December 12, 2001
ell,
I guess it is time to start writing again. There are still things, emotions,
issues that I'm dealing with that can not be fodder for public discussion,
so if I seem a little stilted, a little reticent, a little obtuse, please
forgive me. I know that some of the things in my heart right now are not
fit for public consumption, nor do I have a wish to force my feelings
on you, the reader.
I do want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your expressions of concern and sympathy over the last several weeks. My father has been sharing the emails pouring in to him, and it has been fascinating to see how many people read this site that I had no idea did so. Kind of scary, actually. I have a particular group of friends that I think about when I write here, and tend to forget that this is completely public, and everyone in the Internet world has access to it. I still have a few emails that I haven't responded to myself.
I'd like to particularly thank the folks in Mooville for their kind card, and their gift to The American Cancer Society. The card means a whole bunch to me, and I miss you folks something fierce.
Christmas has long been a source of stress and unhappiness for me, and this year appears no different, although the old sources have been replaced by new sources. I think that the last time I spent a holiday without stress was in 1978.... I have fond memories of my youth, going to St. George's (that's with a g, not a j, Steve!) for midnight services, the fun of early morning breakfast with my family while my little sister would be pushing us to start opening presents. Later in the day, we'd go bowling, or hang out, my friends and I, making a nice and quiet day most enjoyable. I miss those days, and am working hard to recapture them.
The company I'm working for now doesn't seem to do Christmas bonuses in the same manner as the previous one, but they do throw a heck of a party. Last Thursday, they rented the entire Dave and Buster's in San Diego from 6PM to 1AM, and we had the run of the place. A good time appeared to be had by all, especially Suz, who won 9627 tickets on those coin drop machines. It was especially nice to see the gang from Mooville who work for our company, including John, Curtis, Jason, and even Jeff from our Texas office.
After losing sleep that night, Bill came down, and helped us get trees on Saturday, and set them up. Would have been a ton harder had he not been here, no doubt. They're both up, and strung with lights, although I need to re-string the one in the lower living room before ornaments go up.
After Christmas, I'll be heading to Northern Virginia for several days, to attend the memorial services. Thankfully, I have a week off between Christmas and New Years, but it comes at an odd time in the development process at work. We're actually at a fever pitch right now, trying to get stuff done in the wake of some issues we've had to deal with over the last several weeks. Not that any of that has added to my stress level, of course :)
Enough for now. Ta!