Things that have transpired in the past two weeks:

• Mollie Orshansky, the woman resposible for our much debated measurement of poverty, passed away. She actually died in December, but her family didn't tell anyone until a couple weeks ago. Strange, you might say. And you would be right.
  
  
• I went to the Kost family reunion in Northern Virginia (that's my family, in case you're confused). We ate all the traditional Easter food - egg cheese, stuffed veal, kielbasa, fresh horseradish, fresh chicken soup, beer, champagne, and then beer again. I ate so much that I didn't even make it to the ham. It was great to see the cousins, of course. A photo of Mom and Dad Doyle with Luvy and her new boy Rocky:

• If you missed this story about the swarms of starlings in Italy, it's worth the read. Actually you don't even have to read - just click on the multimedia link and the author will read the article to you while you take in the striking photographs.
  
  
• We welcomed spring with open arms by having a Keys shin-dig. I made conch fritters, we wore beachy clothing, listened to Jimmy Buffett, and drank boat drinks. Not a bad way to spend an evening. Pictures below.

Prepping the conch fritters (which were actually corn fritters, on account of the fact that conch is a specialty food only found at Christmas in State College)...


Mmm, fritters!

Steph gives the fiesta a thumbs-up.


Lauren enjoys her yummer boat drink.

Steph, Heather, and Allison guard the table.

What fun is a party without piggyback rides?

All in all, a great couple of weeks. I'm swamped with work for the next week and a half, and then I'm off to visit the land of beer and bratwurst for the summer!