Happy Holidays
What could be more perfect than curling up in front of a fake gas fireplace, tenderly cradling a wonderful book[1] and chuckling softly at the wit of the author? Apparently, the answer is joining the growing herd of holiday season writers. There is nothing like peer pressure[2] and the piercing stare of someone questioning your value in the whole seasonal process to turn over a new leaf. Without further ado…
We now call Reno, Nevada home. I could dress it up a bit and put on airs like the local airport and tell you we live in Reno-Tahoe but Reno itself is a good enough upgrade over Tampa that it stands alone quite nicely in our minds. What does Reno have to offer that Tampa didn’t? Soft grass that doesn’t harbor fire ants, mountains for hiking, snow for skiing and a 10 minute commute to work. Oh, and if you like Mexican restaurants, Reno has that covered.
It has been six months now and we have all adjusted well. The boys have each found great friends at school and have started going over to their houses on an frequent basis. Luciana has been a bit of a social butterfly, chatting up moms on the sidelines of soccer games, volunteering at Mateos’s school and still finding time to pimp me to ‘compatible’ dads; is there nothing more strange in life than being setup by your wife with another man?
As much as Reno is a change, it is still more of the great same – we still spend plenty of time with Luciana’s sister’s family and the cousins whoop it up and have a great time, my brother-in-law and I talk shop and Luciana, her sister and mom leaf through home and garden magazines and try to ignore the bedlam. The immersion in housing options is, I am told, to my benefit. We have committed to a lot and a floor plan; hopefully next year’s letter will have a photo of a house.
Mateos is a full-on first grader – he tools around on his bicycle, reads like a champ, wants his hair to grow longer, talks trash while playing soccer and football with me, uses Google to troll the web, collects Pokemon cards and begs (unsuccessfully) for a PS3 and Assassin’s Creed for Christmas this year. Pure energy still courses through his veins; while his school teacher gave him a great review she did mention that he routinely falls of his chair during class.
Luca is five now and continues his valiant (if ultimately futile) fight against the gene pool; he is still hanging around in the 95th percentile for size and there appears to be no end in sight to the checkout counter cashier’s favorite reframe of “are they twins?” Luca’s imagination respects few boundaries and if he is not a multi-billionaire due to his latest invention of a teleporter built from construction site waste, then surely he will reap great happiness from the “personal force field” he has asked Santa to deliver this year.
Lu and I are both well. We enjoyed a 10-year anniversary weekend trip to San Francisco while the boys were pampered by the in-laws. For me, I’m at Intuit and I still get a kick out of work and all is going well there, but I’ll spare you the soporific details.
Happy Holidays to all.
Raffi, Luciana, Mateos and Luca
What could be more perfect than curling up in front of a fake gas fireplace, tenderly cradling a wonderful book[1] and chuckling softly at the wit of the author? Apparently, the answer is joining the growing herd of holiday season writers. There is nothing like peer pressure[2] and the piercing stare of someone questioning your value in the whole seasonal process to turn over a new leaf. Without further ado…
We now call Reno, Nevada home. I could dress it up a bit and put on airs like the local airport and tell you we live in Reno-Tahoe but Reno itself is a good enough upgrade over Tampa that it stands alone quite nicely in our minds. What does Reno have to offer that Tampa didn’t? Soft grass that doesn’t harbor fire ants, mountains for hiking, snow for skiing and a 10 minute commute to work. Oh, and if you like Mexican restaurants, Reno has that covered.
It has been six months now and we have all adjusted well. The boys have each found great friends at school and have started going over to their houses on an frequent basis. Luciana has been a bit of a social butterfly, chatting up moms on the sidelines of soccer games, volunteering at Mateos’s school and still finding time to pimp me to ‘compatible’ dads; is there nothing more strange in life than being setup by your wife with another man?
As much as Reno is a change, it is still more of the great same – we still spend plenty of time with Luciana’s sister’s family and the cousins whoop it up and have a great time, my brother-in-law and I talk shop and Luciana, her sister and mom leaf through home and garden magazines and try to ignore the bedlam. The immersion in housing options is, I am told, to my benefit. We have committed to a lot and a floor plan; hopefully next year’s letter will have a photo of a house.
Mateos is a full-on first grader – he tools around on his bicycle, reads like a champ, wants his hair to grow longer, talks trash while playing soccer and football with me, uses Google to troll the web, collects Pokemon cards and begs (unsuccessfully) for a PS3 and Assassin’s Creed for Christmas this year. Pure energy still courses through his veins; while his school teacher gave him a great review she did mention that he routinely falls of his chair during class.
Luca is five now and continues his valiant (if ultimately futile) fight against the gene pool; he is still hanging around in the 95th percentile for size and there appears to be no end in sight to the checkout counter cashier’s favorite reframe of “are they twins?” Luca’s imagination respects few boundaries and if he is not a multi-billionaire due to his latest invention of a teleporter built from construction site waste, then surely he will reap great happiness from the “personal force field” he has asked Santa to deliver this year.
Lu and I are both well. We enjoyed a 10-year anniversary weekend trip to San Francisco while the boys were pampered by the in-laws. For me, I’m at Intuit and I still get a kick out of work and all is going well there, but I’ll spare you the soporific details.
Happy Holidays to all.
Raffi, Luciana, Mateos and Luca
[1] For those wondering, the book is Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X, Second Edition by Aaron Hillegass. [Can we all say “Geek”? – Lu] For those looking for something with a slightly different plotline, I’d recommend “The Glass Castle” and “No Country for Old Men.” If you are looking for a movie recommendation, I really enjoyed “Stranger Than Fiction.”
[2] Thanks a bunch, Lori.
