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Linda Linda still loves her work as a Nurse Practitioner in a small clinic in South Austin. Something new this year: she makes house calls! You probably thought those had gone the way of the dinosaurs. She devotes Thursdays to visiting various elderly patients who have trouble getting to the office. Disappointed with Jim’s conservative view of investing, Linda took matters into her own hands, buying stocks Jim characterized as “good companies, but too expensive.” Her damn-the-torpedoes style was perfect for this year, but out of a misplaced sense of modesty, she won’t reveal her return percentage. Having determined that she didn’t need Jim to handle investing, she began searching for a job for him, thus far without success. Linda continues to attend several book clubs around town, and loves the annual Texas Birding Festival each November. Spent the evening of the rollover: At home keeping Jim company until 10:00 p.m., when she suddenly decided they had to do something, whereupon they jumped in the car and managed to get to a party in time to mark the end of everything.Jim Tried out his computer/birding/whodunit manuscript on a prospective agent who redirected him to a freelance editor, Andrew Leranth, for a bit of rework. “I haven’t seen that many red marks on a page since the third grade!” (Well, would you believe “high school?”) Now, after eight drafts, he is looking for an agent again. In the meantime, he devotes his mornings to investment research based on the theory that “there’s no such thing as too much information.” Three years of daily contact have not diminished his fervor for the Internet. On the contrary, he works tirelessly trying to move the Austin Area Nurse Practitioners Alliance into the electronic age as Linda’s “helper.” Jim lost twenty pounds this year. (All weights quoted are pre-holiday figures.)Spent the evening of the rollover: At home watching the fireworks on TV from around the world as midnight passed large cities. He rated Paris as the best show, with Sidney a close second. Jim was determined to remain in his wonted position as a member of the minority (23%) who didn’t plan to go out. Linda, as noted, had other ideas.As reported in last year’s letter, Charles surprised everyone by appearing in Austin and staying. He found a great contract position with Voicestream Communications, the cell phone people, maintaining a database of information about the towers. This armed him with the knowledge about the various kinds of towers we passed along the highway. Just the item to lighten up the hours on the freeway. The contract ended in time for an extended Christmas break. Fencing continues to be Charles’s favorite form of exercise. He progressed from an unrated novice to level C this year. When he needed a break from that sport, he ran, tackling a marathon with no training. He finished the race, and promptly decided to train for the next one. All this activity helped him lose over ten pounds. He remains enthusiastic about swing dancing, particularly the Lindy Hop.Spent the evening of the rollover: On a hill overlooking San Francisco, watching a spectacular fireworks show with Amy Willats.Claire Took time out from traveling to complete her third year at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. She has decided on a career as a surgeon, and probably as a pediatric surgeon, thereby delaying for another 5-7 years her important obligations, such as repaying educational loans and producing offspring. She tried to make amends by snagging a rotation in Austin during November, giving us the pleasure of her company for almost a month. Her travels took her to Peru, where she served as unofficial translator, guide and treasurer for a group of medical students. They hiked most of the way from Cuzco to Machu Picchu in the rain. Availing herself of every break in school, she conjured up a trip to New Zealand in the spring with a stopover in Fiji on the way back. Then, hoping to avoid the dangers associated with Y2K, she escaped to Playa del Carmen in Mexico after Christmas. During her fourth year of medical school, she gets to travel to several hospitals interviewing for residency positions in surgery. Even she seems to be growing a bit tired of jetting around. Spent the evening of the rollover: At a bar on the beach in Playa del Carmen, sipping a margarita. Claire first noted that she was wearing flip-flops at the time, but when pressed admitted to wearing a real dress as well. |
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