This is a compilation of some of the high spots of 1999, the penultimate* pre-Millennial year. Some of the links below (which are not in the printed version) are to pictures; use your browser's "Back" button, or the keyboard shortcut ‹Alt›-‹Left Arrow› to get back to this page after viewing them.
Stan and Kiyomi went to Japan to coordinate the Yabe Village (Kyushu, Japan) - Sand Lake (Alaska) Global Internet Project. This is a Global Internet Learning Project that Teachers International Exchange is sponsoring. After meeting the Yabe Village team, being treated to a marvelous perfomance by the Iboshi Taiko group, coordinating activities and being hosted in royal fashion, we took a tour of some Japanese Ryokans in Kyushu (the southern Island, where even in February it was not too cold), the real Japanese inns that cater to Japanese guests, specialize in delicious meals served in your room, and luxurious hot spring baths. We visited among others, Yaino, Unzen, Kitago, Beppu and Hiroshima (where we had a magnificant dinner at this beautiful restaurant). It was a truly unique experience for a Westerner, but Kiyomi was right at home. After that, we went to Kobe to visit Kiyomi’s parents, brother and his family. It was good to see the relatives again, and surprising for Stan to see how the niece and nephew have grown up.
Alan got his Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do after a brutal test. First he had to get up at 5 a.m. and go out in the rain to do the physical conditioning testing for three or four hours. Then after a quick shower and change to his gi, he rushed back to the studio to do the forms and actual moves (including breaking a board with a jump-kick), interspersed with vigorous calisthenics (to keep him warm, I suppose). He was certainly glad when the ordeal was over, and he was awarded the Black Belt.
Kiyomi’s annual Teachers International Exchange-sponsored Conference on Educational Technology (CET) was held at Stanford University. It was well attended and got teachers from Japan and the U.S. together to share their experiences. CET 2000 will be in Japan. CET is one of Kiyomi’s favorite activities, as it gives her a sense of accomplishment to get teachers together to interact and learn from each other. It is her payback to the educational community.
The Hutchings family joined Lee Atkinson and his other siblings, family and extended family for a 50th birthday party in San Diego. Lee hosted the party at a French restaurant in Old Town. He and Debbie arranged the menu with the chef, and did an outstanding job. We all had a great time. Now we’re looking forward to the "baby" of the family, Pat, to have her 50th in 2001!
Arrivederci Roma! Stan and Kiyomi celebrated our 25th anniversary with a Trafalgar escorted "The Best of Italy and Sicily" Bus Tour. Our tour guide was witty and urbane, and exemplified the Italian lifestyle – laid-back and easy going. Needless to say, we ate a lot of pasta, saw most of the famous sights, and were very impressed with the history and landscape of Italy. Of course we had a romantic gondola ride. We particularly liked Sicily for ancient ruins, and the Isle of Capri for the beautiful environment.
Stan’s grandmother Nancy Atkinson, who is now a Great-Great-Grandmother, celebrated her 100th birthday with a celebration that united family and friends from both sides of America. We are all inspired by her accomplishment, and Stan for one intends to follow her example and live to be 100. Our children were quite impressed; they don’t know any other centenarians.
Stan flew down to San Diego several times to visit his parents. Southwest Airlines offered prices he couldn’t refuse, and the visits at non-holiday times allowed him to have a nice time socializing and advising on computer-related matters, eating cherry pie and other favorites, and bringing back macadamia nuts and oranges. His parents learned everything they wanted to know about computers but were afraid to ask – and probably a lot more than they actually wanted to know.
Aya started the second segment of her college education in September. After graduating with honors from Foothill College and being inducted into Phi Theta Kappa (the Junior College equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa) in June, Aya started as a Business major at Santa Clara University in September. Her Winter courses will include Statistics and Data Analysis, Firms and Industries, Ethics and Finance, Business and Public Policy, Golf (all Business Majors should know how to play golf!) and Cardio Kickboxing (the competition can get fierce!).
Aya had experience inventing, developing and working for a start-up company. Over coffee one day early this year, she and a fellow student at Foothill started talking about what was wrong with some internet sites. They decided they could do it better, so they started Anyzone.com. The company is still struggling (check the link to see how they are doing), and Aya has gone on to other things, but the experience was invaluable. Unfortunately, all she got was experience – no pay, no stock options, no "perks".
Kiyomi went on an extended business trip to Japan at the beginning of November and returned to the US in December. She attended several conferences as a presenter and conference session organizer. She renewed her business relationships with several clients, visited friends and relatives, and got requests for enough new business to keep her very busy for the coming year.
In mid-December Alan has tentative plans to move to Lake Tahoe to be a snowboard instructor. He and a friend would share an apartment, and work for the winter and spring there. In preparation, he bought a four-wheel drive Chevy to carry is stuff, and transport him during the winter weather. He has the job, but the pay is not very good and the hours are uncertain. He is doing some soul-searching trying to find out who he is and what is his place in life. As much as we would like to help him, it is his own journey of self-discovery, and we cannot do it for him – stay tuned to the website for further developments.
*Penultimate - last but one, one before the last. The real pre-Millennial year is 2000; the next millennium starts 1 Jan 2001. I had to get that in; it’s a standing joke in the family: all the talk about the next Millennium starting 1 Jan 2000 gets a comment from Stan that the Millennium doesn’t start until 1 Jan 2001 (because they started numbering from one instead of zero).
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