In Exile

Adventures in Computing

Breathing some new life into an older desktop computer wasn’t very difficult.  I purchased a Zotac GeForce GT 730 with 4GB  of DDR3 video memory.  I could have chosen a faster model, but anything higher end would have required me to upgrade the power supply as well.  The reason for the upgrade was to give Blender a GPU to render with.

The hardware install was a piece of cake.  Getting the drivers running in Rosa Linux was another story altogether.  The short of the story is that it never recognized my new GPU no matter what I did.  Trying to find any support on the matter was  an impossibility.  Most of the discussion appeared to take place in Russian, the language of the developers.  I finally had enough and dumped Rosa for Linux Mint 17.2.  Not only did the NVidia and CUDA drivers work with little effort, the OS as a whole is faster due to recent optimizations done on the latest release.  I use KDE because it suits my needs best.

While restoring my backup from my external hard drive, it chose to give up the ghost half way through the restore process.  Fortunately I didn’t lose anything personal or irreplaceable.  The drive (A 2GB Western Digital MyBook) was past the warranty period, so I opened the case to give it one last try to recover my data.  What do I  find inside?  A Caviar green drive.  I’d like to offer up a warning to anyone who is relying on an external drive to save their data.  The WD Caviar green drives are absolute crap. If I had known that was what lived inside my external, I never would have purchased it.  My personal preference is a Caviar black drive for their reliability.  I’ve never tried the blue models and have no intention to.  The power savings and operating noise levels aren’t even a factor for consideration because reliability and speed are more important to me.  As a result of this, my next external drive is likely going to be a hard drive dock and a barebones Caviar black drive until I can afford to get a decent RAID enclosure.

If you want to buy cheaper hardware, be warned… in the long term it’s going to cost you more with a premature replacement and loss of possibly irreplaceable data.

Rant & Roll

I’ve always bean an idealist, but over the years my outlook became tempered by realism. That’s not to say that my ideologies have vanished. Instead, I understand that the people of world we live in do not share my sense of values. I’m a minority and I don’t fit in, but I’m at peace with that. What I’m not at peace with is the fact that humanity isn’t very humane at all.

In my early years while making my way through high school, I had decided I wanted to become a sound engineer. In hindsight, if I had followed through and trained to become a machinist or a tool and die maker, I likely would have had a great deal of success. What I didn’t understand then is that I wasn’t a good fit for the music industry. I had the necessary training and skills. I loved dealing with musicians and capturing great sounding music. I worked with incredibly intelligent and talented people. After finishing college for sound engineering, my interests had become more focused. I was a capable engineer but my true love was music production so I returned to college again to receive the training I would need as a producer. I had the fortune to have an award-winning producer as one of my instructors who was the owner of a wall full of gold and platinum records that were tied to a variety of big-name groups.

What I ran into face first, however, was an industry filled with people who were lazy and unreliable and those who felt they couldn’t perform until they smoked a joint or two. That was considered par for the course even though it infuriated me. Still, it wasn’t what broke the camels back for me.

Lawyers and record companies.

That’s what discouraged me to the point where I had no desire left to continue any further in my chosen profession. I learned mounds of legalese relating to the music industry and it still only scratched the surface when dealing with the intricacies of copyright law. What I learned more poignantly is that lawyers and record companies could care less about the music. To them, music is nothing more than “intellectual property”, more commonly referred to as “IP”. It is something to be owned, controlled, and profited from. Their interest in music extends only as far as it must, solely in the interest of turning profit. Of course, that’s what business is all about, isn’t it?

Yes.

That isn’t the heart of the issue, however. This is only the “what”, but it’s the “why” and “how” I find objectionable.

Why equals greed.

While I agree when it is said that money can’t solve everything, I also understand that money can accomplish a great deal if it is put to use correctly. It’s a tool, as much as your vehicle is a tool to get you from one point to another. The tool itself is not good or evil, that distinction arrives as a result of how the tool is utilized. A hammer might be been used to kill a man, but it may also been used to build a house. If the hammer simply lies in a toolbox never to be swung at all, it is useless. Greed is very good at rendering money useless. It’s like a hoarder whose things sit stockpiled in boxes but never gets used for anything. Money in the hands of the greedy is like a glass case full of trophies; they brag about accomplishments but are of absolutely no use for anything else.

Greedy people –like my father– are incapable of understanding the damage their actions do to other people around them. Their ever increasing desire to acquire more leads them down a darker path that has them doing illegal or immoral things in order to further their goal. These aren’t the kind of people I feel comfortable around, much less am I able to tolerate the things that they do.

This is the “how”.

Taking advantage of people for the sake of profit is unacceptable to me. Therein lies the problem. It’s wholly acceptable to those involved in the music industry. There is a void of honesty and integrity that permeates the industry and those who are naive to its ways are being taken to the cleaners simply because they are incapable of preventing it. It’s not because people are stupid; they don’t think that way, and I don’t think that way. Just because it’s the way things are done in the music industry doesn’t make it acceptable. I believe in fairness and treating them as humans and not property. I think it unconscionable to use people up and then discard them when they are no longer of use.

This is why I don’t fit in.

Lawyers have conveniently made the legal system so complicated that they are indispensable and the music industry has entwined themselves inseparably within it. It’s all about who can afford the best lawyer. The music and the musicians are naught but background noise. You’re not a musician, you’re part of a catalog –a number– in the midst of other numbers in a record company’s repertoire. What they use their high priced lawyers to protect is their IP, not your rights. If you look at what any musician might have made off a record deal, you can be assured that the lawyers and record companies have grossed one-hundred times more.

And people accuse me of working myself to death to make someone else rich.

You have no idea.

I can sleep at night knowing I’ve gone to work, traded work for wages, and have executed my chosen line of work with exceptional skill.

Reality Check

I’m not writing as a representative of my employer, nor have I any authorization to do so.  The opinion expressed here is mine only. 

It has been a rough week at work and I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t something odd being added to the drinking water here in this city as of late.  Of course, I’m likely wrong and this is just the result of people showing their true colours.  I’m taking it personally; not based solely on the experiences of a single week.  This has been building up to a point where I have to let some of it go creatively before I find myself reacting in a manner that’s not very conducive to job retention.

The issue at hand is the abuse of staff at the hands of customers.  Before you point it out to me, I’m entirely aware that this is nothing new.  What people do not appear to be aware of is that this is totally unacceptable.  The customer is not always right.  Yes, you read correctly.

Allow me to explain.

Employees do not know everything about every item in the store, and cannot be expected to retain every single detail about the item.  We are required to assist you in whatever area you require help in, but expecting that we are experts in every single area is incredibly unrealistic in any situation.  If we do not know the answer, we will most likely be truthful about that fact, and likely be able to hook you up with someone who may know the answer you are seeking.  Things change often in a retail environment and keeping up with those changes is a challenge.  Often, you will find an item you like, but when you return to purchase more of the item six months later, either the item is no longer available, or we no longer carry refills for the item.  Often, you will come in asking for a specific brand item and we do not have that brand.  We may have an item that is similar and we will offer that item to you instead so that you don’t have to run around the city looking for an item that you may or may not find.  We understand that you prefer that brand, and we are not offended if our suggestion is not deemed suitable, but it does not mean that we think you’re stupid, nor does it mean that we are stupid and do not understand.

Employees are not in charge of scheduling and staffing; as much as we would love to have more staff available so that we do not have to keep you waiting while we are looking after another customer, we do not have more staff available.  Current employment trends have employers putting less staff on shift in order to save the company money.  Staff are entitled to breaks and lunches, and employers are mandated by law to provide these for us.  I know that this isn’t your problem; you are in a hurry and want what you want right now, even if it is at the inconvenience of a staff member who is likely tired, missing out on their break so that they can serve your needs.  As a result, this employee serves you grudgingly while trying not to show on the outside that it actually bothers them.  You only receive a half hearted effort from said employee because they have been running non-stop since they punched the clock.  Perhaps this employee is having some difficulties at home and are trying hard not to bring it to work with them; but they haven’t been successful and the grief you give them is just enough to push them over the edge.

Employees do not make store policy.  In many cases, not even the store manager makes store policy.  In all cases, the staff have no power to change the way things are being run.  They have likely already addressed a complaint similar to yours with their manager and have received their instruction on how to deal with it.  It’s likely that the discussion has already resulted in having no effect on changing the store policy.  Yelling at these employees will not change things and will result in the employee resenting you for bringing more stress into the workplace.  Perhaps the employee has been empowered with a number of remedies for certain situations that arise, but they are still unable to satisfy your needs.  Perhaps they will direct you to the store manager, who may or may not be able to satisfy you.  If you have been directed to a store manager, then why do you think that complaining to another employee is going to change things?  Have you been directed to send feedback to upper store management?  Please follow that suggestion; it may be what is needed to effect change in whatever issue concerns you.  If an employee has tried to carry your concern up the chain unsuccessfully, they might be counting on you to pursue it with the upper management with the same fervour you pursued it through them.  In all likelihood, the employee agrees with you but is actually powerless to do anything about it.

How do you think it makes employees feel when you argue with them about high prices, coupon policies, inventory practices, return policies, and the like?  Is it fair for you to expect a store to produce a coupon for you in store, whose practice is to offer them via newspaper distribution or the Internet, and not keep them in store?  What makes you think you have a right to expect a cashier to do this for you, and not do this for every single person standing in line behind you?  Do you even care that a cashier may be risking job termination for doing this for you if the employers policies are strict enough?  What makes you think you have a right to return an item to a store without a receipt and expect them to do this for you?  Return policies are clearly indicated on your receipt, and if they are not, you are entirely free to inquire before making the purchase.  Why should a store adjust the price you paid for an item, two weeks after the purchase when the item is now available at a lower cost?  Is it really worth it to cause a scene at the cash over a five cent saving when there are five people behind you waiting for the same expedient cash experience you are expecting?  Do you even care when you complain to a cashier about the number of cash lanes open when there is nobody else for the cashier to call to remedy the situation?  Do you believe the cashier wouldn’t love to be able to call for another lane to open to take some of the demand off themselves?

I believe I speak for all employees when I tell you this; we are not machines.  We are not slaves.  We are not infallible; we make mistakes.  We do not appreciate when you treat us like garbage.  We are humans with feelings.  We cannot afford to take a day off just because a certain life event resembles a train wreck more than it does sanity.  We do our best to do our jobs and to serve you, but we are not doormats.  We have a right to be treated with the respect that you expect us to treat you with.  We want to have a good day at work, and we want you to want to come back to our place of work.  You are not always right.  Sometimes you don’t understand our policies, and that’s okay.  Sometimes we make mistakes, and that’s okay too (Fair is fair).

Enough is enough people; stop being hypocrites and expecting what you are not willing to give in return.  It doesn’t work like that.  You re not my boss; I work for them.  If your money makes you the boss of anyone, it is of the company I work for and you ought to hold them responsible for empowering me to satisfy you.  I can only do for you what they allow me to do for you.

/rant 

Dinosaurs in a 64-bit World

This one has been nagging at me lately, mostly because I’ve decided to upgrade my chosen Linux distribution from a 32-bit flavour to the more appropriate 64-bit variety that is fully supported by my hardware.  The great news is, 99% of the software I’ve been using has a working 64-bit version.  It’s the 1% that’s the nag.

What needs to be said is that 32-bit systems, while a great advantage for older hardware, are old hat.  They are the past, not the future.  They have limitations that developers have attempted to work around through various hacks that attempt to extend the abilities, but only achieve that goal in part.  PAE extensions to the kernel do allow Linux to see more than 4 GB of system memory, but 32-bit programs themselves are still incapable of addressing memory beyond this boundary.  Not every CPU supports PAE.

Back to the nag.  I like to use Adobe Reader and Skype, which are currently available only in 32-bit.  In Linux, 32-bit versions of necessary libraries must be installed along side the 64-bit system.  Really, it’s another hack.  64-bit systems have been around long enough now that the only reason any given package might only be available in 32-bits is because of laziness.  The developers simply can’t be bothered bringing the software into the future and upgrading it to 64-bits.  No, these two packages do not really need to be 64-bit.  They have all the resources they need available as a 32-bit package.  There’s a problem, however.  Operating systems are being held back by this mindset, unable to become 64-bit pure because of the number of people who want use of packages such as these.

So what’s the problem?  Adobe Reader doesn’t want to load at all and Skype produces unusable audio that stutters and echoes.  I can, in all likelihood, work on my system and eventually make these two packages function in their 32-bit compatibility environment.  I’ll wager that most will give up and blame Linux instead of the developers of these two packages.  Do I want to give away an unknown number of hours in order to figure this out?  No, not really.  Remember, the software must fit the operating system, not the other way around.

Both Adobe and Microsoft busy themselves with making excuses for not wanting to fully support Linux.  They make even more excuses for not upgrading their software into the 64-bit world.  I might sympathise with you if you had your facts straight about the percentile of Linux desktops.  The facts are that your numbers are unlikely to be correct because there are no mechanisms in place to properly tally the number of Linux installations.  Users can freely download any of the distributions freely available out there and install them as they choose.  They can burn copies to give away to their friends without any legal consequence.  This behaviour from MS is no big surprise; why wouldn’t they do things to bolster the dominance of their own operating system?  If they properly supported Linux and users were given the choice of which operating system they run on, how would they choose then?

I have a secondary partition with a legal copy of Windows 7 installed on it.  It’s 64-bit too.  Skype does not offer a choice between 32 and 64-bit, so I have to assume it is being installed as a 32-bit package.  Adobe Reader also offers the same lack of options.  One binary for two architectures is a clear indicator that it is actually 32-bit in nature.  This isn’t Mac, where the developer is able to bundle 32 and 64-bit architectures into one “FAT” package.

Very rarely do I load Windows 7 for anything.  It’s badly out of date and everything needs to be updated when I have some time for it.  Why?  Because 99% of my computing needs are filled by Linux.  There are some things that I need to do on Windows; that is only because the software is not available for Linux.

I digress.  64-bit is now.  One day we will likely see a 128-bit architecture, but with the expanded abilities in 64-bit mode, that day will likely be far off.  32-bit is looking back into the past, holding onto something that is incapable of keeping up with the computer hardware being manufactured in the here and now.  8 and 16 bits have long gone, except for those nostalgic enough to own still functioning hardware.  If you’re hiring developers that can’t handle 64-bit, you are holding yourself back.  Aren’t people in the IT field supposed to be forward thinkers?  I have a laptop that was 64-bit over 5 years ago, and it’s a dinosaur now by all standards of technology.  There’s no more excuses.  Hold onto your 32-bit if you feel you must, but do the rest of us a favour and get yourselves into the land of 64-bit and stop holding everyone else back.

Adobe Reader is easily replaced by Okular and the new PDF viewer built into the latest version of Firefox.  Skype will be replaced by Google Talk.  Linux is about choice, and as a long time user, I have no issues with selecting another piece of software when one developer tries to take that choice away.

No Smoking

You want us to respect your “right to smoke”?

Don’t do this…

We have a right to not breathe it.

Some people are allergic to it or suffer respiratory problems, and others would rather not inhale the chemicals exhaled.

Yes, the no-smoking sign applies to all of you.

There is no constitutional right to smoke in the United States (http://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/tclc-syn-constitution-2008_0.pdf), nor does the The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms offer any right as a smoker. (http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/cms/file/files/pdf/Canadian_drift_smoke_case_law_March_2007.pdf) (http://www.hcd.ca.gov/codes/rt/B_ThereIsNoConstitutionalRighttoSmoke_CA_4_05.pdf)

Everyone does, however, have a right to clean air.

Feeling Insecure?

“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” - Benjamin Franklin

With the ever-increasing popularity of social networking sites, there is much concern about how personal information is utilized and what is being done to protect it.  Are people relying too heavily on the sites they use to protect them instead of being proactive about their own security?

Sadly, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

Even worse, it appears that the majority does not give much thought to what kind of data they share on any given web site.  Understand that whatever is committed to the Internet has been given to an individual or group of individuals who may or may not be known to you.  In all likelihood, they will never be known to you.  These are the people you choose to trust with information that you wouldn’t announce publicly?

Take responsibility for your own actions on the Internet and stop blaming others for your personal information making its way into the public eye.  You cannot rely on the security settings of social networking sites to keep your information private.  Whatever is submitted to the Internet cannot be taken back, ever.  If you are concerned about your cell phone number becoming public knowledge, why do you put that number on the web site in the first place?  Secrets only remain secrets if you tell no-one.

Similarly, many private discussions are being held on social networks and via email or instant messenger.  Little regard is paid to the fact that these discussions are like writing on the back of a postcard and dropping it into a mail box.  Anyone can read the contents of email as easily as they could read the contents of a postcard.

It’s not for lack of the availability of methods to prevent it.

Encryption is freely available; all people need to do is install it and use it.  A few more steps are added to sending and receiving messages but you are taking responsibility for your own security instead of relying on others to do it for you.  I will even guide you to the software you need in order to exercise that responsibility.

OpenPGP is the building block for free encryption that may be used on whichever operating system you have, through the GnuPG project.  Both text and files may be encrypted with this single system.

Linux systems have GnuPG in their repositories, often pre-installed as a part of the default installation.  KGpg  or Kleopatra for KDE and Seahorse for Gnome are graphic interfaces to the console-based GnuPG software.  Kopete and Pidgin are instant messaging clients which support GnuPG through plug-ins to allow truly private communication.  KMail utilizes one of the various graphic interfaces and Thunderbird utilizes the “Enigmail” extension to send and receive encrypted email.

Windows users may download the GnuPG software here.  All the instructions you need are available on that site.  If you are using Thunderbird as your email program, install the Enigmail extension to integrate GnuPG with this software.

Mac users may download the GnuPG software here.  This installation includes the Enigmail extension for Thunderbird.  A plugin for Apple Mail is also included in this installation so that you really won’t need to go anywhere else to get everything you need for a complete GnuPG installation on your system.  All the information you will need is in the FAQ section of the GPG Tools web site.

That covers the software needed for the three common operating systems.  You can take control of your own privacy and security and encourage others to do the same.  Laziness is the only remaining excuse for not using this software. 

While I’m on the subject, there is one more issue regarding email that I would like to address.  It’s a big one.  Many of you like to send email to groups of people and are in the habit of adding a large group of people to your TO: entry when composing emails.  I have to tell you that this practice is not very security conscious, nor is it considerate of the people who are having their email addresses added in this manner.  Everyone who receives your email which is shared in this manner is seeing the email address of every single person you have included.  Some have no problem with this, but there may be others who would prefer not to have their email exposed in this manner.  The proper way of composing email to more than one recipient is to include your list of email addresses on the BCC entry.  BCC stands for “Blind Carbon Copy”; it ensures that every single recipient receives your email without any of the other recipients addresses being exposed.  The email looks like it was sent only to the person who is receiving it.  This method serves as a deterrent to those who like to click “reply all” and send their reply to everyone on the list.  The only place it is appropriate to have all recipients exposed as a group would be an opt-in mailing list where the recipients have knowledge that they are becoming a part of a group discussion.

It is important to consider the privacy and security rights of those individuals you are in contact with, whether it be through an instant messenger, a social networking site, or through email.  This is also a part of your responsibility, so please take ownership and remember to BCC instead of CC.

From this point forward, you have no right to complain about the lack of security on whatever site you frequent on the Internet.  Assume that whatever information you share could conceivably become public knowledge and align your actions accordingly.

What holds YOU back?

A paperless society was an idea that has long since faded from office discussions to become ghosts of the past.  There is something about picking up a printed book and being able to read it wherever you like without being reliant on a technology.  Even in a time where most households in the west have at least one computer, the overwhelming consensus is that it is easier to read printed material.  That is a statistic that is unlikely to change, even as we move into an era of electronic readers and lightweight tablets.

Still, electronic media is emerging as a useful tool, just as books have proven themselves through the test of time to be useful tools.  Electronic media empowers everyone with access to a computer to publish their own materials without the necessity of relying on a publishing company.  Some of these forms even open the door to produce printed material.  Whether you aspire to write a novel or produce technical manuals, the software is available to make that possible.  The following is a list of some of the software I use to fill various roles:

Freeware/OpenSource Software

• Scribus - Full-fledged desktop publishing suite
• OpenOffice or LibreOffice - Office suite
• Writer2ePub - Libreoffice or OpenOffice extension to create ePub from Writer documents.
• Sigil - ePub format book editor
• Calibre - eBook viewing/conversion/management suite
• Kompozer - Standards compliant HTML editor
• The GIMP - Raster image manipulation
• Inkscape - Vector graphics editor

All of these pieces of software are free to download and free to use without cost whatsoever, and are available on multiple computer platforms. 

Scribus is a complete desktop publishing solution with print media as its primary target.  Print industry compliant EPS and PDF files can be produced using this package alone.  The PDF export supports security and encryption, as well as many other important features such as compression types, output targets, font embedding, compatibility settings, and pre-press options.  Don’t be mistaken in thinking this is toy software, based simply on the fact that it costs nothing.  It is a feature rich application with serious tools included.

OpenOffice or LibreOffice are office suites that include a word processor, spreadsheet, database, drawing application, and presentation application.  If you find Scribus to be more complicated than your publishing needs require, one of these packages will provide you with sufficient ability to produce print and electronic media.   With the addition of the Writer2ePub extension, you can save your word processor documents as ePub books without needing to convert them externally.

Sigil is a piece of software that is specifically designed to produce documents to be read in an e-book reader, utilizing the “ePub” format which is compatible with a wide variety of electronic readers.  This format may also be read on any desktop computer through any of the freely available readers.  It is a WYSIWYG editor and all of your writing and design can easily be done within the editor.  At this moment in time, the editor allows only a very limited amount of font choices and fairly basic formatting options.  These features are supported, but not through the GUI directly.  CSS and HTML are supported and advanced formatting may be achieved by manually coding into the respective HTML code and/or style sheet.  Don’t be intimidated by this; the framework is generated for you within the software and the CSS and HTML is easy to find references for across the Internet.  The HTML and CSS code could easily be generated in another package and loaded directly by Sigil.  The ability to embed fonts and any other support files gives you the flexibility to design the ePub as you wish and be certain that the viewing audience will see it as you have designed it.  It is a ZIP compressed format which gives you the ability to unzip the file, modify it as you desire and reassemble the package for distribution.  If you like using HTML and CSS for publishing, this tool and this format opens many doors.  Even if you don’t really like HTML, this format may grab hold of your attention.  I highly recommend it.

Calibre is a package that catalogs electronic publications, converts them from one format to another, and views a wide range of electronic formats.  Your mileage may vary with its conversion features.  Personally, I prefer it for the viewer that is included as part of the package.  If I could find only the viewer, I would drop the rest of the package with preference for the only part I really want. [Update] Calibre currently includes functionality to edit and create electronic publications in the .epub and .azw3 formats.  One caveat is that the editing is done in code, not WYSIWYG.

Kompozer is a standards compliant WYSIWYG HTML/CSS editor that is powered by the rendering engine used in the other Mozilla products.  It mixes the GUI environment with the ability to hand code the HTML and CSS text while retaining the ability to preview the code without leaving the application.  I have been using this package to create HTML and CSS for use in Sigil because it gives me the ability to use advanced formatting that is not available when editing an ePub within Sigil.

The GIMP and Inkscape are tools for working with images.  Raster images (JPEG, PNG, BMP) are most common and you’ll need some decent software to work with them, regardless of whether you are producing print or electronic media.  Inkscape is far more flexible in terms of the ability to re-purpose images created with it because it makes use of vector graphics.  This type of graphic is literally a mathematic formula and may be easily resized to whatever dimensions you require without any quality loss whatsoever.  This makes it an ideal way to create logos and illustrations that are intended to be included in print media.  Not so coincidentally, Sigil is able to use the SVG files that are produced by Inkscape.  SVG files may also be rendered to PNG files if you prefer a raster format for use on a standard web page to be viewed by a web browser that does not support the SVG standard.  If you would like to produce a single page document (such as a flyer), Inkscape is also suitable for this purpose.  The entire page may be exported as a PDF or EPS, or any of the other less common options. 

I’d like to encourage writers to consider the PDF and ePub formats when you are making your documents available.  They make it easy to share your material with others without incurring expense to produce files that are easy to read or print.  I’m drawn to ePub because I can essentially produce a web document (even an entire web site if I like), without having to rely on a web server or trying to make it compatible with your web browser.  I can include images, files of any kind, embed fonts, and even create the formatting I desire in a document, while presenting a single (compressed) file for you to download.

I’ve taken away your excuses for not sharing whatever you write…

So, what’s holding you back?

A Tribute to a Friend

People come and go all throughout the span of our lives.  Some remain for many years, while others share there lives with us for only a short time.  A life long friend is most rare.  It’s just the way things are.  I’ve learned that the impact one person has on another life has nothing to do with the length of time and everything to do with the quality of that time.

Today, I remember a friend such as that and give thanks.

We knew one another for less than a year but I can say nothing but good about that time.  She always had a smile and friendly words.  She always treated people well, without exception.  She accepted me the way I was and always made me feel welcome.  Words are insufficient to express who she was to me.  Even though circumstances lead to us losing contact, there was always a place for her.

I found out a few days ago that she had passed away 4 years later…  Instead of grieving for her I choose to remember the young woman she was and all the good that we shared.  It’s what she would want.  I give thanks for you Bridget, my friend.