It's ALL about Facebook

Thanks to my friend Josh, I am completely, utterly, obsessed with Facebook. It's like a classier, more user-friendly Myspace. I love it! One thing that jumps out at me immediately as a plus is the absence of annoying ads featuring women (and men) wearing little to nothing. Also, it's truly interactive. An update is posted of every single thing that your friends do (i.e. added a new photo, added a new friend, wrote to someone's wall, etc...) There's no absurd limits on the size of each photo that you can post. And, you can actually import your blog from another site!

It doesn't feel grimy browsing your friend's facebook pages as it can when browsing Myspace. Maybe it's because Myspace is built to suit people who are more about "promoting" themselves, where facebook is designed to appeal more to people who like to share picures and memories with each other. Less bragging, and more sincere interaction.

If you're around my age, you'll also notice that facebook has a larger group of people in our generation than many of the other online journal sites. Check it out; I'm sure you'll be as pleasantly surprised (and possibly as obsessed) as I was!

How God Works

This is one of those posts I have to preface with, "Seriously, I'm not making this up!"

If you have read my blog consistently for a few months, you know that I am a developer for CNN.com and that one of my duties every month and a half or so is to work an on-call shift for 4 - 5 days. My on-call shift started yesterday at 2pm and goes through this Tuesday at 11am. Listen to this story:

I got a call at 2:15am today about some issue with one of the websites we develop. I begin looking into and I can't figure out what the problem could be. I start calling other people who are on-call in other groups that may be able to help, but no one knows anything about how to resolve the issue.

I call my boss, who is one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to work for, even at 3:30am while he's under the weather. He is very helpful, and gives me more insight into what the problem is. Yet, we still can't determine how to resolve it. Finally at 5:00am, I throw in the towel, and escalate the issue to our production systems group. I call their on-call person and notify him of the problem, and he says in short "I'll get to it in the morning." LOL! ( I get another call at 5:20am that isn't even related to my group and at this point I just feel like I'm being picked on) :-)

At around 8:30am my boss calls me for an update, and other than some pretty weird dreams, I don't have one. I do my best to wake up, and proceed to run downstairs to my laptop to find out if the production systems on call guy was able to fix anything. It looks like he hasn't even awaken from his sleep yet, because the status of the issue hasn't been updated in our tracking application. So my boss and I are back on the issue again, plugging away to resolve it.

Long story short, by 12 noon I was done with this situation. It had become too much. I called the production systems on-call and asked him to restart one of our publishing systems. He didn't see the point, but said he'd do it anyway. I thanked him and hung up feeling very frustrated and tired. Instead of blowing up or feeling defeated as I typically do in situations such as this, I closed my eyes and counted to 10. This brought on a very strong and immediate urge for me to pray to God. So I prayed. I lifted up everyone that I could think of and asked for blessings, joy and comfort in their lives. I also asked for the Lord to come to me, and guide me through this troublesome, 12-hour long situation. I spent several minutes in sincere, humble prayer.

Just as I was saying, "Amen", I got an Instant Message from one of my co-workers telling me that the issue had been resolved somehow! I said to him, "What do you mean? How?" He said, "It must have been the restart of the publishing system!". Now, he and I both know that restarting our publishing system doesn't affect the problem that we were having, but neither of us say anything about this. Now get this! I called the production systems on-call back to tell him that everything was fixed somehow, and he said, "Umm, okay, don't know how it got fixed but whatever." As I was hanging up with him, 3 of our companies big-whigs were calling me!! I answered the phone, and once I heard their voices, I had to steady myself.

They have just been alerted to this issue and want to find out what I was doing to resolve it. Can you imagine what a wreck I would have been if they had called while this issue was still in full effect? I'm pretty sure that would have pushed me over the edge. But the Lord always knows how much we can handle; He never allows us to deal with any more than we can bear...even in minor situations like this.

I just couldn't wait to share this with anyone who would read it! Our God is so loving, and ALWAYS has been and will be true to His word.

Black Friday update

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving; my second favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is a special time to remember to give thanks for the two most important things on earth: family and food! Here are a few highlights from my day. Enjoy!

Two of the things that I make better than anyone I know:
Sweet Potato Souffle


Baked Macaroni and Cheese


All of the grandkids were at my parents'(now known as Grams and Pop Pop) home.
Olan and his cousin Aniyah acting very un-3 year old like and sharing with one another.


Cassie and her cousin Isaiah


The kids await dinner


Chris takes a well deserved nap.


My dad (now known as Pop Pop) with my nephew Isaiah


My sister Tameka and her husband Antoine


I'm looking forward to decorating the tree at my parents. It's something that the whole family does together and it's even more fun with the kids now!

Kelly Ripa vs Clay Aiken vs....Rosie??

Update (8:50pm) - Hold up. I forgot to mention the most interesting about this. In her attempt to defend Clay, Rosie pretty much outed him didn't she? Clay has thus far never admitted to being homosexual. So for Rosie to accuse Kelly of being a homophobe means that Rosie knows something that the rest of the world has only been guessing...until now! Insert foot into mouth, Rosie. For the love of the little children!
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Now this is interesting!

First up is a video of Clay Aiken guest hosting on Regis and Kelly. It's obvious from the way that Kelly is asking questions non-stop that she has NO intention of allowing Clay to talk. It just seems a tad awkward and I get an uncomfortable vibe from the two of them. Watch what happens between minutes 2:00 and 3:00!


Source[Youtube.com]

For those of you that don't have the time or patience to click on and watch the video, what commences is the following. Kelly and Clay are hosting the show together. Kelly introduces football star/Dancing With The Stars winner Emmitt Smith and his dance partner as guests. Around 2:00 into this segment, Clay is noticeably irritated with the fact that Kelly has asked about 6 questions without taking a breath, leaving him unable to ask a single question. Clay finally comments on the fact that he would like Kelly to let him know when she's ready for him to get in a question (or something like that). She continues with her question, and Clay puts his hand over her mouth. She grimaces/scowls, and Clay can feel the disenchantment coming from her, so he says, "Oops, was that a no-no?" Kelly says, "Yes, definitely. I don't know where those hands have been, you know what I mean?"

And guess who sounds off the next day on "The View"? Rosie O'Donnell accuses Kelly Ripa of being a homophobe for the comment she made to Clay (the "I Don't Know Where Those Hands Have Been" comment). Take a look at the following video to see Kelly's call-in response to "The View" this morning to dispute Rosie's accusation.


Source[Youtube.com]

Nice to see someone finally put Rosie in her place. My favorite quote from Kelly is when she called Rosie "irresponsible with her comments". Go, Kelly!

Christmas at CNN

Update (8:30pm) - It was just waaay too cold to try and walk across to Centennial Park today. I have about 3 more weeks to give it another shot. Everyday that place appears more and more festive as I drive by on the way to and from work!
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I was pleasantly surprised to walk from the parking garage into my building yesterday morning and see this:

   
Everywhere I look in this building there are beautiful Christmas decorations! And there are also empty offices. Hardly anyone is here, and I'm really enjoying the peace and quiet. It will get old soon, though, and I will start missing some of the people who are out this week. But, there's still work to be done, and it's kind of refreshing to be able to do my work at my own pace. It will end in about 6 days, but I don't mind this every now and again!

Next stop is across the street to Centennial Park and the Aquarium. I'm going to CP for Christmas pics, and I'll try to make it to the Aquarium to see if any news cameras are still there. Today marks the 1-year anniversary of the Aquarium opening it's doors for the first time. I LOVE being on television! :-) We'll see if time (and weather) permit this jaunt.

"Fred Claus" Trailer Premiere

There is a teaser trailer available for "Fred Claus", the Christmas-themed movie starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti. The movie's release date? Oh it's November 9, 2007!

Keep in mind that this is only a "teaser" trailer. By definition alone, this means that the clip you're about to watch is most likely not even footage from the actual film. The purpose is solely to let us know that it is being filmed and to get us excited about it! Vince Vaughn is in it, for crying out loud. No teasing necessary as far as I'm concerned.

Fred Claus Teaser Trailer

It's the Holiday Season

It's officially here! No one will be in my office next week except for security more than likely. Of course, I will be there because I have used up most of my 30 PTO days. I don't regret using a single one as they were spent either vacationing with my family or tending to their ailments.

I was driving home one evening last week, and I tuned to a local lite rock FM station to hear "It's The Holiday Season" from the Andy Williams Christmas CD *cough* which I own *cough*. I am completely obsessed with the Christmas season, so I was thrilled to hear it! But somehow, it felt like it was a little too soon. I am thrilled at the idea of Christmas music being played sporadically throughout the day after Thanksgiving. But all day, everyday, beginning in mid-November kind of de-sensitizes one to the whole aura of this season, in my opinion.

Be prepared for me to begin blogging like crazy and sharing TONS of pictures. That's all I do this time of year. Apparently NO ONE plans to be in my office at work throughout the entire month of December since most people still have like 20 days of PTO left to use. This means one of two things: Either I will 1) be bored to pieces because no one will be assigning any tasks to me, and I will spend everyday across the street at Centennial Park taking pictures of the Christmas decor, or 2) I will have to work on EVERYTHING that comes up since I will be the only person in the office! You will see lots of pictures here starting tomorrow and throughout the season, but whether they will contain snow covered wreaths draped in red velvet ribbon hanging above Spring Street, or a picture me walking through one of the data centers in my building depends on which of the aforementioned scenarios plays out over the next few weeks! :-)

Side Note: There's also so much going on in the world that I feel compelled to blog about; I'll try to get to it as fast as I can. Crazy things are happening faster than I can type them.

Flight 587 remembered

Many of you may remember that not long after 9/11, another commercial air jet crashed in a New York City neighborhood. Today marks the 5th anniversary of the crash of Flight 587 in the New York City borough of Queens. 260 people on-board were killed, along with 5 victims already on the ground. The plane was leaving JFK airport bound for the Dominican Republic. Many of the victims were of Dominican descent and lived near the area where the plane went down. This has been marked as the 2nd deadliest air crash on US soil, and a dedication service today brought out family and friends of the victims.

I wish I could explain my fascination with plane crashes,but I cannot. The mere thought of them scares me in a way that nothing else does. I've only flown twice, and both flights took right at an hour. When I was inside of the airplane both times, I thought about what it must have been like for all of the air crash victims, and it sends me close to the brink of panic/hyperventilation. I have an obsessive personality in general, so I guess it makes sense that something so horrifying to me would intrigue me to want to learn more.

When I hear people say, "Oh, the chances are so slim that a plane will crash...", I always find myself thinking, 'Yeah, tell that to the victims of air crashes, and their families.' My heart goes out to anyone who has lost a loved one in this way. I will be remembering the victims of Flight 587 and other air disasters as well tonight in prayer.

Source[CNN.com]

Home of the Brave

Let's take some time to honor those who have sacrificed their livelihood and in many cases their lives for our freedom and protection. Regardless of political affiliation, I hope that we can all unite and embrace our Armed Forces by showing them our support and thanks in our own way.

Several of my favorite bloggers have exellent Veterans' Day Tributes worth taking in. Michelle Malkin has an excellent Veterans' Day tribute which notes the lives of two Marines who were awarded the Medal of Honor. Most recently, you may have heard that President Bush awarded the Medal of Honor to Corporal Jason Dunham a few days ago. On April 14, 2004, Cpl Dunham saved the lives of two of his fellow marines by jumping on a grenade during an ambush in the town of Karabilah in Iraq. Truly an American hero.

RIP Gerald Levert (1966 - 2006)

R&B Singer Gerald Levert has passed away at age 40 due to a heart attack. This is very shocking. He was a great talent. Those of you that watch MTV's Sweet Sixteen may remember him from the episode that featured his daughter, Carlysia last season. Levert was very vocal about his disapproval of the way MTV portrayed his daughter on the show.

He is son of Eddie Levert, Sr. of the O'Jays. He was a member of the 3-member group Levert from the 80's with the hit "Cassanova". He will be missed.

[Source: CNN.com]

Enjoying some free time off

The past few days have been very relaxing! I have been enjoying the beauty and crispness that is Autumn. Here is an example of what a typical day has been like: Wake up at 6:45am to the sound of Olan in his bedroom saying "Mommy get up!"; preparing breakast for the kids, feeding them, dressing them, etc,...; dropping them off at school and hanging out there for a little while; lying in bed all day watching my stories (soap operas), and the Food Network. I tell you what, I really needed this. It makes the 3 straight 17-hour days earlier this week worth it. Best of all, I didn't have to use any PTO days; my boss just gave us the days off and told us to do NOTHING all day. CNN always finds a way to make me love them more each day. :-)

Picture Time! Here are a few pics of the foliage around my home. It's warm enough to walk around in my bare feet in the grass today, and that's what I did while snapping a few shots.
  


Also, Olan had his first homework assignment!! Can you believe it?! He had to decorate a turkey as a family project and turn it in by this morning. He had a great time working on it, but not nearly as much fun as I had helping him. I'm watching my baby turn into a little boy. Here are a few pics:
  

I'll blog more later; my mom is driving all the way out here to D'ville to take me to lunch wherever I want to go! I'll post more later...

A Very Merry Birthday

I have been on this earth for 32 years now. As my birthday ticked in at midnight earlier this morning, I was still at work engrossed in all of the election coverage. It wasn't until a couple of co-workers shouted "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" and sent over a chocolate glazed doughnut (my favorite!) that I even realized that it was indeed my birthday. I ate my doughnut with a big smile on my face; a smile that faded within 10 minutes as my mind drifted back to real life.

10 years ago, I would have been terrified at the thought of my birthday ever becoming simply "another day". But honestly, that's where I am now. Life comes at you hard, and the older and wiser you get, the more there is to sift through and endure. And here's the thing...I am one who has thrived on attention from others (positive or negative; I'll usually take what I can get). I've always been a "ME ME ME" sort of person. And don't get me wrong, I definitely still enjoy the phone calls and email greetings wishing me a happy day! But after having two children, I have become one who is less inclined to seek out recognition from others, and more focused on the livelihood of my family. My priorities changed overnight, it seems.

In addition to that, I know so many people who are going through tough times right now. As much as I try, it's really difficult to spend much time at all focusing on my own personal wants. There are numerous individuals who need prayer, support, and love and I'm really focused on doing what I can when I can. A good example is my co-worker who's 6-month old daughter Kaylie has just been diagnosed with SMA Type I. My heart aches for him and his wife. Please don't misinterpret what I'm saying. I do feel that people should celebrate life and bask in it's joy when they can find it. I just happen to be at a point now where my attention and focus has done a major shift from myself to others. With that being said, you'll see me making a MUCH bigger deal out of someone else's birthday than I do of my own. Who knows, I may feel differently when I turn 50; Chris and I will be empty-nesters by then. But for now things are what they are, and I am very content!

I may still treat myself to my favorite ice-cream today or something like that, but my major focus will be on tending to the various needs of my family. Yes, even on my birthday! :-)

Happy Birthday to me!

Back to normal...sort of

Update (1:10AM)

Things have gone rather smoothly tonight! We found a few errors here and there, but the fixes were pretty quick and easy. I haven't taken any pictures because we've literally been working for most of the night. I definitely didn't get the stressful, frustrating, or exhilirating night that I was promised. And I thank God for that, because I really don't require that kind of drama at this point. Just some sleep.

Key races of interest:
Maryland Senate - Michael Steele (R) defeated by Ben Cardin (D) Very disappointing for me.

Tennessee Senate - Bob Corker (R) wins over Harold Ford, Jr. (D)

Virginia Senate - Too close to call at this point. Only 1 or 2 thousand votes separate the candidates.

Michigan Ballot Measure: The Restrict Affirmative Action measure has passed with a landslide.

Other Ballot Measure: Ban Same-Sex Marriage measure has passed in most states (so far Arizona is the only one that rejected this ban)

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I'm feeling much better now that the strep throat appears to have vacated the premises. Thanks for all of the well wishes!! There was a cloud of gloom and despair hanging over my head at the mere thought of one of my babies catching strep. I thought that my fears were realized when Olan became feverish on Friday/Saturday. It only lasted a day, and just as he got better Cassie began getting sick on Sunday! At this point, they both appear to be back to normal. Now, if we can just keep Chris healthy, all is well in the Gill household.

But things haven't gotten back to normal completely yet. I have spent the past week working some amazingly crazy hours. We've worked very hard getting cnn.com all prepped for the Midterm Elections coverage. I left work at midnight, and 2:30am on this past Friday and Sunday evenings. Yesterday was a pretty long day as well, but today will be the kicker. I have to be at work between 2-3pm and won't leave until 2am at the earliest! Gotta wait for that last poll closing up in Alaska before we can be sure that everything went off without a hitch. :-)

I'm not sure what this day will entail in its entirety, but I've heard from other developers who worked on 2004 CNN Elections coverage that it will be stressful, frustrating, tiring, and exhilirating...in that exact order. In fact, I hear that once it's all over and all precincts have turned in their results, it's the most exhilirating night for the CNN.com IT team! I'm taking my camera to work with me today to try and get a few pics. I may get it thrown at me at some point in the evening/morning but at least I'll be expecting it. :-)

Our bosses gave us the rest of the week off after tonight, so I'll be sleeping for the rest of the week. But of course that means that I'll have more time to blog over the next few days, and blog I WILL!

Please view http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/ throughout today and tomorrow for the most up-to-date elections coverage!