A few items of interest:

1. My cousin Callista has now made her way to Madison to work on her M.A. in French.  I had a farewell lunch with her at Bistro Bella Vita on the day before she left.  She managed to talk me into taking yoga at the studio she had studied at for several years.  Classes begin in September.  Should be a good counterpoint to the flexibility training I’m getting indirectly through karate.
2. Speaking of which … Orange belt, check. 
3. I had a burst of self-improvement energy last week, the result of which was the initiation of piano lessons with a delightful Russian woman (classically trained at the master’s level in the Soviet Union!), and a meeting with the woman who will, in mid September, start my private voice lessons.  I love music, and regret having avoided serious study for so long.
4. I won re-election as the senior Great Lakes Senator in USGS.  But the margin was closer than it should have been.  Hobbies can be aggravating, sometimes.
5. I think Dawhn has talked me into getting a kitten or two.  We went to the Humane Society last Tuesday, and I saw plenty of adorable cats.  We’ll see.
6. Tony is now teaching an introductory course in political theory at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.  It’s been a lot of fun helping him put together his course notes and PowerPoint presentations.  He even humored me by letting me prepare a handout for his class on the historical evolution of political theory from Thucydides to Rawls. 
7. Had a delightful lunch yesterday with my mother, grandmother, and aunt Sue.  Sue was visiting from the far-off land of Indiana, where the corn is golden and all the children are superlative athletes.