Penguin World Conference IV
Toronto, Canada
May 24 to 27, 2002The first international Penguin encounter and the first encounter outside of the United States
PWC IV Report from Cathy Pasternak of Charlottesville, Va...
Hello Penguins, Short version: Hi, I'm Cathy - I've just encountered my first Penguins, other than Flight School, at PWC IV - had a great time and the half-marathon went well.
Long version: I subscribed to this list about 24 hours ago, having previously been on the Penguin World Conference IV list only. Now that I've read dozens of posts, I have a better understanding of some of the events and conversations I took part in at PWC IV - sort of like studying the language after you've returned from a foreign country.
The weekend got off to a great start - after the rousing opening ceremonies, we split into small groups and hit the streets. Maryanna carted several of us to dinner at a Hungarian restaurant, followed by a walk to get Korean dessert. The red bean sherbet was special but the walnuts took the cake. Thanks for the tour of the town, Maryanna - congratulations on your half-marathon hardware.
Marcella guided me through Toronto on Saturday and Sunday. We enjoyed the Blue Jays game and the CN Tower tour with Andrew. Thank you Marcella for taking care of me - you had a terrific 5K time, keep up the training.
The dinner at Joe Badali's Saturday night was wonderful. Thanks to Todd for the last-minute race advice and for snagging a souvenir Blue Jays cup.
After the pasta dinner and a rainy, smoky cab ride back to the hotel, Jane, Dorothy and I shared a late-night-pre-race-Seven-Eleven hunting and gathering stop to get bagels, juice, etc... for breakfast. At midnight, I called my sister in Chicago to teach me how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit so I'd know what to wear the next day. I never felt alone, as I was serenaded into the wee hours by the sounds of the car horns of Maple Leafs fans.
Shari totally pulled me through on race day. She paced me to a 2:30:48 finish in my first half-marathon - my longest run ever. We did 6/1's consistently from the start. This was my first experience with disciplined run/walking and it went well thanks to Shari. Shari, I hope your toe is better soon!
The banquet was amazing - thanks to all for sharing the love. Glenn and the Toronto Penguins hosted a fabulous PWC. Thanks to Kathryn who arranged for us to dine at the Yacht club.
Of course, a huge thank-you to Glenn, who did not turn out to be an old dude as I had guessed. It was a great pleasure to meet you, Glenn, you did a fantastic job. Go Jays Go!
John and Karen, you were the only Penguins at the conference who I had met before - at Flight School last September in the Washington, D.C. area. You both made me feel right at home among Penguins. Thanks, John, for the advice on staying out of the BMZ : "watch more Oprah".
Desperately seeking another Penguin encounter,
Cathy
Charlottesville, VirginiaP.S. What is ORN?
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