I am now back from New York, safe and sound...well, pretty much. Remind me not to go to a rich dinner, with wine, at 11:00 p.m. and then go to bed. My tummy is kinda woozy today. But the event went well, although there were only 55 people. I had to close registration for my event next week in the Bay Area because 149 people have rsvd'ed. A great problem to have! I leave for San Fran next Wednesday and then go on a little vacation to LA to see Judi and Paul from Friday until Tuesday. I am really excited to get away for non-work reasons and see Judi and Paul. More details on that later...

My condolences to the Dell'Aquila and Theodosis family on the passing of Uncle Danny.

Wish me luck...my event is tonight in New York. I am staying, and hosting the event, at the cool Hudson Hotel.

Today has been pretty uneventful...hence not much posted on my blog. I am painting the bottom half (under the chair rail) with another coat of paint tonight. I realized I was a little *too* conservative with my paint application in all my rooms before I moved in. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I am trying to touch things up a bit. I want to paint one of the walls in my sunroom this summer too, but I am not sure what color yet. Next time you're over, help me decide.

As long as we are praying, could we add a prayer for good weather for this Sunday's Walk for Hunger, where they are predicting rain (I am still taking pledges...hint hint) Also, I have my next event tomorrow night, a young alumni event in NYC. Fingers crossed it goes well.

I want to start today by sending prayers, blessings, other well wishes to a few people. The uncle of my good friend is probably dying right now and I want to send his uncle and family wishes of love, support and strength. One of my cousins is currently battling a tumor in her breast and I send her prayers for a complete and speedy recovery. And on a lighter note, I send love and blessings to my friends in Cleveland who are 15 weeks pregnant.

In case you didn't know, the Boston Red Sox swept the New York Yankees this weekend. This means that the Sox have beat the Yankees 6 out of 7 games in the last couple weeks. Just thought I should make note.

Because my visit from Arin (friend from Cleveland who was supposed to be in town for wedding) was cancelled, I had most of the day yesterday to putz around my house and fix/decorate and re-organize. I feel really good about the results, which will be done in time for my Ladies Brunch, and my parents' visit at the end of the month. I still want furniture for the sunroom but that will have to wait.

Before I get into an update of the rest of my weekend, I have a question for you all. (This is a product of my getting one hour of sleep last night...don't know why other than Sunday night insomnia) If an identical twin donates an organ to their twin, do they need to take anti-rejection drugs?

Em, Nat and I went to the Festival for the Earth this afternoon on a absolutely beautiful day! Last year I went with Em and Amy and it was freezing cold and rainy. Today was sunny (windy) and just great to be outside. Lots of free samples of healthy food and give aways. Let the summer festivities begin!

Last night I went to a lovely baby shower for Jack and Mary, at Amy and Jose's house. (And Emily was the other hostess) Whenever I go to gatherings like this, I am reminded of the importance, and love, of a strong community, and very appreciative of having these people to surround myself with. They had asked for books as gifts so I bought them two of my favorites, A Snowy Day and Where Did I Come From. (once a sex educator, always a sex educator)

Since there is no Friday Five this week, I thought I'd use the one from this week last year.
1. What was the last TV show you watched?
Survivor All Star. It was supposed to be CSI but it was a damn repeat! Oh, and I watched some of the Today Show this morning as I got dressed, like I do every morning. Noone very memorable was on this morning.
2. What was the last thing you complained about?
That the whole Communications team seems to be out sick or just not here today. I need someone to proof the program book for my event so I can get it to the printer today. Also, I have complained that it is cold and raining today and that I got mascara on my sweater and therefore had to change after FINALLY finding a cute outfit for tonight (I changed about 7 times prior to this).
3. Who was the last person who complimented you and what did they say?
Kathryn thanked me for my "great" edits and comments on the important memo she is drafting.
4. What was the last thing you threw away?
I last recycled several drafts of my program book. I last threw away the coffee grounds from my morning coffee.
5. What was the last website (besides this one) that you visited?
The Angus Index, Emily's blog. It is embarrassing how frequently I check out about 5 websites!

How cute is Ellen? I could die! (make sure your sound is on.)

Another totally yummy dinner at Cambridge 1. This time I branched out from my regular selection and had the "pizza" (really flat bread) with chicken sausage, fontina, ricotta and fresh tomato. So wonderful!

I heard about an Argentinean restaurant called Tango in Arlington that I would like to try. Anyone want to join me? Email me at kcole9802(at)AOL(dot)COM if you are interested.

In the category of "If your friends don't brag for you, who will?" I post the link to my friend Chip's article in the Harvard Civil Rights- Civil Liberties Law Review on using the thirteenth amendment to explain why racial profiling is illegal. I found the article to be fascinating, and not just cuz I really like Chip. Warning: Its long.

So its Wednesday, which means its time to check my favorite sex advice website. I have to be careful because I sometimes laugh out loud so vigorously that my co-workers come by the ask what it so funny. How do I explain that I was reading about a gay cross-dresser who has a fetish for smelling people's bad breath?

Last night, when I was watching the Red Sox win again, I heard about two-dollar Tuesdays at the SkyDome. Not quite the same pricing structure as the Sox. I could go to the whole home season in Toronto for about the price of one Sox ticket!! (When I was in Toronto a couple years ago I went to see a few innings of Blue Jays vs. Indians for only $4 and I thought *that* was a bargain!)

Kim Walks to Put Food on the Table...for others. Please consider sponsoring me for the Project Bread's Walk for Hunger, on May 2nd. I will be walking 20 miles to raise money for the Boston community.

For those of you that don't know, I recently went on a "business" trip with work to Costa Rica. Among the highlights were the lodge we stayed in (and the activities we did assoc with it like whitewater rafting and horseback riding), zip lines, and visiting an eye clinic, initially funded by an amazing organization. Oh, and other highlight was certainly the weather!

Here is my favorite site of the day...a kind of 20 Questions. I haven't stumped it yet...now you try! However, almost as excellent is the psuedo-Queer Eye site making fun of the Right Eye. Make sure your sound is on....coming to you from my great friends at PPFA.

This weekend (a long weekend because of the MA holiday of Patriots Day...aka Marathon Monday) I went to see Hilary at her new home. She is the new Associate Minister at Storr's Congregational Church. Other than just the company, one of the highlights was definitely visiting here, where one day I got Jonathan's Surprise and the other day I got Chocolate Espresso Crunch. Yum!

Rather than do an entire retrospective of jobs, friends, etc. I think I will start pubishing things I think are interesting and things that important to me, and figure that all the rest will fall in line.

I thought I would start by letting you know a bit about myself. First of all, I grew up (well, from age 10 on) in Shaker Heights, Ohio, home to the mighty Red Raiders. Shaker is home, even thought I now have my very own condo here. For undergrad I went to a small, fantastic liberal arts school called Macalester College, where I majored in sociology, minored in poli sci, and got my elementary teaching certificate. I got my Masters of Nonprofit Organizations (a management degree) from the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Management, part of this big university.

Ok, here is I go...entering the world of blogs. This will be my very first post. Please stop by often for random thoughts and updates from me, Ms. Kim Cole.