Good Morning and Happy Friday!

NEW!  We’ve added a pre-con riverboat tour to the Annual Meeting in Chicago on Friday, July 24th (11am to 2pm).  Our friends at Supio are sponsoring the activity to reduce any ticket cost (~$25-$30).  Families and guests are welcome to join us for this guided lunchtime excursion along the Chicago River.  On this private catered cruise, we’ll explore amazing architecture, skyline vistas, stories, and more, discovering why no other city is like Chicago.  This will be an interactive experience to learn about the “ugly buildings” (this includes the House of Blues where we’ll be for the AAJ Opening Reception later!) and the City’s underbelly.  We’ll have the whole upper deck and it’s covered, so we’ll go rain or shine.  Reserve your spot(s)!

Register for our Annual Meeting in Chicago (July 25-27) to get in on the Early Bird rate before Friday, April 24th.  Once you complete the NATLE registration process, you will automatically be added to a NATLE-member only (no vendors), listserv for Chicago registrants to help with any pre-con (and during-con!) arrangements. AAJ’s registration page is open and the confirmation contains a link to the hotel reservation site.  Don’t wait on registering and reserving a room – NATLE does not have a secret cache of rooms for fence-sitters! 

The Annual Meeting Scholarship Review Committee received two applications to attend the Annual Meeting in July.  The Committee will review and notify the awardee by next Friday.

Save the date for the NATLE Governmental Affairs Conference in Tucson, November 7-9.  NEW! We’re bringing back the in-person Leadership Symposium for a full-day on Friday, Nov 6.  Leadership consultant, Jes Averhart, will facilitate this valuable program designed specifically for executive directors, TLA staff, and volunteer leaders.  Help us spread the word by notifying your president and/or president-elect.  The Westin La Paloma is expanding our room block to include Thursday, Nov 5.  Note: If your volunteer leadership can only attend the Symposium and not the GAC, there will be a Symposium-only registration option.  Help us right-size the room block and let us know how many rooms you’ll need for Thursday, Nov 5.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…Instead of immediately deleting the email from Xfinity last week, I quickly scrolled through it and my eye landed on the words “free” and “Peacock”.  Color me skeptical, but it’s true that my internet provider now includes the streamer in my subscription.  This means I can finally watch Yellowstone that won so many awards.  I’m only a handful of episodes in, but I’m getting to know the Duttons – a seriously dysfunctional family running a successful ranch through ruthless politics, a twisted sense of loyalty, and questionable morals.  The cinematography doesn’t take advantage of the setting as well as another “western” I like, Heartland, that takes place in stunningly beautiful Alberta, but I’m too busy watching Kevin Costner to miss it.

P.P.S. On my evening commute to an exercise class this week, I was stopped in traffic and watched a litterbug in action at the bus shelter.  Without a hint of shame, she tossed a fast-food soda cup on the ground and then dug around in her backpack to pull out an empty burger box to add to it.  I don’t even spit out my gum anymore unless it’s into a trash can, so I was instantly incensed.  As my light turned green, I rolled down my window to yell, “Pick up your $%&@”.  Sadly, but as I expected, it was completely ineffectual, but it made me feel a little better that I’d had my say.