From Ed Schwab, Systems and Network Administrator: A Slice of Life as an Admin. . . Well hey, everyone, and welcome to my first Letters from Tripod installment.. In a similar vein to last week's letter from Chris Young, I too have an inspiring, multi-purpose, hour-long commute into the beautiful mountains of Western Mass. It is during this daily trek that I can unwind, gear up for or digest the day's events, take time to think about life in general, or just veg while blasting music (a practice at which I've become quite proficient.) It was during yesterday's drive home that I truly realized that spring has finally hit the quaint town of Billsville and its surroundings with full force. This is an important event for me, marking a complete cycle of the seasons as a Northerner. It was a year ago that my wife and I moved here from southwestern Virginia, leaving the mountains of the Blue Ridge for those of the Berkshires. It has been seven months since I stumbled across Tripod's Systems Administrator position opening and became part of this exciting, dynamic team. But back to the coming of spring: with the cycling of the seasons I can say I feel that I now understand what it's like to settle in here, even if the winter was rather mild by New England standards. True, there are still some varieties of trees without buds or blooms, a pronounced night chill in the air, even some patches of snow clinging to the mountainsides at the ski resort I pass during my commute, but these are mere formalities. Whenever something — like the joy I associate with the coming of spring — elicits such a strong emotion, I try to stop and analyze the factors at play. I found myself doing this yesterday; here's a bit of what I came up with. Spring, how I love thee, let me count the ways: Smells of spring riding the warm air. Cruising with the windows down and sunroof open during the commute, strongly scented clouds of freshly-cut grass triggered happy memories of spring and summer days gone by. I even enjoyed a few pollen-induced sneezes, feeling fortunate that constant allergies aren't a part of my life. Light! There is nothing more depressing than waking up in the dark, working all day with only occasional glances into the sunlight coupled with temperatures that tend to keep you indoors, then driving home in the dark... ad nauseum. So I didn't mind squinting into the sunlight as I travelled westward, peering through an insect-streaked windshield. People. There were people out everywhere. Kids on bikes riding cautiously on the highway shoulder. Groups of older women taking afternoon strolls together. Families out on their lawns cooking and spending quality time. Joggers with dogs, packs of bikers, a few golfers, a kid on a 75cc dirt bike tearing through jumps alongside the woods. Everyone out in the sunshine, coming alive, embracing spring's return. Of course there's more, I could go on all day. . . What has this springtime held for you? Are you making the most of it? Perhaps you should get off your computer soon and enjoy it, after clicking a bit more around the pages of Tripod of course. Ed (5/8/98)