12/19/96

Greetings All,

What a busy year we've had. Our twin sons, Pete and Repete, just graduated from M.I.T., Magna Cum Laude of course, Pam added a 35,000 sq. ft. manufacturing wing to the grotto in the basement that I dug the year before, and I just completed my second orbital space station. I would have done more, but our two year old son Will needed so much help with his calculus and differential equations this semester that I couldn't take the time to finish my (no longer secret) mission to Mars. On top of all this, our "family quality time" project of cataloging, transcribing, and cross referencing all the daytime soap operas for Amnesty International's Soaps For Folks project has left us with little time to do such things as this Christmas letter.

Recently though I've had quite a bit of free time. My former employer, Objective: Inc., has been attempting to go out of business. They haven't had any income since March and have recently shed their outer layers, resulting in the sort of white dwarf stage that they are in now. A couple weeks after I was shed, I had two job offers, and took one of them. The company is X Inside in Denver. It is a small company, informal atmosphere, and a great bunch of people. I'm also interested in what they are doing -- a nice benefit. I will start on January 6th, so I have between now and then to relax and enjoy a little family time (cataloging, transcribing, etc.)

Most of my free time activities are taken up with various aspects of tesla coiling. I recently completed my "super power" setup. It has a 10KVA power pole transformer as the source of the high voltage. The power cabinet with the controls is designed to handle 50 amps at 220 volts continuous duty. I have measured sparks of 50 inches! (Really)

Our son Will took some time away from his math studies to start walking at the end of February. This added a whole new dimension to parenting -- time travel. Within days, Will could travel at warp 12, which posed a problem for us as well as the Borg. His favorite activities include puddle-splashing, mud-squishing, atom-smashing, quadriceps muscle development and the repair of heavy machinery. He wants a Caterpillar D-10G bulldozer for Christmas. Regardless, we're giving him one of the space stations and some blocks.

Pam grew things this year. We're not sure if it was the fertilizer she used or if it was the soil she dug out of the grotto, but she managed to coax over 50 pounds of tomatoes and 4 Cocker Spaniels out of only 3 plants! Next year she's determined to try for something more exotic - maybe some unusual melons and a couple of extinct species.

Pam is still working half time for the City of Boulder. She's attempting to change the attitudes of over 100,000 people, as well as building a human-powered launch vehicle for our space station. She is working to encourage the general populace to get out of their cars, and into some other form of transportation that has a smaller impact on the environment. Her main job is to help those who are actually out of their cars avoid getting killed by those who are still in them.

We've enjoyed watching Will discover the wonder of this Holiday season. He talks to the ornaments on the Christmas tree every day and greets the lights outside every night. We hope your season is filled with as much wonder and joy.

Well, that's about it. Days Of Our Lives is almost on, and it's time for cataloging and transcribing.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Chip, Pam, & Will