that. #
@pborenstein Under iPhone settings for Instagram #
RT @vdotw: @NomdeB That’s exactly it… give/take/discuss. – Yes. And when you can no longer have productive discussions, it’s probably dead #
Interesting technical point about this ^ video (Cloud Analytics): shot on my iPhone 4. Just need a good mic for it… Â #
@bubbva Escaping the brutal SF-SCA commute was a big motivator for me to leave. #
@NomdeB Lots of women having kids in their 40s, might be better with a more energetic younger man around to co-parent #
@urbanturbanguy I think I’d need an actual course #
After years of being the family technician, I should now become an iPhone app developer so I can make my daughter give ME tech support. #
the mix cornbread I made last week wasn’t very good, but it has reincarnated well in stuffing and now meatloaf. #frugalgourmet #
@denizrende That’s not actually an Oracle publication. In any case, this might help:
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@denizrende One of many, many videos I filmed about ZFS… #
Getting sweaty in the gym. #
Today I have cooked, cleaned, washed clothes, vacuumed, exercised, posted to my blog, edited video… day of rest? #
“The students were asking me to justify the return on investment in a college education. I just had never been called upon to think about this before. It wasn’t part of my training. We took the value of the business we were in for granted.” – this was from a New Yorker article, but the Kindle quote feature doesn’t handle magazine references properly, apparently. #
POWER NAP FTW #
@fabiorapposelli waitaminute – you’re with @edsai ? Are my worlds colliding? #
Fresh warm brownies + a shot of tequila = yummy evening snack #
@notmatt I had home-made meatloaf earlier. #chacun #
Most people who profess a deep love of the Bible have never actually read the book #
@pelegri Come to think of it, I left Oracle for Joyent about the same time. #
@philiph Better slap a TM on that, huh? #
@jamesaduncan nice to have you back here! #
I guess I’ll sign out of Twitter for the rest of the week. All I need to hear of WWDC is a one-paragraph wrap-up an the end. #
@quasi42 Those trees did not die in vain. 😉 #dtrace #
^ SmartDataCenter Performance: Disk IO Throttling for Optimal Performance  #
Cloud Analytics: an hour-long conversation covering Definitions and Context, Basic & Adv Visualization, Ease of Use [see above] Â #
Need to understand viewer behavior: how many of you watch my vids on iPhone or other small screen? #
@mattgillard Figured. Guess I’m gonna have to break down and buy one. #
@postsecret He hasn’t been, did you see last week’s shows? #
YouTube – Tight Rope / Leon Russell  #
@trevoro Compensating for years of school teasing? Tho Santorum did not originally signify what it does today. He brought that on himself. #
@NomdeB Aww, but all my geeks are so cute! #
@wayfaringrob I am a happy Apple user, but get bored with the fanboys #
@zaps Condoglianze. 😉 #
Getting some new video done for you folks, ~90 minutes of (who else?) @brendangregg #
@BootsnAll @italylogue The intent may be Do it while you’re still physically able. I’ve seen too many people put off travel til too late. #
the people who comprise that press corps are incapable of focusing on things that matter and uninterested in doing so #
.@NomdeB I’m still looking for a way to automatically dedupe my sprawling mess of a music library. #
From the Joyent office #
A new magnum opus from @brendangregg: MySQL Query Latency with DTrace YouTube – the Director’s Cut (90 mins) #
Forgot that a martini is almost 100 alcohol. Maybe I need another one to forget some more. #
RT @standaloneSA: Holy Moly. The Computer Man video, via @thinkgeek – are we supposed to know that guy? #
When you put me through a phone tree, I am in a bad mood before I ever reach a human being. #
doing anything by phone is torture because it’s so hard to spell or pronounce my name, I’m tired at the beginning of the conversation #
@riccardo_iommi non molto. Almeno gli Italiani, sentendo una chiaramente straniera, s’aspettavano di dover ascoltare piu’ attentamente #
@ProfOrganizer @NomdeB I’d rather have or be a parent who goes to absurd embarrassing lengths to show love, than a parent who doesn’t care. #
@LusciousPear Let’s at least have a drink this time! #
What? You don’t want to be got a hold of? #
.@badnima Alamo Drafthouse IS awesome. We had Thanksgiving dinner there while watching Fabulous Mr Fox #
@ProfOrganizer As with most parents, probably a good amount of both. #
@nilofer And dangerous, if you hit the wrong button. Far too easy ho broadcast a private message to the world. #
@edsai You tease! The video is private. #DellSF11 #infosmack #
@edsai Geez, and they said /my/ videos lacked polish. at least I keep the camera oriented correctly. 😉 #
@NomdeB …says the gril from Bombay. 😉 I’d probably enjoy 100 and humid right now, tired of shivering in SF. #
Winners And Losers In Silicon Valleys War For Talent – Nicole Perlroth – Everything Ventured – Forbes#
iPhone ToS changes again. Apple already has my firstborn, so I guess there’s not too much to worry about in these 62 pages of agreement. #
@apperceptions At least they’re paying her overtime. 😉 #
The Economist only Zimbabwe and Haiti had lower GDP growth than Italy in the decade to 2010 #
@WinnieWongSF You made me laugh – thanks. Tho the neon socks would NOT do it for me. Pink, maybe. #1931 #
@NomdeB Exactly. They all suddenly realized there’s a hugely dangerous gulf between D and @ #
Apparently there’s an outdoor party associated with WWDC tonight. Would in be mean of me to hope they get rained on? 😉 #
I’m not sure I actually care about public figures lying about things that are none of the public’s or the media’s damned business. #
I do care when they hypocritically and clandestinely engage in behavior that they fulminate and perhaps even legislate against in public. #
Don’t gripe and whine behind my back. Say it face to face, I’m open minded – then go and pack (the door’s thataway!). Â #
Mother: please return to the Tennessee Williams play from which you seem to have escaped. I have enough drama in my life already. #
@obscurebug Oh, so it wasn’t just the 2-block distance from my window that made them sound so bad? #
One thing y’all should know about me: passive-aggressive is not my style. I’m more aggressive-aggressive. #
@jasonh Unique, absolutely unique. #
Poptarts for breakfast. I will probably regret it. #
@lovelylady60 @bubbva My only dislike of the show is that the Aggies won the championship. 😉 #
a #
@binarycrusader Earlier they ran one of Berlusconi in front of a horse’s ass #
@alecmuffett I am SOOOOO jealous #
Italian policies discriminate heavily in favour of the old, driving large numbers of talented young Italians abroad #
This week saw not one but two of my Woodstock family on unexpected visits. It’s always so easy to talk with my fellow TCKs. #
@ebertchicago Cindy Williams? #
we might as well take risks. It probably won’t make us any less at risk, and today… it might even make us safer. #
8 years ago: So I assumed that her exam results would be of interest to the middle school she’d be going on to #
5 years ago: Italian Baby Names I Happen to Like #
@kebesays Kathy Sierra who, sadly, dosen’t blog anymore #
3 years ago at Woodstock: We expect everyone to dance. Except my mom, because that would be embarrassing. #
3 years ago: Rajdhani Thali: Great Food, Great Price #
2 years ago: Gallery: OpenSolaris User Group Bootcamp #
2 years ago: ZFS Discovery Day: Demo #
@NomdeB I’d be tempted. There is a lovely brass lota at my old place that I want to get back… #
@saramaternini Congratulations! You are exactly the person who wll thrive and flourish in a new environment! Much love te tho whole family. #
Yum! Â #
@PeterKretzman I learned early on how to take tests without studying much, so have little use for formal testing as a measure of learning. #
Jantr Mantr, 1979 #
Anthony Weiners Bad Judgment: That is SO Not the Point #
.@tomlenk Ok, you got me – gotta have the comic! 😉 (I also suggested my employer do the t-shirt in your movie – we have cool t-shirts.) #
The No. 1 Reason We’re Drowning In Red Ink via @moveon #
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Don’t quite understand the point of baseball caps with the logos of football or hockey teams. #
@ezekiel existe ancora per un’immagine di dolce vita che purtroppo non c’e’ piu’ nella realta’ #
@ezekiel 17 anni tra Milano e Lecco #
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You have got to be f&king kidding me. Showing the Tonys on a time delay? In SAN FRANCISCO?!?!? #
The Book of Mormon cast album for $1.99 on Amazon? I’ll take that! #
@rhetro24 Raunchy and 3rd grade is more fun that sanctimony, and may, from what I hear, yet contain truth, wisdom, and kindness. #
@rhetro24 ah, the Christians. Always so tolerant and forgiving of anyone who doesn’t think like them. #
@rhetro24 Don’t have cable. #
It’s not just for gays anymore! – The 65th Annual Tony Awards 2011 06 12 Part 1 Â #
Ok, so for once this year I’m glad I do now have a TV (with an antenna) – the Tonys were a blast. Even Joseph Smith got a co-author credit. #
Their crisp white shirts and bright smiles are the virgin tapestry of an American innocence that remains impervious… #
@nonstick Watch out, there are real-life Mormons lying in wait on Twitter to tell you what a lousy choice that is. 😉 #
@HirokoTabuchi @danilop Is Italy also saying no to all the nuclear energy it buys from France? Won’t make much difference otherwise. #
.@BookofMormonBWY This music is the best Monday morning pick-me-up EVER. #
OpenSolaris user group meeting in Menlo Park Weds: Illumos update & panel with Garrett, Bryan and Adam #
Hmm. @badnima mrought back melon-flavored Kit Kats from Japan. They are, well – melony. #
If I ever say I just don’t get it about a new technology, it will be time to put me to sleep. #
Can Heterosexuality Be Cured? – WSJ.com  #
.@groby Drive for power correlates to drive for sex, maybe in women too. Doesn’t make anyone inherently a pig. How you deal w it another ? #
@groby Ah, I see. Yes, that is confusing layout. #
YouTube – Sesame Street: SpiderMonster, The Musical – Sneak Peek! Â #
@vRobM But usually they stop only temporarily on their way to somewhere else #Brilliant #
best children’s book EVER (for parents) Â #
They prefer to get info from those who know it best the engineers and don’t want marketing spin on it #
Who cares what happens when we’re dead? We shouldn’t think that far ahead. The only latter day that matters is tomorrow  #
Our own @bcantrill joins @gedamore and @ahl for an #Illumos discussion at SFOSUG tonight – we will try to stream, too #
@sh1mmer Congratulations – I’ve had to do driving tests in 4 different states so far, plus Italy. #
I am eternally grateful for the service of good travel agents. For complex travel, no website can replace their experience. #
@obscurebug old home week for you #
.@obscurebug Someone alert @scottmcnealy ! #
LIVE NOW – Illumos update with Garrett D’Amore http://bit.ly/f6diBt #
Illumos panel #
talking about contributions to Illumos  #
Just posted a photo  #
want to talk about commercial opps for Illumos? Get in touch with Garrett http://bit.ly/f6diBt #
we’re back http://bit.ly/f6diBt #
Matt Ahrens talking about the ZFS working group http://bit.ly/f6diBt #
discussing how to get help with Illumos http://bit.ly/f6diBt #
I hope the office isn’t burned down by tomorrow morning. Those chairs were expensive. #
@MathSimon I’ll try to get a rough cut up before upcoming travel. #
@rtosman Yes, I hope soon, before I start traveling. #
.@billstreeter Italians must be baffled. Italy’s prime minister has sex with underage prostitutes. Twitter pics of a penis? So what? #
In the past, not sleeping for days before a trip meant less jetlag upon arrival. Apparently I am going to test this strategy again now. #
photos: Illumos Meetup – video is in process #
@adrianco there is no other kind of Bryan Cantrill talk 😉 #velocityconf #
@JessiDG Sadly, adulthood has not made me any less clumsy. I stub toes, bang elbows and shoulders on dorrframes, etc. all the time #
@JessiDG Nah, just as many random injuries. But, therefore, you should not give up playing in the mud. Grownups call this Burning Man. #
@randommood This will help: DTrace book #velocityconf #
.@seanwalbran @adrianco I sure hope this got filmed. Will sure be mad if it didn’t. #velocityconf #
@bcantrill Please tell me this was filmed #velocityconf #
Illumos Meetup Video  #
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It’s less comfortable to talk about interest groups and their contributions to Congress. #
@NomdeB @vdotw Thanks, I love taking photos of architecture in SF #
in case you missed it yesterday: Illumos Meetup Video #
I am pretty fucking epic. #
This is not just a pretty tool, but the culmination of years of experience with file system and disk performance #
So it looks as if I might actually get off the ground on Sunday, and be in Milan Mon-Fri morning. Who will be around? #
@zalez Not that I’m aware of. I don’t have tho scope fro travel that I did with Sun (and I miss it). #
part of the big happy Illumos family  #
Just lost half an hour’s work ,thank you Confluence… #
RT @lyzadanger: @brianleroux @bcantrill ‘s presentation was the besthands downof the whole conference. #
@jacques No, it’s fine as far as server behavior, just a dumb bug in the wysiwig. But thansk! #
Watching a Rachel Maddow video: Weiner succumbs to media circus via @msnbc #
Found something to put on my Kindle for the plane trip, Philip Pullman’s The good man Jesus & the scoundrel Christ #
@flexrex Was actually quoting someone else about himself, but I’ll take it. 😉 #
The Twitter Diaries: May 22-June 5, 2011
@trine I wish there was an automated tool that would grab all those embeds etc for me – it’s a manual process right now #
@NomdeB At some point, every organization or part thereof, Fed or private, is more concerned about perpetuating itself than in doing its job #
@NomdeB to many at lower levels, the exec suite is the exclusive domain of them. It’s a gulf that only execs cd bridge, few choose to try #
@LusciousPear catch up for a drink / meal this week? #
@nicolamattina speriamo anche prima! #
I’m at Zip Zap Hair (245 Fillmore St, btw Haight & Laussat, San Francisco)Â #
I’m at Burgermeister (138 Church St, at Reservoir St, San Francisco) Â #
5 years ago a bunch of videobloggers observed the end of the world: Node666 The Italian Correspondent #
Laid-back weekend in which I did a lot of small necessary stuff, right down to vacuuming floors and scrubbing the tub. That’s enough of that #
You don’t have to dig far to realize few people have had a normal life. And so what? Whatever else normal may be, it’s vastly overrated. #
@izs At least you got a note. I just got a crumpled bumper. #
@webmink Not having much luck with it – only one song downloaded in hours #
video: Disk IO Throttling for Optimal Performance (bottom of the page) Â #
The short they were filming in my garage this weekend sounded like fun, hope it grows up to be a feature-length film. #
@webmink cloud drive #
@webmink Too much demand. I trust Amazon to make it right eventually. #
@webmink Also wondering about the quality – getting some crackle on the one track I’ve got so far that doesn’t seem intentional #
more new Videos from Joyent #
@rattay where? #
@hudsonette I don’t care about these people.Maybe we all just need to realize that it rarely matters who’s having consensual sex with whom. #
comment on my site today: the word secchioni means nerd. i looked it up. wow for a smart guy ur really stupid – Maybe, but I’m not a guy #
@hudsonette I agree the gag law is stupid and ineffective. Just don’t see why people care about celebrity sex lives. #
@ikai Those books go everywhere. Not sure in the end that I actually liked them. #GameofThrones #
@rattay I’m jealous. 😉 #
@philiph hmm #
All right, Milan – are you ready for me again? June. Be there. #
@BSyria As someone once said of Jesus: Reckon they’d just nail him up if he came down again. #
Doin’ what comes naturally – which is video. #
@dexterous like the new icon – now we can finally see what you look like! #
OMG there’s a Katamari app for the iphone! #
If we refuse to persevere and solve important issues in the cloud, then we might as well turn off our computers now. Â #
@philiph That’s a rationalization fos I don’t like what’s going on, but try to assume it’s all for the best… in the end… somehow… #
@trevoro Where are you going? Timing and destination are important in who you meet on planes #
Events: Joyeurs in New York, Vancouver, San Francisco and London Joyeur  #
YouTube – Bill Withers – Ain’t No Sunshine #
@NomdeB Hon, you ARE a geek. 😉 #GeekPrideDay #
Sometimes, all you can do is laugh. #
@FouzAbd That’s what religion is mostly about – a tool used to keep (other) people in line. #women2drive #
@FouzAbd Agreed, but many religions as practiced mandate the oppression of somebody else, in the name of purity, faith, etc. #
the next war between the states will begin over the TSA? #
@portertech not necessarily: In Loco Parentis: Supervising School Trips in Italy #
Brushing up my Italian for an upcoming work trip to Milan. Yes, life is ironic.: I had to move to California to find work in Italy! #
@jimgris As someone said to me when I ldeparted: No foreigner ever left Italy wealthier than he arrived. #
@riccardo_iommi Stavolta solo Milano, ma forse dopo l’estate. #
Ok, Milan: I arrive June 5, depart June 23 (a few days in the UK in there). Tweetup? #
@bavarious You might find this useful #
RT @joyent: Joyent webinar Architecting a Drama Free Cloud starts NOW sign up here #
@ikai Press release writers never seem to take into account that we are never as excited as they are about their particular piece of news. #
@LusciousPear Looks like a lovely change of pace. #fb #
Our dreams may be intensely interesting to us, not so much to others. I dreamed I was going to Pakistan, on a train, with Bill Gates. #
@lskrocki Dunno about the ones in the bush, either, though. #unsexy #
Note to self: learn to sleep past 6 am, esp if you went to bed at midnight. #
@NomdeB uhh… set a thief to catch a thief? #
I rarely dream about people I actually know – which may be safer for them! #
@sogrady from 101? 9th st exit if you’re going to SOMA #
@sogrady from Google maps, looks like a good idea at present #
@sogrady 280 is green to 16th st #
@benr Because it’s fun is sufficient reason. #
@PavelAnni No guilt – the things I do for fun are usually also productive and profitable, whether making a video or cooking a meal #
@LusciousPear Definitely no dressage bend in that neck. #
Have discovered that straight tequila with lime rubbed around the rim of the shot glass is divine. No, no salt yet. Doesn’t seem necessary. #
Our star performer @brendangregg is stranded in NYC – flight canceled due to weather. Mad when I can’t take care of my talent. #
I would be a very good travel agent/personal assistant/butler, but it’s not something I actually want to make a career of. #
@nonstick you’re coming to CA? #
@nonstick 6 kids? Sure they weren’t Catholic? 😉 #
@nonstick It’ll be great to have you out here – we’ll meet at last! With no snow to get in the way. #
@NomdeB Costco makes a more than decent tequila, that’s what I’m drinking. #
@lq_feed This might help  #Solaris #OpenSolaris #
@fitzage at a guess, someone tried to curl their eyelashes #
Daughter, completing 2 weeks’ training at Apple, writes: I just got paid to learn stuff! Fuck the system! #
… and that, little Grasshopper, in the greatest lesson of all! #
@lderezinski Seems to be running in the family today #
@lq_feed some videos in Joyent’s YouTube channel may also help: Â #Solaris #OpenSolaris #
@sacca Finally! Evidence that somebody got raptured. Probably to Vegas. #
@lderezinski ooh, ouch. Can’t figure out if my headache is due to allergies, sinus, or what. #
Speach for speech – typo, misspelling, or Freudian slip? #
@StopBeck Maybe the idea of being owned and mastered appeals to him. #
@webmink I am personally benefitting from exactly that aspect of it – and so is my daughter. Huge weight off my mind. #
Health care reform is working, folks writes some raving Communist over at Forbes 😉 #
illiterate women from India’s Untouchables as village health workers, delivering babies, curing disease, saving lives #
I would look out at the audience, hearing laughter and murmurs, but seeing only stern masks.#
Italian getting a workout but this is probably Neapolitan I’m hearing #
…if it was Sicilian I’d more or less understand it. #
@Myrna_SF Rome on its own is well worth more than a week, I wouldn’t bother going elsewhere. #
Dear @maddow We love you, but we’re very tired of that ad in your online edition. Can you find somebody else to sponsor? #
RT @planet3org: Mutual Incomprehension – a lot of insight in one short piece #
Sometimes, an activity which requires close attention but almost no brainpower is exactly what I need. #
@italylogue meet @Myrna_SF who will be in Rome soon. Bet you have some recommendations for her! #
I read that as “Even Great Scientific Thinkers like fucking @rosannecash“#
Had plans to do stuff today, but feeling too lazy. At some point I’ll need food, though. #
@LusciousPear I demand photographic evidence #ohyeah #fb #
Pulling a large suitcase, while wearing peep-toe shoes with 6 stiletto heels, should be an Olympic event. No, I will not be competing. #
Just saw Blazing Saddles again. Still howlingly funny. Couldn’t be made today I suspect. #
Italy leans left again in a round slap to Berlusconi and his center right majority. I’ll enjoy my upcoming visit that much more. #
Very happy today is a holiday, because the next four weeks are going to be extremely busy, in several different ways. #
as the world fights for freedom, we are going the opposite direction The far right is declaring all-out war on progress #
@leapingwoman Let’s get together in July and compare the past month. 😉 #
The true shame of this country is that we have to take a clown like Sarah Palin seriously. #
@NomdeB Some v good points. What’s even sadder is that Obama scares people because he’s urbane and intelligent, more than because he’s black #
Well, you know Jesus said Suffer the little children. Catholic Adoption Agency Will Shut Down… #
employee perceptions of work conditions may also have a big impact on the bottom line of employing organizations. Â #
the 1st user manual I ever wrote: http://bit.ly/iYr4Tv #
Google analytics for my site is always fun. Something on my site was apparently assigned as part of a college course. #
…and I’m a wikipedia citation on Italias surnames. #
The use of the PowerPoint presentation has been a disaster. It should be ditched – A-effing-MEN! #
@SmugMug well sure! #
Someday, somewhere in the world, some architect will figure out that you need more women’s restrooms. #
!@^#^^ EanyJet charges 16 euros to say for my damned ticket with a credit card. #
conventional wisdom was that bilingualism was a disadvantage. Thanks to science, we now know that the opposite is true #
@Myrna_SF RyanAir is ok, though they had different ways do cheat customers on the website, last time I looked. #
@milouness@NomdeB Doesn’t bode well for the US that we value faith and sincerely held ignorance over knowledge and facts. #
@anildash Yes, it really takes very little to let people know you appreciate them, and can mean so very much. #
I’d be glad to see a draft that included hawkish commentators & Congress who are so proud to see others heading to war #
@pelegri Some foreign parents in Italy were discouraged by drs , schools from raising kids bilingual because it wd retard language skills #
Raising a Bilingual Child  #
@pelegri Am I correct that Catalan is no longer so dominated by Castillian, at least in its mative areas? Got that impression in Barcelona #
RT @italylogue: What to Pack for #Italy: Summer Travel http://bit.ly/iJDpiy – attention colleagues! (went shopping this wkd – LINEN) #
Iowa State Rep. Brent Crane said rape was the hand of the Almighty at work. http://bit.ly/kdbrm7 #
Getting rid of a car. Liked my Rav4 in CO but so don’t need it in SF. (@ San Francisco Toyota) http://4sq.com/lnCPS1 #
I am car-free! #
.@NomdeB Got rid of mine, they let me off the lease a bit early – there’s big demand for used Toyotas night now. #
@shawnferry If Rep Crane could be raped and get pregnant himself he might change his tune. I don’t hear of any women saying this rubbish. #
@jeffreytaylor welcome home! #
It’s that time again: Apple logos going up on Moscone for WWDC . Just as well I’ll be out of town. #
Gotta love a guy who keeps his cool in the face of such sustained stupidity: @RepWeiner http://bit.ly/jbTVW8 #
Raising a Bilingual Child #
Hmm, bit.ly spam? My earlier tweet of my own article on bilingualism shows up in my bit’ly report with a spam title. Anyone else seen such? #
@notmatt hmm, strange. Both the links in the bit.ly report go to the correct page, or at least now they do. #
YouTube – Rough Island Band – You Can Call Me Al #
@ditucci don’t worry, it’s just hormones., will pass in a few years. Just watch out for the ones that say: You really want ANOTHER baby. #
@philiph sorry to hear, can we help? #
One thinks, I wish you wouldn’t just look at me. I wish you would listen to me. Â #
@sh1mmer What did you do? 😉 #
@gaspart Quella frase È una delle cose che decisamente NON mi manca dell’italia. #
@LusciousPear Now you like everything with a horse on it? I can dig. #startup #fb #
@LusciousPear The US is full of soccer moms; I was a riding mom #
RT @SFGMC: @SFGiants‘ #itgetsbetter video! Â – first major sports org to get behind this effort – kudos Giants! #
YouTube – you’re gonna love tomorrow / love will see us through #
I will not argue with fundies. I will not argue with fundies. I will not argue with fundies. There is no good argument against stupidity. #
@jeffreytaylor Most authors seem unable to resist the need to do exactly that. #
@trevoro Sounds like a recipe for running over a bunch of hot girls when you lose control of the vehicle and end up on the sidewalk. #
@bdha It doesn’t work. These people argue Science is just another form of faith and Evolution is only a theory. #
But it’s all right now,I learned my lesson well.You see, you can’t please everyone,so you got to please yourself #
Pack up the luggage, la la la, unpack the luggage, la la la… – The Glamorous Life #
@edsai aka going to shit. Might be truer than we know. #
@philiph switch to Dvorak, it’ll slow you down while you’re learning #firstworldproblems #sysadmin #
@PCOWandre sad and true #
social media lab: added a Twitter follow button to my site, lets see if this has any .effect on my follower count. #
@brendangregg, subtitled (in English) YouTube – vmstat: Key Fields #
@cote My body wakes up early, I’m productive then. No special virtue – everyone should work when THEY are most productive. #
I guess I’m more of an entrepreneur than I thought. A market need that seems blindingly obvious to me is not being met. #
@jscarp yay! You just keep kicking its ass! #
@philiph ice cream works better in coffee #
@AmnaAhmad Sample, please! #
@milouness Many shopping carts do that themselves! #
is that @sogrady having questionable relations with a server? Â #
Bachmann’s educational policies are being challenged by an amazing high school student from Baton Rouge #
@dylanbeattie What, no sound effect? 😉 #kaboomjs #
@ptribble We could make that so much easier for you. 😉 #
If the story doesn’t sound like what you read on Wikipedia, you know who to blame:the elite liberal media #
@ryancnelson not parsing the unbeknownst part of that statement #
@SniperWulfzen awwwww. Congratulations. #4years #
slept til almost 10 (higihly unusual). Now, looking at the rain, I may roll over and go back to sleep. #
8 years ago I wrote (about even earlier times): Elementary School: An Italian Experience #
7 years ago: Macho Animals with Artificial Testicles #
7 years ago: School Mortality in Italy #
7 years ago: The Family That Eats Together #
video: A Close Shave #
4 years ago: Why Send My Child to Woodstock School? #
3 years ago: Visiting Sun Bangalore #
2 years ago: Clay Baenziger is Sysadmin to Go #
2 years ago – I was busy! Upcoming Speaking Engagements #
Anyone else seeing spam links like this in bit.ly? I don’t see this in any way on my site, anyone? Â #
@lewellyn Might have been me. I can’t tell if it’s a hack of my site or of bit.ly. If the latter, wd seem to be of limited use to spammers #
@philiph Deep breaths. #
@philiph Geez, there’s just no helping some people. 😉 #
After weeks of doing documentation, taking a mental break doing video again. I need variety. Even if most of my videos are of @brendangregg#
@virtualsteve At CES one year, I learned that it’s possible to overclock a John Deere combine harvester (Deere wanted to prevent it). #
@LusciousPear umm… go to a hotel for the wight? #
The Hellmouth is a new stop on the SF Muni. Â #
@avbelow yup #
@sween that makes them smarter than humans #
Just posted a photo  #
damn. Didn’t realize instagram wasn’t saving all the photos I was taking, only the ones I shared. Damn damn damn. #
#
@avbelow when and where will you be? #
@avbelow ok, we can meet for drinks or coffee Sunday #
Couples in which one partner commutes for longer than 45 minutes are 40 percent likelier to divorce #
There are three kinds of women: Women who want to be taken care of. Women who want to be in charge. And… #
Gimme Shelter  #
we’re arguing not only over debt ceilings and budgets, but about larger questions of our vision for our country #