MACS anniversary and May, Part 1, 6-6-09

Dear Friends and Family -

So many things have been keeping me occupied the last month that I have neglected to keep up on updates and blogging, so because I am not feeling well but can't seem to fall asleep, I decided to try to get caught up.

The last time I blogged was shortly before the bi-annual conference for the MACS study (the research study I coordinate) in Washington D.C. While the conference was, well, conference-y, it was also the timing for the event that I had been part of the planning committee for for the last 6 months. The MACS celebrated its 25th anniversary, and I helped plan the celebration, including editing the entire 20-page program for the event. Here are some articles and press releases regarding the 25th anniversary and the event that I helped plan:

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_macs_anniversary_2042_16589.shtml
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/aids_cohort_25th.htm

The event was on Tuesday, May 12, and it was pretty awesome. The schedule of events was lengthy with 9 speakers, but it was definitely moving and worthwhile. As I greeted guests and participants, a tall, lanky, grumpy looking man walked past. I thought, hmmm, that guy looks familiar. When he walked by again, another member of the committee said, "Hey, that's Ralph Nader!" Apparently Ralph Nader's private office is located in the event venue, the Carnegie Institute of Science...anyway, he walked by again, so I smiled really big at him and said hello, so he came over to the registration table. I explained to him what we were there for, and gave him a program and invited him to come. He kind of grumbled "Thank you...mmmm...I'm very busy today..." and walked away. But it was very exciting!

After the conference was over, I then hopped a train from D.C. to Philadelphia to visit my sister. It was so good to see her...I miss her so much! I went to her 3rd grade classroom for the day on Friday as her helper, Miss Kate. I have never in my life known so completely that I could never and would never be a teacher before that Friday! Although most of Mo's students are not bad students, the ones who are bad are really really bad...I can't believe the kind of things they tried to get away with! I never ever could have the patience that Mo does....teachers must truly be gifted to get through a week, let alone years of that! Yay for Mo and Yay for teachers...I bow down to you....

We then had a fantastically relaxing weekend - spent some time at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and watched a lot of fun movies and just spent some good times together. On that Sunday night, I flew back to Chicago and was back to work by Monday.

To be continued...