Oh yeah, sorry. NH is New Hampshire. (or as we like to say, New Hampsha' 'ayup.) Sometimes I forget to be more specific on these int'l type boards.
Thanks for all the welcomes. This does seem like some wild and crazy forum!
And yeah, calicos are almost always female. My avatar is my cat, named Upoko (it's maori-the native New Zealand language-for "head" because she head butts things.) I am gonna miss her when we go to China!