Thomas Bain:  

Life I was born. I will die. I'm trying to make the best of what God has given me between the cradle and the grave. My purpose for being here may have passed or is yet to come. I am quite happily married. My wife and I have 2 kids - our son Tyler (10), and his sister Kylene (8 going on 23), also lovingly known as and answer to Crumb Snatcher and Ankle Biter repectively. Our house is pretty full with 4 dogs, 2 cats, 2 Guinnea Pigs, 2 rabbits, and now thanks to Santa '07, a Red Eared Slider - a turtle. After grammar school at Spring Garden, I attended Franklin Jr. High, and after that is when I seemingly dropped-out of the picture. Due to not having the best of grades and a seeming lack of focus and concern, I was sent to Essex Catholic High School in Newark where I got a few more days off than my public school counterparts but honestly, little else. During High School at age 16, I joined the Nutley Volunteer Emergency & Rescue Squad and put in a total of 18 years with that fine organization. In 1986, I became a Police Officer in the City of East Orange NJ, and enjoyed a good, honorable career there doing what I truely believe was what I was meant to do. I retired as a Detective on September 1st 2006 with 20 years in, but I do miss the daily adrenalin rushes and all the fun and just plain stupid stuff that only cops get to see and experience. All in all, those 20 years were a fun ride. Check Amazon.com in a few years for my book! 1976 to 2006 - that's 30 years to the day of caring about people and their problems, (some by chance, some by choice, some by not learning from their mistakes, still some totally self-created and blamed on others and refusing to take responsibility for their own actions), and running into places while most are running out. I'm tired and retired and still adjusting. My family and I live on a small farm, (or a really big garden, depending on who you talk to), in Northampton County Pennsylvania - about an hour and a half away from Nutley, Essex County, and East Orange. We lease our property to a local farmer for $1.00 a year, who raises four acres of corn or wheat, (rotating every two years...crop rotation, just like we learned about in school but didn't know why), and three acres of hay. My wife and I are very active in our church, church and faith-based charities, and our kid's education at the parish school. My definite better half, Michelle, is a Registered Nurse working the Pediatric Unit at one of the larger, more prominant hospitals in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. I am pretty much a full-time "Mr. Mom" and loving (nearly) every second of it! Getting'em up in the morning...Expand for more