Hi Adri!

Yeah, it's been a bit. So sorry. But you know how it gets. I really wanted to call you the other day, but couldn't find the number.

The mother-in-law of your step son's wife Dorothy had just pushed me to my limits. Poor thing. She just doesn't get it. And instead we do. Anyway, I did bond with Dad about it later. and actually had a very funny conversation with Dorothy last night too!! I am fairly sure you've now got connections to listen in on those calls. (yeah, you and Dick Cheney!)

So other than that... let's see, if I told you I was busy you wouldn't be suprised I'm sure. Actually, I'll have a project emerging (fingers crossed) in this neck of the woods. Can't say too much about it, other than Caribbean...!!! YAH!!! How cool would that be. Actually there is a grad student I will get to help with it, if it comes in.

And I'm getting ready for my upcoming jaunt. I'll leave 2 weeks from yesterday. I talked to Tim yesterday and had a great conversation with him. He and Thea are moving into their new house and happy as pigs in mud. Actually, they are probably more in the bugs in rugs catagory, especially since they've collected some BEAUTIFUL carpets. Yes, much more bugs in rugs than pigs in mud.

I don't know what the house is like, but has high ceilings and 2 kitchens and plenty of room, and a nicely established garden. They plan to live there at least another 30 years. I'll let you know what it's like when I'm there.

Okay, back to my trip. So I am again on hold about a visa for Iran. Good news is that instead of going to Moscow and getting it there (or not), I can go in a day later, which means less time in Moscow, and then after Archangelsk I'll return to Moscow, switch airports, and fly on down to Baku!!!

I'm so excited!! I love Baku and it will be great to get back there!! I've already bought my tickets and reserved my rooms and I'm really excited to be going. I'll hope to get the visa for Iran in Baku. It will be somewhat easier there, and if it doesn't come through, I'll still get to hang out in my favorite country.

It will be great to be there. Teyyub told me that the other day his mother refered to me as "Maya podrooga" which translates to "my girl friend". I was so touched!! She is the sweetest lady!! I met her last year down at the family home in Imishli. She was in mourning for her daughter who had died the month before. And even though we didn't speak a shared language we really hit it off. And this is a woman who had 10 children! A true "Mat Geroina" which means she was actually awarded the medal for having 10 kids during Soviet Times. So I am hoping to see her while I am there, and Sabuhi our dear pal!! and my many other friends. I am so excited about it.

And if course, if I get the visa for Iran that would be way cool too.


Then I am due in Tbilisi 3 July to attend a workshop and will be working on a bunch of projects, including an NGO forum meeting until 16 July. I'll fly out to London, spend the day and night there and then zip back home the 17th. It will be a haul, but this is the 3rd time I've done it, so It may be a charm. It's been great every other time.

James and Bill are both doing well. James has been out applying for jobs. I'm hoping he'll get something soon. He put in 3 applications today and about 6 or 7. I think he may be able to get a life guarding job at the Y, and he's put in at Taco Stand (application process - write info on small scrap of paper, we'll get in touch.) and at Jittery Joe's. The manager there may be interested in him, and he's got experience thanks to all those hours at the coffee shop with me while I was a gradual student. Fingers crossed.

I probably should go put in a bit of face time with the guys. I wish they were going with me on this trip!! It would be such fun...

James is such a neat kid. In all honesty, I'm enjoying just having him around this summer.

And so it goes. Sorry to ramble. Would love to hear from you!!

Much love, Miss you!!

Kissy kissy!!

Mary

Hi Adri!

Sorry it's been a while. I've been busy getting ready for my upcoming jaunt. As usual I'm waiting to hear from Tim on some of the details. But it will either be:
12-19 June in Moscow (eh)
19-24 June in Archangelsk with Vitaly and Anatoly... That should be fun. The Arctic at the Summer solstice...!!! I won't sleep for a week.

After this, it's sort of up in the air it will either be:

25-27 June in Tehran
27 June- 1 July in Tabriz
2 - 16 July T'bilisi (at least one jaunt to Gudauri for various meetings)
17 July London and then home

OR

25 June - 17 July T'bilisi and then home

The whole Iranian visa thing remains in flux. . .

So I will know more when I know more.

Other than that, it's all up in the air.

More later,

Ta ta for Now,

Kissy Kissy

Dear A,

Sorry to have been out of touch for a bit. It's been busy. Busy crazy busy. Plus that migraine. ugh. But really just very busy.

It looks like I'm headed to Archangelsk, in the Russian Arctic the second half of June. I'm looking forward to it. Actually, not crazy about the time to spend in Moscow before hand, and I HATE the airport system there, but we do what we must.

I may have an opportunity to go to Iran afterall. Tim is working on it. I still want to send Teyyub, since I am dubious that I'll get a visa, but we will continue to try. If they will grant me a visa, I have to go. It would be rude not to.

And of course, then it will be to T'bilisi for a few weeks. That's always fun and I enjoy being in Georgia. It's a pretty pretty place and a lot of fun to be there. I have to admit I love a country where NOTHING gets going before 10:00 every morning, and at 9:00 the streets are as deserted there as they are here at 5:00 am. I chalk it up to the tradition of good wine and congeniality.

Anyway, all is well here. James has finished his life guard training and is hunting for work. He'll probably take several jobs over the summer if there are no full time positions available. I'm proud of my boy. He's a good kid.

Bill is fine too. In relatively good humor.

Talked to Dad last night. Carl Henderson, a medical student is shadowing him at the clinic for the next couple of weeks. Carl was one of my students in USF. He was a great student then and I am sure he still is. He's also a Quaker, hard working, conscientious and curious about everything. I really enjoyed having him as a student, and as a friend now. I think he and Dad will have a good time. Yesterday they went to the Natural History Museum in Cleveland. I can't think of a better pair to send there together.

Okay, work beckons, as it has since 7:30 this morning... so back at it!

Ta ta, kissy kissy

Hi A,

One last thing: the realtor is meeting with Dad right now at the house. I know, it makes you sad. But he wants a much smaller place, to retire and to work on his budding folk music career!!

Will keep you posted.

Kissy kissy

Hi Adri!!

A couple of cool and/or funny things:

As everyone probably knows by now, Tom is moving to LA to be with Polly. Kudos for having the guts to love again, and courage to follow your heart. It seems that it has come back stronger than ever. We had a great talk yesterday. I'm very proud of Tom. He's grown up so much, and become a really neat person. I enjoy having him as a friend and a brother, and look forward to meeting Polly (again) one day soon. Most of all, he's happy. I know you'd approve.

Work is busy. Stupid crazy busy. You know how much I love that. It looks like another trip is shaping up. I'll go to the Russian Arctic (Archangelsk this time) with Anatoly and Vitaly for a round of meetings. It will be interesting to be there. It's the Houston of the Russian Arctic. We'll be there for the Summer solstice and I know already, I will not sleep. I never do when the sun won't go down. And travelling with Anatoly and Vitaly is great. The meetings are all in Russian, so I have to work to keep up. But it's cool and I can do that. We'll interview pagans worshipping the sun, and high from the perpetual sunlight. I'll be a mess after a week, but it will be fun. It usually is.

Yes. I will take pictures. May even get to see some glaciers, while they are left...

Then I'll head to Tbilisi - Georgia. Former Soviet Georgia. I'd love to go to Baku for a few days, but I am not sure I'll be able to. Tim wants my in Tbilisi for a meeting the first week in July, and then the week after we'll have the next NGO Forum in Georgia. We'll go up to Gudauri, which is a ski resort up the Russian Military highway. It's beautiful there and I love being there. And then I'll have another meeting right afterwards. I should be home mid-July. I'll try to post while there. We will have to see....

AND then the funny story - James had his final exam in Algebra II today. He's been amazing at working to get his grade up and I'm very proud of him. He told me today that he was sitting there in the last 13 minutes of the exam with a bunch of problems left to solve. As he was rushing through them, we was doing the calculations of how many he would get right if he randomly answered them and what the implactions of that would be for his grade point average if the exam is worth 15% of his grade. (And he says he's not a math genius!! - Actually that he can work those silly soduku puzzles in 20 minutes suggests otherwise...)

Okay, back to work. We have an Expression of Interest to write up for the Orange River project. South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia!!! YEOOOWWWWWEEEEE!!!

Oh!! and I swam three quarters of a mile today!! I am A GODDESS!!!! and it felt soooooo goooood!!!

More as it happens.

And if you see Teyyub's sister there, please tell her that the whole family really misses her on the anniversary of her death. But that's another story.

Miss you too!!

Kissy Kissy!!

Dear A,

just one word: AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

That's it.

Going swimming. Perhaps if I am underwater for a while the world will go away.

Actually, it's fine.

Just busy.
Very busy.
Very very busy.

Happy happy joy joy

Kissy kissy bye bye

Hi A.,

And just when I thought I was getting busy.... This came from Anatoly. Our project director for the Russian Arctic Project:

Dear Tim,

Please attached draft for your review. It is based on the latest IWP
version we agreed with the project office end April 06, but I have just
learnt that Ivan is trying to change it again, if so we can expect even
further delays. Oh no!!!

Dear Mary, I know I am guilty, always, but please don't worry, or may be
just slightly. As you will have seen from the attached draft we are
trying to do our best under the circumstances. If EPA approves the plan
then we can go ahead. Like you I have recently been through the
progressive stages of worrying: from being unperturbed and mildly
concerned through distinctly jumpy and horrified to death to
stockpiling
food. Please let know what do you think about the plan.

Kind regards,
Anatoly

That being said, if we go ahead, which (fingers crossed, I think?) we will, they want the full stakeholder analysis and completed public involvement plan completed by the end of September. (cue hysterical laughter here)

YAH. Plus work on the Orange River, (if all goes well) will be gearing up then.

All in the world of "we'll see". Which, one way or another, we will.

Never a dull moment.

On other hand, I spoke to Dad today. He got registered for the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. (Thanks Nik!) and was pleased with himself for that. AND he thinks there may be a very good person who may take over for him as Medical Director at the clinic. (WOW!!) So we are keeping our fingers crossed. I may even get to see him between Murmansk and Namibia...?

On another note, I spoke to Teyyub today. He's heading to Baku with his mother, wife and other family members. The 18th is the first anniversary of the death of his older sister who died of throat cancer. He was pretty torn up about it when it happened. Evidently, every year at the anniversary of the death of a loved one, the whole family gathers and recieves guests who come by to express their condolences. And it goes on for a while. His father died 5 or 6 years ago and they still do it for him too. It seems like a sweet thing, in a some ways. I wonder if we will do that for you? Would you want us to? Dad would like it just so that he can have Graeter's. I can understand that. Even in February.

OKay, dinner isn't making itself.

Ta ta, Kissy kissy, etc, etc.

Dear Mother-in-law of your husband's son's wife's, my sister-in-law Dorothy,

You're a bitch.

It has been mother's day all fucking day long. And I've been plagued with the "Call Adri" Vibe ALL FUCKING DAY.

Not very helpful when you don't leave a forwarding number.

Difficult to call. How can I wish you a Fucking Happy Mother's Day, and enjoy a giggle about something silly someone said, when you're dead?

Hmmm? Didn't think about that one did you?

Just up and died on us.

Well, I am not very happy with you.

I miss you.

A lot.

So where ever you are - Happy Mother's Day, Bitch.

Dear Adri, this just reminded me of you so much. Just read it all the way through.

I love you and miss you this mother's day.

The Perfect Mother “
by Erma Bombeck

Everyone said Sharon was a terrific mother.

Her neighbors said it.

Sharon painted the inside of her garbage cans with enamel, grew her own vegetables, cut her own grass every week, made winter coats for the entire family from remnants, donated blood and baked Barbara Mandrell a doll cake for her birthday.

Her mother said it.

Sharon drove her to the doctor’s when she had an appointment, color-coordinated the children’s clothes and put them in labeled drawers, laundered aluminum foil and used it again, planned family reunions, wrote her Congressman, cut everyone’s hair and knew her health insurance policy number by heart.

Her children’s teacher said it.

She helped her children every night with their homework, delivered her son’s paper route when it rained, packed nutritious lunches with little raised faces on the sandwiches, was homeroom mother, belonged to five car pools and once blew up 234 balloons by herself for the seventh grade cotillion.

Her husband said it.

Sharon washed the car when it rained, saved antifreeze from year to year, paid all the bills, arranged their social schedule, sprayed the garden for bugs, moved the hose during the summer, put the children on their backs at night to make sure they didn’t sleep on their faces, and once found a twelve-dollar error on a tax return filed by H & R Block.

Her best friend said it.

Sharon build a bed out of scraps left over from the patio, crocheted a Santa Claus to cover the extra roll of toilet paper at Christmastime, washed fruit before her children ate it, learned to play the harpsichord, kept a Boston fern alive for a whole year, and when the group ate lunch out, Sharon always figured out who owed what.

Her minister said it.

Sharon found time to read all the dirty books and campaign against them. She played guitar at evening services. She corresponded with a poor family in Guatemala…in SPANISH. She put together a cookbook to raise funds for a new coffee maker for the church. She collected door to door for all the health organizations.

Sharon was one of those women blessed with a knack for being organized. She planned a “theme party” for the dog’s birthday, made her children elaborate Halloween costumes out of old grocery bags and her knots came out just right on the shoelaces when they broke. She put a basketball hoop over the clothes hanger as an incentive for good habits, started seedlings in a toilet paper spindle, and insulated their house with empty egg cartons, which everyone else threw away.

Sharon kept a schedule that would have brought any other women to her knees. Need twenty-five women to chaperone a party? Give the list to Sharon. Need a mother to convert the school library to the Dewey Decimal System? Call Sharon. Need someone to organize a block party, garage sale or a school festival? Get Sharon.

Sharon was a SUPER MOM!
Her gynecologist said it.
Her butcher said it.
Her tennis partner said it.
Her children…

Her children never said it.


They spent a lot of time with Rick’s (Caryn's, Mikes', Tom's, Sam's, Marjorie's and Mary's) mother (Nikki's Buster's James's etc.s Grams), who was always home with them and who ate cookies out of a box and played poker with them.

Hi Adri!

Forgot to tell you, I talked to Dad last night. He said he'll be meeting with the realtor at the house on Wednesday. AND he said there is a chance they may have possibly, perhaps found someone to replace him at the clinic. (INSHALLAH!! Fingers crossed.)

Other than that, I was taken by your husband's son's brother-in-law, to a bar-b-que in a neighoring county. It was a shin dig hosted by a client of the firm he works for. The cincher was that the guest of honor was the friggin' idiot Governor of Georgia. (R)

Just what I needed. But I stood up for myself and REFUSED to wear one of those facist "Re-Elect Sonny" stickers they were handing out. I mean after all. A girl has to have her standards...

That's okay. It could have been worse. At least it wasn't one of the Congressmen from that district.

James is at his life guard training tonight. One more week and he's certified to save lives. (Yes, perhaps a scary thought. but he always had that nature to tell other's what the rules were. I remember he and Buster getting into it as pre-toddlers, because Buster kept trying to go up the stairs in the hallway in the Observatory house after Cricket told him not to. So James would wrestle him away from the stairs and Buster would fight back. Oh, those were good times, weren't they?)

Anyway, that's it.

Ta ta

Kissy kissy

Hi A.,

My horoscope for today:

Be fearless today -- summon up your moxie and face something that may make you feel a little uncomfortable or intimidated. You know, of course, that if you try to ignore the situation, then worry will set in -- and when worry sets in, worry lines soon follow. So before things go down that unfortunate route, be bold and take care of business. This dog's bark is worse than its bite, so you will be back to being worry-free and wrinkle-free in no time!

So I guess that means I really ought to tackle that friggin' brochure. Ugh.
Is it a sign that you are completely lacking self direction when you have to look to a horoscope to tell you what to do today?

Well, it could be worse. It could be some other mystic direction. "My cat wants me to go for a good walk with the dogs, loose them in traffic and then come back and give her the gold fish to play with."

Yeah, I see my point.

Missy Missy

Dear Adri,

Good day here. Had a good teleconference with Teyyub about project development, visas etc, swam half a mile, had lunch with a neat friend, home, talked to Tim Hannan (my Canadian bud, and head honcho consultant with UNDP Water), made a few more calls, and then watched an old movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still" 1951 with Bill while editing a brochure writen by a Russian pal for the G8 in St. Peteresburg in July, made dinner, watched some TV, and well, here I am.

Just a thought:

Unsolicited advice usually benefits the person giving it.

Not sure it's true always, but interesting to ponder.

Okay.

Kissy kissy

Hi Adri!!

Sorry it's been rushed lately. I have been busy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, busy as a hog in mud, busy as a sump pump in a hurricane. Yes, a nervous, happy and a bit over worked. But all in a good way!!

I had a conference with Tim and Martin yesterday. Stuff is hurtling towards me at alarming rates. But always in a good way. ENV SEC in Vienna/Bratislava needs stuff for their big evaluation, NGOs are all getting excited about their proposals due at the end of the month, budgetting to be worked out (- hey did I mention that we "found" the $24,500 USD for my project that had gone missing? YAH!!! Of course, it means more work for me, and not more pay, but still, it's all good), emails to various clients, e-mails for new consultants for my project in the Caucasus, calls to ELI, calls to USAID, and that way JUST TODAY!!!

Of course, that doesn't even get to the stuff Tim and Martin handed me during the conference. I've been made proposal manager for a project on the Orange River Basin. It's a river basin in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Lesotho. YAH. (Go ahead, look it up. I don't mind.) Anyway, I'm in charge of writing the Expression of Interest and the Proposal for it. The project is REALLY amazing in that they plan to dedicate $1.6 MILLION USD to public involvement and stakeholder work!! (IF IT COMES THROUGH!!! INSHALLAH!!) I'm so psyched. And there is other stuff too!

Plus our Arctic trip is revived, and others are springing up here and there.

So yeah, busy. Good busy. Happy busy. Busy busy.

AND...

I just got a call from my dear friend from USF St. Petersburg - Dr. Debby Cassill!! Debby, you will remember, studies fire ant behavior, and is an crazy happy delightful woman. She was really helpful to me when I went through everything with the dean. She's so amazing!! We talked for 90 minutes for the first time in months. She gave me all the dirt on everyone on campus from my teaching days down there, and it was great to catch up with her.

She's the one who's husband committed suicide, and then shortly afterwards her teenage son wrapped his new car around a tree, was in a long term coma, and now has permanent brain damage as well as psychophrenia(sp?), bi-polar disorder and multiple addictions. Yet, she is one of the healthiest, happiest people I know. She reminded me that "You deal with the hand your dealt with!" and she never for a moment gets invested in feeling sorry for herself. "There is just no point in it!"

And after all this happened, she went back to college, got a BA, MS, and PhD in Biology and now is living her dream life in St. Petersburg, loves teaching, loves doing research (on fire ants!), is a shoo-in for tenure next year, and always is a great friend!! Her son is happy, managing and independent, and she's embraced her life. You two would have been pals, I am sure!! It was good to hear from her.

Anyway, I also had a sweet chat with Tom today. He sounds good. Tired in a good way. But good.

Okay, the boys are home, I ought to decide if I am going to edit that document, or if I am going to make dinner (Caesar salad, burritoes from last night, sesame flat bread....) it does sound good, doesn't it?

Yes, well, I ought to get to it then... Ta Ta!!

Kissy Kissy!!

Dear Adri,

I've always thought that mothers should be the ones getting the presents on kids birthdays, or at least in addition to the kids. After all, we are the ones who have to go through 9 months of having our bodies possessed by aliens, doing whacky things to our hormones, digestive systems, renal system, cardio system and psyches, not to mention the wear and tear on our skins elasticity and then there is the whole birth thing (yes, passing a water melon is a good analogy) and then on top of it, at least naturally we have the whole mewling parasite thing for another year or so. And then they are self destructive rug rats, followed by self destructive teenagers. Explain to me why the KID gets all the gifts???!!!??

But that having been said,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM!!!

And Kudos to you too Adri!!

Kissy kissy!
Mary

Hi Adri!
This just in!! (see article below from NYT)
I think they must be discussion my visa status, with the front of nuclear issues. Yes, that must be what is in the secret letter: "Send Mary, she's a good one. Mr. Bush, she'll help this whole situation. And besides, we like her better than Condi."(Thank you Mr. Ahmadinejad!!)

Yes, Indeed, I am so warped!!

Kissy Kissy TA-TA!!

Iranian President Writes Letter to Bush


By CHRISTINE HAUSER
Published: May 8, 2006
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to President Bush with suggestions on how to resolve current international tensions, Iranian officials said today, but there was no immediate information about whether he was proposing a solution to differences over Iran's nuclear program.

Iran and the United States have had icy relations since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the seizing of the American Embassy in Tehran, where American diplomats were held hostage for more than a year. The letter, which would be the first direct public communication sent by an Iranian president to an American president since their ties were severed, is being forwarded to Washington through the Swiss embassy, which represents American interests in Iran.

Since last month, when Mr. Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had reached a milestone in its nuclear program with low-level uranium enrichment, the Iranian government has become more vocal about its right and determination to pursue the program for power purposes, putting it increasingly at odds with the United States and its allies who believe Iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons.

"Ahmadinejad, in his letter, spoke of the current tense situation in the world and suggested ways of solving problems and of easing tensions," said an Iranian government spokesman, Gholamhossein Elham, at a news briefing today that was carried by the Iranian news agency Irna. He also said that the Iranian president had sent letters to other leaders of "certain countries."

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that the text of Mr. Ahmadinejad's letter would be made public after the United States received it.

President Bush's national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, said today that he was not aware of any such letter. But he said that Iran needed to suspend of enrichment activities to open the door for a diplomatic resolution.

"We are working with allies in the international community to achieve that result," he said in an interview on NBC.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in New York today with foreign ministers from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia to chart a common position over Iran's failure to comply with the United Nations Security Council demand to suspend uranium enrichment.

Britain and France circulated a draft Security Council resolution last week demanding that Iran give up its nuclear program. The measure was drafted under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, which makes compliance with resolutions mandatory and opens the way to penalties or military action against nations that defy them. But imposing penalties would require a second resolution.

China and Russia, permanent Security Council members with veto power, have declared opposition to a resolution under Chapter VII.

Iranian government officials struck a defiant tone on Sunday in their response to the prospect of a United Nations resolution against Iran's nuclear activities, saying they would reject such a measure and threatening to halt cooperation with the United Nations nuclear monitoring group, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

In addition, Mr. Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that international treaties became "invalid" as soon as they failed to secure the rights of nations. He said that if a nation's rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty were violated, "Then that nation would revise its decision and the treaty would become invalid," the Iranian news agency reported.

Hi A.

Sorry to be MIA for a while now. (M.I. A??) God, I must be tired.

Anyway, I've been quite busy as of late, and haven't had time to scribble at you. Of course, I guess you know that, from your vantage point.

Sad news, my Iranian visa didn't come through. Totally sucks. But Teyyub will go in my place. I may have mentioned it already.

Other than that, things are busy. Very busy. Freaky busy. But as you and I always agreed, better too much than not enough. Plus, yes, you are right. I love it this way.

Talked to Dad tonight. He was in Cincinnati. He sounded more up than I've heard him lately. That was nice.

All is well around here. James and Bill are doing well. It turns out that my grandfather's tuxedo actually fits James. And if his hair weren't a faded pink and he didn't have a beard, he'd look a lot like Grandaddy. One day... But it is neat that James can wear it. We need to have it cleaned at some place used to dealing with antique materials. Still it's in good shape.

Mom has been here all weekend. It's been surprisingly nice. She's been on good behavior as Bill's worked on her computer a bunch.

OKay, I gotta crash. More in a bit.

Kissy kissy...

Mary

Hi A!

It's been a bit. Sorry. Busy. Very busy. Good busy.

I know you're wondering, if you don't know already. It turns out that my visa for Iran has stalled in their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I would have to leave this weekend to get there for the meeting, so alas, I won't make it. Inshallah another time, I will be able to go. And INSHALLAH!! our presidents will come to their senses and start making nice. But no, I am not holding my breath. I think the Iranians are very clever and are playing a very shrewed game with the Bush Administration. (More on that another time.)

But it is not all bad news for the project that I won't be there. Mom actually had the idea of sending my man Teyyub in, in my place. She came up with it as a way to keep me "safe". But actually it will work out well. Teyyub is ethnic Azeri, as is the majority of people living along the Aras River basin in Iran. He knows the language, and though 90 years of isolation (give or take a decade) from the Azeris of Azerbaijan, he will be able to speak the language. He also knows our UNDP/GEF project well, is sensitive to local customs. (He lives like 4 miles from the Aras anyway!) And he has done a great study (just like this one!!) for me in Azerbaijan already. Plus it further legitimizes his involvement in the project which is a good thing. Oh, and I trust him to do a really good job. Tim has given approval for it, and Teyyub is raring to go!! So it all works out.

So when is my next travel scheduled?

hmmm.... well, I talked to Tim earlier this week. He said that I should get in touch with Anatoly about a trip to Arkhangelsk in the Russian Arctic in June!! I LOVE THE ARCTIC IN JUNE!! The sun never sets, and I never sleep!! WHIPPEEE!!!

Actually, it will work out well. It gives me time to put together some other project work we are prepping for in Central Asia, Africa, the Caucasus, Russian Arctic and others, get public involvement development projects in and at least partially reviewed for the Kura/Aras project, watch the end of the network TV season, prep for the NGO Forum meeting to be held in Tbilisi in July, and finish out the Stakeholder Analysis for the Kura, and be ready to present it at meeting in July as well. HOLY CRAP!! THAT IS A LOT OF WORK!! Did I say I'd have time for it? What am I THINKING!!

But it's all good. I love it. It's fun, and very challenging.

Other than that things are going fairly well. Tomorrow is a BIG DAY for James. He's taking his AP US History Exam tomorrow morning (fingers crossed), and then in the afternoon he starts his life guard training class!! He's decided that working as a life guard would be a decent way to spend the summer and, as he said "hey, it's a job". Personally, I think it will be good for him. He's a good kid and thrives on responsibility. Maybe tomorrow we'll get his driver's license between the exam and life guard training - and just really blitz the poor kid out!!

Okay, I'm off to the Y to swim. It's very theraputic, and definitely worth doing. Plus, I'll hopefully untangle all those projects while counting laps...

Oh, and I being stalked by a little green male cameleon-dude on the back porch, but I'll save that for later....

Gotta dash,

kissy kissy!!

MMMP

Hi Adri!

Since I couldn't always share things from the internet with you before, I'll take advantage of it here. I'm assuming you have access. It is the World Wide Web...of course... that's assuming....


Anyway, I thought you'd enjoy these!

First, the full transcript of Stephen Colbert's hosting the White House Press Dinner. Normally, they poke fun at the press and the President. It's here with links. He really is brilliant, and uses humor so well.

Also, I came across this too, Church Sign Smack Down!!! What could be more fun??

And since we are on the topic, White Trash Mom is worth reading too.

You want to know the funny thing? I actually had a great day and got a lot of work done too!!

But for now, I'm back to figuring out what Jack Baurer will do in the belly of the diplomatic airplane carrying information that implicates the president in a scheme to assissinate the former (beloved) president so a nerve agent can be used in Russia and the government can destabilize Central Asia so that the US can have energy security. How silly is that?

Ta ta and Kissy Kissy!!