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An Unexpected Passing

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The obituary in Sunday’s Grand Rapids Press was informed by a narrative I would not have predicted:

KUIPER – Thomas Albert Kuiper, age 55, passed away unexpectedly from his life on Sunday March 14, 2010 and entered into eternity to wait for the Lord’s return. Tom, the 4th child of George and Kathryn (Haan) Kuiper, was born on December 24, 1954 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was an ordained Deacon and active member of the New Apostolic Church. Tom enjoyed preparing pig roasts for his brothers and sisters in faith, fishing in Canada, and golfing through out the States. He was a licensed auto mechanic, licensed builder, and past Business Agent for the I.A.T.S.E. Local 26. He was preceded into eternity by his mother, Kay. Tom will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 22 years, Karen (Scheerhoorn) Kuiper; father, George Kuiper Jr.; brothers, Steve and Sue Kuiper; Ray and Judy Kuiper, Ken and Debbie Kuiper, and Paul and Nancy Kuiper; sisters, Kathy Blake, Patty Kuiper, and Ann Kuiper; brother-in-law, Ray Scheerhorn; sister-in-law, Pat Scheerhoorn; several nephews, nieces and many beloved friends. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. at the New Apostolic Church, 4501 56th St SW, Wyoming, MI with District Elder Scott Heidema officiating. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to the charity of ones choice. We are only on this earth for a short time. Make an impression on someone else’s life, help someone in need, do a good deed without rewards, smile and laugh as much as you can. That’s how Tom lived!

Tom Kuiper was my biological father. The last time I saw him, I was perhaps six years old. I actually still remember the scene: My mother and her new husband, who was trying to adopt us, welcomed Tom into the house. It was shortly before Christmas, and Tom asked me what I wanted Santa to bring. I recall not wanting to tell him, but he persisted — so I whispered to him: “Just sign the papers.” 

The last time I saw my biological father, I asked him to give me up for adoption.

Over the years I have occasionally thought about him. Although Ed eventually did adopt us, and did good by us, part of me had a detached sort of curiosity about the paternal bloodline.  Irrespective of where one falls on the nature/nurture question, some things are unavoidable — disease, for one. Was I more open to heart conditions or Alzheimer’s or any other condition that has a genetic risk factor? Did I eventually have any half-brothers or half-sisters out there?

Family is a funny thing. The Kuipers, it seems, had absolutely no interest in their genetic kin. The Gillikins, by contrast, welcomed Brian and me into their huge family with open arms, with no red-headed-adopted-stepchild nonsense on display. Once we were Ed’s, then we were Gillikins. Enough said. And even though I have drifted apart from his larger family, I respect and appreciate the way they embraced us.

I often wonder whether bloodline is the least important part of being family. The people who we keep close, no matter the source of their DNA, are family. Others, no matter how close the blood, simply never make the leap. Family is that group of people that you could call with a 3 a.m. emergency and know that they’d answer and do something to help you.

To some small degree, I regret that I never had any contact with the Kuipers over the years. I wonder what I might have learned about myself, had I the opportunity to go fly fishing with Tom.

I will probably attend the memorial service; I may sneak in the back and observe. See the dynamic in action. See the faces, hear the voices, then close the door permanently on a question that was resolved not by my inquiry but by impersonal circumstance.

Personal

Homes

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This evening I turned in the keys to my apartment, having cleared it out and boxed up most of the small amount of stuff I have remaining. I am grateful to Charlie, who helped me schlep boxes.

The act of moving prompts thoughts of homes past and future.

The first real home of which I was conscious was the house on Little Brower Lake. We moved in with Ed after my mom divorced; I was in kindergarten at the time. We lived there about two years, until we bought a house on Lincoln Avenue in rural northwest Grand Rapids. We lived _there_ perhaps four years, until we built the Marne house, about a mile down the road on Lincoln. That house was “home” — I lived there from the fourth grade until well into my college years. Despite a stint in the dorms in Kalamazoo, I lived most of my life in the Marne house, just 500 feet away from my grandparents, with whom I was close.

When mom sold the house in the spring of 2003, I moved to my first apartment at Kellogg Cove in Kentwood. For the first couple of years, it was fabulous — quiet, clean, conveniently located near the Gaines Township shopping area and US-131. I lived there more than four years. Although the last year or so sucked — I had loud upstairs neighbors who were up all night — I do miss that place. It felt comfortable. I lost weight there, started karate there, and experienced other life milestones there.

After that, I spent a year and a half at my moms condo, until it sold last spring, and we moved into Apple Ridge.

I have no complaints about Apple Ridge. It was a decent place, clean and quiet. But it wasn’t my first choice. It never felt like home.

As I prepare for my next housing transition (four to six weeks here, then off to better things), it occurred to me that the “where” of a home is less important than how the place feels. Who is there with you? Who is in your life? Is “home” a place of comfort and joy and familiarity?

Domiciles come and go but homes are rarer things, a mix of person and place and time and space. Treasure them while you have them.

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The Next Adventure

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Tomorrow, I vacate my apartment at Apple Ridge.  I have lived there since late May. The place itself was pleasant — I enjoyed having two bedrooms, one of which served as my office, and there was a definite benefit to being located conveniently close to the essentials in Standale. Essentials like Blockbuster, Peppino’s Pizza and Meijer.

That said, it’s time to move on. Some exciting things are under development, and the next four-to-six weeks will witness some extraordinary change in the life of Jason.  This is for the good.  Sometimes it takes a “hard break” like a residential relocation to keep one motivated and moving forward, focused on goals and on the people we love.

In the interim, I’ll be shacking up with family, which has its strengths and weaknesses, but it reinforces the temporary nature of the arrangement.  Today, I’ve been shedding stuff — I sold my desk, recliner, and dinette.  I have a ton of stuff that will either be junked, or given away to scavengers.  When the move is done, I’ll have very little left, which suits me just fine.  The reduction of “stuff” is healthy and appropriate.

So, one chapter in live’s novel is closing, and a new one is about to begin. Yay!

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Jason’s Playlist

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This morning I was exposed to the delicious treat of listening to a pair of GVSU students talk about their favorite musical talent. What made the conversation interesting was that the female half was clearly immersed in the minutiae of genres and obscure artists, while the male half knew a few names but was far more interested at staring at the young lady’s ample and well-shaped bosom. Apparently, stumbling through a music conversation was his passport to a grand sightseeing adventure.

Their teenage exchange prompted me to reflect on my own choices in music.  In the spirit of sharing, I’m offering my list of preferred music, with commentary.  Caveat lector.

* N.B. — In general, I prefer baroque-era music (especially Bach’s organ works and similar, ornate and musically complex works) and medieval polyphony. However, since a list consisting of “Bach, J.S.” and “Anonymous 4” doesn’t really warrant a full blog post, I’ll focus on what I like in music written since 1960.

Jason’s Playlist: Alpha by Artist

  • AC/DC.  You Shook Me All Night Long.  Why?  Because it’s fun to sing along on a summer day with the windows down and the volume maxed out.
  • Aerosmith.  Dream On.  The melody and the lyrics resonate.
  • Air Supply.  Nothing at All.  One of my all-time favorite love ballads, mostly because I like the verse lyrics — the “And …” trope is pretty cool.
  • Bon Jovi.  I’ll Be There for You.  Fond memories from my youth make this a sentimental favorite.
  • Bon Jovi.  Livin’ on a Prayer.  One of my three signature karaoke songs.
  • Cabrera, Ryan.  On the Way Down.  I just like it.
  • Cetera, Peter.  Glory of Love.  Another hit from my youth.
  • Cheap Trick.  Surrender.  One of my three signature karaoke songs.
  • Def Leppard.  Love Bites.  I just like it.
  • Eminem.  8 Mile.  Listen to the words — powerful stuff.
  • Eminem.  Sing for the Moment.  Again, powerful lyrics and an interesting social commentary.
  • Five for Fighting.  Superman.  The lyrics resonated very strongly when I was in a funk a while back.
  • Fogelberg, Dan.  Leader of the Band.  I think of my grandfather every time I hear this song.
  • Gaynor, Gloria.  I Will Survive.  The beat and the brass and an extra dash of sass make this a perennial favorite.
  • Gentry, Montgomery.  Roll with Me.  Sentimental reasons.
  • Gin Blossoms.  Follow You Down.  I just like it.
  • Goo Goo Dolls.  Iris.  Yeah, I know, but still.
  • Goo Goo Dolls.  Name.  Like the lyrics.
  • Green Day.  Good Riddance.  This song gives me a sense of “mission accomplished,” not sure why.
  • Guns ‘n Roses.  Every Rose Has Its Thorn.  Middle-school sentimentality — I loved dancing to this song.
  • Guns ‘n Roses.  Sweet Child O’ Mine.  The riffs are world-class, and the extended metaphors are surprisingly adept.
  • Hanson.  I Will Come to You.  A capella musicality at its most brilliant.
  • Hawkes, Chesney.  The One and Only.  Miles recommended it and I really enjoy it when I need a little anthem to boost my spirits.
  • Henley, Don.  The Heart of the Matter.  I like the theme of the song.  Henley has a skill in telling a story in musical format.
  • Hoobastank.  The Reason.  This song always makes me to think of what might have been had I made different choices at different points along my life.
  • Joel, Billy.  We Didn’t Start the Fire. The history buff in me loves the litanies.
  • Lachey, Nick.  What’s Left of Me.  Ryan sent me this song.
  • Lavigne, Avril.  Complicated.  Reminds me of a couple I used to know really well, and I still like the song for its memories in addition to the point it makes.
  • Limp Bizkit.  Behind Blue Eyes.  Haunting.
  • Linkin Park.  Numb.  I played this song over and over and over after a breakup years ago.
  • Madonna.  Crazy for You.  I loved roller-skating to this song during junior high.
  • Marx, Richard.  Hazard.  The song’s (true) backstory is fascinating but the song itself is phenomenal.  The melody is appropriately somber relative to the lyrics.
  • Matchbox 20.  Bent.  Love it, my pace always quickened when this came up on the playlist while I was running.
  • Matchbox 20.  Unwell.  I used to think about myself when this one came up in rotation.
  • Morissette, Alanis.  You Oughta Know.  SpiteRock is fun sometimes.  Especially when you’re already bitter.
  • Oasis.  Wonderwall.  I just like it.
  • Pearl Jam.  Better Man.  My “neighbors” in the dorm my freshman year used to blast this, and I grew to appreciate it.
  • Poison.  Ride the Wind.  A great summer roadtrip song.
  • Poison.  Something to Believe In.  I love the lyrics.
  • Pop Evil.  100 in a 55.  Sentimental reasons.
  • Restless Heart.  When She Cries.  My dad used to play this a lot in his truck, and I grew to like it.  It is like a “snapshot” song that reminds me of happy memories.
  • Rogers, Kenny.  Islands in the Stream.  The perfect duet song.  I believe he does it with Dolly Parton.  When it pops up I fantasize I’m singing it with Jessica Simpson (don’t ask) at the karaoke bar at Imperial Palace in Las Vegas.
  •  Rogers, Kenny.  The Gambler.  OK, who doesn’t love this song?  Anyone who has ever stepped foot in a casino at The Happiest Place on Earth has adopted this as a secondary national anthem.
  • Simon & Garfunkel.  Sounds of Silence.  OK, so not everything that came from the 60s was bad.
  • Stewart, Rod.  Rhythm of My Heart.  One of my three signature karaoke songs — a real crowd-pleaser.
  • Third Eye Blind.  Semi-Charmed Life.  This is just a fun song.
  • Toto.  Rosanna.  A song I remember from my very young days, it used to play a lot on the radio and I just decided I liked it — a judgment that so far hasn’t changed.
  • Train.  Meet Virginia.  Love the lyrics.  I was going to make this a signature karaoke song but Emilie thought it was a dumb idea.
  • Tyler, Bonnie.  Holding Out for a Hero.  ’80s synth at its most magnificent — an under-rated iconic song from the heady days of the Reagan Revolution.
  • Tyler, Bonnie.  Total Eclipse of the Heart (Extended).  My favorite rock ballad ever. 
  • Wham.  Careless Whisper.  Yeah, I know.  I get mocked a lot for this one.
  • White Lion.  When the Children Cry.  I have always liked the way this song was performed.

There.  Fifty-two songs spanning multiple genres.  I’m sure I’ve given my friends ample cannon fodder, but hey — I like what I like either because the melody is catchy or the lyrics resonate or the song is associated with some memory, person or event.  At the end of the day, I’d rather like music that means something to me than to like music that other people think I should like in order to be considered trendy or musically literate.

Happy listening!

Personal

Jason's Playlist

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This morning I was exposed to the delicious treat of listening to a pair of GVSU students talk about their favorite musical talent. What made the conversation interesting was that the female half was clearly immersed in the minutiae of genres and obscure artists, while the male half knew a few names but was far more interested at staring at the young lady’s ample and well-shaped bosom. Apparently, stumbling through a music conversation was his passport to a grand sightseeing adventure.
Their teenage exchange prompted me to reflect on my own choices in music.  In the spirit of sharing, I’m offering my list of preferred music, with commentary.  Caveat lector.
* N.B. — In general, I prefer baroque-era music (especially Bach’s organ works and similar, ornate and musically complex works) and medieval polyphony. However, since a list consisting of “Bach, J.S.” and “Anonymous 4” doesn’t really warrant a full blog post, I’ll focus on what I like in music written since 1960.
Jason’s Playlist: Alpha by Artist

  • AC/DC.  You Shook Me All Night Long.  Why?  Because it’s fun to sing along on a summer day with the windows down and the volume maxed out.
  • Aerosmith.  Dream On.  The melody and the lyrics resonate.
  • Air Supply.  Nothing at All.  One of my all-time favorite love ballads, mostly because I like the verse lyrics — the “And …” trope is pretty cool.
  • Bon Jovi.  I’ll Be There for You.  Fond memories from my youth make this a sentimental favorite.
  • Bon Jovi.  Livin’ on a Prayer.  One of my three signature karaoke songs.
  • Cabrera, Ryan.  On the Way Down.  I just like it.
  • Cetera, Peter.  Glory of Love.  Another hit from my youth.
  • Cheap Trick.  Surrender.  One of my three signature karaoke songs.
  • Def Leppard.  Love Bites.  I just like it.
  • Eminem.  8 Mile.  Listen to the words — powerful stuff.
  • Eminem.  Sing for the Moment.  Again, powerful lyrics and an interesting social commentary.
  • Five for Fighting.  Superman.  The lyrics resonated very strongly when I was in a funk a while back.
  • Fogelberg, Dan.  Leader of the Band.  I think of my grandfather every time I hear this song.
  • Gaynor, Gloria.  I Will Survive.  The beat and the brass and an extra dash of sass make this a perennial favorite.
  • Gentry, Montgomery.  Roll with Me.  Sentimental reasons.
  • Gin Blossoms.  Follow You Down.  I just like it.
  • Goo Goo Dolls.  Iris.  Yeah, I know, but still.
  • Goo Goo Dolls.  Name.  Like the lyrics.
  • Green Day.  Good Riddance.  This song gives me a sense of “mission accomplished,” not sure why.
  • Guns ‘n Roses.  Every Rose Has Its Thorn.  Middle-school sentimentality — I loved dancing to this song.
  • Guns ‘n Roses.  Sweet Child O’ Mine.  The riffs are world-class, and the extended metaphors are surprisingly adept.
  • Hanson.  I Will Come to You.  A capella musicality at its most brilliant.
  • Hawkes, Chesney.  The One and Only.  Miles recommended it and I really enjoy it when I need a little anthem to boost my spirits.
  • Henley, Don.  The Heart of the Matter.  I like the theme of the song.  Henley has a skill in telling a story in musical format.
  • Hoobastank.  The Reason.  This song always makes me to think of what might have been had I made different choices at different points along my life.
  • Joel, Billy.  We Didn’t Start the Fire. The history buff in me loves the litanies.
  • Lachey, Nick.  What’s Left of Me.  Ryan sent me this song.
  • Lavigne, Avril.  Complicated.  Reminds me of a couple I used to know really well, and I still like the song for its memories in addition to the point it makes.
  • Limp Bizkit.  Behind Blue Eyes.  Haunting.
  • Linkin Park.  Numb.  I played this song over and over and over after a breakup years ago.
  • Madonna.  Crazy for You.  I loved roller-skating to this song during junior high.
  • Marx, Richard.  Hazard.  The song’s (true) backstory is fascinating but the song itself is phenomenal.  The melody is appropriately somber relative to the lyrics.
  • Matchbox 20.  Bent.  Love it, my pace always quickened when this came up on the playlist while I was running.
  • Matchbox 20.  Unwell.  I used to think about myself when this one came up in rotation.
  • Morissette, Alanis.  You Oughta Know.  SpiteRock is fun sometimes.  Especially when you’re already bitter.
  • Oasis.  Wonderwall.  I just like it.
  • Pearl Jam.  Better Man.  My “neighbors” in the dorm my freshman year used to blast this, and I grew to appreciate it.
  • Poison.  Ride the Wind.  A great summer roadtrip song.
  • Poison.  Something to Believe In.  I love the lyrics.
  • Pop Evil.  100 in a 55.  Sentimental reasons.
  • Restless Heart.  When She Cries.  My dad used to play this a lot in his truck, and I grew to like it.  It is like a “snapshot” song that reminds me of happy memories.
  • Rogers, Kenny.  Islands in the Stream.  The perfect duet song.  I believe he does it with Dolly Parton.  When it pops up I fantasize I’m singing it with Jessica Simpson (don’t ask) at the karaoke bar at Imperial Palace in Las Vegas.
  •  Rogers, Kenny.  The Gambler.  OK, who doesn’t love this song?  Anyone who has ever stepped foot in a casino at The Happiest Place on Earth has adopted this as a secondary national anthem.
  • Simon & Garfunkel.  Sounds of Silence.  OK, so not everything that came from the 60s was bad.
  • Stewart, Rod.  Rhythm of My Heart.  One of my three signature karaoke songs — a real crowd-pleaser.
  • Third Eye Blind.  Semi-Charmed Life.  This is just a fun song.
  • Toto.  Rosanna.  A song I remember from my very young days, it used to play a lot on the radio and I just decided I liked it — a judgment that so far hasn’t changed.
  • Train.  Meet Virginia.  Love the lyrics.  I was going to make this a signature karaoke song but Emilie thought it was a dumb idea.
  • Tyler, Bonnie.  Holding Out for a Hero.  ’80s synth at its most magnificent — an under-rated iconic song from the heady days of the Reagan Revolution.
  • Tyler, Bonnie.  Total Eclipse of the Heart (Extended).  My favorite rock ballad ever. 
  • Wham.  Careless Whisper.  Yeah, I know.  I get mocked a lot for this one.
  • White Lion.  When the Children Cry.  I have always liked the way this song was performed.

There.  Fifty-two songs spanning multiple genres.  I’m sure I’ve given my friends ample cannon fodder, but hey — I like what I like either because the melody is catchy or the lyrics resonate or the song is associated with some memory, person or event.  At the end of the day, I’d rather like music that means something to me than to like music that other people think I should like in order to be considered trendy or musically literate.
Happy listening!

Personal

Hither and Yon

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This month marks the fourth anniversary of the current incarnation of A Mild Voice of Reason. In that time, I have accumulated 255 posts, 165 legitimate comments, and 4,832 spam comments rejected automatically by Akismet. This translates to 64 posts per year, or 1.2 posts per week. Not bad for a project that spans 40 percent of a decade.

A few recent developments:

  1. I’ll be moving again at the end of the month. Not sure where I will be on March 1, although I have a good sense of where I will end up in the long run. My current apartment was a joint lease between me and my mother, and now that lease has terminated.
  2. Ryan, Jess and the kids are in Bay City. Jess experienced two deaths in her family in January (for which she has my sincere condolences), and one of the funerals was yesterday. Other than that, things are good. The kids are happy, healthy and strong. Ryan is doing really well; he has recently gotten back into doing some architectural drawings again.
  3. I’ve had a little bit of social interaction this week. Had a quick cup of coffee with Alejandro this past week, and yesterday I went to dinner (Palace of India) and drinks (Mangiamo!) with Stacie and Charlie. That was fun.
  4. I continue to recover since beginning Vitamin D supplements two months ago. Amazing how something as trivial-sounding as a vitamin deficiency can so thoroughly kick one’s buttocks. Next step: Re-regulating my weight, which spiked in the last few months of 2009. Need to drop about 30 lbs. to return to relative normalcy.
  5. The hospital front continues to fascinate. We hired a new person who started the Monday before last. Verdict is still out on how well the Informatics team is going to coalesce.
  6. I continue to do my Demand Studios writing. I recently crossed the “300 articles” mark, which is cool. At $15 per article, this has turned into a pleasant source of secondary revenue.

All for now.

Personal

January, My Arch Nemesis

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A few items of interest —

  • Had another movie night last night, with a theme of parodies.  Alaric, Sondra, Charlie, and Becca attended for a screening of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Epic Movie. It was a good time, and we also availed ourselves of the opportunity to catch the final episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.
  • I did my taxes online yesterday. Much to my regret, I had to pay a self-employment tax on my revenue from Gillikin Consulting; nevertheless, I do get a modest refund.
  • I’ve been feeling much better after seven weeks into an eight-week prescription for Vitamin D. Yay.
  • The post-holiday doldrums have been alleviated from the ongoing drama of the Massachussetts Senate election and the politicking over health-care reform. I was quite pleased with Scott Brown’s margin of victory, and am intrigued at the way he branded himself to the MA electorate. GOP, pay attention.
  • The health-care debate irritates me. The plans put forward by the Democrats will not lower costs or improve quality.  More people may be covered, but this coverage will come at a steep price for the system as a whole. Health reform should not have mandates, and it should include tort reform. Limits on awards for alleged malpractice is essential to reduce expensive “defensive medicine” — the practice by many physicians of ordering tests and procedures that may not be necessary medically, but are more likely to avert a lawsuit.
  • We have a new guy starting Monday in our department at the hospital.  Should be interesting.
  • A few weeks ago Tony came to Grand Rapids for a weekend dedicated to business development.  This was a valuable exercise in priority-setting, allowing me to refocus and retool Gillikin Consulting away from a predominately writing enterprise into a general-business consultancy with an emphasis on development, communications, quality improvement, and ethics.  This feels more “natural” and makes GCG more marketable.
  • Duane has lent me Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, which so far seems to be an interesting book.
  • Filming on the indie film Small Change by my friend Chris of Dogbyte Films is moving along well. Several scenes are set at my hospital office, and the boss in the film is using my workspace. Cool.

For the most part, things have been fairly quiet and routine over the last three weeks.  February, however, promises to be much more interesting.  Stay tuned.

Personal

Why I Bother, 2010 Edition

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A few reflections to inaugurate 2010:

The Fullness of Life

The measure of a man is best assessed in the sincerity of his struggle to realize his natural potential. For me, this potential is rooted in the development of authentic wisdom, obtained through the joyful pursuit of diverse experiences, meaningful relationships, and new ideas.

Vision

I aspire to be an elderly man who, upon his 70th birthday, can look himself in the mirror free of the sting of regret.

Key Strategies

  1. Reduce consumption.
  2. Cultivate serenity.
  3. Nurture relationships.
  4. Exhibit insatiable curiosity.

Why Bother?

“See everything, overlook much, change what you can.”
+John XXIII

“The Road goes ever on and on/Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,/And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,/Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet./And whither then? I cannot say.”
+ J.R.R. Tolkein, The Hobbit

Roadmap for 2010

  • Develop and begin a personal life reading list. [February]
  • Return to piano and vocal private training. [March]
  • Return to the practice of karate, escrima, and yoga. Begin kendo. [April]
  • Get a HAM license. [May]
  • Finish transition to full-time self-employment. [Spring]
  • Recalibrate spiritually. [Lent/Easter]
  • Do a long-distance backcountry hike. [June]
  • Achieve divemaster certification. [July]
  • Earn USPA class A licensure. [August]
  • Attend Wilderness First Responder training. [Autumn]
  • Obtain parliamentarian certification. [September]
  • Compete in Grand Rapids Marathon. [October]
  • Complete novel manuscript. [November]
  • Liquidate all remaining personal debts. [December]

The path to excellence begins with a single step.

Personal

Cleansing

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Interesting way to start the new year – I deleted eight of 14 email addresses, and got rid of all but five IM accounts. Most of these were holdovers from my sim days, or from when I was concerned about anonymity during my wilder “dating” days. No need to keep them around any longer.

All that remain, in terms of email, are my personal email, three work addresses, and Hotmail and Gmail addresses. For IM, I have one AIM, two Yahoo, an MSN, and a Google Talk screen name.

Much cleaner.

And on top of it, I finally bit the bullet and leased space on an Exchange server with BES so I can keep everything synchronized between Outlook, a Web client, and my Blackberry. No more trying in vain to force Outlook 2010 beta (x64) to connect to Horde.