Summer Seminar

Another wonderful seminar for chairs done and dusted. For this one I got to travel to a new (for me) destination, Eugene Oregon. The sun is out today and it is beautiful. Yesterday I visited their Saturday market which was like entering a time warp. Booth after booth of tie dye and leather goods.... Absolutely gorgeous produce, artisanal cheeses, flowers to die for. It was fantastic. I wish I could have bought armfuls of the basil to take home.
Now I am at the tiny airport which is staffed by the nicest people I have ever seen working at an airport. Bought one of those mini packets of motrin and the cashier immediately offered me her scissors because "those packages can be really difficult to open." My favorite though was the college student at security whose luggage consisted of a large clear plastic bag filled with a paltry few items and a skateboard.
Next week I will be at the other summer seminar in Nashville. Craig deigns to join me and will spend his days going from pawn shop to pawn shop checking out hocked music gear.

Yulia's diplomatic take on soap issue

Dear Student,

That might be an issue. I honestly do not know. All the detergent that my mother uses has a strong perfume smell. Maybe there is something for sensitive skin.

I would bring some detergent with you for the first time before we can find something for you. I guess if you feel that you run out of the detergent and you cannot find anything else that you can use, you can ask your mam to ship you more, but keep in mind that it takes a 6 weeks for a parcel to get to Krasnoyarsk from the States.

In the worst case scenario you can buy baby soap and wash clothes with that by hand.

Yulia

Russia, part umpteenth

Student wants to know:
"Hey, I just realized that I forgot to mention on my housing form that I have sensitive skin: meaning that I can only use laundry detergent that is free & clear of all perfumes & dyes. Does that matter? I was going to bring my own laundry detergent to make it easier, but Julia Mikhailova said that the internal baggage weight for the airlines is only about 44lbs/20kg, and I don't want my luggage to be overweight...sorry about not putting it on the housing form...is the laundry detergent thing going to be an issue at all in Russia? because, if anything, I can have my mom ship me some of our laundry detergent once we get the address where i'm staying..."


Tempted to respond: "Everything is an issue in Russia."
But probably need to be a little less abrupt.


Can  you tell that I am beyond the end of my rope with this program. Today is the day we find out if the students will actually be able to get visas... if not, I may not be responsible for my actions.

Graduation pictures

Enjoying the bbq on the back deck.

 Cupcakes made by Catherine and Keziah. Keziah comes from the sort of family that owns a cupcake display thingy. Isn't it awesome. Alison, I'm talking to you!

Catherine, Todd, Sam and Gina who babysat them for years. Saved my single mom life every Wednesday night. And stayed with them for a week when Craig and I went to Hawaii in 2007.

graduation

Today was Catherine's graduation. Hard to believe (cliche) and yet so needed. She is ready to move on to the next phase of life. After the party we hosted ended, headed out to the garage to see if we have low profile chairs for the Sheryl Crow concert on Sunday.
Pic of me in my chair. With new hair cut. Probably should have washed and styled it, but between making kebabs and pasta salad and hemming Catherine's dress...

F.....ing Russians

This is the fourth year of our study abroad program in Krasnoyarsk. Every year things do not go smoothly and every year I think, ok, note to change things next year. And I do, but something new goes wrong. Learned last night that the visa invitation letters will not arrive in time for some students' US departures; or, rather, they can pay for one day visa processing at the consulate in San Francisco, but that service will run them $550 each!!!! I have promised myself that this is it. Never again. Not worth it. Students can go on someone else's program.

Hair

When I was in 7th grade I had my first salon hair cut, thanks to the persistent encouraging by my friend Michelle whose mother was a hair dresser. It was 1977 and I emerged with the Dorothy Hammill cut - see above. I HATED IT. I felt exposed, self-conscious, mortified -- insert other words of shame. The funny thing is it probably looked cute. Anyway, perhaps that is why I have always had a horror of hair salons. I instantly feel worried, inadequate and in danger of an unpleasant shearing. I have always been in awe of friends and their casual mentions of their stylists -- hell, even Craig has a stylist, but in true Mormon fashion she disappears periodically to drop another child. My best friends here in SLC, Val and Ellen, each have their go-to person and they look fab. Me, I go to Great Clips, pay my $13 and am proud that that line in my budget is miniscule. But, I am going grey and so periodically I toy with going to a real salon and getting my hair colored properly. Today I did. And, WOW! what a difference. I went to Val's guy, Stephen, and because I am now 49, and not 12, I could quell my insecurities and go with the flow of talking about my hair, my color, my style....huh? The downside, I was there for three hours; the upside, my hair is amazing!!!!! The color is spectacular, the attention to "building height here and lightening things up there"... well, I no longer look like a lollipop or a q-tip. Many more dollars than 13 later, I am home and happy.