Monday, December 18, 2006
Erratum
Those of you astute enough to notice (or still awake) might have picked up on an alleged error in Christmas Letter 2006 - when I wished everyone a safe, healthy and happy 2006 (not 2007). Well, this was not an error at all, it was a reflection on my commitment. You see, its a lot of pressure to wish everyone who reads the Letter a safe and healthy 2007 - that is alot of people multiplied by alot of days, and I just don't think I can pull it off anymore - I'm worn out. So I figured, if people get my letter the week before Christmas and I wish them a safe, healthy and happy 2006, I'm only on the hook for like ten more days. That is a much more manageable figure to deal with - and you know, we can take 2007 a day at a time, see how it goes...
Christmas Letter 2006
Hello and welcome to Christmas Letter (“The Letter”) 2006! Warning, some material may not be suitable for all audiences. Ok, well, that’s not really accurate, but based on our focus groups, people who read The Letter aloud to their cats found that the cats immediately started hyperventilating and banging their heads against the wall. This drove cat lovers crazy, but not nearly as crazy as when cat haters found out and began going house to house reading The Letter aloud – caroling style – at houses where cats were known to reside. So now I’m forced to issue this warning. And while we’re at it, since I’m sick of all these lawsuits associated with The Letter, please note the following: The Letter should not be used as a flotation device, worn as a fire-retardant garment, or ingested. You can not fly unassisted while reading The Letter, nor lift four times your body weight. You should not operate heavy machinery while reading The Letter, and anyone who experiences any of the following symptoms following reading The Letter should consult a physician (or holistic healer, shaman, witch doctor, or toll booth operator) immediately: depression, euphoria, runny nose, runny ears, runny hair, back ache, head ache, stomach ache, heart ache, God complex, incontinence, TBTS (throbbing big toe syndrome) or Shingles. Nausea, however, is a known side effect and, quite frankly, fairly common. OK, with that out of the way, we can get to work. The 2005 Curtin Quiz went quite well, so here are your bonus questions:
1. 2006 has been a great year for Emma (now 7 and a half) because she: a) hasn’t been adopted by Madonna yet.; b) is as cute as ever and growing by leaps and bounds (and waaaay too fast); c) continues to be very active in soccer, skiing, Irish step dancing (she was just moved up into a group of older girls – I mean, can Riverdance be far behind?), and theatre (this year’s production was The Trolls and I don’t wish to brag, but the entire crowd could be heard whispering, “Who is that troll in the back row next to the forty other trolls in the back row, she’s really carrying the show!”).
2. Our Julia is: a) a precocious Kindergartner who absolutely loves school; b) a dancer extraordinaire because she has added Irish step dancing to her staple ballet class; c) an art project, drawing, painting, paper macheing, gluing, pasting, coloring, scissor-cutting, dollhouse building, light construction project managing fiend who has produced so much artwork the past year that the pile has joined the Great Wall of China as man-made things you can see from space.
3. Annie, our two and a half year old: a) is so verbal and smart that she is actually somehow turned five years old while we weren’t paying attention; b) never goes anywhere without her pillow and blanket and emergency backup blanket; c) says at least three things a day that have us belly laughing (including my personal favorite a few days ago when Emma and Julia were running to Kat arguing and crying, Annie looked at me and said, “jeez Daddy, everyone is freaking out!”); D) stubbornly insists on growing up despite our best efforts to keep her “our baby”.
4. Our Fish, Al the First (author of The Curtin Christmas Letter 2004): a) caught the last train for the coast when his Christmas Letter was optioned into a movie deal; b) is fronting a reggae band, ‘Big Al and the Guppies of Freedom’; c) miraculously turned from dark blue to red and is living a quiet existence in the fishbowl on our kitchen counter; or d) has gone to the great fishbowl in the sky, but because Emma is so sensitive and Daddy didn’t want to face up to his fatherly responsibilities, he made the unfortunate decision to try to get rid of the body and replace Al with a new fish (Pope Al the Second) and fool Emma into thinking that it was the same fish but at the pet store all the water is tinted dark blue, so he actually grabbed a red fish, but didn’t know it until the new fish was in the tank and Emma immediately saw it and started crying because she thought Al was sick and going to die (staggering irony there), so Daddy had to convince her that Al had just changed colors and is living peacefully in his bowl on the counter, which after 30 or so minutes of uncontrolled wailing, he was finally able to do due to the two specs of blue that (thankfully) exist on Al II’s fin. Note: If you see Emma on a regular basis, THE CORRECT ANSWER IS c)!
5. My wife Kat is: a) a retail clothing magnate; b) a finalist for the head football coaching job at Boston College; c) a limousine service for the Curtin girls; d) still crazy after all these years; e) as beautiful and wonderful as the day we were married; (by the way who else is singing Paul Simon right now?)
6. Kat and I celebrated our tenth anniversary: a) blind drunk in the basement wondering where it all went wrong; b) in an emergency room where I was treated for a massive head wound for making the previous joke in front of my beautiful wife; c) with a tremendous trip to Real Del Mar on the west coast of Mexico with our dear friends Ash and Jim Ford in a place so fantastically amazing that I still can’t believe we were there. (And a special shout out to Ashley’s Mom, a longtime secondary reader of The Letter) (And, as a special bonus parenthetical, Jim recently took me golfing at Pine Valley, so if you’re wondering who the Curtin Friends of the Year award goes to for 2006, well, the polls are now closed and we are projecting a winner).
7. I started a blog at http://pscurtin.blogspot.com/ because: a) I always wanted to be an astronaut and the “blogosphere” seems about as close as I’ll get; b) I want to annoy you with this inane banter more than once a year; c) I wanted to write more and this seemed like a better option than bathroom walls; d) I am an idiot. (but check it out if you want – the old Christmas Letters will be there as well as new posts every week or so.
8. We want to wish you a happy holiday season and blessed 2007 because: a) it seems more appropriate than Happy St. Patrick’s Day; b) we are contractually obligated to do so; c) you are among the people we love, like or tolerate – for now. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A SAFE, HEALTHY 2006!
1. 2006 has been a great year for Emma (now 7 and a half) because she: a) hasn’t been adopted by Madonna yet.; b) is as cute as ever and growing by leaps and bounds (and waaaay too fast); c) continues to be very active in soccer, skiing, Irish step dancing (she was just moved up into a group of older girls – I mean, can Riverdance be far behind?), and theatre (this year’s production was The Trolls and I don’t wish to brag, but the entire crowd could be heard whispering, “Who is that troll in the back row next to the forty other trolls in the back row, she’s really carrying the show!”).
2. Our Julia is: a) a precocious Kindergartner who absolutely loves school; b) a dancer extraordinaire because she has added Irish step dancing to her staple ballet class; c) an art project, drawing, painting, paper macheing, gluing, pasting, coloring, scissor-cutting, dollhouse building, light construction project managing fiend who has produced so much artwork the past year that the pile has joined the Great Wall of China as man-made things you can see from space.
3. Annie, our two and a half year old: a) is so verbal and smart that she is actually somehow turned five years old while we weren’t paying attention; b) never goes anywhere without her pillow and blanket and emergency backup blanket; c) says at least three things a day that have us belly laughing (including my personal favorite a few days ago when Emma and Julia were running to Kat arguing and crying, Annie looked at me and said, “jeez Daddy, everyone is freaking out!”); D) stubbornly insists on growing up despite our best efforts to keep her “our baby”.
4. Our Fish, Al the First (author of The Curtin Christmas Letter 2004): a) caught the last train for the coast when his Christmas Letter was optioned into a movie deal; b) is fronting a reggae band, ‘Big Al and the Guppies of Freedom’; c) miraculously turned from dark blue to red and is living a quiet existence in the fishbowl on our kitchen counter; or d) has gone to the great fishbowl in the sky, but because Emma is so sensitive and Daddy didn’t want to face up to his fatherly responsibilities, he made the unfortunate decision to try to get rid of the body and replace Al with a new fish (Pope Al the Second) and fool Emma into thinking that it was the same fish but at the pet store all the water is tinted dark blue, so he actually grabbed a red fish, but didn’t know it until the new fish was in the tank and Emma immediately saw it and started crying because she thought Al was sick and going to die (staggering irony there), so Daddy had to convince her that Al had just changed colors and is living peacefully in his bowl on the counter, which after 30 or so minutes of uncontrolled wailing, he was finally able to do due to the two specs of blue that (thankfully) exist on Al II’s fin. Note: If you see Emma on a regular basis, THE CORRECT ANSWER IS c)!
5. My wife Kat is: a) a retail clothing magnate; b) a finalist for the head football coaching job at Boston College; c) a limousine service for the Curtin girls; d) still crazy after all these years; e) as beautiful and wonderful as the day we were married; (by the way who else is singing Paul Simon right now?)
6. Kat and I celebrated our tenth anniversary: a) blind drunk in the basement wondering where it all went wrong; b) in an emergency room where I was treated for a massive head wound for making the previous joke in front of my beautiful wife; c) with a tremendous trip to Real Del Mar on the west coast of Mexico with our dear friends Ash and Jim Ford in a place so fantastically amazing that I still can’t believe we were there. (And a special shout out to Ashley’s Mom, a longtime secondary reader of The Letter) (And, as a special bonus parenthetical, Jim recently took me golfing at Pine Valley, so if you’re wondering who the Curtin Friends of the Year award goes to for 2006, well, the polls are now closed and we are projecting a winner).
7. I started a blog at http://pscurtin.blogspot.com/ because: a) I always wanted to be an astronaut and the “blogosphere” seems about as close as I’ll get; b) I want to annoy you with this inane banter more than once a year; c) I wanted to write more and this seemed like a better option than bathroom walls; d) I am an idiot. (but check it out if you want – the old Christmas Letters will be there as well as new posts every week or so.
8. We want to wish you a happy holiday season and blessed 2007 because: a) it seems more appropriate than Happy St. Patrick’s Day; b) we are contractually obligated to do so; c) you are among the people we love, like or tolerate – for now. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A SAFE, HEALTHY 2006!
Christmas Letter 2001
Traditionally, my interest in reading Holiday Letters (hereinafter the "Letter") usually wanes about page 3 and it usually involves the phrase, "then on January 16th, we got the kids up at 5:00am sharp for Mandarin Chinese lessons before school; Billy is only five years old, but he has already translated Sun Tzu's The Art of War into Old English." However, at the risk of becoming that which I fear, I have decided to embark on a Letter journey of my own because I am finding that a year goes by so fast and its hard to keep close contact with those we like, love and tolerate. So here is my first crack at a Letter, subject to three important caveats: 1. I will spare you from the minute-by-minute account of the Curtin Life and merely hit you with the highlights; 2. I will be mercifully brief (one page, normal font); and 3. hopefully, I will make you laugh. (Author's note: Please note the presence of several exclamation points placed skillfully throughout the Letter. Let's try to read these passages with a little gusto people!!) The formalities thus out of the way, on with the Letter:
Holiday Greetings from South Fork, our 1/2 acre ranch here in Rowayton, CT. Kat is modeling for thr Ford agency and has been nominated to the New York Court of Appeals; Emma has been accepted early admission to Harvard, but declined in favor of a full golf scholarship to Boston College; Julia is the new Gerber Baby, and I, having turned down an invitation to appear on the $300 bill (too showy), was just awarded the Nobel Prize for All-Around Coolness and I just purchased the Guinness Corporation in a not-so-hostile takeover. The End. Happy Holidays everyone! I'll be here all wee! Tip your waitresses, they're working hard for you! Try the veal. (Wow, writing a Christmas Letter is easier than I thought.)
(Author's note: Kat was reading over my shoulder (or just woke me up - splitting hairs, really) and insisted that I correct a few minor inaccuracies in the Letter. The remainder of this Letter is therefore being written under protest. Nevertheless...)
On April 3rd, we welcomed beautiful Julia Elizabeth into our family. She is simply a joy - as gorgeous as her big sister Emma, with a wonderful personality and two of the biggest blue eyes you have ever seen. She is now eight months old(!) and looks just like her mother, Thank God. On May 16th, our beautiful Emma Grace turned two years old!! Watching her grow has to be top three in the Paul and Kat Pantheon of Great Moments. She is precocious, funny and smart and Mommy and Daddy (well, mostly Daddy) are looking at several convents that will take our girls in a two-for-one deal. Emma and Kat attend a pre-pre-school one day per week. Needless to say, with other kids to direct, and an endless supply of toys, paints, and other instruments of destruction, Emma LOVES school. Speaking of love, Julia pretty much worships the ground upon which Emma walks and Emma is the best big sister we could have hoped for. All in all, Kat and I are blessed with two great kids. I blame her.
Speaking of Kat, she in now a full time Mommy, having left the service of her law firm after Jules was born. Although the girls are quite a handful and her life is fairly hectic, she is having the time of her life. On June 1st, she turned 29 again and she is looking forward to turning 30 sometime in the coming years. I, of course, count my age only in moments and memories. As of this writing, I am 40 million moments and memories old (but I only feel about 38 million). In June, I took a new job as Senior Counsel of a pharmaceutical company based in Stamford, CT. It is a tremendous company and I absolutely love my job. It is also only about ten minutes from our house, so I've got that going for me...which is nice.
We took two wonderful trips in 2001: in August we took our annual summer trip to Nantucket Island with the Burns' and Cooks (I brought a non-pregnant wife and two kids, Brett Burns and Andrew Cook each brought a pregnent wife). We had fantastic weather and an increduble time! Thanks to the recent arrivals of Morgan Burns and Brendan and James Cook, we will have five kids in a beach house next year (yikes!). On October 12th Kat and I celebrated our 5th (!!) Anniversary in Nevis, West Indies, with our dear friends Ashley and Jim Ford, who we met on our Honeymoon in Nevis 'lo these many years ago. We golfed everyday, went to the beach everyday, ate too much, drank too much (especially Ashley) and generally had so much fun they finally had to ask us to leave the resort (not really, but man did we have fun!)
Well, that's all the time I have, you've been a great audience. We hope and pray this letter finds you all safe and healthy and happy. Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2002!
If you have received this in error, please disregard.
Holiday Greetings from South Fork, our 1/2 acre ranch here in Rowayton, CT. Kat is modeling for thr Ford agency and has been nominated to the New York Court of Appeals; Emma has been accepted early admission to Harvard, but declined in favor of a full golf scholarship to Boston College; Julia is the new Gerber Baby, and I, having turned down an invitation to appear on the $300 bill (too showy), was just awarded the Nobel Prize for All-Around Coolness and I just purchased the Guinness Corporation in a not-so-hostile takeover. The End. Happy Holidays everyone! I'll be here all wee! Tip your waitresses, they're working hard for you! Try the veal. (Wow, writing a Christmas Letter is easier than I thought.)
(Author's note: Kat was reading over my shoulder (or just woke me up - splitting hairs, really) and insisted that I correct a few minor inaccuracies in the Letter. The remainder of this Letter is therefore being written under protest. Nevertheless...)
On April 3rd, we welcomed beautiful Julia Elizabeth into our family. She is simply a joy - as gorgeous as her big sister Emma, with a wonderful personality and two of the biggest blue eyes you have ever seen. She is now eight months old(!) and looks just like her mother, Thank God. On May 16th, our beautiful Emma Grace turned two years old!! Watching her grow has to be top three in the Paul and Kat Pantheon of Great Moments. She is precocious, funny and smart and Mommy and Daddy (well, mostly Daddy) are looking at several convents that will take our girls in a two-for-one deal. Emma and Kat attend a pre-pre-school one day per week. Needless to say, with other kids to direct, and an endless supply of toys, paints, and other instruments of destruction, Emma LOVES school. Speaking of love, Julia pretty much worships the ground upon which Emma walks and Emma is the best big sister we could have hoped for. All in all, Kat and I are blessed with two great kids. I blame her.
Speaking of Kat, she in now a full time Mommy, having left the service of her law firm after Jules was born. Although the girls are quite a handful and her life is fairly hectic, she is having the time of her life. On June 1st, she turned 29 again and she is looking forward to turning 30 sometime in the coming years. I, of course, count my age only in moments and memories. As of this writing, I am 40 million moments and memories old (but I only feel about 38 million). In June, I took a new job as Senior Counsel of a pharmaceutical company based in Stamford, CT. It is a tremendous company and I absolutely love my job. It is also only about ten minutes from our house, so I've got that going for me...which is nice.
We took two wonderful trips in 2001: in August we took our annual summer trip to Nantucket Island with the Burns' and Cooks (I brought a non-pregnant wife and two kids, Brett Burns and Andrew Cook each brought a pregnent wife). We had fantastic weather and an increduble time! Thanks to the recent arrivals of Morgan Burns and Brendan and James Cook, we will have five kids in a beach house next year (yikes!). On October 12th Kat and I celebrated our 5th (!!) Anniversary in Nevis, West Indies, with our dear friends Ashley and Jim Ford, who we met on our Honeymoon in Nevis 'lo these many years ago. We golfed everyday, went to the beach everyday, ate too much, drank too much (especially Ashley) and generally had so much fun they finally had to ask us to leave the resort (not really, but man did we have fun!)
Well, that's all the time I have, you've been a great audience. We hope and pray this letter finds you all safe and healthy and happy. Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2002!
If you have received this in error, please disregard.
Christmas Letter 2002
Some comments on last year's Christmas Letter (hereinafter "Letter 2001"): "Mystical!" - Idaho Sun Times; "A dazzling performance!" - Sacramento Bee; "Hysterical! Laugh out loud funny!!" - Iowa City Yellow Pages; "I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats!" - A. Loyd Webber; "Spine-tingling, riveting, edge-of-your-seat action! Run, don't walk to the Christmas Letter!" - Architectual Digest; "We disagreed with the premise, so we didn't review it and won't print it." - New York Times; The Christmas Letter is a beacon of light to us all and indeed, may eventually bring about world peace." - P. Curtin (no relation).
Yes, its that time of year again - the Christmas Letter 2002! I had such a nice response to my Letter 2001, and I had so much fun writing it, that I thought I would give it another go. (If you did not receive a copy of the Letter 2001 and would like to read it, simply click here.) [Note to blog audience - that joke was much funnier when you were reading a paper copy of this letter, but while reading it on a computer, you could actually click on the link, so it doesn't seem as funny. Of course, since I don't know how to link to another article, nothing will happen when you click, so I guess its still kind of amuzing. But you can read the 2001 Letter on this blog]. Plus, as is the case with so many of you whom we love, like or feel a guitly pang to keep in touch with once a year, we are not able to see you and speak to you as often as we would like, so it does serve as a nice little update.
For those of you just tuning in, when we last left our hero, we explored the "bragging" Christmas Letter. This year, I have to take issue with another kind of Christmas letter that we'll call the "Therapy Letter". We have all received the Therapy Letter that someone writes, near as I can figure, because it is cheaper than seeing a psychiatrist. In this wondrous season of peace and joy we are subject to eight pages of therapy notes on candy cane bordered paper: "I can't believe another year has gone by; where does the time go? With my gout acting up again, I'm not very mobile, so I'm doing all my shopping on the QVC shopping channel again. Herb's business is still in receivership, but he collected a settlement on his botched hernia operation, so we took a Disney cruise this year! Little Billy is seven now, and he has finally stopped kicking the dog. he loves school, and all the talk of the "glue incident" seems to have quieted. Sally is fifteen now and she's growing up too fast, but not so fast that she can be tried as an adult, thank goodness for that! Lastly, please remember our cat Fluffy in your prayers, as she is recovering from a recent accident. Who knew that a bug zapper could give off all that electricity?"
Fortunately, the Curtin family has been blessed this year and you'll receive no such news from us! The girls are great - Emma is a wonderful 3 and a half year old, going on 16! (Seriously. Its some sort of weird genetic thing. Fortunately, she'll be 4 the next year, but look out in 2005 when she's 11 and 38.) She is in a "3s" program and the Community Cooperative Nursery School and, as ususal, is having a ball! Julia is one and a half and about as cute as a child can be. She is starting to speak quite a bit now, but for a while there everything was pretty much a 'cow', because that's all she said all day long (maybe its all that red meat I ate growing up). They give us so much joy everyday, they ought to charge us a fee to be their Mommy and Daddy - its the greatest gig in the world. Kat celebrated the tenth anniversary of her 25th birthday this year. 35 came like a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge free ATM. As if she wasn't busy enough chasing the girls around everyday and taking them to ballet, music and school, she is now running a fundraising art show for Emma's school. (any budding Van Goghs out there, send your paintings and ears to the address on the envelope). Kat also celebrated our sixth anniversary in October and, as usual, I celebrated the fact that she has a weak spot for a semi-intelligent, occasionally witty, overgrown adolescent who worships the ground she walks on. As for me, well, I turned Larry Bird this year (I don't have to tell anyone Larry Bird's jersey number, do I?), but I only feel Don Mattingly (see previous paranthetical). My job is great, my golf game isn't, and I spend waay too much time on the former and not nealry enough on the latter. As for the year's events, Kat and I took a fantastic trip to California for one of my Boston College rommates' (J.J.) wedding. The wedding was at a beautiful vineyard in Napa, so Kat and I went out a week early with another BC roommate, Mark Amorosi and his wife Sharon, and we toured San Francisco (stayed with our buddy H, had too much fun to be healthy); saw Kat's college roommate Robin and her husband Lux in Tiburon; toured Carmel, Big Sur, Napa and.....(drum roll please), Amo and I played Pebble Beach (Pebble freakin Beach!!!). Needless to say, it was unbelievable and i still get a jolt just writing about it (I shot 92 for those who care). It was a tremendous trip with very good friends and it was definitely the highlight of the year. The Burns, Curtins and Gormans also spent a week on Nantucket this year - an annual trip that gets better every year. We left the tab open at our favorite bar, The Rope Walk, in anticipation of being back next year. A Curtin family reunion rounded out the summer of fun, after which we were very content to hang out at home all Fall. We started planning a home expansion, so keep us in your prayers this coming year. If I survive the construction, its going to be a great home addition!
Well, that's all the time I have, you've been a great audience. We hope and pray this Letter finds you all safe, healthy and happy. Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2003!
Yes, its that time of year again - the Christmas Letter 2002! I had such a nice response to my Letter 2001, and I had so much fun writing it, that I thought I would give it another go. (If you did not receive a copy of the Letter 2001 and would like to read it, simply click here.) [Note to blog audience - that joke was much funnier when you were reading a paper copy of this letter, but while reading it on a computer, you could actually click on the link, so it doesn't seem as funny. Of course, since I don't know how to link to another article, nothing will happen when you click, so I guess its still kind of amuzing. But you can read the 2001 Letter on this blog]. Plus, as is the case with so many of you whom we love, like or feel a guitly pang to keep in touch with once a year, we are not able to see you and speak to you as often as we would like, so it does serve as a nice little update.
For those of you just tuning in, when we last left our hero, we explored the "bragging" Christmas Letter. This year, I have to take issue with another kind of Christmas letter that we'll call the "Therapy Letter". We have all received the Therapy Letter that someone writes, near as I can figure, because it is cheaper than seeing a psychiatrist. In this wondrous season of peace and joy we are subject to eight pages of therapy notes on candy cane bordered paper: "I can't believe another year has gone by; where does the time go? With my gout acting up again, I'm not very mobile, so I'm doing all my shopping on the QVC shopping channel again. Herb's business is still in receivership, but he collected a settlement on his botched hernia operation, so we took a Disney cruise this year! Little Billy is seven now, and he has finally stopped kicking the dog. he loves school, and all the talk of the "glue incident" seems to have quieted. Sally is fifteen now and she's growing up too fast, but not so fast that she can be tried as an adult, thank goodness for that! Lastly, please remember our cat Fluffy in your prayers, as she is recovering from a recent accident. Who knew that a bug zapper could give off all that electricity?"
Fortunately, the Curtin family has been blessed this year and you'll receive no such news from us! The girls are great - Emma is a wonderful 3 and a half year old, going on 16! (Seriously. Its some sort of weird genetic thing. Fortunately, she'll be 4 the next year, but look out in 2005 when she's 11 and 38.) She is in a "3s" program and the Community Cooperative Nursery School and, as ususal, is having a ball! Julia is one and a half and about as cute as a child can be. She is starting to speak quite a bit now, but for a while there everything was pretty much a 'cow', because that's all she said all day long (maybe its all that red meat I ate growing up). They give us so much joy everyday, they ought to charge us a fee to be their Mommy and Daddy - its the greatest gig in the world. Kat celebrated the tenth anniversary of her 25th birthday this year. 35 came like a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge free ATM. As if she wasn't busy enough chasing the girls around everyday and taking them to ballet, music and school, she is now running a fundraising art show for Emma's school. (any budding Van Goghs out there, send your paintings and ears to the address on the envelope). Kat also celebrated our sixth anniversary in October and, as usual, I celebrated the fact that she has a weak spot for a semi-intelligent, occasionally witty, overgrown adolescent who worships the ground she walks on. As for me, well, I turned Larry Bird this year (I don't have to tell anyone Larry Bird's jersey number, do I?), but I only feel Don Mattingly (see previous paranthetical). My job is great, my golf game isn't, and I spend waay too much time on the former and not nealry enough on the latter. As for the year's events, Kat and I took a fantastic trip to California for one of my Boston College rommates' (J.J.) wedding. The wedding was at a beautiful vineyard in Napa, so Kat and I went out a week early with another BC roommate, Mark Amorosi and his wife Sharon, and we toured San Francisco (stayed with our buddy H, had too much fun to be healthy); saw Kat's college roommate Robin and her husband Lux in Tiburon; toured Carmel, Big Sur, Napa and.....(drum roll please), Amo and I played Pebble Beach (Pebble freakin Beach!!!). Needless to say, it was unbelievable and i still get a jolt just writing about it (I shot 92 for those who care). It was a tremendous trip with very good friends and it was definitely the highlight of the year. The Burns, Curtins and Gormans also spent a week on Nantucket this year - an annual trip that gets better every year. We left the tab open at our favorite bar, The Rope Walk, in anticipation of being back next year. A Curtin family reunion rounded out the summer of fun, after which we were very content to hang out at home all Fall. We started planning a home expansion, so keep us in your prayers this coming year. If I survive the construction, its going to be a great home addition!
Well, that's all the time I have, you've been a great audience. We hope and pray this Letter finds you all safe, healthy and happy. Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2003!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Christmas Letter 2003
We're coming to you live from the new and improved Curtin Compound where the media, friends, family and - let's be honest - the entire world has gathered eagerly anticipating Christmas Letter 2003 (hereinafter "the Letter 2003"). Sources close to me have informed me that Letter 2003 is already behind schedule. When asked why the delay, Curtin responded, "I love deadlines - I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they go by." He also mentioned something about not having had an original thought in ten or eloeven months, but that was roundly dismissed as the Guinness talking. But the pressure to respond has become greta and we think that...wait! Wait just a minute...I think that...Yes!! That's him! Paul Curtin is at the podium and is about to speak:
Hi folks, welcome to the Letter 2003. [incidentally, for copies of the first two Christmas Letters, or to complain about having received them, please send a self addressed stamped envelope and a check for $1,000 to: Great Moments in Humankind, P.O. Box 1, Rowayton, CT 06853 (note: not a real address), reference Library of Congress #867-5309. Please allow 18-36 months for delivery, as I bring them to your house personally and give a dramatic reading.] I am still having a mildly amuzing time authoring these little slices of heaven, so we'll keep at it - at least until the cease and desist orders arrive from the rest of you. Plus, as is the case with so many of you whom we like, love, or feel a guilty pang to keep in touch with once a year, we are not able to see you and speak to you as often as we would like, so this letter does serve as a nice little update as our family grows. So, sit back, put your feet up and follow the melodic sound of my voice as we recap the Curtin year. And, as always, please...no wagering.
I was going to take my usual pot shot at someone else's Christmas letter, but we've had a pretty busy year, so let's just get started, shall we - oh alright, one quick one. Don't you hate those letters you receive that purport to be Christmas letters but, in fact, have not one thing to do with Christmas. Or the holiday season. Or family. Instead, these Hemmingway wannabes hit you with four pages of: "The sparrows floated aimlessly, softly, lilting just for a moment, before soaring into destiny...and I wept for my own mortality." Ummm, ok. You have a Merry Christmas too...and call your doctor for a dosage adjustment.
Fortunately, we here at the Curtin Letter headquarters only bring you the hard news, the skinny, the dirt, the intrigue and excitement the up-to-the-minute-411 on the inner workings of all things Curtin. And here it is: "All in all, we had a lovely year, thanks for asking." Goodnight everybody!!! See you in 2004!! Enjoy Cher!!
Huh? Sorry, what's that? Oh, specifics? Yeah, I guess I could do that. Well, in 2003 Kat and I were consumed with two things: chasing our gorgeous girls hither and yon, and a house expansion that ended (finally!) about a month ago. The girls are still growing up too fast - Emma is a wonderful four year old and continues to be the sweetest daughter to us and big sister to Julia that we could hope for. She is in the "4s program" at the Community Cooperative Nursery School and loves it. She also started soccer this year (her trophy stands proudly on her dresser) and continues to love ballet and music class. I also take the girls ice skating every Sunday afternoon and Emma is becoming quite the little terror on ice. One highlight from 2003 was renting a ski house with my sister's family in Vermont last February. Emma took to skiing right off the bat and we had a wonderful month on the slopes.
Julia is am adorable two year old and comes up with at least four one-liners a day that keep Kat and I in stitches. She has joined Emma in nursery school "2s program" as well as at music class and our skating outings. And, if she had her way, she will be joining Emma on the soccer pitch and ballet stage immedeately. We could not ask for better, more lovable kids. Which is why we are having another one in March. Yes, our final gift to the world will arrive in early 2004 and we are beyond thrilled! Kat feels great and since she wasn't doing anything anyway, besides Co-Chairing the Nursery School Art Show fundraiser, then taking over as President of the School, then carting the kids all over the world, then designing the interior of our new and improved house, and then putting up with me, she decided that she wasn't quite busy enough and demanded a third chikd (if I'm recalling the conversation correctly). Boy or girl? Only the shadow knows... and the shadow isn't talking. Which, quite frankly, is odd for the shadow, who is usually quite the little chatterbox. But I digress. As I alluded to above, our other big event was a house expansion that began in May and ended a month ago. During construction we stayed at Kat's Mom's house in Westport (or as I like to refer to it, our beach house), which could not have been a nicer place to spend the summer, both for the hospitality and the location. Back in Rowayton, we added an expanded kitchen, a sunken living room, a Master suite (sweet!), a "Man Room" (bar, pool table, flat screen tv - how I got this room by Kat I will never know!!), and a two-car garage. So we are absolutely poor...thrilled, absolutely thrilled with our new home. It is just what we wanted and Kat and I cannot wait to fill it with our third child - and Emma and Julia can't wait to boss this kid around. As for me, well, anyone who knows me knows that i have it all - a beautiful wife, two and a half beautiful kids, a job I love and the best family and friends money can buy (your checks will be sent under separate cover).
Well, that's all the time I have; you've been a great audience. As always, we hope and pray that this Letter finds you all safe, healthy and happy. Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2004!
Hi folks, welcome to the Letter 2003. [incidentally, for copies of the first two Christmas Letters, or to complain about having received them, please send a self addressed stamped envelope and a check for $1,000 to: Great Moments in Humankind, P.O. Box 1, Rowayton, CT 06853 (note: not a real address), reference Library of Congress #867-5309. Please allow 18-36 months for delivery, as I bring them to your house personally and give a dramatic reading.] I am still having a mildly amuzing time authoring these little slices of heaven, so we'll keep at it - at least until the cease and desist orders arrive from the rest of you. Plus, as is the case with so many of you whom we like, love, or feel a guilty pang to keep in touch with once a year, we are not able to see you and speak to you as often as we would like, so this letter does serve as a nice little update as our family grows. So, sit back, put your feet up and follow the melodic sound of my voice as we recap the Curtin year. And, as always, please...no wagering.
I was going to take my usual pot shot at someone else's Christmas letter, but we've had a pretty busy year, so let's just get started, shall we - oh alright, one quick one. Don't you hate those letters you receive that purport to be Christmas letters but, in fact, have not one thing to do with Christmas. Or the holiday season. Or family. Instead, these Hemmingway wannabes hit you with four pages of: "The sparrows floated aimlessly, softly, lilting just for a moment, before soaring into destiny...and I wept for my own mortality." Ummm, ok. You have a Merry Christmas too...and call your doctor for a dosage adjustment.
Fortunately, we here at the Curtin Letter headquarters only bring you the hard news, the skinny, the dirt, the intrigue and excitement the up-to-the-minute-411 on the inner workings of all things Curtin. And here it is: "All in all, we had a lovely year, thanks for asking." Goodnight everybody!!! See you in 2004!! Enjoy Cher!!
Huh? Sorry, what's that? Oh, specifics? Yeah, I guess I could do that. Well, in 2003 Kat and I were consumed with two things: chasing our gorgeous girls hither and yon, and a house expansion that ended (finally!) about a month ago. The girls are still growing up too fast - Emma is a wonderful four year old and continues to be the sweetest daughter to us and big sister to Julia that we could hope for. She is in the "4s program" at the Community Cooperative Nursery School and loves it. She also started soccer this year (her trophy stands proudly on her dresser) and continues to love ballet and music class. I also take the girls ice skating every Sunday afternoon and Emma is becoming quite the little terror on ice. One highlight from 2003 was renting a ski house with my sister's family in Vermont last February. Emma took to skiing right off the bat and we had a wonderful month on the slopes.
Julia is am adorable two year old and comes up with at least four one-liners a day that keep Kat and I in stitches. She has joined Emma in nursery school "2s program" as well as at music class and our skating outings. And, if she had her way, she will be joining Emma on the soccer pitch and ballet stage immedeately. We could not ask for better, more lovable kids. Which is why we are having another one in March. Yes, our final gift to the world will arrive in early 2004 and we are beyond thrilled! Kat feels great and since she wasn't doing anything anyway, besides Co-Chairing the Nursery School Art Show fundraiser, then taking over as President of the School, then carting the kids all over the world, then designing the interior of our new and improved house, and then putting up with me, she decided that she wasn't quite busy enough and demanded a third chikd (if I'm recalling the conversation correctly). Boy or girl? Only the shadow knows... and the shadow isn't talking. Which, quite frankly, is odd for the shadow, who is usually quite the little chatterbox. But I digress. As I alluded to above, our other big event was a house expansion that began in May and ended a month ago. During construction we stayed at Kat's Mom's house in Westport (or as I like to refer to it, our beach house), which could not have been a nicer place to spend the summer, both for the hospitality and the location. Back in Rowayton, we added an expanded kitchen, a sunken living room, a Master suite (sweet!), a "Man Room" (bar, pool table, flat screen tv - how I got this room by Kat I will never know!!), and a two-car garage. So we are absolutely poor...thrilled, absolutely thrilled with our new home. It is just what we wanted and Kat and I cannot wait to fill it with our third child - and Emma and Julia can't wait to boss this kid around. As for me, well, anyone who knows me knows that i have it all - a beautiful wife, two and a half beautiful kids, a job I love and the best family and friends money can buy (your checks will be sent under separate cover).
Well, that's all the time I have; you've been a great audience. As always, we hope and pray that this Letter finds you all safe, healthy and happy. Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2004!
Christmas Letter 2004
Merry Christmas everybody! and welcome back to world-famous Curtin Clan Arena (the "Big Convent") in Rowayton, Connecticut. I'm Albert T. Fish (Al the Fish) and I'm coming to you live from the kitchen counter. I'm joined by some shiny rocks, a plastic green plant, and several accidentally-spilled drops of Guinness (which brings new meaning to the word "tanked"!). For the next fifteen minutes we'll take you through the highlights of the latest exciting match in the ongoing Household Championship between the defending champions, the Curtin Girls (Emma, Julia and Annie) and the overmatched, overworked, utterly outclassed Curtin Parents (Kat and Paul). As you can imagine, the 2004 match was not much of a contest, as the Curtin girls continue to have their way with Kat and Paul in this increasingly one-sided contest. And, as the fake green plant is fond of saying, "Its not likely to get any better for the Parents anytime soon." How true plant boy, how true. I've said it for months now folks, but I have to again question the tactics of the Parents when, after clearly being outplayed by Emma and Julia in 2001, 2002, and 2003, they continued to dig themselves deeper into trouble by adding Anne Bashlow Curtin (Annie) to the Girls' roster on March 10th. In fact, the Parents haven't won one of these matches since way back in 1999 when Emma was a new born. (The 2000 match, you will recall, ended in a controversial draw when Kat and Paul successfully took 18-month old Emma to Ireland for ten days. The judges awarded a draw despite Emma throwing up twice in the rental car and not sitting down once during the 8-hour flight home. The award of a tie was a travesty that some have compared to the USA-USSR gold medal basketball game in 1972 and, like the Americans of that team, Emma has still not picked up her medal). But I digress.
Back here in march 2004, i'm here to tell you that I nearly breathed oxygen when I saw that adorable little Annie come through the front door. And it only took one look at the love the Parents had for beautiful Annie that I knew she was going to be another stellar player in the Girls' already All Star-laden lineup. The Parents are now forced to play a containment zone rather than the man-to-man defense that at least gave them a fighting chance against Emma and Julia. But talk about dominating from the get-go, Annie has taken Kat out from the opening tip with a dizzying array of cute moves, topped off by saying Ma-Ma as her first words; Kat never stood a chance. She is only a rookie, but she is playing like a seasoned veteran. She's listed at 32" tall, but she plays much smaller than that, which she uses to her advantage by disappearing under tables and crawling out of the room while the older Girls distract the Parents. In fact, recently, she crawled out of her highchair and jumped (well, fell) to the floor in a highlight film move. (Just a classic blunder by the Parents, which reminds me of something my mentor Jimmy "the Flying Guppy" Gupperman told me a long time ago: never play poker with a guy named after a city, never fight a land war in Asia, and never turn your back on a nine month old!)
With Annie handling Kat, this left Paul at the mercy of the older Girls' double team - just a laughable mismatch. Emma, now five and a half, plays the game like a girl twice her age. She is in Kindergarten now and loves it - and she induced the first medical timeout of this match when she told Paul that she liked to chase and kiss the boys on the playground after school. (Paul was taken off the field on a stretcher and had to be revived with smelling salts.) Emma is clearly the brains of the team, constantly asking questions as she learns to spell and read, constantly talking from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to sleep, playing soccer and basketball and doing gymnastics and swimming lessons - just a textbook example of how to wear our her Parents. She even learned to ride a two-wheel bike this year to make herself that much harder to catch!
Little Julia (now three and a half), on the other hand, is a much more deliberate player. She lulls the Parents into a false sense of security because she is content to play with her dollies or read a book quietly to herself, or color at the table, but as soon as they look away, BAM!!, she is heading for the good furniture with a fist full of melting chocolate chip cookies. Julia is all girl, as she insists on wearing dresses and skirts, and thinks pants are the spawn of satan. She attends nursery school where she loves to play dress up and she also takes ballet with her friends Charlotte and Bea. As the old saying goes, Julia dances as if nobody is watching, and in a world full of followers, she is remarkably self-assured and content to do things her own way.
Let's throw it down to my colleague on the floor, Dust Bunny, for a live update from the Parents' locker room. Dusty? "Thanks Al. I'm standing just outside the Parents locker room and, as you can imagine, its pretty quiet in there. Paul is hooked up to an IV of Guinness and is pleading with Kat to keep the pressure on the Girls in 2005. The girls just ran over him in 2004 and they are poised to do the same next year. He is ever the optimist, but the Parents will start 2005 at a distinct disadvantage since Paul will be serving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for suggesting that they medicate the Girls, while Kat is serving a two-day suspension for going into the stands after a heckler who suggested that she have a fourth child. Meanwhile Kat will once again Chair an Art Show fundraiser in 2005, and plays a little tennis in the precious moments between Girl events, so she remains a multi-tasking machine. In short, they stand no chance in 2005. Back to you Al."
Thanks Dusty. Well, that's all the time we have folks. We'll send it out to the field for the start of the 2005 match right after this commercial message from the Curtin Christmas Letter - the only Christmas Letter with a fresh lemon scent.
Back here in march 2004, i'm here to tell you that I nearly breathed oxygen when I saw that adorable little Annie come through the front door. And it only took one look at the love the Parents had for beautiful Annie that I knew she was going to be another stellar player in the Girls' already All Star-laden lineup. The Parents are now forced to play a containment zone rather than the man-to-man defense that at least gave them a fighting chance against Emma and Julia. But talk about dominating from the get-go, Annie has taken Kat out from the opening tip with a dizzying array of cute moves, topped off by saying Ma-Ma as her first words; Kat never stood a chance. She is only a rookie, but she is playing like a seasoned veteran. She's listed at 32" tall, but she plays much smaller than that, which she uses to her advantage by disappearing under tables and crawling out of the room while the older Girls distract the Parents. In fact, recently, she crawled out of her highchair and jumped (well, fell) to the floor in a highlight film move. (Just a classic blunder by the Parents, which reminds me of something my mentor Jimmy "the Flying Guppy" Gupperman told me a long time ago: never play poker with a guy named after a city, never fight a land war in Asia, and never turn your back on a nine month old!)
With Annie handling Kat, this left Paul at the mercy of the older Girls' double team - just a laughable mismatch. Emma, now five and a half, plays the game like a girl twice her age. She is in Kindergarten now and loves it - and she induced the first medical timeout of this match when she told Paul that she liked to chase and kiss the boys on the playground after school. (Paul was taken off the field on a stretcher and had to be revived with smelling salts.) Emma is clearly the brains of the team, constantly asking questions as she learns to spell and read, constantly talking from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to sleep, playing soccer and basketball and doing gymnastics and swimming lessons - just a textbook example of how to wear our her Parents. She even learned to ride a two-wheel bike this year to make herself that much harder to catch!
Little Julia (now three and a half), on the other hand, is a much more deliberate player. She lulls the Parents into a false sense of security because she is content to play with her dollies or read a book quietly to herself, or color at the table, but as soon as they look away, BAM!!, she is heading for the good furniture with a fist full of melting chocolate chip cookies. Julia is all girl, as she insists on wearing dresses and skirts, and thinks pants are the spawn of satan. She attends nursery school where she loves to play dress up and she also takes ballet with her friends Charlotte and Bea. As the old saying goes, Julia dances as if nobody is watching, and in a world full of followers, she is remarkably self-assured and content to do things her own way.
Let's throw it down to my colleague on the floor, Dust Bunny, for a live update from the Parents' locker room. Dusty? "Thanks Al. I'm standing just outside the Parents locker room and, as you can imagine, its pretty quiet in there. Paul is hooked up to an IV of Guinness and is pleading with Kat to keep the pressure on the Girls in 2005. The girls just ran over him in 2004 and they are poised to do the same next year. He is ever the optimist, but the Parents will start 2005 at a distinct disadvantage since Paul will be serving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for suggesting that they medicate the Girls, while Kat is serving a two-day suspension for going into the stands after a heckler who suggested that she have a fourth child. Meanwhile Kat will once again Chair an Art Show fundraiser in 2005, and plays a little tennis in the precious moments between Girl events, so she remains a multi-tasking machine. In short, they stand no chance in 2005. Back to you Al."
Thanks Dusty. Well, that's all the time we have folks. We'll send it out to the field for the start of the 2005 match right after this commercial message from the Curtin Christmas Letter - the only Christmas Letter with a fresh lemon scent.
Christmas Letter 2005
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody! We here at Curtin Christmas Letter, Inc. hope you had a safe, healthy and happy 2005. It has come to our attention that our 2004 Christmas Letter (authored by our own Al the Fish) was printed in too small a type for some of our loyal readers (my Dad thought it was an eye test) and a little too wordy for others (in fact, several of the more slow-witted recipients have just finished reading it as we speak - names withheld). OK, let it not be said that we here at the corporation aren't responsive to the needs of our customers which is why I've offered a money back guarantee every year I've written the Letter (Note: if you are not compleltely satisfied with the content of any Christmas Letter, send a self addressed stamped envelope to: Complaint Department, P.O. box Who Gives a Flying $&*#@, Mars City, Mars, 22222. Our crack staff in the complaint department will get your refund right out to you.) But, back to that whole "responsive to your needs cra...um, stuff"; since you all took the essayportion of the Christmas Letter last year, we herewith bring you the 2005 Christmas Letter Multiple Choice Quiz:
1. The Curtin Girls are: a) about as cute as three little girls can possibly be (I mean really, it's almost embarrassing at this point); b) eating us out of house and home; or C) for sale.
2. Emma, our 6 and a half year old, is: a) losing teeth so fast the tooth fairy had to take out a home equity loan; b) taking Irish Step Dancing lessons ["and a huge roar goes up from the crowd!!"]; c) acting in an after-school theatre group which did a stunning rendition of "The Three Little Pig Opera" to rave reviews this Fall (she played Sticks Pig); d) playing basketball, soccer and skiing; d) loving every single minute of first grade, including Spanish (Si, Spanish!); e) a sprite, fun-loving, gregarious kid who's growing up waaay to fast for Mom and dad; or f) all of the above.
3. Julia, our 4 and a half old is: a) taking ballet and music; b) in her last year of Nursery School; c) playing soccer and skiing; d) such a girly girl that she refuses to wear anything except for skirts or dresses and won't wear pants at gunpoint; e) insistent upon dragging three dolls (two outfits each), a stuffed dog, Dora the Explorer, a mermaid, a ballerina and a bag full of jewelry on any trip over five feet; f) a gentle, sensitive, loving little kid; g) all of the above.
4. Annie, our 22 month old, is: a) a terror; b) going to be our first emergency room visit, I can just feel it; c) CONSTANTLY moving; d) into EVERYTHING!!!!; e) a freaking handful; f) - j) did I mention she's a terror; k) a climber [I mena on everything - she has no fear, its incredible]; l) a boy in disguise; m) proof that God has a sense of humor; n) always, always happy; o) as cute as they come - have you seen her eyes??; p) smarter than any 22 month old you want to put her up against (trust me, she'll take on all comers).
5. My wife Kat is: a) still the most beautiful, kind, loving wife a guy could ask for and a perfect mother who holds our family together despite the chaos that is our life; b) a little stressed out from the constant activity and noise in her life; c) still (barely) putting up with her juvenile delinquent husband; or d) looking over my shoulder right now (let's go with answer a. and just move on).
6. I took a new job as Compliance Officer with a biotech company based in Norwalk, CT because: a) that 12-minute commute to Stamford, CT was wearing me out; b) my old boss found out I forged my Kindergarten transcript and I actually failed snack time; C) two words: free donuts [Mmmmm....donuts].
7. Al the Fish, author of last year's Christmas Letter, is: a) "sleeping with the humans" for defaulting on some gambling debts to Gill "One Fin" McGuire (he owed him a lot of clams. Clams!!! I swear, I just crack myself up!!); b) working on a screenplay based on last year's Christmas Letter (fingers crossed - Matt damon wants to play me and Brooke Shields is already cast as Kat. Emma and Julia are being played by the Olsen twins, and Danny Devito and Paris Hilton are fighting over Annie's part); c) studying for his MBA; d) staring at me as we speak wondering why I haven't fed him today.
8. With our free time this past year we: a) stayed home and spent no money - HA!, I knew I couldn't write that with a straight face! wooo that was a good one!; b) rented a ski house in Vermont with my sister and brother in law and their kids (awesome time, we're doing it again this year, the kids took to skiing like you wouldn't believe!); c) spent time in Newport, RI and Martha's Vineyard, MA; d) relaxed in Sea Island, GA at our friends the Nailor's house; e) what free time?? Seriously, we had free time? Where the hell was I??
9. You have received this Curtin Christmas Letter: a) in error; b) because I like to torture you once a year; c) as a condition of your probation; d) because you are among those we like, love, tolerate, and/or feel an obligation to communicate with at least once per year.
10. This quiz has ten questions even though I've pretty much said all I have to say: a) because I wanted to wish you a safe, healthy and happy 2006; or B) because I always finish what I sta
1. The Curtin Girls are: a) about as cute as three little girls can possibly be (I mean really, it's almost embarrassing at this point); b) eating us out of house and home; or C) for sale.
2. Emma, our 6 and a half year old, is: a) losing teeth so fast the tooth fairy had to take out a home equity loan; b) taking Irish Step Dancing lessons ["and a huge roar goes up from the crowd!!"]; c) acting in an after-school theatre group which did a stunning rendition of "The Three Little Pig Opera" to rave reviews this Fall (she played Sticks Pig); d) playing basketball, soccer and skiing; d) loving every single minute of first grade, including Spanish (Si, Spanish!); e) a sprite, fun-loving, gregarious kid who's growing up waaay to fast for Mom and dad; or f) all of the above.
3. Julia, our 4 and a half old is: a) taking ballet and music; b) in her last year of Nursery School; c) playing soccer and skiing; d) such a girly girl that she refuses to wear anything except for skirts or dresses and won't wear pants at gunpoint; e) insistent upon dragging three dolls (two outfits each), a stuffed dog, Dora the Explorer, a mermaid, a ballerina and a bag full of jewelry on any trip over five feet; f) a gentle, sensitive, loving little kid; g) all of the above.
4. Annie, our 22 month old, is: a) a terror; b) going to be our first emergency room visit, I can just feel it; c) CONSTANTLY moving; d) into EVERYTHING!!!!; e) a freaking handful; f) - j) did I mention she's a terror; k) a climber [I mena on everything - she has no fear, its incredible]; l) a boy in disguise; m) proof that God has a sense of humor; n) always, always happy; o) as cute as they come - have you seen her eyes??; p) smarter than any 22 month old you want to put her up against (trust me, she'll take on all comers).
5. My wife Kat is: a) still the most beautiful, kind, loving wife a guy could ask for and a perfect mother who holds our family together despite the chaos that is our life; b) a little stressed out from the constant activity and noise in her life; c) still (barely) putting up with her juvenile delinquent husband; or d) looking over my shoulder right now (let's go with answer a. and just move on).
6. I took a new job as Compliance Officer with a biotech company based in Norwalk, CT because: a) that 12-minute commute to Stamford, CT was wearing me out; b) my old boss found out I forged my Kindergarten transcript and I actually failed snack time; C) two words: free donuts [Mmmmm....donuts].
7. Al the Fish, author of last year's Christmas Letter, is: a) "sleeping with the humans" for defaulting on some gambling debts to Gill "One Fin" McGuire (he owed him a lot of clams. Clams!!! I swear, I just crack myself up!!); b) working on a screenplay based on last year's Christmas Letter (fingers crossed - Matt damon wants to play me and Brooke Shields is already cast as Kat. Emma and Julia are being played by the Olsen twins, and Danny Devito and Paris Hilton are fighting over Annie's part); c) studying for his MBA; d) staring at me as we speak wondering why I haven't fed him today.
8. With our free time this past year we: a) stayed home and spent no money - HA!, I knew I couldn't write that with a straight face! wooo that was a good one!; b) rented a ski house in Vermont with my sister and brother in law and their kids (awesome time, we're doing it again this year, the kids took to skiing like you wouldn't believe!); c) spent time in Newport, RI and Martha's Vineyard, MA; d) relaxed in Sea Island, GA at our friends the Nailor's house; e) what free time?? Seriously, we had free time? Where the hell was I??
9. You have received this Curtin Christmas Letter: a) in error; b) because I like to torture you once a year; c) as a condition of your probation; d) because you are among those we like, love, tolerate, and/or feel an obligation to communicate with at least once per year.
10. This quiz has ten questions even though I've pretty much said all I have to say: a) because I wanted to wish you a safe, healthy and happy 2006; or B) because I always finish what I sta
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Hi There!
Well, God only knows why I've started a blog, but, yes, here it is ("esta aqui" for my Spanish-speaking bretheren). I guess I've always been a frustrated writer at heart, and that got me no where, so I started a blog. Now, I'm a frustrated blogger - sounds so much more hip don't you think? I feel so with it, so happening, so...Aughts - that's "Aughts", as in Aught-6. Which reminds me, how lame is that as an expression of time? In my lifetime, we have had the '60s which everyone can identify with JFK (the President, not the airport for you young viewers out there) The Beatles, The Age of Aquarius, free love, the San Francisco counter culture, The Grateful Dead - whoo Jerry, Dark Star. Then we had the '70s - disco, Members Only jackets, bell bottoms, porn mustaches, really bad haircuts, Vietnam protests, Star Wars, Rocky. Then the '80s - 1980 Olympic Hockey Team - USA - USA, USA, jackets rolled up to the elbows, lame techno music sung by guys who looked like girls (on purpose), that pain in the butt female singer with big time daddy issues who sang Like a Virgin, but who will remain nameless here, the end of the Cold War. Then the '90s, grunge rock (with the accompanying revenge of flannel), O.J. trial and other stuff (full disclosure, my last two years of college, my three years of law school and a summer in San Francisco happened in the early '90s, so its hazy at best. So, I'm sure alot happened in the first part of the decade that I just can't recall off-hand. But I did get married to my beautiful wife in '96 and we had our first daughter in '99, so I did make a strong comeback toward the end of the decade). So, my (longwinded) point is that you can say the word (phrase?) '80s and people will immediately conjure up appropriate images from the time. Same with '60s and '70s and '90s. But years from now, what will we call this decade? (and the next one, for that matter. Quite frankly, I think we're screwed on a catchy decade name until 2020). So, I went with Aughts above because it sounded better than the Os or the Zeros. But now I've completely lost track of where I was going to begin with. Man, blogging is fun!
Oh yeah, I remember, I was introducing this blogspot (another word I can't stand, but I've restricted myself to one tanget per post, so I will resist the almost overwhelming urge to comment). I'm not sure how often I'll post, but it'll probably be at least 2-3 times per week (hopefully), unless I have nothing to say - then I'll post more frequently! So if you want, check back often. And, if you don't - well, you won't hurt my feelings. I'm doing this mostly for myself anyway. And my wife 9who has always encouraged me to write). And my brother Dan (because we have the same sense of humor). And the rest of my siblings Meg, Dave and Neil (because I didn't want to mention one sibling in my first blog and not mention the others - I have to have family gatherings with these people for decades, you think I need that kind of heat?) And Ashley Ford (because out of everyone who's ever read my Christmas letter, she likes my Christams Letters the most). And for Jim Ford (because he took me to Pine Valley this year. And because he's a great friend. And because he's Ashley's husband and it would be a bit unseemly to list his wife and not include him). And for my Mom and Dad (because they've always supported me and because this is starting to resemble an award acceptance speech and you should always thank your wife and your parents in an award acceptance speech). And all of my friends and relatives and supporters (because every good list includes a vague catch-all group that you can point to when anyone asks "how come you didn't mention me?" Well, I did). So, you won't hurt my feelings if you never return to this blogspot (there's that word again...have...to...resist..commenting...not...easy!!!). But if you do return, I hope you enjoy reading it, and if I can ever figure out how to actually operate the site, I will throw a section up for your comments, but please keep them clean, this is a PG site (but not a PC one). I'm not really sure where its going to go, but I don't anticipate discussing any of the dinner party no no topics (politics, religion, someone else's significant other) and I don't intend to write about any other super serious topic because...well because I'm not very super serious, so I don't really think along those lines. This site (Ha! take THAT "blogspot"!!!) has no spell check feature so please forgive any typos (and there will be many). So, that about it for now - until next time, don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you!!
Oh yeah, I remember, I was introducing this blogspot (another word I can't stand, but I've restricted myself to one tanget per post, so I will resist the almost overwhelming urge to comment). I'm not sure how often I'll post, but it'll probably be at least 2-3 times per week (hopefully), unless I have nothing to say - then I'll post more frequently! So if you want, check back often. And, if you don't - well, you won't hurt my feelings. I'm doing this mostly for myself anyway. And my wife 9who has always encouraged me to write). And my brother Dan (because we have the same sense of humor). And the rest of my siblings Meg, Dave and Neil (because I didn't want to mention one sibling in my first blog and not mention the others - I have to have family gatherings with these people for decades, you think I need that kind of heat?) And Ashley Ford (because out of everyone who's ever read my Christmas letter, she likes my Christams Letters the most). And for Jim Ford (because he took me to Pine Valley this year. And because he's a great friend. And because he's Ashley's husband and it would be a bit unseemly to list his wife and not include him). And for my Mom and Dad (because they've always supported me and because this is starting to resemble an award acceptance speech and you should always thank your wife and your parents in an award acceptance speech). And all of my friends and relatives and supporters (because every good list includes a vague catch-all group that you can point to when anyone asks "how come you didn't mention me?" Well, I did). So, you won't hurt my feelings if you never return to this blogspot (there's that word again...have...to...resist..commenting...not...easy!!!). But if you do return, I hope you enjoy reading it, and if I can ever figure out how to actually operate the site, I will throw a section up for your comments, but please keep them clean, this is a PG site (but not a PC one). I'm not really sure where its going to go, but I don't anticipate discussing any of the dinner party no no topics (politics, religion, someone else's significant other) and I don't intend to write about any other super serious topic because...well because I'm not very super serious, so I don't really think along those lines. This site (Ha! take THAT "blogspot"!!!) has no spell check feature so please forgive any typos (and there will be many). So, that about it for now - until next time, don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you!!
He hit the (Initial) post!
Star Date: December 6, 2006. Testing, testing 1,2,3,4. Check 1-2, check 1-2. Can you hear me out there? What? More bass? (Me, in a deeper voice - think Barry White with a head cold) Check 1-2, check 1-2. Good? O.K. here I am. Hello. How have you been? Oh, I can't complain, thanks for asking. You know me, better than most, worse than some. I've missed you. Yes, you. That time that we did that thing - that was awesome! You've always been special to me, don't ever forget that. What? Well, sure, but you're going to get arrested when you try to pull something like that. Me? Well, just because I'm a faster runner than you, that's no reason to get all huffy! No, I did not trip you!! What kind of question is THAT? Sure, our feet may have become temporarily tangled, but that's to be expected in a moment of panic. Besides, you gave the cops my name, which I don't appreciate one little bit. Well, at the time, my stage name was Buck Toughguy, so technically, that was not a lie. Hey, if the situation was reversed, I would have done my time quietly, no complaints, no questions asked. But that's me; that's how I roll. And when you think about it, it was only five years - I mean what's five years in the big scheme of things? Which reminds me, where did you hide the... whoops, I think someone else is reading along...we'll talk later.
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