Yay -- we got some digital pics this morning from the coworker from our
department who had her baby in early October. What a BEAUTIFUL little
girl! :o) I was one of the ones who, prior to Linda's departure on
maternity leave, reminded her multiple times "Send pictures!" Well, the
pics came out great. Now it's time to hound Linda to bring the baby for
a visit ASAP, so everyone can dote on Alyssa properly. :o)

I hope things turn out equally well for KM, the young lady from the
Property department who I'm helping to fill in for. She had to go out
on maternity leave a few months early, due to premature contractions.
She was supposed to go out at the end of the year, just as Linda was
coming back from HER maternity leave. Instead, she and Linda went out
on leave within a few days of each other, just at the end of September.
KM has been on strict bedrest since she went out, to try and prevent
the contractions from starting prematurely again, because it's still
WAY too soon for her baby to be born. She's on meds -- steroids, I
think -- to help speed up the development of the baby's lungs, also.
This way, it increases the odds that the baby will be all right even if
she's born prematurely.

I work at KM's desk for part of every afternoon now, and every time I
do, I encounter pictures of her, her husband, and (I presume) their
four cats. :o) When I see them, I hope that they're ALL fine, including
their unborn little girl. Say a prayer that I'll have nothing but good
news to report on that score.

In other news... score one for the "little voice". I have learned, the
hard way, to listen to the "little voice" when I get a sense that I
should, or should not, do something. Early in my job search, I attended
a job fair where one local IT company actually left me unnerved... the
guy who reviewed my resume practically laughed in my face as he told
me, "We haven't got anything for someone with YOUR background". He
genuinely looked like he was ENJOYING delivering that news, something
that I have not encountered before or since, and it made my skin crawl.

Anyway, the "little voice" kicked in, giving me a sense to steer WELL
clear of that firm, because Something Wasn't Right there. Every time
I've seen or heard their name in an advertisement, including the ones
declaring that they're hiring, I've gotten the creeps and a sense of
revulsion; needless to say, I have NOT applied there since that weird
episode at the job fair.

Sure enough, I woke up to a headline this morning that federal agents
have raided that firm's offices and taken out file cabinets and other
records, as part of a criminal investigation. I'm glad I listened to
the "little voice" and steered clear of that creepy firm.

For the next couple of weeks, this article will be available online, so
check it out if you are interested in more info:

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/10041924.htm