It’s been quite some time since the last update. Quite a bit has changed, not all of it good. In the fall, we spent Labor Day weekend at Paul’s dad and stepmom in NH. We had very nice weekend, including spending a few hours at the Friendly Farm, where Paul and his brother used to go once in a while when growing up. (Photos are at in the New Hampshire – Labor Day 2008 album.) Suzanne had a business trip to Atlanta in September, so she took Kyle with her and visited with her parents. We also took a couple of trips to the Bronx Zoo, one for their Halloween events, and spent a day apple picking. Here are some photos from Kyle from the end of Aug and from Sep & Oct.
Unfortunately, in the middle of October, I got a call informing me that my company was laying a few people off due to the financial situation. (Keep in mind that this company is only around a hundred people, so letting 6-7 go is actually a measurable percentage.) They gave me a decent severance package, so we’re not out anything yet, but will be starting to dip into our savings in not too long. I have had some good interest recently, which is very promising. Unfortunately, most of it is not for positions in the area, which is worrisome given the current housing market. (The interview was in Boston. I’m pretty sure I’ll be offered this position as the interview went very well, but I don’t know if the money will be enough.) If you happen to know anyone interested in an experienced molecular modeler/computational chemist (or anyone in a pharmaceutical company), feel free to pass along my Resume/CV.
Once December came, we started getting ready for Christmas, which was a bit more subdued this year due to our circumstances. Beth and Doug came up early on and we had a nice weekend with them, including a cold day in the city. Suzanne had to travel to Bristol, RI for business, so we all went along. I was hoping to take Kyle to the Providence Children’s Museum, but it turned out they were closed on Monday. Instead, we visited the Audubon Center in Bristol, which was a very nice way to spend a bit of time. We also got to see Paul’s aunt, uncle, and cousins, including seeing Jenn perform (she plays flute) at a Christmas concert in Newport. Christmas Day was just us as Jack and Mary Lou came up Dec 26. We had a nice week with them, including heading to Ossining to see Suzanne’s aunt, uncle, and cousins. Of course we have Photos from Nov & Dec.
During the first weekend of January, we had a very nice birthday party for Kyle’s third birthday. It’s hard to believe he’s already three. He had a few friends from school, swimming, and the neighborhood. After celebrating his actual birthday, we were a bit worried that Kyle was going to think the presents would keep coming forever given that he had been opening present every few days between various Christmas and birthday celebrations. Here are some Photos from Jan.
We don’t have any big plans for the future currently. It basically has to do with my job situation. Hopefully something will happen soon and we can at least get moving on where we’ll be in the future. We’ll likely take a day to visit the aquarium (we’re members of the group that runs the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium) as we have been planning to for a while now. We hope all is well with all of our friends and relatives.