WEDNESDAY MARCH 1ST, 2023 - WELCOME TO MARCH

 WEDNESDAY MARCH 1ST, 2023 - WELCOME TO MARCH

Yes, it is the first day of the third month of the year.

Let’s see.

The full moon in March is on March 7th.  It is called the “Worm Moon” (among other names).  That might be for the earthworms that the robins gobble up in spring.  Another view was that the beetle larva emerges from their winter hibernation (and looks like worms) - so, when the full moon comes out the worms come out!

It is also called the Lenten Moon.  Easter is defined as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.  Since this full moon is before the Vernal Equinox it is still in the Christian season of Lent.  

March is named after Mars - the Roman God of War.  It used to be the first month of the year (thus at that time, the eighth month was OCTober, and then the tenth month was DECember).  

Special dates in March.  Spring or vernal equinox is on March 20, 2023 - (and if you want to be precise it is at 4:24 p.m.)

Daylight Savings Starts on Sunday, March 12th at 2:00 a.m.
The hour from 2:00 to 3:00 a.m. on that day is the safest hour in the United States (in most areas that hour is gone but in some areas - like Arizona - it still exists)

The Ides of March - the term was in Shakespeare’s Play Julius Caesar.  Basically, it is the middle of the month - March 15th.

Pi Day - March 14.  If you remember your high school math the decimal value of Pi to two decimal places is 3.14.  March 14 marks Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical sign pi. Founded in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw, March 14 was selected because the numerical date (3.14) represents the first three digits of pi, and it also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday.  A friend who has a pyrotechnics background shoots off handmade fireworks on the closest Saturday to Pi Day

St. Patrick’s Day - On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish!!  It is on March 17th.  For many years, I marched in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade with Quinnipiac University.  Wear your green (or be wary of being pinched)!!

*****

For sports fans - “March Madness” college basketball tournament kicks off.  There will be office pools.  Some analysts suggest a loss of office productivity during the first week of March Madness as fans are checking scores and seeing if their teams are moving on.  There are some upsets - especially in the first week as a 12-seeded team will knock off a 5-seeded team.  But by the finals, it generally will be the top teams in the nation.  

March Madness has 64 teams.  In the first week, that gets cut to 32 and then to sixteen; in the second week that gets cut to the elite eight, and final four.  In the third week, it goes from four to two and then from two to the champion.

In college hockey, the teams start working towards the “Frozen Four”.  (My former school, Quinnipiac University, has been ranked #1 or #2 most of the season in men’s hockey, and in women’s college hockey, my former school has been in the top ten all season long)

*****

In weather, March is a transition month.  As the sun warms the northern hemisphere there are changes.  An old expression is “In like a lion and out like a lamb.”

March “comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb” means that the weather is generally cold at the beginning part of the month of March but the weather is warmer at the end of the month. 

Tornados start occurring in March. Texas is the “champion” (dubious title) with an average of 151 tornadoes a year. Kansas averages 93 tornadoes a year, and Oklahoma averages 67 tornadoes. 

*****

NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER LOVER'S DAY - March 1, 2023  

I like peanut butter (I’d say “I love peanut butter” but when I say “Love Wins” - that might confuse people about what “love” is.).  I eat a knife full of peanut butter right out of the jar - frequently with a little butter.  I recognize it as being a problem for me and I currently don’t have any peanut butter in my apartment.  

I greatly prefer the crunchy-style peanut butter.  Do you like peanut butter?  Do you have a preference for creamy or crunchy?

***

TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DAY - March 2, 2023 - National Today

“Texas Independence Day on March 2 commemorates the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence on the same date in 1836. Inhabitants of Texas proclaimed independence from Mexico and established the Republic of Texas with the signing of this declaration by over 59 delegates.”

(So, what are you doing to celebrate Texas Independence Day?)

***

WHAT IF CATS AND DOGS HAD OPPOSABLE THUMBS? DAY - March 3, 2023

What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs? Day is annually observed on March 3. On this day we ask ourselves a very critical question: what if the most commonly domesticated animals in our lives could mimic some of the genetics of their owners? Imagine a world in which your dog could open the door knobs. Or, your cat could open a tin of tuna by herself, since you are always running late. Hilarious or scary? We’re still deciding. In the meantime, let’s continue to indulge in our imagination.

Hmm - you could really teach your dog to “fetch” (bring me a snack, Fido)!!

***

MARCH FORTH - March 4, 2023 - National Today

MARCHING MUSIC DAY - March 4, 2023 

I’m combining these two days - the first is more of a motivational day - “March Forth and Do Something” - but the second also relates to “Marching Fourth”.

(As an old band person, I was also tired after this month - I think all band people get tired after a “march of 31 days”!!!)

***

MARCH FIFTH - BLUEBONNET PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CONCERT

Yes, it is concert day.  It is a matinee concert at 3:00 p.m. at Klett Auditorium at Georgetown High School.  Our orchestra is a volunteer group of people who like to play music.  And - the concert is FREE!!  (Yes, FREE - we do ask for a contribution, but you don’t need to make one).  Our orchestra members do pay annual “dues” to belong.  There are some expenses for a director, music, and renting a truck to move our percussion pieces back and forth from storage.  

We are playing familiar movie themes - music from:

Beauty and the Beast

Pirates of the Caribbean

Leia’s Theme - from Star Wars

Yoda’s Theme - from Star Wars

Night on Bald Mountain - featured in the Fantasia movie

It will be about an hour long - no intermission - no tickets to buy, come and bring your family, sit wherever you want and enjoy a great concert.

May your month of March be like a lamb for the whole month!!

*****

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, MARCH 1, 2023

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023 = SELF CARE

 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023 - Self Care continued

Last Day of February 2023!!

 “Love your neighbor as yourself”. - You need to take care of yourself (or conversely - I need to love myself before I can love others.  I say “Love Wins” - and that prompts me to work on my self-love.

There is a concept of “self-actualization”, “imaging”, and “affirmations” that I try to use.

I believe that every word that comes out of my mouth is important.  If I speak negatively, I get negative feedback. If I say “I don’t feel good” - guess what I don’t feel good.  If I don’t feel good, but I say “I’ll be better in an hour” - I’m admitting that at that moment I don’t feel good, but that will pass.  

I found this link with some sample daily affirmations: 

https://www.usosm.com/employee/50-self-affirmations-to-help-you-stay-motivated-every-day/

I am one of a kind

I add value to the world

I am growing stronger every day

I am worthy of love

I love others

I believe in me

I can do it

I will do it

I am confident

I am beautiful

I am an awesome, loving woman

I am rising above thoughts of doubt and despair and thinking loving positive thoughts

I am a good writer

I love to write my daily blog

I love to take the time to write a quality blog

I love that my blog challenges me to think and write.

I don’t compare myself to others. The only person I compare myself to is the person I was yesterday. And as long as the person I am today is even the tiniest bit better than the person I was yesterday—I’m meeting my own definition of success.

Happiness is a choice - and I CHOOSE to be happy!

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)

Social scientists suggest saying affirmations loudly - maybe even in front of a mirror.  

In computing, we say GIGO - Garbage in, Garbage out.  If something reaches my ears, I take it in.  If I gladly accept it, I can grow.

(Side note - I try to avoid the negative.  I don’t let the “doom and gloom” folks get to me.  I avoid political rhetoric.  I know friends who watch Fox News for hours and while there are some good things, there are also a lot of negatives.  One note I got from a friend was “there are idiots running the government in Washington”.  That bothered me. There are a lot of people in Washington - a lot of GOOD people - running the Health and Human Services, Department of Defence, Department of the Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and others.  Yes, a person may not agree with certain politicians - but I sincerely double they are “idiots” in the precise definition of that term. )

Last week I allowed myself to get so busy that I didn’t practice self-care as much as I needed to.  I wasted time - too many games, too much chasing less important goals.  I got caught up in my Duolingo German lessons.  Every week there is a “competition” - for three weeks in January, I was at the highest level (Diamond).  While it's nice to be learning a language and it challenges my brain to think, it doesn’t need to take up two hours a day!!  I don’t watch much television.  That tends to be a “brain drain” for me.  If there is something fun, interesting, and of value - good.  

*****

So, Karen - what do you do to promote love?  You seem to be “preaching” too much some days.  Yes, I use the words “Love one another”, “Love Wins”, and “Love transforms” - but they have to be more than just words.  How can I really LIVE love?  

For me, LOVE has to be deeply embedded in all that I do.  

And - that means I have to love myself (repeating for my sake)- I HAVE TO LOVE MYSELF.  What are my priorities?  I write this daily blog - it seems to be a priority.  It can take up to five hours to research and write.  My Saturday fiction writing can take up to 8 hours - a whole workday writing a five to eight-page story?  Really?  Is that a priority?  Last week I worked 15 hours - is that a priority?  Am I LOVING at my work?  (Yes, I think I am). 

Is my health a priority?  YES!!  If so, why aren’t I getting my walking and exercising in my schedule?  

Is my time with friends a priority?  Do I share the love with them?  (Or do I gossip).

*****

And … Karen - it all starts with believing in yourself, in self-care, in self-love.  Am I doing a good job of that?  And, if not, how do I restructure my life to be loving to myself and others?  

Later this week.

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, © FEBRUARY 28,2023

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, SELF-CARE

 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2023 - MAKING TIME FOR YOURSELF

This last week I mismanaged my time.  I said “yes” to too many good things - and depleted myself.  Two days ago I took about five short naps during the afternoon. I’d be doing something on my computer and was just so tired I closed my eyes for a few minutes.  (I think I’m a good napper - generally, 10 to 20 minutes refreshes me).

I’ve used this verse many times - “Love your neighbor as yourself”.  That implies you have to love yourself first.  That doesn’t mean love yourself to extremes - I “need” a new car. I “need” a mink coat” (does that exist anymore?), and I “need” champagne and caviar. 

Some self-love quotes:

You can’t pour from an empty cup (that is if you have spent all your energy, you need to refill yourself)

It is so important to take care of yourself and find clarity.  The most important relationship you have is with yourself. 

Self-care is not an indulgence, but self-preservation

Self-care is so much more than a beauty regimen - it has to start in your heart.  A pedicure doesn’t last, but daily reflections do.   (Meditate, and speak positive affirmations daily)

*****

There are 8 main areas of self-care: physical, psychological, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, and financial. It should never feel like a chore or be expensive in nature. Choose activities you are comfortable with and switch them up from time to time.

Physical self-care

This is really self-care emphasis #1.  Take care of your physical body.

The source I’m looking at has this list:

• Eating a healthy and nourishing meal

• Moving your body daily, either by walking, running or working out, etc.

• Taking probiotics or multivitamins daily

• Getting between 7-9 hours of good sleep

• Sitting in the sun and soaking up vitamin D (but don’t overdo it!!!)

• Spending time in nature

• Having a soothing hot bath or shower

• Keep hydrated.  (The body is 55 to 60% water according to studies)

I am finding that on the nutrition side, fiber-rich foods are important to me.  I eat oatmeal almost every morning.  (And, not the prepackaged sugary kind).  I add raisins, cinnamon, sugar (not too much), and a variety of spices (some days it is clove, other days nutmeg or allspice).  

And, of course, the old rhyme - “Beans, beans, the musical fruit” (if you know the rhyme - good, and if you don’t you can google it!!!) <grin>. (My mother occasionally had constipation - and (ahem) fiber can help solve that!!)

(And, while I can write about this - the deep dark secret is (I sometimes cheat).  I finished a carton of ice cream yesterday, and I bought a bag of Easter candy chocolate eggs last week - and I hate to say it is over half gone and Easter is six weeks away).  

And, last week, I only reached 6,000 steps three days out of seven!!  Yes - I’m too busy.  No that’s not true.  I frequently come home from my part-time job at about 7:00.  I could walk and exercise - but I rarely do.  My tuba is sitting across from me.  Yes, I should practice - we have two concerts this coming weekend - and I should polish my part - but it is easier to get online and play sudoku and work on my German language skills.  Maybe those are part of my self-care routine!!

I know I need to take care of myself - and I don’t always follow my own care!!

*****

MENTAL SELF-CARE

“Mental self-care involves your psychological and cognitive thinking and your mind’s ability to understand and process information and experience. Not only do mental self-care practices help to stimulate the mind and improve brain functionality but they also help you to develop a growth mindset. A proper and healthy mindset helps us process information more easily and in a non-distorted manner.”

If anything, I think I do a good job at mental self-care.  The article suggests these activities:

●     Learning a new skill or language (Yup - 2.3 years of daily German_

●     Setting big intentional goals or mini-personal ones (yes)

●     Reading self-help or personal growth books

●     Journaling (this blog is a form of journaling)

●     Practicing gratitude - I quote 1 Thessalonians 5:18 - in everything give thanks

●     Doing a social media detox - I don’t do as much as I used to 

●     Engaging in a game of chess - I play some challenging Sudoku, crosswords, and other games

●     Practicing positive thinking - to me, the LOVE WINS philosophy is positive thinking.  I try not to hate (or dislike).  There is some good in all of us.

More on SELF-CARE tomorrow!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS 

KAREN ANNE WHITE, © FEBRUARY 27, 2023

SUNDAY FUNDAY - FEBRUARY 26, 2023

 SUNDAY FUNDAY - SUN, FEBRUARY 26TH

Welcome to the last Sunday in February.  There is less than one month until the official start of spring (although I like the Weather Channel’s view of seasons - with spring being March, April, and May.) One month until equal daytime and nighttime (spring equinox).  The weather is up-and-down - but trending upwards.  (No more ice storms - please!!)

Winter activities are drawing to an end.  If you follow college basketball, it will soon be “March Madness”.  Do you have favorites?  High School sports also are getting ready for the switchover to spring sports.  If you follow major league baseball, pitchers and catchers have already reported and are getting their arms back in shape.  

In football, it is the post-season where coaches get fired, hired, change jobs, and/or retired

Some of us, are ready for spring flowers and have some plants and seeds ready to plant.  My patio garden has kept me in salad most of the winter (kale, Swiss chard, and lettuce).  

CALENDAR

For Christians it is Lent - the period leading up to Easter - some groups observe Lent and others do not so much. Some people give up something for Lent.  I am giving up hunting elephants for Lent (again).  If you find me hunting elephants, please stop me!!!

SOME INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHTS:

(I get a daily happiness email from the Society of Happy People)

Learn to be your own best friend first then you will find true happiness because happiness is from within.

The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It’s not that we seize them, but that they seize us.

You never regret being kind.

I've learned that people will forget what you said,

people will forget what you did, but people will

remember how you made them feel.

Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect.

It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.

I believe compassion to be one of the few things 

we can practice that will bring immediate and 

long-term happiness in our lives.

When one door of happiness closes, another opens,

but often we look so long at the closed door that

we do not see the one that has been opened for us.

SENIOR JOKES

A grandmother is giving directions to her grown grandson who is coming to visit with his wife.

“You come to the front door of the apartment. I am in apartment 301. There is a big panel at the front door. With your elbow, push button 301. I will buzz you in. Come inside, the elevator is on the right. Get in and with your elbow, push 3. When you get out, I’m on the left. With your elbow, hit my doorbell.”

“Grandma, that sounds easy, but why am I hitting all these buttons with my elbow?”

“What… You’re coming empty-handed?”

***

I would prefer to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandma - the bus driver, not screaming in terror like her passengers.

***

Q. What is the similarity between a grandmother and a website?
A. You have to accept the cookies.

***

I asked my grandpa: "After 65 years you still call grandma darling, beautiful, and honey. What's the secret?"

Grandpa: "I forgot her name 5 years ago and I'm scared to ask her."

***

A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. “Oh,” he said, “She lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we’re done having her visit, we take her back to the airport.”

***

My grandma has been walking 5 miles a day since she was 57. She’s 92 now, and we have no idea where she is.

***

UPCOMING:

BlueBonnet Orchestra - FREE CONCERT - SUNDAY MARCH 5TH AT 3:00 P.M. - Klett Auditorium at Georgetown High School.  It will be about an hour.  Pieces include Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Leia’s and Yoda’s themes (from Star Wars), Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Night on Bald Mountain.

(As I have mentioned, I’d really like to establish a matinee concert in Georgetown.  Some of us don’t enjoy driving at night.  A larger crowd would help us keep coming to Georgetown).

(Same concert on Saturday night at 8:00 at Round Rock First United Methodist Church - also FREE)

***

WRAP-UP

Love one another

Love Wins

Love Transforms 

Karen White

February 26, 2023

SATURDAY STORY - DANIEL JACKSON - PART II

 SATURDAY STORY - DANIEL JACKSON - PART II

On Saturday I write fiction (and I’m going to keep doing it until I get it right)

Last week, we looked at Daniel Jackson, a middle school kid that assembled his first personal computer at age 14.  His business took off.  His uncle and other relatives took an active role in the fledgling business.  

*****

The demand for personal computers was phenomenal.  Compaq, Dell, IBM, HP, Gateway, and others made personal computers based on the IBM model using the Microsoft operating system.  

DJ Computers maintained about a 12 to 15% market share by 1984.  

Daniel Jackson had a counselor by the time he was 16.  The stress of being a student, and is the CEO of a computer company was too much for the young man.  

It seemed once DJ Computers started as more of a hobby.  Daniel made a computer to prove he could do it, then he made more for people in the Bloomington, Illinois area - friends of the family, neighbors, and college students.  It was almost a societal issue “Be the first on your block to own a personal computer”.  Neighbors told their friends, school districts wanted computer labs, and offices found that computing with word processing, spreadsheets, and databases made them more efficient and effective.   

“Bigger - more - grow faster - compete” became thorns in Daniel’s side.  A 16-year-old kid was still a kid who wanted to play some basketball, have friends, and hang out with them.  It was too much.  With input from his parents and family, Daniel went from CEO to Founder.  It was a nice term - he had founded “DJ Computers” - which was named after himself.  The counselor, Dr. Emily Frazee, saw the stress was eating away from his normal adolescent development.  Her suggestion of no more than ten hours a week of DJ Computers for the young man was accepted.  Tall and lanky, he opted for cross-country running rather than basketball.  Both of his parents had been runners in high school and college.  He fit in well with the cross-country team.  He wasn’t the fastest but lacing up his running shoes and running four or five miles helped clear his brain.  On weekends, he sometimes ran with his parents for local events - like the annual Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Day run in Bloomington.

The running helped in other ways.  For a 16-year-old, the stress had elevated his blood pressure.  Running lowered that down to a level where he didn’t need medication.  He actually liked getting up early and running two or three miles before getting his shower and breakfast and going off to school.  It became a time of meditation.  The endorphins released while running flowed through his body and gave him a “runner's high”. 

Dr. Frazee suggested (and really almost demanded) that Daniel not do any work for DJ Computing.  The family reacted and tried to avoid talking about the company at dinner.  But technology fever ran through his veins and Daniel helped as the company moved from the Intel 8086 chip to the Intel 80286 chip and found possibilities from the faster speeds.  It was the tinkering that Daniel liked.  

As peripherals developed and computers could play music, Daniel tinkered with some of the high-end speakers that had more realistic sound than cheaper speakers. He kept on the edge.  He avoided the main manufacturing aspect of DJ Computing and didn’t help out on the assembly line.  

In school, he was trying to be a 16-year-old male, not a superstar computing expert.  He had a cadre of loyal friends (mostly his cross-country friends) who was like a barrier.  When a runner from another school might try to harass Daniel, his posse would surround him to keep him safe.  

Some students thought Daniel was rich (and yes, he was - at least on paper) and trying to gain his friends so they somehow could get money from him.  

Like other students, he bought his lunch at the high school cafeteria and sat with his friends at lunch and laughed at their jokes and slowly became a teenage boy again.  He was shy with girls and the only exception was the cross-country girls.  Some tried to flirt with him.  He was easy to embarrass and would turn red when a girl flirted with him.

Maybe his girlfriend was Katrina Kirkpatrick, a cross-country girl. Katrina was faster than Daniel.  That motivated him to try to run faster, and to train more.  There wasn’t a romantic attraction - other than in his head.  16-year-old males seem to have a lot of romantic ideas as they went through the ending years of puberty.  

*****

Meanwhile, on the DJ Computers front, PC wars were getting hot.  Gateway Computers started in South Dakota.  Gateway shipped their computers in boxes that looked like cows.  DJ Computers put a stylized disk jockey on their box with musical notes floating in the air about him.  

Quantity became the goal, and quality suffered.  For every 100 computers DJ Computers made, about ten came back from some kind of problem.  The company devised stronger testing methods to verify that its products were good.  It took two years to get the faulty rate down to about three problems per one-hundred computers.  

There were supply chain issues.  Intel was working at full speed making the various chips and motherboards.  Computer cases were harder to find.  DJ Computers found a company in the Chicago area that could make solid cases for a better price.  DJ Computers thought about buying that company, but opted to be good partners.  

DJ Computers also needed more space.  State Farm Insurance had another large empty space that they used, but after 18 months, they had to have more space. Steve Jackson, still known as Uncle Steve, worked with the board and found an old grocery store for some short-term space.  The board decided to build a new facility.  They issued stock to finance their plans.  On the first day - the initial public offering (IPO) - the stock sold for $50 a share and by the end of the day was trading at $200 a share.  

The company needed the space as soon as possible - so the architects and engineers devised a large building with input on the west side and output on the right side.  So, chips, boards, and monitors came in on conveyor belts and the process worked its way across the large open space until it was boxed in the disk jockey cartons and shipped out.  

To get the space, it was a non-frills building - mostly open, but needing restrooms, storage, cafeteria, and employee lockers.  They kept the building at State Fair Insurance for ongoing research and development, and the accounting and marketing functions.  The building took nine months from the first shovel of dirt moved to the opening.  

The software was also changing - demanding more memory and faster speeds.  Visicalc (visible calculator) was first developed for Apple computers and some variations were available for the various IBM clones.  WordPerfect was the accepted leader in Word Processing.  

Microsoft took on the software challenge and made Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access the Microsoft Office suite.  That made personal computers a necessity in businesses.  Businesses demanded programmers and analysts.  With their control over the operating system market, Microsoft dominated software.

*****

In Daniel’s biweekly sessions with Dr. Frazee, she would quiz him about how much time he spent directly with the company.  She was finding a good correlation with the more running he did, the less time directly with DJ Computers, the happier he was.  

*****

Daniel was a so-so student. He always got As in mathematics, and physics classes, Bs in biology and chemistry classes, and B minuses in English and social studies classes.  He didn’t get invited to join the National Honor Society.  He wasn’t the class valedictorian. On senior day he got the Mathematics Association of America award, and the outstanding science student award (Daniel thought maybe the physics teacher swayed the biology and chemistry teachers in his favor).  

He took Katina Kirkpatrick to the Senior Prom.  It was still an awkward rite of passage for the young man.  With three of the cross-country boys, they rented a limo for four couples.  They ate at Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano with their dates and at the prom, they tried to dance some.  Guys who could run ten miles without breaking a sweat could barely do 4 minutes on the dance floor with a girl without getting weak in the knees. 

*****

So, Daniel Jackson, founder of DJ Computers graduated from high school.  He had a wealth of experiences, unlike any other kid in his school.  But, now what?

Off to college.

*****

Since he was old enough to understand language, it was implicit to Daniel that he would be going to college.  Mom was a college professor, and Dad was a college graduate with a master’s degree.  It was his heritage.  It was an expectation

Where would he go to college was another story.  He took his SAT scores and did outstanding in math, logic, and science, and average in English and social studies.  He could afford to go to any college, any place.  He could go to a big campus or a small campus.  Where would he fit best - with fifty thousand people wandering around campus, or with three thousand people on campus?  Where could he find physics professors that would challenge him and mentor him?  Where would he find friends and hide from those that would take advantage of him and his wealth?  

In the end, after scanning brochures, visiting campuses, and extensive research, Daniel Jackson selected Purdue University - not too far away, but far enough; big - maybe too big; but also on the geeky side of technology.  

*****

That last summer before going to Purdue, Daniel came back to DJ Computers full-time.  He worked in the research and development shop most of the time but made sure he worked on the assembly floor part-time.

Katrina Kirkpatrick also worked at DJ Computers that summer on the assembly line.  It seemed like any able-bodied person in the Bloomington Illinois area could get a job at DJ Computers.  They paid well and had good benefits, But that sometimes meant that some new employees weren’t quite skilled enough.

The company organized softball leagues, computer clubs, volleyball teams, runners, and other clubs.  They brought in local bands on Friday afternoons and had picnics.  

Daniel and Katrina occasionally went to a movie or to a dance.  They would also run with the DJ Computers running club. It was two friends that liked each other, not a torrid romance.  

Katrina was going to the University of Illinois and majoring in computer science.  On their last date before heading off to college, Daniel kissed Katrina for the first time.  

*****

THE END OF WEEK TWO OF DANIEL JACKSON / DJComputers.  

What will happen next?  Will Daniel be successful in college?  Will he keep seeing Katrina?  Will an earthquake swallow the new building (I don’t think so)? Will the business keep growing?  

Come back next week!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, FEBRUARY 25, 2023