Re: Happy 2010 Winter Solstice!

[Robert <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>]

Finally getting around to reading my old emails.

 > From: http://www.gmail.com/~catherine
 > Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:29:41 +0000
 >
 > Hi, Robert! I was just thinking the other day that I'd be hearing from you,
 > soon! You know how I look forward to the Solstice!
 > 
 > Sounds like you guys are doing pretty well. Your house looks fantastic -
 > love the colours you chose for you walls!

Actually, the walls came that way.  But, they are very appealing, yes.

 > Not too much to report, here. Let's see... I have not had any more children
 > this year, so I am still at three. I probably oughta have one more, just to
 > take up Noelle's slack. (KIDDING!)
 > 
 > Anyway, the three of them are thriving and doing age-appropriate things, so
 > that's good.
 > 
 > We haven't gone on any exciting trips this year, although I did start
 > camping. It's the only way we'll ever be able to afford any sort of family
 > holidays. Camping in the UK is very different from the US. Campsites are
 > usually in farm fields, very civilized... you're usually not allowed to have
 > a camp fire, as they don't want their grass scorched. You can have one in a
 > BBQ with legs, though. I got a really big tepee style tent... it was cheaper
 > than most tents of that size, it's very easy to put up, and it's friggin'
 > huge. So far, I've only done a couple of one-nighters within an easy drive
 > from our house, but I'm taking Becket (my oldest) down to London next summer
 > and we'll camp on the outskirts, within a very easy train commute to all the
 > sites. My inlaws live in Northern England, so there will probably be some
 > weekends in that area, as well.
 > 
 > My knitting has been improving a lot since last year. I go to a weekly
 > knitting group in Glasgow,

A lot of people are into knitting, especially in the high-tech field, for
some reason.  My boss from 1997 was into knitting back then.  He always
made his own sweaters.

 > and I've made a lot of really good friends. I
 > like that very few of them have children. I go to get away from kids and
 > talk of kids. I'm sure you can relate.

Yep.

 > David and I spent my birthday at a friend's cottage up in the Highlands. We
 > just sat around and read and watched movies and napped. The kids stayed at
 > home with their grandparents... it was bliss.
 > 
 > The biggest thing to happen to me in 2010 was undergoing a six-months
 > treatment of chemotherapy to treat my Hepatitis C. I will find out in
 > January if it worked (if the virus is undetectable at six months out from
 > the end of treatment, you're cured.) I am very optimistic, as the viral load
 > test 12 weeks in showed me as having cleared the virus, and that puts my
 > odds of being cured at about 85%. At any rate, I feel very well.

We have a friend (Roger) who also has Hepatitis C.  Strangely, he still
drinks some alcohol, but he has a range of painkillers in-hand to get
through the day.

He hasn't said whether he was going to try to get chemo to eliminate it.

 > In September, the Pope came to Glasgow. David and I went to the open air
 > Mass at Bellahouston Park with David's father. It was a really wonderful day
 > - good weather, everybody in a good mood, and I was actually able to see the
 > Holy Father from where we were seated.
 > 
 > Here's something that may surprise you: I was Googling something totally
 > non-related when I chanced upon the words "Ben Weasel is
 > a practising Catholic." Further investigation turned up that he had
 > converted from Buddhism to Catholicism a few years ago. I found him on
 > Twitter, and we've been in touch. He's still doing Screeching Weasel (about
 > to release a new album and doing some sort of 25th anniversary thing next
 > year.)

That is strange.  And, I guess, coincidental for you!

 > It was really cool to renew contact with him! He became Catholic a
 > few years ago, and teaches RCIA at his parish (the class for people
 > converting). His wife also converted, and she teaches Sunday school or
 > something. They have very young twin daughters, and he's quite the suburban
 > house dad. I believe his wife has some nice government job, and he stays
 > home with the girls writing songs while they nap, then plays shows around
 > the midwest on weekends. He was on some late night TV show a couple of
 > months back talking about dealing with his agoraphobia.

He has agoraphobia?  Wow, weird.  I guess I can definitely with that
aspect of his personality.

 > Oh, yeah: Twitter. I registered an account there but didn't "get it" for a
 > while. Then, I started following some friends and now I actually really like
 > it a lot. So, that makes me one of the masses.

Yeah, Noelle actually signed up about one month ago.  I don't have an
account.  And we're still Facebook refuseniks.

 > Hmmmm.... not too much else going on.
 > 
 > Anyway, so good to hear from you. BTW, in your Linked In photo, you look
 > like John Stewart.
 >
 > That's a compliment.

Everyone says that.

Thanks.

 > xoxoKaty