Katrina.com
How the long time owner of katrina.com started helping people after the disaster.
providing relief
I don’t really want to discuss the aftermath of Katrina’s destruction. You see it on the news, you hear it on the radio, it’s all over the Internet. What is happening on the Gulf Coast is horrific. To say the least, the government was slow to respond. But now is not the time to blame anyone; people need help and they need it now. Here’s how we can do our part:
- Donate to the American Red Cross
- Network for Good provides a list of places where you can contribute food, money, a place to stay, or your time
- USA TODAY has links to these and other places
My cousin once said that it’s a shame our family couldn’t get together unless there’s a death in the family. The country shouldn’t have to go through tragedy to band together. But in times like these, we seem to be at our strongest – united and determined. It is a shame that these States can’t be United everyday.
happy friday
what’s going on …
- Kids are back in school. I think I speak for all parents in saying, “Thank God!”
- Interviewed for the tech support position yesterday. Went very well; it sounds as if the IT department is excited that I’ve applied. The pay is better, and the work is right up my alley. However, there are other top candidates; I’ll find out next week regarding a 2nd interview. It won’t be til after Labor Day when a decision will be made. I will say that I do like my chances.
- Tony La Russa is third on the all-time managerial win list; St Louis 6, Pittsburgh 3
- $2.45 a gallon; I see it dropping some more this weekend before it goes way up on Monday.
- Want to see where the sun is shining? Check out the World Sunlight Map.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Cards update
Both good news …
- Both Molina and Walker return from the disabled list
- St Louis 5, San Francisco 4; Edmonds hits walk-off double to cap 9th-inning comeback
- St Louis 4, San Francisco 2; Morris hits century mark
and bad …
recap/update
What a day. What a week. It’s all a blur. And I still have another day (damn).
- My partner’s off, so I have extra duties on my to-do list at work. My boss asked – no, I should say – begged for my help this afternoon. Offered me overtime. I said, “Sure!”
- Opportunity awaits: I put a bid in on a position (tech support) within the organization. Only 2 fellow co-workers know I’m contemplating this change. If they offer it to me, a few factors ($) will decide it for me.
- D’s been lacking some thought to the consequences of his actions (and his words). Hopefully, his mother and I have gotten through to him after two rough nights this week. Plain and simple – don’t make me angry. If it makes me mad, then don’t go there.
- I’ve tried twice in the last week to record my own podcast/audioblog via the MD recorder, but the results have been … eh. I may try again this weekend.
- Pretty soon, the current photoblog with My-Expressions.com will be gone since my free trial will be ending. Been working on a new one using WordPress. Don’t know why I didn’t think about using WP before. No sense in paying if I can do it myself. It’s going well, but I’m gonna need some help on some issues with archiving and EXIF details (camera data). When it’s ready to go, I’ll throw it out there for viewing.
- $2.58 a gallon. I don’t let my tank empty anymore. I just top it off every week when I think the price is low enough before it jumps again. This way, I only pay 5 or 6 bucks instead of 30 to 40. Last time I did was a week ago; it was “cheap” at $2.43. This is nothing if this expert is right about 2006.
- It’s hot outside. Again. If it’s not hot, it’s raining. If it’s not raining, it’s hot. This must be what it’s like in the Philippines. Can’t do anything really, unless you enjoy being sweaty or wet. Forecast says heat index of 110 for Friday. Poor Salem – his daily walk has become a weekends-only ritual.
TGIF tomorrow. Make the most of it, and the weekend will reward you.
preventable accidents
Teen in crash had traffic courtdate
Too many kids die young thanks to recklessness, peer pressure, and alcohol. Parents need to be more involved with their teenagers by knowing what they’re doing, knowing where they are. Yes, kids ultimately do what they want to, but with the right guidance they can tell right from wrong. I believe the age for obtaining a driver’s license should be raised from 16 to 18. Kids usually start driving at the age of 15 with adult supervision, but a year behind the wheel is not enough. And it’s my understanding that if you receive an “A” in the classroom and behind-the-wheel classes, there’s no need to take a test behind the wheel; the license is yours! That is SO WRONG. Especially when after receiving the license, the child has to stop and pull over so the parent can park the car.
diggnation and itunes
What a mess. And all for a top ranking.
- iTunes Podcast Ranking System Easily Manipulated (digg.com)
- well looks like we killed diggnation on itunes. (digg.com)
- Diggnation pulled off iTunes? (Revision3.com)
Who’s at fault? Not Apple. Not Revision3. The fans get obsessed with what they love, and this is what happens. The number 1 ranking only lasted so long, then the show itself is gone. Revision3 is already popular (look at the server problems they have; just like TWiT). I love what I listen to. And how do I reward those who create it? By staying subscribed and listening to it. Don’t cheat the system.
Harrison Ford Has Agreed To Indy Jones IV
Details on the Indiana Jones IV release date, Steven Spielberg’s comments about Indiana Jones IV.
ROTS on DVD
It’s official – Revenge of the Sith will be released on DVD on Nov 1. According to Digital Bits, there will be a 6-film box set of the entire Star Wars saga, but it will probably not be anytime soon (not this year, and probably not in 2006).
can you digg it?
Hey gang – how’s it going?
- Fixed the computer. Did a restore; now instead of 10 GB of free space, I have nearly 60.
- Finally uploaded our pics to my gallery and all albums are available to view. Phase 2: replace certain files with better quality pics.
- Haven’t been to the movies much this summer. CL, D, and I saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith a few weeks ago (pretty good). Last night CL and I watched Meet the Fockers (funny stuff).
- Cards are hot. At 62-35, they have the best record in the NL. However, key players are hurt, and they lost to the Cubs yesterday.
- Speaking of hot. 100 degree temps and heat index above 110 is ridiculous. Grass is growing without rain because it’s so tropical outside. Geez, it’s hot. It’s too hot.
- Digg.com – check it out. Top news in tech thanks to the users of Digg. See what news I digg in the right hand column, then digg some news yourself.
Stay cool if you can.
tidbits
news that interests me:
Edmonds scratched with rib contusion
Toronto 4, St Louis 1
CNN.com – Jackson jurors: Evidence ‘just wasn’t there’ – Jun 14, 2005 – This doesn’t really interest me; I’m just thankful this circus is over now.
NBA Finals: Defending champs are in a 2-game hole as they head back to Detroit for Game 3 – I was hoping for this series to go 7, but it looks like it may only go 4
Batman Begins opens Wednesday – D is going to see this with Grandpa; I’ll have to wait til after vacation
Dark day
Another in-house vacation day. It wasn’t a good one. I was stressed over how to do my job, and even though I was “independent”, I felt I had no control. No matter what I did or where I turned, I felt a “presence”. And it bugged the hell outta me.
I love my co-workers. But they seem to depend on me more these days, and I can’t support them as well as I used to. Each time I hear my name and am pulled in 15 different directions, I get aggravated. I think I can now honestly say, “I hate my job.”
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 55
Today was the congressional hearing on steroid abuse in Major League Baseball. Probably the most disappointing thing is Mark McGwire’s continued silence on the issue. I commend him for stating that baseball has a problem, and he certainly wants to help do something about it. But not stating either “yes” or “no” as to whether he has used steriods has placed him under the very cloud he’s trying to help remove.
Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro both denied ever using steroids. Palmeiro did so in convincing fashion. McGwire is sincere in his statements, and he showed great emotion. He’s a Boy Scout to Jose Canseco’s Bad Boy. Because he’s a good guy, I believe he cannot lie. If he’s telling the truth, it should be no problem for him to say “no, I have never used steroids”. But his lawyers tell him not to say that.
If he has used them, his lawyer, and possibly McGwire too, feels admitting it would destroy him. Unfortunately, his refusal to say anything today may already have done the damage.
I will always like McGwire, regardless of whether he has used steroids or not. I’ll take the good guy over the bad guy any day.
March Madness!
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 48
Big East tourney: Warrick, Syracuse hold off UConn 67-63
Win a pair of tickets to the Cardinals’ home opener
I’m late with this post, I guess. Just didn’t have time Friday night.
Friday was busier than normal. The boss and the safety team had an open house for their new office (located just above ours). To be on the boss’s good side, I felt I should attend; besides, they had free food! But I didn’t go. I had a lot to do, and I figured that was a good enough reason not to attend. And I didn’t want to go.
It’s March, and it’s Tourney time! The Madness hasn’t kicked in yet, but I haven’t watched a lot of college basketball this year. My team are the Huskies of the University of Connecticut, or as we fans know them, UConn. They’ve been on from time to time on national TV, but I’ve missed most of them. Finally got to see them in action last week when they blew out Syracuse in the season closer. The two met again in the semifinals of the Big East tournament, and Syracuse got their revenge. UConn has a young team, and they have the ability to repeat as national champions. But they still have some work to do; last night, the Orange dominated the Huskies in all areas UConn excels in.
On a sad note, the mother of Coach Weber of Illinois died last night after emergency surgery. Our thoughts and prayers go to Coach Weber and his family.
To blog or not to blog …
I read an interesting article today about blog-related firings (thanks to Scott for the tip!). Funny how my last post talked about discretion. Almost like I saw this coming.
As you can see, I’ve changed the title of my blog. I will also do my best to refrain from including any of (what we now know as) the “players”. If an event involves me, I will probably vent about it. Otherwise, everything else is hearsay.
And I need to move on. I archived my previous posts. They will not be accessible to anyone but me. If someone I trust is interested, please e-mail me about it (especially if you’re out of the loop).
Now about my day. Blah. It was busy. I had a ton of online notifications. Did a handful of scans. Almost had to issue a letter at closing time. My partner had a meeting this afternoon, and I actually did a return (boy, was I nervous!!). Got it done, though. Oh, and my Pepsi caps were losers.
The blog article did stick in my mind. Not that it bothered me so much; I guess it just made me try to rethink my approach and my attitude. I really am tired of all that’s gone on. I’m ready to go elsewhere.
On a lighter note, I want to share some pics with you. Here are pics of my niece Jasmine:
Dad is using Shutterfly. There’s no need for you to join; just click on “View Pictures” underneath the image you see.
My sincere apologies to those who were to hang out with me at Severs. Not everyone got my post regarding my cancellation. I will try to make sure everyone is aware when I cannot go. Not that I need to be there! I insist everyone go for a little bit, whether it be for a bite, a drink, or just to talk or listen. It’s good for you 
I’ll let you know when I plan to go again, and I’ll stick to it!
Til the next time … g’night!
To blog or not to blog …
I read an interesting article today about blog-related firings (thanks to Scott for the tip!). Funny how my last post talked about discretion. Almost like I saw this coming.
As you can see, I’ve changed the title of my blog. I will also do my best to refrain from including any of (what we now know as) the “players”. If an event involves me, I will probably vent about it. Otherwise, everything else is hearsay.
And I need to move on. I archived my previous posts. They will not be accessible to anyone but me. If someone I trust is interested, please e-mail me about it (especially if you’re out of the loop).
Now about my day. Blah. It was busy. I had a ton of online notifications. Did a handful of scans. Almost had to issue a letter at closing time. My partner had a meeting this afternoon, and I actually did a return (boy, was I nervous!!). Got it done, though. Oh, and my Pepsi caps were losers.
The blog article did stick in my mind. Not that it bothered me so much; I guess it just made me try to rethink my approach and my attitude. I really am tired of all that’s gone on. I’m ready to go elsewhere.
On a lighter note, I want to share some pics with you. Here are pics of my niece Jasmine:
Dad is using Shutterfly. There’s no need for you to join; just click on “View Pictures” underneath the image you see.
My sincere apologies to those who were to hang out with me at Severs. Not everyone got my post regarding my cancellation. I will try to make sure everyone is aware when I cannot go. Not that I need to be there! I insist everyone go for a little bit, whether it be for a bite, a drink, or just to talk or listen. It’s good for you I’ll let you know when I plan to go again, and I’ll stick to it!
Til the next time … g’night!
