Transition, Lent, and Work at Home

Wow, there is a lot to learn on this here internet. I just spent probably half an hour trying to figure out how to affiliate with amazon.com. Anyhoo, I'm learning my way around the blogger site and enjoying it immensely. Soon, though, my time will be limited, as I've taken a job with Cloud10. Apparently, I will be a tech support person for a large cable company. The best part is I will be working from my home! It's been 4 months since I've had regular work, and I can't wait to get started. How incredible that I can go to work in my PJ's and step into the kitchen for lunch - lovely. Well, I just thank God that life is so good and so hopeful.

On the God front, a beloved priest once told me that sometimes our spritual life is sort of like an amphibian's. We travel up and down, coming up for air when we need it. I guess his hand gestures don't really translate. My bad. Basically I was going through one of these times where I just feel like I'm going through the motions, my prayer is off, and I'm just sort of "not into it". I figure it's sort of like when you married folks sort of settle down into life and some of the spark is gone. I know it always comes back, and it makes me trust Jesus the same, but I just feel like I'm not a very attentive follower. Does that make sense?

So, I've been in such transition for the last four months, that I feel like lent came and went before I really participated in it. If anyone is reading, give me your comments, perhaps what you gave up for lent (if you're comfortable doing so) and how lent has been for you this year and years past. God bless and to all a pleasant sleep...

APRIL 1 WORM OR VIRUS

THIS IS FROM AN EMAIL I RECEIVED FROM ZONE ALARM ABOUT THE APRIL 1 WORM: The Conficker worm is scheduled to possibly cause widespread damage April 1, 2009.
Severity: High Risk

What is it?
The Conficker worm is a type of virus that lives unnoticed in your PC while spreading itself to others over the Internet. Currently the worm does not harm infected computers, but it has the capacity to cause considerable damage at a later time. Experts fear it may cause damage starting April 1. Steps should be taken to protect your PC from this worm.

Who is at risk?
Users whose computers are not configured to receive patches and updates from Microsoft and who are not running an up-to-date anti-virus product are most at risk. All customers who have a ZoneAlarm product that includes antivirus have protection, including ZoneAlarm Antivirus, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite and ZoneAlarm Extreme Security. Each of these products not only includes anti-virus, but also the OSFirewall which monitors and blocks dangerous behavior within your operating system.

AGAIN, I DID NOT WRITE THIS. I THOUGHT I WOULD POST THIS TO HELP GET THE WORD OUT.

Smokey Robinson Rocks

This is part of an article I wrote on ehow.com. You can find me there as "raefl":

Smokey Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1940. His father, "Five", was a pin setter at a local bowling alley and divorced his mother when Smokey was age 3. His mother died when he was 10. He was then raised by his sister along with her 10 children. He grew up in the same neighborhood as many of the amazing artists that Motown would soon make famous: The Temptations, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin, among others. He would have a long and illustrious relationship with Motown from its conception until present. Along with Berry Gordy, he is credited with Motown's success, writing for many of the Motown stars. He also served as vice president for years.

A common question around the internet is if Smokey's mother or father was white. After many searches a People article finally revealed that Smokey's maternal great grandmother was white. (http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20119938,00.html). His unique green eyes spark the questions. Both of his parents were African American.

A biography was published in 1989 where Smokey revealed the difficulties of his life. He mentioned his father's death when Smokey was 40, his crack cocaine addiction, the breakup of his 25 year marriage, his long-time affair, and the birth of his son by his mistress. He has two other children with his former wife Claudette. He credits God with turning his life around and ending his addiction.

Smokey is on the cutting edge. He has a myspace page, a Twitter account (you can see a behind the scenes play by play of American Idol), and the aforementioned American Idol appearance. He is still producing fantastic music and his voice is still as strong as it ever was. His new song with Joss Stone, "You're the One for Me", debuted on American Idol on 3/26/2009.

My first post.

I am starting this blog to learn about blogging. Hopefully I will learn a bit about customizing the look of a blog and a bit about Html. I'm trying to earn a living by being an independent contractor. It seems that some of these skills are useful for some of the online jobs that are available.

I don't know if anyone will read this at all, but here's wishing a happy night to all...

Photo Credits: Cary Bass/Wikimedia Commons

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