News|  @ the Braccinis'

Buh-bye 2020!

Stay Tuned...

Pro Reunion photos are on their way!

...finally 😳

Archives:

Braccini.com is back!

Browser compatibility

April 2016:  Our dazzling new site! And yes, of all things, we are going to lead with the dreadfully boring browser compatibility rundown. Why? Because we appreciate you taking time out of your life to be here and want your experience to be pleasant...and to apologize in advance for making y'all beta test our site.

The site is designed for viewing on a desktop computer or tablet and has been extensively tested and appears to work beautifully with Chrome; there do not appear to be any issues with Edge, iOS Safari, or Android devices; we believe the few random glitchy things we found with Firefox, Opera, and viewing on smartphones have been addressed; but IE only plays nicely if the window is maximized (>1,000px)—we have no idea yet how the site renders on a Mac (Safari). I started working on resolving the IE issues then Steve pointed out that Microsoft stopped supporting versions 8-10 at the beginning of the year and is really pushing Edge. Well, since I was one of those in the Netscape camp back in '95 when I first began designing websites (and later Opera, after AOL destroyed all that was wonderful about Netscape)—oh, and also since I am all about always doing what Steve says 😍 I was totally good with discontinuing my participation in the mollycoddling of IE! So we are leaving IE with its quirks. And of course, enabling Javascript and keeping your browser updated will help ensure our site appears as intended.

If you experience any site performance or display issues, please do not hesitate to let us know.    A~

Our next adventure begins!

Berkeley Bound

August 2016:  We made it! We've settled into a condo in Oakland across from Lake Merritt and the park Steve's grandfather used to take him to as a child (such sweet memories). Mikey loves chasing the geese around Fairyland every morning, and Steve and I love the breathtaking views and sunsets from our new place, that everything is within walking distance, strolling around the lake at the end of each day, and the gorgeous weather—rarely does it get over 80°. Though, admittedly, it is going to take a bit for each of us to adjust to urban living.

In the meantime, we are anxiously awaiting my first day of classes at Cal! (It's still so unreal!) On the one hand it seems as though August 22^nd will never get here, on the other, "Please don't let summer end!"

We have just started working on the new address announcements, so you can expect yours in the next few weeks...or so.    A~

Snoopy Dance!

We survived our first semester in the East Bay

December 2016:  Not only did Steve learn to cook, but in typical Steve fashion—he learned to cook in a big way! Oh, my goodness, every evening I come home to exquisitely plated, delectable gourmet meals...lol, and twice to the smoke detector alarm (I demonstrated how he could just turn the fan toward it to silence it - What's that, Steve? How do I know this? Um, I must have read about somebody who had to do that...) Clearly, I will need to kick my running up a notch very soon!

When Steve's not in cucina di Braccini creating a culinary feast, he's quite busy telling startups how to run their business consulting for a few select small companies, and flying back and forth from CA to TX. He has also had the opportunity to break bread with some of the wonderful people from the Pro Fasteners days (see the Publications section on Steve's LinkedIn page). Great fun! pssst, there are rumors that Steve is considering hosting a 20 year Pro anniversary in March or May of 2017; I'll keep you posted! All in all, East Bay life looks great on Steve!

As for me, I made it through finals and capstone reports, albeit dragging an egoless, bloodied and beaten shell of my former self across the finish line, driven only by the knowledge that the glory of actually completing my first semester at Cal will last forever. It was an odd déjà vu with the entirety of the semester paralleling the rollercoaster of my first marathon..."mile 20, I thought I was dying; mile 22, I wished I were dead; mile 24, I knew I was dead; mile 26.2, I knew I had become too tough to kill." One down, four to go - bring it!

Needless to say, I looked up from licking my wounds (and an oh-so-brief moment of celebration) to discover the holidays fully upon us, with Christmas only a week away! So we are busily hanging lights and garland, decorating our adorable rosemary Christmas tree (Steve says it smells like lamb chops), making a new wreath just the right size for our current abode, filling Christmas cards with love, and undertaking the annual chocolate truffle tradition! Fortunately, the truffles get shipped between Christmas and New Year's (they are an incredibly sinful luxury as a crazy holiday season draws to a close, and perfectly paired with champagne), so we still have a bit of time to get those "wrapped up" 😉

And finally, the very most wonderful thing about this semester has been living so close to Steve's family! We have gotten to spend the day with Jeff, Debbie, Jeremy, and Justin at Six Flags; have dinner together when they were visiting museums in SF; spend Thanksgiving day at their home; and we are looking forward to skiing with them very soon! Our hearts are over-flowing with happiness.

Oh, wait, one more- speaking of Steve's brother, our new project is putting together an online gallery of Jeff's spectacular designs. Be sure to keep an eye out for that addition to the site in the next few weeks! (Hopefully a Wood Art by Al Braccini gallery will follow soon thereafter...along with Al & Jane's absolutely sweetest wedding video, hint-hint.)

Wishing all of you a most beautiful holiday season, and a new year filled with joy and peace.

   ~Steve & Annette

Spring is springing!

70 hours 'til first pitch - go Giants!

March 2017:  And if you know me at all, it will come as no surprise that I couldn't stop myself from getting swept away with spring fever: 2 new rose plants arrived at the condo last week (I know, I know...but I'm just not me without roses going wild, blooming all around). And as you, no doubt, are also aware, I could go on and on, ad infinitum about roses—and actually, I plan to do just that on my new rose/balcony gardening blog-of-sorts/web serial page (clearly it's still a work in progress).

Oh, hey, true story: I used calculus in real life this week! When my two monster-sized (relative to our balcony) planters arrived this week, "Geez, how much soil am I going to have to mix up to fill those?" For the first time, I really do need to know exactly how much because there is no (zero, zilch, nada) space to store leftover soil. I pulled out a tape measure and started to add together average volumes of this half and that. LOL! "Seriously, Annette?! You're a physics major! It's a simple triple integration in cylindrical coordinates for volume. And the containers are pretty much straightforward z = x² + y² circular paraboloids. Boom, done." (Does your inner math nerd wanna play along? The 2 containers are each 18” tall, the top inside diameter is 22” and the bottom is 12”. Text, email, or leave a comment below and we can compare answers.) Fortunately, it was much simpler ensuring there would still be plenty of space, with the addition of the containers, on the balcony for our lounge chairs—we have a fabulous vantage point for the upcoming marathon, parades, and protests downtown and along Grand, as well as the magnificent sunsets over the bay.

Okay, enough about me. Between conference calls, Steve continues to refine his culinary skills (it really helps that the weather has been spectacular, perfect for me to get in a few extra miles to burn off those crazy-good, but-oh-so-worth-it extra calories). Also, one of his dear friends is working on a new baseball book of oral histories (he has written more than 35!) Steve is reveling in the opportunity he's been given to participate in the process: assisting with reviewing and editing, while sharing his passion for baseball history. And it's beginning to sound like Steve's got the bug; I'm thinking you can expect to see his first blog entry soon! (After riding every moment of the Warriors' rollercoaster season, he will have no shortage of material...how 'bout that Spurs game!) Speaking of things happening soon, be sure to keep an eye out for details about the Pro get-together this summer.

And our final update: our sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, as with so many CKCSs, was diagnosed with MVD several years back, and a few weeks ago we learned that it has progressed to congestive heart failure, along with mild tracheal collapse (add those to hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, and cataracts). The good news is that with the cocktail of medications his cardiologist has him taking twice daily, Mikey (short for Macchiato, as in caramel macchiato) is having many more good days. Caring for him (diuretics + top floor condo does not make for an ideal arrangement) and trying not to be hyper-anxious with every cough has added an entirely new layer to our overloaded schedules, forcing us to take breaks from our frenetic pace and breathe deeply as we mosey (at Mikey's pace) over to the park several times a day and all hours of the night. This situation is always difficult, and much more so since losing Turbulence to cancer (inoperable stomach tumors) just last June. So, for as long as his tail is wagging and he is happy lounging on his Niners blanket in Steve's recliner, I will just keep loving and spoiling our sweet baby snuffleupagus (and Steve will keep moving him back over to my side) 🐶