It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and despite some good stuff, it was a year of great unpleasantness in our little world,. Unfortunately, the bad events, the breakups, the mis-sent emails, the religious wars, as well as other events which have caused a number of us to leave the channel temporarily (or even permanently), would dominate the traditional top ten list, so I’m just going to touch on the good things, of which there were many.
Jobs: Tricia got one, lost one, got a better one. A nation holds its breath for her next move.
Janis got to work on special SAP program, which will eventually make her rich, enable her to move to some beachfront property (in 4 years and 7 months) and pay for us to visit her.
Basseth has been getting big telecom job after telecom job.
Iggie found work in PA, which is the least of what she found there.
HavN’s company has taken off, with him as a driving force and he’s justifiably proud.
Kids: FireHeart’s daughter Gina was sent to Bosnia by her employer, the U.S. Army. She returned to the U.S. in time for Christmas, cloaked in medals.
ajs became a grampa.
Saashy became a great-grandma…although it involved stepchildren, I believe, she’s much too young for that.
Computers: glc did his usual thing, delivering new puters to Tricia, kristophr, helping to upgrade Jono’s, and helping all of us in too many ways for me to remember.
Beavis, after a great struggle, finally got his ADSL hookup. PatInMN, had an easier time getting his cable hookup. Krusty solved the high-speed access problem by choosing a college that gave him one.
Passages: Krusty and Calc graduated from High School and moved on to college, as did Beav. Krusty’s grades may take a hit from his discovery of sex.
Speaking of which, (at least I hope this applies) Trish found Ron, who thought so much of her, he chose to proclaim his profound respect and admiration for her in an open letter to the mailing list.
As I said earlier, Iggie moved to PA, where she found a job, but before that had found Chuck. He publicly proclaimed his love for her on bended knee, in full Renaissance gear, and now he and Lady Iggie are betrothed.
The event of the year was Pat and Roger’s wedding and the trip that followed. It took them to Hawaii, where Pat dutifully filed daily reports complete with beautiful pictures. They then stopped off here in L.A. for a visit, where we got to hang out and take some cool pictures.
Travels: Along with the young marrieds, Beav was our big traveler. He toured the hot coasters of the U.S., running into Chatsters along the way. He ended up visiting MHz at work, landed at the 3rd annual Atlantic City Convention, and even ended up out here. He is rumored to have actually enjoyed himself.
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad year after all. We are indeed a family and we have our fights, our foolish misunderstandings, our slights and offenses. If we can remember the good things, we can survive and flourish. If not, all we’ll have is memories. The choice is ours. Those of you who have found other things to do, try and visit. Those who have visited, please stay longer. May you all have a happy and healthy 1999.
— Barry Rubinowitz (MrBu)