2001 Christmas letter

by Admin
Sunday, June 11 2006 @ 01:37 PM PDT

Dear Everyone,

Merry belated Christmas and Happy belated New Year! I know that I should have written this letter long ago, but I guess it is better late then never. I'm sorry for not sending out any cards in 2001. Things have been very busy lately and I promise to make time for cards in 2002. Another strange year has passed and I am starting to wonder if they all are going to be strange. They never seem to turn out the way I expect them to. In one of my letters a couple of years ago I mentioned that I should take things one day at a time but I'm not sure if that is possible. I am always thinking ahead even while life is constantly moving and changing my plans. I suppose it is best this way because if everything turned out like I had planned then I would never be surprised. Here are some of the surprises that I experienced in 2001.

I returned to work at eToys in January to learn that the company did very poorly over the Christmas season and that we were going out of business. At first I thought it would be fairly easy to get a new job, but I soon learned otherwise. With most of the other dot-com's facing similar fates it meant that there were many people looking for jobs and most of them seemed to have more experience then I did. Still, I had no doubt that I would find something before my 3 months of severance was over, but I was surprised to find out how wrong I was.

My job search continued in February. I had some interviews and talked to some recruiters but never received any job offers. Everyday seemed to bring the news of another internet company going out of business and things did not look good. Of course, I did have some time off so I had a little fun as well. I made a day trip over to Yuma, Arizona to track down some more Star Wars film locations. Just outside of town across the border, back in California, is Buttercup Valley where the Sarlacc pit scenes from Return Of The Jedi were filmed. It was hard to tell if I was in the exact spot since one sand dune looks like another but I think I was close. I was also able to attend a taping of the television show Dharma and Greg. Sometimes it is surprisingly enjoyable living in Los Angeles.

The job search plodded along in March with no changes. I was getting worried with my lack of progress and began planning something new. I moved back in with Warren and Sherry to save on rent and I also decided to return to school since most of the jobs I was looking at required more experience. Devry had a one-year Information Technology program that sounded good and I would end up with a second bachelor degree after completion. I had a little bit of fun this month as well and attended another television taping, this time at The Dennis Miller Live show. I also took another short trip and went up north to visit my parents and track down some George Lucas and Star Wars related sites in Marin County and the Bay area. After getting back home I had a great time at Sherry's annual St. Patrick Day party. The best thing in March was being an extra for the filming of Spiderman. Maybe I'll be surprised in May of 2002 and actually get to see myself on the big screen.

In April, I finished registration at Devry and slowed my job search as I began planning trips to take before school started. A local comic book shop hosted a lunch with a few Star Wars celebrities and I was fortunate to hear about it because it was a lot of fun. Soon after, my mom and her neighbor, Christine, came down for a visit. It was great to see them again and we all had a good time visiting the LA Natural History Museum and Vasquez Rocks.

Richard turned 6 in May and he had a big party with a jump house and everything. Since school would be starting soon and I was very frustrated with my job hunt, I decided to take some time off. My first stop was a Star Wars convention called Alphacon, which was in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a great convention with an amazing number of guests but it probably won't return next year because it didn't make any money. On the 20th I hopped on my motorcycle and hit the road. My first stop was Zion National Park for some hiking and camping. A few days later I headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico for Paul and Rebecca's wedding. I caught the garter at the reception, and you know what that means. I had more places to visit, so I left everyone after a great visit. The next few nights I spent in Canyonlands and Arches National Park. They are both gorgeous areas and well worth the visit.

As June kicked off, I left Arches and rode to Kingman, AZ to see my grandparents. After a short visit I returned home just long enough to recuperate and prepare for my next journey. On the 11th, I began taking the scenic route to Oregon for Lori's wedding. Along the way I stopped to see my parents in Hilmar, my aunt & cousins in Marysville, and some more Star Wars film locations in the redwood forests of Northern California. At the wedding reception I caught a second garter and decided it was time to leave, so I headed north. I boarded a ferry in Bellingham, WA and relaxed for 3 days as I was transported to Haines, Alaska. The next day after riding my bike off the ferry, I met Ken at his cabin on Quartz Lake. We were only there a few hours before heading to his house in Fairbanks. I had a fun 4 days at Ken's house and got to go on a side trip by myself up to the Artic Circle. Next I went to see Matthew, my other relative in Alaska at the time. He was in Bethel and since there are no roads there, I had to fly out from Anchorage. Up until now, I had been lucky with the weather but Bethel was gloomy and cold the entire time. I still had fun and got to see another side of Alaska before returning to Anchorage. My time was almost up but I still had a couple of days left for sightseeing and went down to Seward to check out some glaciers. I wanted to stay longer but I had to start the ride home. I took the Alaska Highway all of the way back and saw more wildlife then the rest of my trip combined. About 5 days later I was at my parents house and I arrived in time to catch the last day of races at Laguna Seca. Once home I had a little time before classes at Devry started on July 16th. After my first week of school, I of course had to take a break and went to San Diego with some friends to attend the Comic-Con.

I returned once again to Oregon in August for Kevin's wedding. I was trying to go 3 for 3, but unfortunately I missed the garter this time. It was still a nice ceremony with a lot of crying going on. It was great to see everyone again so soon after the last visit. I definitely got to visit with family a lot this year.

Sherry threw a Labor Day party in September that would mark a new stage of my life. One of her friends from work was at the party and we got to know each other a little during that night. I still think it was the fact that I showed her a baby picture of my cute naked butt that won her over. A week later I had my first date with Maria and we had a great time. Our second date soon followed and we rode on my bike to go hiking near Calabasas. The next weekend I journeyed up to Hilmar to visit my parents and attend Modesto's annual Oktoberfest. My third date with Maria began on the 26th of the month and lasted four days as I played nurse after her bunion surgery.

Things kind of settled down in October and I tried spending as much time as possible with Maria after school and homework. This routine continued through November and I couldn't have been happier. My mom came down for a quick visit but I really didn't get to see her much this time. Later in the month, Maria and I were able to sneak away for a weekend at Lake Havasu City in Arizona. If you ask Maria about our time there, she will tell you to beware of El Cassidor.

December began with a ten-day trip to London with my friend Kevin in search of Star Wars autographs. While there, I revisited Whippendell woods to see a film site from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. During my previous trip in 1999 we never found the right location, but this time a guy that I met on the internet agreed to be my guide and I was able to see all of the correct spots. Sherry threw me a 30th birthday party just after returning home. Damn, I'm old. Soon after that I had my finals at Devry, which meant that I was officially halfway through school. The classes have been fun so far and I have been learning a lot. Hopefully it will all pay off in the future. To cap off the year, Maria and I went to Big Bear Lake for four days over Christmas. We rented a nice theme cabin and ours was called the Crystal Cave. Christmas couldn’t have been better with the snow outside, the fire inside, and the two of us relaxing in our own jacuzzi.

As usual, this year ended at a completely different spot from where it began. My job at eToys ended, but I'm looking again and will hopefully be working soon. In the meantime I will be going to school to prepare for a career. I began a wonderful relationship with a beautiful woman. With things still changing so much at the moment, I'm sure that the next year will bring as many surprises as this one.

Love,
Bill Chirrick