Journal

One of the fun things about my job is being able to combine my work trips with visiting family and friends. I had a flight on 1/21 at 3:00 PM to Chicago but American Airlines called at 8:45 am and suggested it would be a good idea to take the 10:52 am flight because of the snow forecast. I got packed but didn't have time to take a shower so I had a striking case of bed head (which Leah was gracious enough to not mention at first). It started snowing in Chicago around 6:00 PM, kept snowing through the night and Saturday - it was quite impressive. Saturday evening we went to see Fidelio at the Lyric Opera. It was enjoyable but not awesome.
Leah drove me to O'Hare on Sunday and I flew to St. Louis for two days of work, then on Wednesday to Austin to see the world's two greatest grandchildren. An added plus in being in Austin was to get to participate in the book club hosted at Jennifer and Stepan's house that evening. It was nice to see Stepan's parents again and I even managed a few Deutsch sentences with Vladimir. The selected book was appropriately set in Prague where Helena and Vladimir grew up.
Kayleigh is very curious and intrepid as she crawls her way around the house and is a real delight to be around. Jonathan, as always, is full of interesting things to say; I enjoyed overhearing him tell Dale, "I'm proud of you, Dad, you saved this for 26 years." J and I had a great time in the park on Saturday; we play follow the leader on the way back - God knows what someone watching must think!
Another added bonus was having Jennifer and Magda spend the night at Elizabeth's. Magda has a lovely smile and those big dark eyes!
Then on to Dallas, dinner with a friend, one day of work and then home which looked pretty good.

Happy Birthday to you, Elizabeth Ann. Hard to believe it was thirty-five years ago today that we were admiring this little 6 lb 6 oz, seven hour old little girl. It seems both like yesterday and a long time ago. We're proud to be your parents!

Here are a few excerpts from the teaching materials for FEDERALLY funded high-school abstinence programs -

"Deep inside every man is a knight in shining armor, ready to rescue a maiden and slay a dragon. When a man feels trusted, he is free to be the strong, protecting man he longs to be. Imagine a knight traveling through the countryside. He hears a princess in distress and rushes gallantly to slay the dragon. The princess calls out, "I think this noose will work better!" and throws him a rope. As she tells him how to use the noose, the knight obliges her and kills the dragon. Everyone is happy, except the knight, who doesn't feel like a hero. He is depressed and feels unsure of himself. He would have preferred to use his own sword. The knight goes on another trip. The princess reminds him to take the noose. The knight hears another maiden in distress. He remembers how he used to feel before he met the princess; with a surge of confidence, he slays the dragon with his sword....the knight is a hero. He never returned to the princess..he eventually married the maiden - but only after making sure she knew nothing about nooses. Moral of the story: Occasional assistance may be all right, but too much will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess.

While a man needs little or no preparation for sex, a woman often needs hours of emotional and mental preparation.
5 Major Needs of Women:
Affection, Conversation, Honesty and Openness, Financial Support, Family Commitment
5 Major Needs of Men:
Sexual Fulfillment, Recreational Companionship, Physical Attractiveness, Admiration, Domestic Support.

The entire report can be found at Henry Waxman's webpage - it includes much more misinformation than gender based excerpts here.

It looks like we haven't "come a long way, baby".

Pat installed the ledge on the built-in bookcases yesterday and it looks soooooo nice. It is a finishing touch; the final finishing touch will be the vertical trim. I love this room; I sit in the big chair in early evening, have a cup of tea and read and watch the sunset.