LOVE SHOT!

This is what Tifenn & I worked on for V-Day!

I thought I would also include what Grace wrote on her Valentines for her classmates.

Grace’s 1st Grade Valentines 2009

Dear Mrs. Collins…You’re the best teacher! Because you teach very well!

Dear Laura….I love your last name because it is like the season Winter.

Dear Panogiotis…I love the funny voice that you make.

Dear Zoe….I love your glasses. Can you wear them tomorrow?

Dear Jack R….Your fast!

Dear Naomi…I love the hats that you wear!

Dear Adithi…The play date was so fun. Can we have another one?

Dear Owen…Congratulations, you lost your tooth!

Dear Graham…I am so, so, so, so, so, glad that your in my class.

Dear Emily…Your hair is so silky!

Dear Kevon…I love your last name because mine is the same.

Dear Bella…Your little sister is so cute.

Dear Hailey…I hope your in my class next year, then you will have been in my class for three years.

Dear Ted….I love all of the compliments that you gave me. Thank you!

Dear Evan…You are brave to have long hair because you are a boy. P.S. I have short hair.

Dear Jack H…You are very smart!

Dear Dylan…The clothes that you wear are so nice.

Dear Chelsea…I love the color black, just like you do.

problem...

Ok - I am a butt - I can't do tonight (Friday 13 @7:30 central). I have two very good reasons. Frist of all it has been a hell of a week at work and I didn't find time to call for internet service hooked up - so it is patchy and inconsistent - which sucks and I dont think it will have enough strength to work. Second, I have actaully been invited to do a TON of stuff tonight - can't believe it. I got asked to play billiards at 5 - craft night at 6:30 and a dinner at my neighbors at 8! I am so excited - a social life is building here. I think it is because it is not longer below 0. ANYWAY -- I do have an international line on my cell phone until the 20th of this month because my mom was in India and needed to communicate -- SO roh I would love to give you a call on the 14th? Can I call early in my morning? I want to say Happy Bday! What number would I call? Then maybe through out the weekend i will call Kathy and Kristen on the phone just to touch base -- I really have to get my own internet service before Skype will be worth it -- I just would feel bad if I could not sign on again like last Sunday. I am going to call today and see what I can find out - hell- maybe they will be able to come out tomorrow? Never know -- and if that happens I will give you all a shout. Sorry this is a rambling post - it is 7 in the morning and I haven't had my coffee yet so I think I might still be asleep. Miss you all and I promise we will figure out this damn skype thing and have a rockin call soon! OH and Aaron will be more then happy to dress in red for the intro -- that will probably happen in April...I am going to Chicago for a week in March...we are totally smitten...it is so fun...you would all really like him!

Date

Lily, I'm glad the date went well. Keep up the good work. Don't forget that before any decisions on whether he is "the one" are made, he has to gain the approval of the rooster and two other chicks. I think it would be appropriate that he be wearing a red shirt when the time comes for his Skype introduction.

Fires

We are all ok. Most of the fires were in country towns or in small villages in the hills on the outskirts of the Melbourne metroploitan area. We are quite close to the center of Melbourne in one of the older areas. Some of those small towns and villages have been completely destroyed. The fires got within two or three miles of my parents' place (60 miles east of Melbourne) but the wind changed and sent the fires in a different direction. All of Victoria is in shock at the scale of the disaster - the worst in Australian history. Officially 173 dead at this stage, but estimates are that the toll may be more than 300. And the fires are still not out. Although the weather is cooler there are still strong winds and no rain. In fact, we haven't had any proper rain yet in 2009. Everything is tinder dry. The mood is turning from grief to anger as people come to grips with the likelihood that the fires were deliberately lit by arsonists.

Skype this Friday - we can't all be on at the same time and see video. How about Kathy at 8pm New York time and then Lily at 7.30pm Central? We could also have some overlap of a group audio without video. Kristen, we still don't even know your Skype i.d. yet.

THE FIRES & SKYPE

Rohan, please let us know that you and your family are ok. Is your parents house ok? I have been looking on the maps, but I not sure exactly where they are. What a tragedy...I am so sorry!

Ok, yes, we need to work on setting up the calls through regular email or new postings because arranging through commenting is definitely problematic. I am in for this Friday the 13th..yikes...@ 8:00 eastern, if we are still on.

Lily, so happy it went so well on Saturday....keep us posted!

Sorry...

Roh - I am so sorry I was not there to skype with you last night. I am having internet problems at home...the problem is i have been stealing it forever and just need to sign up for my own service...it is a money issue. ANYWHO I tried to get on and couldn't - I couldn't even this morning and am currently at work writing this.

I also wanted to say I am so scared for you folks home -- is all ok? I have been watching the news and am amazed at what has been happening!!! My god it is aweful!!!!

lastly on a slightly more positive note...I had my date on Saturday...and I have to say I think I can speak for both of us...we are head over heels...I honestly think...and this is so strange to say...he might be "the one". I can't even talk about right now because I am still processing it. I have never met anyone like him...he is so kind and funny and handsome and sweet and shit...he even likes me...it is all a little "WOW" right now. I will write more in detail about what we did later.

SO ok - when is the next skype date...the 13th right, 7pm central? I am on it - I will try to get service connected by then...so lets confirm on the 12th - cool?

Skype??

We are going to have to change the way we book Skype calls. I thought I was supposed to speaking to Kathy on the 6th and Lily on the 8th. So, can we all confirm when we are Skype-ing next. Is anyone available on the 13th at 8pm New York time?

Hot hot hot

Today was the hottest day in Melbourne history - 115.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the state of Victoria is under some sort of bushfire threat. There is an enormous bushfire less than five miles from my parents' house and they have their bags packed and are ready to go. A cool change and a change in wind direction may work in their favor. More here and here.

Rooster And All Three Chicks

Here are a couple of all three of us!

Snowy Days

Our chosen mode of transportation these days!


Hey everyone,

I am finally peeking out of my "no work" malaise. I have had a few jobs lately, so I don't feel like I have to re-think my whole career. When I don't work for a while, I start questioning everything....what I am doing, my career choices, blah, blah, blah. I am constantly plagued with a stream of "bright" and often "not-so-bright" ideas running through my consciousness. The "recently ridiculous" being a mobile that I made for Tifenn's baby in which I hand felted and sculpted a shepperd girl, a wolf in sheep's clothing and a flock of sheep all hanging from a branch corseted in red felt. Tifenn upon receiving the gift suggested that I try to sell these. Mmmmmm...that could be fun! I made lists of where I would sell them, sourced all of my materials, envisioned meditatively constructing these everyday in complete serenity and bliss. Well, it's a good thing that my husband draws me back to reality. Once we tallied the hours spent and what I would hope to get for these...I would be lucky to make $5 per hour. Anyway, for today I am once again a working stylist.

Roh, I am so sorry, but we can't Skype on the 7th. The kids are having a sleep over and Albert and I are actually going to a dance party at the Bubble Lounge. No kids....what will I use as an excuse to come home when I am tired at 11:00? I could do the 6th?

Roh, has it cool down there? We have had so much fun in the snow this year. Sorry Lily, I know you don't even want to hear the word sn..(*)(&(*^*! We just got 4 inches yesterday. Although, I now clearly understand why people have kids when they are young...yesterday after school, we went sledding in a blizzard, rushed home, did homework, cooked dinner, then I was pulling both Louis and Grace up off of the ice at Wollman rink until 8:30 last night. Roh, you can tell Hannah and Sam that they were missed at the "2nd & 3rd grader PS 321 Skating Night". Whew, and I have to do it all over on Thursday with Grace's class.

Lily, relax and just have fun Sat night....remember, he's the lucky one!

run run run

well! I finally got y ass out there again and
I just came back from doing a loop! YEA!!!!!!
That was soooo hard, my legs were like tree stumps
but I did it!! So beautiful, the lake is frozen over,
there are patches of ice everywhere and sun and shadow
complementing all of it...just gorgeous!

Now that I know I can do it Kathy, lets start up
on sat or sun mornings again, ok?

Wouldnt that be great if we could have portable
skype and all run together at the same time, talking
each other on as we run??? We actually could do it
if we all had iphones, skype works on it....

So thats the big news for this week!

cheerio,
Kristen