Edit: I've turned this blog post into a eulogy that I'll give at Rossmoor for my grandpa's funeral. He passed away early in the morning on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. My grandpa, Irving Katuna, was born on January 12, 1929 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It was a Saturday, and it was cold. A light dusting of… Continue reading In memory of Irving Katuna
Category: Family
It’s been a long, long time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsPBNcUw-jA A year or so before the pandemic, which would be about two years before today, I took singing lessons in the "piano room" at our house. We called it the piano room because it's where we put my grandmother's piano. This was a behemoth of a piano -- a beautiful black seven-foot long Baldwin… Continue reading It’s been a long, long time
Ten years of marriage
March 14, 2008. Kennebunkport, ME. It was hot in June 2010, but not too hot. I remember being worried that the flowers at the estate where we had our wine country wedding might wilt in the Windsor, California heat. We picked Madrona Manor after touring a few other venues earlier in the year. It was… Continue reading Ten years of marriage
Building a family culture
Today is Father's Day, June 16, 2019. It's my fifth one as a dad and my thirty-sixth as a son. Last night my girls, exhausted from a day playing in the cul-de-sac and then romping all around UC Berkeley with our neighbors, went to sleep blissfully early. My wife and I watched an hour-long episode… Continue reading Building a family culture
On nine whole years of marriage
Note: my wife did not know I was going to write and publish this. I am a lucky man. I think most people in my neighborhood would recognize this. My wife is friendly, attractive, likes to cook and do laundry, is a wonderful mom to my daughters... and works! She makes a lot of money.… Continue reading On nine whole years of marriage
My happy place
It’s a little cabin on a little lake in Pinecrest, California. The rode ends on the south shore, so the only way in is by boat or by foot. That small inconvenience is actually what makes it so special. The eight-minute trip across the lake is like the space shuttle lifting you off from terra… Continue reading My happy place
A day in my life
No speech was given, no money raised. No company started or sold. This is merely a day in my life, chopped up and pieced together over several sittings and written into a story. Arise, Dad It begins with a whimper or sometimes a wale. Our youngest daughter is at the age now where she’ll sleep… Continue reading A day in my life
Benefits of being a work from home dad
For the last couple of years I've been working from home, generating my own income with my own companies on my own timeline. It's been a wonderful change of pace from the stress and surprises of startup life. On one hand the timing of needing to sell my venture-backed business really sucked. On the other… Continue reading Benefits of being a work from home dad
The ascent of Blue
Like many great love stories, this one begins on Craigslist And like many young couples in San Francisco, after our first child was born we felt a magnetic pull to the suburbs. While my wife was researching neighborhoods and more practical things, I’d been scouring the internet to find a dog. And not just any… Continue reading The ascent of Blue
Remembering Meredith
My grandpa Meredith passed away a year ago. I dreamt about him the other night. It was one of those weird dreams where I recognized that he wasn’t alive anymore, but it didn’t bother me. Kind of like, “Hey, you’re not supposed to be here!” and we kept talking about what we normally talk about, which… Continue reading Remembering Meredith