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This page will tell you a bit more about me, my interests, and the perks in my life.

The Northeast area of the United States is special to me. A region of lakes and rivers, mountains, hills, and the four seasons, this area is filled with diversity--from the people to the land itself. Cooperstown, New York, is home to "Idyllic," a favorite scene I captured on film in 1994.

My children are among my greatest joys. Kim, 16, graduated high school in June 1999. Jamie, 12, entered the 7th grade this year. He's a champion tennis player and is very active in sports. He learned to play football in 1998 and baseball in 1999, and he successfully tried--and enjoyed--his abilities with lacrosse in the spring of this year. Matthew, 10, was spelling champion of all the third grades at his school in 1999. He entered the 5th grade this autumn. He was also proud of being named a peer mediator in 1999. While you're at it, please take time to visit their pages here within my own. The children haven't updated their pages in quite a while, but they're still proud of their efforts. My oldest son, Shawn, now 25, married Charity Pier in December 1999.

And then there are the furry members of the family: The children found Oreo--now, our black and white version of Garfield, and then, a scrawny little kitten--during a summer shower in 1998. Oreo is still a member of our family, although he's still with Kim. Meanwhile, we added still two more members of the family, Bandit, another black and white kitten even smaller than Oreo was when the children found him, and Tiger, a grey tiger that's about two months younger than Bandit! Bandit joined us in mid-June 2000, and Tiger came aboard in October 2000. Bandit's facial markings are even more striking than Oreo's, and the result looks quite like a black and white tiger of the most miniature kind. Tiger looks like a little teddy bear.

In case you haven't seen it yet, I've developed a page about my co-authored, award-winning book, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: Meeting the Challenge of Our Multicultural America & Beyond, which you'll find in the links below, as well as links to the rest of my site and some of our family pages.

I have a very special second family in Japan--the students in the Zemi, a Japanese word for seminar, in Professor Iwao Shinjo's class at Chubu University Women's College. I've had the pleasure of working online with these students who are simultaneously learning English and learning about the world's cultures. Although the Women's College portion of Chubu University will closed in 1999, Iwao and I have continued our work with students at the university. This will be our fifth year. You'll find a gift I developed for them here too. It's called A Gift to the Zemi. I'm proud and honored to be associated with Iwao Shinjo and his students.

Please stay a while, and make yourself at home.

What I'm interested in:

• Multiculturalism is a strong focus in my work as well as in my personal life.
  • No matter what race, creed, color, national origins or heritage you possess, you are part of what makes this beautiful mosaic we call the world, so special! To me, the world and her people have created an exquisite tapestry, and each thread of that tapestry is a priceless component. If we lose one thread of the tapestry, we destroy the entire fabric of what makes us all so special--our diversity. I call this "multiculturalism."
    
• Writing
  • Writing is an integral part of my life. I've been a professional writer since 1986, and my publishing credits now number more than 125, including Seventeen, Tennis, TIME Digital, Dental Economics, Police, Phoenix, Career, and Dell Horoscope.
  • As a multicultural author, I've written for a variety of multiculturally-oriented magazines, including Hispanic, Vista, and many others, and I was editor-in-chief of a bilingual magazine called Dry Heat USA.
  • I believe all writers are different in their work habits. My schedule varies according to my mood and my current sleeping habits. At times, I go to sleep at 6 a.m. after working all night. At other times, I get up at 5 a.m. and start work. I've been known to work for a solid 24 hours, nearly forgetting to make dinner for my family--to their dismay! But I don't always write and forget the rest of life. Life excites me! So does my family. I also believe all people are interesting and have a story to tell.
    
• I'm a dilettante
  • In the kitchen, you're most likely to find me creating a Chinese dish for my family, but I also enjoy cooking some of the foods from my own Russian Jewish Italian heritage, as well as baking pastries and breads.
  • I earned my way through college as a singer, but that was no surprise to my family. My mother, Sonia Feinbloom Petitte, was a concert pianist; my grandfather was a concert and vaudeville violinist, and I learned how to play 10 instruments, sing in 8 languages, and cherish music. There's a saying that music soothes the savage beast, but I believe it also uplifts our spirits. Today, whether I'm working with my children, or feeling blue, I still love to pick up my guitar and sing from my soul.
  • I enjoy making salt dough creations, and doing crafts with the kids. Knitting sweaters for my sons is also a pleasure, especially in the winter!
  • I love to travel and explore the sights, and I look forward to seeing new places, old friends, and meeting new people.
  • Snow and rain and the four seasons are equally vital for my happiness. Lush green grass and trees, cool mountain breezes, the white-capped waves on the ocean, and the little things in life--like the turtle that Matthew, brought to show me last summer...these are the richest things of all!

Effective immediately, I am sorry, but I've had to remove access to my guest book. I have been patient with Lycos and Gear in my effort to resolve problems their transitions have caused, but the situation has grown increasingly worse. It's been six months since I've had access to my guest book. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

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