December 24, 2000

Dear Family and Friends:

The tyranny of the calendar has once again prevailed to put us at the end of another year (it always does). This year was good/bad with many interesting and exciting challenges for our ever-evolving non-traditional family. It is my belief that a family represents a collection of individuals, not a social collective. As such, the story of our year is a collection of individual stories. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm for the telling is not equal, no one else met the Christmas Eve deadline for submissions, so I'll tell what I know of it as best I can from my perspective.

This year, I have had the opportunity to tell more stories than ever, expanding my work as an independent video artist. Highlights included specials about the making of the films "Dinosaur" and "Remember the Titans", and a documentary about FBI criminal profilers. I continued my work with Arthur Andersen's "The Players", now going into it's fourth year. I have also had the opportunity to be involved in the business end of my work, beginning to contract video services for some of my editorial clients. I am working with a business partner, Arthur Klein, an accomplished editor and director. Each new year is a challenging but rewarding process of learning.

Kathleen has continued in her work with children, growing in reputation and favor with parents and students alike. Her music, art, and movement program continues to evolve. She has also made great strides in her personal writing and art, both of which deserve a showcase. As soon as feasible, she plans to put some portion of this work on the web. Kathleen also has been studying at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, and the Authentic Movement Institute. This has involved many trips to the Bay area. Fortunately, Kathleen has some great friends to stay with up there.

Chris is 14, in 10th grade, and now only about three inches shorter than me. He has really come into his own as a drummer. It is one of his favorite activities. In April, he was in a "battle of the bands" with his first band. They didn't win, but the guitar player from another band was there, and they drafted Chris to be their new drummer. Over the summer, Chris spent several hours a day practicing drums, and he and his bandmates arranged for some time at O'Henry studios. The father of the guitar player is a music contractor, and uses O'Henry for his scoring sessions. It is one of the biggest and best studios in L.A. In fact, the score for "Dinosaur" and many other hit films have been recorded there. Chris' recording date was in early September. Though they got in the studio at no charge, they painted houses and did other work to buy tape and pay the engineer. A three song demo CD was completed in October. Way to go Chris.

Nathaniel is 11, in sixth grade. He is nearly as tall as his mom. Nathaniel is following in Chris' footsteps, and gets on the drums whenever he can. His band teacher at school recently asked him to be in the jazz band. He is excited, although his favorite music is still heavy metal. He loves drawing and animation, especially Japanese Anime. His favorite show is Dragonball Z. He is also becoming quite adept at 3D computer modeling. Last year he got a computer for Christmas, and he is best working with a program called Rhino, but is learning 3DStudio MAX. You can see an example of his work in the photos section on the website.

Laurence is 9, in the fourth grade. He is happiest when roaming the neighborhood with his friends. He also loves dragonball Z, and any other cartoons. (And of course South Park) In fact any idle TV in the house is likely to be tuned to channel 45, the cartoon network. He sings along with his CDs and with television theme songs. He is an excellent singer. He is beyond his years in reading and has devoured all of the Harry Potter books. He is the best archer at scout camp. He likes to make up his own board games. Laurence is also becoming quite a good chess player. I think he'll be beating me soon.

We took the boys to Palm Springs in April, where we hiked and swam. Chris the adventurer climbed up a series of seven waterfalls, making it all the way to the top falls, before losing his grip and ending up with a 1-inch bloody goose egg over his left eye. He never missed a beat, hiked right back down the mountain, and was more of a man than I would have been under the circumstances. All the boys enjoyed their trip, hiked like troopers, and for just a few hours in the National Forest at the top of the tramway, we all kind of felt like we were in Montana again.

In late May, brother-in-law Vic Lipinski from Virginia paid us a visit in L.A. He was on his road trip vacation, and from the pictures he sent, he really explored the scenic byways of America. That's somthing my dad used to do when he'd take me on trips as a boy, and something I'd like to do more of in the future. It was good to see Vic.

In early June, I went to visit my stepfather Randy King and his wife Barb in Cleveland. It was the first time I'd seen Randy in at least 15 years. We had a lot of catching up to do, but still found time to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the science center, and the waterfront. It was a very fun and rewarding experience. I was only sorry that I hadn't kept in touch with him more over the years. Life is too short not to stay in touch with people you care about.

At the end of June, I met my friends Frank Black, David Svoboda, and Mark Peltier for the ultimate Yes concert road trip. We had tickets to 2 shows. It was the Masterworks tour, where they played all of their epic pieces, most of which are over 20 minutes, and some, such as "The Gates of Delirium" had not been performed live since 1974. We all flew to Kansas City, drove to St. Louis, went to the first concert. I got to experience a complete energetic, spiritual, and emotional ecstasy the first night. After we drove back to KC, the second show was a relaxed analytical evening where I could appreciate the technical aspects of the show as well as take photographs. Mind and heart, Apollo and Dionysus were all satisfied. Absolutely the best concert or musical performance I've experienced in my life. And, thanks to Mark's friend Joel who sat next to Jon Anderson on the airplane, in Kansas City we all got to go backstage and meet the band!

In October, we had a family reunion of sorts in Montana. My three sisters and I visited mom in her new living quarters. Sadly her Alzheimers has progressed and she is now under 24 hour care. She seems to be in an oddly peaceful period in her life, able to experience a certain happiness in small things. Even though she may not always recognize those close to her, she can still experience their affection. It was a poignant trip filled with mixed emotions. Ultimately, our bodies are little more than biological machines, and when we malfunction, it's devastating. But we enjoyed seeing Edward and Eileen, my little brother Seth, and all our Montana friends.

In November, we again went to Ixtapa for vacation. We had been there last year, and I was really looking forward to returning. So in early November, we took off on our adventure. The environment, the weather, and the friendly resort staff made it a totally enjoyable experience. We also saw many of our friends we met the previous year, and met some new ones. It's hard for me to imagine a better vacation.

Thanksgiving was spent quietly at home, but the setting in of the "colder" weather (a relative term in sunny California) soon saw us all fighting colds, which tend to linger during this season. So now we are just wrapping up the year and awaiting holiday visitors. Tanya and her boyfriend Marcus will be visiting, as well as Moira and Chantelle, and Kathleen's brother, John. The week after christmas, I'm having laser eye surgery.

We went out last weekend and got our tree from the Oregon Family Christmas Tree lot. It was so fresh that the trunk was still frozen. The man said that it had probably only been cut less than 48 hours earlier. I could only imagine the gas guzzling parade of semis headed south with millions of christmas trees bound for L.A.. But that's what it's all about, a rite and ritual of renewing friendships, sharing, and--in ancient times--ecstatic revelry. Even in modern times, people remember and are still drawn to this symbol. It's got very little to do with one's religion. The trees, solstice, the partying, seeing friends, the gifts, help us sum up and remember who we are, what's important, and why we are here.

It's funny, but every year I get really cynical about christmas. Especially the week after thanksgiving when all the christmas ads and cheesy store displays start going up. I rail in my mind about the annoying commercialism, I fret about the money I will spend, and I tell myself "not this year". Then somehow, inexorably, I warm to the holiday, my inner grinch is subdued, and I begin to enjoy the cards and gifts from all you earlybirds out there. I think about people I haven't thought of, I am touched unexpectedly by a message or a picture or a poem. Then the tree comes, and something primal is satisfied. I begin to take new pleasures in home, hearth, and family. All is right with the world.

It's time for me to close by expressing my deepest appreciation to all my blood family and extended family who are really my friends. Because it's not just blood that ties us, but trust and shared experiences. Families often feud. Friends are often like family. So MERRY CHRISTMAS, happy solstice, joyous chanukah, to you and yours. And happy new year of the Kubrick (2001) to you as well!

Sean Prophet (and Kathleen, Chris, Nathaniel, and Lars)

Please see our family page, and the Year 2000 image gallery: