Morning Edition - 12/23/05

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Three Strikes and You’re In?!
Three days after NYC transit workers walked off the job, leaving over seven million riders stranded, they chose to return to work today. The 35,000 employees of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) are trapped between their employer (the MTA) and their union, the Transit Workers Union (TWU). Last night, after hefty fines had been imposed on the union by a judge, union officials ordered the transit workers back to their posts. No contract has been finalized and it is rumored that the employees will now have the three days of fines and penalties worked into their new contracts. Somehow, it doesn’t seem the workers will get a fair shake at things. Of course, your friendly neighborhood editor was unable to come to work those three days, instead opting to power-shop, party and enjoy three free vacation days.

Without a Trace
Last night I received a disturbing telephone call from one of my cousin’s children. It seems my cousin, Nancy Robles, has vanished without a trace and has not been seen or heard from in over a week! Robles lives with her daughter in the south Bronx section of New York City and was last seen Thursday morning, December 15. Her daughter Crystal, alleges my cousin had been feeling ill that morning and that she asked Nancy to lie down until she felt better. Crystal says that upon returning from work that Thursday night, she found Nancy was gone, but she left her cell phone behind – a suspicious clue, since Nancy never leaves home without it. She has never been gone from her home without contacting a family member. Please pray for her speedy and safe return. I will update everyone in the coming days.
Description: Nancy Robles is approximately 5’4”, 165lbs, light-brown skinned, short blonde curls.

Not Joining Us in 2006
Both Isabela Maldonado and Andres Cruz – my aunt and uncle respectively – made this week their final week to grace us in life. Maldonado died last Tuesday of complications attributed to a heart condition while Cruz died of kidney failure on Wednesday. Maldonado was buried Wednesday and Cruz will be laid to rest today. Both lived and will be interned in Puerto Rico.

So, Uh…Yeah, Merry Christmas
It’s been a trying next-to-last week in 2005. Come to think of it, the last couple of weeks have been a bit on the morbid side. Whether it was the early frost that withered a blossoming relationship, the disappearance of a loved one or the death of two pillars of my family, it seems the end-of-year drama has been relentless. Strangely, I’ve been blessed with a composed peace this week. I am in great spirits and accept that nothing is happening that isn’t in my plan. Most important, I want to wish each of YOU, my blog family, a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! You have been my greatest gift this year. My blog family has provided me an outlet to sharpen my writing skills and also receive a plethora of opinions and viewpoints I would not have the benefit of otherwise. My best to everyone this holiday season.

On Blast
Is love felt in the heart or does it actually reside in the mind? If true love is defined as “To have a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward (a person). To have a feeling of intense desire and attraction toward (a person). To have an intense emotional attachment to” aren’t these feelings and emotions experienced by the mind and not the heart? Explain your view.

Keep passin’ the open windows…