Da Goddess

May 12, 2008

Soldiers' Angels Founder Patti Patton-Bader is America's Favorite Mom

But, we already knew that, right?

Now America knows, too.

Soldiers’ Angels founder Patti Patton-Bader was named “America’s Favorite Mom” in a primetime television show Sunday night on NBC. Sponsored by Teleflora and hosted by Donny and Marie Osmond, the show highlighted fifteen outstanding mothers who had distinguished themselves in categories ranging from Working Moms to Military Moms and “Non-Mom” Moms.

Humbled by the honor, Patti is thrilled to be able to use it to continue the Soldiers’ Angels mission of “May No Soldier Go Unloved.” As the grand prize winner, she will receive $250,000, a set of household appliances, and other valuable items. Patti hopes to apply the winnings to her plans for a small ranch that will allow newly returned soldiers to relax with their families after deployments.

“I really am lucky to know so many heroes in my life,” said Patti, who herself has two sons in the Army, one currently deployed to Iraq. “Whether they are the troops who serve our country or the amazing mothers here on this America’s Favorite Mom program, I am honored to be in the presence of such inspirational people and also am humbled to know that America thinks the same of me.”

I met Patti two years ago at the conclusion of Soldier Ride (photos) and she is a warm, gracious, amazing, beautiful spirit -- inside and out. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this honor than Patti Patton-Bader.

Here's to Patti and Soldiers' Angels!

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:46 PM | Comments (1)

May 10, 2008

Soldiers' Angels and Little Dude

Today was the first day of Gator by the Bay for us. We were supposed to man two booths -- the blues society and Soldiers' Angels. We had a couple folks out sick for the blues booth so I stayed there and Little Dude made the decision to stay with Soldiers' Angels. Since Susan, the woman running the booth for SA, said it was okay with her, it was okay with me.

Turns out it was a great decision all the way around.

Little Dude was happy to be helping out a good cause and he turned out to be a fantastic salesman. They were selling beads and he would wander the crowd, gathering money like it was growing on trees. He even ended up selling to a friend of mine who doesn't spend money on these things. Ever. Yep, the eskimo bought ice from LD.

He also ended up having a head shot done by a group who were looking to cast kids in two new shows locally. Little Mr. Reluctant finally gave in and something tells me he could have a chance.

Lots of photos to upload.

Lots of rest needed. Especially if LD's going to charm everyone again.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:07 PM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2008

WTF?

How low can you go?

Jones claimed he and his friends used shovels to dig up the body and removed the corpse's head with a garden tool, Adkins said. Jones also revealed he and the other two boys took the severed head to the juvenile's home, where they used the skull as a "bong" to smoke marijuana, the officer said.

It's bad enough these kids are stoners, but using a skull as a bong? WTF??? How on earth did these sick little shits come up with such an idea?

I won't even bother to ask where the parents were. I just want to know these kids are getting some major counseling.

Found via both Jodi and The Fat Guy.

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:15 PM | Comments (1)

May 05, 2008

Lots of Reading, I Know, But This is Important. Really.

Look, I'm in the middle of a mental (some may call it psychotic, but they'd only be half-right) meltdown with editing work and upcoming projects. My sudden burst of posting can be attributed directly to the fact I'm avoiding as much work as possible for as long as possible. That's just how I roll.

Anyhow, here's a post that MUST BE READ.

Because of our American military, America is blessed not to be ‘war-weary’. However, instead of facing a barrage of bullets, missiles, bombs, and suicide-murderers, we have an onslaught of the MSM telling us ‘we are bad Americans. We are killing all these really nice people. Those nice people hate us because we are in their country. Let’s all sing kumbaya* and then no one will be war-weary’.

Hat tip: Pam.

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:28 PM | Comments (0)

San Diego Happenings

Tonight is a benefit for Candye Kane down at Humphrey's Backstage Lounge. She's been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is without insurance. She's already had her surgery and it went quite well, but there are major bills to be paid and a fairly intense recovery period when she can't be touring and earning a living. Starts at 6:30pm and goes until...

Friday -- all day -- begins the weekend-long grand opening of the new Borders store in National City. There'll be music and book signings and all sorts of prizes handed out. Meet Oliver North and Ingrid Croce and a host of others. I think I might go Friday just to get some free candy and to see Little Dude's eyes pop out of his head as he gets a load of the size of the place. Book stores are like toy stores for the brain, you know?

Saturday and Sunday are our big days around this house. Gator By The Bay! Big time fun with great music and good people. Oh, and there's food, too. LD and I are doing double duty, working with the blues society and Soldiers' Angels. And we have to squeeze in time for photos and music enjoyment. It'll be a long weekend, but I'm packing my pain pills and planning plenty of breaks to save my back.

So now that you know where to find me, are you gonna stalk me? If so, bring presents. Or at least buy me a drink or a nosh.

Posted by Da Goddess at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)

Break Out The Cerveza, It's Cinco De Mayo

I've been getting loads of hits for people looking for info on Cinco de Mayo (although they're spelling it Cinco DA Mayo, which is totally wrong and just so we're all clear here, I prefer Dia De Los Muertos to the 5th of May -- I just don't get the same buzz off a 5th of May like I used to so I've switched to a 5th of whiskey) thus it's entirely warranted that I update a post from the borked archives of way back in Aught-Four.

I'm including an old photo after the old post, too, cuz you haven't had enough of those picture thingies lately, have you? (Surly -- at 6am -- without any alcohol...this is why I'm considered a "catch".)

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not the date of Mexico's freedom from Spain (that occurs on September 16.) Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of Mexico's victory against the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Old Town San Diego held its Fiesta Cinco de Mayo last weekend. [ed. note: there was another celebration this weekend, too. Funny how they seem to do it year after year at the same time.]

You can do a little celebrating yourself with some tasty food and a little cerveza.

Click below for a yummy Pork Empanada and Chipotle Salsa recipes. Enjoy!

Pork Empanada

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 12-ounce pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 1/3-inch pieces
1 jalapeño chili, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sour cream

Dough
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup Masa Harina (corn tortilla mix)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
2 large eggs

Chipotle Salsa (see recipe)
Sour cream

For filling:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork, serrano chili, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and allspice to skillet and stir 3 minutes. Add lime juice; boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Mix in sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.

For dough:
Butter 2 large baking sheets. Mix flour, Masa Harina, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir in melted butter. Whisk water and 1 egg in small bowl to blend. Add to flour mixture; knead in bowl until smooth pliable dough forms, about 2 minutes. Working with half of dough at a time, roll out on floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 3 3/4-inch-diameter biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Reroll scraps and cut out additional rounds for a total of 12 rounds per dough half.

Whisk remaining egg in small bowl to blend. Place 1 tablespoon filling in center of each dough round. Lightly brush edges with egg. Fold dough over, pressing edges with fork to seal. Place on prepared baking sheets. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush empanadas with beaten egg. Bake until light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with Chipotle Salsa and sour cream.

Chipotle Salsa

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (sold at Latin American markets)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes about 3 cups.

Posted by Da Goddess at 06:02 AM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2008

Mikey's Truck

Mrs. Mikey snapped these photos yesterday when she went down to look at Mikey's truck. The last photo is the passenger side of the vehicle without its door. There was no door left. And the bed of the truck was obviously thrown completely out of whack. The photo with the airbag doesn't show enough for you to tell that the jaws of life were used to extract Mikey, but even still, it doesn't look pretty.

Posted by Da Goddess at 12:30 PM | Comments (3)

May 01, 2008

Looking Good

We just got back from the hospital and I can happily report that Mikey is looking pretty damn good! (dancing and joyous laughter)

Surgery on his arm was yesterday, natch. Today he was weaned off the vent and has stayed off. They've removed his restraints as well, which is a no brainer when you realize they really only had him in them to keep him from pulling tubes and such.

Mrs. Mikey and Mini Mikey were in good spirits. LD and Mini Mikey "did homework" while the Mrs. and I went in to see Mikey. Thank God for the ride home otherwise I don't think LD's homework would have ever been done. Oh well, kids need diversion and distraction in stressful situations and that's why LD was along for this particular visit.

Anyhow, back to the patient.

Mikey really does look good. There's some faint bruising on his left chest (seatbelt compression), a huge lump on his right arm (no break), bruises on his legs, a massive bandage and cast on the left arm from the surgical repair, and a small, open pressure sore on his right wrist from the restraints (he was writhing so much, it was bound to happen). Oh, and the really good news about the left arm is that they were able to save the graft/fistula for his dialysis! They won't be able to use it until his cast if off, but it was saved. Yay!

Now, he wasn't awake enough yet for conversation. Well, he was earlier for Mrs. Mikey, but not by the time I got there. Still, seeing is believing and I believe he's going to be back to his old self in no time.

The same can't be said for his truck, though. That was scary! I'm hoping Mrs. Mikey's photos make their way into my mailbox soon so I can show you just how bad it was and how lucky we are Mikey lived.

And there you have it. Mikey's making strides!

Posted by Da Goddess at 07:33 PM | Comments (0)

April 30, 2008

Spotted Roadside

As I headed over to the school to pick Little Dude up this afternoon, I saw a gathering over at the sign for Ner Tamid Synagogue. I figured there was some sort of dedication happening or something, but really I was focused on getting to school.

Once I had LD in the car, we headed back down the road and saw several news trucks and the reason for the gathering: graffiti. Apparently it's been there since Saturday night/Sunday morning. I've driven past this sign how many times since then? I hadn't noticed.

But since my attention had been directed to it, there was no mistaking what was scrawled on the sign. 14/88 was there amongst the rest of the scrawlings. This isn't all that uncommon, unfortunately, in this area. We've had Aryan groups here for 20+ years, thanks to the Metzger clan up in Fallbrook. It seemed like things had settled down a bit, but obviously whatever these groups were doing was much subtler over the last few years rather than not occurring at all.

This is being considered a hate crime and there is a reward offered for information leading to an arrest.

As LD said in his very concerned voice, "there's just no sense in any of this. There's no reason to act hateful toward others just because they believe in a different God. I wish we could go scrub that sign clean."

Me too, buddy.

I think what bothers me most is how little progress we've made when it comes to learning to live with each other and our differences. You know what? We're all different, yet we're all the same. Deep down, we're made of the same proteins and other amino acids. We all bleed the same color. When we die, we all end up pretty much in the same place -- in the ground, in the water, or in the air (soon to settle on ground or in water). It just doesn't make sense. And to prove how little sense this makes, check out the comment (currently only one comment is there, click "more" below to read the comment just in case it disappears) on the local NBC site linked above. Hate just breeds more hate, people. There's nothing to be gained from this.

Currently the lone comment on the vandalism article:

Norm Leven San Diego, CA Reply #1 2 hrs ago It was probably a Rabbi trying to drum up some extra money. This happens all the time. We live in a slave world controlled by Zionists that have made merely thinking against them a specific crime they dub 'hate.' Wake up America, the blood of Palestine is on your hands.

I don't think so. Hateful, hateful, hateful. There's no gain from any of this. Norm, get real, dude. This stuff's gonna eat you up inside and make you sick. And for those who vandalized the sign in the first place, grow up and get a life.

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:23 PM | Comments (4)

Mikey's Post-Op Update

Thank you all again for all of your well wishes!! Your prayers and good juju have been working!!

Mike had a really good day today! He had his surgery on his arm and it went great. He also had his head and neck CT today and the preliminary (reading) looks great. The CT results still need to be looked over by a radiologist before the results are official but again they look good. So the plan for tomorrow is to start to wean him off of the ventilator and the sedation meds. Yah!!! They plan to try to get him to start breathing on his own and get back to consciousness; they are hoping he will be able to be awake tomorrow but they plan to let him make the pace. So I am really hopeful he will be home sometime next week! YAHHHHH!!!!

Anyways, thank you all so very much for helping our little family yet again. We truly are blessed to have all of you in our lives!!

I will update you all as soon as I have something new.

Tomorrow, Little Dude and I are heading down to the hospital. We'll help keep Mini Mikey company and help distract her. She's having a rough go of it this time around. Can you blame her? No kid should ever have to see his or her parents in a coma, let alone twice. Forget that this one is medically induced. The fact that Mini Mikey has held up so well until now is a miracle. Same with Mrs. Mikey. She is undoubtedly the strongest woman I know. But this has to be weighing on her. I can't imagine.

Keep up the kind thoughts, the prayers...all of it.

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)

From Mrs. Mikey

First, I would like to say thank you to everyone for all of your support, prayers, and good juju! We couldn’t do this with out your support and love.

Mike is still stable yet listed as critical. He was not able to have the surgery on his arm today. They have it scheduled for tomorrow at 2pm. They will also be doing another head CT tomorrow because he is still very disoriented and they are concerned that he may have a head injury. I was informed today that they found he has a fractured sternum; probably caused by the seatbelt, nothing serious though. Mike’s BP is still a major concern; they are having trouble keeping it in a normal range. At this time there is no way of knowing how long he will be there. I was told it could be any where from 1 week to several weeks it all depends on Mikey’s progress.

I didn't go down to the hospital yesterday. Mrs. Mikey had other friends with her and keeping visitors to a minimum is actually more helpful, I think. Less overwhelming. Anyhow, we did talk on her way to the hospital in the morning and she was rather optimistic. When I called later on in the day, her phone had died (all those calls asking about Mikey, no doubt). I wasn't worried. I knew I'd get an update later on.

Sounds like things are moving along. That's good. It's not major progress, but that's fine. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Right.

Keep on praying, folks.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:07 AM | Comments (1)

April 28, 2008

Things Could Be Worse

Mikey's accident made the news. What drama! His wife and I teased him about this while we stood by his bed and tried to carry on one-sided conversations with him. Or was it a three-way convo with only two active participants? Hard to tell.

Anyway, here's the latest:

His arm is severely broken. They were talking about doing surgery tonight, but it won't happen until tomorrow.

He's heavily sedated because he's super combative otherwise. He's on a vent again, but without the extra tubes and machines that they had for his head last time, it doesn't looks quite so bad. Mikey was a little agitated off and on while Mrs. Mikey and I were in with him. He calmed down quickly though. Seems like anytime housekeeping was causing any sort of noise with trash, he'd get all riled up. And when respiratory came in, he'd get a bit restless.

Blood pressure is looking good for now. The fluid around the heart and in the lungs is, well, they don't know what that's from. It could be there because he had a shorter dialysis session today or from the impact. Nobody knows.

His left shoulder is a bit swollen from the shoulder belt, but isn't too bad.

They'll be doing more films and such tomorrow, I'm sure, checking to see if his back and head still look good. You never know with these things.

While Amy and I were outside talking and waiting to get in to see him, I thought I recognized someone across the parking lot. I walked a bit closer, then a little closer, and finally I realized I had it right -- two local musicians (who've been very good to me and who have brought good luck my way in the past plus they're proudly using one of MY PHOTOS on their site at this very moment) were smack dab in front of me! It was a surreal moment to be sure, but I took this as a very good sign. If Nate and Ben could magically appear in the parking lot of the hospital, Mikey would HAVE to be okay.

Things aren't nearly as bad as they were last time, but Mikey has a long way to go. Say a prayer, think good thoughts, do whatever you have to in order for Mikey to get well.

I'll try to keep everyone updated as best I can.

Oh, and do me a favor and add a prayer for our friend Gracie who is having part one of her sinus surgery in the morning.

Gotta keep everyone healthy from now on, right?

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:38 PM | Comments (3)

Mikey Hospitalized

Mad Mikey was in a horrible car accident today and is currently in the hospital.

He's responsive to pain, which is good, but otherwise not so much. There's swelling around the heart and lungs, and who knows what else.

I'm on my way down right now. I'll have more details when I return.

Say a prayer for our buddy, please.

Posted by Da Goddess at 05:43 PM | Comments (1)

April 27, 2008

Christos Anesti!

Christos anesti ek nekron,
Thanato thanaton patisas,
Kai tis en tis mnimasi
Zo-in charisamenos!

(Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs
Bestowing life!)

Happy Easter, everyone. Confused? Don't be.

Posted by Da Goddess at 07:50 AM | Comments (1)

April 23, 2008

Boom De Yada

Dear Discovery Channel, er, Network,

Thank you for your great new commercial. You know, the one featuring Bear Grylls, Mike Rowe, Jamie and Adam, an egyptianologist, and a cast of many others singing the praises of our amazing world. It's no "Ahh, the Atmosphere", but it's pretty damn cool.

Imagine my surprise and delight to find a second, longer version on YouTube. (See both below*)

Discovery, A&E, and Bravo have saved my sanity, such as it is, during my confinement. Tonight's episode of Mythbusters hit close to home. They did a segment on cabin fever. Yes, that's the sound of bells ringing for them knowing exactly what I've been going through cooped up here.

Last night, of course, was Deadliest Catch. Sigh. I love the raw energy of the show. It's the real man vs. wild (no offense, Bear) aspect that keeps me on the edge of my seat and wishing each episode had an extra hour or two every week. The captains, the crews, the weather, and even the crab fascinate me. Crab fishing is brutally hard, requires a fiercely independent spirit (and some would say a death wish), and again, there's that epic battle between the adventurous men and often unruly Mother Nature. It's the best kind of reality television -- little artifice, some selective editing, and yet, it's the real lives of real men and even some women. Take that, Big Brother.

I should point out that as big a fan as I am of Captains Sig Hansen, Johnathan Hillstrand, Phil Harris, and all the rest (though in no way of less importance -- it's the meds, guys, my apologies), you will not find me on message boards discussing them, their lives, writing fan fiction, or scheming of ways to someday meet them. I leave that to the rest of their very weird, rabid fanbase. Although, I do admit that the new book from the Hillstrands looks pretty damn interesting. Anyhow, should I ever decide I really did want to meet any of them, I'd do it for portrait sessions and a subsequent book of essays on the men and their lives, natch.

After countless hours spent medicated and bored, I looked forward to evening TV. I've already seen every episode of JAG, Nash Bridges, Golden Girls, and The Nanny. The only upside to daytime is catching up on Matlock. I never watched it while it was in first run, so it's new to me now. Give me prime time TV anytime and I'm much happier.

I'm tapering off my Flexeril, Vicodin, and Tylenol with high hopes of being med-free by the weekend. I have yet to see my darling son since before he left on his trip. I'm taking baby steps forward, folks.

For now, I must return to Discover the world from my living room sofa. (Thanks to the roomie, it's actually more easily visible with an early birthday gift.)

Signed,

Your Semi-Medicated Cabin Fever Goddess

* Take your pick (I love them both)

Shorter version (the one with which I've become most familiar):

Longer version:

My favorite Discovery.com commercial ever:

Don't miss out on Fellow Partially Eaten Fish and Hello Mosquito

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:35 PM | Comments (2)

April 11, 2008

Little Dude at Arlington

From the photographic files of Little Dude's teacher, here are the latest from the big trip to Arlington National Cemetery.

Someone was looking very handsome. LD worried about what to wear until he found out he could be in his scout uniform. Several of the boys brought theirs and they took a group photo all decked out.

Little Dude gave a speech in honor of Jared Landaker. Just a week ago, Jared's parents spent the day with the kids, talking about the kind of man Jared was. LD took extra care in preparing this speech because he feels such a connection to the Landakers. (Yes, there's a lingering post to be finished -- with photos -- from last week.)

Even though Jared's not buried at Arlington, there is a special place set aside for those who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to this wreath and the one placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the class placed one in honor of the cousin of one young lady.

Little Dude will be home late tonight and I likely won't see him until Tuesday. Feh. I don't know if I can wait. I want to hear all the stories and see all the photos from the trip.

I'm so grateful to LD's teacher for the nightly emails and photo uploads. It was nice to see what was going on even though I couldn't be there. All that's left is tracking down the folks with the video!

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:51 AM | Comments (5)

April 10, 2008

Flickr Schmickr

Flickr's response to those of us against video on the site is, to say the least, unimpressive, if not more than a little flip.

Here's what they said in the forums (and despite Heather being one of the founders, she seems to not understand using spellcheck or perhaps doesn't care that she comes across poorly) -- Round One:

heather says:

Marie Antoinette I am not. I think we've responded to constructive critcism throughout and we're definitely pow wowing here back at Flickr HQ. That said, these forums topics are like surfing a wild tsunami and feedback that we do provide can easily be lost.

I've been with the team through a variety of feature launches that have brought change to the community. Through it all, we've been hear listening to feedback, making change where necessary to make Flickr better. We want to hear your feedback and I think that for the most part, we take all comers.

Personally, the emerging side of feedback that's become almost abusive via protest images in comments leaves me mostly speachless (and I'm a talker). But we understand that it's important for people to have their say. We haven't implemented any sort of "clean up" tool for this, leaving it up to individuals to determine what they are comfortable with within their own photostream.

I'm not sure what to say to those who don't want peanut butter in their chocolate (so to speak). Video is now part of the Flickr DNA and while we will definitely be addressing some of the great feedback for ways that the implementation can be massaged towards better things, we're not pulling up stakes and rolling back. When we're ready, we'll share those changes with you hear (if you've seen any of Dunstan and I tripping overourselves regarding video in Explore, you'll appreciate that we want to have our ducks in a row).

We have a wonderfully passionate community and whether your imagery moves or stays still appears to be divisive. I mentioned earlier in this thread that I was very much against it when I heard that it was on the road map. If I had my way, I'd chuck all things digitial (even your beautiful DSLR) and dial the flickrverse back to all things film. That's not going to happen. I have to respect that there will be change and that the flickrverse is really a multiverse of people all who have different ideas of how they want to share the world around them.

Just as there are more megapixels now than there even a few years ago, I think that how we capture both still and moving is going to change dramatically over the next few years. Including video within Flickr will enable those who choose to....

I think I've gone off on a tangent, but as I began this post with Marie Anne I am not, I want to finish that we're about being inclusive. While there are a few rough edges that need to be polished out, I think that in the long run, video on Flickr is a wondeful complement what's been built so far.

People weren't happy with that, so the comments continued, which led to Round Two:

heather says:

If you missed it, please read what I wrote last night.

Here’s our response to what we see as frequent feedback here in the forum (I’ve paraphrased the feedback in some instances):

“I don’t want video on Flickr.”
We’re sorry, but video is here to stay. We’d love for everyone to give it a shot. If it’s not to your taste, then you should change the default on autoplay. You can distinguish between video and photos by the white arrow bottom left.

“I think video should have it’s own separate site.”
Just as with our international launch last year and building language on top of our global community, we wanted to avoid siloing what is after all, just another format.

“…did none of the staff see this coming?”
Given our experience with the outrage in moving sets from the left-hand side of the page to the right a few years ago (and various adventures since then), we’re very familiar with the passionate response of our members. We can’t be afraid of that. We need to continue to improve, release new features and iterate.

Feedback and iteration are very much part of our process. We very much value the feedback that we receive after features launch. It gives us a chance to take something good and give it that extra polish.

“I should be able to filter video out of my view of Flickr.”
There needs to be a balance between the “voice” of the creator and visitors. While it’s one thing to exclude certain content while searching, it’s quite another thing to presumptively curate what a member is choosing to share in their photostrem.

“I haven’t uploaded any video, why do you say “view [member name]’s photos and videos”
Yup. This is stupid. We’re working on fixing this.

“My group pool is photos only, why does the language reference video?”
Yup. This is stupid. We’re working on fixing this.

“it should not default to auto-play….”
“videos shouldn’t begin to pre-load until I press play”
“video shouldn’t be in explore….”
“I shouldn’t have to use extended search to filter out video”

These are things that we’re pow-wowing about here at Flickr HQ.

And my favourite:

“…We're like the toilet paper she wipes her a-s with!”
I promise you that I don't think of you all as soft, fluffy rolls of triple ply toilet paper. Kittens maybe.... (some with sharp, pointy claws....).

[edit : common --> frequent]

Without addressing some of our concerns directly, Heather's deftly danced around and around, picking and choosing her non-battles. When folks brought up specific existing problems, they were ignored. We've all been ignored. Easier to circumvent the issues with blah blah blah than actual solutions. And, "oh, by the way, we added thusandsuch." That's not a solution. That wasn't even part of the question. Maybe if they'd sent someone other than Heather and her flippant responses, that would have placated some of us. But no.

TopTechWriter.US probably said it best:

flickr can't be bothered to fix comment notification so it doesn't repeatedly blurt out that I've got NEW COMMENTS.

And flickr won't give us options to format the screen background so I can try a nice black or charcoal gray background with understated caption colors that don't scream for attention. Anything but the minimalist Web 2.0 nightmare that is the current color scheme.

But flickr will give us 90-seconds of video that apparently very few people want (and of those who want their minute-and-a-half of fame, far fewer know what to do with it).

But I'm not upset--and y'know why?

Because flickr LOVES ME!! It says so right on the logo.

And you always hurt the one's you love

Yeah, they love us. Sure. I believe it. And I believe their check's in the mail, too. Does Flickr really care what its users want? If so, why haven't they fixed known bugs? Why wasn't there more notice about this new "feature"? Or at least a general polling of paid users? Give us the chance to weigh in and determine what's most important in the way the site functions. We're the ones who use it, why not find out what we really want? The answer lies in the push to compete with other sites and to make more money, obviously. It's not about the paying customer.

Anyhow... My response to all of this was:

Look, not all of my shots are works of art, but I do have clients who use my site to look through all the photos I've taken to determine what will work best for their needs. They've always marveled at the way Flickr was set up because it was obviously all about photography. Not so much anymore.

My personal (photography) site is limited as far as storage and the ability to display my work for clients. That's why I chose Flickr.

What this really boils down to -- for me -- is that the people who visit me occasionally wander about, getting ideas from other photographers about something they'd like to have me try, to find inspiration, and I've always thought that's a good thing. But now they're going to get video as well. These are people who eschew myspace and facebook because they don't want to be bombarded by crap. I value their business and their support, but I'm afraid they're going to run far far away when they can't get past video, no matter what the size.

I just renewed my subscription for TWO years. I had to work to do it because the paypal feature went missing, but fine, fine. Whatever. I did it. Now I feel stuck in a very abusive relationship with someone who doesn't give a rat's posterior what will work best for me, for us. I can't afford to leave at this point, not unless someone's willing to spring for me to make the move.

The blasé attitude and the blatant disregard for what many PAID users are saying is bad business, if you ask me. If I treated my clients like this (even my freebies), I'd be out of business.

Additionally, I pay in advance for Flickr's services. Instead of supporting and improving the available and much-needed functions of the site, they throw bells and whistles and shiny things at our feet, hoping to distract us from the poor quality of their customer service relations.

That's it in a nutshell, I think. They're trying to distract us from the lack of service and/or their lack of concern over the quality of their service.

A lot of folks have said Flickr's video option will lead to a Myspace type of atmosphere. And one has to wonder if that's where all this is heading. After all, we're told "more surprises to come!" If I wanted moving photo montages, I could go to Myspace or webshots or photobucket. Flickr was always safe from that sort of thing. Good, bad, or ugly, it was about photography and the photographer. No matter how it was used, it was about the images and that's what people saw. Once they started allowing people to host photos that didn't belong to them (original terms of service forbid this), the slippery slope was drenched.

Perhaps if Flickr had fixed many of the existing problems and shown us some proof of their love, we'd be actually get behind new features. It would definitely be better than their current approach. Instead, we've been summarily dismissed.

It may seem silly to have my panties in a bunch over this, but as a paying customer, I want to feel valued for more than just the money I pay them. I want my opinion to matter. I want my voice to be heard. Flickr's throwing all that out the window. If customers no longer matter, they'll lose all credibility and they'll lose business. It's really that simple.

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)

April 09, 2008

No Way, Flickse

This just ain't what flickr needs.

Look, there are already issues with load times of photos, photos going missing, and a million other bugs. Do we really need videos, even short videos, adding to the strain on the system? I think not.

Maybe I'm just bitter and pissy right now, but no, not so much upon second thought. Flickr is about PHOTOGRAPHY. We don't need video there.

Consider this a big raspberry pointed in Flickr's direction.

And to further illustrate what can go wrong, I got this message when trying to post this (because I'm very "advance flickr" and special and can post a photo directly to my blogs, not to mention totally full of crap sometimes):

Your blog posting failed. If your configuration details have changed, update them now. Sometimes web services can be a bit flaky - click the button below to try again.

Flickr? This is the kettle calling. You're black.

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:30 PM | Comments (4)

March 29, 2008

Now You Know Something, Too

Okay, I got the word that Little Dude officially knows about this, so I can spill the beans.

A group of 5th graders and some of their parents are going to D.C. on April 6. Part of the trip includes a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. While there, four children are chosen to place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Little Dude is one of those kids.

How cool is that?

As well, the kids from school will be placing a wreath in remembrance of a fallen Marine who was a penpal for the class a year or so ago. The class has stayed in contact with the family and LD has a special relationship with them now (read the quoted text a little more than halfway down the post).

LD was also asked to give a brief speech to the other students while they're at the cemetery.

The only bad part of all this is that I won't be there with him. His teacher has promised me many photos and I'm hoping another parent will capture the entire thing on video for me.

This next week is going to be very exciting for us as I help him with his speech. Given that he's an extremely patriotic kid (he's been declared the most patriotic boy in class), and that he takes his job of placing flags on graves at Ft. Rosecrans so seriously each year, he will be totally engaged in this event. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that he'll be one of the only kids to fully comprehend the meaning of what they're doing.

Pretty awesome stuff, eh?

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:23 PM | Comments (7)

March 28, 2008

I Know Something You Don't Know

I just got word about something fabulous and exciting. BIG TIME.

It involves Little Dude. And I can't tell anyone just yet. In a week, though. In a week.

LD is going to flip his lid. I'm flipping mine!

I. can't. wait.

I need someone to hold me in my seat.

Posted by Da Goddess at 04:04 PM | Comments (4)

March 24, 2008

Vaccines Not The Cause of Autism, Despite What Headline Says

Just read an article called "Vaccine Autism Case Gets US Government Compensation" wherein a family sued the government over the vaccines their daughter had, claiming she got autism from the vaccine.

If you were to read the headline and the first paragraph of the article, you'd probably come to the conclusion that the autism was caused by the vaccines.

The parents of 9 year-old Hannah Poling spoke to the media this week about the US government's landmark decision to pay compensation following their claim that childhood vaccines caused their daughter's autism. The government's sealed decision, made last November, was recently made public on an autism advocacy group website.

However, you have to read a little further to understand that vaccines were not the cause of the autism.

...The ruling effectively states that Hannah's pre-existing rare mitochondrial disorder had disposed her to autism and this was "significantly aggravated" by the vaccines she received as a toddler eight years ago.

Even further into the article, you'll find this amazing clarification:

While conceding that childhood vaccines contributed to Hannah's autism, government health officials maintain that there is no proof that they cause autism directly [emphasis mine]. The government decision does not support the parents' claim, they said.

Here's the thing. Autism Spectrum Disorders are all very complicated and have many genetic factors which contribute to the onset of the expression of the disorder. Vaccines, a normal part of childhood in the U.S., are not the cause of autism, but can trigger genes to interpret the vaccine components in a way that thereby trigger the expression of the autistic characteristics. If vaccines alone were the cause of autism, all of us would be in the same boat. Autism is genetic. Do we know all the genetic markers for autism yet? No. Are we actively involved in research to discover them? Yes. Should we stop immunizing our kids for fear of autism? Not on your life. We must protect our children from disease, especially in this day and age when we continue to be a great big melting pot, not just for people, but also the diseases they might unintentionally bring with them. Autism can be devastating, but death from a preventable disease is worse.

My guess is that without vaccines, we'd still see autistic diagnoses in a significant number of children. If one tiny component in a vaccine can set things off, no doubt there are many more environmental factors which can do the exact same thing.

I feel terrible for families with autistic children, but many of these kids go on to lead very productive lives. Early detection, early intervention, active therapies on a regular basis, and sometimes even medication can help a great number of families and children through very difficult times and improve their lives.

Will there ever be a cure for autism? Until we discover each genetic contributor, and the triggers of the expression of these genes, it seems unlikely. But in the meantime, can't we expect better reporting and fewer lawsuits that do nothing but take money away from research and improvement of current vaccines?

Personally, I'd like to see the lawsuits against drug companies and the government come to a complete halt regarding autism/vaccines. I'd like to see a huge statement in the press without misleading headlines. I'd like to see common sense prevail for once.

VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. Vaccines can trigger a cascade of reactions that cause the expression of the autistic genes, but they DO NOT cause autism. Even the parents of the child in this case are pro-vaccine. What they hope to accomplish, as does the Autism Society of America, is to make vaccines safer. I absolutely agree with this. But in order to do so, we need to make the monetary rewards of such cases go toward the research necessary to make safer vaccines, to improve genetic screening, to prevent wide-spread disease.

Please read the rest of the article. Send the author and the newspaper editor a note about how misleading the headline and first paragraph were.

And then go out and read the book Look Me In The Eye by John Elder Robison, a man with Asperger's -- an Autism Spectrum disorder.

Do your research, vaccinate your kids, support research, and demand better reporting from the media.

Posted by Da Goddess at 07:20 AM | Comments (2)

March 17, 2008

Re:Miss

I've been remiss. I should have blogged this weekend but I was too busy recovering from Friday night. I had a blues society event that lasted way longer than anyone had planned.

I got there at about 8pm and didn't walk back in the house until after 2am. I was beat. Saturday, I was sore. I anticipated that from doing so much standing. What I didn't anticipate was how awful I felt yesterday.

Much of my Sunday was spent sleeping or lounging around, trying to pretend I didn't hurt as much as I did. That's pretty typical of what happens when I'm too active anymore. I know this and try to plan around it.

Still, I was bummed that I didn't get to do some of the other things I wanted to over the weekend, but it was worth it. I think I secured another interview with a bluesman for Little Dude. It's an artist he likes and wanted to see, but couldn't since he's so young. If all the groveling I did pays off, he'll have another interview under his belt and he'll be a happy boy.

By the way, in case you missed it, there's a big Soldiers' Angels logo atop my sidebar for a reason. I'm officially a volunteer. Let me just say this: you don't have to wait for a fundraiser to get involved with SA. Go adopt a troop, send a care package, send a letter, donate a couple bucks, ANYTHING...do it now. Your whole week will be so much better if you do.

Posted by Da Goddess at 06:14 AM | Comments (0)

March 13, 2008

Angering the BTs

I think the MRI pissed off the old BTs yesterday. They've been screaming and fighting for control of my body ever since. In fact, THEY are responsible for my foul mood and any outward displays of surliness.

This would be such a great excuse if I believed in body thetans, wouldn't it?

Scientology absolves one of all personal responsibility blame. I totally understand why some celebs love it so much.

I'm not being religiously intolerant. Not in the least. I don't consider scientology anything more than a very successful marketing ploy, now with more brainwashing!

If I had fewer body aches and nothing more important to do, I might actually have fun joining Anonymous on Saturday. Not that I don't consider this important, but I have other things I MUST do if I'm up and walking. Still, the idea of capturing all activity (check out the pics from San Diego in Feb.) is tempting...

I'm all for religious freedom, but Co$ ain't it. I won't try to speak for all the harm done by those in power at Co$, I leave that to one of my very capable friends. The thing is, this organization is nothing more than a sham, created by a man who wrote sci-fi books and saw the chance to make some serious money. He made plenty. Then he died. But his scams live on. And the crazy mob mentality amongst the leaders has led to some horrifying consequences for too many people. Lives ruined, lives lost. All for what? Money? Power?

It's not just gullible adults seeking belonging who are drawn to this idiocy. Their children are dragged along for the ride. Some escape, some don't.

It's one thing to have FAITH, it's another thing to have to pay for it, to have it ruin lives, to kill.

What started off as a silly throwaway post has morphed into something else. Take away what you will from it. Learn the truth and don't take any wooden nickels.

Posted by Da Goddess at 07:44 AM | Comments (1)

March 06, 2008

Liberalism Leftism As A Disease

Mad Mikey posted the link to the article about a shrink who claims the left has a mental disorder and it intrigued me. Regardless of whether anything serious was meant by the article or not, there's some merit to the argument.

First, let me start off by saying there's a difference between liberal* and left wing, in my mind at least. Those who call themselves liberals generally aren't.

With that in mind, here are a few things that Dr. Rossiter pointed out and with which I absolutely agree (except his use of the word "liberal"; I believe he means "left wing"):

...the liberal agenda preys on weakness and feelings of inferiority in the population by:

• creating and reinforcing perceptions of victimization; satisfying infantile claims to entitlement, indulgence and compensation;
• augmenting primitive feelings of envy;
• rejecting the sovereignty of the individual, subordinating him to the will of the government.

I've said those very things often enough myself. My complaint about the left wing has been that they are very quick to categorize people, thus separating them from others, which is hardly the broad-minded, unifying image the left (or Dems) want us to believe they're all about. The fact of the matter is, a victim is a plus for the left as it gives them someone to champion. But who creates those victims? Why, the left does.

It may sound very much like I'm anti-Democrat. I'm not. I was a card carrying Dem for many years. In fact, most of my voting life I was a Democrat. But I stopped believing in the "what's in it for me me me me me me?" line I kept hearing. Can you imagine how shocked I was the day I woke up and realized I wasn't a Democrat? I was frightened. I fought it. Like a mad woman.

But the clincher for me was a guy named Steve whom I'd met for a drink ONCE and who spent the entire time telling me what a committed Democrat should do, how the world was going to hell in a hand basket because Bush was just like Hitler, and on and on. Long after that meeting, he continued to send me emails. Emails that rambled and raged over everything. I fisked him on my site (warning: borked archives) and vowed that I never wanted to be associated with anyone who obviously hated the democratic process, hated America's independence, hated anything remotely resembling personal responsibility. It turned out that I was about to encounter people like this more and more frequently. And the sad part was they all called themselves Democrats.

Granted, not all Democrats fall into that pit of vipers. Enough do, though, that it makes it hard to want to be a part of such a group.

While I don't agree with any party's line completely, I have found I'm much more conservative than I once was. Still, I'm also very liberal -- as in open-minded -- in many ways. Do I see a Democratic candidate who embraces what I feel and doesn't resort to catering to victimology? No. And this distresses me. It's for this reason that I straddle the very fine line between the Dems and the Republicans. I could claim I'm a Libertarian, but I don't agree with much of their party line if you dig beneath the surface (and most people don't).

While I was involved with countering protesters (what? Two years ago now?), I was constantly confronted by folks shilling for whatever Democratic candidate there was. These were the same people who were thoroughly irrational in behavior and who often blamed everyone but themselves for the state of the world, their lives, or what have you. I'd ask them who was ultimately responsible for their lives. They would never declare themselves captains of their own ships. No, it was always the government's fault. Or some social organization. Or some "something". I had a problem with that. They were also all about separating people into subgroups, or factions. I couldn't see that as anything other than divisive. They liked to blame America for everything. I felt that was ignorant at best.

And that's why I agree with Dr. Lyle Rossiter when he says, "A political leader who understands human nature will not ignore individual differences in talent, drive, personal appeal and work ethic, and then try to impose economic and social equality on the population – as liberals do. And a legislator who understands human nature will not create an environment of rules which over-regulates and over-taxes the nation's citizens, corrupts their character and reduces them to wards of the state – as liberals do." Except for the use of the word liberal, I'm all over this like white on rice**. Or brown on rice, if you're into the more organic stuff.

It's time to stop calling left wingers and Democrats-at-large liberals. Too many of them are NOT liberal in any sense of the word. For those of us who do have broader minds, it's an insult to have that word used so imprecisely.

I don't know about you, but I'll call myself a Democrat again when the Dems stop treating each other "Like spoiled, angry children,... rebel(ing) against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and demand(ing) that a parental government meet their needs from cradle to grave."

That ain't liberalism, that's infantilism. And from adults, that's victimization in the making. Mental disorder or social disorder -- either way, it has to stop.

Smart Democrats would weed out the divisive people and find unity in their diversity of thought, varied heritages/ethnicity, and take a firm stand in helping citizens make more of their lives through PERSONAL responsibility and achievement than by paying for programs that keep them impoverished and "entitled".

As long as ANYONE continues such group thought, there will never be any progress in furthering the human condition.

It's time, as Bob Marley once sang, to "emancipate ourselves from mental slavery", which is exactly what the current trend of leftism calls for.

Wake up, folks! Time to free yourselves.

* Liberal: broad-minded; Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry; favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others.

** Shoot, even there I fell into the political correctness trap that has come to represent all that is wrong with the left. Political correctness is nothing more than a means of separating people by using hyphens and special terms. Seriously, what does it really do other than to give us permission to stop being polite or using common sense? White on rice. That's not ethnically improper nor socially unaware. Most people eat white rice. So freakin' what? Sure, I personally love brown rice, but the saying is "white on rice" and that's what I should have stuck with.

Posted by Da Goddess at 04:29 PM | Comments (4)

February 16, 2008

Stupid Celebrities

Britney thinks she's special:

Troubled star Britney Spears is desperate for California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's help in her ongoing custody battle, according to reports. The singer - whose lawyers from legal firm Trope & Trope last month filed a motion requesting permission to withdraw as her counsel - allegedly believes her inability to keep an attorney in her custody case with ex-husband Kevin Federline violates her "civil rights." Spears' estranged manager Sam Lutfi reportedly contacted Schwarzenegger's former publicist to help put the 26-year-old in touch with the state commander. A source tells the New York Daily News, "Britney says her civil rights have been violated and she wants to talk to Arnold about it. She wants the governor to look into why she can't get an attorney. Sam was chewing on his dinner while he was saying all this into the phone. He wanted Schwarzenegger to call him, and he said he'd hand Britney the phone." Spears lost the right to visit her sons Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, last month after a breakdown at her Beverly Hills home at the end of a scheduled visit, which resulted in a three-hour police stand-off.

Um, Brit, you fucked up all on your own and you don't get to ask for special favors from the Governator just because you're a celeb. You held a kid hostage, ran around barely dressed for months, refused to appear for depositions and court dates, and essentially made one bad choice after another in every aspect of your life. That doesn't scream "troubled" to you? Honey, go back to the hospital and get yourself better. THEN work on getting visiting time with your kids. Stay sober and sane for a few months and maybe then you'll find a judge willing to believe you're capable of being a halfway decent parent.

Paris is pounded for propogating pups:

Paris Hilton's dog love has landed her at the center of a new Los Angeles Department of Animal Services investigation, after the heiress boasted about owning 17 pets on a TV show. The socialite told chat show host Ellen DeGeneres all about the extent of her pooch collection on the comedienne's show on Monday - not realizing it's illegal to have more than three dogs at any one non-kennel, non-breeder, residential address in Los Angeles. Animal Services sources tell Tmz.com that bosses of an animal rescue organization took heed of Hilton's dog boast and complained to the officials, who paid her a visit on Tuesday. The website reports Animal Services representatives turned up at Hilton's home, but Paris and her dogs were not there. They left a message with a maid and now plan to return to conduct a full inspection.

Paris was aware it was illegal. She's been visited by Animal Services before (2005). She also reportedly bought a kangaroo in Australia, owned a kinkajou, has a ferret, cats, snakes, rats, monkeys, and states she bought a bobcat. Not only is it illegal for her to own a bobcat, but the kinkajou was taken away because it too was illegal and there's no word on what happened to her purchased roo.

Worse, on Ellen's show, when asked why she had so many dogs, she replied, "Cuz they keep having babies, and I feel bad to give them away, because I feel like if I had a baby and someone gave it away it would be mean, so I feel bad for my dogs." I feel bad for her dogs, too. But only because their human mommy's a major idiot. Dogs are wonderful pets, but they're not like humans. Giving away a puppy doesn't in any manner compare to having a human baby taken from its mother.

Whatever world this chick's living in, there's obviously no one around to give her a good old fashioned reality check via a bitch slap. I don't care how much money you have or if you have someone tending to the animals for you, if you have pets, you absolutely must be a responsible caretaker, and that includes getting your pets spayed or neutered. Oh hell, if she has someone else caring for the animals anyway, what's the point of owning so many? You can't take any real pleasure in them if you don't spend time with them. And yes, that's the official reason she has her own zookeeper...she's so busy working, she can't take care of the animals on her own.

I doubt she takes any real joy in having these animals. They're possessions. One more thing she can claim to own. They likely fill some twisted need to find unconditional love from something, anything in her very materialistic and empty life. Money can buy you a pet, dear, but it can't buy you love, even from those animals.

My life is far from perfect, however, I feel so far ahead of the game when I look at these two. Thank God.

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:55 PM | Comments (2)

February 14, 2008

Fat. Naked. Dangerous.

Yes, as a matter of fact I am. So what?

Posted by Da Goddess at 02:22 PM | Comments (6)

Come On In My Kitchen

You'd better come on in my kitchen
babe it going to be rainin' outdoors

Yes, it's raining and windy and after this front moves out we're due to get Santa Anas. I hate Santa Anas. Dry air, dry wind, dry mucous membranes, no humor, blech. So, I'm gonna sit here and revel in the rainy, windy goodness for as long as it lasts, thankyouverymuch.

Now, on to more important business:

From vd.meish.org or meish.org/vd, whichever you prefer.

Posted by Da Goddess at 02:06 PM | Comments (0)

ROC Fire Relief Benefit Postponed

Dear Friends,

I would like to thank all the amazing people who have jumped on board
contributing their time, expertise and know-how, support and help in so many different ways making this event possible. It is quite a thing to witness the outpouring of brotherly love as I recently have.

We have had some phenomenal and outstanding interest shown in our
event. Our original plan was to raise as much money as possible for The San Diego Foundation's "After The Fires Fund" and because of some new players who have jumped on board who are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal we have come to a mutual agreement that it is in our best interest to postpone the concert date for a few months.

We are currently negotiating with several different entities that
promise to make this 2-day Music Festival Extravaganza one that you
will not want to miss and will never forget. I have received positive
feed back from the artists and they are still committed to performing
at ROC with a future date to be announced by the end of February.

I appreciate your patience and understanding. I would not consider this move if I didn't feel it was in the best interest to the original goal.

Please visit us here at www.myspace.com/rocforfirerelief to stay
updated and informed on the latest news. I will send out an official
announcement no later than February 29th.

Thank you for your continued support.

From the heart,

Randy Seol
The Strawberry Alarm Clock

I'm kind of curious about the "other artists" who have jumped on board. Makes me wonder if the rumors I heard earlier are true. No, I'm not saying who, but just know if it is true...oh baby!

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)

February 11, 2008

Super Special Events Part Deux

Tis the season for super special things for Little Dude, I guess. Tonight, he will meet a genuine GRAMMY WINNER. Yes, indeedy, folks. David Honeyboy Edwards, 92 ("and a 1/2, Mom!"), is performing here this evening and LD and I are heading down to the venue early to set up a table for the blues society.

A couple weeks ago my mom wondered if this was something LD really wanted to do. He replied, "YES YES YES YES YES YES! This guy's a LEGEND! He's the best!" I looked at my mom and said, as dryly as possible, "I think this is something he might enjoy."

Hopefully we'll have better luck getting LD's mini interview questions answered this time. We're still awaiting Tab's responses via email. Oh, and to anyone concerned about this being a school night, don't be. LD's teacher is coming with us.

Now, what to wear?

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)

February 06, 2008

ROC for Fire Relief

Okay, here's the dealio...

Reunited Overture Concert will be happening February 23 and 24 sometime in the future at Qualcomm Stadium.

From Randy Seol:

Dear Friend,

Magic is created when old friends come together. Many old friends are hoping this magic will be transformed into substantial aid for the thousands of Southern California fire victims by helping them restore their lives. And we need your support to help us fulfill the victims’ hopes and honor the heroic fire fighters and others who came to our rescue.

My name is Randy Seol. With help from my band, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, elected San Diego officials, Qualcomm Stadium and H.M. Artist Foundation, I am organizing the “ROC” (Reunited Overture Concert). Proceeds will be donated to the San Diego Foundation’s After the Fires Fund to aid in rebuilding San Diego Communities and help the fire victims.

The event will be a two-day Music Festival Extravaganza February 23 and 24, 2008 at Qualcomm Stadium!

Join us in the company of your “old friends” and a broad arrangement of musical talent such as The Strawberry Alarm Clock, Electric Prunes, Buddy Miles, Vince Martell of Vanilla Fudge, The Ravers, Sky Saxon with The Seeds, Rose Garden, Indian Classical featuring Shri Arup Chattopadhyay (Tabla) and Shri Suman Laha (Veena), Jimmy Kunes, Jim McCarty of Cactus and Stephen Bishop as well as popular local bands.

“ROC” (Reunited Overture Concert) will bring thousands of San Diegans together to help us thank the firefighters who courageously risked their lives to put the fires out, the media who diligently kept us informed with up-to-the-minute information and the city and state officials for their quick response to our cries for help.

Only with your participation can we make this a successful and special reunion by personally thanking these individuals as we bring them on stage between acts so they can feel thousands of us cheer and applaud them for their acts of heroism and success!

Your generous charitable support will be instrumental in making this event a success. All contributions are tax deductible under H.M. Artist Foundation’s non-profit 501c3 classification. A form is enclosed with specific details. We encourage interested sponsors to sign up as soon as possible.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at “ROC.” Please feel free to contact us for any additional information.

Sincerely,

Randy Seol
Daniel Hendrick

Check out Reunited Overture Concert or H.M. Artist Foundation for further info.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)

February 05, 2008

Get Out And Vote!

If you're registered, go vote!

I did my homework. I read anything and everything I could find on the candidates and issues of the day. I made my selections carefully and I sent my ballot in 10 days ago.

To me, it's not so much about who you choose or how you vote on an issue, but that you DO vote. I don't believe you can sit around griping about the way the state or country are run if you haven't participated in the process. It's like complaining about how the neighbors painted their house when you could have gone to the home owners' association meeting and had a say in approving color choices. Or whining about the coffee you were served when you told the kid at the counter to give you "whatever".

You need to be involved! You need to make your mark on what happens around you. And to do that, you need to vote.

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)

Tomorrow's Consequences For Today's Teens

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the Ethics Center have joined forces to explore what, if any, consequences teens face with their Myspace and Facebook pages. It's an interesting idea; one I'm sure most kids never gave a second thought.

The first forum on the subject was back in July 2007 and was invitation only. This time, though, it's open to the public.

The very fact that many parents are unaware or unconcerned about what their children are doing online (even with all the news stories about the potential dangers) makes me angry. Even though my daughter doesn't live with me, my sister and brother-in-law monitor her Internet usage carefully. She has to ask permission to go online. She doesn't have a page on Myspace or Facebook or any other social networking site. Going online is for research or to check email. And she doesn't check email often, let me tell you. She'd called me one night looking for some info, which I sent to her via email. A month later, she still hadn't seen it. I was actually rather pleased by this. I know she's safe. I know she's not putting herself out there for the world to see and possibly to take advantage of her. She's online for a purpose and it's supervised.

My son, at 11, is four years younger than his sister and his computer usage is also monitored. He knows how to Google. He knows which sites are safe. And he even has email, which is very rarely used, but it does exist. Together, we play games online. Together, we search for information for his homework. Together, we learn. He knows the rules for computer use and he accepts them. Just as his sister does. I know he's safe as long as he follows these rules.

But what about all those kids out there whose online activity is left unchecked? My roommate's youngest daughter has a profile up on Myspace and it's not as bad as some I've seen, but she's still putting herself out there and looking a little older than she actually is. Her mother let her do this and only occasionally checks the content. A friend of mine from nursing school, her daughter has had a profile on Myspace for well over two years. She was only 11 when she set it up. She didn't look 11 and she certainly doesn't look 13 on her profile now. Her mom is one of her friends. Her mom's boyfriend is also one of her friends. And the rest are presumably friends from school. I can think of better ways to stay in touch with people.

The thing with these two kids that bothers me so much is that, even with "supervision", there are no restrictions on who can view their profiles; their faces are out there; their information is out there. It doesn't take more than a click to look through their photos to see the name of their schools in the background, or some other indicator of where they are in the real world. So much for that supervision.

And it gets worse for those kids who aren't monitored by their parents. Some of the photos border on "indecent". I mean, does any 15 year old need to have pictures of themselves online in practically nothing? There are also concerns about the content of their blogs. Talk of the latest party, where it was, who was there, how wasted they got, and what they did or think they did. A lot of these kids haven't even bothered to make up a nickname. No, their names are out there for anyone and everyone to see.

You can easily delete a blog post, right? We do it all the time. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's gone. Whether it's caught by some archival site or someone downloaded the post, it's still possible for it to come back and haunt you. Even if we forget there are consequences to what we say online, we often are confronted with stark reminders. Many of us grown up bloggers have had this happen to us. It's cost some of us jobs, friends, etc. For these kids, though, there's a whole can of worms that hasn't even been fully considered. Putting aside the whole "predator" thing, think about what their online activities are saying about them, whether to friends, teachers, future employers.

Can we fully protect our kids from themselves? No. Kids mess up. Can we protect them from others? It's difficult enough to do so in the real world and with a small group of people, but once they put aspects of their lives online, it's suddenly available for all the world to see. And people are looking. People are watching. People are taking note.

Our teens take their cues from parents, friends, and (God help us) celebrities. One of the most recent "sweet, young things" to cross the line from teen idol to little Lolita is Miley Cyrus. Photos of her in her underwear and bathing suit - photos she and a friend took - have shown up online. Kids see this and think it's okay. Or they think it's one more way to attract attention. But what kind of attention are they getting? And to what end? It would seem there's no self-editing anymore. There's no boundary. Especially if parents aren't paying attention.

What can be done about it? How do we go about limiting the fallout? Do we? Can we? That's what the Ethics Center forum is trying to determine.

If you're a parent in San Diego, perhaps you should consider attending.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:09 AM | Comments (0)

January 07, 2008

And So It Ends

Damn, that didn't last long at all.

Weirdest part of living where I am when it rains: there's a tree just outside the living room window that sort of stores up water and then it all comes pouring out at once. It sounds a lot like a horse peeing.

Best part of rain in So Cal is when you see everything turn bright green. After the fires, the green is especially vibrant.

The county/state did a good job with placing sandbags. Had to run out to the doctor's earlier and was pleased to note the bags I saw had done the job.

I must rest now. I do believe I'm getting whatever it was the roomie had. I'm hoping like hell a lot of sleep will knock it out quickly. I can't afford to be too sick. Blech. Don't even get me started.

And apparently rest is not going to be possible at the moment. Temp 101.9º. Joints aching. Face red. Not a single comfortable position in which to repose. Double blech.

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:36 PM | Comments (2)

January 06, 2008

And So It Begins

They said it would be windy. They said there'd be lots of rain. For the last couple days, none of the predictions had proven correct. Locals kept hoping we'd miss out on the worst of the worst, at least until after the Chargers won their game.

Well, the Bolts won and a few hours later, it's here.

The wind blew my front door open. It's become gradually cooler. And the rain is coming in a little more steadily with each passing moment.

Rancho Bernardo, where I used to live, and one of the communities hit hardest by the October fires had 1.51 inches of rain from today's storm. Most places got around an inch, with lots more expected overnight.

I think tomorrow should prove very interesting. If there's power (yep, it's flickering already), I'll attempt some photos or something.

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)

January 04, 2008

Reverse 911

Got my first official Reverse 911 call this afternoon. We're being warned of the high probability of flooding once this big storm hits us. While my neighborhood isn't necessarily at risk, parts of our little city are.

Now, if only those who truly are in the high risk areas will heed the warnings.

A big round of applause for whoever came up with and implemented the Reverse 911 system. It's proven very effective and it's much appreciated!

Posted by Da Goddess at 06:14 PM | Comments (0)

December 30, 2007

The Big "O"s Are Another Reason

I don't much go on about my football viewing. In fact, I don't believe I've mentioned it more than once or twice at all in the 5+ years I've been blogging. Still, I do love me some Chargers.

I could go on and on about LT, but I'd only sound like I was parroting all the other fans out there. Instead, let me say how much I dig AntoniO Cromartie and AntoniO Gates. Every game they give and give and give to fans and take and take and take away from their opponents. It's a thing of beauty. And they're another reason to enjoy this (football) season.

Actually, the entire team has really done a fantastic job of proving how much the game means to them. They started the year with a new head coach, which meant there was a world of possibilities open to them. Would a change in leadership bring out the best or the worst, we wondered. The answer has been more than a little obvious in their 10-5 11-5 record.

Big O Gates has continued to be a force. Everywhere you look, there he is. Big O Cromartie (Cromartie Man...who says Cro Magnons had a lock on physical strength and tenacity?) blew everyone out of the water with his 109 yard return and just kept going. And going and going. That seems to be a theme for all the Bolts this year. Apparently being down never meant being out for anyone on the team.

Even Philip Rivers has shown his mettle after bouncing back from injuries that would have kept most others out of the game. Nope. "He's a fiesty one", as we've heard ad nauseum during today's game.

Sadly, Shawne Merriman didn't have the same luck. Prior to his injuries, he was having a great freakin' year. Here's hoping he's back in the game sooner rather than later.

We also have one of the best names in all the NFL playing for us: Brandon Manumaleuna. Say that one real fast 5 times. And many people can, not just San Diegans.

Oh to list each and every player and all their yummy stats. That'd be silly, though. I'm no sports writer. Hell, this entire post is rank amateur. But I don't care. I only wanted to share my love for the Big Os and their teammates.

A girl can only write about bras and children so much. Thus there's the sum of my thought on sports for the next 5 years. (maybe)

Go Bolts!

Now it's time for me to go back to my Deadliest Catch marathon.

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2007

Have You Hugged A Vet Today?

Well, have you? If you can't physically embrace a veteran at the moment, reach out with an email or a phone call and let them know you care.

I know of a local family who was celebrating the return of their loved one from Iraq this weekend. Driving out to school to pick up Little Dude, I spied a technicolor sign attached to a street sign. It said, "Welcome Back From Iraq! We Missed You!" Indeed, welcome back.

Little Dude and I are sitting here watching a Band Of Bloggers, which features our own Doc in the Box, Sean. It's been a real eye opener for LD to hear the actual stories from someone he knows. Yeah, he's heard some before, but this has been much more vivid because he's seeing Sean -- and all our military friends -- in a different light because of the similarity in the stories he's hearing all gathered in one place.

Recently, LD had his great aunt and uncle visit his class at school. Both are retired Marines. It was a rare opportunity for most of the kids to hear about the WACS and the WAVES, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the life of a drill instructor. Real people, real history. How many of us ever really get a chance like that?

Like so many of our friends, our lives have been deeply touched by those who serve, have served, and their families. Thankfully, we know more veterans who are still alive and that's something we don't ever take for granted. None of us should. Too many families can't say that. And yet, they maintain their pride in the service of their beloved and for their own sacrifices. Yes, the families give much while their loved ones are often far from home. It's not easy and we should never forget this.

Thank a vet today. Tomorrow. The day after that. Do it every day. They deserve at least that much from us, don't you think?

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:00 PM | Comments (3)

October 29, 2007

San Diego County Wildfire Stats

• Witch Fire – 197,990 acres – 95% contained - $13 million - 39 firefighters injured and two civilian fatalities
• Harris Fire – 90,440 acres – 75% contained - $11.9 million - 21 civilian and 34 firefighter injuries, and five deaths
• Poomacha Fire – 49,540 acres – 65% contained - $7.2 million - 20 firefighter injured
• Rice Fire – 9,472 acres – 100% contained - $4.9 million - Five firefighters injured
• Horno/Ammo Fire – 21,084 acres – 100% contained - six firefighters injured
• Wilcox Fire – 100 acres – 100% contained - Cajon Fire – 250 acres – 100% contained
• McCoy Fire – 300 acres – 100% contained
• Coronado Hills Fire – 250 acres – 100% contained

Most people are being allowed to return to their homes. Those who lost homes, in many cases, are beginning the recovery process. Some areas do remain evacuated, such as in Rancho Bernardo, where residents of La Terraza apartments still cannot return to survey the damage. Sadly, there's not a comprehensive list of current evacuated sites, not even from CalFire. News sites haven't updated evacuation info for days. Go figure. Apparently it's only news fit for broadcast.

After the glut of non-stop news the first couple of days, we've been reduced to dribs and drabs of information during the day. We used to have one or two local 24-hour news stations (essentially, re-broadcasts of earlier news programs) here, but they've gone the way of the dinosaur. It's at times like these that we need at least one station to provide current news at any given time. With up-to-date information, of course. Hell, even if it's not "at times like these", it would be nice. Guess there's no money in it for the stations.

Okay, enough from me. There you have it. Current stats. I'll go return to What Not To Wear and my iced tea.

Posted by Da Goddess at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2007

I Was Talkin' With A Friend Of Mine

My friend called last night to check in with me. I'd called the other day to find out how she was doing since her boyfriend is a fire fighter and I figured he had been out battling the blazes. Turns out, they'd been in Mexico when all hell broke loose here.

It was the first time he hadn't been on the front line in ages. I was relieved. I mean, I hate thinking of the danger he faces every time he answers the alarm, y'know? And I know his girlfriend worries more. So I called. And all was well.

While there's great relief that loved ones are safe and sound. Still, it's not really over for everyone.

340+ students in our district lost their homes, ten of them from my son's school. I feel for them.

School starts back tomorrow. Despite the week off from school, nobody really feels rested. Crews have been working to clean up the soot and debris. Families have been picking up the pieces. Kids are desperately trying to come to grips with how much their lives have changed.

The fires may be mostly under control, but we'll be feeling this for a long time to come. The current monetary damage total is estimated at $36 million thus far.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:05 AM | Comments (0)

October 25, 2007

Qualcomm To Cease Sheltering Evacuees Tomorrow

During this afternoon's briefing, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced that Qualcomm Stadium will shut its doors to fire evacuees starting tomorrow. The Red Cross will take the reins and shelter any displaced individuals, although no details were given as to exactly where they will be placed. Newscasters, however, had mentioned earlier in the day that many people are being relocated to the Del Mar Fairgrounds today.

It was reported that less than 1,000 people were still at Qualcomm, but I haven't found any articles online to corroborate this.

Most areas in San Diego county have been reopened to those who were evacuated over the last few days. Fires are still burning, but the majority are burning undeveloped land at last report.

Posted by Da Goddess at 04:09 PM | Comments (0)

Two Bodies Found Burned In Poway Home

The death toll from fires is rising.

From CNN:

Fire crews found two bodies inside a home in Poway, one of the communities hit hardest by the fires, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said. (I can't emphasize enough how important it is to evacuate when you're told it's time to leave. These deaths shouldn't have happened.)

They are only the second and third bodies found in a burned home so far -- the first was a Navy civilian engineer who died at his home in Tecate Sunday.

Seven other deaths are labeled fire-related: Three people died during evacuations, and four others died after being evacuated. Seventy-eight people, including at least 36 firefighters, have been injured.

Other sources list the fire-related deaths to be at 8 and fire fighters injured as at least 39.

Other numbers:

San Diego County:
Witch Fire – 197,990 acres – 20% contained
Harris Fire – 81,100 acres – 10% contained
Poomacha Fire – 35,000 acres – 20% contained
Rice Fire – 9,000 acres – 30% contained
Horno/Ammo Fire – 10,000 acres – 40-50% contained
Wilcox Fire – 100 acres – 100% contained
Cajon Fire – 250 acres – 100% contained
McCoy Fire – 300 acres – 100% contained
Coronado Hills Fire – 300 acres – 100% contained

Posted by Da Goddess at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)

A Peek At Rancho Bernardo

Driving up the 15 freeway on an urgent errand, we passed by the backside of the development where I used to live. This is just a little hint of the devastation in Rancho Bernardo. In fact, I'd call this the least of the damage.

We watched helicopters making their water drops and saw one land out at Kit Carson Park. Huge dust cloud from the landing was actually rather fascinating. Later, on the way back, more helicopters were diving in and out of smoke and dumping water on the other side of the freeway.

The crews out fighting the fires are nothing short of heroes. God bless them all.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Humor Not A Victim Of Fires

Even fire can't burn out a sense of humor. The Hamburger Factory (just up the street from me) had this sign propped in the middle of the driveway to the restaurant.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

October 24, 2007

Song of the Siren

Not sure why we just heard a bunch of sirens. In fact, they're the first I've heard in all of this. Things outside actually look okay, but you never know.

We have occasional clouds of ash fall on us, but mostly we're good.

The local Walmart is open again. I consider this a good sign. We also had mail delivery for the first time since last week.

I feel almost guilty having some normalcy in my life when so many others don't.

Little Dude continues to remain out of the area, which is a good thing. I'm dropping his Gameboy off with his dad who is back at work today. Figure it'll come in handy when the idea of playing board games [mostly] alone wears thin for LD.

Everyone in my family is accounted for today. Little sister talked with my dad this morning and I feel better knowing she's been in touch with someone.

Possible rolling blackouts for much of our area have been predicted. We turned our AC off early yesterday when the air cleared. I hate adding strain to the system if we can go without and it really isn't all that hot here at the moment. Even if it does get much warmer, I'll stick with a fan, thankyouverymuch.

More of my immediate neighbors are returning to their apartments. We've watched them trickle back. It's sort of comforting to see them.

Gonna go through all my clothes and such today and start getting boxes of stuff together for those who have lost things in the fire or who can't get back to their homes. The way I see it, if it hasn't been on my back in more than three months it should go to someone else who can really use it. And I know LD has plenty of clothes he's outgrown that will benefit others. I recommend everyone in San Diego county dig through their closets right now and do the very same thing. Too many of our neighbors have nothing.

I can't think much beyond this. It's time to go back sorting and organizing.

1 PM Update: More sirens again and still no clue what's going on. Guess we better be prepared for anything at this point.

Posted by Da Goddess at 12:43 PM | Comments (4)

October 23, 2007

Tuesday Night's Alright For...Updating

Most folks know I give few details on "exactly" where I live, but to give perspective on the fires and my situation, I'm offering up a little info. Looking at the above image, you see that little camera at the bottom? That's pretty much right between where my dad is and where I am. You can see where the fire has burned and see why we were evacuated.

I am back home now. Cable, electricity, cell service continues to be intermittent, but that's okay with me. The air is fairly clear at the moment and I'm grateful to all who have helped fight these fires.

Others aren't so lucky. Please keep all the evacuees and the countless fire/rescue workers who continue their efforts in your thoughts and prayers.

Rough numbers related to the San Diego county fires: over 500,000 people evacuated. "Four major fires ripping across San Diego County have burned nearly 300,000 acres and destroyed or damaged 1,250 homes and 100 businesses since Sunday." It appears that all schools in SD County will remain closed for the week.

From the San Diego County Emergency website:

10-23-07 8:54 p.m. Boil water order issued. Although Ramona is under mandatory evacuation orders, those residents remaining in the city are being advised to boil tap water or use bottled water for drinking and cooking until further notice. Tap water pressure should be restored around 1 a.m.

10-23-07, 7:38 p.m. According to CAL FIRE,

The Harris Fire is 72,000 acres and 10% contained, full containment is expected October 31st. The cost to date to fight the fire is $2,100,000. One additional civilian suffered burns and was treated and transported to a local hospital. A total of 21 civilians have been injured and one killed by this fire. There are 4500 people are or have been threatened and evacuated. Additional evacuations are being ordered. An estimated 200 to 500 homes have been destroyed or damaged. There are 1500 homes are or have been threatened. An additional 452 people are being assigned to the incident and are either in route or were with the initial attack and have not been released from the line to check in. The total personnel count is 1211.

The Witch Fire is 196,420 acres and 1 percent contained. Twelve firefighters have been injured on this fire and currently there are 1,492 firefighters assigned to this incident. The fire will continue to move west and southwest, threatening the communities of San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Escondido, Lakeside, Valley Center, San Marcos, Julian, Pine Hills and Rancho Santa Fe.

The Rice fire is 7,500 acres and 10% contained with full containment expected on October 28th, with full control expected Nov. 5th. One firefighter has been injured.

The Poomacha Fire is 20,000 acres and 0% contained, there have been 10 injuries to firefighers, 218 firefighters are assigned to this incident.

Other personal notes: Little Dude remains at his great uncle's house with his dad and grandmother. He's having breathing issues so he'll stay clear of Poway for the time being. My mom, sister, brother-in-law, and daughter also remain away from home due to my mom's emphysema and the need just to be safe. My dad is home and we've continued to check in with one another throughout the day. I was finally able to leave messages for my little sis, but haven't heard back from her yet. I can only presume she's off helping with animals somewhere, knowing her. That's her thing. Many of my blog buddies have been updating their sites whenever possible. I can't begin to list them all, but start with Doc in the Box and FBL and work from there. I'm afraid to go out looking more than that because power's so flaky right now. Just follow their links, okay?

Regarding the issue of military assistance in fighting the wildfires, the delay of their aid was due to some silly requirement by CalFire to have their spotters in Navy/Marine aircraft. I'm not alone in thinking this was asinine. Duncan Hunter said as much himself. I think it's safe to say this requirement will not be an issue in future fire fighting efforts. The military pilots have more than proven themselves (in war and now in the war on fires). I pray this sort of delay never happens again.

"Help" info:
San Diego Red Cross

San Diego Food Bank

Volunteer San Diego

San Diego Humane Society

Fire Blog from the San Diego Union-Tribune

11 PM Update: For some reason, the smoke seems to have made a bit of a comeback. I'm hacking up a storm and getting another headache. Guess it was to be expected that the wind might kick the smoke around again. Ain't it always the way? It's moments like these I wish the Fat Guy would declare it Peanut Butter Jelly Time.

2 AM Update: One of the better articles I've read from Newsday. It's long, but a very good recap of many of the struggles fire fighters are facing.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:08 PM | Comments (2)

One of Many Fire Victims

This is Kenny, an old family friend I ran into at Walmart yesterday. He lives up in Ramona and had been moving his horses out since Sunday night. Several trips later, he couldn't evacuate them all.

Kenny's just one of thousands who is faced with a logistical nightmare. Fortunately, my evacuation went a bit smoother.

Little Dude is with his dad and his grandmother at his great uncle's house. I spent the night in Lakeside/El Cajon. My daughter, my sister, brother-in-law, and my mom are down near Qualcomm stadium. My dad spent the night in his own home after spending the afternoon at a friend's house. (Yes, I yelled at him about that!) My little sister is back at home now, although I can't get ahold of her. Phone service, electricity, cable...it's all spotty. Since I only have a cell phone (no land line for me anymore), I hate to even use it.

It's been heartbreaking to see the devastation. We watched a local newscaster stand before his burning home yesterday. Again, he was one of many. And that's what we all are -- one of many. A week ago, I was worried about what I was going to do when my comp PDA checks stopped in a month. Compared to those who don't have homes anymore, I feel lucky.

Go to the San Diego Red Cross website to find out what you can do. Please. There are so many people who need your help.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:20 AM | Comments (2)

More Poway Shots

View of Poway valley from industrial/office park

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)

Fire Updates

View of Poway fires here in Southern California (San Diego County). It's smoky, it's warm, the whole thing is surreal. My entire family (five different homes scattered across the county) has been evacuated.

I just moved into Poway a few months ago from Rancho Bernardo. I'm glad I did. My old condo was 100 yrds from where a church burned. I don't know the situation of the condo now, but as of yesterday morning, I was never so glad to be out of there.

Apartments across from where I went to elementary school burned, too. And my son's school is very close to current fires.

While in the process of evacuating our area, we stopped at Walmart. I ran into an old family friend who was, like so many others, trying to figure out where he could take his horses and mules. The parking lot was packed with RVs and folks just not sure where to go.


When this all started on Sunday, I knew it was going to be bad. I just didn't know how bad. Rescue workers are doing everything they can to keep people safe, try to get a little control over the fires, anything and everything to minimize the devastation. Yesterday (Monday afternoon), they finally had a few military helicopters up to help the effort. The military's been ready to work since the first flames were reported. Unfortunately, for all the efforts of legislators to reduce the red tape, there was still way too much and the military should have been assisting from the first day. I'm certain there will be another new system in place the next time we face this sort of emergency. There is no acceptable reason for the fires to have spread as far and as fast as they did when we have resources available...people willing and able to do what needs to be done.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:10 AM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2007

Five Minutes Ago

The car is loaded up with a few select items, ready to go at a moment's notice. Technically, this part of town is supposed to be evacuated, but there's really nowhere for us to go with the main exit roads that are now parking lots. In the meantime, we're staying put.

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:43 AM | Comments (6)

What it Looked Like Yesterday

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:36 AM | Comments (2)

September 11, 2006

Memories - Good and Bad

Today is one of those days spent reflecting and remembering. Some of the memories are horrifying, of course, when thinking of September 11, 2001. And some, bring smiles -- especially when a friend's birthday rolls around.

Such a mixed bag of emotions. Will we ever be able to celebrate something as sweet as a birthday without the unearthly gray that permeated the skies of New York, Washington D.C., or Pennsylvania?

I sit here watching CNN and read the names of those who died as a result of terrorist attacks on the United States and my heart hurts. At the same time, I think of my friend Smash and have to smile. I have been blessed by our friendship. And yet, without Sept. 11th's attacks, we'd not be friends.

Tragedy has a way of bringing people together, for ill or for good. I'd like to think we've come far enough to respectfully remember the circumstances which united us and still be able to celebrate life.

Smash, may this day be filled with many good things. I'm sorry we can't get together to reflect and then rejoice. Upon your return to San Diego, those of us who have found our way into our circle of friends will gather together and do exactly that.

I will remember those whose lives were cut short by hatred and fanaticism. I will remember those who came forward to help. I will remember those who fight to ensure it doesn't happen again. And I will embrace my friends, drawing them ever closer, understanding just how precious life really is.

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:37 AM | Comments (0)

September 08, 2006

Remember

With Monday being the fifth anniversary of one of the worst days in American history, it stands to reason we should all take a moment to remember the horror, remember the victims, and remember the heroes of the day.

President Bush has declared September 11 Patriot Day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2006, as Patriot Day. I call upon the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half staff on Patriot Day. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and remembrance services, to display the flag at half staff from their homes on that day, and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. eastern daylight time to honor the innocent Americans and people from around the world who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:44 PM | Comments (0)

August 03, 2006

Operation Thank You is BACK!

STAND UP FOR AMERICA THIS SATURDAY

San Diego says "THANK YOU" to our military heroes!

AUGUST 5 -- DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO

We will meet on the corner of 10th & C at 5:00 pm to greet the folks
going to watch our FIRST PLACE Padres play the DC Nationals.

There will be fireworks at this SOLD OUT game...there will be some
FORTY THOUSAND PEOPLE driving by our location!

There is plenty of free parking, and on that corner, we get the street
traffic as well as trolley traffic. THIS is the event you won't want
to miss...the honking horns, thumbs up and smiles will keep you going
for days!!!!

Bring your kids and your neighbors and a flag...and come say THANK YOU
to our troops and their families. Please come out and help make this
event one to remember.

Questions? Suggestions? Contact GRACIE at ladyseau55@yahoo.com

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:14 PM | Comments (1)

July 23, 2006

Long Distance Calls and Other Stuff

Doc in the Box called the other day. I was rather surprised to hear from him since he's in Iraq and all, but once I figured out who it was (the number was different), I was quite excited.

Sean's doing well and rarely gets to check blogs. Only three months left. Yay! I'm sure his wife is happier about this than the rest of us are, but we friends are still pretty damn happy.

Other news? It's hot in San Diego. Super duper hot. So much so, we've resorted to air conditioning. In the two and a half years I've lived in this place, I've only had the AC on once before. An out of town guest was staying with me and even he thought it was pretty freakin' hot at the time.

The AC was on today but only worked for a short time before the circuit went. It's back on now, thankfully. Sure, it's heading into the evening, but at least I can cool down for a bit before I turn it off. Maybe I'll sleep a little better.

What else? I got to meet FBL! Yes, yes, yes! She of the fantastic Project Valour-IT fundraising abilities. She is as sweet and lovely as one imagines and I'm very glad we had the chance to get together. Mrs. Smash, Gracie, Mikey, Mikey's youngster, Little Dude, FBL and I got together for a nice lunch at Souplantation. All you can eat in sumptuous air conditioned comfort. We dined, we chatted, we laughed, and then we passed around the phone to talk with Smash. (Like Doc in the Box, he'll be home in a few months, too.) And, dagnabbit, that $16 and coin for LD and I to eat in comfort for a change was more than worth it. We don't eat out often, but when we do, it's a great treat for us. The $20 I just spent on a haircut? Also a treat and also worth it. (My hair was getting too long and too hot.)

Best part of it all, FBL will be able to join our crazy group in some of our many activities. Plus, we get to join her in some of the Soldiers' Angels activities. All good things. Very good things.

That's about it for an update. I'm off to read more of Kevin Smith's blog.

Oh, and just in case anyone cares, I think the entire purpose of the TV show Lost is to take a huge, meaty-pawed swipe at Scientology. Yep. That's my theory. And if you look at all the Dharma Initiative stuff, the odd things happening, the creepy appearance of William Mapother, and the fact J.J. Abrams left Scientology, it all seems possible.

Posted by Da Goddess at 07:37 PM | Comments (7)

June 12, 2006

Project Valour IT

Imagine not being able to log onto your computer and check your email, read the news, or catch up on the latest photos of your children or other family. You want to, but your hands and arms, for whatever reason, aren't available to you. Or maybe you can't see. Good Lord, you can't see anything or use your arms! Imagine being far away from friends and family and feeling completely isolated while you lie in a hospital bed, scared. For less than $700, a wounded soldier, airman, sailor, or Marine can reconnect with loved ones, erasing the miles and much of the fear that comes with being alone while fighting to recover from severe injuries that have robbed you of your independence.

Project Valour IT makes this all possible. Or rather, Valour IT and YOU make this possible.

• Dell C610 laptop computer
  (P3 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB HD, WiFi, DVD-R/W, Windows XP, MS Office) $625
  
• Voice Activated Software with Headset No Cost
  
• TOTAL per laptop (incl. shipping, est. $35): $660.00

Less than $700 to give our wounded warriors a little independence and the gift of communication.

Amazing, isn't it?

Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss has been there. He experienced the benefits of voice activated technology as he recovered from injuries sustained in Iraq. Sergeant Elijah Allen knows how wonderful a gift these computers are, too. These men represent almost 500 others who know the power of communication as distributed by Project Valour IT and the generosity of folks like you.

I wish I had money to buy someone a computer straight out, but I'm working on a loaner myself. When I think of the independence and opportunities I have with this laptop, I can only imagine how much worse it is for someone who can't access the keyboard or see what's on the screen. Too many hours spent lying alone with no means of communication is lonely and depressing and frustrating. I would be nowhere without my borrowed laptop on days when I'm immobile. Weeks, months, and years would be completely unbearable.

If you can donate a dollar or two, that brings someone in need one step closer to independent communication. It's such an easy thing to do. So very easy. As easy as clicking on a link such as this one.

Posted by Da Goddess at 12:00 AM | Comments (3)

May 22, 2006

Thank You

Thank you, Michael Waller, for the touching poems.

Thank you, SSG Gary Collins, for your service.

Thank you, PFC Joshua Sparling, for enduring.

Thank you to Smash, Doc, Chap, Cowboy Blog, John, Mikey, MajorDad, Michael Yon, and all my other active, reserve, and retired military friends too numerous to name for serving voluntarily.

Thank you, each and every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, National Guardsman, Coastie, and all your families.

For every time you were frightened, for every moment you had to be away from loved ones, for everything: THANK YOU.

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:30 PM | Comments (6)

May 10, 2006

Unfrozen Caveman Blogger

Your world frightens and confuses me! When I see my image on the security camera at the country club, I wonder, are they stealing my soul? I get so upset, I hop out of my Range Rover, and run across the fairway to the clubhouse, where I get Carlos to make me one of those martinis he's so famous for, to soothe my primitive caveman brain. But whatever world you're from, I do know one thing:

Now that simple VCRs are fading into obsolescence, I'm screwed.

I've had my VCR a couple years. That's pretty good, considering how often I tape things. Little did I know, though, since I last purchased a VCR, they've essentially been phased out of stock from Walmart and Target, etc. Walmart stocks only a handful of VHS tapes - just until they run out. Although their website says otherwise, this is the official line as told to me per the store manager.

Silly me, thinking something as essential as a VCR would stick around for a few more years. The world is changing quickly and I can't seem to keep up. Not that I really ever tried, but still...

Is it too much to ask to keep VCRs around a little longer?

None of this makes much sense unless you've guessed that my VCR took a major turn for the worse last night. Somehow that screeching noise just isn't welcome. Nor is the clunking sound.

Why does everyone have to convert to DVRs? Wwwwwhhhhhhyyyyyyyy? What about those poor people out in the middle of Arctic? You know, the ones without food and stuff. The ones recently unfrozen. Do you think they can afford a DVR? Or the subscription for content? No, they can't. And neither can I. But unlike the unfrozen cavemen, I'll track down one of those $40 recorders and tell my dad it's on my birthday list. I know he'll go for it. A $40 birthday gift? What a bargain!

So the quest begins. It'll distract me from my new re