Permit me to annoy you...

Tripartisan Congressional Committee discusses implementation of the 700 billion bailout...in hopes of keeping the economy afloat

Just a short reminder - of course it is short - consider the source - about Friday the 10th of October, starting say, around 4:00 PM EST at the ILS grounds. This refers to the Alumni Pig Roast and Homecoming game; blog-editor's unnamed sources have informed him the roasting honors will be carried out by Virgil Fernandez, a post-'68 grad; there will be an Alumni flag football game, but, not to worry, no one will be flagged and flogged into participating - the roster has already been established, all contracts and draft waivers are in place.

There was an email sent to our great group earlier; this is merely a more graphic reminder - it would be nice to see as many of you there as can make it; think of it of a post-Reunion Reunion. We - your Infernal Committee friends - realize it is neither possible nor practical for a substantial number of our graduates to show up. Still, we'd love to see your faces even if only for a short while, give each other some back slappin' hugs, talk, catch up, eat, drink, be merry, and all of that sort of stuff. Editor boy will be there, camera in hand; bring your magnifying glass so you can find him easier, and watch where you step! Bring your mobile phone too; if everything else fails, attendees can connect and rendezvous in cellular fashion. If you paid attention to the preliminary email, you have this classmate's number - so does the FBI, no doubt. Should you not have it and for some inexplicable reason still want it, "pop" an email to ils6468@gmail.com - "ask and you shall receive." No text messaging! Have enough trouble punching the right number keys already...

By the way, for those of you who may have a Facebook page, Immaculata-LaSalle has a presence on Facebook as well - and they have sent invitations for this Friday fun to all ILS friends through that medium. Yes, it is possible to be an "oldie" and have a Facebook page...it's rather fun, and as a good friend, another smart Immaculata gal - except she's Class of '73 - puts it, "I got my page just to piss off my kid!" There must be something to that, as my kid refuses to be her dad's Facebook friend. Guess she thinks he's more of a fiend. She may be right...

Let us have pleasant conversation, avoiding religion - well, that may be a hard one on ILS grounds - and politics whenever possible. However, your blog fiend is not averse to discussing economic issues and/or bailout packages. He is trying to figure out how to engineer his own monetary bailout. Any assistance and/or advice which may help make that reality will be gratefully appreciated! Anyone wishing to donate one of those presses from the Bureau of Engraving, Department of The Treasury...see me!!

And now, a more serious and more personal annoyance - please indulge the writer, all kidding aside. On Sunday the 5th, an email was forwarded to all of you on our email Contacts List, originally sent by Maria Restrepo Forte, Class of '66. This was regarding baby Faith, granddaughter of Norma and Willie Cueto, both graduates of Immaculata-La Salle. You were asked to keep all of them in your prayers, and invited to visit the Faith Memorial Foundation web site.

This is not an attempt to "guilt-trip" anyone about making donations to the Foundation, but a gentle reminder to - again - keep this family, this child in your prayers. We are all one Big Family, the ILS Family, regardless when we graduated. For the writer, this has added significance. You see, as with baby Faith, my - and wife Lynne's - baby was born in St. Mary's Hospital, West Palm Beach. Unlike Faith, Lauren had no problems and has been blessed since birth. She and her mother had the best care anyone could have hoped for from the warm, caring staff at St. Mary's. This may not matter much to anyone but to us "little Quirogas;" nevertheless, if your heart calls you to help with this beautiful remembrance, know that whatever you do will be for a very, very good cause. Before closing, and since we're on the subject of remembering and praying, do not forget our classmates - and their families - who need us to keep them in our thoughts and requests to the Almighty. And as this goes to press, by now most if not all of us on the Class email list have heard from our classmate Laida Arcia Carro, with the wonderful news her husband Jose, AKA "Pepin," Class of '67, is slowly but surely improving. Laida is very appreciative of all prayers and concerns towards Pepin and the Carro family - so let's keep that prayer wheel turning; Somebody is listening!

A link to the Faith Memorial Foundation has been added under the "Interesting And Useful Links" header for your convenience; hopefully this should also generate more visits to the web site.

Love and God Bless all of you, my ILS Family

Albert