My Blog

Check Me Out on Ning.com at the Jen Channel

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:30:16 GMT

I just began my own Ning social networking site. That platform rocks! And it's mostly all free! You can add videos, photos, music, widgets, blog posts and create your own groups and start your own forums. It comes with its one themes or gives you the freedom to design your own. Ultra cool! And it's easy for even the novice web design person. No technical knowledge is required. I am still working on adding content, but here it is: http://jenchannel.ning.com/ Stop by and say hello! Jen

Still Alive - Reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:33:08 GMT

Life has finally slowed down since the holidays and other eventful occurrences in my life. When I'm not working, I'm on a blogging frenzy, writing my way through the many people, places and things I encounter, sharing with the masses. If you're a reader, check me out at http://observedinbooks.blogspot.com and http://thatswhatithink.net. As a Southerner trying to rediscover her roots, I also began http://southerneratlarge.blogspot.com. Feel free to compare notes.

I'm still here, lest anyone think I dropped off the face of the earth

ecrivaine32 — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 20:31:09 GMT

I am usually to be found on Facebook, but I am currently writing in a blog at http://grnline2grnbelt.livejournal.com

Suddenly hearing from long lost friends on MySpace & Tribe

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:18:18 GMT

Life has gotten really interesting lately. I have often been amazed at the power of the Internet to connect me with the people in my life and interesting people I meet randomly. However, in the past 2-4 weeks, at least four friends I had not heard from in many years have looked me up and found me (here on Tribe and on MySpace). One of them told me I popped into her head and she decided to see where I was at and Googled me. I mentioned this to a coworker who said it's probably just coincidence, but I think there are reasons for all things that occur in our lives, and the sudden contact from these long lost friends both puzzles me and makes me smile at the wonder of modern communications.

Gremlins are afoot in my life lately

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:40:13 GMT

Boy, do the punches just keep on flying at me, it seems. First, I had a Maxi fuse blow in my car that killed the ignition, financial binds and more financial binds, and then, the windshield cracked by a stupid vandalizing kid, then I dropped and broke my XM unit and now I've killed my brand spankin' new Alpine radio on the same day I am going to get these marvelous new speakers and an amp installed. I had pictured myself blissfully driving away, jammin' to some tunes Friday evening; now, not so sure how that's going to go. I am asking myself if, A) It could be just a fuse that blew; B) If I can request a replacement and they will give it to me, or if it will be considered my fault and not valid for that, or if C) I must buy a new one all over again -- and also, if they can still install the speakers and the amp if I don't have a working radio in there tomorrow morning. It was already a hectic morning, because I was running late trying to run back and forth and get everything in my car from having cleaned out my trunk last night (in preparation for my speakers installation) to drop off in Greenbelt, Maryland, on my way by my occasional residence and because I had only just realized at 7 a.m. or so that I had to get the stereo equipment into the trunk for that afternoon -- and, of course, everything had to be wedged to fit into the trunk, or it would be very visible to anyone who might want to break into my car; and it was already time to get on the road for the one-hour-plus commute on I-495 to work - Fun, fun, fun. It's at times like this that I miss Wyoming and my formerly 8-min. drive around the corner to work. Yeah, it's been an interesting morning.

She stood on the Metrorail platform...

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:19:33 GMT

She stood on the Metrorail platform waiting for the next Yellow Line train, floating in space like a ghost sucked dry of emotion, stymied by fear, silently recriminating herself for her inability to censor her thoughts that morning -- thoughts which she had poured out into a tirade of meaningless gripes on this dismally gray-skied morning because it was the easiest way for her to communicate. Thoughts that did nothing but rekindle the same old fears, the same doubts she'd whirled around in her mind over and over, many times past. Then, knowing she could do nothing more to resolve her mistakes already made, she waited. The doors to her transit opened, and she stepped aboard, then briefly emerging to see the sunlight glinting off of the Potomac not far from a gauzy, office building-muddled skyline nestled in the background -- the world of work calling her forth to swallow her up for the next six hours. If only she could just learn to BE, without trying to BE, without analyzing her existence every step of the way for flaws and accept whatever Fate saw fit that she be dealt. If she could learn to let go of the need to save face, to appear unbreakable and to keep from losing control; then, and only then, she might know happiness.

Finally getting XM radio

ecrivaine32 — Sun, 27 May 2007 13:14:30 GMT

I found an XM satellite radio kit for car and home for 50 bucks this weekend and bought a $55 gift card at Sam's Club. I finally took the plunge, and I will be glad not to have to listen to these local Baltimore and Washington, DC, stations anymore. Next week's commute will be much more enjoyable.

Snow on Cinco de Mayo? Ouch!

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 10 May 2007 15:27:13 GMT

I moved from this part of the world, Casper, Wyoming, about seven months ago. I read this article today and was glad I am not there for this crazy weather. Snow on Cinco de Mayo! I was in Columbia, Maryland, toasting in the holiday with a premium margarita at Don Pablo's restaurant. http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/05/06/news/casper/37106427fe8befc0872572d300006557.txt

My new website

ecrivaine32 — Tue, 08 May 2007 18:40:22 GMT

http://thatswhatithink.net Check it out and let me know what you think. Add it to your social bookmarking, if you have any lists and like the site. I will find many topics to address at this URL. Thanks.

From thoughts of money to the heart of the matter

ecrivaine32 — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:05:29 GMT

How does one determine how much of his or her salary to contribute to a 401K? Is there a standard percentage that I should be contributing? I ask this, because I'm 34, and I've never taken advantage of this benefit, even though this has been available to me through different employers from years past. I've always been afraid to have anything take a bite out of my take-home pay. It's so easy to say, "Well, maybe one day. Maybe one day." But, really, when? I really should do something, but I never have, out of the fear of losing money and saving it toward a time I may not even be alive. My motto is always to live for the day, in the present, and I don't look far beyond just hoofing it through the work week and relaxing on the next weekend. Nothing is planned much further out than that unless it's an airline ticket that needs to be booked for a vacation. On a more personal note, my life seems to be a bit less than average in many areas. I never planned it this way. When I was younger, I wanted to meet someone special, maybe have a child, have a life together; but that never materialized. I don't feel I'm lacking. I don't feel I must catch up and fulfill some societal norm, but the 401K is just another reminder that I'm still living with no responsibilities, no real ties to anything. It's nice and free and independent, but now and then, I think it might not be as bad as I thought, in years past, to have someone to come home to in the evenings. I've lately begun to learn that I might really like having this in my life. It took me a while to come to this opinion, to settle down a bit in my ways, but that's where I stand now. I wouldn't feel trapped by these details of life were they to materialize in the future. The gal who used to read feminist literature and ruminate that marriage was legalized prostitution and men were to blame for making women into these horrid "baby-making machines" is long gone. I've grown up A LOT, through good times and bad. The problem is that back then I only had my parents' relationship to look to as a model for how men and women in matrimony treated one another, and I vowed that that would never happen to me. I would never let myself be tied down to another person, never let my heart be open to damage, never get cheated on like she did. I thought cutting myself off from love and caring for those who could not love me back was the answer. But I was wrong. Now I'm faced with having met someone who makes my heart soar and really makes me feel special. I've had a lot of bumpy roads in the past. I don't want to make the same mistakes. I want to communicate as much as possible, but most of all, I want to be able to trust, something that is very difficult for me, but necessary, I know, to make things work. So, I'm taking it one step at a time, breathing, trying to be myself, because that is all I can do. Maybe my 401K needs to structured for the future, but I'm not rushing this, this wonderful magic that has seen fit to infuse my life. I'm enjoying it in the moment and I wouldn't change a thing.

A nightmare two weeks of tax returns and vehicle troubles has come to an end

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:24:56 GMT

Thank goodness I get paid tomorrow! It has not been fun lately. $1,200 unexpectedly had to be shelled out from my last paycheck. This was due to the arduous process of transferring my car registration, drivers license and tags from Wyoming to Maryland and getting my taxes from two years and two states finally figured out by H&R Block. Had I been in Wyoming, registering my car would have meant maybe a 15-minute wait during my lunch hour and minimal fees. But, here in jolly Maryland, it took half a day to get my license, half a day to get my car inspected before it could be registered (since I had to get the state inspection certificate in order to register) and half a day to sit and wait for my number to be called so I could have the mighty privilege of shelling out my hard-earned funds for the two-year registration. All in all, once that was done, it had put me out about $800. I think the whole state inspection thing is a racket if ever I saw one. Basically, any mechanic you go to knows you have everything riding on getting that stamped piece of paper from him, which he can see fit whether or not to dole out to you and decide how long to make you wait. To me this puts a person in an awkward position and gives the mechanic the upper hand, because basically, unless he's dealing with a very car-savvy person, he can come up with some problem that needs to be fixed, and how would you know if he was being truthful? So supposedly my CV joint had to be replaced and then something else. At least my four tires were still brand spanking new, and my brakes were in fair shape. Fifty percent of the total went to the mechanic, and I had to take a day away from work and then a day away from my National Guard drill at the last moment to take care of it since the deadline was coming up fast. I had not planned accordingly, thinking I'd need mere hours to accomplish the task. What a pain in the arse. Thank goodness that is over, and when I register next, it's a process I can easily do at a kiosk in the mall if I so desire. I guess everything is initially tough and time-consuming when you move to another state though. That's all part of the initiation from one locale to another. It was also my first time filing a state income tax anywhere, ever. I have always lived in states that did not require filing. And I found out too late that my taxes had been coming out the three months I'd been here for Virginia and not Maryland where I live. So I had to file TWO income tax returns -- one to get the money back from VA and one because I owe in Maryland now. Good grief! Well, at least I'm getting back a good chunk from the IRS, and I can sock that into my account as a buffer and maybe catch back up to where I used to be before all of these unexpected things hit. This week has meant some penny-pinching on my part, for sure, like down to a decision between eating or filling up the car with gas.

Withdrawing from my college course due to my crazy work hours

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:32:33 GMT

I officially withdrew today from the sociology course that I approached only two months ago with so much new-student-again-but-this-time-not-gonna-quit-until-I-graduate zeal. I'm hoping to return to classes when and if my schedule at work ever returns to human hours. Or, if not, maybe I'll find another job before long, a job that will allow me to maintain a life outside of it. I was so excited when I first enrolled at University of Maryland's University College, and now I'm a little embarrassed because I made a point of forming my own loosely knit support group to keep me on the level with my education. I pleaded with family, friends and a few trusted colleagues (since I did not want to broadcast that I am probably the only person working here that does not have at least a Bachelor's) to bug me periodically and ask me how I was doing, anything to keep me inspired to hang in there. But, I guess you cannot anticipate everything. Some things are mere challenges, minor roadblocks that you can overcome, and some are downright monoliths heaved savagely and unexpectedly from out of the sky to deter you for a bit longer than you wish. The good news is that I have a little less than two years during which I can regain my footing and take more classes without having to re-register. I don't anticipate it taking me that long to get back to college if I can help it. The bad news is that I lost over $700, because I paid my own money for this course, using that as a true incentive to make me hang in there. But, when I was facing only getting about four hours of sleep every Monday and the task of trying to stay mentally alert and awake until 10 p.m. each night I had class, it was too much. It has been two months or so, and I still don't feel comfortable in this schedule. I don't think it's the kind of structure that many people can acclimate to, even those with prior or current military service. I didn't even work these hours during my active-duty military service!

Tonight's Loreena McKennitt concert, Washington DC

ecrivaine32 — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:32:51 GMT

Tonight is the Loreena McKennitt concert in Washington DC. I'll be there. I bought a ticket months ago to this event before I got on this rotten schedule, so I don't foresee getting enough sleep. This work schedule of mine negates even trying to have a decent social life, but I persevere and just deal with the resulting tiredness most of the time -- not always the best of strategies but it works. Here is a link to the music by Loreena McKennitt, her most current album: http://www.quinlanroad.com/explorethemusic/anancientmuse.asp She is best known for the song "The Mummer's Dance," which is here in video format: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCiDm8H1ggU

My new website - Culture Lens

ecrivaine32 — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 03:01:30 GMT

I finally have my own hosted website. Granted, it's still a work in progress, but thanks to http://squarespace.com and a hosting service they recommended called http://nettica.com, in just a few hours, a novice like me was in business at http://culturelens.net

One Virginia Tech, two moral universes - Editorial from The Times

ecrivaine32 — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:05:28 GMT

I know that most of us have seen enough of the horrific photos and videos of the VA Tech shootings and are still reeling from all of that, but I urge you to read this editorial that details the life of Liviu Librescu, the math professor who gave his life to help some of the students when they were in danger there on Monday. This was written by Ben Macintyre of London's The Times, and I thought it was the most beautifully written way to sum up this man's contribution to heroism. It really puts a lot in perspective and was very well done. I have shared it with many of my coworkers, friends and family members, and I urge you to do the same. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/ben_macintyre/article1680284.ece

Fun with Google

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:10:13 GMT

1. Go to http://google.com 2. Click on Maps. 3. Click on Get Directions . 4. In the first box, type: New York, New York 5. In the second box, type: Paris, France (I tried Frankfurt, Germany, and that worked too). 6. Click on Get Directions . 7. Read the Search Results. 8. Laugh, and then look at 55 MORE ways to have fun with Google: http://www.55fun.com/book.pdf

I truly need help - Tax help and mental help from dealing with taxes!

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:43:35 GMT

I emailed this to a friend today. Taxes, yeah, huh. Do you know I am late on filing them because I couldn't gather all of my paperwork together? And now I'm not even sure HOW to file in Maryland. I got online last night and was trying to -- keyword "TRYING" -- and TurboTax said I owed $769 in state taxes - can this be right, for being a resident for only 2-1/2 months! I'm afraid to see what a whole year will cost me. Or is this some kind of penalty for being a newcomer? How were yours when you first began living in VA? Is that close? I'm really worried about mine. I didn't have to file for federal last year because I was stationed overseas, so my thinking was I'll file for this year's on TurboTax due to time considerations, get that done and THEN worry about filing for 2005, which it appeared I could not do online when I went to do it on April bloody 17th! Anyway, though, when I went to file my electronic signature for THIS year's, it would not let me send it electronically without putting in the Adjusted Gross Income from my 2005 one, which I DON'T have because it's NOT filed!!!! Okay, so there is my tax rant. I'm between a rock and hard place and not sure what to do. I should just maybe print what I have from TurboTax and go talk to H&R Block today since it hasn't been sent out, but I'm too embarrassed to let anyone know I'm late on my taxes. Yeah, I know there will be a penalty, but I was still trying to find all of my W-2's from my boxes of paperwork and thought I could file for an extension and no I couldn't because I did not have them all together and had to put in what I thought I'd owe. I truly need help. This is the first time in my life I had to file state taxes, and it seems they are much more complicated than I was led to believe by what I heard. Knowing that I was unable to file them the night of April 17th, I went to bed with nightmares. The same last night, and I don't want that to be a recurrence tonight. I need to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING so that my life can go on normally.

My two cents comment to a blogger's viewpoint

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:32:17 GMT

I was not happy with the way Mark, a blogger, indicated that soldiers' lives are somehow much more valuable than anyone else's -- in this case, a VA Tech college student's life -- so here's what I wrote today (at the link below). I am a soldier. I love my country, and I am willing to support it. But I am not willing to say I am any better than anyone else, just because I made that choice; so I added my two cents to the conversation. http://mycroscope.com/?p=197 This afternoon: I checked back on the site and realized I may have misunderstood, esp. in my early morning stupor. He followed up to my comment and made a very good point about "kids with dreams." Mark said: "Thank you so much for your service and further for your comments. I happen to agree with everything you said. I was not trying to diminish the death of these 32 kids. I think people need to put things within a context though, and that’s what I was trying to do. Life is life all things being fair, and kids with dreams isn’t a condition which is limited to our nation’s college campuses. There are dreamers fighting and dying abroad every day. Again, thank you very much for the comment and I hope you’ll stick around!"

My friend said this about Liviu Librescu, the professor who saved his students

ecrivaine32 — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:10:03 GMT

A friend of mine in Wyoming had this to say about Liviu Librescu, the brave professor who gave his life on Monday to save some of his students during the shooting at Virginia Tech: "How incredible that this man survived the Holocaust, survived communist Romania, and then died in an American classroom saving the lives of others. What an amazing act. It made me cry. And we have no idea what the impact of that act will be. It could be that one of the people saved by his sacrifice will go on to change the world in ways that we cannot imagine. Amazing."

The Virginia Tech massacre

ecrivaine32 — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:42:26 GMT

Monday, shortly after the shootings at Virginia Tech occurred, I found out about the tragedy via breaking news on the radio station I had on in the car. Like most people, I was in shock, but even more so, because six months ago I moved to this area of the country from Wyoming, and it was hard to believe it had taken place not so far away. Like most people, I hadn't heard of anything so violent happening at an educational institution since the Columbine, Colorado, shootings. And I believe, if you have any heart or soul, you had to have been stunned by Monday's news. I didn't know any of the victims. I didn't even know where Virginia Tech was and hadn't really heard of it specifically, until I Googled it that next day. Then, I had to hit the Mapquest site to have any idea where the town of Blacksburg, VA, was in relation to me. Still, that didn't make the sheer sudden lunacy of it have any less impact. Today, quite a few articles followed up from yesterday's bold hammer-style headline that first announced the murders in the Express paper I get daily at the Metro train station (a free, condensed version of each day's Washington Post). However horrible the tragedies, it was comforting to read that one of the professors, 76-year-old Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, had stood up to the gunman, barring the door and saved a few students' lives in the process. Sadly, he was killed. But I thought 'what a remarkable person.' I'd like to believe I would do the same. It's likely hard to have any clue what you or I would do until we are faced with the situation, death staring us and others in the faces, breathing down our necks with seconds to spare. We can say what we'd like to do, or what we feel we would do until we're blue in the face, but we cannot truly know until such a dire test presents itself. I think what was most disconcerting to me in today's news was that on Tuesday there were other unrelated threats issued toward other universities and public schools in other states, causing more evacuations -- two public schools in LA and universities in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. What is the world coming to when we cannot feel safe going to a place of higher learning to achieve an education? It's hard enough in the U.S. to get through college, financially, and with the surprises and demands of life at every corner, without having to worry that our fellow students are mentally imbalanced enough to turn a gun on one of us. Yesterday morning, out of curiosity, I checked Technorati to see how many blogs contained postings on this tragedy and came up with 13,000 hits. Today, by 9 a.m., that number had more than doubled and will most likely climb higher (http://www.technorati.com/search/%22virginia+tech%22+and+%22shooting%22). I just think it's sad that something so monstrous has to happen for people to reach out and to one another in this world and remember that we all have feelings and should be able to provide support to one another. But, this example, along with a few articles I've come across on how people are mourning the tragedy online via sites like Facebook, just shows how useful the Internet and social media are becoming in helping to connect so many of us through means other than the everyday face-to-face interactions. I believe having outlets like this can be positive and help us reach out when we cannot touch others' lives in any other ways. Having sites like Tribe, MySpace, Facebook, whatever, can give us a way to express our reactions to horrible local or national events and possibly see many similarities in how others are sharing in the same experience. It cannot bring anyone back, but hopefully, at least the victims' families, friends, colleagues and classmates can see that many other people in this world are virtually supporting them. Even the IRS has been supportive in extending the tax deadline for those affected for up to six months, recognizing that the last thing these poor people should be worrying about is filing taxes. From what I've been reading, this is becoming a hot issue that will be referred to for some time for proponents of gun control. I'm not sure how I feel on this issue. I straddle the fence on this. On one hand, the fact that the killer was able to throw down his credit card and get a gun so easily makes me regret the ease with which he acquired it, and on the other side of the issue, if guns are legally allowed, more people could protect themselves against people like him. But, truly, I believe the heart of this issue is not about guns, but is a snapshot of our society, this fast-paced world, isolated, rushed, inspiring anger and a lack of ability to cope in people that fall through the cracks. How do you solve something like that? How do you cut through the roots of something that has been festering for so long and for which there does not seem to be any immediate cure? Guns are either tools of destruction or protection. It is still in the hands of a living, breathing, thinking human with free will to go one way or the other in his or her decision with how to use a gun. And who gives anyone the damn right to selfishly take another person's life, unless it is purely in self defense? Read more at "Social Networking and the Virginia Tech shooting": http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=19&entry_id=15502 "A Chain of Grief with Links on Facebook": http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041702037.html

Raving about Jack FM

ecrivaine32 — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 13:46:02 GMT

Have you ever heard of Jack FM? http://www.jack.fm/ I LOVE this radio station. I don't have an XM or Sirius subscription anymore, but Jack makes me almost not need them, since it plays such a great and unique variety of music. I catch them now on 102.7 out of Baltimore, but I used to be a faithful listener whenever I drove down from Wyoming within radio signal of Denver. Check out their main site above. They have quite a lot of metro areas covered. You can also listen live online at the site if you don't live in one of the station's coverage areas.

The new Slingbox

ecrivaine32 — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 11:36:18 GMT

Have you heard of this new contraption called the Slingbox? I only heard about it this past week when a radio DJ mentioned it. I'm not the hugest TV addict, but it sounds like a lot of fun to have the option to watch my own special favorite shows on my own local cable channels while I'm thousands of miles away, even on the other side of the world. It lets anyone with an Internet connection at home view what's on his television, even when he's not able to be home. I think I just like the idea of it, as is the case with my iPod that has sat unused for at least the better half of a year. I doubt I'd even use a Slingbox if I had one. Still, for those international business travelers who dread the more interesting world outside of their hotel rooms on say the Champs-Elysées, it could be a nice distraction to keep on hand. The link to it: http://slingmedia.com

Thoughts on Easter, etc.

ecrivaine32 — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:10:59 GMT

This morning as I anticipated the next train that would take me into the District, I waited inside the small rectangular seating area at the Greenbelt, Maryland, station, surrounded by semi-complete walls of glass. A black guy with a voice like an overstrained whisper who was already there said "Good morning." I replied the same to him. I began to grumble to no one in particular, but I guess it was toward him since he was the only person in earshot, about just having missed the train by 1-2 minutes since I was running later than usual. I was not late to work, but I was too late to grab the Yellow Line train that takes me the entire way without me having to transfer via another station. Translation: I could not sleep the entire way to the building where I work, uninterrupted. I had to break my routine and disembark during my normal rest period. Hey, I'm lazy at 5 a.m. I usually park myself on the inside of a seat on the mostly deserted train car (at that hour anyway), compress myself into the space with a firm hold on my purse and large shoulder bag that I use for the commute, and lean my head as comfortably as possible against the window. In this way, I get some semblance of rest. I have developed a knack (only failed at this once or twice so far) to stay alert enough to awaken when they call my stop. In fact, the very train I would have liked to have been on was still sitting there, but its automatic doors had slid shut moments before. The guy asked if I was cold since it was pretty chilly and I had on no jacket. "I misplaced my jacket somewhere lately," I responded. "With this crazy schedule they have me on now, it's a wonder if I can make it to the train at this hour. Usually, I just barely make it here with wet hair, or I'm missing my umbrella, and it's pouring rain." I don't know why I was voicing my gripes to some stranger, but that's me. We got on the train. He sat across from me with a bag of various items and proceeded to continue arranging himself, folding and putting on a bandana, combing his hair and doing some other things. "You cold?" he asked. "Oh, no, I'm fine." "I have a sweatshirt, if you want to put it on for a bit." "Thanks, but I'm fine," I said with a smile. That really was nice of him, but I'm not in the business of taking sweatshirts from strangers. That's being a bit too friendly. A few minutes later, as the train stopped at Mount Vernon Square/7th Street Convention Center station, I got up to go and noticed he'd dropped a folded piece of paper. "Is that yours?" I asked, pointing to it. "Yes, thanks." And, as I went toward the doors to exit, he called out, "God bless you." Just as he did that, and my feet had barely hit the pavement but for a few seconds, I looked up and a sign visibly "popped out" at me from inside the brightly lit interior of the train car, something about "The Light's Always ON," advertising a 24-7 church, church hotline or something. I'm usually one to believe in signs, but I chose to ignore this one, if that was what it was meant to be. My spirituality is more of a sense I get from inside, and no one has ever been able to convince me that I'm going to find it in the words of a book that does not mean anything to me, supposedly influenced by a guy of whom I've never seen proof. So, anyway, that's my belief system, in a nutshell, pretty uncomplicated. I guess that tends to really isolate me in some ways, like today when a lot of talk was going around about Good Friday in the office. I purposely keep my opinions out of that arena. It used to be that no one ever discussed religion in the workplace and in government offices - or at least not often, not aloud - but now, especially, post-9/11, it seems to be more the norm; at least that's been my experience. I guess good old Bush has pushed his values on people and made it okay. So, Happy Easter, everyone, but all it does for me is hearken back to the days when my grandmother was alive and would buy my sis and I matching pastel easter baskets, usually filled with chocolate candies and those once popular and colorful "Jellies" gummy plastic shoes. That was growing up during Easter for me. I hunted for eggs, but I never wore my Sunday best or went to church with family. I think we may have had an occasional semi-formal Easter dinner, but that was it for my defining family experiences with this holy day.

A call for help for my friend, a CISCO networking engineer looking for work in DC

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:30:06 GMT

Okay, anyone in the D.C. area, or connected with IT jobs in the D.C. area, I need your help. A good friend of mine was screwed over by an irresponsible contractor today, and with one day's notice, he has no job. He's got ten years of experience in IT as a CISCO network engineer and has a TS/SCI clearance. They just let his whole team go today with a week's worth of severance pay. This is B.S., but this is also government contracting in the District. Can anyone recommend anything or anyone? I'd like to send out his resume to some places today. I have my contacts as well, but I'm looking to broaden the scope to help him find a new position ASAP. I told him that clearance puts him in a good position, and that I would not start worrying yet; but it's always good to be proactive. Many thanks, if you can assist in any way. Jen

Largest Maryland troop deployment since World War II!

ecrivaine32 — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:02:32 GMT

As a Maryland Guard member, I have not been notified, as of yet anyway, that I am deploying. I don't think I will be; but you never can be certain in these days of war. The story: http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_094135129.html