Christmas greetings for 1998,
Another year has flown by and once more I'm attempting to highlight a year's worth of events in our annual letter. We hope that you had a good year in 1998, and we look forward to hearing from you. We are all in good health and, it seems, busier than ever.
Two recent changes have affected our lives most noticeably: David going off to college at the end of August and Sonia returning to school full time this fall. More on each as this letter unfolds (catchy phase, huh!).
Catherine moved from intermediate to middle school, making the transition fairly smoothly. Other major events for Catherine this year included making her Confirmation, getting her braces off, being on the swim team, and participating in the summer theater program (Hunchback of Notre Dame) where she played & danced as one of the skeletons, getting out more on her own (overnights at various birthday parties, and at the beach with friends). Although Catherine won't admit it, she does miss David, because now she has no one to fight with or pick on (except for Mom & Dad). Catherine is also getting more into grooming behavior (one of those 'female' things), though she has not yet shown much interest in boys.
Matthew finished up his sophomore year and joined the engineering co-op program. The program alternates semesters of study with semesters interning with a real company, working full time. Matthew spent the early part of the summer working on the sound system in his car, (which he documents via his Web pages), and 'temping' at a local university putting 'Y2K' (Year 2000) stickers on equipment. Then in July, it was back to Cornell for two very intense summer courses, including engineering a remote controlled vehicle which had to run a pre-defined obstacle course. At the end of August, Matthew began working full time at Sandia National Research Labs in Livermore, California. His work entails running computer simulations to develop a model for lightweight car parts. Sonia accompanied him there in late August to help him get settled and do a little sightseeing (Yosemite +).
David completed his senior year of high school, ranking 4th in his class of 430. His spring activities included a trip to D. C. with the National Honor Society, senior awards, graduation, and enjoying his car. On the employment scene, David had some real work experience as a telemarketer (2 weeks), drafting/design of aircraft parts (4 weeks), and a summer as a maintenance engineer for a local suites hotel. In addition to working during the summer, David spent time hanging out with friends and going to lots of local music shows.
Last January, Sonia finished up the paper work (60+ page report) she needed for a graduate course she was taking on teaching methods. She also finished out the spring term at Lenape as a long-term sub for a teacher out on family leave. Despite much looking during the spring and summer, there were unfortunately no permanent jobs available. After weighing the options, the best choice was going back to school to acquire the necessary credits to get another certification - in earth science. So this fall Sonia is driving to Rutgers in New Brunswick for two classes plus taking two additional telecourses through the local community college. Needless to say, Sonia has been very busy with class assignments, driving, plus taking care of the housework. As a side benefit, Sonia has learned how to use E-mail and the Internet a lot more to help with her schoolwork.
1998 was also a good year to catch up with friends. Sonia visited with several Peace Corps friends while in California and we had visits from several friends including some from as far away as South Africa. We helped the Lamberti family celebrate their "40 years in America" with a party in White Plains, plus assorted other family functions. We hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house for the local clan, and then visited with family the Saturday after Thanksgiving in New York.
When someone asks what I did for my summer vacation, I tell them with a smile that I traveled 'extensively': mid May, pick up Matthew's belongings from Cornell; July 4th, return Matthew's belongings to Cornell for summer session; July 7th - drive to Virginia Tech (380 miles) for freshman orientation; mid August retrieve Matthew's belongings from Cornell; five days later, pack Sonia and Matthew off to California; switch cars later in the morning and drive David and his belongings down to Virginia Tech. And I thought once they had cars they'd be more independent! Aside from my chauffeuring duties, I also traveled in relation to my work with XPLOR (an electronic document group I belong to). This included California, Vancouver, B.C., and Nashville.
Work at ETS seems to have gone down hill this year. Aside from more work than I have time for, there was another round of 'downsizing' this fall, coupled with some hefty budget cuts.
We continue to evolve in the electronic age of E-mail and Web sites.... note some address changes since last year.
Michael: -- E-mail: mbotos@botos.com
Web: http://www.botos.com/
Sonia: -- E-mail: sonia@botos.com
Matthew -- E-mail: mlb27@cornell.edu
Web: [no longer exists]
David: -- E-mail: dbotos@vt.edu
Web: [no longer exists]
Catherine: -- E-mail: cbotos@usa.net
Web: http://www.botos.com/catherine/index.html
And, new this year, the family photo album: http://www.botos.com/album/