INTERVIEWING THE DESIGNER OF THE WORLD'S MOST COMPLICATED WRISTWATCH
Today is exciting as we prepare to interview the designer of the world’s most complicated watch which sold recently for 2.7 million dollars. Located in the foothills of the Swiss Alps in Geneva, Switzerland, John Pierre Golay and his cousin Pierre Michel, of Franck Muller Company, are two charming older gentlemen who have opened their studio compound to us. They have agreed to show us the entire process of how they created their newest watch, the Giga with the largest tourbillon ever designed. I asked John Pierre if there were any secrets or proprietary information that we should stay away from. His reply was, “What secrets? We have no secrets. It is about experience; about understanding. If you can make this watch, please go ahead.”
They don’t make any children’s watches so Conor will have to keep asking mommy and daddy what time it is. Considering he’s only 6 months old, I don’t suppose he cares what time it is anyway. It’s either time to play, time to eat or time to sleep. And no watch is going to tell him that!
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THESE GUYS DESIGNED AND BUILT A WATCH THAT SOLD FRO 2.7 MILLION DOLLARS
We have now completed our film of Franck Muller brand wristwatches, the master of complications. Here are the brains behind the operation, Jean Pierre Golay and his cousin Pierre Michel Golayl Both of these Swiss gentlemen went to watch making school years ago and have mastered their craft. If there were a sport called Xtreme watch making, these guys would be the poster boys. The last watch they created took four years to make and had over 1,500 parts delicately placed in a case that fits on your wrist. Without SolidWorks CAD software, this would have been nearly impossible to create. I asked Jean Pierre this afternoon at lunch why the Swiss are so well known for watch making. He surprised me by answering that the French were the real watch makers but that hundreds of years ago, the protestants and Catholics went to war and the protestants were exiled and they went to Switzerland. These were the watch makers and so they took their craft with them.
Tomorrow, we’re back to Paris to finish filming the Aldebaran humanoid robots. I’d like to get my son one of them but considering they are $15,000, I’ll look for something a little less steep in the local souvenir shop. Seven more days until I get to hold him in my arms and kiss my wife. - See more at: http://dadsdecoded.com/blog/index_files/archive-apr-2012.html#sthash.H6iEDYW5.dpuf
GERMANY TO IRELAND - BATTLE OF THE BEERS
Left Germany this morning after a week of great sightseeing, company, food and of course, great beer. Each town has its own breweries and the local restaurants serve the local beer. So after 5 days of local PIls, Helles and Dunkels, we left Germany for Ireland. By 1pm I couldn’t stand to wait any longer and when my wife’s father asked me if I wanted a Guinness, I think I answered a little too fast, “Yes.” My son was just as mesmerized at the black gold as I was. We admired its iconic black color and white foam for about 30 seconds then opted for a taste. I don’t which beer I like better. And really, do I have to choose? No, when in Germany do as the Germans. And when in Ireland, do as the Irish. They’re both delicious. And so I leave the toast of, “Prost” in Germany and switch to “Slainte” now that I’m in Ireland. Both mean, “To good health!”
CONOR CRAWLS FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY
May 17th, 2012 at 7:37am, Conor decided to crawl for the first time. I happened to be cleaning the camera when I saw him and shot this :10 video as he came crawling to me. I told Valerie to come check him out. When she saw him crawling she started crying. I looked back at Conor to see what had happened that would cause her to cry. But he was just kneeling there smiling. I looked back to see if she was fine but she was still crying. Then I was really confused. Finally, it hit me that she was crying because she was happy and sad that he was crawling. It was another one of those milestones that reminds us that he’s getting older and he’ll never be the baby he was. He’s changing. And when it hit me, I was a little sad, too. He’s been such a great baby that it’s hard to admit we’re moving into the next phase of his life and the old phase is now a piece of charming history.
CONOR VISITS AN IRISH FARM IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS
Old tractors. Mended fences. Pigs. Chickens. Cows. Sheep and ducks. Today, Val, Conor and I found ourselves at Greenan Farms in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland. It was fun watching Conor study each of the animals and try to talk to them in a language only babies and ducklings know. As a dad, I watch my son with an amazing amount of satisfaction and pleasure as his brain grows and he begins to make sense of the world around him. I rest easier knowing that he is finding his way in this world and that he will be his own man. I imagine it sounds silly since he’s only 7 months old but to a dad, I sense that he will be okay. He is friendly, happy, studious and curious. These are qualities that I find both necessary and admirable in a person. And am happy to discover in my son.
SUN, MEET MY SON
Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Upon returning from Europe, the sun was smiling on Boston and I can finally introduce my son to the sun. Sounds like a country song. “Come on Conor, let’s work this one out. You play the bass notes and I’ll handle the high ones.”
HOW MANY BABY CLOTHES IS TOO MANY
My wife and I have worked out a deal; I take Conor to daycare and she picks him up. This enables her to get to work early so she can leave early. That means I get to feed and dress him on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It seems every time I dress Conor for daycare, I can’t find clothes for him. I mean, I know where they’re located but there’s just nothing except clothes that are too small for him. Everything else has food or worse on them. I always say to Conor, ‘Tonight is laundry night.” Question is, “How many clothes do we need so that we’re not doing laundry all the time but we’re also not buying too much stuff?" I mean he outgrows an outfit about every two months. My wife would never let me count the clothes in her closet but she’s never said anything about our 9-month old son so I dug into his closet and counted the following;
1. 9 onesies (never heard of this word until my son was born)
2. 5 shirts
3. 5 short pants ( just bought two of those yesterday)
4. 3 long pants
5. 1 pajama (I forgot to buy 2 more yesterday. He’s outgrown the other 6 that still take up space in his closet)
7. 7 jackets (we live in New England these days)
8. 4 hats (he won’t wear any of them
9. 3 bandanas ( I forgot about them until I wrote this which means he never wears them.)
10. 5 pairs of socks he never wears because he doesn't walk yet and it's summertime
10. 1 pair of sunglasses that he also never wears
This doesn’t sound too extravagant for a 9 month old but it doesn’t sound too bare bones either. After all, a 9-month old can get into a mess pretty fast since he’s on the crawl, eats like a horse, and what goes in must come out. And that can sneak past a pamper on any given poo.
I’ll keep an eye on the intake and outtake of clothes because on one hand, we cant do laundry every evening with two working parents. But at the same time, too many clothes piling up doesn’t seem like a good answer either.
By the way, I’m way over the “Mommy’s little rocker” shirts and “I’m a rock star” baby clothes. Can we please move on to something more original. In that regard, I’ve discovered that 77Kids and Crazy 8 seem to have cool stuff this year.
Links about how much clothing we need:
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/08/an-experiment-just-how-many clothes-do-kids-need-anyways.html
http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/10/my-minimalist-wardrobe-vlog.html
http://www.livingonadime.com/how-many-clothes-do-i-need/
http://www.ehow.com/baby-clothes/
- See more at: http://dadsdecoded.com/blog/index_files/archive-jul-2012.html#sthash.8lIKzwos.dpuf
THE DOG WHISPERER SHARES HIS DINNER
According to Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer, “Dogs see you only for who you are—not who you want to be. You cannot fool a dog. A dog doesn’t listen to your words; it reads your body language, which can’t lie. Before you begin a conversation with a dog you have to acknowledge how you really feel.” At this time, Conor feels hungry yet generous. And El Dog is not one to disappoint.
MY COUSIN WHIT GOT MARRIED TODAY
Weddings are such a great excuse to get together and see family you never get to see except at weddings and funerals. This was a chance for Conor to meet his uncles, aunts and cousins. I know he won't remember them next time he sees them but it's a good attempt at starting a tradition of meeting on a semi-regular basis so that he has some roots when he grows up. Conor got to meet his great Uncle John who's a lawyer and likes to duck hunt. And his great uncle Whit who's a pharmacist and likes to bullshit. I wonder which of those traits Conor will get?
THERE ARE NO STRINGS ON CONOR
Conor may be his own man but it turns out that babies don't swallow solid foods automatically. As it turns out, they have to learn how to swallow. That's why they start out with soft food and slowly learn to eat things that have a thicker consistency and eventually little pieces of chicken and beef mixed in. I always thought they ate soft foods because of they had no teeth. But that was only half the story. Here, Conor hasn't grasped the idea of swallowing. Poor little guy.
CONOR'S FIRST BIRTHDAY
Conor's first birthday was on a Tuesday so we plan to wait until Saturday to have a party. We're not that into parties but it is his first one so we opted to invite a few of the neighbors. But tonight, we opened his big present from us; a #1 red race car. He and his dog are pretty impressed.
RAISING YOUR KIDS TO BE ENTREPRENEURS
Do you ever look at your child and wonder, "What's he/she going to grow up to be?" And do you wonder what role you play in that decision? Well, I sure do. I play the piano, the guitar and the flute for my son daily in hopes that he'll get interested in playing music when he gets older. I'm not saying I want him to be a professional musician, but I know that music has been a great communication tool for me when I need to get things off my chest. Or I want to tell others what's inside my head.
I read him books and tell him stories so he understands words, speaking and inflections of voice. I think it may help him enjoy books and reading when he gets older because that's where all the answers are. I try to pick out toys that are wooden, and fabric that are texturally interesting to the touch so that he appreciates aesthetics and design.
My wife and I talk and laugh around him and are affectionate so he sees that these are the ways we treat others that we care about.
But there's still something lacking as I try to teach my son how to think as an adult. I was always taught to work hard and everything else will follow. And it has worked out okay for me to some degree. But as I grew older, I saw that there were others around me that were not working as hard as me but were just as successful or more so. And I wondered, 'what do they know that I don't?" And one day I picked up the book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," and it began to sink in. I have come to believe that it's not necessary to work hard as it is to work smart. And this means understanding the world around us. It means to discover what others around us need or want and find ways to provide it. And when we discover how to provide it, delegate those tasks to others so it frees us up to make other discoveries. It's called being an entrepreneur. Since I have moved to Boston, I have met dozens of entrepreneurs and am friends with many of them. And i'm intrigued with their belief system.
Most of these entrepreneurs are no smarter than your average Joe and sometimes, not as smart. And they don't pretend to be smarter. It is their natural ability to think of an idea and hire someone to find the solutions for them. It doesn't dawn on them that they don't know enough to run a company. It doesn't cross their minds that they are in over their heads. They just know that they have an idea and that if someone should be able to make money from that idea, why not them. In essence, they claim their prize, they step into the ring with both feet and only then do they ask, "How in the world am I going to succeed. And one step at a time, they find solutions to each problem.
I began to wonder if I could teach my son to think this way. And in my search, I came across a TedTalks speech by Cameron Herold that really made me think that perhaps there is a road map. I think the speaker is a little too quick to assume some of his points. But that's exactly what an entrepreneur does so I cut him some slack. But I took many of his points to heart and will incorporate those examples that make sense to me as I teach Conor to be self sufficient, independent and to think bigger in a world that needs big answers.
Here's the speech and examples of how to get your child to think like an entrepreneur.
EAGLE TRIES TO SNATCH BOY IN MONTREAL PARK
This is the most amazing video I've seen recently. A mother is playing with her two kids in a park in Montreal, Canada. While the mother is looking after one of her children, a golden eagles swoops down and grabs her 15-month old child and actually picks him up and begins to fly away with him. But I guess the baby was too heavy for the eagle and he drops the baby from about 4 feet in the air and the baby tumbles back to earth. Wow! I'm keeping an extra eye on my boy now!
DON'T FENCE ME IN
A strange thing happened this evening after coming home. Conor was awfully fussy and kept wanting me to pluck him out of his high chair where his mom was having trouble feeding him. After I rescued him from his chair, he cried to be let down. But when I let him down he cried to be picked up again. It was very frustrating. I asked him what he wanted but of course, he can't really talk yet. He pointed towards the living room but I couldn't figure out what he was pointing at. So I put him down and offered him my hand hoping he might guide me to what he wanted. Sure enough, he took my hand and pulled me in the direction he wanted to go. At last, we ended up at the front door and he pointed to the door handle. He wanted out. When I opened the door, he smiled and walked to the door frame and stepped out into the rain. He looked pleased and wanted to walk down the stairs. I obliged him. When we finally got to the street Conor let my hand go and he looked around and smiled. He was happy.
Then it hit me, for the last 3 days we spent almost the whole day just sitting in my dad's front yard in San Benito, Texas, soaking up the sun and the fresh air. Conor was now cooped up in the cold Northeast and he wanted to feel the fresh air, even if it was raining. I let him stand there for a couple of minutes and then picked him up and gave him a big hug. I promised we'd take him out tomorrow. I then came back inside, ordered him a raincoat online and will wait on its arrival. There's no reason to keep a little boy trapped inside a house when he wants to enjoy the great outdoors. Even if it's raining or snowing. It's time to get the right gear so he's not fenced in.
CONOR GOES TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. AGAIN.
Today, it got a little breezy in the back when Conor was admitted to Children’s hospital because of a super painful stomach cramp.
I got a call from Conor’s daycare that he had been crying for an hour, holding his stomach and saying that it hurt. They had tried to call once and now was trying again. I jumped in the car and headed to pick him up. Only two days before, he had the same issue and we took him to the hospital to get checked out. But because he was no longer in pain, they decided to just watch and see.
Today, we headed straight to Children’s Hospital and had him checked again. This time, thoroughly. It started with x-rays which he hated but it wasn’t painful. It was just a scary looking room with a big machine that looked like a monster. They really need to get in there and paint that room to look like something fun. It wouldn’t be hard at all. Then, they sent us all upstairs so he could have an ultrasound. He was so over that x-ray room that he wasn’t pleased to have to lie down and have jelly rubbed on his tummy so they could slide that plastic paddle around on his tummy. So he cried crocodile tears even though the procedure was painless.
Eventually, they decided he may just be really constipated so they gave him an enema to make him poo. He cried some more but was so tired from the other two experiences that he was resigned to let the nurse do her thing and he just laid on the pillow and cried. Valerie and I felt bad for him but we had seen him in pain when his stomach would cramp up so this didn’t seem like such a difficult decision. And now we are pretty sure he’ll be okay.
CONOR HAS AN ODD REQUEST OF HIS DOCTOR
10/10/13 21:36
After five hours of poking and prodding at Children’s Hospital, arguably the best hospital for children in the world, the doctor gave Conor a little package of graham crackers and an apple juice to fill his hungry little tummy. Whereby Conor, at 2-years old looked up at the doctor and said, “I want some hummus, please.” The doctor doubled over in laughter and said in all the years she’d been treating children, she’d never heard such a request. She apologized for not having any hummus then left as laughter echoed down the hall. It was a good ending to a long day at the hospital. Conor was okay after all and his extreme stomach ache was simply due to an extreme case of constipation. Ouch.
I THINK I SEE THE LION DAD
20/10/13 21:10
Conor and I went to the Franklin Zoo in Boston today. We had a great time together, exploring every inch of the park. He was scared of the leopard as it paced around in it’s enclosure. We were super close. And he was also scared of the gorilla when it looked over and started staring at us. He said, “Daddy, Conor scared. Let’s go.” And so we did.
There was this really cool lion exhibit where it looks as though a safari jeep has crashed through the 3 inch glass and is now resting in the lion’s den. Conor loved it. Here he is looking for the lion. Pretty serious.
I THINK I SEE THE LION DAD
20/10/13 21:10
Conor and I went to the Franklin Zoo in Boston today. We had a great time together, exploring every inch of the park. He was scared of the leopard as it paced around in it’s enclosure. We were super close. And he was also scared of the gorilla when it looked over and started staring at us. He said, “Daddy, Conor scared. Let’s go.” And so we did.
There was this really cool lion exhibit where it looks as though a safari jeep has crashed through the 3 inch glass and is now resting in the lion’s den. Conor loved it. Here he is looking for the lion. Pretty serious.
IT'S NOT DEFIANCE, THE TESTING IS HEALTHY
At 2 years old, Conor is in full swing of testing Valerie and me. Just last night, I told him to stop jumping up the stairs so he wouldn’t accidently fall. He jumped up the next stair and looked back, grinning. I repeated my request and it triggered him to jump up the next step and turn around, grinning. I wondered if I should put him in a timeout for disobeying or pick him up and get him out of the ‘hot’ area.
According to Susanne Ayers Denham, a developmental psychologist, kids aren’t being defiant when they ‘test’ us. She points out that toddlers are trying to grapple with the rules of the family. They’re still trying to figure out if you need to be there to correct them each time and how they can ‘own’ the rule so they follow it even when you’re not there.
When you figure that this ‘testing’ coincides with their increasing need to be independent, it’s hard to read when a child needs to be reprimanded and when a child needs some room to learn and grow. I find this line increasingly blurry and need a constant dose of psychologists to remind me that my amazing son is following human instincts and isn’t just trying to be a pain in the ass on any given day. So thank you, Susanne, for your help today.