Bug Wars
16 years ago
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Slacker Family Christmas Letter
After Sandy we had a lot of branches and trees down. Of course, they're still there. So this week I threw the box of ornaments out the back door and called that our Christmas tree. Can't do lights though since the dog would electrocute himself when he pees on it.
Christmas cookies are all set! Bought them on the "day-old" rack from the grocery store and I just LOVE the green fur decorations they're sprouting!
We'll be having ham for Christmas dinner, since we just finished the turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving. The ham is left from Easter. It said "use or freeze by 12/31/12" so I'm sure it will be fine, even after 9 days without power.
The girls really want to wrap the Christmas presents this year (that'll be a new tradition!) so I'm giving them a choice between the newspaper I took from our neighbor's recycling pile and black trash bags. If only we had the drawstring ones, think of what we could save on tape!
Having to get G out the door an hour earlier this year for middle school has us thinking about home schooling. That way we don't have to rush. Heck, we don't even have to get dressed, or shower! And it doesn't matter if I forget to put gas in the car and we run out on the way to school, because the car will be parked at school all day long!
Hope you like the enclosed Christmas card. We had so many left over from previous years that we decided just to send those out. Hey, as long as it's a cute picture of the kids, right? Plus since we hardly ever see most of the people on our Christmas card list, they really don't know or care how old the girls are.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Christmas Tales
In honor of the season I'm breaking out our 2006 fake Christmas letter again for your enjoyment!
Hello, it is I, Theo dog; canine consultant to the Amazing Anthonys.
Once again it is time for my Christmas missive, as my people are far too humble to bore you with this dreck. Since they bought me my own computer, I feel compelled to be productive. A dog can’t sit around playing FreeCell all day! Plus, after all my work developing Windows Vista, the days seem interminable.
The family has been doing their typical extensive traveling. They enjoyed a trip as the exclusive guests of the late, great, Walt Disney this summer, followed by a jaunt to their multi-million dollar Outer Banks beachhouse. My “peeps” are looking forward to next year when their good friend (and a distant relative on Allison’s side) Richard Branson has promised them all a sub-orbit space flight on his latest aircraft. Surely they’ll be able to provide feedback on the craft and provide valuable information on space flight that will assist NASA with the planned 2020 return to the moon.
Gillian is enjoying her kindergarten AP classes in nuclear physics, quantum mechanics and inorganic chemistry. Her paper on heavy metal isotopes proved particularly instrumental in London this past month with a case involving a certain poisoning case. Bet you’ve read about it in the papers!
You may also have seen Gillian recently in the Broadway production of Annie. She is such a determined little angel that she wouldn’t settle for anything less than the starring role! Allison convinced the producers that Annie should be a blonde, and worked tirelessly and selflessly while she hand-made all the costumes for the full cast. During the occasions when the theater is dark (a term used by thespians such as us) Gillian enjoys playing the violin received on her recent birthday in the pit at Lincoln Center.
Holly will be appearing on “Dancing with the Stars” beginning in February. She started learning both conversational Swedish and Aramaic, but these efforts do not even cut into the time she devotes to her featured role with Cirque du Soleil. Who knew bodies could bend like that! Following a staff shakeup at her preschool, we were all so proud when she was hired as the new teacher’s aide for the three-year-old class. She has also been elected by her peers as the Pottersville Nursery School Ambassador. Her role will involve being the liaison between all of the local preschools. That is, until the UN comes calling! It’s no surprise that both the girls are blessed with beauty AND brains!
Allison’s catering business has taken off, allowing her to hire a certain Food Network chef to run the business and freeing her up to begin her own line of gourmet products. Her recent cookbook was released to grand review (now in its third printing), and Ward is proud that she is making money faster than she can spend it! But these incessant phone calls from Mario Battali have got to stop! Despite her jam-packed life she found the time to develop a time management system for the family that surpasses the Franklin-Covey method. The key to her system is so simple – colored rubber bands!
Ward continues his noble work at the hospital. He is revered like no other employee in modern times; New York is anxiously awaiting next year’s dedication of the “Ward Hastings Anthony-Cornell Medical Center”. Of course, it’s not all work and no play for this handsome 40-something. Look for him alongside George Clooney in the recent People Magazine spread! Ward especially enjoyed racing in the Iditarod this year, and was such a good sport considering he only came in second.
Naturally Ward and Allison are pushing the girls to excel at all the activities in which they participated as children: ice sculpture; bookbinding; animal husbandry and, of course, Middle East diplomacy. But at the end of the day, everyone enjoys a good Bollywood film to ease the tension of the daily grind.
We hope that you are a fraction as marvelous as we are, but we know that your sad, pathetic little lives are incomparable to ours. Never fear, there’s still hope for you in 2007!
Hello, it is I, Theo dog; canine consultant to the Amazing Anthonys.
Once again it is time for my Christmas missive, as my people are far too humble to bore you with this dreck. Since they bought me my own computer, I feel compelled to be productive. A dog can’t sit around playing FreeCell all day! Plus, after all my work developing Windows Vista, the days seem interminable.
The family has been doing their typical extensive traveling. They enjoyed a trip as the exclusive guests of the late, great, Walt Disney this summer, followed by a jaunt to their multi-million dollar Outer Banks beachhouse. My “peeps” are looking forward to next year when their good friend (and a distant relative on Allison’s side) Richard Branson has promised them all a sub-orbit space flight on his latest aircraft. Surely they’ll be able to provide feedback on the craft and provide valuable information on space flight that will assist NASA with the planned 2020 return to the moon.
Gillian is enjoying her kindergarten AP classes in nuclear physics, quantum mechanics and inorganic chemistry. Her paper on heavy metal isotopes proved particularly instrumental in London this past month with a case involving a certain poisoning case. Bet you’ve read about it in the papers!
You may also have seen Gillian recently in the Broadway production of Annie. She is such a determined little angel that she wouldn’t settle for anything less than the starring role! Allison convinced the producers that Annie should be a blonde, and worked tirelessly and selflessly while she hand-made all the costumes for the full cast. During the occasions when the theater is dark (a term used by thespians such as us) Gillian enjoys playing the violin received on her recent birthday in the pit at Lincoln Center.
Holly will be appearing on “Dancing with the Stars” beginning in February. She started learning both conversational Swedish and Aramaic, but these efforts do not even cut into the time she devotes to her featured role with Cirque du Soleil. Who knew bodies could bend like that! Following a staff shakeup at her preschool, we were all so proud when she was hired as the new teacher’s aide for the three-year-old class. She has also been elected by her peers as the Pottersville Nursery School Ambassador. Her role will involve being the liaison between all of the local preschools. That is, until the UN comes calling! It’s no surprise that both the girls are blessed with beauty AND brains!
Allison’s catering business has taken off, allowing her to hire a certain Food Network chef to run the business and freeing her up to begin her own line of gourmet products. Her recent cookbook was released to grand review (now in its third printing), and Ward is proud that she is making money faster than she can spend it! But these incessant phone calls from Mario Battali have got to stop! Despite her jam-packed life she found the time to develop a time management system for the family that surpasses the Franklin-Covey method. The key to her system is so simple – colored rubber bands!
Ward continues his noble work at the hospital. He is revered like no other employee in modern times; New York is anxiously awaiting next year’s dedication of the “Ward Hastings Anthony-Cornell Medical Center”. Of course, it’s not all work and no play for this handsome 40-something. Look for him alongside George Clooney in the recent People Magazine spread! Ward especially enjoyed racing in the Iditarod this year, and was such a good sport considering he only came in second.
Naturally Ward and Allison are pushing the girls to excel at all the activities in which they participated as children: ice sculpture; bookbinding; animal husbandry and, of course, Middle East diplomacy. But at the end of the day, everyone enjoys a good Bollywood film to ease the tension of the daily grind.
We hope that you are a fraction as marvelous as we are, but we know that your sad, pathetic little lives are incomparable to ours. Never fear, there’s still hope for you in 2007!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Dear Mom...
Dear Mom,
I'm so sorry that it took me so long to figure it out. And that when I finally did, all of sudden, you were gone.
I miss you every hour of every day.
I miss sharing my wonderful daughters with you.
No one who knew you could have expected how you connected with Gillian. I want you to know that Holly is amazing too.
I know that if you were here that things would be...different...challenging...
But even still, I wish we could raise a glass, and celebrate this, your 80th birthday.
Mom, you were right.
I love you.
And the daffodils were perfect; I thought so.
I'm so sorry that it took me so long to figure it out. And that when I finally did, all of sudden, you were gone.
I miss you every hour of every day.
I miss sharing my wonderful daughters with you.
No one who knew you could have expected how you connected with Gillian. I want you to know that Holly is amazing too.
I know that if you were here that things would be...different...challenging...
But even still, I wish we could raise a glass, and celebrate this, your 80th birthday.
Mom, you were right.
I love you.
And the daffodils were perfect; I thought so.
Monday, August 23, 2010
...aaand here we go again!
Class assignments arrived on Saturday so there has been the usual emailing and phone calling.
Two weeks to go. The school supply lists have virtually everything crossed off, the new LL Bean backpacks are in the closets and a cool rainy Monday found me making the first batch of soup of the season (Roasted Garlic & Eggplant).
I've started boxes to donate to the VNA, and am pulling together for my first "official" year as the girl scout troop leader. I have a full plate, but for Gillian's last year of elementary school I am somewhat rejuvenated (though check back with me in October!)
The August doldrums have been slightly less this year; the girls are getting along more than not, but every day still brings new dramas. We're getting back to a regular taekwondo schedule and the next belt test is just weeks away.
Ward's 50th is also approaching, but will be marked mainly by a nice multi-course dinner at home.
Two weeks to go. The school supply lists have virtually everything crossed off, the new LL Bean backpacks are in the closets and a cool rainy Monday found me making the first batch of soup of the season (Roasted Garlic & Eggplant).
I've started boxes to donate to the VNA, and am pulling together for my first "official" year as the girl scout troop leader. I have a full plate, but for Gillian's last year of elementary school I am somewhat rejuvenated (though check back with me in October!)
The August doldrums have been slightly less this year; the girls are getting along more than not, but every day still brings new dramas. We're getting back to a regular taekwondo schedule and the next belt test is just weeks away.
Ward's 50th is also approaching, but will be marked mainly by a nice multi-course dinner at home.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
FYI...
...blogging from Italy Loving every minute. Think it's actually hotter at home than here, which seems inconceivable. Today was 34C.
Check it out at www.umbriainjuly.blogspot.com
The girls want a travel blog too...we'll see if they come up with enough material. If so I will post the link.
Check it out at www.umbriainjuly.blogspot.com
The girls want a travel blog too...we'll see if they come up with enough material. If so I will post the link.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
If you're interested...
Over on the right is the link to the blog I've created for our Italy trip (Umbria in July), which is now less than a month away! If you want to follow along, please do so. We will have Internet access and I hope to be able to document our trip and post photos online. I'm not the kind to keep a travel diary, but I don't want to forget any details of this trip.
Friday, May 21, 2010
I fought the lawn...and the lawn won
I cut the grass today and first I knocked over a cast iron chair. Then I broke my big toe nail way down low (and wrecked my cute French pedicure) stubbing my foot on the climbing wall. Finally I ran over not one, but TWO jump ropes left in the overlong grass, and had to lay next to the mower to reach underneath and manually unwind the pieces from the blade shaft so I didn't destroy the tractor.
Fun, fun.
On a better note, there are lots of pictures up on Facebook.
Fun, fun.
On a better note, there are lots of pictures up on Facebook.
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