Monthly Archives: January 2009

(Community Matters) Good gosh, I sure love my morning pilates sessions with Amy & Liz

(Community Matters) Wow, Warren Buffett just signed up to follow the Entrepreneurs Foundation on twitter. What’s he reading? GiveToAustin

(Community Matters) The Entrepreneurs Foundation’s Corporate Social Responsibility Opportunity Conference

Successful corporate cultures and strong reputations win customers, attract & retain the best employees and help build profitable markets. Join us to share success stories and to learn how other Austin corporate executives and companies build successful corporate cultures and do good for our communities.

February 27, 2009

Keynote: Prof. Mark Kramer, Harvard University

panels include:

Employee engagement as leadership development
Cause related marketing
Beyond Greenwashing: effective corporate environmental strategies
Engaging the global mobile workforce
Measuring the value of corporate citizenship
HR policies

EF members $25/ non-members $65

more information here

(community matters – continued from Jan 25, Dells Childrens Hospital Gala)

Jessica D’Arcy

James Leonard

James gave a brief testimonial. He suffered a spinal break diving into the lake while attending camp in Austin from Colorado. He wasn’t expected to ever walk again. The hospital’s neurosurgery unit saved his life.

Vaughn & Jeri Brock

After dinner (the event was held at the convention center), the next room opened up for poker and dancing.

Kirk & Amy Rudy and Lance Avery Morgan

And, after poker & dancing, a way fun after party at the Four Seasons.

David Kurio & Victoria Henrich

Big surprise (not) florist/designer to the stars David Kurio & international event planner, Victoria Henrich were behind the planning of everything. I loved catching up briefly with these two and talking about a glorious event we worked on together in the early 90s honoring Tana Christie and Ann Richards.

Armando Zambrano & Bryan Gardner

Well, as development lead at Dells, Armando Zambrano had a lot to do with it all as well 🙂 No doubt hubby, Bryan Gardner (a Four Seasons exec) had a hand in the magic as well.

Bill Fitzgerald & Steve Kluver

Won’t surprise anyone that I especially liked the cigars & cognac outside on the warmed terrace of the Four Seasons. And, Steve was quite the showman warming up our brandies.

nice touch, Armando. Thank you

(Community Matters) The logistics of four days in DC are incredible.  Coordinating tickets, transportation, hotel schedules of our tribes, figuring out if/when metro will be open, who’s going to which events, how . . . . 

(Community Matters)

Happy Birthday, Nico

Happy Birthday to our favorite 10 yo godson

1:40 – just had lunch with Nico & his mom, Janet.  He’s a very cool 10yo.

(Community Matters)

The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who was elected the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop in 2003, will deliver the invocation for Sunday’s kickoff inaugural event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said.

President-elect Obama is scheduled to attend the afternoon event, which is free and open to the public.

(Community Matters) Perfect way to spend a Sunday midafternoon, flying back from NYC, reading the NYTimes. We had huge headwinds so took 4.5 hours. Rarely take so long to read the Sunday Times so thoroughly and still haven’t finished the magazine. (I’m very interested in the Genome mapping article. Important continuation of a theme from Saturday night ‘s conversation. Also, found the article on Mark Driscoll and Calvinism enthralling, especially with a setting of Seattle. Have to put together a dinner party to talk about this alone. Bishop Rickle, I’d love your insight!).

Quick thoughts jotted down while reading:

Eric Holder’s scrutiny by GOP (attny general). Seems to me an excellent choice – despite Marc Rich pardon – however, researching and questioning him in a way that will allow us to hold him accountable against future conflicts of interest will serve us well. It’s good that the GOP is stepping up in this role, as we should have for Bush appointees. It makes no sense to harp on what they did or didn’t require during the last eight years. Let’s get it right, now.

“Economy May Delay work on Campaign Pledges” – as a gay member of Pres-elect Obama’s National Finance Committee & GLBT steering committee, by all means let’s not address Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in the first 100 days and absolutely it must be abolished.

(Community Matters) Some quick pics from this weekend I am finally able to download

Charles Santos, David Parsons, Frank Sonntag

Annmarie Milazzo & Tyley Ross,
the vocalists from East Village Opera Company

Charlie & Tyley,
Frank hugging the Parson’s associate artist director, Liz Koeppen in the background

Charles & Pierre Apraxine

(Community Matters) from Christopher McCollum, his set for David Mamet’s Boston Marriage being produced at Theatre Memphis

We miss having Christopher in Austin!

(Community Matters) hmm, it’s looking as if Amsterdam in February

(Community Matters) On the way to the Minetta Lane Theatre, Charles & I popped into author/curator, Pierre Apraxine’s luxury abode. Pierre one of Charlie’s closest NY friends, who of course I’ve known for many years.

Pierre – who claims to be retired (Gillman Company’s White Oak Press) – still lecturing, curating and organizing his 50 years of papers. Rightfully proud of a new acquisition, a fashion photographer Irving Penn original, Crossing the River Styx in platinum.

And . . . . finally caught up with Charlie’s big brother, John Phillip Santos over a long Japanese dinner at Omen’s in SOHO. JP celebrating submitting (on Friday) his new book, The Farthest Home is in an Empire of Fire: A Tejano Eulogy. Scheduled to be released by Viking/Penguin in early 2010. Though no one except his priest has read the manuscript (and Vernon only the first chapter), listening last night, suspect Farthest Home may generate even more buzz than Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation, which earned JP a National Book Award finalist.

Long, sometimes heated conversation about education, politics and national priorities – the perfect way to spend my last evening in America’s cultural capital.