Chicago and more...

Hey all -

Now we must NOT shrink back from having communication! I am saying this aloud so I hear it to...no matter how short...one word, two, fifty, one picture...we must continue our blog of communication! OK - I am off my soapbox - I was also reminding myself.

SO...my gender bias Continuing Legal Education event / performance was a HUGE success and ran so smoothly all were amazed. It was a TON of fun. The next one is June 9th surrounding GLBT issues and Proposition 8. Should be interesting.

Oh -- quick interruption - HAPPY SAINT PATTY'S DAY.

OK - next...Chicago visit and current romantic entanglement. Well...I am so happy! Aaron is still fantastic and we had an amazing time in Chicago together. We got along seamlessly. He is a wonderful person - so good to me - really loves me (yep we said it)- treats me like gold - is funny as hell and...is perfect for me. We met each others friends, that are in Chicago, and everyone liked everyone - approvals across the board. He is coming back up here the first weekend in April and we are meeting each others parents...yikes!

Then...in May he is relocating up to Minneapolis from Chicago (for the summer at first) to see how we function in the same city. He is staying with his parents initially (they live about 20 minutes from me). If it works well we will talk about him relocating permanently starting in August and then we will get a place together at that point...CRAZY!

He is great! You would all love him. He is so much fun...I am continually amazed that I have been given such a gift. He communicates, listens, supports, plays, is intelligent, kind, liberal, non religious, wants kids, artistic, creative, driven, organized, clean, caring ...shit, the list goes on. Whew, it has been a whirlwind.

OK - that is all I have time for right now. No, I do not have pictures - can you believe I kept forgetting. I think in the back of my mind I was worried if I took pictures it might jinx it...I will work on that fear.

How is everyone??????

Face painting at the zoo

The children went to an evening concert at the zoo and had their faces painted. I would like to take credit for the photos but they were taken by the photographer for Dean and Lisa's wedding, which is this Friday!

Lily, I hope your Gender Bias class went well and that Aaron is still gorgeous. Kathy, do you have any more pictures of Tifenn in her underwear? Kristen, where are you?

Hey all of you - long time no post from all. How is everyone? I got up this morning at 3am and could not get back to sleep. I have a big event at work today that has been a ton of stress - can't wait until this day is over. I was the project manager on a 2 hour continuing legal education class about Gender Bias. We have 4 expert panelists, 3 actors (performing selected scenes and transcripts) and a moderator that leads discussions that jump off of the scenes and transcripts that are read. It is live with 200 registered participants PLUS it is shot with a 3 camera crew and streamed live on the web to over 100 participants PLUS it is recorded for rebroadcasting. There are so many elements that could fail - so it is a bit stressful. It is one of those things where if it is great I will get NO recognition BUT if it fails I will get all the blame -- kinda sucks -- but I still love it. I just need to figure out how to not have it stress me out so much. I got up because I was running the entire course of the day in my head.

Anyway -- other things are great. I am still head over heels for Aaron and I leave for Chicago on Friday to stay with him for a week. He is really a lovely man -- I hope we do ok in the same place. We talk on the phone ALL the time and email constantly. He is a great communicator and an absolute gentleman. I don't know how it could be that I have turned down this road of luck -- I just hope it continues. I am going to enjoy the ride regardless. We already have April planned when he comes up for the first weekend. We will be going out with his parents on Friday night and then on Saturday MY parents...can you believe it?

Not much else -- how are you surviving the snow Kathy and Kristen? How is the heat Roh and how was your Bday? We will have to try to get a skype call in again in the next few weeks - especially after I get back from Chicago :)!

Miss you all - keep in touch and give my love to your families.

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.