Everyone read...

Went to a Conversa picnic today- ended up at Dewey's (which I recommended 'cause we office people used to go there from Chiquita)- excellent pizza and even better salads. Lessee, after that I just hung around Newport on the Levee. A happy market atmosphere, with lots of consumers consuming, a great tourist place. And belly dancers, bookstore verandas, etc. The two Spanish girls (about Nathanael's age) brought Spanish cards, which work like regular playing cards, and we played "Burro" which is the Spanish version of our family's "Pig"- except instead of putting the finger on the nose, the one with 4 alike slams their hand down and yells "burro" (or "burra" if you're a chick) and then everyone else slams their hand on top of yours. The last to do so gets a "B". Next time that person is last s/he gets a "U" and so forth until they've been the burro/a 5 times to spell out "burro/a". Also wanted to play "Mentiroso" which is the exact same thing as "I Doubt It". So these silly games really exist everywhere and there are about ten thousand variations.
 
But what I wanted to say to my family- parents, Leah, Ellen and Chuck, Dan, anyone else- I'd LOVE for you to come to Japan- but week still unsure- but it will be second, third, or fourth week in October. We WANT seniors, middle age, young- and connect with people with similar interests in Japan.  Mr. and Mrs. Iwao-san are in their 60's and I look forward to meeting them. Mrs. does flower drying and I'm very interested in that. Leah is looking forward to meeting her friend Julian.
 
PLEASE post on my company's board. Uh- if you have filtering software it may tell you you haven't been logged in even when you are, and take you back to the front page- just click on the posting area anyway, and post away. Leah figured it out.
 
BTW I figured out there are TWO Julians, Leah's friend and another American Julian I met today.
 
Company's board: www.chat-radio.us/englishnetwork.htm
 
The MORE people we have committed, the more this will work out! Of course if I go on my company's dime I will be giving people there our pitch, of course (which is, basically, come to Conversa sometime in your life)...but you all will be free to mingle, and this will actually help us establish a sort of sister-city or sister-English school or some sister-ish thing.