Friday, September 23, 2005
Rita and Lyle
Rita:
is headed straight towards my mom, who has decided to duck. She's in Lake Charles, and they haven't evacuated. The official word is that people south of I-10 should have evacuated, and she's a little bit north of it. She's of the opinion that the house will be fine, but there are many things in the yard that might fly about, so they're staying and securing the premises as best they're able. I think they'll be fine, but of course we won't really know until Sunday-ish.
Austin probably won't get much, although there is a high-wind advisory for Saturday.
As a result of Rita, I downloaded Google Earth. It's WAY cool - it's an application that shows you the earth, and you can zoom in on specific places, down to street level, anywhere on earth. It's done with satellite photos (and other technical stuff). It's not real time, but it's still awesome. I saw my dad's old house, my mom's house, my current street, the dojo...very cool, and very nice for my deficient geography skills. A co-worker asked me today if Lake Charles was south of Port Arthur - I fired up Google Earth and checked it out (turns out it isn't - lake Charles is almost due east of Austin, actually). Lots of places don't have great resolution when you zoom in real close, but you can easily see block level for all the places in the US that I've looked at. Here's the url to download Google Earth for yourself: http://earth.google.com/
Lyle:
is playing in Austin tonight, at the ACL (Austin City Limits) music festival, along with about 120 other acts. I have a three day pass, after much consternation. See, I bought my ticket ages ago (back in June or July). It arrived in due time, late August. And then I promptly lost it. I remember getting it, and I have no recollection of what happened after that. I know I decided at some point that I'd leave it on my fridge. Well, it's not there. Nor is it in my office, living room, bedroom, or any other room. I looked in my car, too - no joy. So today I emailed the festival peeps and asked if there was anything that could be done. They put it nicely, but the answer, ultimately, was "No." So off to ebay I went, and I found quite a few up for grabs. I bid on one whose auction was ending within the hour. It looked good, but I got outbid. I was sad. Then I got an email from a nice person who offered to sell me an extra ticket at face value. Hooray! So I paypal'd her the money, and rendevoused with her on the south side of the capitol building, and I now have in my possession a 3-day pass.
Yesterday, I had resigned myself to missing it - I've been overtired and overcommitted lately, and I didn't really know if I had the energy. Plus, I didn't have a ticket (that I could find). But then they were talking about it on KUT, and I remembered how much fun I had last year, and I decided that I really wanted to go. Besides, I got 13 hours of sleep Saturday night, and at least 8 every night since, and am actually feeling pretty good in the energy department, so that's less of an obstacle than it could have been. I'm still hoping the extra ticket will show up, in which case I'll invite a friend along, and there will be much rejoicing.
My friend the Riveter also graciously offered to pay for 1/4 of the new ticket price because she wanted an ACL buddy. Thanks, Riveter! You're the best. I have great friends.
So, my schedule tonight is tai chi at 6:30, Lyle at 8:15, and dancing at 10. Depending on the weather tomorrow, I have karate at 10, self defense at 11, and ACL fest afterwards. And on Sunday it's all acl all the time. I have a few people I'm looking forward to seeing, but if this year is anything like last year, the best acts will be those I just wander into. Here's the schedule:
http://www.aclfestival.com/festival/default.asp
In other news, I'm planning on starting a pilates class next week. My extra-karate schedule will hopefully be lifting weights twice a week (went back to that this week after 3 months of absence - weights are heavy!), pilates once a week, and cardio (running or swimming) once a week. I'll probably do the cardio on Thursdays, since I don't have karate on Thursday.
I also hope to start eating better - always a challenge for me.
And that's all the news that fits.
is headed straight towards my mom, who has decided to duck. She's in Lake Charles, and they haven't evacuated. The official word is that people south of I-10 should have evacuated, and she's a little bit north of it. She's of the opinion that the house will be fine, but there are many things in the yard that might fly about, so they're staying and securing the premises as best they're able. I think they'll be fine, but of course we won't really know until Sunday-ish.
Austin probably won't get much, although there is a high-wind advisory for Saturday.
As a result of Rita, I downloaded Google Earth. It's WAY cool - it's an application that shows you the earth, and you can zoom in on specific places, down to street level, anywhere on earth. It's done with satellite photos (and other technical stuff). It's not real time, but it's still awesome. I saw my dad's old house, my mom's house, my current street, the dojo...very cool, and very nice for my deficient geography skills. A co-worker asked me today if Lake Charles was south of Port Arthur - I fired up Google Earth and checked it out (turns out it isn't - lake Charles is almost due east of Austin, actually). Lots of places don't have great resolution when you zoom in real close, but you can easily see block level for all the places in the US that I've looked at. Here's the url to download Google Earth for yourself: http://earth.google.com/
Lyle:
is playing in Austin tonight, at the ACL (Austin City Limits) music festival, along with about 120 other acts. I have a three day pass, after much consternation. See, I bought my ticket ages ago (back in June or July). It arrived in due time, late August. And then I promptly lost it. I remember getting it, and I have no recollection of what happened after that. I know I decided at some point that I'd leave it on my fridge. Well, it's not there. Nor is it in my office, living room, bedroom, or any other room. I looked in my car, too - no joy. So today I emailed the festival peeps and asked if there was anything that could be done. They put it nicely, but the answer, ultimately, was "No." So off to ebay I went, and I found quite a few up for grabs. I bid on one whose auction was ending within the hour. It looked good, but I got outbid. I was sad. Then I got an email from a nice person who offered to sell me an extra ticket at face value. Hooray! So I paypal'd her the money, and rendevoused with her on the south side of the capitol building, and I now have in my possession a 3-day pass.
Yesterday, I had resigned myself to missing it - I've been overtired and overcommitted lately, and I didn't really know if I had the energy. Plus, I didn't have a ticket (that I could find). But then they were talking about it on KUT, and I remembered how much fun I had last year, and I decided that I really wanted to go. Besides, I got 13 hours of sleep Saturday night, and at least 8 every night since, and am actually feeling pretty good in the energy department, so that's less of an obstacle than it could have been. I'm still hoping the extra ticket will show up, in which case I'll invite a friend along, and there will be much rejoicing.
My friend the Riveter also graciously offered to pay for 1/4 of the new ticket price because she wanted an ACL buddy. Thanks, Riveter! You're the best. I have great friends.
So, my schedule tonight is tai chi at 6:30, Lyle at 8:15, and dancing at 10. Depending on the weather tomorrow, I have karate at 10, self defense at 11, and ACL fest afterwards. And on Sunday it's all acl all the time. I have a few people I'm looking forward to seeing, but if this year is anything like last year, the best acts will be those I just wander into. Here's the schedule:
http://www.aclfestival.com/festival/default.asp
In other news, I'm planning on starting a pilates class next week. My extra-karate schedule will hopefully be lifting weights twice a week (went back to that this week after 3 months of absence - weights are heavy!), pilates once a week, and cardio (running or swimming) once a week. I'll probably do the cardio on Thursdays, since I don't have karate on Thursday.
I also hope to start eating better - always a challenge for me.
And that's all the news that fits.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Monday, Monday...
Just thought I'd put up a quick post since I haven't since I recounted my adventure in Houston.
I'm in training this week to learn how to create c#.NET web applications. It's a 5 day course, and I've just completed the first morning. So far it's been pretty basic, but I'm looking forward to plugging some gaping holes in my knowledge.
This weekend was pretty busy. I went to San Antonio Friday evening and Sunday morning for a jujitsu seminar. It was a lot of fun, though challenging. Friday was a flow drill and a punching drill, Sunday we worked more on locks and a "your evasion is your strike" excercise. I ran into some frustration which is pretty common for me when trying to learn physical skills (most obviously in the martial arts, since that's the predominant physical skill that I try to learn, but I've run into it with dancing) - I get really frustrated when I don't get something, and I really want lots of words to help me understand it. Unfortunately, words aren't always very effective in learning to do physical things. I feel like I have to get it RIGHT NOW, and if I don't, a) I never will, and b) that means that I'm completely hopeless and awful. Learning to be patient with myself is a real struggle. My training has helped a lot, but the journey continues.
Thinking back on it, acting was another realm where I didn't excel, and had expectations for myself that were too high, so I abandoned it because I felt like I couldn't do it. Acting also involves a lot of emotional availability and emotional IQ (if you will) that I certainly didn't have then and am really still not that great at.
The most significant progress I see in myself is that I'm willing to put myself in that uncomfortable position of trying something -- and sticking with it -- that I'm not talented at.
Part of it, of course, is learning that my self-worth isn't defined by my abilities - that if I'm not good at something, it doesn't mean I'm not good on the larger scale. It's hard to divorce the ego from actions like that, and it's hard to develop the ego strength to believe myself ok regardless of my physical talent, intelligence, etc. It's hard, but it's important.
And so I journey on.
I'm in training this week to learn how to create c#.NET web applications. It's a 5 day course, and I've just completed the first morning. So far it's been pretty basic, but I'm looking forward to plugging some gaping holes in my knowledge.
This weekend was pretty busy. I went to San Antonio Friday evening and Sunday morning for a jujitsu seminar. It was a lot of fun, though challenging. Friday was a flow drill and a punching drill, Sunday we worked more on locks and a "your evasion is your strike" excercise. I ran into some frustration which is pretty common for me when trying to learn physical skills (most obviously in the martial arts, since that's the predominant physical skill that I try to learn, but I've run into it with dancing) - I get really frustrated when I don't get something, and I really want lots of words to help me understand it. Unfortunately, words aren't always very effective in learning to do physical things. I feel like I have to get it RIGHT NOW, and if I don't, a) I never will, and b) that means that I'm completely hopeless and awful. Learning to be patient with myself is a real struggle. My training has helped a lot, but the journey continues.
Thinking back on it, acting was another realm where I didn't excel, and had expectations for myself that were too high, so I abandoned it because I felt like I couldn't do it. Acting also involves a lot of emotional availability and emotional IQ (if you will) that I certainly didn't have then and am really still not that great at.
The most significant progress I see in myself is that I'm willing to put myself in that uncomfortable position of trying something -- and sticking with it -- that I'm not talented at.
Part of it, of course, is learning that my self-worth isn't defined by my abilities - that if I'm not good at something, it doesn't mean I'm not good on the larger scale. It's hard to divorce the ego from actions like that, and it's hard to develop the ego strength to believe myself ok regardless of my physical talent, intelligence, etc. It's hard, but it's important.
And so I journey on.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Sunday in Houston
So, I went to Houston on Sunday to volunteer to do what I could at the Astrodome. I left Austin around 9:45 AM and got to the Astrodome around 1. The Houston Red Cross Astrodome volunteer website had claimed that there were 4 to 8 hour shifts going on throughout the day, the reality, though, at least for the 'walk-in' volunteers was that it was an ongoing thing. My friend and I got there, parked, and signed in (name, address, phone number). We then went to a 10 minute 'orientation,' and were then sent to a staging area where we were to wait until needed. The staging area had quite a few rows of chairs (probably 100 chairs in all), but not nearly enough, and there was a big clump at the back. My friend and I took it upon ourselves to try to get the back clump organized into rows, walking around the center looking for the post-and-rope thingys (like the red velvet ones, though these were considerably lower-end), but when we found the Head Guy, we were told that they were out. So that turned out to be a futile excercise, and of course when we got back to the clump (which had thinned out considerably in our absence, since they had stopped admitting volunteers), we were still at the back of the crowd. Next we were asked to distribute drinking water to the other waiting volunteers, since many of them had not brought any with them.
And here I'll pause for a short digression about people not following directions. There were really only a few publicized guidelines for volunteers - y0u must be at least 18 years old, able to climb three flights of stairs, bring drinking water, and don't bring your purse. And yet most people didn't bring their own water, many women were toting purses, and there were several kids there with their moms - one actual baby, and 2 or 3 teens/pre-teens. Now, these were all well-meaning people who were spending their Sunday helping out strangers, they definitely weren't bad people. They just didn't notice or chose to ignore the few directives they were given. These directives were on the website, on the recorded phone message, and posted in the center itself, so they were easy to find for anyone who bothered to loook.
Ok, back to the story - after handing out water to everyone who wanted some, we again got in line, in the back of the line. We moved up relatively quickly, though, and eventually got assigned to an actual job with actual evacuees - we were asked to corral the many kids who were playing and keep them away from the triage area/quiet area. We were given these instructions by a volunteer, and led part of the way by another volunteer (I think, it may have been the same woman) who got distracted on the way because they were no longer admitting volunteers and they needed more volunteers - the last group they had asked for was supposed to be 50 people, but there were only 13.
And now another digression to observe that it was still pretty clear, in the relatively calm situation of the Houston astrodome, that those 'in charge' were making it up as they went along. They were clearly doing the best that they could, but they were not well-organized (the miscommunication about turning away volunteers when in fact volunteers were still needed, the congestion and confusion in the volunteer 'holding area', and the lack of someone in charge of our pack of 20 volunteers).
Anyway, we made it to the floor. Note that we never actually made it to the Astrodome proper - we were in the Reliant Center, which is part of the same thing, but in a different physical building - it's like a conference center, I guess. So we were on the floor, striding purposely, but none of us really knew what to do. We passed lots of kids playing with various sorts of balls, but they didn't seem to be doing anything they oughtn't be doing, and they were far away from the triage section (or, more accurately, the 'elderly' section). Eventually we sort of made a plan, and my friend and I set off to find the guy making PA system announcements, to ask him to make an announcement that the kids should head over to one section of the room for games. We were successful in that he made the announcement, but it was pretty clear that nobody listened to it - you know how inaudible these things tend to be - big room, cement floors, lots of people - the acoustics are horrible. Probably half an hour later, one solitary kid came up to us and asked us where the games were. We pointed him in the right direction.
Which is not to say that we didn't have some measure of success - there were some games of dodgeball and duck, duck, goose organized, and we were able for the most part of curtail the throwing of balls near the elderly and the very unquiet 'quiet area'. There was one kid who was in the area because he had to stay near his family - an understandable directive, and not one we attempted to circumvent. We just asked him to stay on the far side of the corridor. We also had some success in using tape to mark the borders where kids could play and where they oughtn't, and that helped. The tape itself was a precious commodity, and the Red Cross guy we got it from was very adamant about getting it back (which eventually he did - though there wasn't much left of it).
I also got to play a kind of basketball game with a very cute little girl - probably 6 or 7 - who was very forthright in asking me to play with her. So that was fun.
As we were about to leave, a kid pegged me (hard!) in the back of the head with a football. I took it away from him (well, my friend took it away and then gave it to me, and I kept it), and took it to a table with various toys to be picked up by another (hopefully less agressive) kid. It was a pretty aggressive act, but it's hard to be too mad at a kid who was probably pretty hopeless about life before Katrina, and now is even more hopeless and angry and having to deal with being homless and with no possessions about the clothes on his back.
The evacuees we saw were pretty clearly doing what they could to deal with an awful situation. They weren't in the dire straits of the first days when people were trapped without food, water, or electricity, but they were still living in a sports arena with no privacy and no idea what was going to become of them. One woman was telling her kids to stay in eyesight, and told us that someone had been raped there last night. It could very well be rumour, but it could very well be true. It's hard to know from this vantage point. And, I don't think I saw any white people amongst the evacuees. I know the storm destroyed lots of lives of folks of all races and classes (even Trent Lott lost his house, though I tend to doubt it was his *only* house), but the people who are in the most dire straits now are the people who were in the most dire straits before the storm, too. The straits are just dire-er.
So, I plan on signing up to volunteer with the Red Cross in Austin shortly, though from everything I've seen and heard they're even more disorganized than Houston. Still, there are lots of people here who will need our help in the coming months, and I hope to be able to offer some small amount of that help.
And here I'll pause for a short digression about people not following directions. There were really only a few publicized guidelines for volunteers - y0u must be at least 18 years old, able to climb three flights of stairs, bring drinking water, and don't bring your purse. And yet most people didn't bring their own water, many women were toting purses, and there were several kids there with their moms - one actual baby, and 2 or 3 teens/pre-teens. Now, these were all well-meaning people who were spending their Sunday helping out strangers, they definitely weren't bad people. They just didn't notice or chose to ignore the few directives they were given. These directives were on the website, on the recorded phone message, and posted in the center itself, so they were easy to find for anyone who bothered to loook.
Ok, back to the story - after handing out water to everyone who wanted some, we again got in line, in the back of the line. We moved up relatively quickly, though, and eventually got assigned to an actual job with actual evacuees - we were asked to corral the many kids who were playing and keep them away from the triage area/quiet area. We were given these instructions by a volunteer, and led part of the way by another volunteer (I think, it may have been the same woman) who got distracted on the way because they were no longer admitting volunteers and they needed more volunteers - the last group they had asked for was supposed to be 50 people, but there were only 13.
And now another digression to observe that it was still pretty clear, in the relatively calm situation of the Houston astrodome, that those 'in charge' were making it up as they went along. They were clearly doing the best that they could, but they were not well-organized (the miscommunication about turning away volunteers when in fact volunteers were still needed, the congestion and confusion in the volunteer 'holding area', and the lack of someone in charge of our pack of 20 volunteers).
Anyway, we made it to the floor. Note that we never actually made it to the Astrodome proper - we were in the Reliant Center, which is part of the same thing, but in a different physical building - it's like a conference center, I guess. So we were on the floor, striding purposely, but none of us really knew what to do. We passed lots of kids playing with various sorts of balls, but they didn't seem to be doing anything they oughtn't be doing, and they were far away from the triage section (or, more accurately, the 'elderly' section). Eventually we sort of made a plan, and my friend and I set off to find the guy making PA system announcements, to ask him to make an announcement that the kids should head over to one section of the room for games. We were successful in that he made the announcement, but it was pretty clear that nobody listened to it - you know how inaudible these things tend to be - big room, cement floors, lots of people - the acoustics are horrible. Probably half an hour later, one solitary kid came up to us and asked us where the games were. We pointed him in the right direction.
Which is not to say that we didn't have some measure of success - there were some games of dodgeball and duck, duck, goose organized, and we were able for the most part of curtail the throwing of balls near the elderly and the very unquiet 'quiet area'. There was one kid who was in the area because he had to stay near his family - an understandable directive, and not one we attempted to circumvent. We just asked him to stay on the far side of the corridor. We also had some success in using tape to mark the borders where kids could play and where they oughtn't, and that helped. The tape itself was a precious commodity, and the Red Cross guy we got it from was very adamant about getting it back (which eventually he did - though there wasn't much left of it).
I also got to play a kind of basketball game with a very cute little girl - probably 6 or 7 - who was very forthright in asking me to play with her. So that was fun.
As we were about to leave, a kid pegged me (hard!) in the back of the head with a football. I took it away from him (well, my friend took it away and then gave it to me, and I kept it), and took it to a table with various toys to be picked up by another (hopefully less agressive) kid. It was a pretty aggressive act, but it's hard to be too mad at a kid who was probably pretty hopeless about life before Katrina, and now is even more hopeless and angry and having to deal with being homless and with no possessions about the clothes on his back.
The evacuees we saw were pretty clearly doing what they could to deal with an awful situation. They weren't in the dire straits of the first days when people were trapped without food, water, or electricity, but they were still living in a sports arena with no privacy and no idea what was going to become of them. One woman was telling her kids to stay in eyesight, and told us that someone had been raped there last night. It could very well be rumour, but it could very well be true. It's hard to know from this vantage point. And, I don't think I saw any white people amongst the evacuees. I know the storm destroyed lots of lives of folks of all races and classes (even Trent Lott lost his house, though I tend to doubt it was his *only* house), but the people who are in the most dire straits now are the people who were in the most dire straits before the storm, too. The straits are just dire-er.
So, I plan on signing up to volunteer with the Red Cross in Austin shortly, though from everything I've seen and heard they're even more disorganized than Houston. Still, there are lots of people here who will need our help in the coming months, and I hope to be able to offer some small amount of that help.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
I'm Coming...
The devastation Katrina has wrought blows my mind. New Orleans (as well as massive amounts of the Gulf Shore) is gone - at least as we've known it.
I'm going to head down to Lake Charles this weekend with a load of supplies donated by myself and members of my dojo for the refugees there. I'd go to New Orleans if I thought I'd even be let into (what's left of) the city, but I know I wouldn't.
My trip to LC will be whirlwind - I'll probably arrive Saturday evening and leave Sunday morning. My life remains overbooked and harried, but I feel like this is something I need to do.
I'm only now coming to realize how many people I know who live or whose families live in New Orleans or southern Mississippi. I finally heard from my ex-roommate Sam today - he and his crew (Clark and Jason and Christine) are apparently safe. Carrie and Ryan Wallis are ok, Dwa and his family are fine. Both the LSC and the LSMSA alumni groups have been abuzz with people expressing concern and people checking in.
Nobody I'm in touch with has heard from James and Peggy Inabinet. They're the couple that had the retreat I went to in college in Southern Mississippi. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they're alright - but they lived (last I heard) in an old Boy Scout Camp in the middle of the woods.
If you're reading this and you're from the area, please check in and let me know you're ok.
I'm going to head down to Lake Charles this weekend with a load of supplies donated by myself and members of my dojo for the refugees there. I'd go to New Orleans if I thought I'd even be let into (what's left of) the city, but I know I wouldn't.
My trip to LC will be whirlwind - I'll probably arrive Saturday evening and leave Sunday morning. My life remains overbooked and harried, but I feel like this is something I need to do.
I'm only now coming to realize how many people I know who live or whose families live in New Orleans or southern Mississippi. I finally heard from my ex-roommate Sam today - he and his crew (Clark and Jason and Christine) are apparently safe. Carrie and Ryan Wallis are ok, Dwa and his family are fine. Both the LSC and the LSMSA alumni groups have been abuzz with people expressing concern and people checking in.
Nobody I'm in touch with has heard from James and Peggy Inabinet. They're the couple that had the retreat I went to in college in Southern Mississippi. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they're alright - but they lived (last I heard) in an old Boy Scout Camp in the middle of the woods.
If you're reading this and you're from the area, please check in and let me know you're ok.
