Late Breaking Leap Day News!

I'm an Aunt! Carolyn and David welcomed Dawson Elliott tonight at 8:06 p.m. He was 8-1/2 pounds and 22-1/2 inches long. That's a lot of baby out of five foot Carolyn. She had to have a C-section but all is well tonight. Dawson makes for a total of eight nieces and nephews on the Robar side. Here's a fun photo of Dad David from a party last year. I think he'll be a make a fabulous papa for Dawson. We're supposed to have a shower for Carolyn next Sunday. Let's see if she'll be up to it.

Think about how much money we'll save only having to buy this little dude birthday presents every four years!

High School Dilemma

OK, I want Hannah to go to Liggett and she wants to go to Mercy. Now what? Should I let a 13-year old make the decision because only she knows what will suit her best? Or should Dan and I overrule?

The freshman Liggett girl who gave Hannah her "shadow day" experience told her she hated the school. Obviously, the Admissions Office did not pick the best ambassador to answer all of Hannah's questions. I've tried to point out to my lovely daughter all the wonderful people we know that go there but she won't hear it. I think I am going to have Alex from church or Emmanuelle from St. Clare call Hannah this weekend.

Mercy is just too far. Twenty-seven miles each way is ridiculous. There is no bus so it would be up to Dan and I (and the Barrows) to get the girls there everyday in rush hour.

Or, she can just go to Cass with her brother! How easy would that be?

Asheville!

Ro and I leave tonight for our annual trek to the Arts & Crafts Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. My fabulous Mom is going to hang with the kids. Woo hoo!

Our Sanitorium

Ro is down in the clay studio all the time. But look who was helping him??

Bad Weather, Ha!

Don't you love those days when the weather dudes predict "storm team" conditions and it turns out to be the total opposite? Today was supposed to be freezing rain followed by snow. Well, I just got back from a run and it was dry on the pavement and 40 degrees. Sure, it rained a little this morning and made the snow that was there turn to slush but it was more of an irritation than anything else. Definitely not horrible conditions.

Hannah and I went over to the Detroit Institute of Arts after church. What a nice afternoon. They just remodeled the building and while I loved the old place, the improvements are pretty spectacular. We had a great lunch in the Cafe and then toured the modern and contemporary art (her favorite!). I saw the biggest tapestry in my life that covered a 10 foot wall. I can't imagine how long that must have taken the artist. We only stayed an hour or two so it was perfect. Where were the guys, you say? Where else? The Boat Show. Spring is coming, as they keep reminding me.

I have the day off tomorrow. What will I do? This is such a strange feeling.

My Hat-Inspired Blanket Is On the Loom

I went over to CCS after work tonight to fix my warp so I can weave like a maniac tomorrow at class. (I had cut a few of my warps shorter than the others so I had to replace them. Ugh!) I like the pattern but boy will I use a lot of yarn to weave a 42 x 80 blanket. The yarn is a merino wool so it is nice and soft.


It sure is pleasant weaving over there at night. While I'm cussing at the yarn, I work out all the world's problems.

I have slight guilt feelings about my CCS peace. Hannah's guitar school had a recital tonight. Her teacher didn't think her piece was ready so she didn't play. But she wanted to go. The thought of sitting there through a bunch of strangers' kids playing "Stairway to Heaven" on keyboard and guitar was more than I could stand on a Friday night. So I sent her with the Santoscoys since Noah and Nathan were in the show. Hee. Hee. Thank God for fabulous neighbors.

Happy Valentines Day!

Schools

OK, Hannah isn't a brain surgeon but she has a pretty good brain. We heard back from University Liggett and she didn't qualify for their 10 scholarships. But, they want to interview her for a spot at the school. We have big decisions coming up. She has it narrowed down to two schools (but I am still holding out hope that she'll consider Cass too.) Hannah is going to spend the day at Liggett next Tuesday and then we have an information night at Mercy on the 26th. Then it is decision time. We need to decide (with a big non-refundable deposit)at Mercy by March 3.

The pros of Liggett-- Great school. Only 8 miles away. Lots of sports. Boys. Great art room (very important to Hannah). No uniforms.
The cons of Liggett--Oh, so expensive. Mostly rich, spoiled kids. None of Hannah's friends (so far) are going there.

The pros of Mercy--Great school. Catholic. Nice art program. Hannah's best friend Taylor is going there.
The cons of Mercy-27 miles away. All girls. Competitive sports teams.

I think we should just move.

Sold!

Thanks to the wonders of Craig's List, I sold my Robar PR desk and file cabinets this morning. Another chapter closed for my little business but it made me feel good that a nice lady bought them. She was setting up a business that helps handicapped kids with mobility issues. (I threw in a desk lamp because I liked her.)

I posted the furniture Wednesday night and by Thursday morning, I already had inquiries. I got the price I asked and the buyer came exactly when she said she would. Cool biz. Secretly, I wonder what the business model is behind Craig's List. I don't see any money being made but I am grateful for it.

West Point?

Jackson is a finalist to go on a three-day excursion next month to West Point in upstate NY. Detroit Public Schools takes two sophomores from each high school on the trip to tour the campus, meet other cadets and get a feel for the place. Is this a good thing? West Point is the nirvana of military academies but should I encourage my ROTC-crazy son with this option? Or will it be a good wake up call for Jackson that grades matter A LOT?

I filled out the permission slip last night and wrote the check (only $30 for three days!) but I'm not sure it is the right thing. Let's see if Obama wins and gets us out of this War. A great college education doesn't mean anything if you don't survive your military service requirement!

Matching The Colors in Hannah's Hat

First step today: dye a boatload of yarn. Tomorrow, I seek out the right maroon/eggplant (or maybe taupe) color for the weft. Someday (soon I hope), a great 42x85 inch throw blanket made from merino wool. This is the yarn dripping in our basement. I brought it home from CCS to rinse and dry.

Back to CCS

Woo hoo. My CCS weaving class starts tomorrow. Ro is out of town (the annual ice fishing trip) so I have to leave early so I can take Hannah to basketball but I don't care. It's good to be back. My plan is to dye this huge pile of merino wool I have in my stash and make a throw blanket. I recently bought Hannah a really fun hat that has exactly the colors I want to match in the warp. I am going to bring it for inspiration.

Mollie always has a great group of people in her class. With two looms at home, I find it hard to keep rationalizing why I continually sign up for this class. I think it is the camradarie that she inspires that makes it so special. It is somehow always an amazing group of people with such diverse interests/jobs/perspectives. We all make a boatload of mistakes but we get through it together. Either that or I just go for the bagels!

Grazie Party

My team threw an "over the top" retirement party for one of the Gods of Crainville yesterday. Tony Merpi is by far the coolest boss I've ever had. He was the ad director when I was the marketing director at Automotive News. Last month, he announced his retirement because he wanted to spend more time with his family. He'd been with the company 31 years.

Most retirement parties are kinda boring. Not this one. We had 180 people at the Roostertail for a Rustic Italian feast. We had fun dance music from a fantastic one-man Italian band, an overflowing antipasto station, a full Italian meal and even canollis served from a gondola. Every table had a big jug of wine with Tony's picture on it. We gave out WWTD (What would Tony do) bracelets, pens that featured a different Merpi saying every time you clicked them and a memory book filled with 60+ letters to the guy. We had a tear-jerking slide show set to Bocelli music of photos of Tony through the years. People sang songs, danced to the band and told stories from the microphone. It was a fab evening of Tony's work family, friends, clients and kids.


It was great to do something like this for a guy like Tony. He will be missed.

Reading, Riting and Rithmetic

After church today, Hannah and I are going to help out at the St. Clare of Montefalco Open House. Every Catholic School in the area is hosting an Open House today from 1-3 so I'm not sure how many people we'll have going through. St. Clare was a great choice for Hannah and Jackson so I'm happy to talk about it to others. However, I always feel guilty at the Open House. The school tries to maintain somewhere around a 60/40 Catholic/Non-Catholic ratio. Most of the people going through the Open House are not Catholic so their odds are slim. The diversity of black/white, Grosse Pointe/Detroit and Catholic/Non-Catholic is also what makes St. Clare great since the kids are challenged daily to think about the differences in people and to appreciate them.

It is a weird situation since St. Clare also desperately needs enrollment to stay open. The School Commission is working really hard to reach out to Catholics but it is difficult in this economy and since the school is located in Grosse Pointe where the public schools are pretty good. In any case, Hannah will put on that plaid skirt uniform one more time today and do her part. (The parents don't have to wear the uniform, thank God!)

We're spending a lot of time these days thinking about high schools. Hannah took the test yesterday at Liggett. They have 10 scholarships available so we're crossing our fingers. It is a fabulous school but it is tres expensive. We could probably buckle down and do it but should we? We've also thought vaguely about moving to a good school district but that doesn't seem fair to Jackson who loves Cass Tech. (And who would buy our house in this economy??) I always thought what we did for one child we should do for another. Jackson chose Cass over U of D and is so, so happy there. But is he being pushed hard enough??? Should we have sent him to the tougher school? Is it fair to send Hannah to an expensive private school while Jackson is at Detroit Public Schools?

Hannah got her acceptance letters yesterday from Mercy HS and Bishop Foley HS. We expected the Mercy letter but we got a laugh out of the Bishop Foley packet. She didn't even apply there!

80 and Still Partying!

When I turn 80, I want to have spicy food and be surrounded by my family. Last night, we helped Dan's Dad, Wayne, mark eight decades. We all met up at Mongolian BBQ and had a really nice time. Wayne is so cool. He can hardly hear anymore (and always leaves his hearing aids at home) but just when you think he's not paying attention, he lobs some zinger of a joke in. I especially love when he makes a great joke and then starts laughing. He has this twinkle in his eye when he cracks up that is hilarious.

Goodbye Sue and George

I'm leaving in about an hour for a funeral at St. Charles. Sue Wenrick, a neighbor and fellow St. Charles parishioner, died last Sunday after a fight with cancer. Such a cool lady. Ro used to rent studio space from her when she owned the St. Charles School Building. She almost singlehandedly saved St. Charles when it was on the "Archdiocese hit list" to close in the late '80s/early '90s by buying the school building and giving St. Charles a little income. She rented the space to starving artists who sometimes paid rent...but always had a lot of fun. She was a realtor and most importantly, was a great single Mom to her son Clayton. He is now an amazing young man. She pinched and saved and got him through Waldorf, Cass Tech and then art school. Sue always had a "cause," whether it was a teen at church who needed tuition, the Dearing Dance Company, a gay man who couldn't pay his mortgage because his partner didn't leave him the house in the will when he died, a stray dog, something. Even as she was struggling with chemo, she would call me and want to help with this or that. She will be missed.

I learned last night that we'll have another funeral at St. Charles next week. George Taylor died yesterday during his dialysis treatment. Another amazing man. He was a Detroit cop who dealt with the riots in the '60s during his first week on the job. I'm really grateful that a few months back Jackson spent some time chatting with George for a paper he was writing on the riots. They had a great conversation about a ton of issues, especially the tensions between black and white cops. George was an amazing role model. In his younger days, he organized tons of basketball leagues for the Detroit Police Athletic League to keep teens busy. George and Glenda had five kids of their own but there are always tons of people at the Taylors house because of the incredible love the Taylors show everyone. The first few years I attended St. Charles I had the wrong number written down in my phone book for the church. I always called the Taylors house instead. It never crossed my mind that they didn't answer "St. Charles Church." Instead, when I would call to ask what time this or that was, they always answered my question and never let on that I had the wrong number.

Here's my favorite George story. During the last few years, his diabetes left him blind. I went to his house and picked him up for a Parish Council meeting. While driving from his house to the rectory, we chatted about this and that. Then he turned to me and said, "Colleen don't go down this street. There are a bunch of drug houses here. Turn left and go down Lafayette instead." Somehow, this blind man knew what road I was on. He said he could tell by the bumps in the road that he remembered from his years on the force. I was taking directions from a guy who couldn't see!

I'm sure Sue and George are enjoying each other's company today in heaven.

Terror on Wheels

OK, Ro decided he wanted to go the Design Forum for an event at the Auto Show sponsored by Crain, my boss. I had the dry cleaning in my car. Met him at 4:15 in Eastern Market and gave him the shirt he wanted. Picked up Hannah at 4:30 at St. Clare. Took her home to get a shower and to make her dinner (grilled cheese). Picked up Jackson at Cass at 5:30 from baseball and took him home and got Hannah to guitar at 6:00. Went to the restaurant next door to the guitar store and had a chicken sandwich while she played. Got to the Forensics tournament with Hannah by 7:00. She and her classmates performed until 8:45. Took them all to Coldstone for ice cream until they shut the doors at 9:30. Home finally. Thank God.

I'm tired just typing it. I was so proud of Hannah and her 15 or so classmates tonight. They really are amazing. The kids all perform 6-8 minute memorized selections. Some are funny and some are dramatic but man, they were all good. Hannah did a piece from the children's book Eloise. She was great. They were all great. Not a clinker in the bunch. It is amazing to see how much these 8th graders have grown. Forensics is a fabulous self-esteem booster.

Lots of Warp/Weft

My camera is still at Lori's house but I took a few shots tonight with my phone of my recent weaving projects. I bought a red coat just before Christmas, so of course, I needed a new scarf to go with it. This is made with a silk/wool yarn and is about five inches wide.
















Yesterday I took a vacation day and finished my CCS piece in the afternoon. This piece is huge. (It is on our queen size bed in the first photo.) It is 18 inches wide and 90 inches long. I am going to wear it as a shawl (I think). It is the softest thing I've ever made. The blue yarn is a silk/alpaca mix. I really like this one. It was a great way to use a lot of yarn colors. I still have to tie it up and wash it so I'm curious to see how it will look all done but so far, so good. Lots of knots in my future.


On my loom at home is a new project that I just finished setting up tonight. I've never woven anything this wide. The baby blanket will be 34" wide. It is made from a really nice Inca cotton that should wash up easily for Baby Z's Mom. The baby shower is March 9 so I have lots of time.

Going, going....gone!

Poor Ro. His company car, a 2007 Tahoe, was pushed away from the house on Sunday afternoon by three thugs in a Dodge Caravan. Thanks to OnStar, it was found a few hours later in Hamtramck with lots of damage, no tires and a missing radio. Ro and Jackson saw them pushing the car down the street but they couldn't catch them. Our fabulous neighbor, the cop, tried to help but he couldn't get them either.

GM was cool about it and Ro was given a new car to drive but it was the sheer nerve of it that irritated us. The truck was in front of the house because I moved it there to go to church! They took it at 2:00 in the afternoon.

So we spent a few hours thinking about where we wanted to move (a nice waterfront house on Grosse Ile won) and then we came back to reality.

I took tomorrow off so I'm going to finally clean my Robar PR office once and for all and then go over to CCS and finish my piece. Seems strange but I can't get the New Year officially going until I complete all my unfinished business from the year past.

Twisted and Warped

Over the holiday, I managed to snag the computer away from Hannah for a few minutes and I found some really cool weaving sites from around the world. One of the sites listed other sites she'd found and it got me looking around. What fun...two hours later, I still had nothing done. Check 'em out if you have the time (or the inclination). I love the blog name, Twisted and Warped, and the clasped weft weaving from the girl in Australia boggles my mind. She has yarn on the ground and somehow does tapestry from the top. Got to try that sometime (or maybe not!)

weavingspirit.blogspot.com
ammit.exblog.jp
callybooker.wordpress.com
mylittlekitchen.blogspot.com
narablog.com
curiousweaver.id.au
megweaves.blogspot.com
twistedandwarped.wordpress.com
saralamb.blogspot.com
leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

Happy New Year

OK, I am a goof. I took a whole bunch of great photos at the New Years Eve run on Belle Isle and then at Rick and Lori's for the actual midnight events....and of course, I left my camera in Milford. Hopefully, I'll connect with Lori soon so I can get it back.

What a great start to the New Year. Jackson, Hannah and I joined 1,000 other people (including our friends Lisa, Patrice, Thomas and Taylor) on Belle Isle for the four miles of festivities. Hannah only tackled the one mile run this year but it was a good healthy start to the New Year. It also made it so I could eat and drink a little at the party later without feeling too guilty.

Our New Year's Eve party tradition continued in 2008. We've been with the same group of friends somewhere in Michigan every NYE since 1980. The kids are getting older now (Kurtis is in college) but everyone still hangs. All of the teens had an amazing snowball fight/football game at 1:30 a.m. (we got 14 inches of snow in Milford overnight). Karin and Paul had sick kids and Sheri and Joe wimped out for another party but we had a great time with about 10 adults and eight teens. Karl organized ping pong and Foosball tournaments that kept the night moving. Can you believe that our NLU theme song by Meatloaf "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" played on the radio just as Lori and I started our game against one another?? Talk about karma.

I'm glad to see the New Year begin. Always seems like a good way to assess how lucky I am to have such a cool family and great friends.

Cheers!

Holiday Roundup

We've had a great time celebrating here and there this holiday season. Here's a few snaps. My Mom got Tim a biker chick calendar. I think this ranks as the most appropriate gift of the season thus far. On to New Years at Rick and Lori's on Monday.

McCain??

Must have too much time on my hands this restful holiday. I just took this Fox 2 online quiz that asks for your opinions on the key issues and then matches you with the candidate that is most closely aligned with your views. Mine came up McCain, Clinton and then Obama. Hmmmm. I have to give this some more thought.

Merry Christmas Eve!!

We're getting ready for the Christmas trifecta. We'll go with the Robars to Mass at St. Mary's in Milford today (the church we got married in...heavy sigh!) and then go to St. Charles tonight for midnight Mass. Tomorrow is 10:00 Mass with my folks at Queen of Peace in West Bloomfield. My Dad lectors every year. It'll be great to see everyone and man, will we be blessed!!! We do Christmas with Dan's brothers and sisters on Saturday the 29th in Chelsea at Carolyn and David's house.

We helped decorate St. Charles yesterday. It sure is funny to watch 20 people all try to decorate the church. Of course, none of the lights worked and there were no hooks and several ornaments crashed but somehow it all got done. Father David is smart....his soup and chilli is the reward for all.

Still got some wrapping to do............

Ho Ho Ho Dog

Java is definitely in the holiday spirit. She got an early Christmas present. A bed!

The Big Dance

Hannah and her pals Stephanie (L) and Wesley (center) went to the big War Dance Formal Friday night at the GP War Memorial. Seemed so strange to see Hannah in heels and a dress. They had a great time even though (I think) they didn't dance with any boys.

We went to see Melani and the Mosaic Singers/Youtheatre in "Woodward Wonderland" at the DIA last night. So glad we went. Amazing singing and hilarious skits. They did a parody on Chilly Willy in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, a funny takeoff on Church Christmas pageants and a very sentimental look at the old Hudson's. The kids even did a rendition of the old Motown Christmas shows with the Temptations, Jackson Five and Aretha Franklin. Really put you in the holiday spirit.

We got eight inches of snow last night. There were only 44 people in church today. Dan and Jackson are out driving now so Jackson can get some practice cruising in the snow. He'll probably get his license in February so the more time behind the wheel, the better.

I went over to CCS yesterday. I'm 75% done with a great overshot piece with gorgeous silk yarns. I'm anxious to see it done. The class has ended for the year but I'd like to finish this piece up. It is very peaceful weaving alone over at CCS. I do miss the hub bub of the crazy students. They crack me up with their self-induced stress and constant chatter.

At home, I am weaving a Creole pattern on a scarf. I think it is going to be a present for my new next door neighbor if I finish it before Christmas.

Off to Chicago tomorrow for yet another Crain Christmas party.

Things I Am Thankful For

1. Ro
2. Two fabulous, independent, smart, curious, artistic kids
3. Healthy, loving parents on both sides
4. My Saturday weaving buddies
5. Living in the D
6. Avalon Bakery
7. People who believe in me...sometimes more than I do
8. An amazing church that not only survives, but thrives
9. A great joke
10. Diet Coke

Marathon Mania

What a fabulous day! The marathon team of Moms on the Run (Again) completed the 26.2 mile race in 4:19, right in the middle of the pack of all the female relay teams. (There were five of us. Suzanne didn't make it for the picture.) After the race, we walked slowly back to my street for the annual Burns Block Party at Pat's house. Mile 22 of the marathon goes right down our street so we always gather to cheer on the runners, especially those late in the game souls who are really hurting. Holy crap....can Pat cook! Her husband said she used 162 eggs in all the cakes and quiches she made for the Marathon crowd. We celebrated with a few mimosas and were damn proud of ourselves. There was even an eight-piece jazz band on our lawn. The weather was perfect and the friends were great. If you're really nice to me, I'll show you my medal!

Sports Stars

I love Fall. All the sports activities collide. In the last week:

HANNAH was named MVP of the St. Clare volleyball team on Sunday and is now in the midst of basketball tryouts. Their practices are from 8:30-10 p.m. at night. Ugh!

JACKSON had his last soccer game for Cass Tech yesterday. He hasn't played soccer in years but the coach recruited him as goalie and I think he had a fabulous time meeting some new kids and reacquainting him with the sport. He starts baseball conditioning next week.

RO is Up North with Rick attacking the mighty salmon for the last time this year.

and

I am in the Free Press Marathon today! Don't get too excited. I'm on a relay team of five women, Moms on the Run (Again), and will run one leg. This is the third year I've done it and it is always a blast. I'm doing the fourth leg, Belle Isle. In previous years, I've done the Tunnel route (6 miles) and the city route (4.5 miles). This year is just three miles. I'm a turtle so I hope my mile time doesn't disappoint the rest of the team...but hey, it is all about fun. I just saw my neighbor, Lynne, pull out of her driveway. She's doing the first leg (over the bridge). I'm up in about three hours.

The race goes through Indian Village so my neighbors Pat and Dan always have a fun party on their porch. We have an eight-piece band playing on our lawn to entertain the runners. Should be an interesting day, sports fans!

It is 10:03

and I am supposed to be at Mass at 11. I'm sitting here sweating away (just got done with a great Belle Isle run) waiting for Hannah to get out of the shower. Ro wants me to meet him at the St. Jean boat dock and bring him back to the launch where he stores his boat. All before church. Not sure if we're going to make it but hey, it is Sunday. If it is meant to be, it will happen.

OK, Hannah just turned off the shower. Better make this quick. My first full week at Crain went pretty good. I do think I will miss some things about life on my own but all in all, I made the right choice.

Next week is the Free Press Marathon. Our team, Moms on the Run Again, will be ready.

Cheers!

Last Weekend

Our fabulous neighbors, Sean and Amber, got married on their front porch last weekend with 200 of their closest friends. We had tents crossing the driveway, caterers cooking in the alley and a DJ in the garage. Somehow it all worked. The weather was amazingly perfect. You knew it was a real party when our deck (that housed the all-important bar) caved in with about 40 people on it! I guess it is time to replace it with Dan's dream stone patio.

Jackson went to Regina's homecoming on Sunday with Melani. They looked so grown up. With all the wedding craziness we didn't do too much on Friday night for Jackson's 16th birthday. I don't think he minded. We took their photos on Sean and Amber's front porch since it was still decked out with flowers.

Freedom

OK, I weaved yesterday. I'm going to go for a run in a few minutes. I think I finally have my life back.

Over the last month, I've opened an ice cream store, handled a marketing campaign launch for Ford, traveled to Miami for a press event, helped the kids get ready for the new school year, dealt with a myriad of bridge issues, threw a two-day Crain executive meeting and placed 900 people in 55 houses for the Crain House Party. Oh, and did I mention that I decided to shut my company and take a real job. I also debated between three job options during the last month and finally took the leap and decided to rejoin Crain as director of corporate communications.

It has been a wild August/September. I've been up late, waking up early and essentially going nuts. Talk about stress.

Here's to the changes Fall brings! I even got the computer running again yesterday. That's a sure sign that things are going to work out great.

Boycott Marriott!

OK, I've worked in hotels. I know sometimes they're oversold. I know all the right things to say. Then why was I walked?

I am writing from an uncomfortable bench in Philadelphia Airport at 2:25 a.m. (The airport terminal doesn't open again until 4:30 a.m.) In my quest to squeeze way too much into my world, I left my Ford event in Miami at 8, got on a 10 p.m. flight to Philadelphia with a connector to Detroit at 6:15 a.m. (My Bridge clients have an important meeting with a local paper on Wednesday at 11:30 so I have to get home!)

The plan was to get into Philly at 11:30 and get a few hours of shuteye in the Airport Marriott before the morning flight. I had a confirmed reservation at a way too high price guaranteed with a credit card. I get to the desk and this little tart says I've been moved to the Downtown property and the shuttle will be right here to come take me. UGH! I was only going to be there for four or five hours. I didn't want to go downtown. I used my best Ritz Carlton tactics but she wouldn't budge. I showed her my Rewards card. I revealed my receipt from the Marriott I stayed in in Miami last night. I flashed my printed confirmation. I told her about the meetings I plan. Nothing worked. The kicker was that people around me in line were getting rooms. She told me they were "pre-checked in." Such BS.

I'm running on about three hours of sleep from yesterday. (I got into Miami at 2 a.m. last night.) So before I started to cry (I was close), I asked for the courtesy of a key to the fitness center so I could at least take a shower. I got the phone number for complaints and she gave me some dumb ass $100 gift certificate. Just wait....Marriott is going to give me more than that before I'm done.

Thanks for letting me rant and rave and wish me luck tomorrow working all day on no sleep. (Coincidentally, I have a 2 p.m. meeting tomorrow at the Westin at the Detroit Airport for a meeting I'm planning for Crain. I wish it was a Marriott so I could cancel it!!)

Happy Labor Day

Our home computer has been in the shop since August 4. The old HP is supposed to be back sometime this weekend with a new hard drive (it had to take a trip to Cleveland, the hard drive capital of the world, to get its new guts). So for the last three weeks, the whole family has used my work laptop at night to check email so blogging has been back burner.

Ro and Jackson are Up North (again!) salmon fishing with the Emme male clan. They were there last weekend too. Man, are they loving that boat.

I think Robar PR is going on the shelf. Since we were told China was out of the picture, I've come to the realization that I like having a one person firm but I am way, way maxed out on billable hours that I can do myself. I can't take a vacation or even meet a friend for lunch. So to grow the firm, I would have to hire a staff. I really don't want to be responsible for staff and all the responsibility that entails. So, I think it is time to go back to the agency life. I am very fortunate to have offers from both Mullen and Team Detroit so I'm debating this weekend. Both are very different. It's probably a good thing Ro is out of town cuz I'm kind of distracted.

Speaking of distracted, I blew through a pink light this morning on Jefferson right in front of three police cars that were there for the Belle Isle Grand Prix. After I cussed, I let out a "Lord, help me" and it worked. The cop pulled up next to me, asked me to roll down my window and told me "show some respect for the city and its residents" and left. God is good.

Cheers!

Drip, drip

I like rainy days.

Cow Tipping

I spent last weekend organizing the Grand Opening for an ice cream store in Royal Oak. What craziness...magicians, clowns, balloons, prizes, 30 foot inflatable cows, milk mustache photos, cow milking machines, six kids (including Hannah and Jackson) dressed as cows and carnival games. You name it...we did it. I even put my Mom to work on Saturday. The corporate office gave away free ice cream cones for three hours on Sunday. I had the hard job of telling people in line that it ended at 4:00. Man, you'd think that we were giving away gold.

I started at Crain on Monday. So now I'm at the Bridge all morning, Crain all afternoon and squeezing in my other clients when I can (mostly at night). I've got some good interviews set up for Crain so I'm hoping I'll be done there by the end of September. Interesting wrinkle in my world......I had a chat with the head of PR at Mullen in Boston. She offered me a Senior VP job to come back and run Detroit PR. It would be some GM advanced tech work and then some new business. I can essentially name my price. I'm thinking.....

Jackson finished his driver's ed class on Thursday. Now as soon as we can get him over to the Secretary of State office, he'll have his permit. He'll drive with us for 30 hours and then take a second class. He is really excited.

This is a big week for celebrations. Ro and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, my birthday is Saturday and my Dad turns 70 on the 29th. Now if I could only find the perfect gifts.....or the time to shop for them!

Inspiration

Hannah and I went to the Detroit Urban Craft Fair at the Majestic Theater yesterday. At first, Hannah let out a "I'm thirteen and I wouldn't be caught dead at a craft fair" groan. I convinced her this would be different and I was so right. Imagine all of one city's liberal artists with funky haircuts and mod clothing in one room at the same time. (For example, the volunteers wore capes and the room had a bar set up!) No wooden cutout crap here. Everything was original with an edge. I acquired a new purse and some homespun yarn for weaving. She bought a bracelet and a doo-hickey for her hair. We also found a perfect sock monkey baby outfit for a shower we're going to next week. Big fun. Rather than doing client work that needed doing last night, I finally got back to my loom and did some weaving. Felt great!

Dilemma

Working from project to project has been my MO since I went out on my own two years ago. So far, it has been a pretty good strategy.

I've been working really hard on the Ambassador Bridge Enhancement Project for Ogilvy since April. I know our role is only a temporary one....once they get their permits they probably won't need a PR/ad agency any longer. At best, we thought it would last until the end of the year. It's been a big challenge....everyone hates the owner, lots of government intrigue, way too many lawyers, a client who has never done PR, etc. I've gotten them some pretty good coverage over the past few months. I'm at the Bridge every morning (their request).

Here's the problem...I got a call from Crain's last week. Bridget (who I hired 10 years ago) is leaving for another job. Keith asked if I could help out for the next month or so until they hire a new corporate communications director. I explained that I am at the Bridge in the AM and they said they'd be fine if I just worked 20 hours a week in the afternoons. I like the people at Crain's a lot and I'd like to help them out.

So, if I am at the Bridge in the AM and at Crain's in the PM, I'll be taking care of my other clients (mostly Ford and JWT) during the night shift and I will never be in the office. The last time I filled in at Crain's (at CDB), it took them three months to find a new person.

We have a big meeting with the Bridge on Wednesday. Maybe they'll fire us and it'll solve all my problems!

Computer-Less

We had a great time in Toronto. It was the annual "girl trip" and it was just what I needed. Good R&R and lots of fun with my Mom and Hannah. We took the train, saw a play featuring the music of Queen, witnessed 20 foot girl/guys in pink feathers on stilts, shopped a lot, went antiquing. got my toes painted a pretty pink (Hannah went for the teen green on her nails), stayed in a very hip hotel, ate great food and just relaxed. Perfect.

Hannah and I returned from Toronto yesterday to a bunch of goofy text on the computer. Should have known not to leave the guys alone with the technology. Usually, I can run the PC recovery program and fix her up....but not this time. I think it is a job for the Geek Squad. Hope they can get it recovered.

If you get a chance, check out my brother's blog, Molson Bike Tour (link is on the right). He jumped out of a plane over the weekend. So unbelievable!

Impatient!

I am feeling impatiently anxious about a bunch of stuff today:

1. I worked really hard on a pitch for Ford Sync. Presentation was last week. I was one of three agencies they had present. They were supposed to have a decision by Tuesday. Still no word today....the meeting keeps getting postponed. We assembled an awesome team with great energy and fun ideas. Hurry up, would you!

2. My friend Sara caught me on a weak moment and I agreed to help this way-over-their-head young couple with the grand opening of their ice cream and dairy store in Royal Oak August 10-12. My fee: lifetime ice cream cones! I can easily pull it together for them but I don't want a lot of drama. Let me get you the big cow display balloon, the magicians and the milk mustache photo man and be done. (It really is fun...but I have way more than a full schedule.)

3. We had two great editorial briefings this week with the Bridge...one with Crain's and another with the Detroit News. My clients don't get what a coup this is! I'm kind of anxious about the stories.

4. I hauled all the way out to Howell yesterday for a SECOND meeting with a potential client and their response to my PR ideas was along the lines of "we're not sure we want to tell people what we're doing." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Get me out of here.

5. Happily, I'm going to Toronto for the "girl trip" on Saturday with my Mom and Hannah. We have a hotel, train tickets and mezzanine seats for the Queen "We Will Rock You" play. Everything else will happen if it feels right. Hope it goes well and my clients leave me alone.

Co-inky-dink

OK, I am becoming more and more convinced that all aspects of "Six Degrees of Separation" are converging this week. I was up on the Ambassador Bridge yesterday (awesome day...we got some incredible footage) with a film crew and find out that the cameraman Ed knew my brother Tim really well and roomed in college with a whole bunch of his buddies from Milford. He had even been to our cottage in Kingsville and had seen a baseball game with my Dad.

Ro and Jackson are Up North fishing this week with Rick, Kurtis, Tyler and Trevor. The annual guy trip is a highlight of their world. Lori and I (the fishing widows) had a great dinner last night in Ferndale to toast their annual trip.

Today, after Hannah's game (they lost!), we went out to dinner with my folks since they had tickets to a concert at the Fox. On the way back through downtown, who do we see on a side street....my brother Tim and his friend on their way to Tiger Stadium! What's the likelihood of that happening? Huge city and we find my brother! They didn't even have tickets...they were just going for standing room since it was such a nice night.

I have the new Harry Potter book and I'm going to try now and wrestle it away from Hannah. I have to admit, I peeked at the last chapter. I'm not sure yet who Rowling picked to die....but I know who was still alive at the end. Wish me luck getting the book away from Hannah.

New Business

Sorry no posts lately. I have a new business pitch tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11:30. Think good thoughts!

Kicking It

My pal, Corinne, is something else. I just read her blog (Curly's World--link is on the right) and discovered that she is doing a triathalon this weekend. I am so not worthy. This is a woman who after her husband died needed a change of scenery so she packed up her two young kids in her Jeep Liberty and moved to the mountains, got there, found out she had breast cancer, beat that and has always been one of the wisest people I know. She has done an amazing job raising her kids while keeping sane amidst all her health issues. But hell, a triathalon! Can't you just go shopping and celebrate!?! Holey moley. Swimming, biking and running. You go, girl! (This is a picture of Corinne with the scarf I wove for her a few months back. )

Running

It is a mere 95 degrees here in the D at 9:00 at night. Damn it has been a sauna this summer. Hannah had a double header yesterday and Jackson had a game too. That trifecta was a lot of baseball in one day of hot, hot, hot! It didn't help that all three games were losses. Our old house has no air (just a few window units) so today Hannah and I headed for the movies after church. (The guys were fishing of course.) She wanted to see Transformers. It wasn't my kind of movie but what the heck... it was cool inside the theater. Also was fun to see good GM marketing for a change.

Jackson and I just got in from a run. Ugh....I sweat a lot normally. Now I am just gross. Jackson is in awesome shape from ROTC and baseball and I'm well...43. I think he just humors me by going along at my snail pace. I bought the Nike IPod sensor a few weeks back and it is a great motivator. There is a small sensor in my shoe and I plug another sensor into Hannah's nano Ipod. It keeps track of my pace, distance, calories and time. It also keeps a history of all your runs so you can track your improvement. There are even pre-recorded voices of celebrities that congratulate you when you achieve a personal best. Hard to believe that I used to play the IPod music just so I wouldn't hear myself breathe so hard.

Guitars

After throwing the Fourth of July BBQ for the Burns block on Wednesday and working all day on Thursday, you'd think I would be too tired to accept free tickets from my friend Miriam for the John Mayer concert that night.....but no! Last night, Hannah, Taylor and I ventured off to the Palace for the show. We really enjoyed it. Lots of blues, solos and very singable tunes. Hannah (a rookie guitar player) thought it was cool to see how many different guitars he played.

The most memorable part was when a huge fight broke out between two guys across the aisle. Beer was everywhere and they were swinging hard. The one dude was there with his kid!! Glad I could teach Hannah and Taylor about brawls. It was a John Mayer concert for God's sake, not some heavy metal show.

Facebook

I am so sneaky....Jackson started a Facebook account so I built a page too. Now I can keep tabs on all the antics that he and his pals talk about. So far, it is all pretty harmless. Interestingly though, a lot of my friends have Facebook accounts so it has been nice to catch up with them too. Man, the technology behind it rocks. As soon as I set up my page, it zoomed through my address book and told me all of my friends with pages. Eerie...but cool. I see why the teen set likes it.

Corn and Canadians

In the last seven days, I have to been to Tuscola, Chicago and across the Ambassador Bridge into Canada no less than 14 times. I've hung with cool relatives I haven't seen in decades; chatted it up with TV and radio crews, online trucking journals and irate Canadians; and sent my boy off to boot camp.

We took off on Friday for a seven-hour drive to Tuscola, Illinois for the Meece Family Reunion. My Grandpa Barney (my Mom's Dad) and his family grew up in this area so we went to Helen Marie and Rodney's farm for a get-together. So much corn! It was a wonderfully relaxing day with lots of chatter, good food and row after row of corn. We went to Sidell and saw the family home, visited the war memorial put up to honor my Grandpa's three brothers who served, climbed on some gigantic farm equipment, oohed and aahed at some amazing quilts and looked at lots of fun, old photos. My folks were there too. It was a surprisingly wonderful gathering. Lots of stories...I'm guessing at least half of them were true!

On Sunday, we went into Chicago and did the total opposite....urban. The four of us went to Millenium Park (oh so cool!) and had a great time hanging around the Windy City. I had a media event for the Bridge so I flew home Sunday night and Dan and the kids spent some more time in the city on Monday.

I helped with public forums for the Bridge on Monday and Tuesday night in Windsor so I was running crazy finishing the DVD and getting all the media invites and materials together. It amazes me the people who make it their life's work to fight a cause like the expansion of the Bridge. Don't they have jobs or families that are way more important??? They need to find something else to do. There were a lot of supporters at our event too which was nice to see for a change. Long 16 hour days!

Wednesday was the Freedom Festival fireworks and the Bridge threw a party at the Art Gallery of Windsor. Awesome location! I helped set up the party during the day....there was a huge storm that blew through a few hours before the event. I wouldn't have wanted to be the guy who made the decision that the weather would get nice in time for the 10:06 start. Sure enough...it turned out to be a beautiful night. I stayed at the party until about 9 and then dashed home to go over the Barrow's house to watch with friends on the River from the Detroit side.

Jackson left this morning for ROTC camp. It is so weird to see your baby dressed in camo with a bag over his shoulder. He'll be gone for six days to a camp in Alpena with his ROTC buddies from Cass and from schools from all over the state. Sure hope he doesn't sign anything. (Jackson's love of all things ROTC was one reason I was looking forward to moving to China!)

Does sex sell?

If someone you only slightly know asks you to review the first few chapters of her book and you agree to do it, how honest should you be? Joanne has an apartment next door to my office. I recognize her from when I used to throw parties for Crain at her restaurant. We wave, say hello, but not until the other day, have we had more than a passing conversation. She called out to me and said that she had written a book and needed some feedback on it. I asked her if she needed it edited. "Oh no, I've already had someone do that." Being the dope that I am, I said sure. I had helped my friend Amy promote her book on Mackinac Island and it was a lot of fun.

OK, so she gives me the typed text in the alley behind the building and off I go with this new project. She had told me the premise of the book was today's views on marriage and what women will do to get the "white dress." The chapters were fairly well-written , although a lot of editing still needed to be done so I began by marking up the grammatical errors. Anyway, a few paragraphs into it, the sex started. Of the 100 or so pages she gave me, I think 90% of them had some graphic explanations of this or that. I don't mind a good love story that gets steamy, but there wasn't a story anywhere in this. It was loosely based on the people in a restaurant but she didn't really spend anytime building characters. Most of the time it was all about quickies in the back room.

I saw her yesterday across the fence and let her know that I had finished her pages and that I was ready to give them back to her. She asked what I thought. I babbled a bit about character development, told her I had made notes on the pages and rushed off to my car. What do I tell her? I don't want to crush her dream. She's obviously spent a lot of time on this. On the other hand, I don't have a lot of extra time to help her develop a stronger book. Or am I just an old prude? I just want to give her the notebook back and be done with the whole thing. Ugh!

oldclayman

Hannah and I decided that the best present we could give Ro for Father's Day was to partake in this boating obsession that the men in our house have developed. So, Hannah and I sprung out (OK, were pushed out) of bed on Sunday and spent an hour or so with the guys on the boat. It was really nice. Hannah had to lector at church at 11 so we thought ahead and took two cars to the marina. The guys slowed down enough so we could get off and they headed back to do the manly man thing and fish. Jackson is holding their Father's Day lunch.

While we were on the boat, Hannah christened the boat with a name. They are going to call it oldclayman which is Ro's EBay sign in name. Seems appropriate since this is the first boat they've bought that 1) runs and 2) wasn't bought on EBay.

I know I should have cooked Ro a fabulous dinner...but they had fish for lunch and all....so we went to our favorite Indian restaurant, Gandhi, to mark the holiday. All in all an awesome day was had by all.

Pellet Pillow

I am going through withdrawal. For the last 10 years, I have slept with the same pillow (and 20 years with the same man!). I bought the pillow when we lived in Japan. It was 75% pillow and 25% plastic pellets. The pellets are little white plastic pieces like you would use as a spacer on a beaded necklace. Sounds weird but it is the dreamiest thing. Very huggable and positionable. I've looked everywhere for a replacement but haven't found it. Ro even asked a friend to bring another one back from Japan when he was on a business trip but it was filled with corn pellets, not plastic. It wasn't right.

Yesterday, when I was in the shower, Java, our crazy mutt, chewed it to smithereens. There were small white plastic pellets from one end of the bedroom to the other. It looked like it had snowed. I was racing to a meeting so I had to leave the disaster. Hannah called me totally freaked out at 10:30 when she rolled out of her summertime slumber . (I think she thought the dog did it on her watch!)

Now, how do I get to sleep? I used a regular pillow last night and it was horrible.

Salute to Kurtis

My pal Lori outdid herself with quite a bash yesterday. Hard to believe that her son Kurtis is a Milford High School graduate and is on way to Grand Valley. (This photo is from last New Year's Eve.) Lori and Rick threw an amazing party in their backyard to celebrate the occasion. There was a huge tent for seating..another two small ones for food, volleyball and a jousting/bouncy thing. It was great to see all of their family. So many memories of our own high school days with all of these people. It's hard to believe we were all Milford high school graduates in 1980 and 1981. It was definitely a deja vu day. Hannah freaked out one of Lori's aunts. Her response, "oh my God, it's Colleen."

I have a cold

Why oh why am I such a wimp when it comes to a head cold? I can't think. I can't write. I can't talk. All I do is stare and want to go to sleep. My clients are definitely getting ripped off today.

No nap in my future. It's just not to be.....Jackson needs a ride home and Hannah has to get to her softball party. Ro has to work late. So guts it out and step it up sister.