Aura

AUGUSTA, Ga. - James Driscoll wanted to be inconspicuous shortly after he arrived here for his first Masters. Staying in the famous Crow's Nest above the clubhouse at Augusta National, Driscoll tried to avoid getting in the way of those attending the annual champions' dinner Tuesday night. "I was running up to drop off my clubs and take a quick shower," Driscoll recalled yesterday. `There are two ways you can go out ... and I could see a bunch of people through the glass window in the door and I tried to go the other way."

When a job change forced John and Peggy Culleton to relocate 30 years ago, they went in search of a "nice community." What they found was Eldersburg. "In my little neighborhood, we have very quiet, very pleasant neighbors. It's a very stable neighborhood with not much turnover, and that's what I still like," said John Culleton. "Eldersburg is not flat, but gently rolling and is still a pretty place in many ways," Culleton said. "There's a good base of churches and synagogues, and that has become the glue that holds the community together."

THOSE SEEKING RELIEF from life's emotional or physical pains might find help at the "Introduction to Reiki" workshop, sponsored by the Women's Place, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at Carroll County General Hospital. Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a Japanese healing technique devised in the late 1800s by Dr. Mikao Usui. According to practitioners, reiki taps into the universal life force that surrounds all living things. Channeling this force into the body can enhance the effectiveness of medical treatments or ease emotional distress.

It was left to Oakland Athletics first baseman Jason Giambi, drenched in champagne and the euphoria of winning a division title, to sum up the vulnerability of the two-time defending World Series champions. He needed only three words. Each one stung as much as the alcohol dripping into his eyes. "Bring 'em on." Giambi isn't scared of the New York Yankees. Who is anymore? Their pedigree suggests they remain the team to beat in the American League playoffs, which begin tonight. Their recent performances say otherwise.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- He is the overwhelming favorite to win the 64th Masters, having all but clinched his second straight Player of the Year award on the PGA Tour before the season's first major. His lead in the world rankings is so significant that it could take another millennium -- or least a couple of years -- for someone else to claim the top spot. So it is difficult to imagine Tiger Woods being intimidated, yet he can remember it clearly. "It's the first and only time," Woods said yesterday.

WHATEVER happened to the notion of a George W. Bush dynastic coronation as the Republican presidential nominee? The Texas governor raised $70 million and is backed by top party leaders. But he didn't fare as well as expected in the Iowa caucuses Jan. 24, and he was steamrollered Tuesday in New Hampshire by Arizona Sen. John McCain. Momentum swung to Mr. McCain, who has earned a reputation for speaking his mind and fighting entrenched Establishment ways. New Hampshire voters overwhelmingly favored his independent streak.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- If one is planning a visit to the stately Williamsburg Inn, it helps to have a keen appreciation for the Colonial period of our nation's history. Otherwise, one may wonder if one has lost one's mind. Or stumbled onto the set of an old "Twilight Zone" episode. When my wife and I arrived for a recent stay, for example, it was May 15, 1776. Virginia had just declared its independence from Great Britain, breaking all ties with the world's greatest power. The celebration was well under way, and news of the Virginia delegates' unanimous vote was spreading throughout the city.

People seek fulfillment through many things: love, religion, art. Then there are those who seek it in shower gel. Aveda has one called "Fulfillment." It's part of the company's "Chakra" line of body cleansers with mood enhancing aromas. You can also choose "Motivation," "Attraction" and more. Lately, it seems, the cosmetic industry is looking for converts instead of customers. The companies and salespeople have turned into makeup missionaries, selling the concept that you can exfoliate your way to enlightenment.

When Dorothy Good was growing up in Reisterstown, the neighborhood to the east -- Owings Mills -- was just a name of a place on a map."Why, there really wasn't anything even there," said Good, a resident of Reisterstown for 71 of her 72 years. But in the last 15 years, Reisterstown, on the map for 241 years, has been overshadowed and practically engulfed by the high growth of Owings Mills and Owings Mills New Town.Still, residents of Reisterstown think of themselves as a separate town with its own identity, quite apart from Owings Mills.