Christmas Letter 2002

We hope this post finds you all well and sincerely wish the best for you and yours. Here's to seeing you soon and raising a glass of cheer, no matter when, no matter where. Oh, so much has changed in 10 years. We are getting ready for life altering events...new jobs, new computers...so in cleaning out "Ole Bessie" as we have named the lap top, we came across the following and began to get present with where we have been, and where we are going:






December 2002




Hello Friends,

It’s hard to believe another year has passed. We hope this holiday missive finds you all in good health and good spirits. Things are OK here in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. Our only regret is that we don’t get to spend more time with friends and family due to the bustle of our “metropolitan lifestyles.”

In the spring of 2002, while Jen was pulling her hair out (or maybe it’s just falling out, we don’t know for sure) writing her Master’s thesis, Mark was diligently recording his spoken word poetry CD Wild Iron Freedom. Jen managed to graduate in June (on time) from Brooklyn College with an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Theatre Criticism. Mark’s CD was released this fall. You can find a link to it on Mark’s website: MDRansom.com. In May we appeared together in a small off-off Broadway show directed by Cyndy Marion just to keep our acting chops up.

Immediately upon Jen’s graduation, we were told that “the jig was up,” concerning our two-year illegal sublet. We did some hurried and harried apartment hunting and ended up with a much larger space in the same neighborhood—for only twice the rent! Although Jen did have a whirlwind trip to London this summer, (courtesy of our good friend Miss Babs,) the highlight was our vacation to New Mexico. We flew into Albuquerque and proceeded to spend fourteen memorable days camping (okay, okay, we also spent a couple’o six nights in a Bed and Breakfast) and exploring Santa Fe, Taos, paddling the Rio Grande, and even cruising up towards Cimmaron County.

This fall finds Mark working steadily with the New York City Department of Buildings. Happily, he hasn’t had the kind of emergencies we saw last fall, although the wake of 9/11 continues to be a strong presence for us all. For some strange reason Jen thought it would be a “good idea” to start her Ph.D. work at the CUNY Graduate Center. Suffice to say the challenging nature of these studies keeps her hopping, particularly coupled with adjunct teaching positions at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Mark managed to find time to perform as narrator/musician in Like a Springsteen Song, which had a hearty run at the Blue Heron in October-November. The Village Voice actually referred to him as a “cover band!” (It’s good to be referred to in the Voice, however inaccurately.) For those who don’t know: we are engaged. Wedding next fall.

There you have it: the Reader’s Digest version of 2002. Please know that you are in our thoughts always, although we are not always in touch. All the best for 2003.

Love, Jen and Mark

P.S Please forgive us for not sending real cards. We know how hard form letters are to put on the mantle, but we were guided by economy—and we knew y’all would want to know what we had been up to this year!