1996

I have some happy news to share. Maribel Bastian and Aaron Sandoski are finally engaged! The couple had been doing the long-distance thing the last few months because Aaron was working in New Hampshire and Maribel was working in New York. However, this gave Aaron the perfect opportunity to craft his proposal. So, one February weekend (which happened to be Winter Carnival), Aaron told Maribel that they would be having dinner with one of his clients in Connecticut. A car picked her up from New York to bring her to the restaurant, but on the way there, Maribel noticed that the car was actually headed in the wrong direction. Quite worried, she questioned the driver but the driver insisted that he had orders to go to LaGuardia Airport. Panicked that she took the wrong car, Maribel called Aaron, who reassured her that plans had changed and just to follow the drivers instructions. At the airport the driver handed her tickets with the destination code: LEB, wished her a happy journey and then left her to her flight. Well, shortly after, Maribel landed at the Lebanon airport, where Aaron, and only Aaron, picked her up for a romantic dinner at Simon Pearce, where a table by the waterfall "just happened" to be open. Maribel still had no clue, until Aaron got down on his knees in front of Dartmouth Hall later that evening. And, of course, Maribel said yes. I have to give credit to Aaron, who, along with the sparkly ring, also presented Maribel with a stack of bridal magazines that he had picked up at Shaw's. How perfect! The wedding will be sometime this year after the happy couple moves to Boston, where Aaron will be starting Harvard Business School this fall. Congratulations, you guys!

I have to send my apologies to Jeni Wajnberg. In the Nov/Dec 2001 issue I wrote that Jeni passed the February 2001 California bar exam and was working at Brown Winfield & Canzoneri. I was quite misinformed. Jeni e-mailed: "I took and passed the July 2000 bar exam after graduating from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law. After traveling around the United States for five weeks and then in Australia and New Zealand for three months, I moved to Los Angeles and began working at a real estate boutique firm, specializing in commercial real estate transactions. After September 11 I decided to move back to New York City to be closer to family and joined the family business (a daily Russian newspaper) as chief financial officer."

Other noteworthy bits, Will Lock wood recently joined the family business, Computer Talk, as director of editorial content and senior editor. After graduation Will received a masters in classics at UC Santa Barbara and a M.Phil in ancient history at Cambridge University.

Josh Pearson joined the Austin office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, last year after receiving a law degree at UC San Diego. Josh joins the corporate practice group, practicing securities and business law.

Let me know what you or others are up to. Drop me a line.

81-67 Dongan Ave., Elmhurst, NY11373-3730; ply@alum.dartmouth.org