Can you believe it!?!?
After a
nearly 8-month hiatus, I am happy to bring you the MARCH 2002 edition of the
Derek & Betsy Newsletter. For
those of you who read my Christmas letter, there will be some minor
overlap….sorry.
We have been
busy as always.
Once
again, we enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Eve with my extended family.
Uncle Stewart and Aunt Nancy were the hosts this year.
The only sour note of the trip was that I received my first-ever speeding
ticket on US-2 in the U.P., driving Derek’s Acura which was less than a month
old at the time. I can usually talk
my way out of speeding tickets (it’s a gift).
But I made a major faux pas this time when the officer asked, “Do you
know how fast you were going?” and my reply was, “Yeah, but I thought I’d
slowed down by the time you saw me.” DUHHHHHH!
A little advice, Betz: that
was not the best time to be completely honest.
Momentary brain fart.
I
took lots of pictures of the Christmas Eve festivities, which I tried to post on
my website, but something wacky is going on with the scanner and none of the
pictures will display (doggone it)! I am a novice when it comes to web design, but my two student
web designers looked at it and couldn’t figure it out either, so I eventually
just gave up. Sorry, family!!!
If anyone wants to see some of those great pix, I would be happy to send
them as attachments to you directly. Just
let me know.
January was a
big tournament month for Derek. He
won the weekly Hall of Fame tournament in Warren on the 17th (arguably the
toughest weekly tournament in the country), and finished in the top 4 in two
other local events. He spent the
first two weeks of the new year in Kentucky at the annual Derby City
Classic--one of the biggest professional pool tournaments in the country.
He finished in the top 20% of a very tough One-Pocket field, but
not so well in the equally-tough 9-ball. He
also played in weekend tournaments in Jackson and Fort Wayne, so I barely saw
him that month!
While he was
gone I worked 10-to-12 hour days to keep my head above water as the winter
semester got underway. My new
assistant, Lisa Kelley, started on January 7.
It was horrible timing in terms of finding time to train her, but she was
very understanding and acclimated well. Even
with the long days, I found time on the weekends to work on Creative
Memories. I even came up with
an idea for “Betz’s Kraft Korner” in the basement, with tables and
shelves, where I can leave my sewing machine, CM stuff, and other crafts
projects out and work on them a little at a time.
Unfortunately, this plan has yet to come to fruition.
I also
renewed my CPR certification in
January and started playing in a second pool league.
It is a much more competitive field than the Monday night league that
Derek and I play in, but for me it is a necessary challenge.
I am capable of playing as well as most of the players in that league,
but after not competing for so long, have gotten a little lax.
I have been playing much better since I joined the two
leagues…almost back up to competitive speed again.
If any “meaty” women’s events roll through Michigan in the next few
months, I will confidently throw in my entry fee--put my money where my mouth
is, so to say. The Wednesday team
has finished 14-1 each week that I played, which it has NEVER done before. They are calling me their good luck charm!
After 4 weekly appearances, I am now qualified for the State 8-ball
Championships in April (wish me luck)!
Derek and I continue to play in the
Monday night pool league with the guys on his roofing crew.
It’s been a great chance for us to do something together every week
that we both enjoy. Derek led our
team to the Championship of the Beeny’s APA
League in early February, qualifying us for the City Championships in June!
He won almost all of his matches (which was to be expected), but without
his skillful coaching, we definitely would not have made it as far as we did.
I also won most of my matches, but I am not as good of a defensive coach
as Derek.
The League Finals got a bit ugly
when our captain put me up against the other team’s best player, Joe, who has
a really bad attitude and, as I’d discovered earlier in the season,
hates to lose to women. He cracked
under the pressure, and after I trounced him, he refused to shake my hand.
It didn’t bother me much, but his teammate Donnell, with whom I’d
become friends, would not stand for such poor sportsmanship.
He insisted that Joe go to me, apologize, and congratulate me on my win.
Joe, drunk and embarrassed, tried to start a fistfight with Donnell (who
is almost a foot taller and at least 50 pounds heavier).
Fortunately they never came to blows, but it was an exciting 20 minutes.
That night I believe I got to see pool at its worst and chivalry at its
best.
Although I
resigned as the ACUI Regional Coordinator
last year, I ended up being a LOT more involved in this year’s Recreation
Tournament than I’d planned or hoped. We
had about 20 more participants than last year, and added a new event (3-on-3
basketball), but I was embarrassed by how poorly organized things were.
I almost want to take the position back just to regain a good
reputation for the program. Until
recently I was considering applying for the position of National 9-ball
Director, but after learning more about that in Albuquerque (see below), I am
not the least bit interested. It’s
WAY too political for me. I learned
quickly that it’s more about kissing people’s asses than running a 9-ball
tournament. I am MUCH better at the
latter than the former. I am
strongly considering being the Regional Coordinator again.
It’s something I enjoy, I think I’m good at, and with additional
staffing help on the home front, I expect to be able to spare the time.
Not to mention, it’s a position where several people will have to kiss MY
ass because they really need me. :o)
Derek’s
February was highlighted by a road trip to Florida.
I had hoped to go, but it was not in the cards for me.
I came down with bronchitis a week before our planned departure, so I had
to spend my vacation week catching up on work at the office.
It coincided with the students’ Spring Break, so with very little
activity around the Union, I got a lot of paperwork cleared off my desk.
While Derek enjoyed days of golf and nights of pool, I worked my stubby
little fingers to the bone. (Guilt
trip!) I also finished a lot of
projects at home--most notably painting our guest bedroom a warm, buttery
yellow. My best buds Katie and
Angela were willing assistants. We
made a fun Saturday afternoon out of it, and I am extremely pleased with how it
turned out. So pleased, in fact,
that I find myself inspired to paint every doggone room in the house. Next up: the
office. Shades of purple with swirl
accents, inspired by a funky chair we placed in the room when we first moved in
(many thanks to Deb for the suggestion).
March has
also been a very active month. I
wrote an article for the Midwest pool publication “Inside English,” which
has been very well-received by pool friends around the state.
I met with my Creative Memories
circle on “3/3 at 3” for a couple hours of cropping and good old-fashioned
chatting. Derek returned from
Florida (having stopped in Atlanta for a couple days to see our friend Stanley)
on March 7 and returned to work just a few days later.
The roofing business has been slowly picking up speed during the last few
weeks. We are both happy that he is
back to work.
I hedged for
a long time about whether or not to attend the annual Association
of College Unions International (ACUI) professional conference in
Albuquerque. On one hand, it
provided the opportunity to visit with dozens of friends in the
association and see a city I might never otherwise visit--at U
of M’s expense, no less! But
on the other hand, I was petrified to fly.
Absolutely scared stiff. I
finally decided in early February that I couldn’t miss such a great
opportunity just because of an irrational fear.
But just to help calm me down, I got a sedative from my doctor.
The trip to
Albuquerque was a blast. The Xanax
calmed me down just enough to get me through the flight from Detroit to
Phoenix.
The quick flight from Phoenix to Albuquerque, however, was pretty stinky
by all accounts. We had turbulence
almost the whole flight long. Many
people on the plane got sick after 30-40 minutes of constant jostling.
Frequent fliers said that it was one of the worst flights they’d ever
been on (NOT what Betz wants to hear). Note
to self: next time you fly, get
Xanax AND Dramamine. Next year’s
conference is in Chicago, so I’ll be pleased to drive or take the train, thank
you very much. I’m also thinking
of presenting a session at the national conference for the first time:
“Success Stories in Recreational Programming.”
It’s still in the back of my brain, but I’m sure it would be a
popular and well-received topic. Throw in a few friends in the Recreation field who can share
their own ideas in a roundtable format, and VOILA!…a great networking session
for College Unions professionals and fun time for all.
While in
Albuquerque I visited my Great Aunt Betty and her family, whom I had never met.
She was married to my Grandma’s brother Roman, who was one of my
favorite uncles. I saw him once
when I was just 6 or 7. He was tall
and strong with stark, white hair like my Grandma’s.
He made quite an impression on me as a little girl…probably reminded me
of old Hollywood movie stars. I
corresponded with him by mail for almost 20 years, until he died in 1998.
He always wanted me to visit him in New Mexico, but by the time I felt
adult enough to travel that far from home, he was in poor health and couldn’t
get around very well. I remember
him saying that if he couldn’t show me around his town, he’d rather I
didn’t come. Having met his
family, I really regret not making it out there to see him before he
passed. They are really MY KIND OF
PEOPLE.
I spent lots
of time in Albuquerque’s Old Town, which are old Army forts from the 1700s
converted into quaint shops and restaurants (correct me if I’m wrong,
Dietzlers!). I scored a very cool
metal kokopelli sculpture to match the kokopelli painting over our fireplace.
The colors match perfectly. I
hung them side by side, and so far everyone has given the look “two thumbs
up.”
Last night,
of course, was the Oscars.
A few friends from work, a few snacks, and a “Guess the Winners”
ballot always make for a fun evening. But
holy cow, after 10 hours of Oscar-related television, even *I* am sick of it. Derek returned from a tournament in Rochester, NY about a
half-hour after the show ended. He
had a very good time with some guys he has never traveled with before.
His only complaint--a common one as a non-smoker--is that they all smoked
incessantly in the car on the way to and from Rochester.
Derek prides
himself on guessing the winners but this year I skunked him:
I guessed 7 of the 9 winners in the “big” categories on our ballot;
he just 3. The two I missed were
Denzel Washington (I figured on Russell
Crowe, big of a jerk as he is) and Jim Broadbent (I predicted
Ian McKellan). I was very happy for
Halle Berry (I loved her performance in Monster’s Ball--in fact, loved
the movie as a whole), but *puh-lease* on the speech! We get it, you’re verklemt.
Alright, already. Now get
over yourself and go back stage and play that up for the press.
Just GO AWAY.
Well, that’s about it for now, folks. I can’t say I’ll ever get back on a weekly schedule again, but I sure hope that my next lapse in newsletters is not 8 months. Hope you are happy and healthy!
Love,
Betsy
(Derek too!)