Basement is Done!

The basement and powder room are finally done! I’m not sure if I’m more excited about having a great space to relax and watch TV or just that the workers are gone and everything’s back to normal. Here are some pictures. Now all we have left in the house is painting and hanging some pictures (until we decide to redo the main kitchen, which we “did” ourselves when we bought the house and need to redo).

Spring/Summer 2007 Travel Part 2 (Work)

Ottawa

I had a work trip to Ottawa in June and it was beautiful! It's only two hours north of the 1000 Islands so I hope we can make side trips while we are at our trailer there. So many pretty pictures I had trouble deciding which to post. (Unfortunately I didn't get one of the nude cyclists - must have been some sort of protest, but I was walking down the street with a bunch of the doctors and other staff attending the meeting when they rode by!).


These pictures are Canada's parliament, our meeting hotel (very historic), fruit at a farmer's market, and POUTINE! (french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds ... yum)
Orlando
For three years in a row, I ended up going to Orlando in the summer for work. That's what happens when you work for and with nonprofits (hot and sticky = undesireable = cheap). But I've learned to love 1) The Universal Studios Royal Pacific Hotel (I was going to link to it but they have nasty music on the pages so I won't torture you), 2) the Emeril Lagasse restaurant there, 3) the Spiderman ride at Universal (so cool), and 4) the fact that with a room key from the hotel, you get to go to the front of the lines automatically in the park. Steven and I did the parks two years in a row - yes, we are too old for that, but it's fun and you feel special walking past all the common people waiting in the heat.

Oh and I was working (almost forgot). I "presented" a poster at an AAP conference. about teaching pediatric residents about advocacy, which is something I do. Here's a picture of it.

Spring/Summer 2007 Travel Part 1 (Fun)

Busy spring and summer! Lots of trips for fun and work (which are also fun - I'm not the type to sit in the hotel room and order room service much). Here's are two of the fun ones:

Fort Lauderdale

The only reason I go to here is because I had a Southwest ticket I canceled and the credit was going to expire, so I had to go somewhere (that was in 2006). So I went to Fort Lauderdale. I had low expectations - thinking "Spring Break." But it's really nice and now it's an annual trip for me. Amazing houses on the canals. Food wasn't great this trip. This is photo of a hot, hazy day at the beach two blocks from my little hotel, with a cruise ship in the background (some of them look huge in the water - it's kind of surreal).

Las Vegas

No surprises I took advantage of a chance to go to Vegas! Kathy and Jim did their March trip and I joined them. It was really fun because I helped take Kathy out of her element there - she usually doesn't leave the strip (and Jim doesn't leave the sports book) but I always have a rental car, so we explored some other areas and casinos and visited one of Kathy's coworkers who moved out there. Here's Kathy with a martini at a restaurant near Green Valley Ranch (we had fondue!). The second picture is a great memory - we are driving down the highway and this motorcycle shoots past us with a bodybuilder driving it and a woman in a bikini/thong on the back seat. I'm sure they were just going to work like any other day. Only in Las Vegas.

Happy Birthday Steven!

January 29 is Steven's birthday!

Happy birthday Steven!

My Buddy Blago

We were invited to a meeting with our Governor, Rod Blagojevich (blah GOY uh vich for those of you from outside Illinois). The photo above is me, the Governor, and the current president of our organization, Dr. Eddie Pont. The Governor is going to announce big new healthcare initiatives and wanted our input (and ultimately, support). This is the second time I've met him, but the first was at a press conference with lots of people - this was a smaller meeting. He was with us for nearly an hour and really listened to us. And told us about Elvis' last movie, with Mary Tyler Moore.

Quick Trip to Seattle, Vancouver

The American Library Association's midwinter meeting was in Seattle, so I flew out to join Steven and then we went up to Vancouver for a few nights. I love both those cities. We didn't do much except visit different neighborhoods, shop a little, and eat really well, but it was a nice trip.
Mountains peeking out behind the highrises in Vancouver

Me on a Ferry . . . Steven at a beach, many of which ring downtown . . .

. . . the suburb of North Vancouver, under the mountains, as seen from downtown Vancouver

We Get Our Bathroom Back (and Lose the Basement)!

Our 8-week upstairs bathroom remodeling is finally done! We are very pleased with how it came out, and it's especially nice not to have to navigate the stairs in the middle of the night when nature calls (or, to have to use the basement shower as we've been doing during the remodeling). There are some minor problems with the tile that our contractor said she will fix, and we haven't yet decided what artwork to put up or where to put the towel bars, but otherwise it's wonderful. We went from having no storage at all to having lots (in-wall medicine cabinet, large vanity, three deep shelves in a corner that was previously just drywalled closed, and a deep shelf in the shower). And little splurges like the whirlpool tub (which we didn't think would fit) and the toilet lid that lowers itself slowly (no banging) are great.

For all of you home improvement obsessives (like us), you can see many pictures of the bathroom, posted by Steven, on Flickr at http://flickr.com/photos/steventhemusical/sets/72157594479803434/.

But as soon as they finished the bathroom, they started on the basement! At least this is out of sight and out of mind (except when we do laundry). No big surprises yet - hopefully it will be a pretty straightforward job. They are removing the tacky wood paneling and doing new drywall on all the walls and ceiling, rebuilding the stairs, putting in a hardwood floor all the way to the back, and making some slight changes (like a new countertop) to the basement kitchen. Since this will ultimately be the "TV room," the only thing we are doing special is putting speaker wires/jacks in the walls. We hope this will be finished mid-February.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Not much going on here . . . spent most of the day on New Year's Eve at work and then sat at home in the evening, eating steak and listening to the neighborhood fireworks go off. Today we are being lazy (and I'm playing with this blog).

2006 had a lot of high points (lots of fun trips, Poplar Tree Bay, work) and low points (the passing of an employee and friend, stressful house remodeling, work). I posted a bunch of photos from this year on my page at Flickr.

Hope everyone has a great 2007! Scott

Christmas in Danville

Steven and I spent Christmas night in Danville with his family. So many people coming in and out of his Gawmaw's house! Holidays in Southfield were always only the six (then four, then three, then two) of us - no extended family to drop in. It was good to see everyone.

Merry Christmas!

No snow, and we barely decorated because of the work on the house, but otherwise "merry." Here's a picture of the tree. I love our ornaments - some are old (from the Heiers I think) and many others are things we collected that have "meaning."


Also in the picture is the beautiful pointsettia sent by Bev and Jim (thanks!) And thanks Mom for the presents! I love the cookbooks. And thanks Billy (brother in law) for the CD and wine, and Sharon for the Lowe's gift cards (much needed given the work on the house!)

I have been off for the past two weeks but spent most of the time sitting in either Sip coffeehouse or Argo Tea (which I love) doing ICAAP work, because home had construction going on. Otherwise, Steven and I spent much of our time off watching "marathons" on satellite TV (Voyager, Top Chef, Law and Order CI, South Park...) And I started playing my Playstation 2 again, unfortunately ... it's relaxing. I finished Frogger and am about halfway through Pac Man World 3 (I only play what I call "little girls'" games, and then only when they are a few years old and sell for under $20!)

Thanksgiving cookies

Not sure who sent this to my company (I was out and one of my staff took a picture). It's a cookie bouquet. Very nice, but they have to bake those cookies so hard and thick they aren't very good.

Busy Week - first, Las Vegas!

My fall trip to Vegas (Steven and I go in July, and I go in November). Stayed at the Monte Carlo, for the second time, since it's fine and pretty cheap. Weather in the 70s, which is good for the time of year. I continue my "addiction" to roulette (I love it!) and actually came back about $200 ahead this year. I love going to the Westin Casuarina - tiny casino a block off the strip but they have "happy hour" gambling where chips are $.25 (instead of $1) for roulette, and the other table games are similarly cheap. But mainly I like to shop, relax and drive around Vegas to see the neighborhoods, locals' casinos, etc. Good food as usual (Mon Ami Gabi, Olives, Mesa Grill, Emeril's Seafood, Il Fornaio).

Next trip may be March 2007 to join my Kathy and Jim at their "annual" final four weekend trip.

.. Then My High School Reunion

My 20th Groves reunion was 11/25/06 at the Westin in Southfield. It was surreal, and I think others would use that word as well. Probably 150 (out of just over 300?) students came back. At one point I'd be talking to old friends and it would feel as natural as it was walking the halls of Groves, and then I'd stop and look around and think about all that had happened in 20 years and how distant that part of my life is now.

Groves High School

Berkshire Middle School


I could write for hours about it but I'll spare everyone. I was so happy to see my friend Katy ... Katy, and Patty, connected with me over the summer and I realized how much I missed them and how sad it is that none of us kept in touch. Both of them seem to be doing great. It was also fun to see Danny (and to be sci-fi geeks again - he is professionally, teaching kids sci-fi literature, and I am pathetically, just watching sci-fi TV) and Chris. Interestingly, the Evergreen Elementary kids gravitated to each other, and it was fun to reminisce with Phil H, Alec R, Quinn S, Emily B, John M, etc. I missed Lainie L and Lily C, and a few others I was closer to in high school.

... And a Visit to the (Nonexistent) Old House

30011 Pleasant Trail is gone! I drove around alot before my high school reunion and visited Cranbrook and our house is gone, replaced with a newer one (see picture). And it's for sale. Otherwise the suburb looked the same, although everything seemed more spread out than it used to.

I spent maybe 4 hours driving around. The Burger King I worked at is there, but the Kmart is gone. All my old record stores are gone too. So sad to grow old.

Bathroom Remodeling Begins

We finally started remodeling the upstairs bathroom. Here's a before picture.

Steven is going to chronicle the remodeling on his blog (www.steventhemusical.blogspot.com) so you can visit that for updates.

AAP NCE In Atlanta

AAP National Conference this year was in Atlanta - the second time I've been there in 2006 and probably the 10th time in as many years. I wasn't planning to attend, but I ended up speaking and having my way paid. It's not my favorite city - it's way too hot and spread out. But after many trips, I was starting to like it. I was into a productive habit of jogging from my downtown hotel(s) out to Piedmont Park and back, found some decent restaurants in downtown and Midtown, found a few good bars and a good wine bar, etc. But this trip was my least favorite (I was mugged). Won't be visiting Altanta again anytime soon.

Star Sighting in Pittsburgh

I was in Pittsburgh this week for the National Academy of State Health Policy conference. (This is the third one I've been to, as a guest because of a grant project we have - this time I was on a panel planning a new project for states to work on developmental screening.) I was working out in the hotel and guess who was there - Jude Law! He looked familiar, then I realized he looked like Jude Law, but I put it out of my head since, well, I was in Pittsburgh. Then I looked around and this woman on another treadmill was frantically trying to make eye contact with the other hotel guests and when she caught me she mouthed "is it him? is it him?" I just smiled and shrugged, but eventually she got up the nerve to ask and he confirmed, yes, it was him. I later saw on the local news that Sienna Miller, whoever she is, was in town for some film festival (and apparently insulted the city while she was there.)

He was smaller than you'd think (especially after Gattaca - wasn't he the tall one and Ethan Hawke had to have his legs extended to be his double?). Web sites say 5' 11'' but I don't think so. Very charismatic and attractive in person even though I've never thought that watching him on screen. He had those grungy workout clothes on that, upon closer inspection, were probably designer clothes that cost thousands of dollars. He answered his cell phone maybe 10 times during his (pretty intense) workout. He also brought down his iPod and speakers ... maybe he expected a private fitness center?

Pittsburgh, BTW, was very pretty and seemed like it could be an interesting city. (Steven was there for a longer period for his association's conference, and would probably disagree.) I had the same positive response to Cleveland when Steven and I stayed there for one night on the way back from Poplar Tree Bay in August ... it felt like a big city, and a few blocks from downtown there were gorgeous, huge houses which I assume (perhaps offensively to the citizens of Cleveland) must be really cheap. The more I visit these mid-size cities the more I realize I could probably live in any one of them. Somewhere in the south would be nice ... cheap real estate, a few good restaurants (which is all we really need anymore - we are in such a rut in Chicago), little traffic, and (ideally) better weather. Like we will ever be motivated enough to move, but the thought does cross my mind.

Fun Family Pictures

I finally got around to scanning these fun old pictures of my family. They are sort of a matching early 70s set. I am only posting my Mom and me. The other four (Dad, Kathy, Dawn, Nancy) are really fun too, but Dad looks angry and my sisters might not be happy to be exposed to the world like that.


Isn't Mom's hair fun? It was tall. When I was little I could look up in the security mirrors at grocery stores and see her hair sticking up in other aisles so I would know where she was.

Yes, They Really Do Use "Big Checks"

One of the more interesting tasks of my job lately was attending a benefit at the Field Museum where I took part in the presentation of a large, fake check. ICAAP received a grant from the Aetna Foundation to support our project on maternal depression. (I was not the lead grantwriter - this is a joint project with a local health system, which has a whole development department - but I helped write it). Apparently, we competed against Johns Hopkins and other notable institutions so Aetna and the health system wanted to make a big deal out of the grant. Hence the photo op. Pictured below are some partner groups, the Aetna rep, and me.

It was an eventful summer for me and media events. This was about the same time I was invited to stand with our Governor, Rod Blagojevich (bla-GOY-uh-vich, for those not local to Illinois) at a press conference. I was ushered into a "green room" with other organizational representatives, to wait for His appearance. He's taller and skinnier than you'd think. We each shook his hand while an official photographer took our picture with him, then we were all lead out in front of the cameras. Unforunately, the media was totally disinterested in the topic of his press conference (electronic medical records), so it received virtually no coverage.

Las Vegas is HOT in July

Steven and I took our annual trip to Vegas in July - stayed at the Flamingo Hilton, lost some money, ate really well, etc. Here's a picture of us from the shark exhibit at Mandalay Bay (very cool exhibit).