January 25, 2002

On December 30, Mom, Val, Katelyn and I went to see Fiddler on the Roof starring Theodore Bikel and the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco. It was Katelyn's first theater performance. She was very squirmy and had a hard time keeping quiet, but it made a lasting impression on her. We got the CD, and she insists on playing it over and over, often singing songs from it. There's nothing quite like hearing a 5-year-old belt out "If I Were A Rich Man"!

That day was a busy one. After the show we went to dinner at Kincaid's for Christopher's 21st birthday. We couldn't stay long because then it was on to Terry Shade's for her birthday dessert. By the time we got home the kids were exhausted!

New Year's Eve was quiet. We had a short visit from Elaine Herring, an old friend of Kathie's who was in town for the holidays. Then Glynis, Susan, Jennifer, and Selena joined me and Val and Mom and the kids for an evening of games and hors d'ouvres at home.

New Year's Day was also quiet, although we had a great time when Judy and Donna visited for lunch and the afternoon.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that my plumbing woes with my bathroom shower finally ended on December 21. It's a very long story, and *almost* done (still need to pain the walls where they had to tear out drywall to fix a leak). Let me know if you're dying to hear all about it.

I must have bad plumbing karma, though, because I had to replace the kitchen faucet this month. Sigh.

I had dinner and a "girls' night out with my friend Francesca on the 10th. We've known each other since before we each had two kids, when we worked together at Xerox about 10 years ago. She's now also at Oracle, so we continue to have a lot in common.

I'm continuing to do speaking in local schools on lesbian/gay issues. I was part of a group called the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Awareness Program (LGBAP), but that group recently folded. Now I'm speaking through Parents and Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). It's not quite as organized, but we're speaking at some of the same schools so it doesn't feel as different. I spoke twice this month at Woodside High School, once with a parent (which we never had in LGBAP so it was a different experience for me) and once with my friend Marty who I've known since about 1988 back when I used to run the Palo Alto Lesbian Rap Group. 

I had lunch with my friend Pam on the 14th. She is actually the wife of someone Kathie works with, but I've gotten to know her well and she  was a great supporter during our breakup and my move. Friends like that are hard to come by.

It's now been just over a month since my LASIK surgery, and I'm quite pleased with the result. Except for the times, usually later in the evening, when my eyes get tired, I'm seeing quite well without glasses. I'm even doing OK driving at night, which is more than I expected. I still need to use lubricating eye drops frequently, but less and less and time passes. 

On the 18th we all went up to my sister Susan's for an eventful weekend. On Saturday January 19th, her son Lee celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. It was really exciting, and demonstrated dedication and commitment that's hard to find in a lot of 13-year-olds these days. We're all very proud of him. Aunt Joan and cousins Elaine and Lori came out from New York to share the celebration and were a part of the ceremony. Grandpa Ed and Grandma Reggie also came up from Palm Springs and participated in the ceremony too. I have a few pictures, but hopefully will post more once I get some copies of the ones taken by the photographer.