On the following pages is this year’s annual letter (aka the “Christmas” letter, although it rarely gets done, much less distributed, by Christmas anymore).  It was pretty long (I do enjoy writing once I get going), and so I’ve split it up over several pages.  I’ve included the footnotes–they’re at the bottom of each page.

I read a very nice book this year by Sarah Vowell called Assassination Vacation.  For some odd reason, Sarah is obsessed with assassinated American presidents, and spends her free time researching their lives (and assassinations) and visiting places associated with them.  She notes, in passing, that, when asked to complete the following  (and I can’t recall the exact phrasing) “the one thing I really like doing more than anything else is............” she would answer “research.” 

And I would have to agree with her.  I love digging into a topic, and learning all about it.  I love poring through books, surfing the web, tracking down minute points that have come up in my reading.  That’s why the letter takes so long.  I get distracted by some point, and feel the need to track it down and get it right.   That’s why there are so many footnotes–there’s too much interesting stuff out there that I just feel I need to share.

Anyway, read, enjoy, whatever.  I’ve added photos and, with any luck, they won’t keep disappearing like those in last year’s letter. (Although that, I must add in my own defense, is not a reflection of my web skillz, but of upgrading my software and the ensuing changes.  That page will simply have to be rebuilt from the ground up.)  If you would like to download a text only version (.pdf), you can do so on this page.