35 men attended October's brunch and 25th Anniversary celebration at the Men's Center; 19 men and women attended the November's special brunch at Rick Gravrok's home. December's brunch will be at the home of Stephen Sewell's, 1509 Summit Ave, St. Paul (one block east of Snelling Av) 651/917-2495. January's brunch will be hosted by Dean Jurek's, 3620 W 32nd St #102, Minneapolis (just off Excelsior Blvd, west of Lake Calhoun), 612/922-8604. Eat and socialize at the next Monthly Men's Sunday Brunches (bring something to share/cook up). Men hang out together and enjoy good food with no agenda whatsoever. These brunches are open to all men from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m;plan to come and chat and eat for a 1/2-hour to 2-hour period anytime. --inevitably some men stay on until 2 p.m.
- Andy Mickel, 2001-11-21.

Dear Herb Jaehne, "...Men Talk arrived last week. It reminded me that it's time to lend some support to the Men's Center. I do want to tell you of a coincidence that relates to my experience from the Anger Management sessions. One of the things that I did during the class was to follow my feelings and thoughts about a specific situation that made me angry. After analyzing it down, it came to me that one of the issues that seems to be the engine for my responses was the loneliness I felt in high school. To me that was an "aha" moment because of he clarity of moment. The coincidence was that I read about a seasoned management consultant going through the same process where he realized that his reactions to situations were fueled in part by particular incidents with his father. This similar experience by someone who makes a living supposedly in tune to human relations struck me that what I went through in the class was a great source of understanding and a great tool. The above example with the consultant also pointed out to me that my personal life and life at work cannot be clearly separated. My "issues" affect all my interactions. Enclosed is a donation for the Anger Management Program. If it can be used to help a guy cover the cost of the program, great. If not, use it as you see fit. Thanks again,"
- Bob K. 2001-08-17.

"Andy, Sorry but yet again I can't make it to the brunch. I figured that I would need to allow 31 hours to get there (driving nonstop), which means I would have to leave my house at about 3 a.m. on Saturday morning. So, pass on my regards to men at the brunch. All must be well is Minneapolis, where I hear it has been close to 70 degrees during the day. Go figure, I move to a warmer region of the country and it is warmer in the Twin Cities in late November....And you? Hope all is well. Regards,"
- Michael Volk mlvolk@yahoo.com, 2001-11-15.

The Gay and Bi-sexual Father's Group meets for dinner (always the last Saturday of every month; always from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m). December's dates will be affected by the holiday. Events are now posted on the website: http://GayFathersMN.com/events.html
- Denny Siemers, 952/897-1281 dennysiem@aol.com, 2001-11-04.

"Glad that you're still growing. Keep up the good, pioneering work."
- Bryan Gerard Nelson, 2001-10-22.

October's Twin Cities Men's Health & Well-Being Symposium was attended and staffed by 154 people and drew overwhelmingly favorable comments. Here are a sample:

"Dear Andy, Thanks for having me at the Men's Health & Well-Being Symposium. I'm really sorry I missed the morning sessions -- had family stuff happening...[please inform] Paul Busch who led the yoga group. Several of the men expressed interest in doing more with meditation [in my session]-it seems to me a monthly group that linked yoga and meditation would be a natural. One of the guys said he and his wife have a therapy office in Hopkins-and maybe Paul works in some studio that would be available. Anyway, I'd be open to something like that, again without any financial reward for me, if there's interest...] Yours,"
- Erik Storlie, 2001-10-24

"Dear John, Andy, Men's Center Organizers, Volunteers and Friends, "Thanks to your hard work and service to your colleagues you just wrapped up a conference that can fairly be called excellent! The idea to have a Men's Health & Well-Being Symposium was both ambitious and long overdue. I am sure you will find your numbers grow from year to year and I can assure you it does get easier! I'm sure you must have received many compliments from the participants on how well planned, organized and executed the whole event was. Even better was the high involvement of participants with one another & the presenters. And what's more-it was fun!! I hope you are all able to celebrate as you take a moment of pride in your mutual good work over the last few months. MCTC [Minneapolis Community and Technical College] was happy to be a part of your success, and we look forward to next year. Sincerely,"
- Susan Stuart, 2001-10-30.

"Andy, Your efforts to provide us with an excellent health-focused opportunity for growth were obvious from the moment I walked in the door at MCTC. Our groups were fun and challenging. The set up, staffing, & materials were carefully thought out. In appreciation,"
- Dick Madigan, 2001-10-21.