Erica's thoughts

For all my cat loving friends out there

2006-10-17T16:59:00.000-05:00

And especially for all those cats who have inherited a lot of money from their slightly batty owners! This is terrific. You must turn on your sound to appreciate it :-)
http://www.mollygood.com/celebrities/video/morning-moving-picture-meeeoooww-20061017.php

A message for parents in the Orthodox Jewish Community

2006-10-09T22:38:00.000-05:00

Have you hugged your child today?
Have you asked your teenage child where he has been, where she is going, who they are going to be with, what they are going to be doing?
Have you hugged your child today?
Did you sit down at dinner and discuss what happened in school or at the mall today? And didn't take "stuff" for an answer?
Have you hugged your child today?
Have you set a curfew and made your teenager stick to it?
Have you hugged your child today?
Have you told your child once, and then again, and then still again, to "just say no" -- have you also told them to walk away and don't go back?
Have you hugged your child today?
Do you tell your child that you love him, that you will always love her, and that if they need help you will provide it? And then carried through?
Have you hugged your child today?
Are you willing to call your child's bluff? To call the police, to take them to the hospital, to carry through with the drug test?
I have. I am one of the lucky one's. It took me a long time to see, and when I did, I called the bluff. I called the cops. We went to the hospital, and for us it worked, and I can hug my child today.
It doesn't always work, and then we all cry for the lost potential, the lost hope, the lost opportunities.
But what you can't do is close your eyes, to say it doesn't happen here, to say it can't happen to our kids, to say it isn't in our community -- because it is.
Please, hug your child today!

I may never talk to another small child

2006-09-12T12:31:00.000-05:00

I like children, especially small ones. My husband calls them OPC, for Other People's Children. I like to talk with them, flirt with them, play with them. Babies are wonderful. I am, of course, very aware of today's climate, and only connect when a parent is present and when it seems most likely that the overture will be acceptable. I don't give advice, and if I can't pay a compliment I make no comment at all.

Late Sunday afternoon my husband and I took our youngest son to the airport. He is spending this week in Northern Israel volunteering to help pick the harvest, and repair damages caused by the recent rocket attacks.

As we were waiting in the check-in line I noticed two adorable little girls, both wearing pink poufed dresses. They had ice blonde hair and looked about 3 and 5. I made a comment to the parents and the mom smiled. We saw the girls and their parents again when we got to the security line. By then our son was close to the scanner, and we were standing outside the barriers. The two little girls were standing right in front of us swinging on the ropes, and smiling up at us. I smiled back. Then the older one opened her mouth, and all my illusions shattered around me.

"Do you have a grandchild?"

I don't want to think that I look old enough to have a grandchild, even to a child young enough to be my grandchild!

The Who -- Any suggestions?

2006-09-11T15:46:00.000-05:00

So does anyone have any thoughts as to how I can persuade my husband that I should leave the family thanksgiving weekend (inlaws, kids, daughter-in-law, etc.) early, and spend the Sabbath in Philadelphia with my youngest son so we can go to "The Who" concert at the Wachovia Center on Saturday night?

I didn't think so.... :-(

I don't suppose anyone has any inside knowledge on whether they are going to extend the tour to make a stop in the Washington area?

Think of water flowing past a rock in a stream

2006-09-11T09:44:00.000-05:00

Now that the image is in your mind, let me give you the setup.

Saturday night four of us went to hear/see Rascal Flatts at Nissan. After the Alabama concert I had sworn I would never go back, but I guess I didn't swear hard enough. In addition, it was Saturday night and I couldn't walk out the door until 8:06 because of the Sabbath. The concert had started at 7:30, and even with a somewhat lead foot it can take 45 minutes to get there. My son and I were in the car by 8:07 and on the road. We got to Nissan almost exactly 40 minutes later, and then the problems started -- no parking.

I was asking an attendant where to park when I heard "Erica!" a very "happy" work colleague, BC, had just arrived with friends. My son hopped out of the car with them, and I went to find a park. I kept getting turn left, turn right, turn left, and kept turning into places where I couldn't park. Finally, there on my right was an opening in the barriers, and a car with some space to its right. Good. No signs not to park. I pulled in, and as I did so I heard the roar as the lights went down, and the music of the first song starting. I locked the car, and raced for the entrance. Please note what got left out of this operation. Contrary to my typical actions, I DID NOT identify where I had put the car. It was relatively close to the entrance, and I was sure I would identify it again, after all, there weren't any other cars around!

Fast forward about 90 minutes. They didn't play enough music, they did too much talking, but what they did do was terrific. The harmonies are excellent, and they have wonderful voices. They do a lot of a cappella singing, and I really enjoyed the concert. My son, daughter, and daughter's boyfriend were in no hurry to race back to the cars, so we sat at the entrance for a while talking. Then my daughter said she was thirsty and so we decided they would walk back to my car where I had some water. I confidently led the way to where I thought I had left the car -- UH OH -- no car.

For the next ten minutes the four of us wandered back and forth looking for the car. At one point my son left me with the key. Sooner than expected he shouted "I found" it. He couldn't have. There weren't any open spaces where he came from, just cars trying to leave. Of course you have probably figured out, there was my car -- stubbornly parked, facing in the wrong direction, in the middle of the exiting streams. The four of us could do nothing else but double over with laughter, but that explains the 'water flowing past the rock' image.

I can only imagine how many people were cursing me, silently and openly, while I laughed. Thanks to several wonderful drivers, I managed to get turned around, and pointing in the right direction. We were out of Nissan in less than 15 minutes once we found the car, and hopefully I will someday live down the fact the I a) parked on the road, and b) lost the car after I parked on the road, but I swear, it wasn't a road when I parked there!!

This one is for my friend AD

2006-09-06T13:14:00.000-05:00

I am on an email list that sends me sporadic jokes. Most of them are tired, but even so, they often provide a chuckle during my day. Today's list was of "unfortunate" choices in web site names, from ExpertsExchange.com to TherapistFinder.com. However, they pointed out that one website that sells custom pens, not only has a poor name choice, but their home page text leaves much to be desired.
Copied from Pen Island.net:

"We understand that some people don't have the time to design their own pens, and for those people we offer our pre-designed line of pens. Whether you're looking for a long and skinny pen, a thick pen, a fountain pen that squirts ink, or even a black pen, we have just the one for you."

Use your imagination....

Of course, after viewing the site, I do tend to doubt its legitimacy :-)

Playing with Google

2006-09-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago, putting Weapons of Mass Destruction (or was it WMD) into Google produced a very clever error a la "404 Page not Found" errors, discussing the lack of WMD. Google-bombing has been going on for several years now. Try "failure" or "miserable failure", read the Wikipedia article, and for my technical friends, let me know when you are working on one of your own.

Is there an alternative?

2006-08-28T10:31:00.000-05:00

One of my colleagues referred me to this visual reference to the three stages of a man's life.

Is there an alternative? Of course there is. Romance your wife, stay faithful, and don't get divorced!

Meowing

2006-08-25T07:24:00.000-05:00

Is "meowing" at someone harassment?

I'll admit, I love my cat. In fact, I like cats in general. I think my kitty is wonderful. She cuddles up next to me when I read in the living room; she rolls over onto her back so I can rub her belly; and she has mastered the art of 'hampering' by weaving in and out of my legs when I walk down the stairs.

Of course some people think she is a devil cat. She clamps down on your hand with her teeth if you do something she doesn't like, or even if she has had enough, and she is black, and she was born on the 13th, but still I love her.

All this is a preamble to a habit that started at work more than a year ago now. The finance group used to be at one end of my floor. On the tops of their cube walls they had a collection of rubber ducks -- ducks with bunny ears, ducks coming out of shells, ducks in sheep clothing, ducks in camouflage, ducks in red hats. I thought with all these cute ducks there should be a kitty duck, but there were none, so every time I walked by finance I "meowed." It became a signature, and if I didn't meow the group thought maybe something was wrong.

Gloria used to meow back. She left the company a few months ago to move to Texas and I miss her. Before she left she gave me a beanie baby kitty named Snip who sits on my monitor. Valerie also meowed back, and when I go down to the first floor (where finance moved when we grew) I still meow at her and she meows back. She has Snip's friend Nip on her monitor.

Now I find out that some people consider meowing harassment. A woman had her neighbor's 14 year old son arrested for harassment for meowing at her every time she came outside. Is that really harassment, and since when does an adult woman let a kid get to her like that. I say grow up.

Shabbat and the Disabled

2006-08-10T11:28:00.000-05:00

As many of my friends know, I will not drive or ride in a car on the Sabbath except in cases of emergency health related situations. Shoe sale emergencies don't count. This is true of Orthodox Jews the world over. In fact, direct use of electricity is also not allowed, so you could leave your lights on for Saturday, or put them on a timer that turns them on and off automatically, but couldn't flip the switch.

For most of us, this is not an issue on a regular basis, but the prohibition of riding in a car can become an onerous burden as we grow older, or our parents age, or we become disabled. Wheelchairs are permissible, but they have to be mechanical, and if you require one on a regular basis, you may also need someone to push it, and if you live alone, you need to rely on the kindness of friends, neighbors, and family. What about the person who lives far from synagogue, and who could walk before, but can't walk so far now? What does he do. Up until now? Stay home and forgo the community of the synagogue, or break the Sabbath.

Now there is an alternative. A company called MyAmigo in upstate NY has created a motorized cart (scooter) with a Sabbath setting. They even had the product certified by a recognized organization in Israel. Zomat works with vendors who want to make modern technology, phones, electricity, etc., that make life easier for the Sabbath observant.

Of course this isn't for everyone, and as always, the caveat is "consult your local Rabbi," but what a boon to those of us with parents who are shut-ins on Shabbat for want of a little ingenuity.

Hair yesterday, gone today

2006-08-09T15:27:00.000-05:00

For the last month I have been unhappy with my hair. Aside from the desperate need for "only her hairdresser knows for sure"*, I couldn't manage the style or the length. I had resorted to putting it up in a pony tail day in and day out, or a hair band, or a clip, or under hats. Today I took the plunge. I wasn't totally convinced that I hadn't made a big mistake, but judge for yourself.

I did learn one other thing from this photo, it may be time for regular makeup....

*tag line from an "I'm aging myself" clairol commercial

Despite Scratched CD, the "Inter-Web" is Back

2006-08-04T07:43:00.000-05:00

The very nice lady whom I finally reached at Verizon after many frustrating hours on hold, with inexperienced help desk folks, or redialing after dropped calls, came through. The "Welcome Package" was indeed on the front porch. I had a little time around 6pm and popped the CD in the drive and started the process. Got two steps done and the wizard vanished -- hunh?

On my desktop was a new icon - restart setup. So I did. Once again, two steps in, and gone. Switched the CD from one drive to the other. Got another step (not because of the switch, apparently) and then it vanished again. I discovered through trial and error that if I let the CD run until the step was complete, I could get a little further. Then I took out the CD and looked at it. Large low depth scrape across the back. Ever had a music CD that stuttered at one point?

Finally, I reached a point in the Modem set up (the initial section was just adding filters on the phone line) that I couldn't seem to bypass at the end. That time I tried clicking through the step at different times, and FINALLY got passed it. I guess that was the last barrier, because the CD finally conceded, completed the installation process, and we are back on the Internet at home. More than that, when I have some more time to "fiddle" with things, there should be wireless in the house. Hopefully it isn't wide open to the world right now :-) but if it is, my goal is to shut it down over the weekend. In the meantime, if you are driving past my house, and you happen to find a free wireless connection, enjoy....

For those of you terrified by security issues, I have a firewall, virus protection, etc. all active on the home machine.

Nothing is ever simple

2006-07-31T14:44:00.000-05:00

7/20/06 -- Order DSL
7/21/06 -- Wait
7/22/06 -- Wait
7/23/06 -- Wait
7/24/06 -- Phone call on answering machine, DSL will be activated on 7/27/06 after 6pm
7/25/06 -- Wait
7/26/06 -- Wait -- but where is my welcome package -- they did say 3-5 business days
7/27/06 -- Wait -- check online -- package has been shipped and DSL is pending
7/28/06 -- Wait -- check online -- package has been shipped and DSL has been activated
7/29/06 -- No way to check -- no package
7/30/06 -- same message on line
7/31/06 -- automated system gave me a tracking number -- tracking number says package was delivered on 7/24/06 and left on front porch -- but no package was received
7/31/06 -- start calling Verizon DSL, Verizon Local, and Verizon billing. It appears my DSL was installed on Conceto Lane, and the package was delivered to Concerto Lane -- except I don't live on Concerto Lane. I have now been transferred twice, and in both cases the calls were dropped and I had to start again.
I hope the people on Concerto Lane are enjoying my DSL, but I am NOT going to pay for it!!!!!

Order of Canada!

2006-07-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

My mother just called -- she has just been officially named to the Order of Canada. Apparently the appointment was made on April 6, but was just announced by the Governor General of Canada. (see the press announcement.)

http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4828

This is the highest civilian honor that Canada awards to one of her citizens. She wasn't eligible while she was a sitting judge, but now that she has officially retired, the appointment came very quickly. I have always been very proud of my Mum, but I must admit, it is incredibly nice to see her receive recognition on a national level for her years of service to Nova Scotia and Canada. Nova Scotia recognized her last year with the Order of Nova Scotia, and I was extremely proud of her then. I am just as proud now. My mother was a pioneer for women in the law. She fought against not only the prejudice against her sex, but also the prejudice against her religion, and triumphed.

I used to subscribe to a magazine that everyone year would run a contest to name the ten most admired women in the world. For me, my mother has always been the woman I admire most.

I love you Mum -- I am very proud of you, and as it is said, "May you go from strength to strength."

bye bye AOL

2006-07-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

We first joined AOL in 1995. Over the years it has been very good for us. However, lately things have not worked as well. Finally, last week the DSL modem stopped talking to the computer, and no one seemed to be able to help. It was finally time.

I have cancelled AOL. Am I there last customer? Probably not. But I am definitely part of a trend, and AOL knows it too. There was no argument when I asked to cancel. They even have it as one of their menu choices on their customer service 800 number. One of the reasons I had never cancelled before was that I didn't want to lose my screen name. Guess what -- that's no longer an issue. You can keep your aol mail and screen name, and access both through www.aol.com. You can also get web mail through your aol screen name. So I will still be on AIM with my Erica screen name, and I won't be laying out over 50$ a month for DSL and AOL.

I am not ready to switch to FIOS yet. I know that's silly, but I am concerned about not having phones when the power goes out. If Verizon could give me television over my FIOS, then I would switch, but otherwise.... So I went to Verizon DSL. I don't want to be wedded to cable either at this point. Did I get the best deal? who knows, but it came with a free modem and wireless router so I will be able to access the internet from my laptop at home -- finally!

Now I just need to make sure that I am not providing internet access for the whole neighborhood. Anyone want to volunteer to help secure my network?

Birthday presents

2006-07-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

I got a lot of very nice gifts for my birthday. My husband surprised me with a 4 day 3 night trip to Vegas. My son and daughter-in-law brought back a pearl and cord multi-strand necklace from Costa Rica. My daughter and youngest son took me to the Tim McGraw, Faith Hill concert (yes I like country music), my best friends at work sent me flowers and chocolates -- at work, and that made me feel very special, my mother-in-law gave me a Michael Kors bag. But this is about what I found in my family room when I came home last night.

For months I have covetted a particular Bernina sewing machine. I nearly suckered my husband into agreeing to its purchase last summer -- until he found out the cost. I talked to my Mom, my kids, etc. Last night, in the family room of my house there were two boxes from the local fabric store. My mother and brothers had sent me the sewing machine of my dreams! I absolutely can't believe it. It can sew by itself -- really, it can! I barely had a chance to try it last night, that's another story, but I can't wait to see what I can do with it.

The embroidery module hooks up to a laptop. For now, I guess I will use my laptop from work, but eventually I will have to get one of my own. Don't think it needs anything too powerful, but I will have to see.

I am so incredibly excited. I just can't believe it.

Have to blog

2006-07-06T16:07:00.000-05:00

Have to blog -- have to -- have to. Came back from Vegas at midnight. Got home around 1:30. Suitcases were soaked and had to completely unpack before bed to avoid mildew. Got up at 7am or was it 4am. It's 5pm and I can't tell what time it is. No sane thoughts in my head, and no work accomplished today. Need to get my hands wrapped around some interesting stuff here at work. Are there changes in the wind? To be seen.

Shaking hands

2005-06-02T19:35:00.000-05:00

Shaking hands is a part of American and Canadian culture. It is not as ingrained over the rest of the world, but it is certainly a well known and accepted custom. Recently I went looking for the origins of the custom, and while there was no certainty, the probability was that shaking hands originate between two men to show that they were not carrying weapons. Later it became the seal on a contract. But what happens if you don't or rather won't shake hands with someone?

At social political events, shaking hands is almost required. So what happens when a religious leader is invited to such an occasion, in particular a religious leader who won't shake hands with a member of the opposite sex? What should that religious leader do in such a situation? What should he do if he is introduced to a very senior political figure who happens to be a woman? When faced with an outstretched hand, should the religious man place his hands behind his back?

Despite what some people think, we live in the real world. I understand and do my best to respect others beliefs. I would never expect the religious leader to shake my hand. But when NOT shaking hands with a woman is equivalent to not shaking hands with a personal representative of the Queen of England, or the President of the United States, then I believe the religious leader should do a little more thinking before he acts.

This is not a hypothetical example, the event happened. The snubbed woman felt as if she had been slapped. She didn't understand, until later, what was going on, and even after an explanation, she still believes that her office was "dissed". (Not her exact words, but a succinct representation of her feelings.) She has never felt strong support for this particular religion, and the acts of the religious leader just confirmed her opinions. Is this what the religious leader wanted or intended? Certainly not, but it is what happened.

There is enough religious intolerance in this world without encouraging more. I say the religious leader was in the wrong.

Buffalo Nickels

2005-05-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

My company divides its employees into functional groups, known as practices. Some practices are more "convivial" than others. Mine tends to be fairly close knit, despite the best efforts of the firm to encourage our communication with others. (That is a whole blog in and of itself, and not the subject for this one.)

Most weekdays, at least some of the members of our practice have lunch together in the kitchen. Often, the conversation sinks to points that can only be referred to as "HR nightmares." Today was NOT one of those days, until almost the very end. We will disregard the reading of fortune cookie fortunes, with the "in bed" tag line. No, that wasn't what caused the laughs, it was the new nickel.

For anyone who hadn't heard, the US Mint is issuing a new version of the nickel. Thomas Jefferson's head has been redesigned into a profile a la Mt Rushmore, and the reverse side has an America bison -- an anatomically correct American bison. For those of you who are curious, take a look for yourself.

Image of Buffalo Nickel

Passover WAS very nice

2005-05-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

It was actually fairly pleasant, as I knew it would be. Cooking is slightly more difficult, but with planning, everything is possible. Everyone was home for the first two days, but my oldest son stayed at school for the last two. We had one seder with my son's future family, the other was by ourselves.

Interesting, though. We all must be maturing. In the past, we have had seder's at others homes, but when we were on our own, things reverted to normal. This time, we all enjoyed our seder at Shosh's so much, that we incorporated parts of it that we liked. For the first time, we didn't chant everything in Hebrew together, we actually read parts in English. Actually, everyone picked the language of their choice. That's why one paragraph was actually read in pig latin! Guess which of my wonderful children chose to do that! Truthfully, I felt more involved. I didn't find my mind wandering, or find myself counting pages, and that is a very good thing.

Passover has been over for a couple of weeks, and my house is back to normal -- mostly. It is probably the fastest that has happened in years too. All in all, a very nice holiday!

Ok, Ok, Passover is NOT Spring Cleaning

2005-04-20T15:34:00.000-05:00

My last blog WAS tongue in cheek :-) Every year I try to see how much less I can get away with. I don't do spring cleaning before Passover. I do my best to sleep every night, and contrary to most people, I actually love it when the first night falls on Saturday night. Why, you ask? Let me count the ways.

A decent night's sleep -- most years, the night before the first seder I am up until 1 or 2 am, sometimes cleaning, but usually cooking. This year, Friday night will give me a decent night's sleep.
Three day Holiday -- Even though this is a three day holiday, and I usually dread them, the Sabbath lunch meal is fairly small, and simple cutting preparation to a minimum
Nap -- the day before Passover I am usually on my feet from 7am until the seder starts. On Saturday, I get to take my only nap of the week. When the first seder starts Saturday night, I can't cook on the Sabbath, and I get a nap before the first seder. It's like being a kid again.
Sleep -- if you begin to sense a theme, you are absolutely right. I get lots of sleep, all the other years I get almost none. I am a happier, calmer, more relaxed person when I get enough sleep and don't feel stressed. It's a wonderful life!

I actually like Passover once it starts. Life is simpler, the seders are fun, cooking is a challenge, which makes it interesting, and there are fewer outside distractions. The holiday has familiar rituals and music, significant memories and meanings, and to all my friends who will be celebrating, have a Hag Kasher v'Sameach. Have a Happy Passover.

Passover -- or is Judaism really anti-female?

2005-04-18T17:10:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't believe that Judaism is anti-women. Many, maybe most Orthodox Jewish women have come to terms with where they fit in the religion, their role, and their relationship with halacha (law) and Hashem (G-d). Except when it comes to Passover!

This holiday, its requirements and its stringencies, was truly created by someone who had it in for women. With tongue in cheek, look at the list below:

Have you cleaned every inch of your house? Many of us say we won't, most of us do.
Is that a bread crumb behind the refrigerator? Better move it out to check. Forget that nothing from Passover is going to go behind the refrigerator, you might own bread products on Passover!
Have you checked all the ingredients in your shampoos, soaps, lotions, makeup, etc. to make sure there is not a hint of any wheat or grain, or wheat by-products?
Have you scrubbed your floors, and then scrubbed them again?
Have you checked under your sofa cushions? Behind your bookshelves? Inside the pages of the history book you haven't looked at since college? There might be a grain of wheat.
Have you scrubbed all your baby's toys, and then scrubbed them again, then again, because each time you clean one he makes it dirty again?
Have you gone through your car with a fine toothed comb, digging M&Ms out of the cushions, picking wrappers out from under the seats, and vacuuming till within an inch of its life?
Have you locked away all your regular pots and pans, dishes and glasses, forks and knives, and every utensil you use the rest of the year?
Have you covered your impeccably scrubbed counter tops with aluminum foil or heavy plastic, poured boiling water over every corner of your scrupulously clean stainless steel sink, and scrubbed the inside and outside of your refrigerator and freezer, and any cabinets you plan to use until they shine?
Have you run your self-cleaning oven, scrubbed the bottom, sides, top, and shelves, and then run it again?
Have you turned on your burners without a pot on top and let them burn (gas or electric) for what seems like forever while your house slowly heats up and the knobs start to melt?
Have you dragged out your Passover pots and pans, dishes and glasses, forks and knives, and every utensil you will need to cook for the entire week of Passover plus a few days of preparation?
Have you spent several hours searching your house by candlelight to see if you missed anything?
Have you taken what you didn't missed, wrapped it in a rag and burned it with the appropriate prayers?

And finally,

Have you watched your husband spend a few hours cleaning his car and the drawer beside his bed, and then sit down in the living room with the Sunday paper?

Truly, this is not a holiday loved by women -- at least not before it starts!

PMI Certification!

2005-04-12T15:52:00.000-05:00

I took my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam today and passed. From the PMI site http://www.pmi.org,

"If you enjoy the prestige that comes from being the best in your field, then you’ll appreciate the professional advantages derived from attaining the Project Management Professional (PMP) status. The PMP designation following your name tells current and potential employers that you have a solid foundation of project management knowledge that can be readily applied in the workplace."

I took a prep class sponsored by my company, as well as doing additional studying on my own. My company also paid for the exam. I want to thank them for offering the training and pushing me to take the exam. I probably would not have tried it without the urging.

I am also truly glad it is over!!!!!

Laughter, tears, and praise!

2005-04-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

My mother was honored last weekend at a dinner in Halifax Nova Scotia for her many years of service as a Justice of the Nova Scotia courts. She retired in December as the Chief Justice of Nova Scotia.

The weekend included a symposium on Saturday, and a black tie dinner Saturday night. My mother also hosted a casual dinner Friday night for her out-of-town guests. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend, and I came to realize that she is very highly respected, not just in Nova Scotia, but all over Canada for her contributions to the Canadian judicial system.

I'm not going to recap the whole weekend, but here are some of the highlights.

Casual dinner Friday night. A judge's definition of casual, and most other people's definition are different. Casual does not mean jeans and t-shirts. Casual does not even really mean khakis and polos. No, casual means a sports jacket and slacks instead of a suit, and the tie can be a little brighter than otherwise. On Friday night my mother hosted dinner for 47 out of town guests. They included Chief Justices and former Chief Justices from almost every province in Canada, as well as the Chief Justice of Canada. The CJC is a very bright very pleasant woman who spoke at both the symposium and the dinner. I enjoyed our conversations very much. She was quite gracious to my children as well, and even wrote a note to my son and his fiancee! But casual dress? NOT!

Saturday night. My brother's children, nephew and neice, appeared briefly for photographs with my mother. They were all decked out in Nova Scotia Tartan! Adorable. My brothers looked elegant in suit or tux and tie. My mother was all smiles, when she wasn't crying. I learned that she has been to a spa, once. The CJC ordered her to go (with a smile) and so she went. I learned that other judges taught her to drink cosmapolitans, and she likes them. I learned that there was no task too small or too big, no committee chair or group chair that my mother couldn't handle with her usual efficient and effective management style. I learned that my mother's shoes will be very hard to fill, and I learned that mention of my Dad in a public forum still makes me cry.

We were all very proud of Constance Rochelle Glube, former Chief Justice of Nova Scotia. May she have many wonderful years of retirement, and may she enjoy them to the full, even more than she enjoyed her many wonderful years on the bench.

Dinner with the engaged couple (link to photos)

2005-03-27T21:55:00.000-05:00

The two families had dinner together this evening. Everyone was there except Kifi, Shosh's sister, who is currently in Israel. I loaded some photographs to my webshots site, including a shot of "the ring!!" Not everyone made it into the photographs, but feel free to share.
http://community.webshots.com/user/ekolatch