7 Harbor Road
Morganville, NJ 07751
19 December 2003
2003 Seasons Greetings from Suzanne and Rod:
In 2003, activities in the Pease household revolved around Suzanne's
assumption of the presidency of NAWBO, the National Association of Women
Business Owners. Those of you with a fine eye for detail will note that
Suzanne’s name now precedes Rods in all correspondence, as mandated by
that organization’s bylaws. Luckily Rod has managed to squirrel away a
few address labels, so the printed versions may still go out with the
traditional "Mr. and Mrs. Rod Pease" instead of the newer, "Madame
President et. al. ..." found on more recent printed material. Also, the
email version will not play "Hail To The Chief" as originally
envisioned. Beta testing of the tune designed by Rod found that it
sounded more like "The Old Gray Mare", so that eminently worthwhile idea
had to be excised by Presidential veto.
Rod is still successfully avoiding the purchase of a chauffeur’s
uniform, but has found that driving Suzanne to NAWBO meetings is the
best way to get time (almost) alone with her. Unfortunately, cell
phones make access relatively easy, even in the car. The insertion of a
thin plastic circle in the cigarette lighter slot worked for a while to
cut down cell phone access, but unfortunately the newer batteries have
quite a long life, and quite unfounded paranoia on Suzanne’s part has
limited Rods access to her AC cell phone charger.
While saving money on chauffeur’s togs, Rod didn't avoid having to
spring for a new suit in time for attendance at Suzanne’s investiture in
June in Nashville. He was allowed out on his own in the Nashville area
until the big event, being expected to camp for a few days, but
consistent rain derailed those plans. He instead returned with
interesting stories to tell about life in lower budget Nashville motels.
Ampersand Graphics is still a going concern, with an official web site
(www.ampersandgraphics.com ) as of a
slack period early this year. Critics of programming style, including
Rod, will note that there are multiple dead links in the site, as
business wasn't slow for very long.
At home, Rod continues to read and cook (and eat - the reason for the
new suit). He also spent time re-waterproofing the basement and
monitoring the installation of a new roof, as well as signing the check
for a new kitchen floor. Suzanne, on the other hand, visited Florida,
DC, Philadelphia, New York, Birmingham, San Antonio, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Sacramento, Colorado Springs, Indianapolis, Kansas City and
sometimes points in-between during the year. For those of you
interested in pictures, the Colorado trip is on Rods web site. Since
NAWBO offices run from June to June, more Presidential visits are
scheduled in 2004. Rod is attempting to keep track of the dates and has
already memorized the route to Newark Airport.
One of Rods solo trips was to Louisiana in early December due to the
death of his mother at age 89 from a massive stroke. She will be missed.
Kevin is in Collingswood, NJ, and still looking for a job. He is still
doing his cartooning and some freelance work. He published his first
book of cartoons, /An Awful Lot of Absurd Notions/, in September and has
sold a few hundred copies, mostly via the web, to fans around the
world. He still has some left from the first printing - check out the
web site at www.cerulean.st if you want to be
a "patron of the arts".
We wish you a happy and prosperous 2004.
Suzanne and Rod
web pages:
Rods home page at http://home.att.net/~rod.pease/
Suzanne's business home page at www.ampersandgraphics.com
Kevin's business home page at www.cerulean.st
Kevin's online comic strip at www.absurdnotions.org
email:
Rods email: rod.pease@att.net
Suzanne's email: speaseamp@aol.com
Kevin's email: mail@cerulean.st