2003

Happy spring! Unfortunately, we're still setting snow here in Cleveland.

Those of you who know me probably also know that hockey is practically a second religion to me and that the Pittsburgh Penguins are my gods before all others. Thus, it brings me the greatest pleasure to report that Nick Boucher is definitely in a zone this year playing net for the Wheeling Nailers, a minor league team for Pittsburgh. He leads all rookie goalies with his 20 wins, four shutouts and goals against average of 2.44 and was recently named to the 2004 East Coast Hockey League All-Rookie Team for his efforts. Twice this season Nick was called up to play for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he appeared in six games, posting a 1-0-1 record and stellar save percentage of .923. Nick said he is happiest about the consistency of his play this year, adding, "It takes a while to realize that this is a job and there are sacrifices you have to make to get where you want to be. This is the first time I have been on a winning team and I'm very happy to be a part of it."

Lara Santiago Renta wrote in to say she is in Paris completing her masters degree in French through New York University. She is moving back to the States in May and hopes to find a job in sunny California. Also far from home is Christopher Rubinate, who is "currently living in a little town of 15,000 or so called Dunayivtsi, which is in the middle of nowhere in western Ukraine." He is working with the Peace Corps and teaching English in a secondary school. As the first American that many people there have ever met, Chris is regarded as a celebrity of sorts, a claim backed by the presence of the first president of independent Ukraine, the U.S. ambassador and the Ukrainian minister of education at his swearing-in ceremony.

Devin Foxall sent in an update about his recent trip to Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Iran, where he was interviewing young people on their thoughts on Americans for a series of newspaper articles. He relayed one intense moment: "In Tehran, the massive and grimy capital of Iran, four young men invited me into their carpet shop to talk over tea. When they found out I was American, they locked the door. For over an hour, they poured out their dreams of a free Iran— where they could kiss girls and listen to the Beatles—and they wondered if I knew of any secret plans to overthrow the regime. Then they played on their computer an illegal bootleg of a Jennifer Lopez music video. 'She's American, right?' one Iranian asked. He touched her pixilated butt. 'You have to be proud of that.' "

Demanding her 15 minutes of fame (which you can do too!), Jill Powers dropped me a line to say she and her "canine life partner Brutus will be moving down to Durham to go to sociology grad school at Duke, go Blue Devils!" She adds that Taylor Acosta "is not doing anything fascinating, however she will miss Jill and the puppy, goodbye heterosexual wife." Finally, Todd Robinson is off to Michigan State University as a Ph.D. student in the plant biology/ecology program, where "the warm embrace of academia" will be "quite welcome after my whole real world consulting/contracting experience." He adds, "I've reinvested some of my poker winnings into a set of clay poker chips complete with case so that I can bring my gambling fun wherever I may roam." Fun!

3007 Church Ave. Cleveland, OH44113; (301) 653-1594; jill.e.haltigan@alum.dartmouth.org