hello from the hurricane

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying the end of their summers and I’m thinking of all of you moving back into Amherst! I hope my namesake hurricane didn’t mess up too many moving-in activities and celebrations.

I’m currently in bed with the flu and I realized it’s been far too long since I posted on this, so here’s a brief update on basically the second half of my summer:

1. Caddying has been awesome. I’ve gotten paired with a handful of characters, including some guys who told me to stop caddying and start playing with them and offered me beer and cigars on the course. Can’t think of a better way to make a few bucks.

2. The Hickey house has been hopping with guests! Both Eric and the Monty sisters made back-to-back trips in August. Playing tour guide 2 weeks in a row, I got to do a lot of the same activities twice…2 Cub games, 2 nights laughing at Second City, 2 days pointing out the sights of Michigan Avenue and Millenium Park. I played a few rounds of golf with both visiting parties. Eric got into a heated match against my 12-year-old brother Peter, and Liz kicked my 16-year-old brother Michael’s butt in a head-to-head match. Other highlights included risking my life as Liz drove me around on our first experience jetskiing on Lake Michigan, touring the Art Institute of Chicago and seeing West Side story with Eric, and taking everyone to meet all my friends and family at my favorite hangouts. Eric and I also celebrated our 1 year anniversary a little bit early since we both won’t be on campus in September with a nice dinner downtown and a boat ride along the lake front.

3. Since my visitors left, I’ve been spending the last few weeks of summer working at a small law firm downtown. The work has been alright, mostly just taking care of whatever projects they ask me to handle. The firm mostly works with patent enforcement, so I’ve been looking through a lot of scientific/technology-related documents I don’t understand at all. The attorneys are awesome though, and have been really friendly and it’s a really relaxed environment. They also have the most beautiful office I’ve ever seen: right on the top floor of a famous old building on Michigan Avenue with gorgeous views of the whole city and the lake. It makes you not want to get anything done and just stare out the window all day.

Those are the highlights at the moment. Next weekend one of my cousins is getting married in Chicago (the 2nd of the 20 Hickey grandchildren to be married), so I’ll be preoccupied with festivities for that. I’m also starting to get ready for Scotland! Liz and I have been looking into travel plans, and I’ve been spending probably way too much time looking at guidebooks from various European cities I’ve checked out from the library. I leave September 9 with my dad and we’re spending a few days in Scotland together (mostly just playing golf near St. Andrews and Edinburgh) and then I meet up with my program on the 14th for orientation in Edinburgh before moving in to St. Andrews on the 17th.

I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s fall travel and Amherst adventures.

Missing all of you,
Irene

انا suis في France

Hey Family!!

I'll be quick because one, no one likes a long blog post and two because my computer is running out of battery. So I'm done with the CLS program... THANK GOD! I could write a tirade on the problems and the drama of the program but I can't do so here I might end up dead, you know CIA shit... Expect a graphic facebook message in the future.

Anyway, I am done with CLS and enjoying a much needed vacation in France. It kicked off perfectly with a small family reunion with Deidre and Jenna in one of the best cities in the world, Paris. We had dinner it was awesome! Sorry there aren't any pictures. My only disappointment was that Deidre was only in the city with us for one night... pas cool as they say. I spent the next couple of days trying to dredge up the 6 years of French that I took in middle and high school while shopping and getting around the city on my own during the day. In the evening I would meet up with Jenna, which meant two awesome things, one I could let here do all the talking (she's really good at French guys) two, nummy delicious food! Being that my system is still messed up from fasting in Jordan I would be content with eating one meal during the day and then be starving by the time the evening arrived. It was great to hang out with Jenna and I appreciate the fact that she took the time to hang out with me in the midst of writing her final paper. I hope all went well Jenna!

On Thursday I caught the TGV (really fucking fast train, literal translation) down to a town called Montélimar where I met up with my ex-professor Manuela Picq. We drove down to her sweet ass country house in this little town called Orgnac-L'aven and all has been well since. It's been great although it's a little like I stepped into another intensive language program. I've been meeting her friends and family and doing my best to speak French ever since. Perhaps by the end of two weeks I might be able to hold a simple conversation. The house is a slice of paradise, there are fig trees that are ripe with fruit and wine o'plenty. I'm doing my best to train my liver to deal with the impending drinking gauntlet that is Brussels. My battery is almost dead and I am without a plug to charge it at this café that is 15 minutes from the house. Miss and love you all so much. I want to hear every story about the Fall on this thing I'm serious!

Until a later time,
-Josh 

News from willowwacks

Howdy!

Sisters is hot and dry. Oh how I've missed the high desert! It's so beautiful, I am already planning our adventures for Rodeo 2013.

Big stories:
1. Weston Randall Eid finally arrived! Trip to SoCal in a week and a half.
2. Mini lawn! We received 500 square feet of free sod so I had a good 12 hr work day raking up Central Oregon potatoes (rocks) and spreading top soil (manure). Now the family can watch grass grow together again!
3. Copenhagen is a go! Picking my classes: Viking sagas, Classical and Renaissance Rome, Marine biology, Biodiversity, and Sustainability in Europe
4. Cowboys and Aliens! Surprisingly good. Also the book "Visit from the goon squad" by Jen Egan for anyone looking for a new read.
5. 2,038. The new population of Sisters (city limits) finally broke the 2,000 mark. Also, I'm all caught up on the goss. Scandals! And if you're ever bored the sheriff's calls have been priceless these last few weeks.
6. Meteor Month. Unfortunately there is a full moon this weekend for the Perseid meteor shower, but August is always full of shooting stars so try and get out one of these nights and do a little gazing!
7. White Zinfandel. I've always been a little skeptical of pink wine but it is delicious! Maybe a Pink Party to follow the infamous Purple Party?
8. Charlie has dreadlocks again.
9. Kittens. Dylan, be prepared.

That's about it for now! I can't wait to hear from the Fall-abroaders and your adventures to come!

Countdown

Dear Family,

As I sit on the floor, in the basement of the American Library in Paris, I am as always thinking of you, but at this moment most importantly the fact 1. Anna's a aunt. SCARY AWESOME! and 2. that the one and only (to the best of my knowledge) Josh Russakis will be arriving in Gay Ol' Paree Monday! YAY for Family! Speaking of Family. Mother visited this past weekend and we went to Champagne for the weekend. But before going we had dinner at this restaurant called Spring, which was amazing, even if Visa had put a momentary hold on our card because I'd bought my Mom a train ticket earlier in the day and they thought it was a fraudulent charge, better safe than sorry, I guess. Then our little jaunt to the country was delightful, minus the rain. I learned all sorts of things. 1. Rosé Champagne is really quite good. Especially Pommery. (Miss Pommery 1926, anyone? Ten Points to whoever gets the reference without using the interwebs. Irene, I'm counting on you.) 2. I tend to prefer standard champagnes (meaning when they blend different years to get a consistent taste year to year) to vintages. 3. Champagne Soufflé is DELICIOUS. and 4. words of wisdom: apparently Saki won't give you a hangover no matter how much you have. Though, I'm not sure it's wise to test the theory. All in all a very productive weekend. I've also been to Amsterdam and Orléans plus all the grrrrrreat trips we take every day within Paris. But, I'm not going to bore you with all the details, because I think I've told some of you about those trips already. But tonight I'm going to Nice! We're taking the overnight train! So much excitement! Relaxation, beach, and finally some Sunshine ahead!

But until then, I need to go return to my research for my final project.

I'm thinking of changing my major from Ponies to something more adult, Horse-ies, maybe.

Love You All,

Jenna

p.s. I'm home the 20th. Will drive for food and company. Also when are peeps heading back to school/foreign lands?

Saving Lives and Upcoming Adventures

Greetings dearest familia!

First off I just have to extend my belated condolences to Anna about your grandma. I only have my one grandma left and she's one of my favorite people in the world so I can imagine how hard it must be on you and your family. I realized that my last post was both before I started working and also before Irene came to visit, but since she already hit the highlights of that part, I'll just share the exciting news on the former!

This picture's a little old but this is where I spend the majority of my time these days! The two pools farthest to the right aren't there anymore, instead there's a big three story building with a bar and grill on the bottom, casino in the middle, and VIP cabanas on the top. There's also a "toptional" pool that would be on the very right hand side of the picture behind the beach, but its sealed off from both under 21 guests and under 21 lifeguards like myself, much to Irene's disappointment I can assure you. Its definitely a lot more lively than my past lifeguarding jobs, particularly among the guests who start imbibing around noon and basically go nonstop until we close at 7. I tell you, the amount of alcohol consumed here on a daily basis puts even the most raucous of TAPs to shame. The other highlight(?) would have to be the quality and variety of tattoos that I see on our lovely guests. Just the other day there was a somewhat portly gent who had a spiderweb tattoo on his belly whose center just happened to be his belly button. Class is obviously the name of the game here. Other than that lifeguarding at Mandalay comes with all the excitement of picking up used towels and telling the guests for the twentieth time that yes you can have your beer in the pool, it just has to have a lid. In all seriousness though, we actually had a full on spinal (head or neck injury) this past week when a 14 year old guy dove into 3 feet of water, which I didn't see nor take part in but is by far the most serious injury I've ever even heard of in five summers of lifeguarding.

In other less serious news, I'm getting super pumped for my trip to Chi-town in a couple weeks, home to Da Bears, my boy Kanye and of course Irene Hickey. On my very first day there we're supposed to be seeing a Cubs game which will shockingly (and depressingly) be my first professional sports outing. Crazy I know, I can hardly believe it myself, but the sad truth nonetheless. I'm also gearing up for my international travels which are officially less than a month away! Classes are all set, and my visa's ready to go, which really only leaves me to start working on my dance moves so I'm ready to hit it big in Bollywood. I've also been struggling to come up with an appropriate house-warming gift for my host-family, the program suggests bringing something from your home town, but seeing as how the feasibility and acceptance of trying to carry on a hooker and/or a craps table are both exceedingly low I'm left with few ideas about something that's homey but not too touristy. Suggestions are obviously not only welcome, but encouraged.

Before I leave you to start the brainstorming process though, I wanted to highly recommend a book I finished last week called The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. It was extremely interesting and informative, and I have no doubt that all my fellow science geeks out there would really enjoy it. And to those of you less inclined to scientific seduction the book even comes recommended by the venerable Austin D. Sarat (via the Amherst Magazine). I'm currently reading a book on our finest president, a Mr. Ronald Reagan, mostly out of personal interest but also so that I have at least one conversation starter during my stay with Rog (aka Mr. Hickey).

Looking forward to those suggestions!

Eric

Big excitement!

FAMILY!
Remember the tree outside of Stearns that has eluded me the last two years? When I reluctantly dismissed it as a simple spruce but in a drunken state was convinced it was a magnificent and noble Douglas fir? Well score one for pseudotsuga manziesii (and drunk me)! As I walked by it this morning I noticed the tell tail (pun intended) sign of a Douglas fir cone. I inspected a cone from a spruce tree just to make sure and I am convinced now that the tree is in fact a Douglas fir. I am sure many of you are aware of the story of the mouse and the Douglas fir cone so I will not recount it here (notice how there is the hind legs and tail sticking out from beneath each scale).


So yeah... pretty exciting.
In other news, last week was awesomeness. My experiments were working really well and we went to see Harry Potter at midnight! It was epic. Over the weekend Matt visited and we mostly napped outside and ate lots of good food and ice cream and explored Northampton. This week my experiments have not been quite as exciting. One thing I have learned for sure this summer is that science doesn't work a lot of the time. But it's super fun and I am really enjoying it.

I haven't written in a while, but the holiday weekend way back when was very eventful. I got to see all the Cifonellis and learn about my Italian heritage in Utica, NY. Though it was a sad event, it was nice to see the whole family together. I also had one hell of a travel day, all I am going to say is that is took me 12 hours and 4 different airports to go 180 miles (a two and a half hour drive from Amherst to Albany). Luckily, my parents and I drove back to Amherst afterwards so I avoided a second mess. The parents were in rare form being out east, as our small town folksiness met the east coast attitude. They made a big impression on the bus boy at the Lone Wolf with phrases such as "we're not from around here, we like water" and "don't be a stranger" in response to his offering refills on water and coffee. We then headed to Boston so my parents could catch their flights and meet Matt. During our outing in the big city, my mother would frequently use "we're not from around here," as an excuse for acting silly. My dad was really out of his element, but proved to handle the pressure well. I even managed to get him on the subway which was an adventure. And he didn't scare Matt too much I don't think. And I got to see the lovely Boston fireworks and hang with the McClellans.


And that's about it. Not too much excitement recently (minus the tree thing). Time for a run!

Remember, only you can prevent forest fires.

~Anna