The dignified gentleman in this photograph (the one without the beer) is Mo's second cousin Baruch Blumberg. Barry was a most remarkable man, known for so many things, most notably working on researching extra-terrestrial life for NASA and winning the Nobel Prize for Medicine after he discovered an immunization for Hepatitis B. Barry passed away suddenly at a NASA conference at the age of 85 on April 5. Mo flew to Philadelphia for the service, joining family members from all over the country, and proudly wore his Union College tie to honor his fellow alumnus. Barry will be missed greatly by so many. His obituary in The Guardian seemed to best sum up his amazing life and work.(The photograph above is from Amanda's wedding in 2001, and is of the Union College alumni in attendance -- Adam Breslawsky, class of '93; Scott Daniels, class of '91; Andy Albert, class of '89; Mo Kauff, class of '90; Barry Blumberg, class of '46; Tim Jason, class of '98. )
The circle of life. I had THE best time visiting with SuzyQ and Emma and Katelyn. We even got stuff accomplished! Mobiles! Bookcases! Mirrors! The girls are so unbelievably adorable, Suzy is an absolute natural, and John is in his element surrounded by three chiquitas! A great day, and can't wait to do it again.
Mom had her first Chemo treatment and felt remarkably good, all things considered. The treatment center is bright, cheerful and has every amenity you can think of. Volunteers offer free massage therapy, lunch and snacks are delivered to your treatment chair (reclines to a bed, if you want to be like her neighbor who snored his way through his entire dose), and there are non-stop visits from health care providers, social workers and various volunteers. It's a horrible thing to have to go through, but Mercy makes it as comfortable and positive as possible.
I got a package from London, and let out a squeal of joy when I opened it. So great! I wore them WELL after the weather called for them. Thanks Sammy!
Mom and I were tired of Dad rolling his eyes any time we discussed anything Royal Wedding related, so we forced him to join in the fun. Heh.
This is what I was wearing when I went up to wake Mom up at 3:45AM on the big morning. She screamed. Awesome. We had a blast watching every ounce of coverage, messaging with Sam and Finbar in London all morning, and oohing and aaahing about all the fashion choices.
When Dad wasn't looking, I snuck this on to his truck. It was on for a couple of days before he found it, which made Mom and I cry with laughter. When he finally discovered it, he said that it explained why everyone was looking at him funny at the hardware store. Awesome.
