New Years Greetings from the Supniks

It’s been another very busy year for me. Five years ago I said when I became a “Bubi” I’d have to stop volunteering at the New England Quilt Museum. I’m still going once a week but I’m leaving more of the work to others. I babysit for each grandchild once a week individually. Gabriel (5 ½) is in kindergarten so he comes on Saturdays and is old enough for hikes, kayaking, and other adventures. Ezra (2) comes with his daddy on Mondays so Ben can work here and consult with Bob about the computer industry over lunch. Elijah (15 months) is here all day on Thursdays while Jon works at home and Larissa commutes into Boston. When Bob’s sister Lee has medical appointments, I go with her to make sure she gets the care she needs. Her condo in Amherst, MA finally sold after a year so now she’s considering moving to a nicer apartment in the Boston area than the one she chose at first.

We haven’t traveled much this year. I went to Rochester in January for my cousin Bess’ 104^th birthday and cousin Shira’s Bat Mitzvah. I returned in May in time to see Bess again just before she died, then help her daughter Louise get to her grand-daughter Harlie’s Bat Mitzvah in New Jersey and back to Rochester for her mother’s funeral. I was so glad to be able to be there at the right time. And of course we vacationed for 2 weeks in August in the Adirondacks where this photo was taken.

Instead of one full-time job, in retirement I now have three part-time (non-paying) jobs: child care for the grandchildren; computer support for non-profits; and anime. I'm busier than ever, even without the hassle of endless business travel.

In May, I went to Australia to visit with friends I've made in two decades of business visits. I spent two weeks, starting in Sydney, then in Melbourne, and finally in Gold Coast. Some of it was about old computers; some of it was about old friendships; but none of it was about work! Martha couldn't come along this time; perhaps next time she will.

Our three grandchildren are learning at an amazing rate and certainly are in the running for World's Best Grandchildren(tm). (And no, I'm not biased in the least.) Gabriel is rapidly mastering reading, writing, and 'rithmetic, while still remaining a mischievous five-year-old at heart. He's a Lego wizard already. Ezra is a study in non-stop kinetic activity, but his new mastery of words, sentences, and abstract concepts allows him to let us know what he's thinking and what he wants. He's becoming interested in books as well as toy cars and trains. Elijah just learned to walk and is now a mobile menace; nothing on the first floor is safe. Soon nothing in the house will be safe. Even as he experiments with 'no' and other powerful ideas, he's still the charming and good-natured child he's always been.

On the computer front, I now support our local Council on Aging and its senior-citizen clients. I've done minor repairs, major system cleanups, and scrounged loaner equipment, as well as delivering lectures on Computer Security and (in January) Computer Maintenance. The New England Quilt Museum got a technology grant to upgrade its computers, so for the first time in eight years I'm installing brand new equipment - low-end, but new. As a result, I'm making the acquaintance of Windows 10, and I don't think it's been a happy experience for either of us.

Finally, my anime group had a banner year, thanks to finding a couple of additional translators and other staff. We completed 26 projects this year - more than in any other year. I don't expect this torrid pace to continue, though. Anime is a hobby, and people have real-life commitments. If the pace slackens, I'll be able to put more time in on the simulation project, which has been on the backburner this year.

Ben says:

2016 was a good year in spite of the election results. Gabriel is now 5 1/2 and started kindergarten at Happy Hollow School in Wayland in September. He is loving it (especially breakfast for lunch day in the cafeteria) and reading and doing math like a champ. Ezra has changed drastically from a hell-raising 1 1/2 year old to a hell-raising 2 1/2 year old. In Grandpa Bob's words, Ezra is "as 2 as they come."

Ben continued his work with Laminar Research. The newest version of X-plane, V 11, shipped this past fall. It has been well-received. Lori has continued working as a freelance medical translator of Chinese, French, and Spanish into English. Both of us working at home can be challenging, but we are muddling through...Happy new year!

Jonathan says: 2016 has been a year of highs and lows. Funkitron is doing well, growing from a tiny 5-person operation to a mid-sized gaming shop with 20 employees. Cascade is doing well, with more than a million players logging in from month to month. Elijah has grown from a tiny, cuddly, immobile package to a walking, talking, chore-doing, parent hugging, lovable rascal, and it's been an unbelievable joy. The animals continue to adapt to his changing presence. Larissa's company Genarts was bought by its competition Boris FX and is going through a period of uncertainty. We'll know more in a few months whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. And of course the election came as an unpleasant shock to us, and a reminder why it's so important that everyone needs to vote so an angry minority can't hand the reins of power to a crazy person. Half of the electorate didn't vote for one candidate or the other with so much on the line this year.