How the world has changed for us in a year! We still love our little condo in yuppieville and lust after a big house in the same neighborhood some day (that is before we move to the hills where we can have bunbuns and some land). E loves her job and is (as only I who do not work there can say) invaluable to the lab, both fixing computers (wait wasn't that her last job??) or futzing (technical term) with bacteria. She is actually thinking that she could enjoy(!) grad school. This fills me with the hope of having a spouse who likes to go to work as much as I like to watch TV.
E has also decided to look for wisdom at the source and decided to begin learning biblical Hebrew (search me-- she is doing by choice what millions of jewish children have been forced to do for thousands of years). Yes, pick yourself up off the floor from laughter. She is actually very good at it and very excited, she is both better than she was at Spanish, German, Russian, and DEFINATLY French, and she is better than the real jew in the house. She makes flashcards and studies 3 times a week: OY! HOW CUTE. We are looking into visiting Israel in the next year or so.
I have a totally different outlook on school which has led me to some wonderful experiences and much more fulfillment from my classes. I am an intellectual property "expert" now. This means, I can tell you how to sue if some moron can't tell the difference between crackers shaped like goldfish and crackers shaped like dogs (both for children who’s parents should not have children if they can not tell the difference between animal shapes) , that you would be more protected if your product name was "Vunderfabulous" rather than "ass wipes", what to do if your employee takes the recipe for the magic that is in the butt cloth and that you should have been hiding it in your corset, anyhow, and a lot about the patent and trademark office. I am also a corporation wiz which has sucked the life out of me but does allow me to consult on the firing of a CFO, i know that you should not let your alchy sons run the business if you are on record as the director, and on what conditions you can blame the opinion of a "retarded" person when he suggests how to finance your corporation and it turns out badly. I also met a fantastic professor (naturally she is not a lawyer at all) who is guiding me through the creation and publication of a new (adapted) piece: look for publication in the year to come (I hope).
Additionally, as you can see from our holiday card, we adopted an ex-nun to join our son in holy matrimony. Yes, a wife for Macy. The ex-nun part is because her full name is Sophia Maria (ex sister from the convent). After 3 dates where they got a long smashingly, we took Sophie home for good from the rabbit shelter in Marin where we have been volunteering. Macy is thrilled to have someone to play with although she is “in charge” around here and had to teach him everything from standing up to beg, to eating hay, to hiding from his mamas, to how to hump (some nun… guess she had been out on the street too long when we finally got to her… and our little peanut was somewhat clueless about the facts of life)
We have also had our share of hard times this year: beginning school again, going on that God-awful cruise, having trouble making time for things when we have such different schedules, lame OCIP interviews where people are racist and moronic (discuss), joining a class action suit to sue the manufacturer of a drug that hurt rather than helped (and trying to fix this mess), experiencing the plague called camphylobacter!!!!!!, dealing with the mortality of our parents, siblings growing up and making choices, family growing different and growing apart, making new and different traditions, realizing how much we love our fags, um, friends and that we would do anything for them and how much it hurts when we see them hurting, and so on.
Some lists for you:
More High points:
Visits with willises, Janice and boy, nat and eri, nancy, going to San Diego to visit the wild animal park, bunnyfest, concerts: sarah, live, twice, Indigo girls, meeting BARRY!
Best purchase/findings:
1) bunbuns
2) ipods (w/books on tape)
3) crockpot and cookbooks
4) the Quake radio (liberal talk out of NY with Janeane Garofalo and Al Franken to name a few)
5) TIVO
6) Lacie, the computer’s friend (aka the external hard drive)
7) Lavender Baby soap and lavender fabric softener
8) Lemony Snicket (for e)
9) Meditation CDs
10) Falafels (for e thank GOD) and Naan and Curry for f (don’t tell e)
Well that is it for now. Please have a safe, happy and healthy holiday and enjoy your loved ones (as much as you can stand). We love you.
