Recently in Cambridge Category

My cousin told me the other week that he accidentally referred to Emelyn as ‘Emelyndotnet’. In which case, I think I should point out that although Emelyndotnet has been rather shaky all week due to technical issues, site namesake Emelyn has been doing just fine.

(The long technical story, for those interested: Emelyndotnet, jasoncookdotcom, and some other domains that Azure and I tinker on are all graciously hosted by our old friend Andy, who happens to own a couple of aging Unix machines that sit in a server cage somewhere outside of San Francisco. This steadfast pair of machines - incidentally named Chunk and Sloth - have been generally reliable, but are showing their age a bit. One of them recently went haywire, taking down a bunch of other computers in the same facility; so it’s therefore being put out to pasture.

As I type, our sundry domains are being migrated to a shiny new hosting facility - thanks once again to Andy - but like any move, there’s the usual broken plates and glasses and hardcoded-virtual-include-file-paths to be dealt with. Things should all be swept up by the weekend, though.)

Anyhoo. Like I was saying earlier, Emelyn (not-dotnet) is chipper as can be. And really talkative - she’s taken to cooing at anything and everything she fancies. Az and Arps went back for a second helping of Pride and Prejudice at the Big Scream showing yesterday, and apparently Emelyn started ‘Awoooo Awoooo’-ing at Mr. Darcy, at a volume that had lots of heads turning and laughing. (Wish I’d seen it, too.)

Tonight will be my first night away from Azure and Emelyn; I’m headed to an overnight work-offsite-thingy somewhere in the countryside. Next week I’m in Germany for a few nights and the week after it looks like I’m in the States. But as far as travel goes, that’ll be it for awhile. Good thing!

Last night found us back at the Cambridge Blue. The fireplace was burning a heap of coal, which I take as a pretty clear sign that the weather’s changing. We were a group of six - along with Arpi, our friend Damien (another high school alum and fellow UK expat) came over for a visit with his girlfriend. Of course, Azure and I were secretly hoping for a group of seven - the pub cat, Ajax, can usually be cajoled to come and sit at your table, but he wasn’t around.

And that’s it. TGIF: the weekend starts in 10 hours. More news then.

Azure, Emelyn, and I all have the same nasty cold. Probably something I brought home from the Tube.

I’m wishing I could be more help at home, but as usual, it’s Az who’s bearing the brunt of the work. Emelyn breathes best when upright on Mom, so Azure spent most the night semi-sleeping in a reclining position, cradling Emelyn on her chest. When Emmie’s plugged up, she makes some of the saddest noises I’ve ever heard while nursing. And her little coughs are just heartbreaking.

Our local surgery (doctor’s office) is three blocks up the street, so I think Azure is likely to swing by for a quick visit today. The NHS public health system here has its upsides and downsides, but one aspect I like is how well it works for the small things — so long as you call a doctor before 9am, you can get a same-day appointment, without having to worry about insurance, out-of-pocket cost, or any of that. That said, they’re also a lot less likely to send you home with a handful of pills or blood tests or any clear-cut plan for dealing with things. Addenbrooke’s hospital actually has a large plaque when you walk through the frontdoor which reads, “Whatever it is, it will soon pass” which, to me, sums up the British medical approach a lot of the time.

I’ve barely seen Arpi, but I’m glad she’s here. Hopefully the three of us will be more entertaining hosts in a day or two.

Not much else to report. Emelyn took note of herself in the mirror yesterday, and seemed to quite enjoy her own company — she laughed and smiled at herself. She then tried to paw at her mirror-self, which didn’t work quite as she’d expected. Thunk!

Winter hasn’t come to England, yet, but it’s certainly lurking close by. Hence Emelyn’s need to be increasingly bundled-up when venturing outside — logistically more difficult, though fun, too, since she’s been given some extremely cute winter outfits by friends and family. (Thanks!)

Sometime in the last 48 hours or so, Emelyn discovered her hands’ grabbing ability. (Until now her fists were reflexively clenched almost all the time.) Azure first caught her staring at her hands last week, but last night Emmie really went on a roll. She repeatedly picked-and-grabbed at the outfit she was wearing, intently watching her progress while doing so. Her actual ‘holding’ ability falls slightly short of ‘grabbing’ ability — watching her is reminiscent of those coin-operated amusement crane/grabber things were you try to pick up a plush toy.

Other great news this week is that Azure gets some company at home again — best friend Arpi has come for a visit. (Coincidentally, Arpi spent the first few years of her life in Cambridge.) It should be a good week for all of us, and if things go well, I might just see the ladies in London sometime soon.

As for me, I’m beginning to enjoy this morning train ride, since it gives me a chance to update Em’s blog more regularly. I’m starting to catch just a bit of the sunrise when the train pulls out of Cambridge into the green belt; as winter approaches I expect to see more and more of it…

Emelyn’s friend Tabitha, who’s a few months older, got baptised this weekend. The three of us attended the ceremony in Saffron Walden, which is about a 45 minute drive from Cambridge.

It was a nice ceremony, and a great chance to catch up with some fellow classmates still living around Cambridge. Emelyn’s behaviour in the old cathedral was, of course, very good — she was wide awake the entire time and made hardly a peep; she was utterly fascinated by the cathedral’s windows.

This being a British christening, the next stop was (of course) the village pub. Emelyn enjoyed the reception plenty, too — lots of other babies to meet. As luck would have it, however, we forgot to bring a change of clothes. Now, while eschewing the actual details, suffice to say that Murphy’s Law was in effect, and this all became an issue during her diaper change. No worries, though — Emelyn remained quite pleased with herself the entire time, and everything turned out just fine in the end. Alas, her wardrobe is shy one onesie now, which we delicately left behind in a bin back in Saffron Walden…

Emelyn is smiling. Fleeting smiles, to be sure, but they’re real ones, now, not the strange ‘involuntary’ grins that used to precede her possetting or diaper fill-ups.

She also had her big six-week checkup with a doctor, which went swimmingly. Emelyn’s weight is right on the 50th percentile; it even looks like she might be a tall girl. She is, for now, at least — her current length is between the 70th and 91st percentile.

We haven’t taken many pictures this week, but I’ve cobbled together a small video to share some of her smiling-ness, and to show off her little dance moves.

All else is good, here. (Well, almost: Dad heads to Google in three short days, and is not looking forward to leaving the ladies behind every morning. It’ll be a bittersweet change of pace…)

Emelyn makes a number of small noises, including sneezes, coughs, and many varieties of poopy-poopy sounds. What’s tricky is that the facial-expression buildup to each of these things is similar; you know something’s being worked on, but you’re just not sure what it might be…

Auntie and Emelyn prove the point, here, in this small video…

Emmie’s got one of those baby swingsets, now. It sits stately in our living room, where it gives her a good vantage on whatever we’re doing, whenever we’re occupied with household tasks requiring an even number (non-zero) of arms.

It’s pretty fancy. There’s a variable-speed motor, it plays 8 different melodies, and it even features 4 disco lights (kid you not). I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that Fisher-Price have somehow hidden an infant-sized TV remote and sippy-cupholder in the armrest.

See for yourself:

Emelyn is starting to lead a busy metro lifestyle — yesterday she went to Starbucks (again) with fellow-baby-friend Tabitha, lunched with Aunt Jami in the city centre, and then came to visit Dad at the Judge Business School. I’m now concerned that her first words are likely to be ‘venti nonfat cappucino’.

Emelyn had afternoon errands, too — Azure carried her back from school to the York Street Surgery (just a few blocks from our house) for her bi-weekly weigh-in. Emelyn is now 8lbs 8oz, which puts her weight right smack-dab at where it’s s’posed to be for her age. Good to know.

We all took a rather long jaunt yesterday, walking the public footpath through Grantchester Meadows down to The Orchard. Azure and I used to cycle here on an almost-weekly basis; we’re quickly learning that we can’t manage the same sort of speed or spontaneity with baby in tow — the logistics of diaper mats, baby slings, and tiny-little-hats-in-case-the-wind-blows is still a new world for us.

I can report that Emelyn and I both survived our first loud-crying-in-public event; yesterday it was finally my turn to be the sheepishly-smiling dad standing outside the restaurant with wailing baby in hand. Suffice to say I executed a hot-potato handoff the moment Azure returned from the restroom, Emelyn got her own lunch about 60 seconds later, and things quieted down quickly.

Anyhow. Emelyn is great, and Azure and I… incredibly tired. But we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Emelyn and I stepped out early for a morning constitutional — popping off for a fresh croissant at the Norfolk bakery, and a coffee from Starbucks. It was our first little journey alone together, and Emelyn behaved impeccably, staying soundly asleep with barely a wiggle coming from her sling.

“Mum’s having a bit of a lie-in, is she?” is what the Starbucks guy asked, but in fact, Azure was already up and chatting with an NHS health worker who swung by in our absence. When we came back, Azure and the NHS worker (an RN) were going through some paperwork, but we shortly got down to the fun stuff: the official weigh-in.

No doubt it’s a reflection of Emmie’s modest nature and general propriety, but she doesn’t particularly like to be disrobed for diaper changes or baths. Getting Emelyn to sit naked on a scale was therefore not much to her fancy, either. However, in due course Emelyn settled down, and clocked in at a healthy 7lbs 6 ounces, which is 3 ounces over her birth weight, and a good six ounces more than earlier last week. The nurse was happy with this, so we were, too.

Emelyn is a rock star. Or certainly parties like one — up all night, sleep all day. All of which has left Azure and me feeling permanently jet-lagged, though we’ve barely left our living room.

We managed to hit one pub, at least. The Cambridge Blue, one of just two non-smoking pubs in all Cambridge, sits literally around the corner from our house. Alas, Azure is still stuck drinking ‘sparky water’, but dad, Aunt Sheri and Uncle Jeff managed to enjoy a few pints of Hobson’s Choice and Woodford Wherry in their baby-friendly beer garden. (Emelyn, meanwhile, stayed asleep in her sling.)

Most of the time, though, we’re at home. Because taking care of baby is, like, hard work. Az and I have plenty of things to be thankful for, and a big one at the moment is that Emelyn popped into our lives during this long ‘summer vacation’ — probably the last such break we’ll have. And I dunno how we’d manage otherwise.

Great news today: Emelyn is being discharged from the SCBU and moving next door into Sara Ward alongside Azure. This means a lot less beeping machines around, and a chance for Azure to finally sleep with baby in the same room. Tomorrow morning marks a week since Azure entered the hospital for what she’d imagined would be an overnight visit, so it’s especially nice that both her and baby are in a (slightly) more home-like environment.

Emelyn’s made a lot of progress, fast. Her mom and dad are very proud of her.

A few incoming MBA students have asked for advice on moving to the UK. About year ago, I asked the very same question to Frank Leahy, who then wrote a helpful blog entry (two, actually) about Moving to England — What Do I Bring and Getting Stuff There.

Herewith a few more details that I can add — these being oddball points, mostly tailored to Cambridge MBA students:

Cell phones: For starters, they call ‘em “mobile phones” here, and yeah, you’ll need one if you hope to socialize much.

You need a GSM phone, however — if you’re a T-Mobile or Cingular customer in the States, you’re probably in luck. However, your phone is still likely to be ‘locked’ to that provider; you still need to unlock it to join another carrier. There’s an easy way to test this — if you’re a T-Mobile customer in the States, stroll into a Cingular phone store (or vice-versa), then ask whether their pre-paid-minutes plans will work on your current phone. Store reps should be able to swap out your SIM card and try one of theirs. If it works, your existing phone is already unlocked and ready for the UK.

Unlocking phones is a tricksy business. It’s not-really-allowed, but if you live in a big city, there’s probably some local shop that’ll do it for fifteen bucks. Try asking around at 3rd-party places (the storefronts advertising calling plans from multiple carriers) especially if they serve a lot of overseas-immigrant customers. A couple years ago, I owned a Sony T68i that I’d used while in Italy; I needed it unlocked so I could join Cingular pre-paid in California. The first shop I walked into (outside Monterey Park) was happy to unlock the phone — as a cash-only transaction.

You might also try your luck and wait until you arrive in Cambridge. There’s a stall in the market square advertising phone unlocks while-u-wait.

Of course, the whole point of bringing an unlocked phone to England is to join a ‘pay-as-you-go’ phone plan, and thereby avoid spending a single pence on new equipment. You can live quite cheaply on pay-as-you-go — you’re charged only for the calls you dial, not the ones you receive. And there’s never any end-of-the-month billing surprises. Azure and I probably averaged under 10 pounds a month with our pay-as-you-go mobiles, but we didn’t gab much.

I recently became a pay-monthly customer, though, since I wanted a brand-new camera phone. As in the U.S., you’ll get a very nice ‘free’ phone here if you sign up for a 12-month plan, usually £30 and up. Nice thing is, pay-monthly phones are generally provided unlocked (but be sure to ask) so you can use them after graduation, wherever you may live. One prerequisite may be having a UK bank account set up, however.

Sticklers for detail will note that I’ve missed two other options. First, you can buy cheap locked phones (£29-£99) tied to a provider’s pay-as-you-go plan; if you choose a cruder phone, and don’t talk much, you’ll still recoup the savings (vs. a monthly contract) before the year is up. Avoid the ‘3’ network if you head this route, though — any minutes you buy will expire every month. Dumb.

The other option is to buy an unlocked tri-band or quad-band GSM phone, new or used, back in the US. (There’s little point to buying a phone over here; the prices generally match the cost of buying a 12-month contract with the phone included.) Some phone makers, like Handspring, sell unlocked phones directly to customers. Some stores may, too.

Unlocked phones are also for sale on eBay, though there’s also a lot of fraud in that space — be especially wary of overseas sellers with low feedback numbers. Sellers whose only picture of their phone is lifted from the Nokia website are also a bad sign…

Business Suit: Maybe most MBA’s own one of these, already; I was lucky enough not to. You’ll need a suit for client-based group projects, formal halls, the class picture, etc. I brought an inexpensive no-name grey suit from a discounter, which was a good call. That suit spent a lot of time getting wet in the rain, picking up road dirt from cycling, and getting spilled on at formal halls and college bars. Save the nice suit for after graduation.

Tuxedos: These are called ‘dinner suits’, hereabouts. Absurd, I know, but getting educated in Cambridge means you’re likely to need/want one. There’s a black-tie Christmas party at the Judge, and the more traditional colleges like Magdalene throw a number of black-tie-preferred events (holiday banquets, etc.) as well. (Demanding people to wear a tux is, like, no big deal here.) Toss in a May Ball or two, and you’ll belatedly realize that buying is better than renting at £35-£50 a pop. Like most everything else, buying a tux at home is much cheaper than buying in the UK.

Vaccinations: You’ll soon get a note from Cambridge telling you to get a mumps vaccination. The disease may sound as medieval as most of the buildings around here (and is unheard of in the US), but it’s a virus that’s very much alive and kicking in English universities.You don’t want to get this one, especially if you’re male.

You’ll need to register with the NHS on arrival, and can sort out with them how to get your ‘jabs’, but it’s probably a lot less of a hassle to get this done Stateside.

Bicycle and accessories: This is a cycling town. Thanks to the barricades and ‘short-cuts’ placed throughout the whole of Cambridge, two wheels are generally faster than four, and bikes are how everybody gets around, rain or shine. A cheap used bike costs £40 or less, but add-ons like decent halogen lights, helmets, etc. easily add up to that same amount. If you already have this stuff at home, toss it in your suitcase.

Council Tax, etc: The fine print on your rental contact (should you choose to live in private accomodation instead of college housing) is likely to mention Council Tax. This will come in at about 10% of your yearly rent — a nasty surprise, if you weren’t expecting it. Good thing is, you can probably avoid this charge altogether if your entry clearance visa says ‘no recourse to public funds’. You won’t be able to go on the dole, but your tax burden is made much easier.

If there’s a TV in your house, though, you’ll also be liable for a yearly TV license, which runs about £100 / $200. Again, this is unlikely to be included in your rent, so remember to ask — I hear they are remarkably efficient about following up with non-payers.

And that’s it. Well, except for an umbrella and rain jacket. Which are… useful.

LEDs replacing cigarette lighters? That’s what wound up spinning through my brain as I watched the Kaiser Chiefs play at the Queens’ College May Ball.

Not as firestarters, mind. I’m talkin’ cigarette lighters as rock-ballad accoutrements, i.e. glowing objects to be held aloft whenever the band plays a song you like. Because that’s what happened last night, thanks to the whole cameraphone / digital camera scene. Stuck towards the back, I could spot each and every viewfinder that popped up above the crowd — they looked like little glowing blue things, jumping and hopping to the music — until, poof, they’d go down for a few minutes and other consumer electronics would take their place.

You gotta wonder what that looks like from the rockstar’s perspective. They don’t see the screens. Instead, it’s half the crowd stomping and going wild, the other half apparently content to stand still and show you their phones….

Anyhow. Haven’t had time to read that book about the Wisdom of Crowds, but I’ve heard the gist of it, and so last night I made sure to hoist my own Sony K750i in the air, and waved it like I just didn’t care. Coincidentally, I bought the thing only yesterday, primarily because it’s the first 2-megapixel camera phone on the market. The pictures it takes of a Cambridge May Ball look something like this:

No, not great, but then, lighting was low and there wasn’t time to RTFM. But there’s something I love about the constraints, here. I know that visually, it’s like you’re shooting with Kodak Disc film and a pinhole camera. Yet both the form factor and media format are so impulse-friendly that without a cameraphone I doubt these pictures would have been taken. And they capture plenty of the moment, at least for me.

Speaking of which: May Balls, wow. That’s quite a bit of extravagance for a collegiate get-together; it was like an All-American high-school prom mated with the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics. Yes, the Kaiser Chiefs were the big act, but like a circus, there were other acts in other tents, which ranged from jazz to classical to hip-hop and hippie. Throw in a shiatsu room, a Moon Bounce, a velcro wall, tea tasting, hookahs, Bellinis, burritos, swing boats, fireworks, and a free-alcohol-free-food-free-everything policy that would make even a Las Vegas casino nervous, and you start to get the picture. Definitely the wildest black-tie event I’ve ever been to.

(The Magdalene May Ball is white-tie. I won’t even guess at what goes on, there.)

I wandered home at dawn, which isn’t as late/early as it sounds. The sun goes down at 10:30, now, and is up again within six hours. That, I just love.

Update: Since a fair number of people arrive here looking for more info on the Sony K750i, I’ve added some higher-resolution snaps taken under bright light, which is where the built-in camera really shines.

I’ve knocked the sizes from the native 1600x1200 to 800x600 in Photoshop in most samples, as I think that’s a more realistic example of what you’d mail to friends or post on the web. I’ve noticed that the pictures also tend to look much better that way — there’s a type of pixel noise in the full-size pictures that becomes a lot less noticeable at email-friendly sizes. I also include a ‘tweaked’ version of the picture that’s received minor Photoshop manipulation (i.e., Unsharp Mask, Levels, etc.) to punch things up a bit.

Cath Kidson Bags example: Full Size, 800x600 (natural), 800x600 (enhanced)

Antique Iron: Full Size, 800x600 (natural), 800x600 (enhanced)