Karl Martino – 1/4/99

First off – Happy New Year and Merry Christmas everyone! Here is to a great 1999! I had a wonderful holiday. Here is a pic of my fiance, Richelle, and her family on Christmas day:
And here is a pic with Raggidy Ann doing me in with a lightsaber
(I think Richelle had too much fun with Photo Deluxe hehe):

I have a few more pics I plan to put up. I hope your holiday
went as happy as mine.

This was a special holiday, closing a special year for me.

I went smoke free this Christmas and New Year’s Day! I quit cold turkey November 7th 1998. This is the longest I’ve been without a cig in a long time. I’ve made 4 attempts (practice quits) and learned from my slip ups. This time I can actually see some kind of relief ahead. It has been a long strange trip so far. Ten years of wasted money and life. Time to start anew!

I made it a goal to quit cigs in 1998. I knew it would be difficult, but I had underestimated greatly. I plan upon putting up a page covering my quit and one of the major resources in helping me – the The QuitNet. It has been an inspiration. If you are interested in quitting, I urge you to check it out.

This holiday takes place one month after me and Richelle’s one year
anniversary of being together again. And as an engaged couple!

It is my nephew Brendan’s first Christmas! I am so proud of my brother for being such a good father.

Bill has been dead since October 1995 and my Mom is showing some
signs of recovery.

This was my first year as a Senior Database Administrator at DecisionOne. I was promoted to this position late 1997 and have learned much.

I’ve been on the internet now since 1994 and can see this year was the year it arrived to the masses. In fact, The QuitNet, Salon Magazine, Amazon.com, eBay, NPR, Slashdot, and Scripting News highlight it’s possibilities.

This is the year I’ve picked up Perl and Linux. Two pieces of software I know will greatly influence my future career.

I’ve started to invest in my faith and am attending RCIA classes. I expect to recieve my confirmation this coming Easter. For years I was absorbed by surviving. Now I can look within. What a change a few years make!

I had to quit my band Laughing Mad. The band showed so much promise, but keeping a band together, is kinda like (I assume) holding a marriage together without the oath. And we divorced midyear. I’m hoping things can change and heal. I love them guys. And I need music in my life.

Just in rememberance, I re-read 1989. I am so blessed. I have a safe place to live. With heat 🙂 A good job and career. My health. And an ever expanding family of friends.

In sum 1998 was a year of deep change within me. I summoned the courage to propose to my life time love, quit smoking, my band, and face God.