Nick Kirsch

Gentle Moment

2010-03-09

Eriko wonderfully captured one of my first gentle moments with Momoko and Jerry.

To fall asleep together, free of worry, is such a luxury - for old and young alike.

Seeds...

2010-03-07

I held Momoko for a few minutes after Eriko went to bed tonight and marveled at where life is. I can’t remember exactly what it felt like to hold Jerry, only that he’s always way out in front of me and I suspect that isn’t ever going to change. Realizing this, perhaps I can remember more of these early details - but I suspect that is wishful thinking.

As I look around our small home, I see seeds - an avocado tree which will eventually outgrow its 19" pot, a piano which is far too large for a home this size, a motorcycle balloon hanging from the ceiling, and a table that clearly needs a larger kitchen. Those might all say “you need a bigger house”, but only the first one did in my mind - the other images I see are Eriko’s music career, Jerry becoming a man, and our family growing.

At work, I’ve recently been promoted “back” to a Director - but in a completely different role, in Product Management (vs Engineering). I can’t help but feel wiser and more prepared now versus two years ago - but like this tiny home, my small team is littered with the seeds of the future. The company is littered with the seeds of the future - ideas, markets, and people.

In four years from now, where will be? Which seeds will grow - and in what direction?

PS Just finishing watching the first two seasons of Entourage - great series.

Welcome, Momoko!

2010-02-24

I will write more, as Momoko’s birth was both touching and exciting. For now, I just want the world to know that I have a new daughter - Momoko Kirsch - born on Sunday, February 21st at 17:18 PM PST. Momoko weighed 5 lbs, 12 oz and was approximately 19" in length.

Of course, Momoko now has her own website at http://momoko.kirsch.org/ and here is a beautiful picture of her:

Player Piano, Play No More!

2010-02-07

After a previous failed attempt with G-Daddy, I had an epiphany the other day. Removing the player piano wasn’t complicated at all - in fact, it was glaringly simple!

All I needed to do was remove four simple screws (two on each side):

With some help from Nate, Zack and Jerry … Wala!

Now the player action rests on top of the piano, a reminder of a project destined for a later date:

Feeling the Crunch

2010-02-03

The first month of 2010 is past us. It was a good month, filled with activity and fun. As February begins I am beginning to fill a little overwhelmed. I have agreed to take on a LOT of items at work and as I look at my list I see 9 major deliverable this month alone.

When I say major, I mean that they are all goin to be either highly visible, strategic, or both.

To top all that off, the baby is coming.

"Pointer finger scratch"

2010-01-16

It all started as an innocent foot rub when I began to put Jerry to sleep in place of Eriko. She had been nursing him at night, but that wasn't working as effectively and I wanted to give her a break. Before long, I added the back scratch to the foot rub, as the foot rub wasn't quite enough to keep him pacified.

Almost overnight (pun intended), the list grew extensively (in no particular order):

Back scratch
Foot rub
Booty scratch
Under-the-arm scratch
Leg scratch
Foot scratch
Side scratch
Nipple scratch
Head scratch
Chin scratch
Ear scratch
Shoulder scratch
Neck scratch
Chest scratch
Arm scratch
Elbow scratch
In-between-the-toes scratch

Not only does Jerry request a particular area to be scratched, but he also provides specific directions as well: "left", "right", "up", "hard", "harder", "super-duper hard", "not suuuuper duper hard." He also switches very rapidly between locations, giving instructions faster than one can comply.

When I heard "pointer-finger scratch", I knew I had to record this - finally it dawned on me that this had become ridiculous. On a good day, this ritual lasts about 10 minutes - but on a bad night it can not only occur several times but also last up to 45 minutes. Let the weaning begin.