As I drew in my head, and was turning around

 Greetings All,

I hope this holiday letter finds you well. I’d like to thank Chat GPT for replacing my interns this year and composing this instance of the annual holiday letter. In my prompt engineering I stressed I wanted this year's letter to be witty, warm, engaging, and brief. I think they are still working the kinks out. See for yourselves:

2024 was a great year. I am still enjoying living in Philadelphia and the whole city is enjoying The BirdsTM  having a good* season. (*As of the time of this letter’s generation. Of course, as Philly fans we all expect it to come crashing down spectacularly in an agonizing way. See also: Philadelphia 76ers.)

Me and my friend Jalen at the Rocky Steps (PMoA)

I was so fortunate this year to have lots of visits in Philly from dear friends and family like Lynn & Robbie, Hal & Lindy, Avi & Claire, Julie, Xian, and Jenny & Pesto! Avi and Claire and I saw some art and tried some cocktails. Julie ran a race. (I sat out due to a swollen knee.) Jenny and Pesto and I ate some food and took some walks. Xian and I saw the Pixies and Cat Power and Modest Mouse. 

Fangirling at the Pixies with Xian!

It was a big year for concerts from bands from 2006: I also saw the Decemberists, and Neko Case and Les Savy Fav. I also got to see Kate’s fiance Matt play when Big Something came to town. (Stay tuned for wedding pics next year of baby Kate all grown up.)

Courtney, Tim (LSF), Natalie

When my sister Lynn and Robbie visited me in Philly we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art  and a 76ers game with Shelley and Keri. Speaking of the 76ers, I got to meet 76ers podcaster Spike Eskin at a live recording of one of my favorite podcasts (The Rights to Ricky Sanchez):

Spike and two Ricky Fans

I will reiterate that in my place in Philly there is a guest room with your own bathroom and you are welcome to stay for as long as you like. Come Through! 

In May, I took an absolutely amazing trip to San Francisco to visit my friend Ingrid. We biked all over the beautiful city and saw amazing parks and art and laughed for 3 days straight. I also took the ferry to Oakland and Miki showed me around there. It was a lovely time.

Me engaging with the Art

Ingrid and Me

More cool art in Oakland

In July, I went to New York City with my nieces to celebrate that they were both starting new degree programs this fall. Lindy is a 1L at Wake Forest University Law School and I think learned a lot this semester about exactly how fun “Bluebooking” is. (Actually, Chat GPT really should end the tyranny of Bluebooking in law school but that is a whole ‘nother TED talk.) Kate is in her first semester to earn a MFA in Choreography and also a Certificate in Nonprofit Management at the University of Greensborough. (Apparently a certificate in for-profit management is too far fetched for modern dance. 😉)

While visiting NYC with my nieces we went to restaurants and bars from when I lived there 20 years ago and saw some shows on and off Broadway. We went to the Whitney Biennial and the Met Cloisters. It was a blast. They are so much fun to hang out with.

Kate, Auntie me, Lindy - Obligatory Subway Selfie

 Lindy and Kate before The Six

I started a new job this year and now work for Altera Digital Health in their data interoperability business unit, dbMotion. dbMotion has large clients in Israel, Melbourne, Australia, Canada, and the US so I look forward to meeting clinicians working to improve health outcomes with data-based decision making in all those locations.

Shark Tooth GangTM all spent a good amount of time at Oak Island as usual:

​​

Robbie, Lindy, Lynn, Me

I went to see Illinoise and loved it!

 Me before the show

Here’s my observation to share that borders on advice: You never know how much paying it forward will pay it forward. I am still in awe at how much joy I still get from the year I spent working with students at ASYV in Rwanda (2013). This year, I received a holiday letter much like this one from one of the students I had the privilege of working with way back then. He’s graduated from several universities in the US and is now back in Rwanda working on renewable energy solutions to improve his home. What an inspiration!

I’m also still working with Julien to fundraise for Rwema Football Academy in Rwanda and am so inspired by how devoted he and his team are to creating a sense of team and belonging for the kids he’s coaching. Look for the good in the world and see how you can join in and be a part of the change.

Peace on Earth,

Courtney

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 | 2023

And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

Greetings,

I can’t believe this is the 20th edition of my holiday letter! This year to recognize our 20th edition, to much protest, I have shifted to a Google Group so that you can unsubscribe below. Don’t worry, the service that removes your email does not inform me about it and you will not get a follow up email asking why. (The universe may well judge you, but I will not.)

In 2023 I had the privilege of traveling for work several times to Mozambique and Ethiopia. In Addis at the end of one of the trips, the team and I had an amazing visit to a club called the African Jazz Village where thanks to my indefatigable colleague Eyoel, and much to my deep mortification, we actually met the legend who created the genre, Mulatu Astatke. 

Left to Right: The father of AfroJazz Mulatu Astatke, my colleague Eyoel who will not be denied, my colleague Ali who is basking in the glow of genius and my colleague Tafadzwa who is almost as shocked as I am

In May, I moved to Philadelphia and I really like it there. I moved into a new construction condo in Fishtown (north Philly) where I have a guest room (with its own full bathroom ensuite) so please plan a visit. The place is really comfortable and I like it. I have a big rooftop set up so come have a beer on the roof with me.

The roof set up just needs you.

New Mailing Address:

CMFK

700 Moyer St. #310

Philadelphia, PA 19125

(Deep, heartfelt thanks again to my sister Lynn & her husband Robbie for putting me up for *a year* in Raleigh. It was fun being with them but Raleigh never quite took. I will continue to spend my holidays there. As I write this, I’m planning my trips to Louisville and Raleigh for Christmas.)

I’ve been having a lot of fun watching Eagles, Sixers and Phillies games in local bars with a very engaged fan base.

I’ve already been lucky with visitors to Philly so far! (This means that if you haven’t visited yet, you should feel behind.) To get the ball rolling, Lindy and her friend Hal helped move me up here. Thanks Lindy and Hal!

Independence Hall, Independence Lindy and Independence Hal

Lindy is doing just great and is on track to graduate from NC State in May. She took the LSAT and is already accepted to some law schools. (Teaser for next year’s letter for the big reveal where she decides to go.) 

Next up, Julie came to visit me in June and we had fun and also ran a 15K, but these two activities were wholly unrelated.

fun

After the 15K

My friend Anita came from Cape Town to visit me in September. She likes my place well enough but did decry the shortage of pets in my unit.

Me and Anita

Kate and Matt came to visit Philly in October and we had lots of fun. Kate is engaged to Matt now, but who cares? (He was already family as far as I am concerned.) Kate is dancing and creating choreography with several companies and doing just great.

Kate, Matt, Me

Lynn and Robbie came to visit and Lynn has lots of opinions about what furniture I need to outfit the condo. (She watches way too much HGTV.)

You might be thinking I took every single person who visited me to see Philly’s Magic Gardens, and you’d be right. 

I love it there.

I was also so lucky to get a visit from my college roommate Sarah and her family in November. Somehow her son is 7??!??! He is not taller than me yet, but the clock is running on that.

                                                                                Me, Nathanial, Sarah

I have been fortunate to be a regular guest at Lynn and Robbie’s place on Oak Island again many times this year and always had a wonderful time.

Lynn, Me, Lindy

Lynn, Me, Lindy

This year for Thanksgiving I visited my Mom in Louisville, KY. On Thursday I joined my family for Thanksgambling at Churchill Downs, and as usual it was an absolute blast.

Note to self not to be photographed with all beautiful teenagers ever again

Also this year I had the fortunate opportunity to reconnect with a student I worked with in 2013 at the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village. Julien Shyaka has started the Rwema Football Academy  based in Kirehe, Rwanda at the Mahama Refugee Camp. Julien is giving back to his community and using soccer to drive inclusion, and connection. I’m excited to see how his Academy grows in the next year and eager to provide any support I can.

Wishing peace on earth to all,

~Courtney

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

And Mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap

Well, this is my 17th edition of my holiday letter, a tradition I learned from my dad. Mostly, I just want to reach out once a year and say hello and try not to lose touch in this fast-paced, far-flung world. I’m not sure I’ve ever had less to report! I considered skipping a year but decided to stick with it just for the sake of it, which is pretty on-brand for me.

What a strange year! I hope that you and your families are healthy and safe. I know it's been a frightening and difficult year for so many people. I’m fortunate that my family has been able to stay healthy and I’m able to work from home.

Remember the before times? I only barely do. In January of 2020 I participated in Dry January and also a challenge to do 12 whole minutes of cardio a day. Here’s a thread about how cranky it made me and how I don’t recommend it. :) 

I had been sticking with the running club on Tuesdays and Sundays and was training for the Nashville half marathon when all the road races were canceled. Many thanks to my virtual KBFR texting team for motivating me to get off the couch occasionally! My last road race was the Cambridge 5-miler in February. Here’s me after that race:

Later in the year I got used to running in my face covering. Here’s a snowy day-after-Halloween run:

In March, like so many offices, our Dimagi office in Cambridge closed and we shut down work related travel for the year. Since then I’ve been mostly working from home, with occasional trips outside for a jog and lots of Netflix. Like many of you I’ve worn pajamas for months at a time. I experimented with feeding myself a couple different ways like perfecting pancakes (bake the batter in a cake pan for 8 min at 350° F) and making homemade ice cream in a mason jar (much better if you swap the heavy cream for half-and-half).

Although it was a slow year for my hobbies, it was a busy work year at Dimagi. I told you in the 2015 holiday letter about my first project, building contact tracing apps for Ebola. This year ‘contact tracing’ got a lot more attention than it has in the past and we did the most work we’ve ever done in the US. I’m proud to work at an organization that is assisting with pandemic response.

Here’s me at a meeting with some colleagues one of the last days before the office closed:

It was a year of big milestones for my nieces. Lindy graduated from high school (virtually) and started college remotely this fall at UNC Charlotte (from the dining room table). Kate graduated from UNC Greensboro and has started her first year of teaching dance in a public elementary school in Graham, NC (between Raleigh & Greensboro). I think being a first-year teacher is probably pretty hard. I think teaching dance over zoom to kindergartners has been a real challenge and she is looking forward to meeting some of her students in person soon.

I hope in 2021 we can all get back to seeing each other more and more of what we love. I’m suggesting to my mom we redo Thanksgiving and Christmas once we’re all vaccinated. She’s been isolating in her home in Louisville, KY with her dogs since March and is hanging in there but is certainly looking forward to seeing people again.

I still enjoy watching the NBA and had a lot of fun watching the Celtics in the playoff bubble in Florida. (If you follow me on twitter then you know most of my tweets are about Marcus Smart.)

This is the least I’ve played ultimate in 20 years and I miss running around on a field and seeing everyone. My year ended on a high note with something of an impromptu reunion call with a few of the wonderful friends I played ultimate within Ambush over a decade ago. You can match these same beautiful faces from my 2004-2006 holiday letters. I guess were it not for the pandemic we might never have had a reason for a reunion conference call, so that is a tiny silver lining from all this.

Most years I close the email by saying something like, ‘if you swing through Boston, be sure to let me know and we’ll grab a coffee or beer’, and that doesn’t really seem to apply this year. But who knows? Maybe we’ll all get vaccinated and travel will start back up and if it does I’d love to see you in person sometime.

 

Wishing peace on earth to all.

~Courtney
@CourtneyMFK 

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!

I hope my charming, warm, annual bulk email finds you well. 2019 was a blur and was largely comprised by a busy year of work at Dimagi. I spent much of the first half of 2019 in Delhi working on a large project there.

While most of the time in India was heads down in our office in Delhi, I did get away to spend a weekend sightseeing Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, a large state in India near Delhi. The whole city is filled with beautiful, amazing architecture. Here’s the entryway for my hotel:


In April, I was delighted to have Caitlin and Keri up from Philly to visit for a fun weekend. Here’s a photo of us hiking in the Blue Hills Reservation on the boardwalk in Ponkapoag pond. The hike is listed as ‘easy’ level of difficulty but that is not my recollection of the rolling and pitching boards.


In May, I was honored to be invited to attend Claude’s graduation from the University of Rochester. Claude was a student who I had the opportunity to work with while I was a fellow at ASYV. It was fun to go back to visit the city of Rochester, not having been there since 1997 or so when my parents lived near there in Victor, NY. The ceremony was beautiful and Claude has a lot of accomplishments to be proud of. After graduation he moved to NYC for a software development job for now. I’m still looking forward to working for him someday.


I spent a big chunk of the month of July in my sister Lynn’s beach house on Oak Island, NC. Thanks so much to Lynn, Robbie, Lindy and Kate for hosting me and taking such good care of me! My nieces Lindy and Kate are now seniors in High School and College respectively and we are all so proud of them and curious to see what comes next. Kate has already started student teaching and is still very active in dance and choreography. Lindy has been accepted to several schools so tune in to next year’s holiday letter for the big reveal.

In August, I was invited to the beautiful wedding of my cousin David to Hannah. We’re lucky to welcome Hannah to our large, and sometimes boisterous, family and it was fabulous to see all of my Louisville family at the celebration. Here’s me and Lynn enjoying the reception out on the Ohio riverbank:


I’m still running a bit and trying to keep active. I’m playing some pickup ultimate on Sundays with good weather and in a BUDA Grand Masters league a few weeks a year. I also ran a couple of road races this year and recently found a wonderful club that meets on Tuesdays and Sundays to run around Cambridge. When I realized how close the group meets to my home (very) I decided the universe was trying to tell me something so I decided to check it out and I’ve had a blast meeting tons of friendly new people. Here’s me and my friend Julie in September at the Salem 10K after party:

In October, I had a great series of internal meetings in our Cape Town office and had the time to hike up Lion’s Head with a few colleagues. Cape Town is a beautiful city and I’m always energized by spending time with the team.

Wishing you and yours peace and health in 2020. Please let me know if you come through Boston and I’ll unfold the futon in my sneaker room for you.


~Courtney

@CourtneyMFK
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018