Dale Says

For more than 20 years I’ve been writing summaries of what’s going on in my life and in the world around me on my birthday. Here’s an excerpt from 2000 …

April 24, 2000

On my birthday I’m 49 years old.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and we had a wonderful Easter egg hunt and dinner! It was a gorgeous sunny day and we had a very full house, including my parents. It’s very special to be able to share Easter at our house each year with our friends and families.

The past year has been a very special one, with many highs and a few lows. In the former, the new millenium dawned with much fanfare and few problems. The long-feared Y2K turned out to be a fizzle, either because it was overstated or because so many people worked so hard to avoid the predicted problems. We celebrated the new year at a black tie party at Julius’ Castle in San Francisco, and it was a wonderful evening! The entire town was out celebrating, and we had one of the best views of all. Patty’s parents joined us, as did most of our friends and families. It was one of the best nights ever!

Unfortunately, Patty’s Mom was ill that night. She didn’t let it keep her from going to the party, but we could tell she wasn’t feeling well. The next day Patty and her Dad took Ines to the hospital and a few days later they flew home. She has since been diagonized with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. We are going to Stillwater regularly to help Patty’s Dad take care of her.

We’ve had several excellent trips the past year including Oregon, Albuquerque/Santa Fe, Drakesbad, Colorado, and Santa Barbara. I attended my 30th high school reunion in Chappell in August (how did 30 years pass so quickly)?

A new baseball stadium opened in San Francisco in April. We were there at Opening Day and it was a special day in a very special new ballpark. We’ve had our Giants season tickets for many years, and now we are going to enjoy going to baseball games even more.

In the news, the 2000 presidential primaries are underway. Stressing “compassionate conservatism,” George W. Bush has emerged as the Republican frontrunner, and Vice President Al Gore is the Democratic favorite. The absence of big issues in these prosperous times have created a frivolous, celebrity-laden side show featuring the likes of Warren Beatty and Donald Trump.

The four days of air strikes against Iraq in Dec. 1998, an international P.R. disaster for the U.S. and Britain, were followed by a low-profile war of attrition in which hundreds of almost daily bombings have been directed against Iraqi targets within the no-fly zones. Although the air strikes continued throughout the year, the press all but ignored them, particularly during the Kosovo crisis. In that latter conflict, the U.S. and Britain took the lead in NATO’s war on Belgrade, a war the American public cautiously embraced.

In etertainment, American Beauty, The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, and The Sixth Sense have been the hottest movies. Leading actors include Russell Crowe, Richard Farnsworth, Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, and Denzel Washington; leading actresses include Annette Bening, Janet McTeer, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, and Hilary Swank.