On weekdays, I’m home by 5:30 or 6pm. Once home, I try to devote my attention to Gabi and the kids, until I’m off the school again the next day. On weekends, things are a bit different. Friday evenings are centered around our weekly martini parties, which we all thoroughly enjoy (“Can you make me a small one this week, Ed?”).

Saturdays are for the family. Sunday morning, I make an early commute to the library, where I can get an additional five hours of study in before coming home to watch football games with Gabi.

I don’t read the news anymore. I used to read the Economist cover-to-cover each week. Now, I scan Yahoo News once every two days or so. I don’t make all of the phone calls to family and friends that I used to. I have a science fiction book that I started three weeks ago, and I’m still less than halfway through it. My current videogame was started in mid-August and I will be lucky to finish it in October.

I’m reporting facts here, not complaining. I’m thoroughly entertained by the reading I’m doing for law school. I find the threading of logic in each class call completely engrossing. And my time with Gabi and the kids is much more sparkly, for being so infrequent.

I’m posting this as an apology to everyone who might feel forgotten. You’re not forgotten; it is just that my universe is now nearly completely filled with law school and family. There just isn’t room for much else, though I’m making sure to create time and space for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other important events. It’s different. And I am enjoying this a great deal.

Just spent a week in San Francisco at the Game Developers’ Conference (GDC). I stayed with Dan, Hongli, Angelina and Carina. And I got to see Jack. It was a great trip!

Ed, Tunde, Jack, Gabi at Travel Town in Griffith Park Saturday

We went for a whirlwind visit of friends in Los Angeles Saturday. Here are a few photos.

Cousin Alex and friend

Cousins Alex and Camilla explore a turn-of-the-century locomotive.

Nika, Camilla, Aaron and Daniel ride a more modern, but smaller train.

Visiting George, Gisela and the boys for pleasant outside dinner in Glendale.

Then we went to the main downtown area. I hadn’t been there for fifteen years. We managed to locate The Spot (link), which was originally a dive restaurant a block away from the house I shared with Barry Marshall, Rachel Guthridge and others while I was at Northwestern. About 20 years ago, they decided to flee the Chicago weather (and an eminent domain event that destroyed their building) and moved to Southern California. We also made a quick stop to the famous La Valencia (link).

Big thanks to Leila for looking after the kids while we went to have fun.

After the proposal, we partied for a week with friends. Here with Jack.

To those who don’t know, this is the anniversary of the first wedding with Gabi. The big wedding everyone remembers was on a beach in Malibu on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2001. Here’s the story. I proposed on Christmas morning of the year 2000. After partying for a week at our new house in Silverlake, we went to see an immigration lawyer almost immediately. When he told us how long the process was to get Gabi her American citizenship, we opted to get married as soon as possible in order to start the application.

On Wednesday February 7, 2001, we went to Norwalk in Los Angeles. Our immigration attorney recommended it as filing the fastest paperwork in the area (“Whatever you do, don’t get married in Vegas. They take forever with the paperwork.”). Most of the people getting married there that day were visibly pregnant, poorly dressed and otherwise not happy to be there. Not us. We got the Justice of the Peace, who must handle dozens of weddings a day, to cry at our ceremony. The only photo of the day that I have is the one below. Denny’s was the convenient restaurant across from the courthouse. A very happy day, and much worth celebrating.

Lunch on our wedding day. No guests. No catering.

The Packers won the Super Bowl, and they were my team in the family football pool. Now we suffer with at least seven months of no football. Dang.

And major progress was made on my super-secret project today. Very happy about this.

It’s a good day.

Camilla also received a Citizenship award, with no explanation. Not sure what this means. Did she receive an award for getting perfect math scores for three months? No. Did she receive an award for reading above and beyond the level of a kindergartener? No. Did she receive an award for knowing her multiplication tables up to 12 and being able to handle multi-digit multiplication? No. I find something wrong with this picture. But I’m proud of her, and you can quote me on that.

Aaron continues to grow and mature. He’s doing a lot of it on his own, while we spend time worrying about Daniel’s homework or Veronica’s new teeth. He went to the garage one day and fished out an old bicycle. He pulled it out himself and started to ride it. Eventually, Gabi set up Camilla’s old bicycle for him, putting the training wheels back on. He loves it.

And a quick note on the neighborhood. Over the past two or three months, two families with small children have moved in. We now have six new kids ready to play, all about our kids’ ages. We had a situation last night when one group of two kids showed up at the door asking to play. Unfortunately, their Mom came moments later, complaining that they had left the house without permission. Oops. No playdate last night!

Aaron in his tux, ready for the weekend.

Pool Party from Eda's Birthday Sunday

Sienna's Swimming Pool

On Saturday, the six of us went to Sienna’s 7th Birthday party. It was an over-the-top party, with pony rides, a mini-ferris wheel, ice-cream truck catering and more. It was a complete blow-out, and the kids loved it!

Dad and boys on the ferris wheel (Dad was too heavy)

Dan-dan bravely doffs his floaty for a swimming noodle, like he used last year at swimming lessons.

Camilla climbs on the pony herself and gets a ride.

Veronica and Edu, an exchange student from Turkey.

Terry, Sienna's Dad and a serious New Orleans Saints fan, cooks up some BBQ chicken.

More photos are on my Facebook page here.