September 2005

Wednesday, 9-28-5

I was screwing around again on the web and started to really wonder about whether or not it is right to lift pictures from other sites and use them on your own. There are soooo many sites with the same content, I just always looked at it as, ... well, maybe not 'wrong' per se, but improper at least. I refrained from doing it because I didn't like it. However, unless the image or webpage is copyrighted, it is fair game as far as the law goes. (As I understand it anyway...)

The other day I was looking at a friend's website and saw that they had lifted pictures of me and of Teresa from this site. I was a little freaked out about it and although I know putting anything on the web is fair game to be stolen by anybody, I had assumed (wrongly) that a friend would ask permission before doing that. The worst part is that these pictures are reposted out of proportion and are distorted. Nothing like seeing a 3"x5" picture of yourself displayed at 3"x3". I look like a freaking gnome! Teresa's already paranoid about having her picture on the site, now she's been lifted and put on another site and although it is the same photo, it looks like a close up shot taken with a wide angle lens! If you're going to steal pictures from sites, at least repost them properly.

This all started last year. I saw an image that really made me laugh. One of those simple/almost stupid little bits that for some reason really grabbed me. I wanted to put it on my webpage so you all could see it so I made contact with the person whose site I saw it on and asked permission. She said I was welcome to use the image all I wanted but I suddenly got the impression that she didn't create it. I could have just re-created it from scratch it was so simple (as you'll see below) but I just didn't feel right about it.

My blind ignorance can really be so glaring at times... I typed it into Google just to see if I could get any more info on the image or possibly see who created it. I wasn't expecting much. It turned out to be one of the biggest "underground" images of it's type. I say underground because I'm not part of the whole fark/gamer/photoshop crowd.
Yes, it's the infamous "Every Time You Masturbate, God Kills A Kitten" image...

Hey man, I didn't know. How lame is it of me to only just NOW be catching on to this? So, after a little reading, I found out the image has become so widely used that they have named the kitten Cliche Kitty. The little monsters chasing "cliche kitten" are called Domo-kuns. They are from a Japanese children's show. They fart and drink hard-cider. This thing has flooded e-mail boxes around the world. There have been numerous parodies of the image including, "Every time you kill a kitten, God masturbates". I can't post that image... It has become the new "Got Milk?". Everyone has altered and adopted the catch phrase to their purpose. So what if I'm a little behind the times. I'm just not geeky enough to be "in" on all that I guess...

Monday, 9-26-5

It had to happen. Laying blame is the ultimate concern. Enough people are blaming the government and specifically the President for the hurricanes. We've covered that already. Now we follow a logical conclusion on a smaller issue that lands in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.

The exploding bus during the Texas evacuations. "Let's blame the company, the bus wasn't registered properly. Let's blame the driver, we'll investigate his actions for the previous 72 hours and hope we find something to indicate he was impaired." Why can't we just say that shit happened on this one and move on? A chunk of metal in the tires/brakes does not indicate that the driver was high on Sterno. Do the investigation to find answers, not to assign blame. If the company has a record of shoddy maintenance or "rigging" the busses, yes, then blame the company. If the driver was stoned, blame the driver. But so far there has been no indication of either. The worst thing they can come up with is that the bus had an expired registration tag.

So, after the mass media blast from Katrina, everyone is under scrutiny. What would the press have said if during the evacuations the driver said, "Sorry, I can't help you evacuate elderly people from the path of a devastating hurricane, my tag is expired." They would have lost their minds! We would have heard about this guy and how uncaring and cold he was. But he loaded up and drove the bus and shit happened. It's sad and a shame it happened but it did. Sometimes, shit just happens, not every bad event has a malicious "evil-doer" behind it.
I'm assuming this guy was "on the job" and getting paid so no, he's not qualified for hero status but unless we find out he caused this, neither should he be demonized just because we feel the need to blame someone for the deaths of these old people.

People suck. I'm tired of being lumped in with the rest of these beings. Why can't some of these people just relax and take it easy? Does every little news story need a bad-guy to blame? Why can't we as people just see something bad that has no apparent cause and go, "Oh man, that's a shame". Do we really need to string someone up for every little offence? Hey, if there is a bad-guy, bring him to light, and this particular case might actually reveal one, but I just think it's sick the way they are going about it trying to pin it on someone before there is any evidence of fault. Makes me worry for my safety. What happens if I'm in that situation? Do what's technically correct or do what's right?
If you want a good read on that, pick up "The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War". Following orders to the letter, no more, no less. Undermining the original intention of the order. Everything can be justified by saying, "Hey, I did just as you told me". So this driver was supposed to watch people drown because his tag was expired. He could have justified it by saying he was following the letter of the law. And we would have strung him up for it too...

Thursday, 9-22-5

Hank was right. I remember hearing him talk about "future parents" and he made a point about how my crowd out of our generation could possibly be the first generation that (musically speaking) is more hardcore than our parents AND our children.
It has been the norm for parents to complain about their children's music being too heavy and for children to complain that their parents just don't understand but we may have come to a point where the children are now wondering what's wrong with Mom and Dad and why do they look like they are having a seizure when they have their headphones on.

Yes, there will always be exceptions to the rules but in a broad sense, he is right. Those of us that form that "metal" crowd have grown children or some that are just getting into music now. A lot of those kids were listening to Britney Spears and such, many of them are moving on to lightweight bands like Green Day. Few are keeping pace with their parents. Becca is one of those Spears/GreenDay types. I try to turn her on to my music but she just doesn't get it. The heaviest she'll listen to of my stuff is Dream Theatre. Not heavy at all... She'll get excited when I play Reign In Blood, but it's all a show for me. She'd rather go back to her Gwen Stefani CD. (And Mommy likes it that way, so we'll keep it that way...)

Have we reached critical mass? Will music regress into less aggressive forms? What are the masses calling for? A few weeks ago I was with some people that were discussing music and they brought up Rob Zombie and how "hard" he was. They asked me if I liked him, I commented that when I wanted something lighter to listen to, yes. They couldn't understand that. They thought I was merely playing the "metalhead/heavier than thou art" act.
In reality, Rob Zombie is no longer considered heavy enough to play with the big boys. In ACTUAL reality, he never was. I enjoy Rob Zombie. He is interesting but he is by NO means heavy enough for my tastes. He doesn't even fit in the category of heavy and most that know me will say that I leave my categories wide... I'd label him "pop heavy". Meaning, heavy enough for the bland masses and pop radio, but anyone who is into music would know Rob Zombie's music is flash. Fun and enjoyable flash, but still, just heavy enough for light-weight dabblers to claim they listen to heavy music. These are the same people that out of ignorance say that Henry Rollins is Heavy Metal or that new Metallica is just as heavy as old Metallica... Ugh!

In the early 90's Grunge took over the scene and metal had become a farce of itself. A parody if you will. Glam/hair bands had their season in the sun and made metal popular among high-school girls and also made it mildly acceptable with parents who no longer saw it as much of a threat. The parents had gotten what they wanted in the PMRC battle in the 80's and saw that metal was dying out as they predicted. They were wrong. It didn't die, it evolved. It mutated. Hip-hop and grunge were the music of the day and metal went underground. It's OK, we like it down here. The underground is where we came from.

Unfortunately, as it went underground metal thought it had something to prove. Speed, volume, raunchiness and blasphemy just for the sake of being the most outrageous band around. I'm all for each and every one of those elements but with reason. When it's done just to outdo the guys in the next band, they've turned themselves into a low-rent Howard Stern. Shocking people just to see if they can. Not very funny and definitely not in the best interest of talent.

Another reason metal suffered in the 90's was the fractionalization of the genre. No one was "heavy metal" any more. In the 80's there were sub-genres like "hair/glam metal" and "punk/hardcore metal" but the 90's saw an unbelievable splitting of the "metal" genres. Like a fractal branching algorithm, there were sub-categories that got so specific, that there were only one or two bands in the category. Death-Metal, Goth-Metal, Black-Metal, Blood-Metal, Speed-Metal, Blast-Metal, Vampiric-Metal, Symphonic-Metal, etc, etc, etc... Then you could cross-genres. Vampiric-Symphonic-Goth-Metal (a la Cradle Of Filth). It became ridiculous.

For a few years, metal went so far underground as to appear dormant to the casual observer. Now it's coming back to the surface. There are many bands out there now that are very talented. Speed and power have become integrated into the music. The slop burned itself off and the talent has survived.

I cut my teeth on bands like The Ramones, Twisted Sister and KISS ("God Of Thunder/War Machine" KISS, not "Beth/R&R All Nite" KISS). As time moved on, I moved onto heavier bands like (early)Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Now I'm on Lamb Of God, Morbid Angel and Dimmu Borgir. It's all the same spirit, just different permutations of the incarnation.

To me, metal is like my Grandmother's house. Imagine (if you will) a long hallway plastered with pictures on each wall. The pictures are never the same, but of the same people. As you enter the hallway, there's an old black and white of a baby. Further down, a picture of that baby's first day of school. Still further, the same baby at his wedding. Next, that same person with his new baby... and so on. Music evolves, just like families. The old give birth to the new. Some are disappointments, some go on to superstardom, most are just Uncle Ted.

This is by no means an accurate direct line but somewhere along the line, Classical, Jazz, Swing, Doo-wop, Blues, Rock, Psychedelic were all spawned off from one or another and out of that primordial ooze crawled metal, still dripping with elements of all those that came before... What's next? I don't know yet. But I'm looking forward to it.

Monday, 9-19-5

Is it time to grow up yet? Am I doomed to a long life of happiness and contentment? I've been planning for so long to live a horrid, tortured life of emotional pain for myself, the life of an artist... Alas, I have fallen into the trappings of "normalcy". My morbid fascination with death has lasted well beyond the standard rebellion of childhood years. Some people thought I'd never get out of it, others never knew me well enough to know about it.
My original plan was to live hard and be dead by 21. OK, maybe a little early, we'll put off death until 30 or so. As are all teenagers, I was frustrated and angry with all the limits and controls put on me by my parents. (Those very limits that I now have come to appreciate and "inflict" upon my own child...) Two of my models for my "life before death" were Keith Moon and John Belushi. Live hard, accomplish some good things, die before you can screw it all up.
Keith Moon was an incredible drummer but was known more for his antics and lunacy. Well known, accomplished, dead at 32.
Belushi was much the same. A very funny guy, but was known for being a crazy bastard off the stage. Well known, accomplished, dead at 33.

I turned 33 yesterday. What have I accomplished in my life? Not a damn thing. Those 2 guys left a legacy of "life fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse", Jesus Christ started a revolution that changed the world by age 33, I have made little to no impact on anything or anybody.
Before you think I'm starting into a whole, George Bailey "I wish I had never been born" rant, I know the whole gig with Dynamical Instability; one seemingly benign act has an infinite number of possible effects and/or amplifications on other actions... but in the grand scheme of things, I am a nobody, as are most of us. There is little room for everyone to be important. I don't want to be important, I just wanted to mean something.
I have all these creative energies in me and I stifle them with the idea of keeping "order". I wish I had the courage to just chuck it all into the wind and start living. I am weak and cowardly and I fear change too much to do that. I am at a point in my life where we have the opportunity to jump and I am worrying about where we'll land before we even make that jump and calling it "being responsible". I know this is futile and counter-productive to what I want but yet, I still refuse to step into the unknown for fear of failure. Even if I took that step that now stands before me, would anything be different other than location? Would I still settle into a comfortable life of boredom? Why can't I seem to reach out and grab what I want? I know it is within reach, I just won't extend my arm far enough to grab it. I'm such a failure. I am a complete unknown.

A grand total of 4 people (2 couples so actually the count can be reduced to 2) acknowledged my birthday if you don't include immediate family. And even then, only my Mom and Dad and Teresa and Becca. Not that I put much emphasis on that particular day, but most other people do, and most everyone I know didn't think enough about me to even say hello. So if I don't mean anything to those I know, what can I mean to total strangers? How can I expect to be remembered by anyone? I see everyone else being remembered on their birthdays this week (yes, it seems like EVERYONE's parents had a good New-Years party.... We're ALL Virgos) and it just makes me realize how really insignificant I am even to those who claim to like me. "Happy Birthday to this person, Happy Birthday to that person, Chris? Chris who?" Yeah, my unique brand of quiet has worked all too well, no one knows who I am. The walls I have built have kept everyone out for so long, they've forgotten I'm in here. I'll die in here. Alone and forgotten with the exception of a chosen few that I have allowed beyond my walls. Just like I'm living life. Isolation works both ways, I recede, everyone cuts me off, why am I pitying myself about it now? The enigma has become unknown even unto himself. I am he.

Well! I see our time is up, thank you for being my therapist for the day. I've waxed psychotic, you've learned (or confirmed) that I am a wishy-washy scared man-child... It was a good day for us all.

Only 364 more days to accomplish something great and die at 33. Think I'll make it? Wish me luck...

Wednesday, 9-7-5

Things have taken an interesting turn on the job front here. A month ago, a buddy of mine calls me to let me know that a position has opened up back at MCI and that if I was interested, he'd get my resume to the right guy. My only real competition would be Paul, my current ASL (Lead Tech). Cool! We just heard that the Maintenance Techs here (Bunny and I) and across the program, are in danger. Raytheon may be losing the contract, maybe not, but be warned. Right on, this came at the right time. I put in for it and then Paul told me that he also put in for it. Of course I hope I get it but at least one of us is getting off the sinking ship.

Well, it turned out to be him. "Oh well", I think, "Maybe it just wasn't my time". So Paul is gone. Larry (Paul's boss) calls up and says that The ASL position is mine if I want it. It includes hiring on with Raytheon instead of remaining a sub-contractor (pronounced; better benefits, real insurance, more pay, etc.) So, I have to go with an altered cliche on this one, "Whenever the gods close a door, somewhere they open a window."
On Paul's last day we took him out to lunch with some guys from MCI. I found out that the position was a little different than I had originally though and that it was a lot of CPE work (the really crappy stuff) at customer sites, not at the network sites. Maybe this did work out for the best.
It gets even better. It's going to take 4-6 weeks to get me hired on officially so Larry calls my contracting company and gets them to start paying me at the ASL rate immediately. Freaking cool!
Now they are back-filling my old MT position. They sent me 2 resumes to consider. Both are qualified but one may have travel issues. The other one is a guy I worked with at Intermedia that is still looking for a steady job.

So let's recap. I didn't get a job that I may have not wanted. Paul is gone and I am promoted. I will be working for a real company. And I get to help out a friend by getting him hired in my old position? Where's the down side?
Well, the down side is actually very real. The contract is still in jeopardy and I may end up losing the job in a few months. There are all kinds of contingency plans that will keep up employed, but it could get rough. But hey, I was going to ride this out as a MT, I may as well ride it out as an ASL with better pay and benefits... Maybe we come through this with real work to do, maybe we get laid off and I move to PA. Either way, I'm happier while I'm waiting to see what happens...

Tuesday, 9-6-5

Wow, I just typed in all that stuff I wrote while I was gone and man, I am full of bile. Angry boy...

I just took a trip up to Pennsylvania to bring Jerry his stuff. Cephlian and I put almost the entire contents of the storage unit into the 17' truck. I play Tetris real well and I know there was no wasted space but I also saw that a lot of what was packed is destined for the trash and I could have loaded EVERYTHING if the trash was separated from the stuff. But, Jerry had to pack and get out on short notice (they closed on the house much sooner than expected) so I guess it's the best they could do.
We loaded up on Wednesday and Thursday. As gas prices soared and people panic-purchased all they could find, we were worried that I wasn't going to make it up there. I had 6 gallons in the back of the truck and just never let it fall below a quarter tank. We ran into a few stations that were out of gas but the one next door had gas...

Fred and I drove up early Saturday morning (6:00 am). We noticed something was wrong right away. Any time we got up some speed and shifted weight (changing lanes, hitting a bump) the truck would begin to sway. And the sway got worse. I had to slow down to 30 MPH to gain control of the truck. Back up to 50, bump, sway, break to 30. It was scary. There was at least 3 times that I honestly thought we would flip the truck. I couldn't get control of the sway fast enough. Freddy and I agreed that rather than change out drivers, I'd just drive until I was tired and then we'd rest. If Fred drove and we started to sway, I'd jump out the window. I'm a bad passenger when it comes to stuff like that. Fred was also thoroughly convinced that since I already had a handle on the sway, why tempt fate and put him behind the wheel to learn all over again. By North Carolina I figured out that if I constantly counter-steered and fought it, the sway was held to a minimum and we could cruise along at 55 or so. But the toll it took on me... Oh man, tension city.

We pulled in to Jerry's around 1:30am. Only 4 hours over-due. 17 hours of fighting that truck. Ugh! was I tired and sea-sick from the constant swaying. Half way to the house I stopped and looked up. Fred looked up too and we just stood there staring into the sky and watching our breath in the cold night air.
"Wow, I never knew there were so many stars", he says. Yeah, me too man. Maybe he'll see why I'm moving up here. It's just so different and beautiful, it even smells like home up here. Of course, there isn't a Best Buy or Circuit City within 100 miles of this place so he'll never agree with me but maybe he'll see. I prefer to be 40 miles from the closest Wal-Mart, further if Teresa would let me... He's just not wired the same as me. He loves city driving. I hate it. I'd rather drive around on the country back roads, I don't think he liked it very much...

By 8:00am I'm up and looking around, 9:00 we start unloading. Little Jerry is up there too. It was really nice to see him. I'm throwing things out of the back of the pile, Little Jerry is handing them down to Jerry and Liz. Around 9:30 Fred is up and a little disappointed that no one woke him. He's slept 7 hours in 4 days, I figured he needed the sleep.
By 10:30, the truck is empty and we're good to go. Not bad at all. We drive around and see the sights, say hello to some family. I had a good time.

I was happy to show Fred where I was "escaping" to. He doesn't want us to move. I've told him that he's one of the last reasons I haven't already moved. With friends abandoning and betraying me and with the job front being shaky, it's not going to take much for me to just pull up camp and run.

Teresa is going up this weekend to take Liz school shopping, she keeps joking about not coming back. I don't think she's kidding.

Fred, Jerry and I all flew home together. It was a good flight, not too many problems at the airport. Although I did notice (once I was on the plane) that they didn't catch my lighter in my carry-on bag. They even scanned it twice. So much for zero tolerance.
Little Jerry has a really dark complexion and tight curly hair. He's been called Arabic many times. I thought it was funny that he was traveling with Fred and I, Fred with his semi-Nordic look and my affinity for the Vikings, all I could think about was one of my favorite movies, "The 13th Warrior" so we called him Eben the whole time.
In Atlanta we said goodbye to Eben, and flew home to Jacksonville. I wasn't too tired but it was good to be home. Teresa met us at the airport and it was REALLY good to see her. I'm such a teenager, I miss her whenever I'm away for a few days.... As soon as we hit the doors I wish I had stayed in Pennsylvania. 90 degrees and muggy as hell. She says this is the coolest it's been and we must have brought some cool air with us.

This is the coolest it's been and it's already too hot for me. I can't wait to move out of this place...

Sunday, 9-4-5

I'm back on-line and there's a lot to rant about. Actually I'm writing this in my notebook because I'm currently in Pennsylvania, but I have a few rare moments to sit and write.
I will caution you that I am not a very nice guy and what I say and feel about this latest disaster is not what I have been programmed and scripted by the PC police to say. I have my own feelings and I express them thusly. My opinions may not be popular or nice, but they are my own...

It's kind of creepy to see things on TV that are 15' under water and know that I stood there once. To see bridge pilings and know that I've driven those roads many times. My parents lived out there in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and in Luling, Louisiana. Both of those places were torn apart and I'm just thankful they don't live there anymore. BUT, I'm sure that my parents are smart enough to get the hell out of the way of a Cat5 hurricane. I know it lessened to a Cat4 just before it hit but it was a 5 all day and they were expecting it to hit as a Cat5. I've donated what I can and I know these people are hurting and need help but I just have to wonder, why were they still there?

"Gee, I live 13' below sea level, they are warning me that high tide will be 30 minutes before expected landfall, they're expecting a 25'-30' storm surge, the levees have been known to be deteriorating for years and at their BEST are only expected to hold back a Cat3 storm, I've got plenty of notice, an early warning and they have ordered a mandatory evacuation..... should I leave?"
No, in fact, if you have to think about that one, why don't you just stay put. It will add a little chlorine to the gene pool.

I've heard this repeatedly referred to as a "natural disaster".
No it is not. The devastation in Gulf Port, Biloxi, Pascagoula etc, is a natural disaster. The flooding and destroyed cities all along the gulf coast is a natural disaster. But the flooding of New Orleans is man-made. Someone saw a swamp, surrounded by water. Lake Pontchartrain, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. They saw this marsh and decided they wanted to live there? Why? Yeah I know, controlling the river traffic but still, they could have gone up-stream a little. OK, forgive them that mistake, the landscape has changed since then and maybe it wasn't the WORST idea to build a city there, back then anyway...

They call in the US Army Corp of Engineers to build the levee system. Of course, years later, they will fall into disrepair because of the "Don't fix what isn't broken" mixed with the "Squeeky wheel gets the grease" syndromes. Just because there was no immediate problem with the levees, the money was spent on other projects, in spite of the continual warnings by experts that the levees needed continual maintenance. Things the local citizens wanted fixed like roads and schools. This is not hindsight, this is fact. I was only an occasional visitor to the area and I heard about the deteriorating levees, so every one who lived there knew about it too.

One of the greatest conceits I've ever heard was a few years ago and it has gotten some replay on the History Channel since the flooding. There was some guy talking about how great a feat it was to make/keep New Orleans dry, with the annual flooding of the Mississippi River, the regular occurrence of hurricanes and the natural sinking of the land. In one proud moment this expert actually said they had to "correct nature". I love that line. Let's say it again shall we? They had to "correct nature". Well, let's ask the locals if they feel nature has learned her lesson yet or if maybe nature has corrected them.
This was a man-made disaster. It was nature taking it's course and man's conceit and stupidity got in the way. Had we allowed the Mississippi to replenish the swamps and barrier islands with it's regular flooding instead of building levees to "correct nature", this would have been a natural occurrence and not a disaster of such epic proportions, man-made, natural or otherwise.

I feel only slightly more pity for them than I do for the guy who builds a multi-million dollar home on the beach and then wonders why it is destroyed by a hurricane or swallowed by beach erosion. Or those who terra-form a mountainside and strip all the trees out to build roads and make " an aesthetic view", then complain that they have a mudslide in the living room. I'd be a really bad guy if I didn't feel badly about the problems down there but I have to think that they knew it would happen and stayed a little too long at the party. At least 80% of them had enough sense to evacuate. They may have lost their homes but they have their lives and their family. Those dunces that stayed behind may lose everything...

And what about those that stayed behind? Maybe I'll stay in my house for a Cat3, but I live on a level 5 flood plain and I'm still leaving before a Cat4 or 5 hits. If I lived below sea-level I'd take off every time it rained! So they stayed behind. OK, you'll get whatever is coming, take it without whining. I don't want to hear about how the government is supposed to take care of us and why didn't they get here sooner? Because they physically couldn't GET to you, you dummies! The area was destroyed! Just where did you want the government to pre-stage the troops? and did Madam Cleo tell YOU where the storm would hit because she forgot to tell US! No one knew that this would be the big one that caused the levees to give. New Orleans is in a swamp (call it a bayou if you want to be romantic but it's still a swamp) the only way in is over bridges. Those bridges were destroyed. The trucks couldn't get in so they dispatched helicopters and such but hey, it takes time...
Why didn't the government act sooner? They did. They told you to evacuate. You chose to stay. Now take responsibility for your actions and choices. If you live, I'll bet you'll re-think about sticking out the storms just to make it to the really groovy hurricane parties.

Looting. We all saw it coming, it happens at the height of disasters. Nothing like a little wide-spread pain and suffering to bring out the greed and worst of mankind. "The authorities are focused on saving lives, let's go score a big screen TV." The news media isn't helping either. They kept saying that looting food, water and diapers is OK but these people really shouldn't take anything they don't need. Have you lost your fucking mind!!!! NO! Looting is not OK. It is stealing. It is wrong no matter what situation you are in. Those that were broadcasting that "selective looting is OK" should really be held responsible for inciting criminal activity. I like those people that are sitting there with a shotgun and a sign that reads "You loot, we shoot". Shoot to kill, boys. Shoot to kill.

Would I ever loot? In a worst case scenario yes. But that doesn't make it right. I do a lot of stuff that's wrong but that doesn't make it OK. I occasionally speed while driving my car. I don't complain when a cop gives me a ticket for it because I knew I was doing something that was illegal. Do I feel badly for those in the flood and would I break into a store to feed my kid? Yes, but I'd also plan ahead so I shouldn't ever have to. When I stock up for a hurricane, I keep supplies for a week. Lots of water, basic foods, maybe batteries but definitely ammunition. I've got supplies, I'll gladly share them as needed with anyone who needs them, but you're not taking them from me unless I have enough to share. I'll kill you to protect my child. So, would I loot for food and water if my child was dying, absolutely, but you wouldn't see me coming out with CD players and beer... and it also wouldn't make it right.

Speaking of the news media, there is another big problem. They're in the way. I sit here watching a reporter show me people struggling for life. Hey pretty-boy, put the microphone down and go give them a hand. They tell me these people are starving and dying of thirst. The news reporters look well fed. Why can't "Bob the weatherman" stop talking about how much devastation and suffering there is and just turn around and give these people the sandwich he packed for the day?
Last night I saw the news and one of our local reporters was out there. He said that the area hotels are booked up and that they would actually have to sleep in the news van tonight. Awwww.. Am I supposed to feel bad for this moron? He's taking up space and supplies that could be used for relief efforts and he's all put out because the hotels are full of people that lost everything they had. Kind of hard for me to feel bad for a guy that went INTO that quagmire for no reason other than to further his career. I almost hope something bad happens to him so either he learns how stupid this was, or possibly that he serves as an example to the next guy.

We've got a buddy that was staged out there for work, to go in after the storm and repair any damage. When it turned into this mess I guess he did more damage assessment than actual repair, but he said the devastation was "unbelievable" and I trust he used that word in it's truest sense. He did what he had to, did what he could and then got the hell out of the way when he was done. These reporters could learn a lesson or two from him.

So what did our local "hero reporter" think he was going to do? Go out there and find a news angle that wasn't covered by those reporters already there? Does he think that maybe we don't already know about this tragedy? That he has to cover it for the local news in person because we can't understand mass devastation unless we see a recognizable face standing in front of it? Ohhh, maybe he'd be the one to spot that troubling little hole in the levee we've been unable to find so far... If you're not needed out there, STAY AT HOME!!! "Well maybe if I can film some death and destruction I'll get better ratings..."
That's another thing. All the reporters keep saying that "it looks like a bomb went off here". Damn, is that all then? Because it looks a LOT worse than a bomb to me... As a general rule, bombs don't cause that much "widespread" damage. Little Boy and Fat Man (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) didn't impact nearly the same amount of land. (I said land, I know the people numbers don't compare but we are talking about what it LOOKS like.) Together they leveled 5 ˝ square miles of city. New Orleans itself is 181 square miles, they are estimating that this hurricane leveled over 6000 square miles! But yeah, keep using the same old tired cliche, "it looks like a bomb went off here" or "It looks like a warzone" Not many of us have been in a REAL warzone so your analogy is useless, save it! Dipshit.

And why is it these people report on hurricanes by standing in the wind/rain and never get hurt? Just once I'd like to see them reporting, "Well, as you can see the winds are up to 60MPH and it's getting wor"WHAP!!!! Cut in two by flying sheet metal debris. I'd pay good money to see that.

The Mayor of New Orleans was on the news complaining about the government response and that's OK, that is his job I guess. What cheesed me off was this guy repeatedly using the word "ain't". I know I am prone to spelling errors and poor diction but this guy is a government representative of an area that already has the reputation of speaking poorly, shouldn't he strive to create a more positive image of his constituents? Well, on the other hand, I'm always complaining that too many politicians have lost touch with reality and that we need more of the common man in office so maybe I should re-think this rant.

But I will say that it sucks that partisan politics took hold so quickly. Day 2, "Clinton's hurricanes were never as bad as Bush's" I don't really care for either side but I try to see things clearly and without blind allegiance to any political party. Whoever is currently in office when a problem hits will get the blame no matter how innocent or guilty they are. The opposing party will call for blame, the defending party will find a way to claim it was the other's administration that caused it by previously passed laws or budgeting... It's all a bunch of horseshit. If you live here and enjoy the freedoms still available here, then try to get your guy elected but back whoever wins. Do I like Bush? Hey, does anyone really like our choices in politics anymore? But I have to believe that he is trying to fix this as best he can. Just like John Kerry would be doing if he had won. I don't care which party the president is from, no one was prepared for the flooding of New Orleans, the WTC attacks or whatever comes next. Disasters happen, fix it, clean up, get better and then you can go play your little politics blame game after everything is done.

Corrine Brown (Man, how I really despise her) is already pointing fingers and screaming about how Bush isn't helping because the only people left in New Orleans are black. Can't we get her to report on hurricane winds? "Well, as you can see the winds are up to 60MPH and it's a bigger problem for blacks more than whites becau"WHAP!!!! Cut in two by flying sheet metal debris. I'd give up a critical body part to see that.

OK, last rant on this for now...
The animals. Good and bad points here. There are a lot of stranded and starving animals. These people took these animals as pets, as one of the family. Why aren't they caring for them as such? My dog is definitely the lowest on the family priority list, meaning in a disaster Becca gets fed before he does, but where are these people? Some of them are dead. OK, can't do much about that one. Others were evacuated and couldn't take their animals. Stop right there. Make provisions for the animal. Give them to someone staying behind, bring them to an animal shelter, or even put them down if you have to. But to let them roam and die? That's just cruel. Teresa was upset that they wouldn't let people take their pets on the evacuation busses. Well, people take priority over dogs every time in that situation. But who are these people that are boarding the busses knowing their pets are left behind to starve to death? I'd love to get my hands on them. Se7en all over again. You stuck it out through the storm and now things are uncomfortable for you so you're leaving... Your animal didn't make that choice to stay. Be responsible for the choices you made. Next time, get out when they tell you to.

And someone really should be rounding up these animals. There's plenty of people and boats there now, people have been rescued it's time to look to the other living creatures. I put people above animals as a general rule although there are some people out there that rate lower than most animals. But ok, save the humans first but it's time to get to the stranded animals now. Leaving these animals to scrounge for food will only lead to dangerous animals. There's lots of people out of work now, why not put them to work cleaning up and rebuilding? First order of business, domestic rodeo. Round up all those animals and get them taken care of. If there's food, feed them. If there's a shortage, put these poor animals down. Don't let them suffer. Hey, if you need a volunteer to put down some cats, you know where to find me...
OK, ok, I was kidding, I'm not advocating mass feline murder. Not that I am against cat-death though...

In the end, it's bad. New Orleans will never be the same. A lot of the tourist spots were spared from heavy damage. Cafe du Monde is standing, St. Charles Square has a few down trees, the bars on Bourbon Street suffered only minor damage, St. Louis #1 and Metairie cemeteries are flooded but intact. But if you know New Orleans, if you love New Orleans, you know it has changed. In the long run, maybe it's not for the worst. There is a feeling in that city that permeates you as you walk the streets. That feeling was born out of violence, oppression, poverty and the blues, among many other things. That spirit may have only gained strength with this latest episode. Maybe more people will get to feel that real spirit of New Orleans now, instead of the light, 24/7 party atmosphere on Rue de Bourbon.

Onward to October 2005 Back to Updates