My friends at Packt Publishing have an exciting new Buy One, Get One Free promotion, to celebrate their 2,000th title.  See this link below for details!  I have their books on Oracle Data Integrator (both) and Oracle GoldenGate (all) in my professional library.  Build yours today!

Buy One, Get One Free on all of #Packt’s 2,000 eBooks    http://bit.ly/1j26nPN 

The folks at Packt Publishers Twittter: @packtpub have a new video series that's worth exploring. I've had a chance to review the Oracle Data Integrator (ODI) title.  The ODI Title from @packtpub by Andreas Nobbmann is well-produced and technically accurate. http://bit.ly/1i8k1jr  has complete info.  It is very reasonably priced for the value it provides.

This publisher has two other books about Oracle Data Integrator that you will find are extremely well-written and quite popular in the Oracle world.  Check them out.

http://www.packtpub.com

Back Home in Tears

I knew it would come to this: I'd go away for a couple of weeks, try to cope as best as can be expected (maybe better) and, despite my predictions to the contrary, come home to this empty house - this shell devoid of Connie's warmth. At least my son was here to greet me warmly; for that I'm truly grateful. But then I got the mail.

The mail.

A pile a foot or more deep. Letters. Sympathy cards. Catholic Mass cards. There are letters from those benefiting from the largess of our friends. Overwhelming love and caring seeps through as I slash through each envelope, tearing and clawing at the rough paper to unveil the uniqueness conveyed by each correspondent. The tears come easily. The missing is amplified. The pain of loss is almost too much for the heart. They call it grief. I prefer despair.

And yet, somehow, the mail confirms. It fills the emptiness of house and converts it to a home again. It's filled with blessings, with happy people remembering this beautiful soul that I was all too fortunate to love for so long. For too short a time.

My distress is dampened a bit. Perhaps it's from the tears trailing down my cheeks, cooling, soothing, as if they were some indeterminate potion. It reminds me of how many lives were touched and transformed by knowing her. By working with her. By loving her.

I vow to add another post, another update to a tale worth telling. I hope to find a fresh phrase that expresses thanks in my own way. Fighting off cliches, I beg forgiveness for delaying my response. I promise to subdue despair. I pledge to read the mail.

Boy and Car

Left: Gerry N2GJ in front of his old 1978 Toyota (which was brand new when this photo was taken!)

Right: Gerry N2GJ sitting at his ham shack in Kingston, NJ in 1978. This photo became the picture on his QSL card (he bought 1,000 of them and still has a few left!) Note the Kenwood TS-520, D-104 microphone, RCA Tac-Tec handi-talkie, The SBE-144 2-meter transceiver and the CDE Rotor box (that drove my Ham-M rotor that turned my TA-36/40 beam). OH, and the "Not a CB'er" bumper sticker....

My Favorite Airplane of All Time

Here is a photo of a model built by Ron Peterka of Ramona, CA. I saw a picture of this plane (a Ryan STA) in a magazine and wrote to him to say how much I liked it. He sent me an original photo of it (along with a gorgeous photo of a model Gee Bee racer he also built). This is a 1/6th scale model. I hope you like it as much as I do!

I believe Steve Pitcairn (of the autogiro family fame) actually owns an original STA -- at least I remember seeing a photo of him flying one on the cover of an airplane magazine a bunch of years ago.

Memo from Lewis F. Kornfeld, Jr.

I once wrote a letter to the head of Radio Shack. At that time, this was Lewis F. Kornfeld, Jr. He wrote this hand-written note back to me that said:

To: Jeri
Date 3/12/1980

Thanks for your interesting clipping!!

The Ham business just seems beyond our current intentions due to an insufficient population. Many of us hope that situation will change.

With 7600 world outlets, we really must stay with big movers and turnover. Imagine 7600 Collins floor samples?

Appreciatively,

Lew Kornfeld

My friend Al AA2H

This is a photo of my friend, Al AA2H, taken during ARRL Field Day back in 1978! He's really a great guy!

73,

GJ