Nearly A whole year has passed since my last entry. It is now Dec 26, 1996. Again it seems to have been an eventful year.

Eric decided not to get married after all. He is still very good friends with Sue and spends time with her when he is at home. I believe she wants more than friendship but he is adamant about finding a mate who is Catholic, healthy and spirited. He is now a second year Medical student at Stony Brook. His first year he managed a passing "P" grade in a pass/fail course with honors and high honors in the rest. He has become disenchanted with his classmates and is bored with the fact that there is so little diversity in their interests. His high point during the year was probably his attendance at the AMA conference in Atlanta. He had a good time and became more politically sensitive. He spent the summer in Boston working at Brandies University on NASA sponsored research on weightlessness.

Darren just finished his senior thesis - A 33-page document on the potential of communication between apes and humans. I was able to spend some time with him as a sounding board for his thoughts. I gained a new respect for his intellect and our time together provided a bond that will not be forgotten by either of us. He also spent the summer in Boston working at the Crate and Barrel and living with Josh Ribner, a friend from Hamilton. His time on his own provided new insights, and has changed his attitude towards education and life in general. His roommate this year is Seth Glaser, a conscientious Economics major. They have a great room that they have done wonders with. In the spring we bought him a 93 Acura Integra as an early graduation present and as a reward for attending Hamilton. I expect he will do quite well this semester based on his effort and attitude. He is becoming more firm on his desire to attend law school. Based on his verbal acuity and attention to detail, this would be a good choice.

Gloria is still at Hamilton with many of the frustrations of any employee. She is also continuing her education. She has completed three courses - Another Chemistry course, an Aging course and the 1st semester of Anatomy and Physiology. Of course she aced them all. She will probably matriculate with Utica College seeking a BSN degree this summer.

I continue at Utica Mutual and have worked in the Marketing department for the majority of the year. Sharon, my boss, has been promoted to a VP position in the Services department. She took four of us with her, so I am now in the Services department doing what I have been doing working with the agents to provide electronic commerce.

I bought two used computers this year to provide Darren and myself access to the Internet. We joined the Hamilton user group with Borg so we could both use their access. Shortly after joining, I created a Home Page with a picture of the house and each of us, as well as a short biography. I just recently added Darren's Thesis as well. Mostly, I just wanted to see if I could do it. The Internet will become as prevalent as the telephone in short order.

I also added a new toy to my collection. One of the tenants could not afford to pay the December rent so we worked out a deal where I took one of his vehicles in trade. It's an 81 Mazda RX7 - a car that I've been impressed with since they were first introduced. Driving station wagons is getting old and I really enjoy dressing up old cars.

We have recently put Welshbush back on the market with a realtor, but have had little action. The market is terrible in that most of the industry has left the area. I expect that we will put Stebbins drive on the market in the spring and probably move back to Welshbush. When we pay for Darren's last semester, we will have nearly exhausted the equity loan and are having a more difficult time paying the bills - A poor paying tenant doesn't help either. The company executive bonuses have kept us afloat, but this year was not good for insurance and there won't be one.

I turned 55 this year so retirement is ever more on our minds. We have worked hard, been good parents and have, what most would consider a good life. It is time for us to start downsizing and increase our retirement planning and funding. The plan at the moment is to retire at age 62.

Time does fly. It’s now September 98. Life continues to be pretty good.

I’ll start with me. In February 97, I had what might be called a heart attack. I had blockage of two arteries. The doctors in Syracuse performed an angioplasty on both and put a stent in one. I feel fine but have lost energy and don’t have the mental capacity I used to have. Short-term memory has become a frustrating endeavor. I have left the Marketing/Services department at Utica Mutual and returned to the Information Technology department. I now serve in the capacity of Web technical coordinator and like it very much. Sharon and I did not get along and it got to a point that I hated working. I have also designed a web site for personal gain. The concept is pretty good and hopefully it will help fund our retirement and give me something to do in retirement.

Gloria, bless her soul has returned to school full time weekends while continuing to work full time. She attends St. Elizabeth’s College of Nursing and is seeking to become a RN.

Eric has entered his last year of Medical school and continues to do very well. He was elected the Vice Speaker of the Governing Council of the Student Division of the AMA this year, which is a big deal. His energy and involvement’s are amazing. He has recently become involved with a third year resident pediatrician, Jana who is from near Prague, Czech Republic. She is a good match for him. We all hope it works out.

Darren graduated from Hamilton in fine fashion and then worked in NY City for a year at the law firm White and Case as a legal aid. He lived in Hoboken NJ, around the corner from where Frank Sinatra was born. He returned in June this year, I think he longed for the suburban life. He is currently studying for the LSAT to be taken later this month. Based on the results of his practice exams, he should be accepted to a good school.

We are attempting to sell the house on Stebbins Drive and then we’ll move back to Welshbush for a few years prior to retiring. We toured Arizona this February and found a place called Lake Havasue City that would be a nice place to spend the winters.

The boys and I have gone fly fishing a number of times this year. It’s proved to be a very nice bonding experience for all of us.