The Boy
the boy
New Camera
The decision to leave my school and take a chance with at a new school teaching a new subject was in some ways difficult and in other ways easy. Seventeen years in a place can do that to you.
Changing camera systems is sort of the same. The first real camera I bought was in Poland: a Zenit I bought at the jarmark. After that, I bought a Nikon. When I returned to the States, I bought my first and last Canon, and a couple of years after that, I bought my first digital camera, a Sony. Finally, when we bought a DSLR, we went back to Nikon. First, a D70s. Then a D300. And seven years ago, almost to the day (6 March 2018), we bought a D500.
It was about time for an upgrade.
But to what? DSLRs are on the way out — it’s all mirrorless these days. And besides, we wanted something small: the D500 with the 2.8 lens weighs over 1600 grams, and it’s huge. Not as big as a D6, but not as professionally expensive, either.
We’d been using our Fuji X100 almost exclusively over the last year or so, and we’d gotten spoiled with its size and simplicity. But it was nearing its end: released in 2011, our lovely little Fuji was 14 years old — ancient by digital camera standards. So, again, it was time for an upgrade.
We wanted something small, but in the end, we wanted a bit more functionality than the X100 series would offer. While we love the camera, it does have its limitations. We thought briefly about the Fuji X-Pro 3, which is similar to the X100 series but with interchangeable lenses. But that price…
In the end, we decided to change camera systems entirely and go with the Sony a6700.
When the battery was charged up, E and I took the dog and the camera for a walk to see its low-light capabilities. The same walk, in fact, that we took with the D500…
The Boy
Landscaping Changes
County Band
Spring Season Practice
Valentines 2025
Health and Exercise
The Boy and I have endeavored once again to get into shape. That’s such a relative thing, I’m not even really sure what that means for the two of us. For him, it means putting on some muscle and losing the last of his baby fat. The pediatrician told us for years not to worry about his baby rolls. He’ll stretch out we were assured. They’ll disappear, and by and large, they have.
For me, that means just maintaining. As I’m getting older, mysterious new ailments appear. Recently, for example, the fingertips of my left hand have started tingling every now and then. It’s usually on my arm is bent, and it usually goes away as soon as I straighten it out: some kind of nerve interruption. I’m not too terribly concerned about it, but I’ll definitely talk to my primary care physician about it when I see him later this year. And of course, I’ll make an appointment sooner if it worsens. I’ve been hoping that perhaps the swimming that I’ve been trying to do would make that better. It seems like there’s just something catching in my elbow that’s making this happen, and I thought that perhaps a bit of increased mobility would stretch things back out and get everything flowing correctly. But I swim, and it persists, and I worry about it a little.
It seems every year, some new little thing crops up. My knees started giving me fits last year, and I really had to stop running altogether because I couldn’t make it more than about a half a mile before everything started hurting. My vision while reading has done the predictable: I have surrendered and bought reading glasses.
All this I suppose is somewhat predictable, and I guess it will only get worse. But I can fight it, and a bit of exercise every day should help. But I’m under the illusion that I’ll ever get back to the shape that I was in 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago.
I do hope I can encourage the Boy to remember that what he’s creating for himself now, the body that he is making, will go away and eventually be replaced by something older slower, less agile. I regret not holding onto my health and fitness that I experience that I had in high school. I regret losing the health and fitness. I developed cycling so much in Poland. It’s gone, and it seems like it will never come back even in the slightest bit.
Sassafras Mountain
Polska 2011 Revisited
Friday Evening Walk
Heading Out for a Walk
The Boy and I headed out for a walk after dinner. We took the dog, we chatted about school, keyboards (as in computer keyboards — a recent interest of the Boy’s), district band tryouts (tomorrow evening), and random topics (as if that list weren’t random enough). It was another of those “how many more times do we do this?” moments. The Girl didn’t go with us because she had gone to her boyfriend’s house to watch a movie with him.
Everyone’s role slowly shifts.
Soccer Sunday
Walk
K and I went for a quick walk this afternoon around 2:30. We had to be back by 4:00 — it was non-negotiable — so we rushed to our favorite park to do a quick loop.
Why the rush home?
We had pierogi to make for one thing. We’re still working on that. One hundred and sixty five today — most of them frozen for quick dinners throughout the next few months. They’re a good backup plan: when we are in a rush and just don’t have the time to cook, we have pierogi.
But that wasn’t the real reason for the rush home. The Boy had a friend coming to hangout, and she was scheduled to arrive at four.
Watching our children develop new interests has always been one of the most exciting — and sometimes stressful — elements of parenting.
End of Break Saturday
Today was the day everything went back to normal. The Christmas lights came down (though the tree is still up — whatever K wants to do is fine with me in that regard). The Boy’s 5v5 soccer season resumed: E’s team won 4:3, with the Boy scoring the winning goal.
But some things were still holiday-esque: I made farsz for pierogi again. And this time, I remembered how much grease the sautéed mushrooms spit out as they go through the grinder.
“Do we a fartuszek of any kind I can use?” I asked K.
“But of course…”
2025 Day 1
We always like to begin the new year with something outside. Last year, we were at Hilton Head with Babcia; the year before, we were hiking somewhere — can’t remember the name. This year, with L still recovering (though she’s mostly fine now) and the Boy feeling a bit reluctant, K and I went for a short walk at our favorite park, just the two of us. And the dog.
And a lot more people than usual. But can you blame them? A beautiful New Year’s Day with temperatures in the mid fifties and a blue sky — of course, you’re going outside.
In the evening, we decided on a family movie — a classic. Well, not quite. But the kids had never seen Titanic, and it’s such a 90s film that both K and I have memories of and — well, okay. There’s no reason to watch that film except for the sinking scene.
The Boy watched about half an hour; we made it to the halfway mark. We’ll finish it Friday or Saturday — tomorrow is a sleepover for the Boy. We’ll have a house filled with kids.
Boys. Twelve-year-olds…
Wigilia 2024
Going into Wigilia sick is no fun. K was ill during the 2011 Wigilia, and I had to make the barszcz as a result. It was probably not as good as K’s.
Still worse than heading into Wigilia sick is going into it after an operation. The Girl’s last Wigilia here as a full-time resident of our house and it was a struggle for her — the whole day.
She stayed in her room for most of the day. “I’m saving my energy for tonight,” she explained.
Evening came and she put some nice clothes on, came down stairs, and had dinner with us. After soup, she took a break in the living room, but she came back for the fish.
When it came time for the gifts, she lay on the couch and smiled as E passed out all the gifts she’d bought for everyone.
That was a bit of a role change: she’s always been so thrilled to get the gifts (what kid isn’t?), but tonight, she was more enjoying watching everyone else open her gifts.
The Girl is growing up. In fact, how long can we continue calling her “the Girl”? Isn’t she legally an adult now? A woman?
But some things never change. Wigilia never changes. The same food every year. Perhaps a different fish — trout this year. Or did we have trout last year as well?
And the same faces around the table, with one exception — a new guest this year.
So if some things don’t always change, if some things just stay the same seemingly forever, I guess the Girl can remain the Girl in our eyes indefinitely.
And what of the Boy this year? He retained his role as the gift distributor, but his voice is a little deeper now when he hands someone a gift.
But some things with the Boy don’t change: he’s still the most grateful gift-receiver.
Everyone, happy with their gifts, discussed whether to go to Mass tonight or tomorrow. They all decided on tomorrow, so we watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The girls’ pick. I hadn’t seen it since I watched it in the theater, I don’t think.
I checked the release date of the film: 1989. I was two years younger than the Girl is now. And like that, those thirty-five years disappeared.
The movie ended, and like that, yet another Wigilia was over. Everyone slowly went their own ways.
Another Wigilia.
Another little bit of perfection.
9 Years Ago
Probably my favorite video with the Boy…
Tenderfoot
