First off, my apologies for the lack of a Christmas webpage last year.  Events just got the better or me.  So I'll cover the major events of the past two years in this letter, as best I can.

You may recall from my last Christmas letter that I spent the last half of 2001 unemployed. I applied for a tenure-track teaching position at Sonoma State University (SSU)  in the Computer Science Department.  While I was passed over for that position, they did hire me as a Lecturer to teach two undergraduate courses during the spring of 2002.  I managed to parlay that into a full-time gig by this past spring.  But alas the California State budget crisis and a reduced enrollment of Computer Science majors eliminated that appointment.  I did teach one graduate class this fall in the Computer and Engineering Science program, where I have an adjunct associate professor appointment, and I hope to supervise a master's thesis or two this spring, but I have no teaching assignments upcoming at SSU.

I haven't completely given up on a computer science career, but I'm actively exploring other options. I now have a California realty sales license, as well as registration and licensing to prepare USA federal and California state income-tax returns.  I'm planning to spend the first quarter of 2004 working as a tax associate at H&R Block's office in Windsor.  I'll be soliciting your patronage in the New Year, so keep an eye out for another message from me.  What's in store for me job-wise after April I don't know.  I have one active academic application in the works and I'll continue to apply for industrial computing jobs, but most likely I'll either continue the tax preparation as a career or transition into realty full-time.  I'll keep you posted!

On the home front, Sanford and I sold our flat in San Francisco, rented an apartment for a year also in The City, and then purchased a small home in Oakland just over a year ago.  Mostly Sanford lives there since I've spent most of the past two years living at our "river home" above the Russian River.  Sanford really has enjoyed nesting in his new house, turning one of the bedrooms into a sewing studio, painting, and decorating.  We now have two female cats at the Oakland house: Goldie and Peanut, and I relocated the two male cats with me to Monte Rio: Rocky and Scooter.  The pairs of cats have yet to meet each other, however.  I sang under Sanford's baton with the Baroque Choral Guild this past fall in performances of Bach's B Minor Mass.  What a marvelous experience.  Sanford really was in his element, too.

Dave and I are making annual trips to Hawaii, where he gets to practice his aquatic instincts to their fullest.  My family purchased a vacation time-share on Kauai last year, so we've taking full advantage of it.  We call our unit Hale Muti, in honor of my deceased mother.  Alas, Dave lost all three of his pets this past year, due to accident, old age, and illness.  He too is still getting his career back on track following the High Tech bubble burst of three years ago.  At the moment he's living in San Francisco (where work is more plentiful than West Sonoma County), but he may be returning in the New Year to Occidental for a new part-time job.

My biological family continues to have its ups and down, job-wise and health-wise.  My father and step mother remain healthy and active, nonetheless.  My siblings and I hosted a family reunion last July near my father's home in Saratoga  It was our first reunion in over 20 years and various relatives who had never met each other where in attendance, including my nephew Jaymes--the "lost Johnson".  Jaymes is my deceased brother Jeff's youngest son from an estranged relationship.  None of us had seen Jaymes since he was less than two years old.  He's now in his mid-20s and just recently sought to make contact with the Johnson half of his heritage.  Like his father and most of his uncles, half-siblings, and cousins, Jaymes went into the building trades--evidence that professions are at least partially genetic!

I celebrated my 50th birthday two years ago by throwing a combination square-dancing and two stepping party at Sundance Saloon as a benefit for the the Bay Area chapter of the Golden State Gay Rodeo Association. I also had an image of the California State flag tattooed on my left calf to remind me that if I ever think again of living outside the Golden State, I need to leave one leg behind [:-)].  I sometimes refer to the tattoo as my "return to sender" label as well.  Dance trips were less plentiful than in the past (due to finances and teaching obligations), but nonetheless I made trips to New York City, Toronto, and various places within California to dance.

I had a little "cancer scare" this past summer.  My sister Patti, the RN, noted a "suspicious mole" on my back during the Johnson Family Reunion and my dermatologist later confirmed it was malignant.  So I had it removed, along with a nodal biopsy to see if the cancer was spreading.  Fortunately, it has not and I'm in complete remission.  But of course I'm now uninsurable (sigh) and will need to have semi-annual checkups for the rest of my life, since there is a remote, but statistically significant, possibility of recurrence at any time.  Other than that, I've done quite well, health-wise.  The career uncertainty has waned as a source of stress, for example.

I was elected to my fifth (and final!) stint on ACM Council as one of the representatives from the SIG Governing Board.  In this capacity I made business trips to New York City, Chicago, and elsewhere and this spring I'll be making my first international ACM trip, to Prague for an ACM Council meeting.
Please stay in touch.

Wishing you and yours the best in 2004!