I played Matt at squash last night. It was an even match but I could tell from watching the other people playing squash that we are a few ranks below amateur because they were hitting balls at strange angles, running the whole time to get back to the center of the court and able to hit a backhand. I can't hit a backhand in any sport which has doomed me for anyone who wants to beat me by taking advantage of it. For whatever reason I'll do anything to avoid improving it including playing off-set to reduce the odds of getting to my backhand. Maybe that's the way I am. I hide within my strengths and shy away from the sides that aren't that strong. Avoidance of a weakness is one way to win.

Afterwards Sarah and I went out to meet the Viapoint crew in Waltham at La Campagna in Waltham. For some stupid reason I hadn't thought that the restaurant would be particularly fancy so I dressed casual. Everyone else was all decked out in suits and dresses. Everyone meaning the other five people attending the holiday gathering. Little did I know that this restaurant claims to be "Without a doubt, the finest italian restaurant in greater Boston." and does a good job of defending the claim. Normally pasta is just pasta but La Campagna adds the word that gets Sarah's taste buds dripping with saliva - Truffles. According to our Swedish waitress the pasta is all made by the owner's mother fresh every morning. It tasted great. Viapoint may be a small corporation with limited sales but Shelley knows how to pick a restaurant for the holiday gathering. In prior years they have been to L'Espalier, a restaurant Sarah used to frequent with her MIT friends during the big Internet bubble. I fear taking Sarah back there because based on her stories of prior evenings there I worry that it will cost more than a trip to New Zealand.

We planned a potential ski trip as well as some rock climbing in the new rock gym as a group since at dinner the team realized we hadn't added an annual athletic component to the holiday dinner. In past years the team has gone to F1 racing and done a yoga workshop.

Aaron's 16 year old son is in a band that will be playing at SkyBar and the Middle East in January. The band is called the Retrogrades. I haven't heard their music yet but they claim to be influenced by Radiohead so I hope they can produce some tunes of equivalent greatness. If not it will be fun to see them play at some point. Their Christmas/holiday present was to get some quality studio time at Blue Jay recording studio in Carlisle where some big artists like Billy Joel have recorded. Power to the next generation to become rock stars.

La Campagna is also across the street from a diner called Wilsons that I've never been to before adding another stop worth making to my world. I have to sample all the diners I can find. My favorites are still Rosebud in Davis Square and Town Diner in Watertown but I can be convinced that Wilsons is a contender once I taste their food. They do lose points for having been closed on a Wednesday night. A real diner should be open late.