Transitions

I am in the middle of many transitions. On a train ride, I read what I found (long story) in my backpack. "I am History" by Mike Garey. Beautiful, short, David Mamet-like writing of Mike's time at Bell Labs, beginning to the end. David Johnson, Ron Graham, Ed Coffman, Peter Winkler and others appear and the writeup captures the excitement, mentoring and friendships found in Bell Labs of the past. Well, may be not all in the past. The people from there are now elsewhere and still evoke and inspire similar epherma (thanks to Graham Cormode for planting the word in my psyche all day yesterday), physical or otherwise. The second item I found in my backpack was Lamoisse's The Red Balloon, a pretty book with perfect form factor containing the story of a boy who finds a magical red balloon and of its perils and rides. Must read, after Mike's book, balances the moods. I went from nostalgic and reflective to playful. Shortly after that I was walking down 23rd street and three kids sauntering behind me and yelled out, " I like your hair, I like your beads, I like your walk and I like your shirt". I regreted not wearing stylish shoes, sigh.