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December 30, 2004
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Cronies Review No. 3
Seasons Greetings!!!
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Dear Jeffrey,
Seasons Greetings and welcome to my annual photo
round-up of the year that was. May you and your
family revel in the spirit of Christmas (slightly
belated), Hanukkah (belated), Diwali (very belated),
Kwanzaa, Bodhi, Maghi, or the Winter Solstice (Did I
miss anyone?), and may the New Year bring us a
renewed acceptance of our differences. Such
acceptance is surely a prerequisite of PEACE ON
EARTH!
Instead of going home as I almost always do, this
year I chose to experience a quintessential
New York Christmas, complete with
snowfall, hot chocolate, and ice-skating in the park,
plus a Broadway show for good measure. To find out
how it went, scroll down to the very bottom of this
email/newsletter (December)....
Before I get to the photo review, a quick
note on the tsunami disaster in Asia. In this
season of giving, is feels somewhat surreal to lavish
our
family and friends with gifts, while half a world away
a natural disaster of unnatural proportion has caused
such death and suffering. While our prayers are with
the victims, prayers alone will not build shelters,
transport medical supplies or provide clean water and
food. President Kennedy rightly observed the duty of
humankind to act for good: Here on
Earth, God's work must truly be our own.
We must put our money where our prayers are. I
have matched my Christmas gift spending with a
donation divided among the following:
Won't you consider a similar gesture? These
websites offer useful advice on making relief
donations:
CNN.com | Interaction.com | FEMA.gov
Happy Holidays Everyone! Jeff
P.S. If you missed Issues 1 and 2, they
are available in the
Archive.
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January 2004 |
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West Coast Holiday Visit
2003 ended and 2004 began with a holiday visit to
my family and friends on the West Coast -- pretty
much the ENTIRE West Coast. I flew from Christmassy New York
to sunny San Diego to visit the kids and new twins, then I visited
family and friends as I worked my
way up through Orange County,
the Bay Area (Cronies), Redding (Gill), southern Oregon
(the Newcombs), central
Oregon (Heidi), and finally
to Portland (more Cronies).
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February 2004 |
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Pirates of the Caribbean
As the East Coast entered a deep freeze, I talked my
great friend and travel buddy, Mike, into joining the Manhattan Yacht Club and my crew
of scoundrels on a pillaging
and plundering adventure in the British Virgin Islands,
including: Tortola, Jost van Dyke, Anegada, Prickly Pear Island, Virgin Gorda (my favorite),
the legendary caves of Norman Island
and Cooper Island. I then stayed on in the US Virgin
Islands to visit old friends: Judge Moore, Lisa, Senator Malone, Larry & Betty, and others.
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March and Early April 2004 |
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Hanging out with NY Friends
In March, I hung out one weekend (3/17) with pals
Dave and Ben at Ben's
cabin in the Poconos. And in early April (4/3), my
friend Katie, who took a leave
from law to become a pastry
chef, threw a dinner (and dessert) party (photo
above left).
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April 2004 |
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Visit West and to the Wurtsboro Farm
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May 2004 |
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Memorial Day Weekend
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June 2004 |
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Patrick and Shula Visit NY
In June (4-7), Patrick and Shula visited
New York for
four days. Highlights included lots of fine eating,
visiting the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, doing
a 6-hour hike and rock scramble in the Catskills
(photo right with friend John) up to the Mohonk Mountain House,
hanging out in New Paltz and dining
at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.
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July 2004 |
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Fire Island, the Hamptons, etc.
In July, I was privileged to do two New York firsts,
back to back. For the July 4th weekend, I finally got
to visit Fire Island, thanks to my
friend Kathy. And
the following weekend I took my first trip to the
Hamptons, thanks to Erica
and Russ. Other events of
note include a summer party on the set of Good Morning America
(7/15) and dinner out with my roommate Klaus and his family and
friends.
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August 2004 |
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Sailing, Home and Birthday
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Early September 2004 |
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Smooth Sailing
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Late September to Early October 2004 |
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Politics and Visitors
In late September and early October, the political
season began full force. I attended the Barak Obama fundraiser
and organized four debate-watching parties.
I received a visit from by friend Ado, and we hit the oysters and the Met hard! My Dad (photo
right) also dropped in for a visit, and we did a
day-long whirlwind bike ride with his friend
Pete around the entire city (including through Central Park,
Times Square, Brooklyn and the Battery). He also showed
me the small town in New Jersey
where he grew up. Also, my friend Tasha celebrated the
grand opening of her bar/restaurant in the Lower East
Side called Little Giant.
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Late October to Early November 2004 |
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Red Leaves and States
In mid-October, I went to DC to meet up with fellow
Johns Hopkins alums/friends -- we all
studied together at SAIS
in Bologna, Italy. From the end of October through
Election Day, I served as a volunteer voter protection
attorney in Oregon: I
shook babies' hands,
visited my West Coast Cronies, celebrated
Patrick's birthday,
and went trick-or-treating with the Heubels and the Carrolls. Most
amazing were the fall colors in Eugene,
Oregon (photo left). In early November, I was back
in NY to watch my friend Jen run the NYC marathon.
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End of November 2004 |
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Thanksgiving
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December 2004 through the New Year |
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The Holidays!
New York City is especially inspiring in December.
My roommate Klaus started his beauty products
business -- Beleza (
www.8777beleza.com). My friend Fred started
his dry
cleaning business -- The Laundry
Spa. And Naomi finally premiered her short film --
The Promise.
I sought out traditional New York City destinations:
Rockefeller Center, Central Park, the Met, the new MoMa, and the perfect
cup of hot chocolate.
On Christmas Day, I was the sole guest at Heidi and Tivod's Central Park
wedding. Later that evening, I had a date
(in a manner of speaking) with Brooke Shields (photo
above). Friends
Tom, Berit and I enjoyed
Brooke's and her co-star Jennifer Hope Wills'
wonderfully funny performances in
Wonderful Town, one of the hidden gems of
Broadway, which sadly closes in January. They were
kind enough to hang out after the show for a few
minutes.
On the 26th, I continued my hunt for hot chocolate:
La Maison du Chocolat -- open but not serving their
hot chocolate. Serendipity -- a 2.5 hour wait. Ah,
fame! Peninsula Hotel rooftop bar -- closed. So I
gave up and headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral for
afternoon mass. Just then, it began to snow -- a
White Christmas -- well, a day late, but who's
counting? Later I met up with Naomi for ice-skating in the park and
a choral mass at
St. John the
Divine. Finally, Naomi, Maria, Berit and I found
European-style unsweetened hot cocoa in Harlem, of
all places. Success! New York is best when it
reveals its unexpected gems.
May your New Year be filled with unexpected gems!!!
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Happy New Year!!! |
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Contact Information
phone:
510.828.0071
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