in the console.log or xpages_execxxxx.log file in the Notes\Data\IBM_TECHNICAL_SUPPORT folder of your notes client?

Should tell you something.  At least a stack trace. 

The console.log has:

20E4:0002-2178] 11/15/2013 02:12:25 PM  JVM: Java Virtual Machine initialized.
[20E4:0002-2178] 11/15/2013 02:12:25 PM  HTTP Server: Java Virtual Machine loaded
[20E4:0002-2178] 11/15/2013 02:12:26 PM  Xsp Initialization error - Could not load class or methods
[20E4:0002-2178] 11/15/2013 02:12:26 PM  No statistics block. HTTP load statistics will not be collected
[20E4:0009-206C] 11/15/2013 02:12:26 PM  HTTP Web Server: Command Not Handled Exception [/sample.nsf/test.xsp] Anonymous
[20E4:0002-2178] 11/15/2013 02:12:26 PM  HTTP Server: Started

The XSP initialization error is probably the key here but I don't know if that means the JVM is corrupt or something else.

the XSP engine is borked.  Try to do a client "repair" installation.  that should make sure all the bits and bytes are in order without a full reinstall.

There was a few issues.  I think, as Paul suggested, there was some corruption.  So I uninstalled Notes and renamed the legacy jvm directory to oldjvm and reinstalled.  Then I got a few permission errors.  Fixed them by adding in an entry in the java.policy file for this NSF.  The app was using DB2 as well so putting the db2 jar files into jvm/lib/ext solved the remaining pieces.

Thanks to the responders.

Mike