As reported in the White House Bulletin:

All things Presidential: A front-page piece in today’s Washington Post on Sen. Hillary Clinton says she has “has fashioned a political persona that generates intense passions but defies easy characterization.” … An ABC News poll out this weekend shows 54% approving of Sen. Clinton nationally, but 42% disapproving, and 42% saying they would vote against her under all circumstances [ It seems that most NY'ers are in the 54% crowd. This blogger is NOT among them]. … Al Gore’s potential as a 2008 candidate continued to receive press coverage this weekend, including a New York Times piece saying he appears not to be interested [yeah right!]. In a separate NY Times article, columnist Frank Rich says Democrats interest in Gore “says more about the desperation of the Democrats than it does about him.” … In his Time column this week, Joe Klein argues that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama should run in 2008, while the Chicago Tribune reports that fellow Illinoisan Dick Durbin has been encouraging him to do so in private [Obama for President? He's barely out of Senatorial diapers. Several pieces of legislation he proposed have died a very silent and chilly death. Although he's a good orator, he's unfortunately a very inexperienced and isolated senator.]

Posted by: Michele at 12:50 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 167 words, total size 2 kb.

It was over 2 years ago that I first started blogging in the current incarnation. After years of coming to terms with the physical absence of my loved ones, I began to feel and come to terms with the emotional depth of the void their absence left.

In that first post I honored my friends and thus embarked on the journey of my own emotional healing.

I still miss and love them and wish they were all here, but the painful grief has greatly subsided because I've been able to write/blog it out of me. The grief has been replaced with loving memories and a gratitude for their service and their loving caring friendship.

What preoccupies me today is emotionally supporting the families who have lost loved ones in combat and teaching my son the values he needs to learn. Values such as how to be a good caring citizen and the cost and value of freedom. On this Memorial Day when service to our country is equated with negatives, I counter with positives. I counter with celebrating our democratic principles and the men/women who have fought and died to preserve our way of life and share these principles with others around the world.

On this day I will honor those who lost their lives in pursuit and hope of sharing our values with others. They will always be heroes in my book!

Posted by: Michele at 08:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 235 words, total size 2 kb.

Posted by: Michele at 08:26 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 8 words, total size 1 kb.

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." --Anais Nin

This made me think of a couple of wonderful people, who unknowingly as of late have helped: calm me down, diffuse my anger and infuse my spirit with laughter, smiles and positive thoughts. I thank them with a link so that others may visit and reap the same benefits I do:

Bad Examples' Love Notes [w/out the naughty commentary]
Llama Butchers
Random Pensees
Straight White Guy
Thunder and Roses

Thank you for the hysterical laughter you induce, which makes my co-workers question my sanity. It is your antics and humor which help my spirit soar and contribute positively in lifting the stress from my life.

Posted by: Michele at 09:26 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 135 words, total size 1 kb.

Judge Allows Man to Molest and Go Free Because He's Too Short for Prison
SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) - A judge said a 5-foot-1 man convicted of sexually assaulting a child was too small to survive in prison, and gave him 10 years of probation instead. His crimes deserved a long sentence, District Judge Kristine Cecava said, but she worried that Richard W. Thompson, 50, would be especially imperiled by prison dangers.

Posted by: Michele at 08:43 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 85 words, total size 1 kb.

Congress Bars Military Funeral Protesters

WASHINGTON (AP) - Demonstrators would be barred from disrupting military funerals at national cemeteries under legislation approved by Congress and sent to the White House Wednesday The measure, passed by voice vote in the House hours after the Senate passed an amended version, specifically targets a Kansas church group that has staged protests at military funerals around the country, claiming that the deaths were a sign of God's anger at U.S. tolerance of homosexuals.

Posted by: Michele at 08:37 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 89 words, total size 1 kb.

I want to thank all of you who posted comments and sent me emails giving me great advice. The wireless network hardware and software has been purchased and will be arriving in a few days. IÂ’m looking forward to setting that up and seeing how the process goes. IÂ’ll be reporting about it here and will give it a rating in terms of level of cursing, from minor swearing to full fledge latrined-sailor mouth.

As for my laptop, after getting additional things to consider in the comments/emails I received, the search became a bit more broader, not narrower. It seems that what I want is what your average young male (20+) wants in system. So, to make sure I got what I wanted I made a list of all the things I need to do with my computer and all the new things I want it to have. It helped create a list of minimum required & features I need to look for in my new baby. Of course, price, user & editor's ratings will be the final deciding factors, but at least I would get something that had everything I needed to get me (and eventually my son) through the next 10 years. Below are my basic needs & the specs that will satisfy them.

My needs (technically speaking):
- Soft & gentle touch keyboard – that will stand up to my intense manipulaiton and not wear out with my heavy playing session. It also must not aggravate my carpel tunnel condition in the process.
- Long battery life – what’s the use of setting up a wireless network if I have to be hooked up to a power cable. I want to be free of cables! Free to go anywhere and be in any position I want when I play.
- Infrared port – so I can update and back up my phone apps (calendar, contacts, financials, etc) wirelessly between my pc and phone.
- Lots and LOTS of RAM for me to play with. That way I can install every last bit of software I use and not have to decide which pc I should install it on. More importantly I want to use multiple apps and access multiple files simultaneously. Right now as I type this IÂ’m running a file search on my hard drive, typing this in a word processing app, while listening to music with a headset and running a search via an online search engine. If I were to do my infrared hotsync between my phone and pc both would crash. Imagine being able to upload and download simultaneously. Now THAT would be HOT!
- Fast processor w/high benchmark scores. I don't want some salesman telling me how fast it can go. I want to have proof of how fast he can go and make sure he can execute all my commands at or near warp speed BEFORE I put my money on the table. Right now my pc is running real slow with all the demands IÂ’m placing on it. This girl is tired of slow! I WANT TO PLAY REALLY FAST AND WANT POWERFUL THRUST SPEEDS on my new baby. As for processor type, I think weÂ’ve established that CORE DUO is mostly hype. I recently discovered that it can only run 64 bit apps knocking it out of contention with me.
- Solid graphics processor with longevity – as my son will eventually be inheriting my new baby. Looking 5 or 6 years down the line when my son’s 12 or 13 he’ll want the laptop to be able to play dvd's, video and online games on this baby. I'll want the laptop to be able to be upgradable and functional for 4 more years beyond that, well at least till he’s 16 and can afford to buy his own racehorse.
- Multiple networking platforms This pc will be my virtual office (where IÂ’ll be answering calls made to my office phone line remotely on htis laptop and emailing via the VPN simultaneously) when IÂ’m working from home. To be truly wireless I'll need for the pc to have Bluetooth capability. But when I travel I want to be able to have access to Wi-Fi Hotspots and connect via the local office network when I visit the Wash. DC office (Ethernet).
- Expansion ports/slots - Yes, I want to have the oppty to have my baby interface with any number of peripherals and grow with all my ever-increasing needs: IEEE 1394a (FireWire), Serial port, S-Video out, I/II/III PC / SD and Express cards.
- It also has to be able to handle hot swapping and have easy seamless integration with any state of the art high performance gadgets I have in order to keep this baby very happy. Gadgets like a dual layer optical drive CD/DVD+RW, bluetooth telephone headset and bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
- Finally, it has to remain quiet and stay cool at all times, but especially during long, intense and rough mpa playing sessions. It also has to play flawlessly with me in the hottest of environments [@=>30F & @=<105F].

Ohhhhh, writing about my fantasy laptop felt sooo gooooooood. Sighhhhhh! Now that I'm clear on what I want, I can focus on making sure every single one of my needs is met by an exciting, new, high-performing, state of the art, piece of equipment. YesÂ… YesÂ… YES, I WANT IT ALL! Ahhhhhhhh! and IÂ’m not going to pay a lot for it either. NO siree! IÂ’m going to make damn sure of that.

ItÂ’s now time to flex my excited and nimble fingers over my current hard keyboard and fire up its search engines. This is a job way beyond Zonker and his Library Elves or Mr. HelpfulÂ’s capabilities. This is a job for me to embark on alone. IÂ’ll let you all know when IÂ’m finally finished and successful.

Again, thank you all for your help and suggestions!

Posted by: Michele at 10:23 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 998 words, total size 6 kb.

Just a small reminder of why we still have individual freedoms, national liberty, and are able to continue our "pursuit of happiness". Liberties which are still elusive or non-existent for 3/4 of the people in this world we live in.

These rights didn't materialize out of thin air, they weren't obtained by a simple "Declaration of Independence"; they were hard fought for, and earned with the blood, sweat and tears of many in our nation. I, for one, will never forget all they've done at home and overseas, to ensure that basic human principles are safeguarded and observed wherever we may be.

Today I salute our self-sacrificing and brave, men and women of our armed forces.

Originally posted on 5-21-05

Posted by: Michele at 11:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 126 words, total size 1 kb.

I've been a very good girl, and Uncle Sam thinks so too, so he's rewarding me with a very nice refund. So I'm going to be very, very good to myself and finally buy a new, top of the line laptop. I've narrowed it down to either a brand new HP Pavilion dv5000z Turion 64 or a scuffed up floor sample of the latest Lenovo ThinkPad T60 1952 - Core Duo T2400 1.83 GHz. I've also decided to set up a wireless network at home because there are times when I want to have the freedom to move around with my laptop and enable my son to have online access when he does his homework.

The advice I need is simple: help me select the laptop by you guys chooseing the spec's. The bottom line is I'm unsure if some of the new tech features are really advances or just hype used to drive up prices. Also, any help/guidance you can give me in selecting a wifi solution for my apartment environment will be greatly appreciated.

So should I choose:
a) AMD or Intel Core Duo ?
b) Password or Biometric security?
c) Fast Ethernet vs Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Gigabit Ethernet
d) Open Slots: 1 Memory, 1 PC Card vs. 1 Memory SO DIMM 200-pin, 1 CardBus Type I/II, 1 ExpressCard 34mm/54mm.
e) DDR SDRAM or DDR II SDRAM-667 MHz

Finally, I'm doing research into setting up a home wireless network, any suggestions or tips on things I should look out for or include?

As always, I am very grateful for any advice or suggestions you share with me. Who knows, my new system might inspire me to blog more frequently. Right now my Thinkpad 600E just doesn't cut it anymore for travel and mobility. BTW, does anyone know if T1G's friend is still looking for a laptop?

Posted by: Michele at 01:34 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 320 words, total size 2 kb.

1 I will review the laptops in a few, but as far as the wireless, I've setup a few using the Linksys that supports g and I like them. b is slow in comparison and sucks bandwidth. I turn off b when I set it up. I use WEP128 and setup at least a 16 character alpha-num key. After installing the software for the router on the laptop (I've bought the package that came with a PCMCIA wireless card.), I then right-clicked on the icon that it puts in the System Tray and selected "Let Windows Manage My Wireless Network". That interface worked great and is one less program running. I'm going to look at the laptops now, but I already have two other links to give you that aren't on your list. heh

Posted by: _Jon at May 15, 2006 02:49 PM (aHLPi)

2 Given the choice of those two laptops, I would take the HP. It is heavier, but can do more, IMO. The specs are impressive for that price range. And I've always been partial to AMD. They are power hungry. If it get's ripped, no security will matter. It ain't kids nabbing these things. There are ways to reset the BIOS password and get around anything else that may be setup. woot.com has a refurb'd lt today for about a grand, worth looking at, meh thinks. Also, when I sell these houses, this is the lt I'm getting: http://dynamism.com/x1/specs.shtml

Posted by: _Jon at May 15, 2006 03:12 PM (aHLPi)

3 The 11g network is definitely the way to go. Google up network security, there are some little things you can do that will help alot. The simple thing to remember is that you don't have to have a completely secure network, it just has to be more secure than the others in the vicinity. Hackers will look for the easier of two targets.

Posted by: Ted at May 17, 2006 10:51 AM (blNMI)

4 Ted is right about the wireless thing. _Jon is right about the Linksys - I use them and they've always been reliable. These are the things you can do to make your wireless more secure. Do them one at a time and check the connection after each change to be sure you can browse. And the "reset" button is your friend if you get really messed up. -change the name of the base station and give it a good password - allow connections only by those with a MAC entered in the list (there's a page for that) - if you worry about someone snooping your connection then enable the WEP connection then you will be encrypted up to the wireless router As for the AMD or Intel - _Jon pointed out the power thing. The other thing is that unless you do intensive number crunching or lots of photoshop stuff you don't have to worry about the processor speed. Get the least expensive one - RAM is more important. Hope that helps some. I'm looking into getting a new computer myself but I'm looking at desktop. It's frustrating trying to figure out the best thing.

Posted by: Teresa at May 18, 2006 09:49 AM (jgXyO)

5 I had the HP dv5000v at my last job and just loved it, loved it so much I went and bought one for home (but ended up with the HP dv8500v, it has the number pad on the side and a huge ass screen width). I can not say enough good things about HP laptops as I went with HP because my last home laptop was a HP and never had problems with it. As for wireless we set one up at home and have a secure encripted one, I suggest that as neighbors have tried logging into ours but can't. I actually set all this up myself, so anybody can set up the wireless with no problem.

Posted by: Quality Weenie at May 18, 2006 11:10 AM (XG7jZ)

6 If you are set on wintel, I agree with QW and a lot of the advice above. I set up the lair with a Linksys wireless/wired so I can have the best of both worlds, along with good security. Change the name, use MAC, and tweak the other features as suggested and it gives good security. Then again, I also recommend the PowerBook laptops hands-down over wintel, so take it all with a grain of salt.

Posted by: Laughing Wolf at May 20, 2006 07:42 AM (KTIad)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Lots of positive thoughts sent my way.

Thanks!

Posted by: Michele at 12:37 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 10 words, total size 1 kb.

I will not let that jerk (Moussai's) last words be the final ones on this site. I will instead look to the spirit of defiance we have as a nation and cling to hope and inspiration from the examples of strength, courage of those who continue to llive, love and survive.

Posted by: Michele at 09:38 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 57 words, total size 1 kb.

1 And know that he's rotting, completely alone in that jail cell.

Posted by: Ogre at May 05, 2006 12:08 PM (/k+l4)

2 Hey! I can't comment on other posts, only this one!

Posted by: Ogre at May 11, 2006 03:13 PM (/k+l4)

3 WANTED . Lots of positive thoughts sent my way. . Thanks! Might be easier to get if comments weren't closed on that post. Positive thoughts coming yer way regardless...!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at May 14, 2006 04:53 AM (0pApE)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

"Moussaoui walked into the courtroom flashing a victory sign. `God save Osama bin Laden - you will never get him','' the AP reported.

I becme angry reading this. My reaction is that keeping him alive in a maximum security prison will not bring back my friends nor provide them or me with justice. Instead, I and thousands of others will be paying for him to house, clothe, provide health, dental, entertainment, receive mail, etc. for the rest of his days. All of these are things my friends will never get to do and I will never get to witness or share with them.

My idea of true justice is for Moussaoui to have a bare room with nothing on the walls or in the room. I would not let him have access to any reading material, including mail and the koran, or any writing material.

The only thing allowed would be a small mat on the floor with open electrical wires attached to an adhesive tape on one side with a pan of water nearby. That way he eventually do us all a favor and do what the jurors in VA didn't get to do - make him fry!

My jury is still out on the FBI supervisors who didn't take the info he had regardgin 9-11 prior to the attack seriously. I think there's a special place in hell for them so I'll leave them to their Karmic fate for now.

Posted by: Michele at 10:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 254 words, total size 1 kb.

It's about time that I got the recognition and Six Figure Salary I deserve!

Posted by: Michele at 05:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 18 words, total size 1 kb.

A friend once told me, "Its important to look back at our history, especially personal history, because it leads to understanding the truth, your place within it and leads to your personal enlightenment." Its the search for the truth which makes me glad to see the film United 93 in theaters shortly.

Unlike most New Yorkers, I welcome the opening of United 93. Whenever I share this point of view with co-workers I get many shocked looks. Most New Yorkers prefer not to look at our past. They say to me with angst in their voice and fear in their eyes “its too soon” or “why revisit the past?” I look at them and know the pain that lurks beneath the surface. It's the same denial people chose in 1993 in order to forget that bombing of the World Trade Center. It's this denial that caused the death and destruction of the WTC 7 years later.

The absolute truth is that its not too soon. In fact, its long overdue and an important film for all to see. Especially as the body count climbs in Iraq and gasoline prices soar in the US and elsewhere, causing many to get angry and look for someone to blame. Not knowing any better they blame our Government and not the oil producers who have held us hostage before. Sadly, an increasing number of people around the world are starting to believe many of the conspiracy . theories . surrounding 9/11 that are being circulated about.

We who lived through the death and destruction of 9/11, who had our lives impacted by the smells of charred flesh and saw the smoldering office furniture and building materials burning for weeks afterwards know differently. Even if most donÂ’t want to take a look at the past, they cannot deny that 9/11 happened.

For others, the showing of United 93 and the upcoming Oliver Stone movie World Trade Center, will force Americans to examine not only their beliefs surrounding 9/11, but also examine their politics and their position on the War in Iraq. I welcome the showing of this movie because it illustrates what happened to all of us on that beautiful clear blue morning. The truth is there, in the words, sounds and images that were taken directly from Emergency 911 recordings, conversations and voice mail messages left for loved ones, and from the FAA recordings of that day. Absent will be the rhetoric, the slants, the spins, of those who would subvert the truth and history for their own purpose.

I hope this film is seen by everyone, as a reminder for those who have forgotten or have placed blame elsewhere for why this war started. As a reminder for Americans especially, who are bitching at the high price of oil, and blaming anyone other than themselves for the current dependency we find ourselves in. A dependency with the very people who have a seething hatred for our way of life and principles, and who have financially supported and exported terrorism to our land and others.

I hope, no I pray United 93 causes movie goers to finally take a look at the facts so they can finally see, that Al Qaeda's multi-phase launch of their war agains us, of which the World Trade Center was the beginning of Phase 2 (with the aim to ultimately eradicating Americans and our culture from the face of the earth), has been successful.

I welcome the opportunity for the truth to be examined - historically, politically and critically. IÂ’m just sorry that it takes a movie to re-awaken American's dormant political and ideological spirit, to the historical facts of what really happened that day.

And if you are unable or unwilling to take a look at the past, then rest assured, "Those who fail to examine history are doomed to repeat it."¹

Posted by: Michele at 10:25 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 660 words, total size 4 kb.

The living part of life these past 2 months has not been easy. The advent of multiple losses, which began with the death of my best friend in February and ended with the death of my step-father a few weeks ago, made me miss greatly the support of my close friends all the more. To feel close to them I went to St. PaulÂ’s Cemetery (which faces Ground Zero) before it closes for renovation. I did this not only to reflect back on those early days of 9/11 before the landscape changes, but also to have a heart to heart with my dearly departed friends. Betsey, our best friend and mentor for over 20 years, was lucky not to have been there on 9/11. On that fateful day she was undergoing her first chemotherapy treatment far away from the WTC. In February, she finally lost her battle and joined our beloved friends in heaven.

Several months after 9/11 Betsey asked me to write down my account of that day, providing as much detail as I could possibly. Later when it was still hard for me to talk about my grief she asked me to write a series of letters to all my friends and colleagues who died that day. As a psychologist who specialized in trauma, she thought that writing about it would be cathartic. As a writer and published author, she knew it would help exorcise my demons and help express my grief.

On the day she was to read my story she decided to take me out in a row boat in the middle of Central Park. When I asked her why she simply smiled and explained it was a metaphor I would understand later on.

This week I finally understood the metaphor. But this post is not about getting the metaphor or its meaning. Instead itÂ’s about how grateful I am for having had her in my life and for her friendship. In looking back I realize that through these past 4 years her patience, love and guidance helped me heal and overcome the devastating losses I experienced through out my life, not just during 9/11.

Though I miss her greatly, I know she is in a much better place.

As for me, I don't know if I'm back or when I'll write again. What I do know is that this blog is a place for healing for me, so I'll never really be gone. I don't even know if I'll allow comments and trackbacks. It's not that I don't welcome them, it's that when I'm not actively online spammers lay insult to injury with their garbage by inundating my inbox. So keep my life simple and sane I am closing them for now.

This week has been especially hard as I've had to take my son to the emergency twice due to complications from Strep, asthma, allergies and a high fever that won't go away. So while there, I've had time to think, reflect and visit you all through my cellphone. I'm grateful you're all there and I'm grateful your lives bring so much needed humor into my life. And I say that in a good way.

Thanks for visiting.

Posted by: Michele at 08:11 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 541 words, total size 3 kb.

Posted by: Michele at 07:23 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 4 words, total size 1 kb.

Missouri Skies

Posted by: Michele at 09:17 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 2 words, total size 1 kb.

Posted by: Michele at 09:29 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 7 words, total size 1 kb.

Dear Reader: This post was inspired by an email from a reader in Norway that was asking for help with writing a letter to a friend. Below you will find a sample letter I created that anyone can use to send to a new friend that is living or from the United States. You can personalize your letter by choosing one of the sample phrases I have included in the bracket [ ]sections specific advice about that part of the letter or sample pieces of text you can use. If the bracket sections contain choices then please choose only one and delete the rest. If you use more than one, you must change the "or" to an "and". Feel free to contact me lettersfromnyc [at] yahoo [dot] com with any questions you have.
more...

Posted by: Michele at 10:03 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 471 words, total size 3 kb.

~ The Abandon by Camille Claudel

I hope you all have the opportunity to hold someone you love in your arms, perhaps while enjoying a dance or simply by embracing the peson you hold dear and saying: "I love you" before they are gone from your heart and life.

These were the very words that Camille Claudel never heard spoken from the lips of her love, Auguste Rodin, and which tortured her existence to her dying day.

Posted by: Michele at 11:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 87 words, total size 1 kb.