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December 18 McGills 2007Dear Family & Friends,
2007 has been an extraordinary year for the McGills with plenty of excitement, new
experiences and, of course, challenges. Sue & Mike have really enjoyed their curling and golf and so many great times with
their fantastic group of friends up in Bobcaygeon. May, the passing of Sue’s mother, Betty, was an enormous loss to the family.
Two wonderful gatherings were held in her honour to celebrate her life - one in Toronto and the other at her residence in Lindsay. Betty was a very special lady and will be remembered fondly. No grandchildren, but Sue & Mike did became Grand Aunt & Uncle to Kenyon,
Lisa’s new baby boy and went out to BC in August to join the MacDonalds for Kenyon’s Baby Dedication ceremony. Over Thanksgiving, they went on a 16-day cruise with good friends, Peter and Marg
Cowie. They enjoyed sun, sand, and culture in Mexico, Columbia and Costa Rica! Although it may not sound like it, Sue & Mike’s hectic schedule was interrupted
sporatically with Sue having a number of lung infections. Unfortunately, the series of illnesses culminated in a nasty case of pneumonia and a 12-day stay in the hospital at the end of November. Never fear, she is already well on the mend & looking forward to a healthier 2008! To assist her in that venture, they had a new walk-in, spa bathtub installed in their ensuite bathroom - a real treat for them both! For Andrea, the New Year began with resigning from her job of 9 years with the
Ontario Equestrian Federation to embark on a new journey. She started her own graphic design company, ALM Designs, and works out of her home in Lefroy, ON. The new business has been a tremendous success and is constantly growing. The spring saw a new addition to Andrea’s life - another puppy. Beautiful and
energetic, MaGee has kept both Andrea and her old German Sheppard, Hobo, on their toes. 2007 was the start of Jennifer’s second year in Philadelphia working at ECRI
Institute, Health Devices as a Senior Project Engineer. What would Jen’s life be without a little traveling? In April, Jen enjoyed a cruise
from LA to the Mexican Riviera and back with her boyfriend, Martin, along with a number of other trips to Ontario, camping on Assateague Island in Maryland, and visiting friends in New York and Boston. After two years of a very long distance relationship, Jen’s boyfriend, Martin, was
able to come to Philadelphia in the fall to stay for a few months. Jen has thoroughly enjoyed the quality time and the home cooked meals, as he can certainly turn a good hand in the kitchen. With Sue & Mike away on their cruise, Andrea spent Canadian Thanksgiving down
in Philadelphia with Jen. Martin prepared a wonderful turnkey dinner and all three ventured out to a fantastic Brazilian band performance downtown. Christmas will see the entire McGill gang meeting in Bobcaygeon for good times,
good food and good cheer. Best wishes from our family to yours this Holiday Season and in the New Year!
Mike, Sue, Jennifer & Andrea December 07 Update to comeMy last post was July??? I guess that was when I joined Facebook and have since neglected my regular blog. I think it is time for an update, so I'll work on that this weekend :) July 26 Salsa at Rock LobsterPics of Lloyd and Jackie, then Lloyd and Barbara, and finally Nate and myself dancing Salsa.
July 23 Assateague IslandWow! What a beautiful weekend! I would recommend Assateague Island as a wonderful trip for anyone who loves the ocean, beaches, wildlife and camping. Here are a few things that I learned…
http://www.nps.gov/asis/ (definitely go to the National Seashore on the Maryland side rather than the State Park)
1. Book a campsite as far in advance as possible – I was lucky to get a “no show” site – they are booked solid for the rest of the summer (so they said). 2. Get an Oceanside site if possible, but make sure you have tons of those big yellow plastic pegs to tie any tent down, because the wind can be wicked strong. 3. If you like quiet camping, go for the walk-in sites (no cars, RVs, or generators allowed). If you can handle hiking 4 miles… the backcountry sites are supposedly spectacular (I didn’t make the trek. The sites are pretty close together and not very private (Bayside sites have more trees and bushes between the sites). 4. There is a $10 fee per vehicle to enter the park (good for 7 days) and then it is $20 per night to camp (I think that is for the whole site not per person). 5. There were practically no bugs, but there was a strong breeze, so a screen tent for eating would be a good idea and watch out for ticks. 6. The horses are EVERYWHERE. They are feral horses (formerly domesticated that have been wild now for over a hundred years). They hang out at the campsites looking for water and food (and one was right outside the loo one time – eek!). You have to watch where you step (eeew) and watch for horses on the beach, on the road, and even in the parking lots. People obviously feed them and I saw people petting them, but they are wild horses – it is actually ILLEGAL to do that and the rangers patrol all the time. 7. Obviously keep your food secure – horses can get into it. 8. You have to be careful about what firewood to bring in (check with rangers before coming – or the website). 9. TONS of birds ( I saw a gazillion different kinds, but I’m not a bird watcher, so I only know the names of a few like egrets, gulls and sandpipers). 10. I saw wild deer too! …and a toad got into my tent somehow – hee hee. 11. Campsites on the ocean allow you to walk onto the beach, but otherwise you would need to bike or drive. 12. Parking at the beaches fill up by 10am, so get to the beach in the morning… I then rested and ate lunch in the middle of the day and went back to the beach later around 4 or 5 pm and there were WAY less people. Very peaceful. Oh and the campsites were very quiet in the middle of the day so it was a great time to nap J. 13. Ya – one more warning about the horses… they pee and poo all over, so be very careful where you put your tent (one peed right on my fire pit – good thing I didn’t plan on having a campfire). 14. There are three little trails that are perfect for short walks and of course you can hike for miles and miles along the beach.
I am hoping to take Martin there in October when it is off season. Hopefully we can get a site and there will be fewer bugs and fewer tourists with giant RVs!
Here is a link to my photos from the weekend… http://www.kodakgallery.com/notallwhowanderarelost/main/assateague_island June 28 You need to recert CPR if...It has been a while since I recertified (oh about 8 years), so I thought I would share some observations to encourage folks to get updated training.
You should recertify your CPR training if:
1. You have never seen the "Annie" with brown skin (woohoo muti-racial manikins).
2. You are not familiar with using the flimsy plastic "face sheilds" (I still have one of those rescue masks with the yellow barf valve somewhere).
3. Your last training did not include anything on AEDs.
4. You still think adult CPR is 15 compressions for every 2 breaths (it is now 30 compressions to 2 breaths).
5. You think back blows should not be done on concsious choking adults (they are back!).
6. You think you need to straddle the person's knees and do abdominal thrusts for an unconscious choking adult (it is now identical to CPR - do CHEST compressions).
7. You made a full mouth seal (either on the manikin or a fellow trainee) without a face sheild or mask in your last training (no mouth to mouth contact between trainees anymore and they use BOTH alcohol wipes AND facesheilds on the manikins - Wimps!).
8. This may only apply to the US, but if you haven't seen this year's American Red Cross CPR DVD that has some NFL football star in it (don't ask me to remember which one - like I care), you need to RECERT!
In other words, I actually learned stuff in my CPR recert  .June 26 Switching from Vonage to Skype My Vonage router died, so I am switching VOIP services to Skype which is considerably cheaper anyway. It also has a video function and a way more robust and reliable global system. So, I won't have my (610) phone number as of the end of June. You have to call my cell ... the (215) number, but if I have my computer on, you can always reach me for free on Skype (Jennifer.McGill). Soon, I'll be getting the Skype phone, so I won't even have to have the computer on  .June 21 Happy Aboriginal DayWoohoo! Summer Solstice is here with a celebration of our native people. I miss dodging the flying wads of shaving cream at Raven Mad Daze  .June 19 Weekend in BostonI finally had a fun weekend - no memorials! It was a long drive up to Boston on Friday night, but I made it in time for Friday Night Salsa (FNS) at Havana Club in Central Square, Cambridge. I ran into over a dozen people that I used to dance with "back in the day"... some I hadn't seen in two and a half years. Supposedly it wasn't as packed as it can be, but there must have been over 200 people dancing. Here's a pick of me when I first arrived and greeted by a very friendly Pepe - he he.
...and here's me putting on my dancing shoes - getting ready to shake it!
Kerry met me there and we stayed until past 2am. Good thing thing there was a 24 hour deli on the way to her friend Tracy's place (where she is staying for the summer), because I was HUNGRY! We collapsed after munching and slept in til 10ish. We then went out to lunch with Laidy and Eduardo whose wedding I had gone to in Spain several years ago. We had a fabulous meal at the Summer Shack near Alewife and it was wonderful to visit wth them. Kerry and I both took a nap, but then I had to leave for my board meeting. It was at Turner Fisheries in Copley and oh my they had the most delicious clam chowder! The meeting went pretty well and I even had a chance to catch up with a couple of people that I hadn't seen in a year. I could have stopped by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) conference at the Hynes Convention Center, but I just didn't have time. I did get to go and visit with Mel, Ramon and Tracey though. I dropped by Ramon's apartment in Back Bay and joined in some Karaoke singing (eeek). My favourite part was when Ramon sang in Tagalag and Mel translated the cheesey lyrics - he he. Mel is getting married (to Charlotte who wasn't there this weekend) in August, so I wish them both all the best in planning an pulling off the extravaganza. I managed to get some sleep and then Kerry and I walked to Davis Square to have brunch... I looked for the place that Jennifer Jackson recommended called Sound Bites, but I didn't see it, so we ended up at the Blue Shirt Cafe. Mmmmm... they had good coffee! Almost as good as Tracy's machine thingy! Anyhoo, I drove like a maniac back to Bensalem and made it in 5.5 hours, so I was proud of myself although quite tired. I think the next summer weekend trip should be to NYC! Or maybe the BEACH!!!! I have a few pics that I uploaded from the weekend too...
May 29 Granny died on SaturdayI am still numb and can't believe that she's gone, but at the same time relieved that Granny didn't suffer for very long. She wanted to go peacefully and she did. We all just made it to see her during the day on Saturday including my sister and Al, and my Uncle Peter who flew in from Vancouver. She knew we were there beside her and although the words didn't come out very clearly, she was asking her usual "what's new" questions - always curious to know how everyone is doing. She even laughed a bit. We are all so grateful that there was not a long and drawn out time like with Grandad. I feel very lucky to have made it in time to say good bye. Anyway, I'll be flying back to Toronto for the reception on Thursday... here's a link to the notice in the Globe and Mail and the Star.
May 10 Debbie's MemorialOur family has had too many losses lately and yet for Debbie's memorial there were no people dressed in black nor any somber services - just a celebration of her life. It really was wonderful to see people that I haven't seen in years and even to steal a little time with my parents and sister who I hadn't seen since Christmas. Earla made an incredible speech about Deb and her amazing capacity to accept people for who they are and enjoy all folks without passing judgement. She was a true free spirit and a caring person who will be dearly missed. We all let go of helium balloons and it was very symbolic of letting go of Deb (even though some got stuck in the trees nearby - hee hee) and the pinatas were a HOOT. Although I highly doubt that any latino family would use a hockey stick to hit the pinata, it was nice to see the Canadian roots coming out. Bill Best whacked the thing so hard that I think prizes will be discovered in yards several doors down. Laura's son David played "O Canada" on the trumpet too! Little Orphan Annie (Jaqueline) led the girls in touching "Tomorrow" that brought tears to my eyes. It was a special day. Thanks to all of the family and friends who pulled it together. I was glad to be able to make it from Philly (good thing I wasn't still in Yellowknife!). May 02 UpdateI haven't had ace to write yet on the cruise, but the pictures are finally up on my Kodak site (after a work-around with friggin' VISTA). The past few weeks have been a whirlwind with the wedding then a weekend in Edmonton and this weekend in Ohio for my cousin's funeral. My poor Aunt just lost her husband to cancer less than two years ago and now her daughter. My parents and sister are also going so at least I get to see them. Although we are all a bit worried about Granny while everyone is in Ohio, because she's deteriorating pretty rapidly. Andrea and Al are enjoying their new puppy Magee, but Hobo is not doing so well. He was not able to do stairs a couple of weeks ago and wasn't eating at all; however, he has improved a bit so as long as he's not in constant pain and eating hopefully he will be OK for a while. I've had some fun this past week with a new employeee from Toronto named Rikin (who also went to U of G) and with a visitor from our Malaysia office named Dharmesh. I've taken them into Philly for a Jazz concert at the Museum of Art, Philly Cheesesteaks at Geno's and some wandering around Old City. I'm not sure how good of a tour guide I was considering that I'm not from here, but it was enjoyable anyway. Rikin introduced me to Cold Stone Creamery yesterday (there is one about a 15 min drive from work), which was just MEAN! I may be getting fatter in the near future (tee hee). Anyway, that's a brief update and I'll try to fill in more on the wedding, etc. later, but at least the pics are there. March 29 Clark, the Canadian Hockey GoalieAny hockey players/fans out there? Martin pointed me to this video, which is FUNNY! FYI, you can find the origin of the word "hoser" in Wikipedia... (sources unverified, but understood to be true via consensus of the general Canadian population).
Clark, the Canadian Hockey Goalie
Hoser
And a Hockey Haiku to finish off...
puck. the one dark thing
that tears across the gaze, its edge; our watchful eye —Matt Robinson, Fredericton March 28 My HeadWhile I was driving home the other day, I saw an advertisement that said, "Life is predictable, so your radio shouldn't be." Who's life is PREDICTABLE? Mine certainly isn't. Not that I am a proponant of repetitive radio stations, but the whole advertisement was wacky. I suppose some people have a routine that they always do - every day - every week. I don't think that is possible for me..too many things to do and try. OK, so I didn't dance at all this past weekend, because I had a wicked headache the whole time. I did get a massage and go shopping with my co-worker (Monica). I also finally met Nancy from Montreal who organises a lot of the Philly Canadian events. Oh! I found my car registration card JUST in time to renew it by the end of this week. Whew! Those "safe places" can be dangerous! Exciting stuff! Actually, I am feeling particularly fortunate today compared to Sheila's circle of friends in Nairobi. One of her friend's father passed away, another has cancer in the lymph nodes and another has a friend who just tested positive for HIV, oh plus the two families who had their adoptions cancelled after having the children in their homes for over a year. Man, my issues seem pretty dang tiny in comparison and life is SWEET. I miss Martin and my family, but life is still lovely (minus the headache). March 23 First Philly Canadian Pub Night + SalsaCanadians AND Salsa - How much better can you get than THAT? I am going to check out Jose Alberto (aka El Canario) at Tierra Columbiana (http://www.tierracolombianaphilly.com/home.asp) tonight, which is a new place for me. On Saturday, hopefully I can find the Canucks at the Canadian-owned Elephant and Castle Pub in Center City Philadelphia (http://www.elephantcastle.com/content/locations/philadelphia). One of the "PhillyExpatCanadians" who organises stuff is also a Salsa fan, so it would be cool to finally meet her (Nancy). You never know, I may already have seen her around, but just not realised the connection. Sunday I hope I still have energy to go to Alfies - if only to see the Estilo student group perform (http://www.estilodancestudio.com/events.html), since a bunch of them are in my Rueda class. Oh and at some point this weekend I HAVE to find my tax forms and stuff (UGH!). March 21 NYC Weekend TalesNot very many people responded YES to my Evite, but it all worked out beautifully anyway. JD Smith (Salsa buddy from Boston) hooked me up with a place to stay at his high school friend's apartment (a guy named Larry, who I finally realised is Larry Hama - the writer of the GI Joe comic among many other things... actor, guitar player, etc. - just Google his name to see a whole bunch of stuff on his work). Due to the storm on Friday night, I ended up going into New York later on Saturday and managed to meet up with JD around 5PM. We took a cab from Penn Station to Tribeca and met Larry and his wife Carol (and daughter). I got to see a couple of samples of JD's work that he brought to show his NY agent - he's a bladesmith (also former illustrator, trombone player, silversmith and blacksmith - see http://www.hammersmithknives.com/). I have a great picture of him describing the process he does to get the pattern in one of his blades (see the Jennifer's Photos link to the left). We went to a restaurant around the corner called the Kitchenette (great food) and then JD took a wee nap (he hadn't slept at all the night before). We headed uptown for the La Voz magazine release party where I actually met Johnny Johnson and Chris Soto (the co-founders)! It was very cool to meet the folks who put together my favourite magazine... one that I always read from cover to cover (http://www.lavozmagazine.com/). I saw DJ Jose Rodriguez from Philly who was spinning for the event as well as Choco from Mambo Fateegz (who I harrassed about getting some "On Whatever" shirts made - he he). I was curious about a DJ they call David Montreal (was this a fellow Canuck in NYC?) and after talking to him, discovered that he's really a hair stylist from Senegal who grew up in France, but spent some time in Montreal before coming to New York. Unfortunately he didn't know of any stylists in Philly :( , but he played wonderful music too. I saw a few familiar dancers from Boston (none from my evite) BUT about 1AM I discovered some stragglers in the lobby. There were Jerry (met in Boston through dancing) and Jose (friend of Laidy & Eduardo whose wedding we all went to in Spain) who stopped by to wish me a Happy Birthday. I hear Jose has become quite the Salsero! Too bad we didn't get to dance, but it was wonderful to see them. JD and I made it back to the apartment sometime between 2 and 3am - I think I was asleep around 3ish, but Larry and Carol do have a dog (a pug named Mel), so I had to be medicated - he he. I was expecting JD to sleep most of the morning, but he was up around 9am so we went to brunch at the Kitchenette (great coffee too!). He decided that a trip to Century 21 was in order (a discount designer store). On the way we passed Ground Zero and the hairs stood up on the back on my neck just like in Madrid when we passed the train station that was bombed a few days before the wedding I went to in Spain. Of course that started a whole conversation about ghosts and near death experiences, existence or non-existence of God, and various other philosophical topics that were visited that afternoon. JD has an eye for style and he helped me pick out shoes and earring for an outfit (and is even going to put together a pendant to go with it - VERY COOL). I certainly felt a bit frumpy in NYC compared to all of these put-together New Yorkers... made for fascinating people-watching though! I can't remember exactly when it was during the back and forth to the apartment and stuff, but at some point, JD and Larry were talking about their class reunion coming up (High School of Art and Design - Manhattan). They were talking about the real "characters" in their class and it somehow led to a very funny rendition of Lord Buckley's Scrooge (mostly by Larry)...
"Yes, me, I'm Scrooge and I got all Marley's barley,
and I'm the baddest cat in all dis world. I been studyin' all my life how to Scrooge people, and I guarantee I done some fine work in dat direction. "Cratchit!" "Yes, sir." "You busy?" "I shorely is, sir." "See dat you keep busy. ... and a rendition of the Ghost of Christmas past... And all of a sudden, man, Boom Here comes a great big fat spook, (exerpts from Lord Buckley's "Scrooge") I guess you had to be there, but it was very funny and my first introduction to this Lord Buckley comedian guy from the 50's(?) who obviously was quite the comic genius. Anyway, JD and I attempted to head uptown on the subway, but apparently that day the whole line was shut down for repairs (and no alternative bus or shuttle service was offered (and no signs outside the station to give you any heads-up). Dang! If the TTC tried that, I think they would be lynched by a mob... I suppose New Yorkers are used to delays and weird non-customer-friendly service on their subway system. So we took a taxi and had a yummy dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the way to the dance studio. There were some B-town folks already there (they drive down just for this dance!) and so we had fun dancing as the place started to fill up. Man did it FILL up. There must have been close to 400 people at that dance studio. It was such high energy and so packed that I actually gave up dancing for a bit and took some pictures. I got tired and decided to leave a wee bit earlier than originally planned. As I approached Pennsylvania Station there was a big commotion - lots of people corralled behind gates and even police on horses. Since the station is attached to Madison Square Garden, I just assumed that there was a game on and that this was pretty standard chaos for NYC, but it turns out there was some kind of shooting incident just before I arrived (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/nyregion/19garden.html?_r=1&oref=slogin). I was completely oblivious. I was glad that I caught an earlier train though, because my first train was late and I just managed to make the right connection to get back to my apt by about 11:30PM. Whew! It certainly was a stimulating day (and a half) and a pretty darn good birthday :) March 19 NYC Photos PostedI will write more later about my weekend in New York, but for now you can see photos on the KodakGallery page (see link in the left column). March 15 NYC Salsa!I am heading to NYC this weekend for some serious Salsa and crazy St. Patty's Day revelers. See "NYC B-Day" link above for all the details... call or send me an email if you are coming :) March 05 MageeThree weeks until Andrea and Al get to pick up Magee! This is the Border Collie puppy that they chose out of the litter. He came right up to Andrea when they went to go visit the puppies yesterday and was a bit more alert than the other dogs. SO ADORABLE! It is another three weeks though until he is weaned and they can take him home. March 02 Ice Road from YK to Diamond MinesHuh! The Washington Post has an article on the ice road from Yellowknife to the diamond mines in the Northwest Territories... with pictures :).
March 01 Up Here - Things are a bit different...Check out the Up Here (magazine featuring Canada's Arctic) advertisement...
February 28 PUPPIES - How to choose???How on earth is my sister going to choose between these two adorable border collie puppies??? February 26 Funny SongIf you have RealMedia player, you can listen to the song from the link below - otherwise, here are the lyrics...
The Complaints Choir concept began with two Finnish artists who were working in Birmingham, England. They pulled together the first ever Complaints Choir. Then Helsinki and Hamburg started one. As it Happens hosts Carol Off and Barbara Budd,who introduced the choir on the air, gathered close to eighty singers in the Glen Gould theatre in Toronto on February 21, 2007 to sing the song that was written from the hundreds of complaints sent in by CBC listeners. The composer/lyricist is Eric Robertson, who accompanies on the piano. The choir’s conductor is Kelly Galbraith. As It Happens Canadian Complaints Choir V ERSE 1:I just think that you ought to know, Canada leaves me feeling low; Winter slush; people Who don’t flush; passport Applications that are slow: Chorus Why are my feet so cold - tell me why do… My hands feel so numb? I hate plastic bags; I Hate the word called Referendum; Hidden cell phone fees; Expensive cars that have no signal lights; Why can’t things just be right? S HOUT OUTS 1I can’t open childproof bottles! Whatever happened to being polite? Why can’t people use apostrophes properly? Air Canada sucks. V ERSE 2:I hate car alarms that will not quit; Stephen Harper’s clothes that just don’t fit; Static on my cat; Vomit on the mat; The single men who can’t commit. Chorus Why are my feet so cold - tell me why do… My hands feel so numb? I hate plastic bags; I Hate the word called Referendum; Hidden cell phone fees; Expensive cars that have no signal lights; Why can’t things just be right? S HOUT OUTS 2The other line moves faster! Everything’s so hard. Can’t something be easy? My boss is pathetically pedantic. Why don't people have proper escalator etiquette? V ERSE 3:Fierce dogs used as weapons of attack; why Can’t I be as rich as Conrad Black? Spam, spam, spam, I’m fed up I am; won’t someone Please, oh please, give me my office back? Chorus Why are my feet so cold - tell me why do… My hands feel so numb? I hate plastic bags; I Hate the word called Referendum; Hidden cell phone fees; Expensive cars that have no signal lights; Why can’t things just be right? Chorus reprise Why are my feet so cold - tell me why do… My hands feel so numb? I hate plastic bags; I Hate the word called Referendum; Hidden cell phone fees; Expensive cars that have no signal lights; Why can’t things just be right? Why can’t things just be right? February 19 Oh my!So Thursday evening I was all prepared to pick up Martin's friend Andrew at the Philly airport. Had talked to Andrew the night before and got his cell phone number and everything. The flight was super late so I ended up waiting at the bottom of the stairs really tired at 2AM - scanning every person for a guy in a green shirt who looks like the picture Martin sent me of Andrew... and then I see someone walking down the steps towards me with a video camera... and it finally dawns on me that it is MARTIN!!!! My jaw dropped to the floor and I couldn't even form a coherent word for several minutes (all on tape - THANKS!). I couldn't believe it! He flew 3500 miles to be here for a long weekend and is right now traveling the 3500 miles back to Yellowknife. I was so blown away and of course had NO clue whatsoever, so it was a complete surprise. He had thought of all these little details to keep it a secret - called me up Thursday morning to say hi and tell me that his boss had dropped in to YK and he would be in off site meetings with clients all day, so not to bother calling or sending an email to work (so I wouldn't get any out of office notices). He even called me later in the evening (from the Toronto airport - while his flight was delayed) and pretended to still be in Yellowknife just finishing up some stuff at work before heading to the pub with his friend Yose. I bought it ALL! Not an inkling that something was up. Needless to say, I did take Friday off and a good thing, because the flight was so late arriving the night before. We had a relaxing weekend. As usual, we ate very well - got some fancy food from Whole Foods (after a run to Baja Fresh for Martin's favourite tacos). Saturday, we had invited Jackie over for dinner, but she ended up canceling. All the more shrimp in wine sauce, pasta with pesto, and salad for my lunch today - Yum! :) We rented a few movies and on Sunday talked to my parents on the webcam. It was the first time they have talked to him (other than my Mom once on the phone) so it was cool for them to at least see him - he is not an apparition - nor an imaginary boyfriend. We played Canadopoly and Martin kicked my butt BIG TIME... he even took pity on me and stopped the game before he completely bankrupted me - he he. Anyway, it was a special weekend and it all seems like a dream, but it was REAL. I am one heck of a lucky woman to have met Martin. August seems like FOREVER until we see each other again... not sure I could pull off a surprise visit like HE did! February 14 Salsa Lessons - Estilo Dance StudioI just discovered this little video of Mike Andino and Estilo Dance Studio... Hey! You can see where I take lessons in South Philly and maybe get a glimpse of why I chose this one out of about half a dozen in this area. I take the Rueda class with Mike and I am looking for a clip of Darlin Garcia so you can see my other instructor.
Mike Andino & Estilo - Mini Documentary
Darlin Garcia in DC - Social Dancing
February 13 David MelendezThere is too much cancer! Probably the most active Salsa promoter/instructor/choreographer passed away from cancer last week. I didn't know him personally, but his name was behind all of the best Salsa events and even I would recognise him anywhere. David Melendez organised some of the first Salsa Congresses and made the music and dance more accessible to the rest of us who didn't grow up with it... and man, could he dance! He has been performing, promoting, choreographing and teaching Salsa for 25 years and has been an instrumental influence in many young people's lives through his children's program in New York - he will be sorely missed. He was even dancing up to the last month of his battle against cancer. Here is a tribute to him by iMamboTV.
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Recent books that I've read or am reading
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