Week 12 results are in

Sandy and Steve -- make some room up there at the top, cause here I come!!!

Week 12 gave us some nail-biters for sure. Glad to see my Chargers still pulling out wins in the end. Cheers also to the Titans for a glorious upset of the evil Giants (all Mannings must go down!).

If you haven't paid for your trades yet, you need to get me a check by next week, or your trades will revert back to your prior picks. Last call for pay-ups...

Here's where things stand:

31
Sandy and Steve Seymour
Colleen Thomas

29
Hoover-HA-1
Kevin Wry

28
Brett Seymour
Barry-HA

27
Lin Mills
Hoover-HA-2
Kathy Lucciola

26
Tom D'Angelo
Joe Kasper
Surf Nanny
Lucy Thomas
Kevin Kirby
Harry Mills
Tom Savage

25
Paul-HA-1
Gerry Halley
Don Tonachio

24
Bill Gordon
AJ-HA
Stoli Thomas

23
John Halley
Seth Thomas
Dwight Palmer

22
Jean Wry
Susan Palmer

21
Paul-HA-3
Debra Fleming

20
Scott Munday
Paul-HA-2

19
Steve Martin
Kyle Mills
Tony Lucciola
Christian Kasper

15
Robert Conner

Week 10 - Trades are in...

So, the big trade week is over. Sandy and Steve were so confident they did not change a thing. Many people ditched the Bengals for the Ravens, others decided to hop on the Bears bandwagon. For those who made changes, please get me your payment in the next two weeks for your picks to hold.

It's gonna come down to the wire -- playoff teams will be key and for some at the top, it may actually come down to the lame little point team that differentiates you from the pick hot on your trail.

I don' tknow about you, but I'm excited!

Cheers all. I haven't yet proofed the preadsheet, so please help me with that task. If anything looks out of order, please let me know.

Go Chargers! Down with Peyton! Dominate Donovan!

(italics are teams that were traded; new team is last in list)
Results thus far:

27 Sandy and Steve Seymour Ravens Browns Colts Bears
25 Colleen Thomas Chargers Jaguars Bengals Bears Ravens
24 Hoover-HA-1 Bills Browns Texans Raiders Eagles Saints Titans
24 Kevin Wry Bears Colts Bills Rams Saints
23 Brett Seymour Patriots Ravens Giants 49ers
23 Lin Mills Patriots Bears Colts
22 Tom D'Angelo Colts Lions Bengals Saints Chargers
22 Hoover-HA-2 Dolphins Chargers Giants Saints
22 Joe Kasper Jets Browns Titans Raiders Giants 49ers
22 Surf Nanny Colts Chargers Seahawks
22 Lucy Thomas Colts Chargers Seahawks
22 Kevin Kirby Colts Chargers Redskins Raiders Bears
21 Harry Mills Bengals Chargers Giants Rams
21 Bill Gordon Bengals Colts Broncos Ravens
21 Paul-HA-1 Colts Seahawks Bills Raiders Browns
21 Barry-HA Chargers Eagles Titans 49ers Dolphins
21 Gerry Halley Panthers Colts Chargers Bears
21 Don Tonachio Colts Panthers Chargers
21 Kathy Lucciola Ravens Chargers Vikings Bucaneers Bears
20 Tom Savage Patriots Bengals Lions Chargers Ravens
19 AJ-HA Dolphins Bills Colts Raiders Lions
19 John Halley Panthers Ravens Jaguars Raiders
19 Stoli Thomas Patriots Ravens Seahawks Bears
19 Seth Thomas Patriots Panthers Bears
18 Scott Munday Jaguars Raiders Giants Panthers Colts
17 Paul-HA-3 Dolphins Giants Vikings Rams Ravens
17 Jean Wry Jets Titans Raiders Lions Bucs 49ers
17 Steve Martin Jaguars Giants Seahawks Colts
17 Paul-HA-2 Bengals Giants Seahawks Ravens
16 Dwight Palmer Chiefs Jaguars Bengals Titans
16 Debra Fleming Bengals Seahawks Patriots
16 Kyle Mills Bengals Broncos Panthers
16 Tony Lucciola Panthers Bengals Lions Raiders Texans
15 Susan Palmer Cowboys Bengals Rams Titans
15 Christian Kasper Patriots Panthers Rams
13 Robert Conner Steelers Eagles Panthers

Get out and vote!

Well, tomorrow is the big day...and I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. Time for a change and I'm feeling BLUE! I can't wait to cast my vote for the sure win of Bernie Sanders to become the first self-proclaimed socialist elected to the US Senate. I'm also excited about voting for Peter Wlech to help turn the tide for Democrats to take over the US House. I am less confident that my vote for Scudder Parker will result in a truly pro-environment governor heading Vermont, but one can dream for a REAL upset. Sad, because it shouldn't be this way. If Scudder had better campaign management and a more active and well-funded campaign, I think he could have mounted more of a real challenge to Governor Scissorhands. I am more confident that the upset surprise for tomorrow will be a sharp and energetic Matt Dunne toppling the do-nothing Lieutentant Governorship of Brian Dubie. As for things on the national front, my prediction -- Dems pick up 26 seats in the House and 4-5 in the Senate.

On another front, it's also time to make another kind of choice for those in the football pool. Trade week is upon us. This is your chance to trade one team for one team of equal or lesser value. Time to try and land yourself a playoff team if you don't already have one. Get your trades in to me by Saturday night Nov. 11th.

FOR THOSE IN THE VALLEY: Football pool meet-up this FRIDAY @ 6:30pm at the Hyde Away. Meet others in the pool, make your trades, and talk some strategy... Hope to see you there!

How the mighty have fallen

Don't even talk to me about my Chargers, or the Jets or Jacksonville or Dallas... all games that just went wrong! And what is worse -- my brother, a Ravens fan, made me stay on the phone with him during the last two minutes as my Chargers gave away their win. In my Yahoo weekly pick'em pool, I actually went 2 for 13! It's hard to be THAT wrong!

So it's Monday night and only into the first quarter of the Philly game. While I like Brett Farve, I have faith enough in Donovan and the Eagles that I'm posting the pool results anticipating their win. If I'm wrong, I'll post a correction for tomorrow.

For those who still owe me for the pool, please get in touch with me so we can get together.

Find week four results here.

Football week 3

So, did you all catch U2 on Monday night football? I still don't see them as a football kind of band (unless you're maybe talking Irish football), but the work Edge has been doing in New Orleans with Music Rising has been really great. And as always, I'm always psyched to see the boys...just wish Mom and I were headed to Hawaii to see them in December.

On to the games -- GOOD week to have NFL Ticket, as many games were exciting and close, except for those blowouts on the local major networks. Don't get me wrong, I will always enjoy watching the Giants get their asses kicked, but given the option, I'd much rather watch a close competitive game that comes down to the wire. Must admit that after a good strong start, I was pissed to see Jacksonville blow it against Indy. Surprised to see New England do so poorly against Denver. And last night, happy to see the Saints capitalize on all the hype -- while I love watching Michael Vick play, I'm a sucker for an underdog.

As for the standings, shall I try to be humble? Nah... Even with my Chargers taking a by-week, I still sit atop the pack, with Sandy, Kevin and Tommy right behind. Jean is holding strong in the basement.

Standings can be found here.

Bailey's settling in well

Well, Four days into her new life, Bailey is settling in wonderfully, as are her packmates. Bailey has started to show her playful side. She does the cutest little hopping thing when she gets excited. She's taken to chomping on her stuffed animals to calm her down and has an uncanny knack for throwing them up over her head. Just glad she hasn't started doing that with the dones she's been chewing on!

Week two football plus a new dog in our pack!

Today's update is two-fold. First, football... What can I say?!? 100% performance for two weeks in a row have me once again in the lead. This was an interesting week. The Panthers that so many of you have continue to suck to the surprise of many. The Jaguars are showing a defense that's quite dominant. Let's hope that that can translate into Peyton Manning finding himself on his ass and the Colts finding some challenge in that division. And of course my quick snapshot of this week would not be complete without pointing out WHO'S ON TOP IN THE AFC WEST? !!! Yes indeed, my Chargers continue to kick ass!!!

Standings can be found here.

On to more important things though...OUR NEW DOG!!!

Bailey joined our pack on Monday afternoon. She's an 11 year old black lab from Salem, NH. Her owner had to give her up because they were moving into a small third floor condo in the city to take care of an aging family member. They didn't feel that Bailey could leave the country setting where she had spent most of her 11 years, and clearly with her arthritis could not handle three flights of stairs each day. How lucky she was to find her way into a pack in rural Vermont where she'll live on the first floor with us and have the magic hands of her uncle John the canine massage therapist to ease her achey bones.


Bailey looks astonishingly like Stoli! At times during the drive home from picking her up, I'd look in the rear view mirror and do a double-take thinking that she was Stoli. She's a little shorter than Stoli (typical for females), and has several old person skin flaps -- two are right under each eye and look like teardrops (or eye boogies), but it's cute. I think after we switch her over to our home cooked meals and better vitamins, her coat will shine right up.

We had driven down to Salem on Sunday to do a meet-n-greet with Stoli and Lucy. On first sight, she walked right up to me and lathered my face with kisses. She does the cutest little hopping move as she kisses you. Her and Lucy hit it off quite well, with Bailey doing that little air humping lesbian move that Sammie does when Lucy is around. Stoli was rather cordial when they met and didn't even grumble or flinch when she laid down right next to him and leaned on his paws.

Stoli wasn't AS gracious on Monday afternoon when it was his turn to host her in his home. Stoli was in fact a bit short with her and snappy for the first few hours, but it was rather apparent that Stoli was in fact more pissed at me than at her. He seems to be getting over that -- the spoiled only child that he's been having mommy dog all to himself for the past three months. This morning before I left for work, Stoli and Bailey (mmm... sounds like a good drink, eh?) -- they were sniffing and barking at things together. As I type right now they are lying on the living room floor sleeping butt to butt, like little mirror images of each other.

And so we start a new chapter in our pack. Stoli, Lucy-J (yes, given the new pack we've had to add J for Jamison's to her name so that she too can have a boozey name), and Bailey.

More stories and pictures to come!

Week One and I'm on top!

Well, I know that it looks bad when the pool organizer is on top the very first week, but what can I say??? GO CHARGERS! Nice stats for Tomlinson, eh? If I did fantasy football, he'd be a must-have. And just to relish in last year's shining moment, go here for a flashback...

Thanks to everyone who's joined in our season-long fun. Each week I will post a link to the weekly standings update. Week one is here.

I was intrigued to see how many people chose the Panthers in their picks. Must mean a catastrophic injury is in their future.

So this year's pool payout is more than double of last year -- a healthy $900 at least (we'll see how that pot grows with mid-season trades). Now, as some folks may remember from last year, Dwight won the end of regular season and my husband Seth won the final. Chances of me keeping it in the family I'd say are slim this year, unless of course it's me (and I don't share!). If Stoli or Lucy wins, that's a hell of a lot of raw hides for the puppies!

A bit o' history for those new to the game -- I first learned of this kind of pool when I first moved to Vermont and a friend got me into a pool that was run by someone at Ben and Jerry's. Same model, more players. After me, my mom and some other family members donating to the pool, the last year they ran it, I walked away with nearly $2,000! Not a bad take away. But I must admit that my mom helped me with a few of those key picks tha tput me over the top. But what can you expect from mym mom the football guru, who taught me about the game, and betting at a very YOUNG age (yes, the infamy of getting busted for running a superbowl pool in 6th grade still lives on in Lavallette Elementary infamy!). Really, though, it's all in good fun.

And it will stay fun as long as my Chargers keep winning! Cheers all!

35 Activists Turn Out to Support Internet Freedom in Vermont

Internet Freedom Petition Drop Event at Senator Jeffords Office
Montpelier, Vermont August 31, 2006

*** WATCH streaming video of today's event here ***

Statement of Colleen Thomas, Associate Director of VPIRG

My name is Colleen Thomas and I am the Associate Director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, VPIRG, the state’s largest nonprofit consumer and environmental advocacy group.

Imagine if one day you sat down to surf the Internet and it wasn’t all there… Whether you were going to catch up on the day’s news, research your vacation options, or listen to a podcast, it just wasn’t there, or it loaded so slowly it seemed like it wasn’t there.

Eventually, you’d grow frustrated. You’d give up. You’d log on to a bigger, more mainstream, ad-driven website linked directly from the homepage of your big media Internet provider. And Poof – their website loads immediately!

Think the scenario is far-fetched? Think again. That’s what an Internet without Internet Freedom will be like. That’s the Internet that telephone and cable company executives dream about.

And that’s why the SavetheInternet.com coalition is here today. We are here today to let Senator Jeffords know that over 3,200 Vermont citizens and small businesses want an Internet that works for everyone, not just for the big telecom companies.

The telephone and cable company backed bill –S. 2686 by Senator Stevens of Alaska that’s going to the Senate floor in September-- threatens Internet freedom. Unless it is amended it won’t guarantee what they call in Washington “net neutrality”, but what we know as the Internet’s founding principle of Internet Freedom.

Simply put, network neutrality means that no web site's traffic has precedence over any other's – all data is treated equally and delivered from the originating web site to the user's web browser with the same priority. No fast lane or slow lane.

Network neutrality is the Internet's First Amendment and has existed for the entire history of the Internet.

If companies like Comcast and AT&T have their way, however, web sites will have to pay protection money to get into the "fast lane" or risk opening slowly or simply not working on your computer. We can't let the Internet become captive to large corporations.

From its beginnings, the Internet was built on a cooperative, democratic ideal. It has leveled the playing field so that everyday people can have their voices heard by thousands, even millions of people. Network neutrality has prevented gatekeepers from blocking or discriminating against new economic, political and social ideas. It leaves the consumer to be the decision-maker, not the media giants.

That’s how independent bloggers can now compete with CNN and USA Today for readers. It’s how Vermont small businesses can compete and thrive in today’s global economy. It’s how our kids learn about and contribute to the diverse world community. Without this freedom we all stand to lose.

Connecting to your office could take longer if you don't purchase your carrier's preferred applications. Sending family photos and videos could slow to a crawl. Web pages you always use for online banking, access to health care information, or communicating with friends and family could fall victim to pay-for-speed schemes.

Today we want to thank Senator Jeffords for coming out in support of net neutrality this week. It’s important to know that he has heard the voice of thousands of Vermonters on this issue.

Vermonters understand that the Internet is a critical engine for economic growth and democratic discourse, and they don’t want to be relegated to second class citizens on the Internet by big media corporations.

That’s why it’s crucial for Senator Jeffords to not just support the “concept” of net neutrality, but to use his vote in the Senate to protect it by voting for the Snowe-Durgan Amendment that will protect net neutrality and to vote against the Stevens telecom bill as a whole if it fails to protect our Internet freedom.

Senator Jeffords is headed in the right direction. We now need to make sure his vote is cast for Internet freedom and against corporate special interest.


See also today's media coverage:

WCAX-TV Web article

Additional pictures from today's events

Speak out for Internet Freedom Thursday in Montpelier!

*** News: Thursday, August 31, 12 noon, News Conference ***

Thousands of Vermont Residents To Deliver A Message To Sen. Jeffords: Defend Internet Freedom

THURSDAY: Local members of diverse SaveTheInternet.com Coalition will deliver over 3,200 petition signatures to Jeffords’s Montpelier Office

Montpelier - This Thursday at 12:00 pm at Senator James Jeffords’s Montpelier office, local members of the diverse SavetheInternet.com coalition will urge the senator to defend Internet freedom for small businesses and local families during an important upcoming Senate vote.

WHO: Local residents in SavetheInternet.com Coalition, including VPIRG, Small Dog Electronics, Project Harmony, Vermont Broadband Council, ACME and the Center for Media and Democracy

WHAT: Petition delivery to Sen. Jeffords – over 3,200 Vermont residents supporting Net Neutrality

WHERE: Sen. Jeffords’s office – 435 Stone Cutter’s Way, Montpelier, Vermont

WHEN: 12:00 Noon this Thursday, August 31, 2006

Big telephone and cable companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast are spending millions lobbying Congress to eliminate Net Neutrality. This rule, in place since the Internet was created, prevents Internet service providers from deciding which websites open quickly on people’s computers based on which sites pay them the most. The House already voted to eliminate Net Neutrality. In September, Sen. Jeffords could be the deciding vote in the Senate.

Over 750 diverse groups have come together as the SavetheInternet.com Coalition – including local small businesses, VPIRG and other leading consumer groups, MoveOn, the Christian Coalition, Gun Owners of America, Craig from Craigslist, musicians REM and Moby, Free Press, and others. This coalition collected over 1 million petition signatures online, including over 3,200 in Vermont. Local residents will deliver these petitions to Jeffords’s offices Thursday.

“My phone or cable company should not be telling me which websites I can open on my computer,” said Lea Woods, a resident of Montpelier who signed the online petition to preserve Net Neutrality. “Senator Jeffords has a choice—he can take away Internet freedom by turning the Internet over to giant corporations or he can side with constituents by voting to preserve Net Neutrality.”

“Small businesses like mine depends on a neutral Internet, where the website of a small entrepreneur can be viewed just as easily as the site of a big corporation,” said Don Mayer, whose Waitsfield business Small Dog Electronics has become the largest Apple computers specialist in New England by relying on the Internet for over 80% of its sales. “Without net neutrality, I doubt that Small Dog Electronics would exist today. Net neutrality is essential to one of the most important and growing sectors of Vermont's economy, small businesses that operate on the internet to extend their reach outside of our state. We need Senator Jeffords to declare his support for Net Neutrality so that small businesses and everyday families have an equal right to communicate online as giant corporations.”

Telephone and cable companies have already made clear what they would do to the Internet if Net Neutrality is eliminated. On December 1, 2005, the Washington Post reported: “William L. Smith, chief technology officer for Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp., told reporters and analysts that an Internet service provider such as his firm should be able, for example, to charge Yahoo Inc. for the opportunity to have its search site load faster than that of Google Inc.”
(Link: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1902)

Jon Stewart informed millions of his viewers about this issue (http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2015). MoveOn and the Christian Coalition wrote a joint op-ed (http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1884). For more information, check out www.SavetheInternet.com.

Rediscovery

SO, finally I am getting to where I can start writing more about what I had originally intended with this blog. When I first started, it wasn't actually my intention to post generic life updates and photos, so much as it was to post something of an online journal along the lines of the kind of journaling that used to be so central to my life.

Well, I recently rediscovered many of those old journals. See, for the past five years -- since I've been in my house -- my books and journals and many of my personal space things have been tucked away in storage (my actual apartment in the house is rather small and we just didn't have space for it all). So, alas, in the shed, my milkcrates full of books became mouse tenaments, and my journals sat collecting dust in big rubbermaid tubs. But with the completion of our garage, and my office space in the upstairs, I have finally been able to unpack the annals of my life onto homemade bookshelves in a creative space that I call my own.

It was something of a reflective process -- unpacking, cleaning up and organizing books and journals and files going back to grammar school. How thankful I am that my family has helped to save so much stuff from my past! After finally getting things taken out and put away, I was able to sit back and take it all in -- the books and tapes and titles that tell of times from my past. The many books that show just how deeply into certain things I dove. And the journals... To be able to read and reconnect with my own memories so vividly!

I spent the past week rereading my journals from when I studied abroad in Russia in 1991. I cannot express just how awesome it is that I was so faithful to journaling back then so as to capture the experiences the way I did. These were truly life-changing experiences, a witness to history. And I was smart enough to write it down, describe the sights and sounds and smells and fears and emotions and joys of experencing something so foreign from what I knew. There is so much richness and raw truth in those words that I need to make them more accessible. They need to find their way into print for others to share.

So now that I have a space, my history before me, I embark on a journey to relive, rethink and redefine myself. Maybe this is a midlife crisis? Even if I am too young for that, this is a moment of reconnecting with myself. A transition point. A chance to recommit to being who I want to be, who I think I am. What I might become.

Summer Dog Party 2006

Well, the summer dog party at Stephen Huneck's was another winning success for our extended pack. While it was a sad thing when the howling contest came to pass, we did take the time to remember Boodah, our THREE TIME UNDEFEATED HOWLING CHAMPION by placing a picture and some memories in the dog chapel.


Big congrats go to LUCY, who, following in her brother's footsteps, won her third consecutive title as BEST FRISBEE DOG. It was a close competition, with our friend Elwood coming in a close runner up.



Finally, the Halley pack made a great showing, taking home both BIGGEST and SMALLEST DOG prizes for Moose and Maynard respectively. Although they didn't have her category, if they had, I'm sure Sammie would have won for longest tongue!


Next dog party is October 8th.

Surfer girl heads home for waves

If only I were that...uh, umm, yeah, tan...
...and could still kick it...

If only I were as cool now as I was back in the day.... Let's just hope that I manage to get some decent waves this weekend when I'm home!

Sunset over Lake Champlain

Well, it's not as spectacular as over Barnegat Bay, but it'll do...

Did I mention we're in love?

I don't know exactly what has gotten into him lately, but ever since Boodah died, Stoli has found his youth once again and has been a super affectionate love pup. He's now back to being a bed hog. He's taken back his place on the throne of king beggar dogs, and has just had more energy and spirit than I can remember in years. All I know is that I'm enjoying every minute of it and I hope it lasts for many years to come. Who said 9 1/2 years was old?

9 Years Together

June 22 marked the 9 year anniversary of that fateful day when I drove up to Newport, Vermont with my friend Steve to find the puppy who would become my bestest friend and pal. It was indeed love at first sight -- among a pen full of his five other brothers and sisters, Stoli was the one on whom my gaze fixed, and Steve's as well. There was that immediate connection -- that after three months of meeting dogs in need of a companion, I knew that Stoli was meant to be with me. A long and loving drive back to the valley in which Stoli's head nuzzled deeper and deeper into Steve's lap as he gazed at me, and we came home. I soon had that overwhelming sense of "Oh my gawd, what do I do? I don't know how to be a doggy mommy!" Well, nine years into motherhood, I think I've figured out the key points:

1) When you make the commitment, stick with it, no matter what comes up. You have to be in it for the long haul, "for better or for worse."

2) Whatever the costs in money, time or heartbreak, you reap a million times what you sow. It's the best investment -- of money and emotions -- you could ever make.

3) Dogs have so much to teach us. Life becomes clearer and simpler with them in our lives. We should aspire to their wisdom about what really matters in life.

Moving on...

So, it's been a week and change since we lost Boodah. It's still much harder than I ever would have imagined. But, alas, life goes on and with each day, there's more of that sad memory of great times than there is uncontrollable emptiness.

And just one more day now before I start the next phase of my professional life. Thursday is my first day as Associate Director for VPIRG. I've spent much of the past two and half weeks reading up on all the issues that VPIRG works on. I am by no means an expert, but I'm getting a good feel for things. I'm looking forward to starting so I can take on these new tasks and challenges and see what I have inside that PH wasn't able to tap.

There are many things I could babble on about ... planted the gardens yesterday and today. Here, that is. Now we have 2 times that space still to plant over at John and Wendy's! I have a sunburned back from bending over in this morning's early sun to plant. Feels good. Softball starts in a week. That's great. I gues we should get the mits out and practice a bit first. Nah, drinking a bit more is the only practice we need!

Enough babble. Time to finish this bottle of wine and walk the dogs.

I miss my baby

Goodbye, Boodah

I wanted to share with friends the sad news of the passing of one of our pack today, my baby, Boodah. Many of you knew him, and his story -- my first foster dog (yeah, only supposed to be mine for a month...), the many hardships and pain he indured in life, the two legged miracle dog with no knees who, in the end, was just a big black goobery ball of love, and three-time undisputed howling champion of the Stephen Huneck dog parties. He taught me so much in so many ways. He was my baby. He was the one of our pack that was truly both mine and Seth's. He was a friend, a brother, and a strong, wise soul. He finally got too tired to fight the body that didn't work for him, and just went to sleep quietly this morning at home. While the surprise of this has shocked us, at least we didn't have to make decisions for him. He went on his own terms. We pray, and know that he has finally found peace and freedom from a life too short, too painful and too filled with love to ever forget. We buried him here at home, Seth and I, Stoli and Lucy, john and Wendy there to say goodbye. For now he keeps company with my dad, Brin, Friend, Tele, Maizy, and other friends. We love you Boodah.


For those of you who wish to remember Boodah, please consider making a donation in memory of him to the place that helped bring him into our lives:

Central Vermont Humane Society
504 Mekkelson Rd.
Barre, VT 05641
http://www.cvhumane.com/donations/donations.html

Goodbye PH, Farewell

So today, after nearly a decade of work, I officially ended my tenure with Project Harmony. It's not without some sadness, and a lot of good memories and deep reflection that I close this chapter of my life -- a chapter that was not only professional, but very personally defining for me.

When I joined PH on September 9, 1996, I had just spend the past two months of my life sitting on the beach in New Jersey, recuperating from the 6 months in Rostov-on-Don, Russia that was one of the most challenging experiences one could expect for a first job out of graduate school. After the "Murphy's Law / Worst Case Scenario Experience" that was my time in Rostov, I had mentally and emotionally recovered (and gotten the best tan I had in years!) that summer. I came to PH not quite sure what to expect, still uncertain that I even wanted to remain involved in work dealing with Russia. But I thought, heck, I'll take a year, see what this is like, and get a lot of snowboarding in while doing it!

And that's just what I did. I was the Director of the Internet School Linkage Program, Project Harmony's first technology-related program. That year, I traveled over to Russia several times, confirmed for myself that I had too much invested in this whole Russian thing to give it up, and learned that life in Vermont was pretty good. Soon I fell in love with this place I now call home, and it made it so much easier to see a future for myself here in the Valley and with PH. Luckily, PH had the same kind of growth and development in mind for me. My writing background was quickly put to use on writing grants and, well, from there the rest is history. $45+ million in grants history...something I'm damn proud of.

Through all the ups and downs, hard times and successes, PH was and is a family. People matter at PH, and that's why so many people have called this organization home. Like any family, it's got its "issues". Did I want to leave? Probably not. But there comes a time in any relationship where you realize that for both parties, it's best to separate. For me, on a personal level, I needed professional and emotional space from PH in order to let all the lessons I've learned turn into wisdom to guide me forward. For PH, some fresh blood and new perspective is well-timed and needed. And so I think we part on good terms, wishing each other the best and not ruling out that our paths will cross again.

On a personal level, I am looking forward to letting go, no matter how hard that actually is. I have others parts of me I need to develop and new challenges I need to tackle. My dogs, my husband, my writing...all stand to get more of me now. Their generosity in past years has been so understanding and giving. It's time I gave more of myself to them now. In not doing grant writing for a while, perhaps my creative, non-fiction writing skills will actually come back! (Yes, a little know fact is that when you do grant writing for a living, the "grant-speak" is such a prolific part of your language that it's hard to let more creative language flow freely).

I have new horizons before me. And although I have some fears and hesitancy about the unknown, I am once again excited about the "what might be". That part of the story is yet to be written.

Save the Internet!

Do you buy books online, use Google, or download to an iPod? Everything we do online will be hurt if Congress passes a radical law next week that gives giant corporations more control over what we do and see on the Internet.

Internet providers like AT&T are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality--the Internet's First Amendment and the key to Internet freedom. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more.

If Net Neutrality is gutted, many sites--including Google, eBay, and iTunes--must either pay protection money to companies like AT&T or risk having their websites process slowly. That why these high-tech pioneers, plus diverse groups ranging from MoveOn to Gun Owners of America, are opposing Congress' effort to gut Internet freedom.

You can do your part today--can you sign this petition telling your member of Congress to preserve Internet freedom? Click here:

http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet

I signed this petition, along with 250,000 others so far. This petiton will be delivered to Congress before the House of Representatives votes next week. When you sign, you'll be kept informed of the next steps we can take to keep the heat on Congress.

Snopes.com, which monitors various causes that circulate on the Internet, explained:

Simply put, network neutrality means that no web site's traffic has precedence over any other's...Whether a user searches for recipes using Google, reads an article on snopes.com, or looks at a friend's MySpace profile, all of that data is treated equally and delivered from the originating web site to the user's web browser with the same priority. In recent months, however, some of the telephone and cable companies that control the telecommunications networks over which Internet data flows have floated the idea of creating the electronic equivalent of a paid carpool lane.

If companies like AT&T have their way, Web sites ranging from Google to eBay to iTunes either pay protection money to get into the "fast lane" or risk opening slowly on your computer. We can't let the Internet--this incredible medium which has been such a revolutionary force for democratic participation, economic innovation, and free speech--become captive to large corporations.

Politicians don't think we are paying attention to this issue. Together, we do care about preserving the free and open Internet.

Please sign this petition letting your member of Congress know you support preserving Internet freedom.

A few good quotes for today

"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."
Henry David Thoreau, Walden

"Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you."
Richard Bach

"Argue for your limitations and sure enough they are yours."
Richard Bach

"Here's to the future! The only limits are the limits of our imagination. Dream up the kind of world you want to live in, dream out loud, at high volume."
Bono 1/1/90

A Rite of Spring

Well, on the last day of April, we put in our last few hours of skiing and riding this season. Although much of the season simply sucked, at least we went out on a good note! The skies were blue, the snow slushy, bodies tanning, the band played and we offered our last toast to the snow season. Seth and I had a blast. I have a good pink sun tan. It's all good. Now to put the gear away until the snow falls again.

My next career move

So, after a decade of working for Project Harmony, I will finish on May 12th. Beginning June 1st, I will start my new job as the Associate Director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group in Montpelier, Vermont. It's been nearly a six month process leaving PH and I do so not without sadness, but now I have an exciting new future to look forward to that will get me back into activist mode working on local and state issues including environmental protection, energy policy, campaign finance reform, and health care reform. The best part about it -- no need to move and only an hour commuting time each day. More updates to come as the transition continues!

Big Powder @ Big Jay

So it's been a rough year...we all know that. We've had to work hard for the powder turns we've found. With the wind hold that has plagued Sugarbush, my best days have come when I've hiked for the stashes that the winds kept lifts from reaching. This week, Seth and I, together with a bunch of ski bums from Sugarloaf, made what I'm sure will be an annual pilgrimage at least -- to Jay Peak, for some tree skiing adventures. In the span of a few days, we explored, dropped in to the unknown, found which way the winds had been blowing, and hiked for the deep, untouched powder that makes the run out worth it all in the end.



It's always an adventure when we hook up with James and crew from the 'loaf. Last year we had a few days of fun up at Jay, but we had stayed on the mountain proper, simply sniffing out what lay in between trails and trees. This year, we were armed with GPS's, a few friends who had been out of bounds before, and a real driving sense of snow deprivation that made the search for freshies our soul motivation.




Day one was "The Dip" -- repeated runs off the back side, where we found fresh lines through trees and rock drops back down to where we had stashed the cars, right around back for more. I know that the first crew that loaded in the back of hte pickup is probably still sore from the whiplash that comes from being a passenger when I'm driving a stick shift in snowboard boots!



Day Two was the big adventure of our first time hiking Big Jay. I must thank the guys for convincing me to come along. I had thought of wussing out because I'm old and my legs were tired and since we hadn't done it yet, we weren't quite sure how a knuckle-dragger would fair. Well, it was well worth it and I'm glad I joined in the fun. What a typical scene -- Colleen and the guys...lone girl and lone snowboarder among a group of skier guys looking for a mountain challenge. After the ~ hour hike over, we dropped in to delightfully deep untracked lines that led over 3-6 foot rock drops, knee deep face shots and the quiet solitude of only having your friends hooting and hollering powdery bliss as the sonic backdrop.



Of course, there was the runout...on which I somehow found myself sucked onto the low road that led me into a half-exposed streambed drainage that I had to navigate through to find my way out. A little shwapple slalom, post-holing into a river and knee-buckling into rocks later and I made the exit, giving the guys enough time to down a beer in celebration of our newest back country victory.



So now we have a new semi-local back country stash we can seek refuge in when the need for steep-n-deep takes over. It wan't the trip out west into bottomless bowls that we may have dreamed of, but for this year, the Big Jay experience will do!

Remember the dumps

Can you remember? It wasn't that long ago... when we used to actually get SNOW?!?!

I remember days of having to literally tunnel out of my house, shoveling out from under 3-6 feet of snow. When I used to be concerned that the dogs might actually drown in powder.

No so this year...

Dreaming of Powder

It IS winter, right? This blog IS about dreaming out loud? Well, what I am dreaming about these days is powder. I miss those fluffy days of winter, where work isn't on my mind, where I take the morning off and disappear into the woods, just me and my board, to find the turns that await me.

This has been a rough winter for us powderhounds thus far, and this weekend seems to offer only more of the same -- a tease of snow, turning into rain and who knows what or how much of that questionable perecipitation.

Seth and I just wrapped up two demo days down at Stratton, testing out all of next year's ski and snowboard equipment. Fun as always. What got me though was that despite the fact that Stratton is two hours SOUTH of Sugarbush, they managed to have pretty decent snow coverage on almost all of their trails. It's amazing to see that snow making really does work when you turn on the guns with intent.

I just hope soon that mother nature starts making up for what she owes us...

Things you should not see in Vermont in the winter

This is WRONG. All of that green and yellow (rain) should be blue and white (snow). Why is Ullr somad at us? Why are you being so stingy and mean? We've had our January thaws before, but all this rain is REALLY driving some of us over the edge. I haven't been snowboarding in like two weeks now because there's no snow. The dogs have found all the frisbees and yard toys they lost in the end of November because all - yes ALL -- of the snow pack has melted. Hell, we're not even having an icing problem because NOTHING is frozen. Just rain. Wet, depressing, soggy freakin' rain.

A Leader and Inspiration for All

In his words:
"When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

In the words of U2, from the song MLK"

Sleep, sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realised.
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain, rain down on he.
So let it be.
So let it be.

Sleep, sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realised.
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain, let it rain
Rain down on he.