Update to Lor
Hi there [Lor].
Yes, it’s been about a year since we last talked. Here’s a summary of what’s been happening since then:
• November, 2000: I moved back to Philly. I’m living in the far northeast now, about seven or eight miles away from where I was mugged. It’s a much better neighborhood here in the Bustleton section of Philly. Before, I lived in the Frankford section. I have a spacious two-bedroom apartment with a balcony and a swimming pool out back. Haven’t been swimming yet. But I hope to get there at least once before it closes on Labor Day. It was sad leaving Mom, and she cried the day we drove the moving van to her house to load my stuff for the return trip. But it was the right decision for me. It was kind of boring in Altoona. Philly however, is much more my type of life style.
• February, 2001: I heard from [Vee] again after three years. [She] and I had an on-again, off-again relationship in the mid-to-late 90s. We’ve been talking just about every day and have seen each other in June of this year. She wants me to move to Ohio to be with her. I love her very much, but I love Philly too. So, I have no plans to call U-Haul anytime soon. But I’ve been trying to get her to move to Philly. But this is equally unlikely, as she shares custody of her two children with her ex husband, who lives in Dayton. What to do, what to do. 
• May, 2001: Through the winter, I lost 28 pounds. I gained a few of them back over the summer, but should be back down to 144 Lbs in a few weeks.
• June, 2001: Bought a new computer (my third one in five years). My, the speed with which technology advances. This one is a Micron PC, and it has a 1.4 Ghz. Athelon CPU, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB hard drive, 250 MB zip drive, CD RW drive, a DVD drive, Windows 2000 Professional, and some Altec speakers that sound wonderful.
• June, 2001: Gave up my position as [...] Tech Lead. Too stressful, and I was growing bored with that role anyhow. Now, I’m just a developer again. Not nearly as high-profile a position as the tech lead one. But that’s fine by me. Now I’m working on designing the next generation [...] infrastructure, based on the Java programming language, servlets, Java Server Pages, JDBC, and many of those other up-and-coming web technologies. Leaving the current [components], was a bit disconcerting. I was considered an expert and knew just about any question someone would ask of me, or at least, could find the answer quickly. Now however, I’m starting all over, knowing nothing about web development and the associated technologies. I’m a new kid on the block again. Don [...] referred to this once as being cyclically stupid. You start off stupid, then you get smart as you acquire skills to propel you to expert status in the systems on which you’re working. Then, you move to something new and are “stupid” once again. I suppose many of us do this iteration several times during a career. But I can’t complain though. The last time I had to start over again was eight years ago. Not bad.
• July, 2001: My doctor informed me that my cholesterol reading of 217 is still too high. So, I need to lose more weight, and very closely monitor my fat intake, being careful to avoid consuming more than twenty to thirty grams a day. I’ll do that for the next three months and then, in November, have the reading taken again. If it is still high, he wants to put me on cholesterol-lowering medication, which I’d like to avoid if possible. Too many risky side effects. So I’ve been eating lots of fruits, veggies, beans, and whole grains, with occasional seeds and nuts. Stopped drinking milk altogether. I do okay when eating by myself. But when I dine with friends, it’s very hard to eat correctly. I’ll either have to learn how to eat lightly around friends who are constantly telling me to eat more, or I’ll have to cut down on the number of times each month I dine with friends. Decisions, decisions.
• August, 2001: Completed a two-week vacation. I went to camp this year, as I have done numerous times throughout the 90s. Got in a couple of 10-mile hikes, lots of reading, and dancing. Camp is always fun.
Well, there are some of the major happenings in my life since we last talked.
Did you ever get into your own home? I believe you were checking into buying one last we talked but am not sure if you actually moved in.
Later.
Tom