Gwendolyn's Christmas Recital - -

Notice who the other girls are looking to for direction . . and notice too who's throwing her hips around . .

After-dance photo op

Pink roses from Dad

She sure is beautiful . . . must get the from her mother.

Out in the Boondocks

I only read one comic strip these days; Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks. It's one of the highlights of my day.

The current story-line concerns Huey's grandfather wanting to see a "manly" movie and choosing "Brokeback Mountain" ". . . [a] story about a forbidden and secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years."



Today's strip revealed the critical aspect of the plot to Grandad. It had been a week building and was worth it. Funny stuff. Check it out.

The Holiday season has (sorta) started here. We're still wearing shorts, but Santa has come to town and the town tree lighting was last night. Gwendolyn has started the prayers for snow.

Is there a rule about putting a drunken cow on a PC? I dual boot boot Ubuntu on it. And there's a Performa 578 next to it, and a Mac G4 below it . . .

More playing with the new camera . . . and my two youngest girls

Mad face

Scooby-snack face

Sharpened and tinted

Hide and seek

Walking the line. Soft focus, B&W

Done swinging

Sisters. :-)

Playing with video.google.com

I have no need to post video to Google. It's not like anyone outside my family wants to see anything I might film. There are probably the same people who regularly read this blog. But I like the technology. Some days that's enough.

My Christmas wish list

It's that time of year again. So if you're browsing the site and thinking to yoursefl, "Self, you've got disposable income and the desire to give. Here's your chance to do a little something."

• Double Standards by Lea Delaria
• The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3) by Neal Stephenson
• Sony DRU-800A Internal ATAPI/EIDE Double-Layer/Dual-Format DVD/CD Recorder
• Offered by TigerDirect by Sony
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• Anansi Boys : A Novel by Neil Gaiman
• Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America by Morgan Spurlock
• Star Wars - Clone Wars, Vol. 1 (Animated) by Corey Burton
• Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow
• Devils & Dust by Bruce Springsteen
• TX 5-Foot Giraffe Unicycle Offered by Magic Geek - Juggling Store by Torker
• Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow
• A Place So Foreign and Eight More by Cory Doctorow
• Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
• Band of Brothers by Kirk Acevedo
• Flashbacks: : Twenty-Five Years of Doonesbury (Trudeau, G. B., Doonesbury Book.) by G. Trudeau
• Star Wars - Clone Wars, Vol. 2 by Corey Burton
• Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen Edition) by Ahmed Best
• Power Strip Liberator II 1' "Y" Cable Offered by Cyberguys! by Cables Unlimited
• Liberator Combo Pack, Poly Bag Offered by Cyberguys! by ZIO TEK
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman
• Scientific American by Scientific American
• Popular Science by Time4Media
• Computer Shopper by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company
• PC Magazine by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company
• PC World by PC World Communications, Inc.
• Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab/the Body Farm/Where the Dead Do Tell Tales by William M. Bass
• THX 1138 (The George Lucas Director's Cut Two-Disc Special Edition) by Robert Duvall
• Last Child in the Woods : Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
• Jazz for Kids: Sing, Clap, Wiggle and Shake by Various Artists
• Unnatural Death : Confessions of a Medical Examiner by Michael M. Baden
• Radical Fish Street Pro Club Red Offered by Magic Geek - Juggling Store by Beard Juggle
• How Would You Move Mount Fuji? : Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle -- How the World's Smartest Companies Select the Most Creative Thinkers by William Poundstone
• Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman
• The Best of Frank Deford: I'm Just Getting Started by Frank Deford
• The Sixth Sense (Vista Series) by Firdous Bamji
• Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
• PlusDeck 2c

List available via Amazon.

I made Literally!

I have a number of pet peeves with the use of English. One of them is the (incorrect) use of "literally." Literally (http://literally.barelyfitz.com) scratches that itch so I don't have to pound people.

Last night I made my first submission and it was posted. Bully for me!

For anyone here from Literally, "Welcome!" Take a look at my favorite posts over to the left . . . they have less to do with family stuff than the rest of this little blog and is more general in nature.

Eight wonderful years

Last week Susan and I celebrated our eighth anniversary. Dinner and a movie mostly. Talk about how we have changed, how our love has changed, how many more kids we have. -=sigh=-

Our wedding day is not the most important day of our pre-marriage life to me though. The most important day is when she accepted my proposal.

It went like this . . . .

The dryer at Susan's house was on the fritz and she didn't have money to
repair it. So she packed up the two kids (and me because I had nothing
better to do and loved being with her) and off to the Laundromat we went.

The kids and I were no help at all. It was hot out we were more
interested in goofing off than moving wet laundry. So there's Susan making trip
after trip with the clothes . . . back and forth . . . sweating and getting wet
and tired.

The kids and I, we're laughing and running and chasing,and having a great
time.

Susan finally loses it. She is hot and tired and frustrated and
getting no help and she is DONE.

She says she's going home. And if we want a ride home we better get in the
car NOW. And we better not talk to her on the way to her house.

There was silence in the car.

We pull into the driveway Susan is out the door and into the house before
any of us are out of the car. By the time we get into the house she's in
the bedroom with the door closed . . . with a slam.

The girls and I sit in the living room and pretend to watch TV for a while,
each of us in our own thoughts.

Finally I can't stand it anymore, I go into the room and kneel by the
bed. I whisper her name to wake her. "Susan. Wake up
honey."

She stirs . . . and looks at me with eyes filled with anger.

I take her hand an tell her that even with her being so mad at me, and
being so hard to deal with, I could not imagine my life without her in it.
And I told her that I wanted to be the one to make days like this better.
And I asked her to marry me.

She looked at me as if I were crazy. And said yes (with
conditions).

And here we are today; happily married.

Gwendolyn's Christmas list

I'll translate:

Floam
Polly Pocket Jewelry Maker
Light-up shoe laces
Hair-Dye Barbie
Baby Born
Amanda (doll)
Robots (movie)
Barbie Digital Camera
Barbie Pegasus
Real Real Oven Meal

She also enjoys arts and crafts

 

On a walk

At the start of a walk . . . Gwen needs a new bike . . .she'll be six next month.

She's growing up so quickly. It's hard to imagine, but it was eighty degrees today in Houston.

Miriam decided not to ride today . . feeling a bit lazy.

And to prove my point . . .

We stopped to move a beetle off the sidewalk.

Gwen kept riding ahead and then stopped to ask what was taking so long.

A brief stop on the way home.

And a picture of Miri and I . . .

Home again, home again.

Panama Canal Timelapse video

Gwendolyn at the dance clinic

Miriam at the Garage sale

 

Miriam's School Pictures

 

It was an accidental good day

Today I was in a car accident. Not too bad really. A lady in an Expedition had a green light at an intersection and so did I. There was construction going on and she and I both think that we the lights were to blame. She lost a license plate, I had the passenger side rear smashed. Drivable but smashed.

So we waited for a while for the police to show. When they didn't we went to a sub-station and tried to file a report. They gave us each a form. Thanks, thanks a lot.

Then I sat in traffic trying to get home. And I sat. And I thought about what a crappy day it was. And I sat some more.

"What the hell could be taking so long?" I thought to myself.

Then the radio does traffic. There was a five car pile-up. A semi hit a van that hit a retaining wall that hit . . . and so it goes.

So I said a quiet prayer to the families of those people who died or were hurt and thanked God for my accident. I was grateful for having a car that worked and the ability to go home to my wife and kids.

Today was a good day.

General update on life, Kingwood and stuff

Halloween's tonight. It rained so we didn't take the kids out far. Only to two neighbors. The bright side was that we were able to trick or treat at four bedrooms inside the house. Miriam was a princess and Gwendolyn was a witch. I think they had their costumes confused. I went to her storybook parade at school this morning. She was Princess Juliana and wore a shirt that Susan made for Sarah when she was the same age.

I recorded Gwendolyn describing her art this week at her blog. We both and fun and we'll keep it up. She sounded more professional than I do when I'm audioblogging from the car.

I introduced her to Cracker Jacks this week. It was a mixed bag. Her first box had no prize. All the hype singing "Take me out to the Ball game" and me telling her about tattoos and stickers and then . . . nothing.
We had more luck with the second box. It had an illusion of a young/old man depending on how you held it. This led to a discussion about illusions and brought us to Mr. Angry / Ms. Calm. A truly wicked cool illusion.

I'm reading a few books these days. Nothing too heavy though. I just finished "Somebody Comes to Town, Sombody Leaves Town" by Cory Doctorow. I really enjoyed his last two books, "Eastern Standard Tribe", and "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" and this one was no exception. Cory mixes fantastic and future in a way that blends well. All three books are released under the Creative Commons license. I read them all on my Handspring Visor.

I also converted "Monster Island" by David Wellington from iPod notes to a Palm doc. It's entertaining but hard to suspend belief sometimes. The characters make rookie mistakes and aren't always consistent with what has happened before. I like to blame that on being confused by all the zombies. Other times it seems that the cliff -hangers are more contrived than the Flash Gordon serials I watched on AFRTS in Panama

Susan and I are reading "The Automatic Millionaire" and "Financial Peace". We need to get more control of our "this and that" spending. Gas prices are just getting too high.

Minny has a boyfriend named Patrick. He appears to be a nice guy and a good friend. I wish her the best. I haven't heard from Sarah in a few weeks. I guess that means she's doing well. At Christmas break she's going to bring home her PC and I'll be upgrading her to Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger).

Work is good, home is good. The soccer team is doing great. What more could I ask?

Prop. 2 is wrong

I'm married to a woman. I have homosexual friends. I live in Texas and am of voting age. That makes me an expert when it comes to the proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

I believe that marriage has two aspects in America. There is a religious and a secular. We have the choice to do one, the other, or both. The interesting thing I think is that within a couple, there is the ability to have different aspects accepted within the couple.

Secular marriage in America is almost an undocumented contract. It's a legal agreement to share resources and responsibility. It is most beneficial for the children of a couple but has it's uses in the case of divorce too. Secular marriage also raises a little revenue for the state; always a good thing, right?

Of what benefit is marriage to the state? A more formal contract between the marrying contract would be more useful. Is it the function of the state to ensure that such a contract exists? If so, it should be enforced at the birth of every child, not at the beginning of a union.

Religious marriage stems from the desire (or requirement) to have the union blessed by a deity.

I fail to see how the sex of the partners in a union violate either of the aspects of marriage. If one's religion (or lack of) allows for same sex unions then it should be allowed. If the secular (legal) contract is valid then there is no need for any change of the existing system.

What this amendment does is sets a separate law for a specific class of people. My daughter Michelle asked the question last night if it was ok to say that a union between blacks was illegal. The difference is miniscule.

I'll be voting "No" to Prop. 2. Marry who you want. What's the harm?

Big Ideas come out of Big Pencils

I don't know how many rules of design this site breaks, but I enjoyed visiting. I almost never use pencils, I'm a pen guy, but I enjoy the concept of pencils. I think it's neat that there are "do-overs" with pencils.

Me, I like the commitment that goes along with pens. I like the fact that crossing out a mistake is a branding of yourself. I try not to show that I am human and make mistakes, so I am careful when I write with pen . . . I think a little more about it.

Also, and to be honest, the sound of graphite being rubbed away on paper is irratating to me and I avoid pencils for that too.

To sleep, perchance to dream.

There are lots of things I like doing. I'll read [almost*] anything and enjoy it. I like palying some computer games. I enjoy doing almost anything with my wife.

I enjoy juggling and walking. I like drinking scotch with friends (or alone).

Except for the scotch (and probably the juggling) I think I'm like most folks.

But one of my favorite things to do is sleep.

I like napping between naps. I like getting up, showering, and going back to bed. I like falling asleep while watching TV or reading.

I like napping with daughters and wives. I like after a family lunch finding a bed and knowing that everyone else is looking to curl up in the sun too.

I do like sleeping in the sun and with all the blinds shut tightly.

I'll nap on sunny days to escape teh heat and on cloudy days with the hope of rain.

I enjoy the process of falling asleep. Sometimes I'll pick a spot on my foot and try to fire off synapse all the way to my face in a continuos line. I like counting backwards from two-hundred. Sometimes I'll add numbers in patterns until I fall asleep. I like waking up and not knowing where I am and then falling asleep not knowing.

I like napping in my car or waiting in line.

Some people think sleeping is not doing something. I strongly disagree. Napping is a skill and a joy. Napping is my friend.

Silent Lucitity by Queensryche

* I have tried a few times but have never made it through "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance", Umberto Eco's "Island of the Day Before" and "The Body Farm". Sue me.

Who reads this and where are you?

A company called Rising Concepts has put out a tool/toy called Frapper (Friend Mapper) that allows a community group (in the virtual sense, not a real-space sense) to leverage Google Maps to shout out where you are.

I have always loved maps and atlases both real and digital. This is yet another toy that fits right in. So take a second and let me know where you are.

The Mighty Squirrels!

"ONE might squirrel might not strike fear into your heart, but add fourteen more
and you've got yourself a horror movie. GO SQUIRRELS!" - Ed Hrynowski

I'm coaching soccer again at the local YMCA. It is probably one of the most joyful things I do. Chasing 13 five-year-olds around for an hour twice a week is amazing fun. I'm blogging about them too.

What's Important

In my last post I mentioned that Susan found a journal of poems while preparing for hurricane Rita. It was on the bottom shelf in the Green room, a room prone to flooding if flooding was to be done.

I had forgotten it was there and was not too concerned about preserving it. I've never been tied to the past. Things happen . . . and then more things happen. Whole swathes of my youth I only remember through the stories my family tells. I don't remember them at all. I'm not bothered by it though. I find it interesting every once in a while when I see a photograph and some long unused synapse fires and I remember a piece of my history.

As we were preparing for the storm though Susan and I had to make judgments on what we wanted to spend time protecting and what we didn't.

I have boxes and boxes of Star Wars stuff. I spent most of my money before Susan and the girls on SW. I spent WAY too much money. I left it all in the garage as we prepared. I didn't move it up to a higher shelf. I didn't put it in plastic bags. I left it.

I did the same with all my juggling supplies. And I did the same with my library.

We took special care of three items (or types of items).

1. Susan's footlocker of memorabilia
2. My footlocker of same
3. Photographs of he family

We made sure that the house was safe. We made sure the girls would be safe. We stored up water and went shopping for non-perishable food. We bought gas and moved the van away from all the trees. We tested radios and flashlights. We took pictures of everything in the house and put them on a server in San Antonio. We put important paper in a water-proof, fire-proof box.

And then we were done.

Everything of value was taken care of. And everything of value turned out to be the things that made us family. The memories of who we are and where we have been, the place we call home, the means to get to family if needed were the things of value.

An old but very familiar friend

Susan found a journal last week while preparing for hurricane Rita that had poems in it that I had written more than a decade ago. Most of them were shit, still are in fact. Age has not seasoned them at all. But I remember them fondly. They are snapshots of who I was then and glimpses of who I was to become.

So here is "Cry Out the Joys of Life." It's one of the more positive things I wrote from that era. Almost everything else had a darker undertone or was teen love/angst drivel. I think this was written around Earth Day 1989.

Cry out the joys of life!
To Live
To Love
To merely see the beauty
To taste the air around you
This is Life!
Walk into the world
Look into it
See that twig?
Tomorrow it will be bursting with buds
CRY OUT THE JOYS OF LIVING!

Happiness is seeing the world
Seeing it as a living thing
To be cared for
To care for us

We are spawned from the Earth
Revel in the joy of seeing our mother live
CRY OUT THE JOYS OF LIFE!!

Gwen drew a picture of the Hurricane. The black swirls are the wind and the yellow are lightning bolts.

Back in business

Power is back on . . . cable is up . . . Minny is home. All is well.

Hurricane Rita AudioBlog

AudioBlog

Hurricane Rita AudioBlog

Hurricane Rita AudioBlog

Hurricane Rita AudioBlog

10:05 -- Where's the [Veggie] Beef?

There is no rain. There is no wind. There are plants in the house and canned meat in the pantry. I guess life is pretty good.

The little girls are asleep downstairs in our room in case the storm worsens. We plan on turning on the neighborhood walkie-talkies around midnight so we can help each other out if needed.

I'm hoping (sorta) that all our planning and work was good practice.

I feel badly for the folks in LA but I;m glad that my family should end up here at home; safe.

6:27: Here comes the (Rita) rain

We have had our first light sprinkles of rain. No big whoop. Just one more reminder. We also had an internet hiccup. Again, no big whoop.

Dinner is over. More waiting. But now we have cookies. Susan got in a mood, inventoried what we had in the pantry and came up with chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies. They are very yummy. Susan is in negotiations with the Oakleys across the street to trade cookies for chili.

Marion down the street had her minister come over and the block had a prayer service. Every house on the block had someone represent. Very cool.

The news is reporting that the storm is moving much farther north than expected. We are looking more at Louisiana around Lafayette than Houston (Kingwood). We may get as little as 3" of rain. [Insert "Praise God" here.]

We still have hours to go. We'll have to see.

5:22 PM: Enter Wind, stage left

The skies are darkening and the wind is starting to pick up. We were a little concerned about the van sitting in the Mormon parking lot. It was possible that the gas could be siphoned. So we moved it back to the house. I think now it's time to put it back. I'm going to drive over and unicycle back. I'd hate to do that in the rain.

The Calm before the Storm: Rita Approaches

It's Friday morning and there is still stuff to do. But lot's has been done already.

Thnigs to do: Load the van and move it to a parking lot away from all the trees. Pick up a percolator to make coffee with from Deborah Vaughn, an angel.

Things we have done: Moved in all the plants. Laundered clothes and dishes. Filled every receptacle we have with clean water. Picked up yard again for more loose stuff. Went to Kingwwod Bagel to get something nice for breakfast. Props to KW Bagel for being open when no one else is. There was a 1/2 dozen limit but that's OK. They rock.

My Sister and her family made it College Station last night so that's all good. My daughter Sarah is in Denton, TX and should be fine. My Daughter Michelle is in Conroe with her dad so that's all good too.

The wind is starting to pick up a bit. We will have hours before the storm. It makes a nice reminder though that time is passing and the storm is driving in.

We are all good here. We expect to stay good.

If you need to contact us during the storm, you can try to text page my phone. We learned in Katrina that text pages go through when voice calls fail. 832.372.2390.

Twelve hours and bread: Hurricane Rita

We now know the parameters for the 12 hour rule. That means that if you don't evacuate 12 hours before the storm hits, don't go.
9:00 AM is the magic hour. If we don't leave by then it is unsafe to leave. We are still planning on staying. We'll get by.

Things to do tomorrow: Pack a few bags and put them in the van. Load batteries into the flashlights. Get the walkie-talkies from the neighbors. Walk the yard again for anything that might get thrown.

When we went to the store yesterday we were unable to find any bread. So last night and tonight my very wonderful wife baked a total of four loaves of bread, two white and two oatmeal. They are delicious.

Susan has been great during this whole thing. I know she is scared. But she trusts my judgment and has been the logistical expert to make sure that everything has gone smoothly.

She is the best and is more than I deserve. I love her with all my heart.

Shout outs to my friends out there across Texas and the nation. Especially:

• All the Tredennicks and the Shipp connection
• The Sister, Jason, Thaddeus (Hope you catch your flight. Take care and don't die, OK?)
• the 'rents, and 'rent-in-laws (I'll take care of her)
• The Walters clan
• Cox and birds
• DrunkenBatman (It's cool buddy. Trust me.)
• Getronics eServices
• The good folks at wincustomize.com
• Melissa (Out in Plano I think. I appreciate your thoughts)
• Minny's girl scout troop
• The 'hood on Glade Springs
• The Mighty Squirrels

I want to give props to the Houston and Texas government. There have been issues with outgoing traffic, huge issues. But everyone here is doing an awesome job of keeping it local. I agree that the feds have a place but it's not their time yet. Great job Mayor White and Gov. Perry.

Rita Must be a Republican . . . She's moving to the Right

Thursday night brings good news to Houston. It looks like Rita is moving to the east heading towards the Texas-Louisiana border. That puts us on the "clean" side of the storm. Less wind and rain.

But we are still 36 hours out and no one knows what's going to happen.

We are very glad that we stayed. After seeing some of the pictures of folks trying to get out . . . it wasn't worth it before and it seems more so now.

Kingwood was closed by 5 PM. Nothing was open. All the gas stations were closed.

On another note, don't loot our neighborhood. Our block is loaded for bear. Lots of guns. No one sympathetic to looters.

Flickr photo set

Rita back to Cat 4

Not that it's going to make a huge amount of difference when it hits the house. We are still looking at 75 miles of hurricane winds away from the eye of Rita and tropical force winds for 160 miles.

That's the good news.

The bad news:

Category 4

• Winds of 131-155 mph
• Shrubs and trees down, all signs down
• Extensive damage to roofing, windows and doors
• Roof collapse
• Complete destruction of mobile homes
• Storm surge 13 to 18 feet above normal
• Flat terrain 10 feet or less above sea level flooded inland as far as six miles
• Major damage to lower floors of structure near shore due to flooding, waves and floating debris
• Low lying water three to five hours before hurricane center arrives
• Major erosion of beaches
• Massive evacuation of all residences within 500 yards of shore possibly required, and of single-story residences on low ground within two miles of shore

Once the storm hits the coast it's going to take a huge hit. If we are lucky we may only get hit with a Cat 1. At times like this . . . lucky is redefined.

Idiots on the road

The radio (Live on the web: 740 KTRH) is reporting that morons are driving north on the south-bound side of US 59. The state has NOT put contra-flow in effect on this highway.

I understand the desire . . . but how many more people are at risk because of this?

Idiots

So now we wait

So we think we are prepared. We have batteries, flashlights, matches, food, water.

It's odd. The day is so nice. Last night we went to the YMCA to swim with the little kids. I just sent Gwendolyn out to ride her bike. I think I'll take them to the park later.

Tomorrow should be a nice day too. (As long as you define nice as 100+ degrees.)

We are hearing stories from friends on the road that they are going single digit MPH trying to get out. Many are returning home. It may get better when the Man opens the highways to contra-flow traffic but I'm not holding my breath. The news is reporting that traffic is stopped for 125 miles outside of Houston.

I'm glad so many people learned some lessons from the tragedy in Katrina. Folks are leaving. Lots of them. And the government is taking a tough love approach to the stragglers; "Here are 100 ways to get out of Galveston/Houston. Call 311 if you need any help. And if you are in an evacuation zone and choose to stay behind, you are already dead and shouldn't expect rescue or support." [Most of the previous statement was paraphrased except the "already dead" line.]

Second Rita post

So I got gas for the van in case we need to bug out. It took four gas stations before I found one with anythnig and I ended up getting the Super. $2.89/gallon.

We would head towards my Mother's in San Antonio. The route would be 290 to 21E to San Marcos and then south on 35 to S. A.

Traffic on 290 is averaging 7.3 MPH right now. Not a fun drive.

Most of the neighbors are staying behind too. We'll bond over chainsaws.

I haven't heard from my sister. She was trying to get a flight out of town but I heard that it is going to be wicked tough.

My friends Owen and Lucie (late from New Orleans) are splitting town too. They are headed for family back in LA. The way storms follow them you have to wonder who they hate there.

So we have water, food, and each other. We need batteries, propane, matches, prayers, and gas for my car. Thank God we have time to prepare.

Hurricane Rita

It appears that my friends Owen and Lucie have brought their accursed luck with them from New Orleans. Hurricane Rita is bearing straight for us.

I took the day off to hang out with Susan but it looks like we may be doing prep work instead.

Last night I walked to the local grocery store with the little kids and saw gas lines and near-hysteria at the store.

Most indicators show that we shouldn't have to evacuate but there will be high winds and lots of rain. Flooding around us may be an issue. The house should be fine but we will very likely not be able to leave Kingwood.

Keep us in your thoughts.

Drunkenbatman Speaks

If you interested in things Macintosh but have not drank all the Apple Kool-ade you should look into going to Chicago to attend a roundtable with a good friend of mine and a host of Macintosh luminaries (at least cool developers).

Drunkenbatman (not his real name) has a gift for communicating that spans Mac newbies like myself and techies that speak a language all their own. He's funny, passionate, drunk . . . What more can you ask?

"We never conversate"

A while back, my eldest daughter complained that her mother, she, and I never conversated. The situation (conversation) was important enough that I didn't pursue the entomology of the word with her then. Truth is though, it gnawed at me.

Susan felt the same way(to a degree) as I did. We even conversed about it a few times with a wink and a nudge.

So . . . off to the internets!

From Langmaker:

Word: conversate
Part of Speech: v.
Other Forms: conversating
Etymology: [Backformation: The -ion suffix is removed from standard English conversation.]
Definition: To converse with another: We conversated about our plan, then decided to take the steamroller anyway.
Submitted By: Gracie
Date Submitted: Wednesday, August 18, 2004

So I guess this falls into the same category as irregardles and literally. Misused words that will migrate into use and become "real." No extreme harm. Communication remains possible. We just have one more instance of English being one crazy language.

Choose your own Adventure: Hamlet edition

There is a guy names Robin Johnson who has written a text adventure a la' Zork for Hamlet.

I have started it a few time and will someday finish. {Something I also said about Zork in 1981 or so . . . but this time I mean it.}.

From the game's opening:

It's so unfair! You're in trouble again, just because you called your uncle
- or rather, your new stepfather, Claudius - a usurping git. It's true, though.
Your real dad was SO much better than that guy. Too bad he was found
mysteriously dead in the orchard a couple of weeks back. Anyway, your mother
(who was, incidentally, looking quite something today in a sparse leather
number, er...) sent you to your room, and here you are. [game]

I used to really like the "Choose your own adventure" books. Although after playing one path I would usually read them cover to cover and try to guess the paths to and from each page. I had a few that you had to roll die for. They were like D&D for readers with no friends. That was me. :-)

I played D&D as a young teen but never had a good enough dungeon master to make me stick. I was too intellectual for them anyway . . . The guys I played with wanted to fight ogres, I was more interested in being a character different from myself. It never worked out.

A few months ago I ran into the designer of Adventure, Scott Adams online via chat. We were both trying to get an application called Multiplicity to work. He was looking to use it with EverQuest2 and I wanted it for my tablet PC . It was very cool just talking to a guy who had killed hours of my life reading and thinking and playing; all at the same time.

Who knew the levee would break?

I have a correction and some updates to the audio blog. Blame the mistakes on hearing the story in the car with Houston traffic distracting me. [should I admit that? Should it be reversed?].

The point of the blog is the same and I'm leaving it as it was originally recorded. It's not the federal government's job to fix problems at the state level. And before we talk about what the feds didn't do, let's look at the pork in Louisiana.

Correction: The person testifying was not the governor of LA, it was the Senior senator of same, Mary L. Landrieu (D).

Testimony: (mp3); text (I need to state here that the audio feed provided by the senator is significantly different from the Senate transcript. Take it for what it is worth.)
Mr. Bill skit referred to by Sen. Landrieu

WSJ: Blame Amid the Tragedy

My mother passed this opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal on to me. While it specifically discusses the failures of local government during Katrina and the flooding that followed, it also speaks to the role of the federal government in situations like this.

Blame Amid the Tragedy by Bob Williams

As the devastation of Hurricane Katrina continues to shock and sadden the nation, the question on many lips is, Who is to blame for the inadequate response?

As a former state legislator who represented the legislative district most impacted by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, I can fully understand and empathize with the people and public officials over the loss of life and property.

Many in the media are turning their eyes toward the federal government, rather than considering the culpability of city and state officials. I am fully aware of the challenges of having a quick and responsive emergency response to a major disaster. And there is definitely a time for accountability; but what isn't fair is to dump on the federal officials and avoid those most responsible--local and state officials who failed to do their job as the first responders. The plain fact is, lives were needlessly lost in New Orleans due to the failure of Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and the city's mayor, Ray Nagin.

The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and his emergency operations center. The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented, thousands of lives would likely have been saved. [more]

I'm a federalist at heart weighted towards the local levels. In fact, I think the feds should be as far away from my life as possible. It's job is to

". . . establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense,
promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity. . ."

Government should work from the bottom up. It should start from my community association (rat bastards!), to mayor and city council, to Governor and state legislators, an THEN to the Federal government.
In fact, government should start at he family level . . . but then we'd have to define more than I want to define. (A co-dictatorship with my wife and I?)

Could FEMA have done better? Yes.
Should it have? Yes.
Do I have any faith that the Department of Homeland Security? No.
Is there enough blame to go around? Yes.
Will anything really change? That depends on how people vote at the local level and up from there.

Odawg on Orleans

My friend Owen lives in Noew Orleans with his wife Lucie. The following is an email he sent out. Permission to post was requested and granted

Last night, I began writing a very angry email about all
the things I'm upset with regarding this disaster. Fortunately, Lucie advised me
that it would be best to sleep on it. I'm glad I did. I'll get to the things I'm
upset about, but first, here's a list of things I'm grateful for right
now.

1. We're safe, our friends we have spoken to are safe, nobody we know
is unaccounted for as far as we know, and our pets are with us.

2. By all accounts, our uptown neighborhood is still high and
dry.

3. I'm grateful for all of the police, fire, USCG, medical, national guard,
volunteers, and civil servants who stayed behind to try to deal with this mess.
Their efforts have been heroic in many cases.

4. We're very grateful for the warm welcome we have received from family,
friends, and strangers here in Houston. We've been moved beyond words by the
hospitality and aid we've received.

5. We're most grateful for all of the prayers, emails, and phone calls of
concern we've received. It means a lot to us.

6. We're grateful I have a job. I'll get started again this
afternoon.

So keep in mind, while you're reading my negative stuff below, that Lucie
and I are in good spirits and we're optimistic about our future. We're in better
shape than a lot of people, probably most actually, and we should be
fine.

Now, for the things that are upsetting me.

1. The people who chose to stay behind.

Tens of thousands of people in New Orleans don't own cars. We know several
in our neighborhood. Others have cars, but can't afford to drive far or stay in
a hotel. And as in any city, there are plenty of elderly, infirm, and home bound
people who simply can't evacuate without a lot of help.

The city's
hurricane plan accounted for these people. Long before the evacuation order was
given, the city began issuing instructions for those who could not leave New
Orleans. Buses were to be sent around the city to designated pick up points to
take people to the Superdome. Those who could leave but could not afford hotel
rooms were advised of a number of shelters around the state.

Anyone who could get to a bus stop could get to the dome. The stops were
well publicized through TV, radio, newspaper, and church/community
organizations. It's unfathomable to me that anyone could not know how to get
there. Anyone unable to get to a stop could call a well publicized phone number
for assistance. The city has a van system that goes door-to-door for the
handicapped. In short, everyone, regardless of health or means, had the
opportunity to get to a shelter.

And yet, despite all of that, thousands - tens of thousands, perhaps -
chose to stay in their homes and ride out the storm, despite a mandatory
evacuation order. Many of these people had to be rescued from their homes
earlier this week. These people had small children with them, pregnant women,
the elderly, and the sick. They risked their own lives, the lives of their
families, and the lives of those sent to save them.

Furthermore, resources that could have been devoted to other purposes were
diverted to save these people. I'll go into further detail below, but hospital
personnel have been robbed at gunpoint, stores looted of non-survival goods,
prison riots have occured, and worst of all, levee breashes have remained
unrepaired. Many of these problems would not have been as severe had so many
resources not been dedicated to rescuing people who would not have needed rescue
had they done what they were obliged to do under the evacuation order. I am glad
so many have been rescued, and I pray for those who haven't. But this incident
should be a lesson and a warning: your actions have consequences not only for
yourself, but for others. Heed the authorities when they tell you to
leave.

What are you going to do if you stay behind? You can't stop the wind. You
can't stop the water. You can shoot looters dead I suppose, but really, is it
worth it? We pondered this question last year before Ivan, and we concluded that
we should leave. I've never regretted evacuating.

2. Failure to repair the levees.

This is frustrating. I can accept the notion that the city may be destroyed
by a hurricane. That's why I have insurance. It's a risk you run living in New
Orleans, and we pay for it in higher rates. What is somewhat more troubling is
that the scenario that's playing out has been aniticipated for years, and yet it
seems that the Army Corps of Engineers did not have a plan for repairing a levee
breach without overland access to said breach. The interviews I've heard with
ACE personnel so far have left me with the distinct impression that they had not
thought much about this, nor planned or prepared to deal with what's happening
right now.

Even worse, Mayor Nagin was assured that ACE would send helicopters with
sandbags to the levee breaches Tuesday afternoon. The National Guard was in
position ready to place the bags. You must understand - without repair of these
levees, the city is essentially in open communication with the Gulf of Mexico
via Lake Ponchartrain. Without repair, the city cannot be pumped out and
recovery cannot begin. The helicopters, however, did not show up. They were
apparently diverted for search and rescue. Nagin called it a case of "too many
chiefs". Whoever gave the order to divert those aircraft I'm sure did so in good
faith, obviously trying to save lives. However, at a high level, someone has to
have their eye on what's best for the city overall and allocate resources
according to priority and immediacy of need. But this balancing didn't happen.
The disaster plan and chain of command need tweaking in this respect. I'll note
here that I believe the evacuation effort was far improved this time around, and
that the efforts of everyone from the Mayor on down have been commendable, and
even heroic in many cases.

3. Looting.

Referring back to item 1 for a moment, let's keep in mind that every effort
was made to encourage people to either leave or avail themselves of the shelters
provided by the city and state. It's a free country and you can't send people to
the Superdome at gunpoint (at least before the storm; now may be different). But
I believe that if you choose to stay in your home in these situations despite
all advice and caution to the contrary, you are obligated to provide for
yourself in the event that you lose power and water for the amount of time that
you are warned that you may be without them.

Of course, if you run out, I don't mind much if you simply take what you
find someplace. If somebody breaks into our house tonight, I hope they partake
of anything edible they find. They need it more than we do. Keep in mind,
however, that MRE's and other supplies are provided at the Superdome. This was
publicized.

And yes, Winn Dixie and Wal Mart have insurance. Guess who pays for
it.

Thing is, most of the looting that I've seen is a lot more than food.
There's people taking TVs, tennis shoes, whatever. And they look happy to do it.
First hand reports of rampant, wanton looting of non-essenetial items are all
over the news, the web, and word of mouth. Worse, gunmen are carjacking and
robbing innocent people, rescue workers, and hospital personnel. Nurses are
being robbed at gunpoint while attempting to evacuate hospital patients. The
people doing these things are not "desperate victims" just trying to survive.
They are criminals, and they are mistreating people who would happily help them
if given the chance. They are taking advantage of the fact that the police and
National Guard are too busy rescuing people (who should not need rescue, see
item 1) to maintain law and order. I'm really angry that so many people around
the nation and the world are seeing that what New Orleans does in a hurricane is
rob and mob. These looters disgust me, and a full accounting needs to be done
some day. Justice must be done. People must be held accountable for their
actions.

Anyway, that's my take today. We still don't know when we can go home. But
as I said above, we have a lot to be thankful for. God is merciful and we have
faith that we'll find a way forward.

CheersOwen

I asked a few questions and pointed him to cnsnews.com where they had a story on the "class warfare" aspect of the looting. His response:

Dude, I hear you about the "class warfare" stuff and the management
nightmare vs amazing rescues story lines. The real story is that so many who
could have died didn't because the city and state got the evacuation plan going
and made it work better than it had before. The problems we're having, while
preventable, are just the understandable result of fallible human beings dealing
with an unprecedented distaster. It's nobody's "fault", and mistakes happen. I'm
just upset and want an explanation as to how some of these mistakes came
about.

Really, I don't have a problem with somebody who's house is under water
breaking into my house because they need food, clothes, water, whatever. Please,
help yourself and survive. I'm angry that you chose to stay, but I want you to
live. Once you cross the line from necessities to jewelry or something like
that, now you're a looter and a criminal.

I'll go into it more in some other email, but the national correspondents
covering this story most likely don't live next to public housing the way Lucie
and I do. I don't think most of my neighbors would wantonly steal from us, but I
know some would. So yes, there are some people in New Orleans right now looking
to get theirs from some rich white guy's house. Race and New Orleans is
something we could talk about endlessly.

The billion dollar question: will there be a next time? I dunno. What I'm seeing tonight is really disheartening. Thousands keep showing up expecting to be rescued from the some and now the convention center. They're angry. This is looking bad.

Florida Gov. Blanco: "We need a higher power right now.''

In a morning gathering in Baton Rouge, Gov. Blanco, flanked by a number of religious leaders, asked for peoples' prayers to help Gulf Coast residents cope with the magnitude of the disaster.

"We need a higher power right now,'' Blanco said.

"There are a lot of people to pray for,'' she added.

Archbishop Alfred Hughes was one of the religious leaders at Blanco's side and he offered scripture and prayer.

"We are so overwhelmed, we do not know how to respond,'' Hughes said.

So, he said, we turn to prayer.

Hughes read from a letter from St. Paul to the Romans: "We know that all things work for the good of God . . ." . . . if God is for us, who can be against us?''

Katrina refugees: Setting priorities

Flickr has a group for Katrina photos that are amazing, sad and amazing both. And then there is this one. It's good to know that people find a way to get by.

There are also a few overlays being uploaded to GoogleEarthHacks where photographs of the destruction can be laid on top of the existing satellite maps.

The local YMCA is looking for people to host employees that have had to evacuate the NOLA YMCA's. We've opened our house since Sarah is off in Dallas

I wish we could do more.

Kingwood Gangstas

Gwendolyn and Miriam look like they are being sucked into one of those Kingwood sisterhood gangs. I say sisterhood because it appears that their sister Michelle is the root of this particular evil.

And Miri, sweet Miri. {sigh}

Maestro, a little music please?

More than ten years ago, I got a harmonica. It was the same time I started juggling I think. And I think my first harp was in a Klutz kit. I don't know where I lost that first one. The second got stolen. I've been blowing on my current one for more than six years now. It was a gift from Susan.

It passes time in traffic these days. Gwen and Miriam blow on it once in a while.

Today I was listening to Green Day's Wake Me Up When September Ends [video] for the and thought to myself how good a harp would fit in between the notes. And let me tell you, IT WAILED!

So after the song I blew this and that. Mostly sad-ish stuff as I thought about the destruction in the south and how those folks know the blues.

So why not make a recording? Enter audioblog.

For the record, I know I stink. And I know the audio quality of the media stinks. But it was fun. That counts for something.

A Tangled Relationship

I got to thinking about my best friend because her brother Owen and his wife Lucie are coming over for dinner. I hadn't seen her in a few years, since her brother's wedding in fact. But her family seems like my family and our lives have become fairly intertwined over years and miles.

{As a side note, Gwendolyn still wonders why she wasn't in that wedding. All the previous weddings she had attended she had had a formal position.}

So I drop Treloar an email. It was one of those, "Hey how are you? How have you been?"

She replies back with a general overview followed by the following:

I saw your sister in May at Ben's wedding. It was bizarre explaining to the connection. You to Owen through me, Owen to Michelle through you, Michelle to Ben through Owen. Kind of like this: Michelle's younger brother's best friend in high school is the best man's older sister, and the younger brother introduced the best man to his sister, and then the best man introduced the groom to the sister's best high school friend's older sister.

I laughed my butt off and my co-workers looked at me funny (again).

It never ceases to amaze me how lucky I am to have a friend that I relate with so well. After knowing her for 15 or 16 years, most of which were spent apart with years of no interaction, she still brings me joy.

I can't wait to see how our families intertwine as time goes by.

If you are in the Chicago area, stop on by the Notebaert Nature Museum and ask for Treloar. Tell her Aaron says "Hi!" And tell her that he misses her.

Some good does come

Hurricane Katrina has driven strangers, friends, friends of friends, and family from their homes (picture).
They left in droves this past weekend and have no idea what they'll return to.

I saw this quote about those residents that decided t stay behind:

"I'm expecting that some people who are die-hards will die hard," parish council President Aaron Broussard said.

Reports this morning say that the "second worst storm in US history" is weakening quickly but that doesn't mean a whole lot. We spent last week looking at the destruction in South Florida when Katrina was a category one storm. The same storm hitting New Orleans is a category 4. It can't be good. We are still talking 140 mph winds over 120 miles. That's a lot of wind, rain, tide surge, tornados.

There's a flickr slideshow available.

If you stayed behind in the Big Easy, why don't you head over to Molly's at the Market? I hear they are going to be open.

Two very good friends live out that way and came to Houston to wait out the storm with a friend. We haven't seen them since their wedding.

The bright side of the storm (from our point of view) is that while they are in town we'll get to see them. They are more than friends, they are family; and it's been too long.

The misuse of the word "Literally" kills me. Literally.

Twice on talk radio yesterday I heard the host misuse the word literally incorrectly. And it [literally] twists my insides up the way the use of irregardless [literally] kills my sister when she hears it's use (even though it is a real word).

In case you are not aware, "literally" does not mean that the metaphor to follow is a literary bit of prose. According to Common errors in English,

It should be used to distinguish between a figurative and a literal meaning of
a phrase. It should not be used as a synonym for "actually" or "really."

I have found that almost every use of the word is the exact opposite of it's literal meaning, literally.

Thankfully, I don't have to make eradicationtion of this misuse of language the goal of this blog. Someone has beaten me to it. Literally, A Web log has done an excellent job of collecting samples of use with commentary.

I'm going to literally add it to my news feeds.

(Wait, that wasn't witty or smart. Nuts.)

Something different tonight. Something orange.

Today's drawing

Some meetings require me to be very involved.

Give me data before hand; give me opposing views in the room or on the phone; let's make some decisions. Recap a status report that I could have read at my desk . . . . you get today's picture.

SUCCESSES THIS WEEK IN IRAQ (12-18 AUGUST 2005)

The mainstream press doesn't cover the good things that are being accomplished by our troops in Iraq; I don't think that it fits the message that they want to get out.

The fact is that our soldiers are doing good work every day. Work that needs to be done and work that won't get done if we pull out any earlier than necessary.

So in case you didn't know it, HQ United States Central Command puts out a news release weekly. This weeks lists the construction of schools, hospitals, and courthouses. It lists public work projects. It covers the increasing activity on the Iraqi Army soldiers stepping up to the plate.

If you want to read previous releases, you can do so here.

This I Believe on NPR

"Beginning in 1951, radio pioneer Edward R. Murrow asked Americans from all walks of life to write essays about their most fundamental and closely held beliefs. Half a century later, NPR, Atlantic Public Media and This I Believe, Inc. are partnering to recreate 'This I Believe' on the air and online."

I recomposed my "Today is a Good Day" essay for this series put on by NPR. I perused some of the other submissions and it's good to know that there are people out there that believe in things. That's what makes America great.

I wish that the StoryCorps booth was traveling to Houston. It's neat to see inside other's people's family. I'd like to imagine that the rest of the interview, the part that doesn't make it on the air, is just as poignant to the families involved. I'd like to interview my family about our past. Maybe that's a new project for me in my 33rd year.

It's my birthday!

Thirty-three years ago today, Deborah Klenke had a baby boy, yours truly. And the people rejoiced.

We didn't have much time to celebrate because we took Sarah to Denton, TX (just north of Dallas) to start her sophomore year at University of North Texas.


Move in went well. The dorms are nice. The menu had lots of vegetarian options and there were lots of activities for the next week or so.

After talking to a bunch of students, parents, and other people helping other people move in, this may be a great fit for Sarah. I hope so, I want her to happy and successful.

Susan says that we may celebrate my birthday in a few weeks. I am kinda ok with it but it sure would be nice to have some crazy birthday surprise today. Last year my father had his wedding on my birthday and today we moved in Sarah. It's a conspiracy I tell you!

In any case, today was a good day.

Evening doodle on the Tablet