www.DannysDigitalDomain.com                                          CHRISTMAS 2003

Greetings one and all,

Every year seems to fly by faster -- yet, we still try to cram more and more into our lives. This year is no exception. As with most of you, this has been a busy year for me -- with lots to talk about. So, without further ado, sit back, grab your favorite beverage, and read on to learn about some of the highlights. With this interactive letter, you may click on all of the small photos to view larger and/or more photos.

February started off in a “competitive” nature -- I competed in two separate tournaments -- in the same day! The first one was the Skywalk Open -- an 18 hole, indoor, miniature golf tournament in downtown Des Moines, IA. The course snaked its way through the skywalks above the streets. I competed with my father, and two other friends. The second tournament of the day was a bowling tournament for employees of the state of Iowa. This was the second year I participated in this with the Iowa Public Television Web team. We named ourselves The <Bracketheads>, which is a “nerdy” reference to our job of coding Web pages. Both tournaments were a lot of fun, even if we aren’t very good at the activities.

In June, I took my first trip of the year to Minnesota. I attended the Grandma’s Marathon, in Duluth, to watch some of my friends run. It was a nice, relaxing vacation (of course I didn’t have to run the marathon). We spent many days on Lake Superior and found lots to do and see including an IMAX theater, boat museum, lake tour, the marathon itself, good eats, the Duluth Aquarium, canoeing, etc, etc, etc. We stayed in a cozy log cabin for much of the trip.

June also brought good news in the job department! I was hired-on at Iowa Public Television as a State of Iowa employee. I had been working, in-service-to IPTV, as a contract employee for 3 ½ years at that point. My contract ended in June, and luckily there was money in the budget for me. So...my job was posted, I then had to apply, interview, etc. Fourtunately, I was qualified for my job and they offered me the position. Whoo-hoo!!! What a relief! Since June, I have been very busy authoring 6 DVDs -- more-or-less simultaneously. I am kind of a self-proclaimed “media mutt.” I not only do Web sites and video stuff, but now I am very active in the DVD production at IPTV, which combines my knowledge of the previous disciplines quite well.

Over the 4th of July weekend I was out in Colorado visiting my sister in the Vail Valley, where she was interning at Slifer Designs. It must be tough to walk out her door and see beautiful snow-peaked mountains every morning. It was a short, but fun trip. The fireworks display in Avon, Colorado was the best one I have ever seen in person.

I returned to Minnesota in late July to attend a huge concert with three friends from home. We went to the Summer Sanitarium tour at the Metrodome. The headliner was Metallica, but I was most excited to see Linkin Park -- one of my favorite bands. Also in attendance were Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and the Deftones. The Deftones canceled their performance because of an illness in the band. The concert lasted about 9 hours, and there were about 40,000 people in attendance! Very cool!

I have a new hobby, of sorts. Several years ago, I learned of an old brewing company in St. Peter, Minnesota -- the Engesser Brewing Company. More recently, I have started to find on Ebay old Engesser Brewing Company bottles, labels, and even a bottle opener. There may be a family relation, but I don’t know of one yet. While my collection is small right now, I continue to keep my eyes open for other Engesser paraphernalia. Sometimes, it is harder than you would imagine to acquire these items, because they appear to be popular with several other Ebay users!

Last Halloween you may remember me as Ozzy Osbourne. Well, this year, I reused most of last year’s costume (coat, pleather pants, etc.) to become a different character -- Neo, from the Matrix movies. It’s not perfect, but was a convenient costume for me this year. My brother hosted another outstanding Halloween party. This year he dressed up as a "pimp vampire." I attended the party with two friends who went as Winnie the Poo and Tiger (too). As you can imagine, the party was a lot of fun.

In October, I also had the opportunity to reunite with my old college roommates, Craig & Ben. This was the first time in over 4 years that we were all together again. I also got the opportunity to meet Craig’s new fiancé, Melissa. She is very sweet, and I wish her and Craig the best. Both Ben and I will be groomsmen in their wedding which is scheduled for next September, sometime.

A few days before Christmas, I returned from a big trip to Rome, Italy! My sister was there for her fall semester, studying interior design. After classes ended for her, she had one week to sightsee. I timed my vacation so that I could bum around Italy with lil’ sis. She was a great host and tour guide, since she had 4 months of knowledge about the area. I not only got to see where she lived and studied, but we visited many of the traditional touristy places, like the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, the Vatican, and even saw the Pope during his weekly papal blessing. We sat 3rd row -- in an audience of thousands! We also took time out for a little ice skating! As if there isn't enough to see in Rome, we ventured outside of Rome to Venice for a day, which was nice. Kathy had taken many trips around Italy with her class, but it was her first time to Venice.

The biggest news right now is that I am finally leaving apartment life -- in exchange for condo/townhouse living…baby steps. I gain possession January 20th, and will be all moved in by the end of January. My new place has over 1300 square feet, 2 stories, 2 bedrooms, a loft, 1 ½ baths, and a 2 car attached garage. It is on a quiet street in Urbandale, IA -- not more than 10 minutes from work. I will post the new address and phone number on my Web site later in January, so please check back. It feels good to be a homeowner!

As far as the rest of the family, not too much has changed since last year. Everyone is keeping very busy and is doing well. Dad continues to work at the Iowa Veteran’s Home in Marshalltown, and Mom still works at the Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center. Matt still lives in Marshalltown and commutes to the Des Moines area where he works for K & B Quality Home Construction. He specializes in trim and finish carpentry. Kathy, an interior design major at Iowa State University, will graduate in May and hopes to find a job after graduation. Grandma Sharp is visiting us in Iowa for Christmas again this year. Max (psycho cat), still appreciates a good scratch under the chin…ah, the life of a cat.

As always, stop by and visit my Web site to see some of the latest projects, photos, and more. And, if you feel so inclined, please sign my guestbook while you are there. I hope to make many big updates to my site in the coming months, so check back often.

Take care and keep in touch!
Happy Holidays everyone!!!

- Danny

www.DannysDigitalDomain.com

Greetings of Christmas Past: 2005, 2003, 2002, 2001
Current Greeting: 2006