Moses and the cinnamon broom (a meditation for sunday)

I bought a cinnamon broom today at Publix, my favorite local supermarket. Not just any cinnamon broom, mind you, but "The One and Only Original Cinnamon Broom." Every fall Publix sells 36" brooms in big boxes near the entrance, so the constant flow of traffic wafts the spicy fragrance over the entire area. This year I succombed to purchasing one. At $3.99, it seems a bargain.

The label on the plastic encasing the broom proved to be most interesting. "INGREDIENTS: Raw Pine Broom pressed with Pure Cinnamon Oil from the Cinnamon Tree." "Handcrafted in America, All Natural Materials." Patriotic, environmentally correct. Then "Visit us at our Factory Store located in the Beautiful North Georgia Mountains", below which was a cryptic "Please Read Exodus 30". Hmmm, okay . . . so I go online to BibleGateway.com and read Chapter 30, in which God is instructing Moses on how to build the altar of incense. At verse 22, I discover why I was supposed to read this chapter:

"Then the Lord said to Moses, " Take the finest spices: twelve pounds of liquid myrrh, half that amount (that is, six pounds) of sweet smelling cinnamon, six pounds of sweet smelling cane, and twelve pounds of cassia. Weigh all of these by the Holy Place measure. Also take four quarts of Olive oil, and mix all of these things like a perfume to make a holy olive oil. This special oil must be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God." Exodus 30:22-25a

Exploring further, I pulled out my Nelson Study Bible to read the notes on this passage:

"The priests used the holy oil in rites of anointing. This costly and treasured mixture must have had an unforgettable, wonderful aroma. The holy anointing oil was declared holy because it was set aside for use only in religious rites specified by the law. The perfumer, like his counterparts who worked with wood, fabric, and metal, was a highly skilled craftsman."

I never thought buying a cinnamon broom would embark me on a Biblical quest. And smelling the cinnamon may become a spiritual reminder. God moves in mysterious ways!

For more information: A Touch of Country Magic

Autumn in New York

I'm just a little over two weeks away from my vacation in New York State and Maine, and I will definitely need a vacation by then. Our IT director is on vacation for 8 days in Tennessee; when he comes back on 10/2, the training coordinator will be on vacation for a week. Then finally it's MY turn. While I'm up north I'll be going to an autumn party given by my friends Glenn and Kathleen, visiting relatives and other friends, spending a couple of days in Maine with my brother Steve (watch out Freeport and LL Bean, we're a-comin'), and enjoying what will hopefully be a spectacular display of autumn foliage.

Of all the seasons that Florida doesn't have, I think I miss autumn the most. I really like autumn. I used to get ribbed that it was because my birthday is in October. But I think some of it had to do with the start of school. Up north school starts in September after Labor Day. (Florida generally starts in early August, and this year one school district started during the last week of July. Poor kids.) After a summer of doing whatever I wanted - riding bicycles, swimming, reading, watch soap operas and Phil Donahue - I almost welcomed the return of structure and discipline, and all things new. New pencils and pens . . . new crayons (always Crayolas and always the 64-pack) . . . new notebooks . . . The smell of freshly washed and scrubbed classrooms . . . chalk and glue . . . occasionally new textbooks that smelled wonderful, and if you were lucky you had a teacher who taught you how to break in the book so you wouldn't ruin the binding (I don't remember who taught me, but I still remember the correct way) . . . reading "Chapter 1" . . . getting used to your new desk. And for my siblings and I, some new clothes, new socks, new underwear. All signaling a fresh start, a new beginning.

Autumn also meant soccer season. Always a sports fan, I loved watching soccer and rooting for our high school team, which was usually very good. Standing on the sidelines in the rain, in temperatures so cold you could see your breath, occasionally in snow, and once in a near blizzard. I remember having a dentist's appointment after school one beautiful day, in a hurry because there was a soccer game going on, and while the dentist was working on me, I kept hearing in my head Carly Simon's song, popular at that time, "I Haven't Got Time for the Pain." I DIDN'T have time, I had a soccer game to get to! True story.

They say we don't have a real fall here because the temperature changes so gradually and so subtly that you don't get the brilliant colors, if you get any color at all. The stores, however, are filled with fall decorations, with all the beautiful fall colors, and I walk around thinking, how sad you folks don't KNOW there's more to fall than that. The crisp clear days and cool nights. The smell of burning leaves. Darkness falling before suppertime. Hot chocolate. Trick or treating while wearing a winter coat underneath your costume. Picking apples in an orchard. Having your mom help you press red and orange maple leaves between pieces of wax paper.

But I'll decorate my apartment with the colors of fall. Maybe turn up the air conditioning, put on a sweater, and drink some hot chocolate. Buy some apples at the market and make a pie. Heck, I might even buy some crayons at Walmart. I'll make fall in Florida become autumn in New York.

Love is in the air (and on my bumper)

Ah, fall. The time of year when Central Floridians’ thoughts turn to love. Love bugs, that is.

Twice a year, each spring and fall, Florida is invaded by Plecia nearctica, a/k/a love bug, a/k/a honeymoon fly, a/k/a March fly. I’ve only heard them referred to as love bugs, and I definitely do not love them.

I drove 50 miles to Lakeland on Sunday. Along the way, my windshield was bombarded with the rat-a-tat-tat of love bugs smashing to their death, leaving behind a white caustic substance. No amount of windshield wiper fluid would get rid of it.

And by the time I got to my destination, my front bumper was covered with them.

It wouldn't be so bad if they were just a nuisance (they are). But this is their mating season, so they, uh, travel a lot in pairs. And there are a LOT of them, and they are EVERYWHERE. They are harmless to humans - they don't bite, don't sting - but if their remains are left on car paint for more than a day or two, they can actually eat through the paint. As soon as I arrived at my destination, I immediately began scrubbing their little bodies and caustic insides off the car and windshield . . . and it was no easy task after just an hour of contact.

Some folks tell the story that these bugs are the result of a genetic experiment gone wrong at the University of Florida years ago. Internet rumors abound. But when you check it out on Snopes (the best web site to check out internet rumors or whether a forwarded e-mail is legit), you'll find that love bugs are originally from Central America and first arrived in Florida in 1947. It's certainly not as interesting as a biological botch, but then again, the truth can be pretty boring. I'll just be glad when they leave for parts unknown in a few weeks.

It's been a quiet week in Lake Woebegon

It really has been a ho-hum week, work-wise, weather-wise, personal life-wise . . . just not a lot going on. And maybe that's a good thing once in a while.

This WAS Today: Meredith Vieria replaced Katie Couric on the Today show, and while it's still early, I have to say she didn't wow me these last three mornings. Her looks, her personality, her delivery, her interviewing . . . all like my week - pretty ho-hum. And the reviews I read at USA Today from viewers are a mixed bag. Remember, even though she has a news background, this is the woman who also was host of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." My sister and I desperately wanted Campbell Brown to get the job, so we are disappointed. While I won't stop watching Today, I won't be watching it for Vieria. And is the show's new set the ugliest thing you've ever seen? What's with that yellow?

And I'm not impressed with Katie Couric as anchor of the CBS Evening News. I have to admit I've never seen the show - I'm usually in my car on the way home from work, or on the way to Curves, so I listen on the radio and only hear her voice - but it doesn't have the authority and finesse that other anchors have. Katie was in her element on Today. I hope this was the right move for her.

Memories of Albany: Hoping my friend Roger can tell me the name of the vaudevillian who used to perform in downtown Albany, NY at lunchtime on Pearl Street in front of the Hilton plaza. I heard Nora Jones sing "Walkin' My Baby Back Home", an old Nat King Cole tune, on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz program on NPR, while driving home last night . . . it brought back memories of sitting in the plaza at lunchtime back in the early 90s when I worked for a downtown law firm. Two bucks got you a couple of hot dogs with mustard and sauerkraut, and a soda, and you got to hear Charlie (I think that was his name) do a vaudeville act, which included him doing "Walkin'". He'd wear a feather boa and imitate Carol Channing while singing. Did a google and yahoo search, checked the TU archives, can't find info on him. Can you help me out, Rog?

Leavin' on a Jet Plane: Three weeks from today, I'll be getting some northern exposure, when I visit New York State to visit family and friends. I'll also be spending a couple of days with my brother Steve in the great state of Maine. I can't wait to see everyone. But y'all better have some decent fall foliage ready and waiting!

Remembering 9/11

Today's the day everyone is remembering where they were five years ago. The day the world changed forever. We were so naïve on September 10, 2001. But that was about to change.

On September 11, 2001, I was living and working in Troy, New York, about 150 miles north of New York City. I was at my desk in the IT department of Troy Savings Bank, maybe on a help desk call, when suddenly our network administrator, who had his radio on, said, "a plane flew into the twin towers." Now, in Albany, just "down the road" on the other side of the Hudson, there are buildings which we locals call the twin towers. I thought he meant THOSE towers, and while concerned, just thought, a small private plane crashed, oh no, how terrible. When I mentioned this, he said, no, the World Trade Center towers. Suddenly it felt more serious. Then we learned the plane was a commercial airliner, what a tragic accident . . . word of a second airliner hitting the south tower . . a plane crashing into the Pentagon . . . another airliner was off course with an unknown destination. Our IT director uttered two words, "bin Ladin." I felt sick, my head was spinning, I truly, truly felt like the world was coming to an end.

Dozens of us headed to the human resources department, where a TV used for training was turned on. We watched and listened in horror. Word spread that the father of one our co-workers in the audit department worked at the WTC. We stood glued to the television, watching with disbelief as the first tower went down. As the second tower went down, I left the room on the verge of tears, unable to watch the tragedy unfolding before me.

That afternoon I had to conduct training with a new employee. I don't remember what I said or what we did. I was having a lot of trouble concentrating. I felt numb, absolutely numb, as did she. And I felt that way for the next several weeks.

My sister in Seattle, not knowing my co-worker in the audit department, but feeling she wanted to do something for her, made and sent a little heart pin with a band-aid on it and enclosed a note with it. I don't remember what the note said, but I remember giving the pin and note to my co-worker, explaining that my sister wanted to do this for her. She read the note and looked at the heart and started to cry, and I started to cry, and we hugged for a minute.

I felt as if I had lost a loved one, too.

In honor and memory of Louis F. Aversano, Jr.

911 Victim's List

Tribute

Let's do launch

On Labor Day, I visited Kennedy Space Center for the second time since I’ve lived in Florida. If you’ve visited Orlando but have never been to KSC, be sure to visit on your next trip. It’s an hour from Disney (less than an hour from my home), about half the price, and as they say, it’s worlds apart.

When you live so close to the place, anything that happens at the Center is on the local news broadcasts, so you hear about the shuttle, and missile launches, and details that you won’t hear on national news. While the rest of the country may forget the space program or take it for granted, it's alive and well in Central Florida.

With the upcoming launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, I spent considerable time at the International Space Station building, asking questions about how the ISS is being constructed, and about the upcoming shuttle mission. While other recent missions were to deliver supplies, this 11-day mission will have the shuttle crew performing three spacewalks to install actual "building" parts (the "P3/P4 integrated truss and solar arrays", which will double the current power generating capability of the station). And let me tell you, being there and seeing it all is absolutely awesome, in the true sense of the word.

I wish people who don't understand why we have a space program could see and understand the medical and biological research being done in space; for instance, I learned on this visit that it's helpful to do medical research in space because zero gravity makes protein molecules easier to see and study. So the space station is NOT all about space travel; there is important research being conducted that is easier to do in space than on planet earth and that may save lives some day.

So today, after a lightning strike, a hurricane threat, a fuel sensor issue, and God knows what other obstacles, Atlantis finally launched at 11:14 a.m. I watched it on TV with great interest and yes, pride. Someday I'll see a launch in person. But having been to Kennedy, and seeing everything up close and personal, I have a real sense of awe and respect for the space program and the folks with the vision and dream to pursue space flight.

LABOR DAY PHOTOS

Right: Some of the future payloads for the International Space Station. Japan will be sending a module up in 2007.

Left: The "crawler" used to transport Atlantis to the launchpad. It travels a maximum of 1 mile/hour, which is why it takes up to 8 hours to go the 3-mile distance to the pad.

Right: The VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building), one of the largest buildings in the world. It was originally built for assembly of Apollo and Saturn rockets, but then was modified for the space shuttles.

Left: Space Shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad B. You can just see the red tip of the main fuel tank.

Just call me sweet polly purebread

It appears from viewing the election results of this past primary day that I, ahem, managed to vote for the losing person in every contest. I always seem to be on the side of the underdog (hence the reference to cartoon Underdog's lady friend). So come November I will literally be picking the lesser of two evils! If my candidates would actually WIN, things would change for the better. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway. But deep down, I think politicians are all the same - different faces but same song & dance.

However, I did manage to be on the winning side for almost all the circuit judge races. Of course I had some help with those picks . . . the managing partner of the law firm I work for, responding to requests from various folks for suggestions for circuit court judge picks, submitted names of folks they liked for the different judgeships. If I never get in trouble with the law, I'll never have to deal with these folks. But if I do, it's nice to know I've picked the "right" folks for the job. ;-)

From the ridiculous to the sublime

Okay, I have no clue why I couldn't upload photos the other night (I think it was their server), but I can tonight: LEFT: At the ILTA conference in Orlando in late August . . . me with Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean . . . and the governor's daughter (hey, sweetheart, three's a crowd ;-) ). See my geek gods and goddesses post. RIGHT: Me in more formal work attire, late March of this year, back in the real world (the office).

The election inspector

When I went to vote yesterday, I was greeted by the ladies behind the table, the election inspectors, who dutifully looked up my name in the rolls, asked for my photo ID, and requested that I sign in. And I remembered fondly my own mother being an election inspector in our small village in upstate New York while I was growing up. Every election day she was up at the crack of dawn to go down to our school, which was the polling place for the village, where she would remain from 7:00 in the morning until after 9:00 that night. The tables for the inspectors were set up outside in the hall leading to the cafeteria, so at lunchtime as my friends and I waited in line, I could see my mother and wave to her, even stop by the table to talk to her. She always dressed up and looked nice, wearing jewelry and lipstick, which she rarely did except at church. And when my friends and classmates would ask in awe, "Is that your mom?", I'd proudly say, "Yes!", and for one day I'd feel kinda like a hot shot, because my mom had such an important job.

She would often bring her own lunch, but if the school happened to be serving Rice & Meatballs that day (basically spaghetti sauce with meatballs served over a mound of pasty white rice), she would usually splurge and get that. She just loved the rice and meatballs.

During slow times, she and the other ladies (there were no male inspectors at the time) would talk, read, or work on knitting or crocheting to pass the time. And of course, coffee would be plentiful, as were the cakes and cookies which helped sustain them through a 14+ hour day.

How strange it was for my sisters, brother, and me to come home after school on election day and not have my mom there . . . to eat supper without her . . . to spend the evening without her . . . to go to bed without a good night kiss from her. We were lost without her.

My mother died two years ago today after a long battle with Alzheimer's. I'm still lost without her. I love you and miss you, Mom.

That way I can complain

Today was Primary Day in Florida, as it was in a number of other states. The first day of two this year that we get to decide which candidates seem to have committed the least sins and have the least faults. Because it certainly appears from all the campaign ads here that no candidate running for office has ever done anything GOOD (and they wonder why no one wants to get out and vote).

So we pick the lesser of evils. Yet for those of us who took the time to vote, we got to make a choice. It wasn't forced on us. For those who didn't, you are forced to live with our choices, with whom we have decided your government leaders and judiciary should be.

So I voted today. Because my vote gives me the right to complain about taxes, spending, waste, and corruption for the next several years. Or bestow praise when it's deserved. I hope I will be doing more of the latter.

A gathering of geek gods (and goddesses)

In late August I attended the 29th Annual Educational Conference of the International Legal Technology Association , a/k/a ILTA ’06: Evolving Together, held this year in Orlando at the beautiful J.W. Marriott - Grande Lakes . Generally only our network administrator attends the yearly event, but since it was local this year, we persuaded the firm to pay for the entire IT department to attend. Over 1,100 technology professionals from all over the world, plus 1,000 folks representing 160+ technology vendors, all gathered together for four days of fun and sun. And it really was fun. ILTA ’06 was probably the best professional experience I’ve ever had.

The keynote address was by Connie Podesta, whose topic was "Life Would be Easy If It Weren't For Other People". Since I am always telling my fellow IT workers that my job would be perfect if it weren't for the users, I instantly felt a kindred spirit in Connie. She was a fantastic speaker, very funny but very insightful.

Other memorable moments . . . at ILTA '06: "Pirate's Cove", the theme of the opening night of the Exhibit Hall. All the vendors were dressed up as pirates, had pirate-themed displays, the food and libations were island/Caribbean, you could get your picture taken with Captain Jack Sparrow and the governor's daughter from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie (unable to post my photo here for some reason, drat); there was even a big pirate ship in the hallway outside the exhibition area where a band of pirates and their wenches had gathered. Avast and ahoy, maties! . . . "Demanding Attorneys: How to Figure Out What They Want and Give Them What They Need." We all laughed at the title, but of all the sessions I attended, this had to be the best, most useful one of the conference. What I learned: (1) Attorneys may have two or three degrees, but they don't get taught how to run a business, and (2) IT folks often don’t get told what the business direction and goals of the firm they work for actually are. Kinda like the blind leading the blind. Should that frighten you when you think about hiring an attorney? I let you be the judge. . . . Meeting a fellow knitter! Vicki, who works in litigation technology for a law firm in St. Louis, had breakfast with me the first morning of the conference. We then sat next to each other at the keynote address, and I was so excited to see her whip out a sweater she was knitting towards the end. "I knit too!" I yelled out, sounding like a perfect fool. She said that she often brings her knitting into meetings and other situations where she doesn't have to "pay attention" to the faces but mostly listens. Following her lead, I brought my knitting to a forum session I attended and happily knitted while I listened to the speakers. Knitting is very relaxing; what better place to do it than in a work environment? . . . Inside me is a blackjack player just dying to get out. One night we had a wonderful sit-down surf and turf dinner and enjoyed conversing with some vendors from Connecticut. After dinner, I ventured to the casino area of the ballroom with Chuck, one of the vendors, where, with his guidance, I turned $1,000 in play money into $8,000 at one of the blackjack tables. I don’t understand poker well enough to play, but blackjack? Get as close to 21 without going over, now that I can understand. I even learned the little motions to tell the dealer to give me another card or that I was staying, and some other little tricks. I had a blast. Makes me think about going out on one of the casino cruises out of Port Canaveral . . .

ILTA ’06 was just a fantastic, first-rate conference in an absolutely gorgeous setting. It was a positive learning experience that I’ll always remember.

Thanks to my brother-in-law Charles who gave me the idea for the title of this post (and many other geek/Greek phrases I didn’t get a chance to use, like . . . “beware of geeks bearing gifts” [the vendors in the exhibit hall]). :-)