Morning writing-last day of vacation

What I wrote this a.m. to people who do not "read" me.

Can't remember when I did my last email blast, but I have a vacation day and I am enjoying the time off and the change in the weather that is JUST on the edge of falling into Spring. I guess that is one good thing about Winter...it makes the coming of Spring very exhilarating!

I have been off of work since last Tuesday. As soon as March 10 came and went, and our admission offers were in the mail, I headed to Atlantic City for the A-10 Basketball Tournament. I thought I would "get lucky" on many levels - but gambling is not an easy thing for someone as cheap as I am and "my team", St Louis, was on the way out of town before I even got my bag unpacked at the Trump Marina Resort and Casino. I think Coach Majerus was glad his team lost so he did not have to risk running into me...he made it look good with the overtime, but Dayton was certainly a beatable team as I saw when I went to the games on Thursday. Now, St Joe's is my team and I will probably have them going a bit further in my brackets than I should, but I love one of their players - Garrett Williamson. I think he is St Joe's Joakim Noah - I met his mom outside the arena and she could be a Scandinavian model type. I wish I could have met his dad.

Besides vacation, March Madness, Spring weather, beginning of the new season of Dancing with the Stars... I am sitting pretty.

Things are gearing up for various elections around town. I am off to a fundraiser next Friday for Chris Murphy's re-election campaign where Senator Dodd will be in attendance. I will have to keep my last name to myself as sister #1 recently testified before his subcommittee AGAINST one of his bills - I did not think that ex-PCVs were not always in lock step. I am also lined up with the town's Obama group. And a high school classmate is running for the State Senate, so it will be a busy fall. I am also on our town's Economic Development Agency and "we" are having our annual Forum on April 15.

But before the fall, I have a week reserved at the beach from June 14-21. It is the beach we went to as a family from when I was 4 or 5 years old until I graduated from college. Not a fancy beach, but easy to get to and very comfortable. I will head down to the beach as soon as school lets out. A benefit of working at a private school, my first week of vacation is "off season rate". I am mentioning this for many reasons - please stop by if you are in the area but also that means that my apartment is empty if anyone wants to free week as you travel up or down the East Coast. A good stop over point if anyone is in the mood. I do have to mention that it will be roughing it for most of you, but you can think of it as a summer camp setting. And also on the 4th floor of a building without an elevator.

I worked like a dog to get from October to March at school in the Admission Office. We sent out 104 offers on March 10. I will be curious to see who we get and who we don't. It was an interesting process. I will have a new approach to this "season" for the 2009-10 academic year now that I know what the flow is. I think it will always be a chaotic deal, but it did not have to go as it did.

If anyone sees my son as he is on his southern swing, tell him to call his mother. He was in Costa Rica for a few weeks, then to Charleston SC, then to Florida, then to Louisiana to see his dad and then to Austin, TX then back to NYC is the plan. He checked in when he got back from Costa Rica, but no signal since. I did put the word out that free food on Easter Sunday at his grandparents so that might get a signal out of him. It will be a small gathering - me, the parents (father just celebrated his 88th b'day), sister #4 and sister #5 and niece #4. Sister #1 is still in St Lucia and is hostess for her daughter and sister #3. Brother and SIL go to SIL's family. Sounds like Sister #1 is being lured back to DC to "work on a project" very cryptic but I hate to admit that I will be glad to have her back in DC. St Lucia was not a draw for me. I did have a great time house-sitting and niece #3 sitting when my brother and his wife went to St Lucia to celebrate their 50th birthdays and 25th wedding anniversary that all happen in 2008

I went down the other day to see the final product of sister #4's kitchen/bath renovation. Some of my NC training came in handy as I roamed Home Depot for sinks, faucets, light fixtures, and all paint choices came from my NC expert. It is never anything I would do for myself, but I think she was pleased with what I helped her pick out. I told her that my payoff will be that I am planning on having a beach party at her house this summer. She is in a great spot in the world.

This is a great time of the year and most of my distribution list has been frolic-ing in spring for weeks already, but "good things come to people to wait" (New Englanders are such "martyrs" - some might say whiners"- on so many levels). I am still trying to design my vision...but I am trying to focus! Not sure when I have my southern swing planned, but I will keep you posted.