Missing in Escondido, California

The latest picture of Tony, taken November 23, 2006. More information can be found on this website.



Matt's boss from the San Diego office of Thomson has a son who is missing. Here are the details as told to Matt by his boss, Tibor:

"Dear Friends,

I was hoping that everything would be resolved by now and I would not have to write this e-mail, but as of this morning my son Tony is still missing and although some of you already know this I thought the rest of you should be brought up to date.

Tony disappeared some time Saturday night Dec. 2nd from our home in Escondido . He left the house while my wife and I were sleeping so we never actually saw him leave. He left his wallet, money, ID cards, bank cards, passport, and car at home. To the best of knowledge the only things he took with him were the cloths he was wearing, keys and a black leather Jacket. He apparently left with someone who came to the house to pick him up. He did not tell us he was planning to go out nor do we have any idea of who picked him up. We discovered he was gone late Sunday morning, but were not concerned until later that day when we had scheduled to take our family pictures and he did not show up. On Monday morning we filed a missing persons report. Since then the family has been trying to piece together whatever information we can find that would lead us to whom he may have been with. His cell phone was last used mid day Saturday. I have been looking through his computer for instant messaging logs, but the latest information I have found only takes us up to November 30th. The most relevant information is in his G-mail account, which we cant get to because we do not know his password. We are almost certain that the arrangements he made to be picked up that night were made by email or text message. We will need to supply Google with a court order to release his e-mail record and to date the police have not been helpful in expediting this process. A county sheriff’s detective has been assigned to his case, but we have not been able to communicate with him yet. Then even if we have it we will really need the cooperation of law enforcement to track down the information. We have tried to contact all his friends that we know."

A more recent email said:

"Dear Friends,

Day 6 and still no Tony,

We have had more contact from the Sherriff’s Department, but we are still missing the most valuable information from his gmail account.

We have been able to get his cell phone log, but only up to Nov 26. We have to wait for the next statement due Dec 29 for the rest. Through this we have been able to find telephone numbers of his friends, but no leads from any of the ones that we have been able to reach so far.

According to the detective on the case there is not enough evidence to suggest foul play. Without this we can’t get court action. So at this point our only option seems to be to get media attention to put pressure on the police and enough exposure that someone may have seen him.

I have contacted the National Center for Missing Adults http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/ to get Tony listed in their database.

The next steps will be to contact the new agencies.

Many of you have offered to help and at this point I would like to ask for some of this now.

I would like to put together a website to feature and collect information about Tony and his disappearance. I could use help in putting this together and executing it.

Here is some more information about Tony:

Name: Anthony (Tony) David Csicsatka
Sex: Male
Age: 27
DOB: 11/16/1979
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 6 Feet 0 Inches
Weight: 170 pounds

Missing from: Escondido , CA 92025
Date Missing: Dec 2, 2006 around 10 PM
Reported to: San Diego Sheriffs Department on Dec. 4, 2006
Missing Report Number: 06082859Q
Police Contact: Matthew Blumenthal - matthew.blumenthal@sdsherriff.org – 760-510-5242

Medical Condition: Tony has Asthma and uses an Albuterol Inhaler. We suspect he had about a 10 day supply with him.

Circumstances surrounding his disappearance: He left home some time after 10 PM Dec 2, 2006. He did not take his wallet or any identification such as driver’s license, bank cards or money. His car and passport were left home. Someone unknown to the family picked him up from his home while his parents were sleeping. Tony is an avid computer user and would use it to communicate with his friends and family daily. Since his disappearance there has been no computer, instant message or cell phone activity detected in any of his known accounts. All evidence so far indicates that he had every intention to return home in a short time.

Last known cell phone activity: Sunday Dec.3 at 8:14 AM he or someone who has his phone used Internet data access."

More information can be found at www.tonyismissing.com.

Ben and Jerry's!!!!

On the way home from Montreal, we went to the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory! I was beyond excited...I had been there once with my mom and the Housley family when I was 13. Matt was not as excited as I was, but that didn't matter to me... my heart was racing the whole time with excitement. The new flavor that we got to try was Apple Pie. I didn't really like it...it was too sweet and if I want apple pie I will just eat apple pie. I think their new flavor creation department has really gone down hill since Ben and Jerry left and Unilever took over! It was fun anyway though, and the drive through Vermont was gorgeous. I can't wait till it starts snowing so we can go skiing!

The Ballet

While we were in Montreal, we went to see the ballet at the place des Artes. It was so fun! We hadn't been to the ballet since we firse moved to Hong Kong so it was a real treat. The great thing about Canada is that they give deep discount for students...My US student card saved us lots of money by the end of the weekend. The ballet was good but it was little too modern for my taste...the stage was white and sparse and the dancers wore these unisex looking white outfits. Also, they didn't wear toe shoes. I don't go to the ballet that often, so when I do, I want to see the full extravaganza! The point was to get back to the "essence of the dance", but for me half the fun is the costumes.

Matt and I went to the Biodome in Montreal. Inside the Biodome, there are four different ecological zones and the animals that correspond to those zones. It was pretty fun. My favorite part was watching the penguins swim around. We also went up the Olympic Tower. IT was a great view, but all I could think is, Wow, Montreal is flat! And grey! Because it is winter, all the leaves were off the trees.

I am sure all of the Yeckels know Grandma and Grandpa's poster collection in the living room from all of their travels...They have a poster from the Insectarium in Montreal, and I had always wanted to go to there. This weekend I had my chance! Matt and I went to the Insectarium and the Botanical Gardens. It think the Botanical Gardens are better seen in the summer...all the trees were bare and the flower beds were covered with tarps! The green houses were still worth looking at though...I guess we will have to go back in the summer.


Matt getting eaten by a spider.


Matt with the bare trees in the Botanical Gardens.

Montreal

For Thanksgiving, Matt and I went to Montreal. I was sad to miss a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (especially because we are back in the US now) but we had a great time in Montreal. It is such a cool city! I loved it, and I already am planningour next trip back. It is the kind of city that almost make me looke forward to winter...all the chic montreal women had beautiful boots and coats, and there were little coffee shops and cafes everywhere that you could sit and warm yourself and drink hot drinks and eat french pastries. It was so much fun!


I really felt like I was in a different country. Every one spoke French, but the beauty is that they also spoke English. So convenient! Also, no inconvenient jet lag! There were moules and frites offered on the menu everywhere, so it was like heaven for me because moules mariniere is one of my all time favorite dishes.



It was fun to be back in a place where mst people speak a different language and the street signs and menus are in a different language. Despite taking three years of French in high school, my French accent is HORRIBLE and I remember nothing. I think you really have to practice a language with native speakers to cement it in your brain.

There were cool old buildings everywhere and lots of churches. It was so much fun!

Persimmons are for sale now...It reminds me of last year in Beijing! I was addicted to Persimmons, so much so that I had to ration myself. I can literally eat three or four big persimmons in one sitting. They are beyond delicious. It is hard to believe that this time last year I was living in Beijing!

Halloween

This year for Halloween, Matt and I did not plan ahead and so had costumes that we pulled out of our closets...I was an eskimo, wearing all white with a fuzzy collar and boots. I had a little fuzzy purse and I handed out york peppermint patties. I don't think I was very effective though cause someone asked me if I was dressed up! Matt wore my Dad's old silk Chinese robe with the bandana tied around his head. I loved my costume cause it kept me warm... It was freezing in Boston on Halloween night! We went to a party with Matt's high school friends Kevin and his girl friend Christine.

Last weekend, Matt and I went on a last minute trip up to New Hampshire to see the fall foliage. It was sort of late in the season, but there were still lots of trees with bright leaves on them. It was gorgeous! It was a 2 and a half hour drive up to North Conway, but we didn't mind cause we were in Matt's new car. (I should say that I didn't mind...Matt was the one that had to do all the driving. We both love the car though...I highly recommend the Mazda Six!)

We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast that was really expensive cause it was a last minute booking. On Friday night I called a few places and everything was booked, and then the Whitney Inn said they had one room left so I took it...I should have waited cause when we got up there we saw tons of vacancies at little roadside motels. Our place was OK though, and it is always fun eating breakfast at a B and B.

It was lots of fun to drive around the valley, especially on Bear Notch Road and the Kancamagus Highway. We stopped and did little hikes along the way, and hiked Flume Gorge. It was really pretty hiking through the leaves. The light filters through them and the forest is bathed in a warm golden glow. Also, it is fun to hike when you can hear the leaves crunching underneath your shoes. Another good thing about Fall in New England is the weather...it changes a lot, and I always seem to be wearing the wrong thing for the tempurature, but on a good day the air is cold and crisp and it is perfectly clear and sunny. It was perfect hiking weather.

The food in the area was very good...in the afternoon we stopped at a place that made fresh apple cider donuts. Mmm...they were good but really oily. Matt liked it. There were roadstands everywhere selling pumpkins, squash and apples.

The only drawback was that things were expensive! The apples from the roadside stand cost more than apples at the grocery store near my house. So much for New Hampshire being cheap!

The leaves were nice and I am glad we went, but if I had to choose between a weekend at a B and B in Napa and a weekend at a B and B in New Hampshire, I would pick Napa. California still rules!

A Few Updates

I haven't blogged for a long time....

Matt has got a really good job a couple of weeks ago. Two companies were actually fighting over him! It was amazing! It was a really hard choice for him (a start up versus an established company) but he ended up choosing Broadcom. They make chips that are used in various things, including the mp3 players that he used to make for RCA. It is a good job, but unfortunately it is in Andover so he had to buy a car. This week he bougth the cutest thing, a Mazda Six! It is silver and adorable. The other thing about his jobis that he will be spending 25 % of his time in Japan and Korea since one of his main accounts will be Toshiba. He has his first trip soon...I am just hoping that he is not gone for Halloween or for when his sister and her boyfriend are here to visit in two weeks.

I am in school and I like it but I am very busy. I got a job on a research project...basically I go around to poor elderly Chinese people in their home and take their weight and measurements and record everything they ate for the past 24 hours. This is going to be hard because I have to do all of this in Mandarin. We will see if it works out in the end...I haven't had my first home visit yet but I will let you know next week how it goes.

Other than that, Matt and I are off to North Conway, New Hampshire this weekend to see the Fall Foliage! I am very excited!

Atlanta

This is a funny picture of Matt and Ana...they look like little kids!



Last weekend Matt and I flew down to Atlanta to visit his sister Ana and her boyfriend Dave. Matt's older brother Sam was also visiting, so it was like a family reunion! We had a good time and we like Atlanta alot, especially the weather. It is a lot warmer there than it is here! It actually reminded me of California alot because it seemed permanently sunny and you have to drive everywhere and there is traffic.


The first night we went out to a good southern dinner and then went to hear some blues music. It was amazing...the musicians were really talented and they were just jamming, there didn't seem to be any preset plan of what they were going to do. People from the audience would get up and sing or play the washboard. It was a lot of fun. Poor Dave had to drive everyone around...it reminds me what it is like to be in a car city again!


The next day we went to brunch and lazed around all day and the day after that Ana took us to a state park. It was a beautiful hike, and Matt and Ana went swimming in the river. I admit, I thought it was too cold and didn't go in! I know, I am wimp...I guess I take after my Mom, she never used to swim when I was little. Of course, now she swims all the time, no problem. Maybe when I am older I will be able to withstand the cold better! I definitely not very similar to the Massey family...they seem to jump in the water anytime, anywhere.

Taking Back Sunday

Meagan, Kevin and Christine...WOW, I HAVE A HUGE MOUTH!


This weekend there was a free concert at Downtown Crossing, and the band was called Taking Back Sunday. I am starting to feel really old, I have never heard of that band! They must be popular though cause there were tons of teenagers running around, singing a long and acting "tough". There was a huge crowd and it was a lot of fun even though we couldn't see anything. People were sitting in the trees, and Matt scared a little boy by grabbing his shoe and running off with it...he gave it back though, cause the boy looked extremely concerned!


We went with Matt's old high school friend from Eureka and his girlfriend. We went to a place called Sissy K's for dinner before the concert and it was good despite the fact that they covered my mussels with Parmesan cheese. I had thought it was a white wine sauce...oh well.

School!

I am in school again! This is a picture of me going to my Orientation. Yes, I have funny blue shoes on. My orientation was the day our stuff arrived to Boston, so I only had the clothes I wore in China and with my family this summer. SO, this was the best I could come up with...

Weirdly, I am totally intimidated by going back to school, even though I know it is silly and I have nothing to be worried about...I feel better now that I have been to my classes. I think it is going to be more work than I expected, but that is ok cause I am really excited to be in school and I love my classes. I am happy cause the fact that I love my classes so much means that I am doing the right thing by going back to school. All of my classes are interesting: epidemiology, occupational and environmental health, public health policy and nutrition. My favorite class so far is the public health policy course. I thought environmental health would be less interesting but I actually loved it...Nutrition is going to be interesting but a lot of it is going to be a review. My science background will definitely come in handy...maybe my year of organic chemistry will not go to waste.

I won't bore anyone with the details of my classes...the only problem is that I wish I could just be in school and not have to work. But, now that I am back in the US, there are no excuses for not working! I am going to wait until after our apartment is settled to start looking for work.

Still Unpacking...

My previous post about all of Dad's books was very melodramatic...but still, it IS a lot of work, and I do feel slightly overwhelmed since I am also starting school again. Things are getting better and Matt and I are strting to feel very at home in our apartment. It is going to look great! About the book issue...I am having someone come to appraise his books, and maybe buy some of them. At least then I will know if they are worth any thing or not...If he buys them that is great, I will sell the ones about subjects I am less interested in. If he doesn't, then I will give some to charity and keep the ones I like.

Matt painted the office. (It used to be the second bedroom but when our stuff arrived we realized that we had only put Dad's bed in storage, not our own! Sorry, any potential visitors out there!) We chose the color Straw...Hopefully it will help keep me cheerful in the long winter months. Matt did a great job painting and the room looks beautiful with the white trim and the wood furniture.

Ipswich

A couple of weekends ago Matt and I went to Crane Beach and Ipswich. It was sort of cold, but it was a lot of fun. We went into a little town near there that had lots of antique shops.





I discovered that I am not a person that likes to go "antique-ing". It was really fun though and cute though, despite my lack of interet in antiques. A great thing is that there were lots of places with clams and lobster. YUM! We didn't get to eat any though because we had to catch a train going back to Boston and we didn't have time for dinner.


Matt doesn't like his picture taken!

Things we have been doing in Boston

We went to the Museum of Science to see Body Worlds. It was so amazing! I highly recommend it to anyone...basically a doctor in Germany uses donated bodies create "muscle skeletons", if tht makes sense. He also had various cross sections of the body on display. It is sad to know what my arteries probably look like, with all of my cholesterol pumping through them building up plaque...The picture of the brain is not from the exhibit, that is my brain, complete with gaping hole.


We went on a tour of Harvard, or "Hahvahd" as our tour guides liked to say. The tour was led by two Harvard seniors trying to run an unofficial tour of Harvard and Harvard is not happy. It was pretty good but very long. We learned something interesting: 92% of Cambridge residents voted for Kerry in the last presidential election. Wow.


We went to Mike's Pastry in the North End. This cannolli was WAY TOO SWEET! It almost burned my taste buds off. I guess Italians like it like that?


We went to the Farmer's Market in Union Square. It was SO MUCH FUN! I love farmer's markets...this one had a band and lots of art for sale and, of course, produce. I like Union Square, it feels fun and funky...less upscale than Cambridge. This picture is of the gorgeous Paula apples for sale. I had never seen them before, and they looked beautiful, so I bought them. Unfortunately, to me they didn't taste as good as they looked! Very tart and the texture wasn't as crisp as I like. I prefer Granny Smith if I want a tart apple.


We went on a boat to the USS Constitution. The boat ride was fun, and going on the ship was free. I hate to say it, but Hong Kong definitely beats Boston in terms of the beauty of the harbor.

Too Many Books

This post is just an update...I had all sorts of things I wanted to blog about the things we have been doing...We have been having a great time in Boston and we love it! For the past couple of weeks we have been relaxing, seeing a few sights in Boston, and getting things set up here. We had our stuff shipped here from Hong Kong and had Dad's stuff shipped here from storage in LA. I knew it was going to be a lot of work to go through all of Dad's stuff, not to mention the emotional upheaval it would cause, so we got here two weeks before my school starts in hopes of having plenty of time to unload everything and get organized. However, the moving company was late, and it arrived a few days ago. Of course, it was the only day that Matt or I had any plans. I had my school orientation and Matt had a job interview. Matt rescheduled his job interview, and it was probably for the best the I wasn't around for the unloading. Moving men are always so surly and gruff, and I think the sight of them gives me post traumatic stress disorder of when they came to clear out Dad's house two years ago. They couldn't fit the piano OR the couch through the doorway to our house. This is a MAJOR bummer. The good news is that the rest of Dad's furniture fits perfectly and things had been going relatively smoothly...till today.

Today I have set the task for myself of going through all of Dad's books. There are 25 boxes of them. The boxes took up the entire living room. Believe it or not, two years ago, I got rid of half of Dad's book collection, so this is the better half of the original collection. There is no way that all of these books will fit in my house and they definitely don't fit in the bookshelves. So...I have been sorting through them and getting rid of ones that I want less than the others. This is a really draining job, much more than you would think. Part of me feels like I am being a traitor or a horrible daughter for getting rid of things that I know my Dad loved. He loved books! The other part of me feels really bitter and mad that I am a prisoner of Dad's stuff. A book collection is a really personal thing. It is a lot of information about things that the person who accumulated the books is interested in. I am not necessarily interested in the things Dad was interested in, and for things we are both interested in, I don't really need a lot of books about the subject. For instance, there were two full boxes of books about hiking trails in the Sierras. I love hiking in the Sierras but all that information is online or available at a Ranger Station. And, he had about a kajillion coffee table books. They are beautiful but heavy and probably wouldn't get much use. There is really no room for that in my small apartment.

I am not a prisoner of my own belongings...Matt and I travel pretty light and are too young to have accumulated so much stuff. Plus, I get rid of things of my own so that I can fit into the space I have. But I feel really guilty getting rid of stuff that is Dad's, especially cause he told me he wanted me to keep all his stuff after he died exactly the way it is. That is really unfair to me. I am sure he was joking, but still...I sold his condo, so I already messed that one up. Anyway, today for some reason I am getting all stressed out again like I was after Dad died and I was going through his stuff the first time. I hate it! Plus, this is really mean to say, but I am sick of thinking about him and doing stuff that he would have wanted it. I want to get on with my own life. I think I still have my own life...maybe I should never have left Hong Kong, you can easily avoid reality and unpleasant subjects there. Grandma made a photo album about Dad and when I was at her house this summer I didn't even want to look at it. It is so mean, but I am just so sick of memorializing him and thinking about his life.

Matt has been great though...he doesn't care about belongings, his own or anyone elses. He wanted to unpack Dad's antique Buddha from Myanmar. I was like, "NO! I am afraid it is broken, don't open it, ignorance is bliss!" Matt was like, "If it is broken, so what? We don't need a buddha anyway. It's heavy." So he opened it up and my heart was going a mile a minute cause I was afraid it would be broken and I would feel responsible. It was fine, and afterwards I was angry. It is not fair, it isn't even my Buddha, and I was almost having a heart attack about it, as if Dad would zoom down from wherever he is and be mad at me.

Whatever...these are just weird issues I have. I need to get over it and let go of his belongings because he is dead and holding on to them doesn't help.

Hello, Boston!

Matt and I have finally arrived in Boston. We came with 4 huge bags of luggage, two of which weighed 50 pounds and the other ones nearly as much! (What can I say? I travel light but after a month in China and two months staying with various family members, we accumulated a lot!) We didn't take a taxi from the airport despite the fact that it was raining and we couldn't carry all our bags at once. Instead, we took the bus and the T. Boston's public transportation system is great (by US standards...Hong Kong's public transport really can't be beat), so it actually wasn't that hard to get home with all our stuff. Also, I think we just wanted to prove to ourselves that we can get by without a car, no matter what situation comes along.


When we got back to our apartment, we walked 2 miles to Target to buy an air mattress. Of course, Target worked it's usual magic and we ended up buying a huge cartload of stuff. We bought a 75 piece "kitchen in a box" for 30 bucks. That should hold us until our stuff arrives in September...It is really fun cooking again after travelling for so long and having such a tiny kitchen in Hong Kong. Our kitchen seems HUGE after Hong Kong!


Our house is empty, so we are "camping out" and I am obsessing over the holes in the wall and the grease stains in the kitchen. Oh well...Matt says I need to get used to living in an old house. I need to figure out hos to get grease splatters off the wall! We have no TV or anything, but we bought Yahtzee and a puzzle at Target. THe second bedroom is the Puzzle Room. We are using a big cardboard box for a dining room table and a smaller one for a computer table. It is lots of fun actually!

Last Days in Beautiful California!

All good things have to come to an end...so we left beautiful, beloved California. And since I seem to be using cliches today, I may as well go ahead and say that when one door closes another one opens...and now we are here in beautiful Cambridge, Massachussetts! And yes, Cambridge IS beautiful, we have been loving it so far.

On another note, it seems like alot of my friends and family are empowering themselves and starting independent, creative businesses and/or hobbies. Excellent! For instance, Matt's old friend from Eureka has a gorgeous web site with his art on it. Matt's mom started a pet burial at sea business, and my Aunt Lisa left academia and started a photography studio. Also, my good friend Kelly from Hong Kong is starting a Daily Candy-style web site for Hong Kong. I know it will be successful, and I will post the link when it launches in mid-October. Then I can read about everything going on in Hong Kong and fantasize about my old life there! (Hmmm...this could be a bad thing...Ha ha!) Oh, and I almost forgot to mention...my grandma Janet has taken on a new profession as a web designer/administrator. This is extremely inspiring because she has had a full career, and now, as a soon to be great grandma, she has taught herself a new profession. WOW! She created a website for the very successful business of my Uncle Jimmy, and now two of his colleagues want her to do a website for them.

Wow! Maybe Matt will be next...he wants to start a company but "The Big Idea" has yet to hit him. And then there is my fantasy yoga studio...

Matt's 10 Year Reunion

Matt and I were in Eureka for Matt's 10 year high school reunion. It was SO much fun! Reunions are great, especially when they aren't your own. I didn't know anyone so I popped around taking pictures of everyone there. It was funny, Matt would say hi to someone and I would immediate take a picture, like the paparazzi. Actually I shouldn't say that I didn't know anyone there...I knew all of Matt's friends...I think there were about 10 of us altogether, and I have known all of his friends for a few years now. Everyone met at Matt's house before the reunion, and Matt made all the guys take a shot of his snake wine that he brought all the way back from China. It was gross, or so it seemed judging by the looks on their faces! (I had tried lots of Chinese liquor in China and drunk snake blood in Vietnam, so my curiosity about that sort of thing has been sated...besides, sname wine is for virility.)

I also got to see my old college roommate Emily, it was great! It was my first time to see her as a married woman.

One highlight of the night was when Matt and Matthew Winkle ran through the room in their underwear. Then they ran and jumped in the pool. THis prompted a whole bunch of people (mostly guys and a few really drunk girls) to go into the pool in their underwear.

Matt and his friends from Eureka are definitely tight...it is nice to see them, they seem to have a really strong bond. After the reunion there was a solid half hour of wrestling/hugging/saying how much fun they had. I think it helped they they had all been backpacking together for the three days before the reunion.

Aren't they cute? This was the final hug of the night.

I went to Grandma's house and was lucky to see the whole Hardy family! The Pulsiphers had a boat and we went wakeboarding. It was so much fun! I actually was able to stand up and was really impressed with myself. That sounds horrible, but it is true...I had tried to wakeboard in Hong Kong and decided that it was futile to attempt it. Maybe it was Gary's detailed instruction, or maybe I was just more relaxed because I was with my family...anyway, I am very excited about it!

We also went down to see the Valkos' new house. It is almost done, and it was looking gorgeous. It looks like a luxurious mountain home...it will be so nice for them when they can move in. It is phenomenal to me that they built the house from top to bottom as a family and they can live in it.