First of all, rpm225: The contacts you have established with your POIs sound great.
And I can relate to what you said about being tired of waiting already. I wish it was March/April 2012 right now.
I contacted one POI thus far. One of her works was published in an online journal but each time I try to access it, I receive error messages.
So, I decided to write her a brief, polite e-mail. Haven't heard back since. Though I don't take it as a bad sign...I know she is a very well-respected, busy person - I understand if it takes time to get back. Actually, one of my former profs always let's one or two weeks pass until she writes back, but once she writes back, I receive an entire BOOK. And she always mentions that I'm only an e-mail away from her. My hopes are that this is the case with my POI as well.
However, I only contacted this specific POI because I can't read her article. I won't contact other POI's until around September, I guess.