Emergency Trip To S.C.
Sorry for the delay in posting today...We had to leave GA last night as my Mom seemed to be on her last leg of life on earth. She was diagnosed with lung cancer (non-smoker) this year, and after radiation, it's been tough on her. Please pray for her and remember us as we travel home tomorrow (Saturday). Right now, she's hanging in there, improving a bit.
Thanks and God Bless,
-Stu

Stu Back On Nights Tonight At E.R., Macon, GA
After working Wednesday day shift, I can tell you that I actually prefer night shift now. I've always enjoyed staying up late at Conference and other places where folks congregate, so now I'm getting paid to do so. There is a small amount of drama involved in Emergency Room work as a male nurse, and I shall fill you in on the details tomorrow. Hopefully before sleeping the day away. Have a great night and remember: if you have an accident or start bleeding or DFO (done fell out), then I'll be there to start a large bore I.V. in your arm and give you fun drugs. Ain't I nice?

Stu Shoots An Incredible 89!!!
I'm talking golf here, at my favorite vendor of golfing pleasure, Forsyth Golf and Country Club. There was the most incredible wind outside today, and several of my drives went up , hung in the air a moment or so, then fell about 100 yards out. But in spite of the strong wind, I managed to par five holes, and bogey the rest except for 3 doubles. Adds up to 89. For those of you at Conference, any time I break 90 is a pert near miracle these days. Tiger, look out!

Or Was This the Look?

Was it a green towel like this one?

Are We Talking Ukulele?
Check out this guy, who can make a ukulele walk-and-talk like you never heard one played before. The story oozed into my subconscience this morning @ 7AM while trying to wake up, listening to NPR. The story is here. The only association I have with this instrument before was Tiny Tim, or Elvis in Blue Hawaii. Which is probably why I hated it, until today. Listen to the Conan O'Brien clip for some rockin' Uke'.

Columbine Copycat Captures Conscience, Creates Cacophony
When will this all end? Another mad gunman, probably overdosed on violent PS games, walks into a school and someone gets killed. One way to end it is to stop giving fame and glory to the gunman, so that other future gunmen don't start seeing their own name up in lights, waiting for the day when they too will go out in a blaze of gunfire and media attention. I don't see an end to it, unless a. we as Americans do something about the violent games and movies or b. make every public school in America a fortress of sorts, hiring security guards and installing razor-wire fences around the entire campus. Other than that, I don't have a solution.
(NOTE: the title here was created by a professional blogger and should not be attempted at home.)

I meant BLOGGING of course!
I was just over at ninetyandnine.net reading about the lobby experience at the Hyatt at General Conference from none other than The Vermontian, Bro. S.J. Cousino. Live Blogging! I believe I'da had to go raid a Waffle House if the restaurant was closed, and I know he'd be up for it. I'm ready to see some great pics from the conference, hopefully some closeups of participants (she wore a green towel for real?) and some more detail about what's happening inside the arena (it ain't bullfighting). From now on, I shall refer to The Vermontian as simply, T.V.

LIVE! Bogging At General Conference by Ben & Jerry
This week thousands of journeyers will arrive in Columbus Ohio to convene, cavort, and convert and ninetyandnine.net will bring you live blogging all week on especially important issues such as Resolution Six. Rumors are that a particular blogger hails from the land of ice cream, snowboarding, and snow. But I'm sure he'll reveal himself when the time comes...TODAY that is.

Price of Gallon Of Gasoline In Macon Drops To $2.05!
Amazing stuff here folks, but I filled up unleaded regular for $2.05 per gallon last night after church. I must have gone through some kind of time warp as you can see by the attendants who pumped it for me and washed my windshield. I hope there aren't any late hurricanes or acts of Congress to clean up. Now I can afford to cut my grass again.

Bin Laden Not Dead, Drives Taxi In Manhattan
Rumors of Bin Laden's death have been greatly exaggerated...or have they? There are two reasons this news was released:
1. His buds want us to believe it so they won't feel a missle launch threat breathing down their necks every time they step outside to, well, go.
2. Bin Laden really is dead, and has been for several years now, but his buds want us to hear it night and day on CNN to the point of going, "I don't care what they say, I believe Bin Laden is alive!"
Just remember that Usama Bin Laden can be rearranged to spell Damnable in USA.

A Fetus Who Can Die Must Be Alive Beforehand
At yahoo.com this morning I found an article about a "fetus death" in St. Louis, Missouri which makes a HUGE statement when it comes to the abortion issue. If a fetus had a death, then it certainly had a life. This blows away all the liberals' doctrine of whether or not the fetus of a woman is "viable" tissue or not!!! The monumental effects of this case could ripple as far as the Supreme Court if the murderer of the fetus is indicted and/or convicted, because it could mean the end of legal abortions in America. One question I've always had: What is the difference between an MD plucking out a fetus before the due date of birth and calling it "choice," and the neonatal MD who specializes in coaxing a prematurely born fetus to survive outside the mother's womb? Insanity, in my opinion.

ninetyandnine.net Has BRAND NEW LOOK!
Mosey over to ninetyandnine.net for a breath of fresh air, great articles and blogs (excluding this one of course) and surveys on all things Christian and Book of Acts based Church. If you thought the first century church died out after the fall of Jerusalem, then check THIS site out. If you thought that God doesn't do miracles anymore (not appearing on french toast anyways) then you DEFINITELY need to find out what ninetyandnine. net is all about.

This News Just In, And Boy Is It Hot, Baby
After several hours of comatosity on my part, I AWAKE to the following hot item of news:

Space shuttle Atlantis astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper collapses twice during a welcome home ceremony.

I, myself, get short of breath (sob in RN jargon) merely pronouncing this female astronaut's name. Repeat Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper 5 times fast and it might be an excellent way to help folks pray at the altar. SO perhaps she was called on to state her name several times in the ceremony and ran out of breath from the effort. I'm talking earth-shattering news. Unless, of course, she was possessed by an alien critternoid and will soon infect the rest of starship earth and ack...aaack....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

3 out of 4 Americans Need Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep
According to a recent survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, most people need sleep. Sounds to me like some of us don't sleep at all. I, myself, played tennis this morning after work last night (7p-a) but am heading fast to the mattress. Seriously though, many folks are in need of sleep studies to determine the quality of sleep they're getting. I plan to volunteer as a full-time paid employee and participant. Wait a minute...that was my old job: fireman. The only job I know of where you get paid to sleep.

University of Vermont Causes Mental Breakdown, Suicide
A young New Yorker ended his life after attending the University of Vermont. Read the 3 pager at the NY Times site here. His life didn't seem too different from many other guys who never seem to "find themselves." It's a big world for evangelism, but also a small world since many like Noah are loners, and the problem is usually confined within the family household. If there is indeed a "problem," as the reason is often a vague reflection of reality. Of course, the U of Vermont is not the sole cause, but perhaps an overdose of liberal worldview started him on the road to depression and ultimately, the taking of his own life.

Whutinthuh World? Rollercycle.
This caught me by surprise...another way to break bones, go to the emergency room, and HEY! I guess that means job security for me. So mosey on over to rollercycle.com and see about getting yourself set up today. Let me know how it works and how long before you get out. Of the hospital, that is. Me? After the yardsale, I'll have enough to order one.

This is the Kind of Handwriting I'm Talkin' 'Bout!

My (Mostly) Triumphant Life as an RN
Yeah, I know I've only been doing current events here at House Calls®, so I felt the need and burden to extend to you, reader of the blog, the intimate details surrounding my new career as Registered Nurse. I have been in orientation in the Emergency Center (ER) at my hospital since May, and it's been a long road, a rather steep learning curve, and a whole lot different than driving a firetruck (my former job). Then I went to night shift, 7a-p, and the job took another sharp turn. I'm functioning somewhere between vampire and zombie level.

Life As A Nurse
I don't like the word nurse, but I've learned to use it. I believe the appropriate title should be Patient Advocate, Syringe Tech, or (best) NM, Nurse of Medicine because I'm a medicine givin' machine. The motto of a paramedic (also my former job) is Do No Harm. But the motto of an RN seems to be Kill No Patient. Either slogan works. Medicine comes in all sorts of funky little bottles and bags, and my job is to read indecipherable doctor orders and translate that into the correct non-lethal dose. Can you see the stress factor here? The bright side of the job is when a patient's pain is relieved, or a rocky heartbeat converts into sinus rhythm.

Joyful AND Triumphant
The triumphant phase is that I completed orientation/preceptor stage last week. I turned in my final paperwork and clinical stuff, and now it is time to work, and it's fun. Looking back, orientation was immensely frustrating! There is patient care and there is computer documenting to learn. Also, there are other nurses to figure out, doctors to avoid, and staff that hide, making it a tough learning process. The main difference for me: as a firemen, the staff was near 100% male; however, I now work in a largely female environment. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it, and it might as well be me.

ARRRRRRRRRRRGH! It's Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Made famous by Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry of the Miami Herald, Talk Like A Pirate Day may soon become a national holiday. Read his column that put the two pirate-talking conspirators on the proverbial map. To truly talk like a pirate, one must also smell like a pirate, so that today must be precluded by one or more days sans shower. For the source of this land-lubbering mayhem, check it out for yourself, and begin talking like a pirate now.

A Classic Pirate Tale, Though An Unsuspecting One
If you happened to be looking for a tale of mutiny, pirates, Manhattan Island, life at sea, and general sailor debauchery, then look no further. In honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day today, run, don't walk to your nearest book outlet and purchase The Pirate Hunter. It is the true story of pirate hunter William Kidd who somehow became one of the most famous pirates! Does that make sense? A must read for history majors, pirate fanaticoes, and for those who ever dreamed that life at sea was romantic.

Richard Zacks spares no detail yet weaves a fantastic story into the fascinating tale of one of the worst tragedies to sail into American History. A more recent Zacks work is The Pirate Coast which I have not read, yet. But I guarantee you it is worth a zap on my PayPal account.

...And Another Great Pirate Book
This book is more for young audiences, but I shall say that it was enjoyable for any age. There are pirates, two girls who share a destiny, and plenty of sailing from the Caribbean to England and elsewhere. Order Pirates! today by clicking on the Amazon link at ninetyandnine.net.

Monday Monday,Bah-da bah-da-da-da

Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin', it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday mornin', Monday mornin' couldn't guarantee
That Monday evenin' you would still be here with me

Yep, it's Monday again, so be sure and hum that tune all day
now that it's stuck in your head.  And surf over to see what all
the fuss is about. Resolution 6.  Or was it Revolution 9?

Spinach, Space Shuttle, and ninetyandnine.net!
Where's the best place to go to catch the latest opinions and viewpoints from great minds? It might as well be ninetyandnine.net that just happened to sport a brand new look beginning this week. Wheter the topic is spinach, e-coli, or just plain old Christian living topics, this is the place to go.

The Blog We've All Been Talking About
Been to Fuel lately? Read the post entitled "Resolution Six" and see what you think. The man has a point, several points, in fact. Like Jim Carrey emailing prayers in Bruce Almighty, the author suggests that info will be on demand, and consumers are driving the screen entertainment market to respond to their personal needs. Network TV is already a dinosaur. Demand is the new buzzword for entertainment. And we have the [keyboard] keys to this new kingdom.

The WRONG Bag To Take School Lunch In

Saddam Is Not A Dictator, Gravity not Real, Eggs Not From Chickens
Okay, so who is this judge that is coddling Saddam Hussein from the bench, telling him he's actually not a dictator? A man who gassed Kurds, tortured or executed anyone who opposed him, and let his people die from starvation after Desert Storm when Iraq was embargoed rather than give into UN demands? Perhaps murderer would be a more appropriate description.
I guess this judge would also say Hitler never killed Jews, Alexander never went to war, and that Trix are actually meant for consumption by talking rabbits. Could we please send a U.S. judge over to take this guy's place? Someone stop the insanity.

ninetyandnine.net Makes Grand Entrance
Formerly known as ninetyandnine.com, 90&9.net blasted onto the scene of Webworld this week, led by St. Louis native and future Senate hopeful Kent d Curry. The webzine offers readers the opportunity to read insightful articles, poetry, and reviews, plus submit one's own ideas into the weekly drama of relevant Christian living. There have been pieces written on topics ranging from career choices to porn addiction. There's a little bit of something for everyone. So go ahead, surf on over and read. I guarantee you'll enjoy, or double your spam back. I'll even donate some of my own.

Goodnight All Daytimer Denizens of the U.S.A.
I now bid you all adieu, apologize for the sporadic gaps in my blog entries (technical glitch solved) and leave you for the land of nod. Tomorrow I will give you a brief synopsis of a night as nightshift RN in the ER, or Emergency Room. WARNING! If you are under 21, pregnant, or suffer back problems, then by all means read it. Readers must be at least 48" tall or accompanied by an adult or at least a person who drives while under the influence of car insurance. And did I mention that NINETYANDNINE.NET has a whole new look??? Check it out today, bookmark it, email, text message, or yell it out the window to your friends or loved ones. And if for some reason a man falls from the sky into your backyard, please ask him how it feels to fly.
Adiossszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

A 100% Cure For Jet Lag Discovered
How many times have you flown on a large comercial jet and, after the pilot levels off at 36,000 feet you say to yourself, "Hey, I wonder what would happen if I opened the door right now?" One guy did just that on a flight from California to D.C. There are only two reasons you would want to open a door at that time which are:
1. You are a member of the fowl species.
2. You are an idiot.
The best part of the story is when the stewardess yelled "please help" and a vigilante band of female passengers landpiled him and whacked him with their high heels. Well, I'm not sure about the highheels, or the females, but I do have a better solution next time it happens:

Better Solution
1. Pilot decreases altitude to approximately 26,000 feet.
2. Have passengers put seatbelts and oxygen masks on.
3. Allow crazed passenger to open door.
Of course, no one will be able to interview him to discover the exact sensations of becoming airborne at 26,00 feet, but at least the problem will be solved, his curiousity satisfied, and everyone can continue to eat the complimentary peanut.

Be Young...Be Foolish...But Be log...BLOG!
90&9 is seeking volunteers to liveblog the UPCI's Gen Conf with us! If you're interested, email editor@ninetyandnine.com & tell us why you'd be a good blogger (in 50 words or less). SO while you're polishing up that Rhodes Scholarship Thesis, be sure to email us today so that you may become an infamous conference blogger. A live interview with Katie Couric is awaiting you. The Pope will pronounce a blessing on you. A mosh pit of fans anticipates your arrival. So do it today.

CHECK IT OUT DOERS OF THE WORD!
Check out this conference. What's it about? In a nutshell, it's

1. A forum dealing with biblical relevance to daily life.
2. Two days of relevant classes that just might redesign your life.
3. For transformers who are willing to adjust and grow.
4. A place your voice will be heard.
5. A chance to design and detonate your own nuclear missile.

Well, that last one's not true, but the rest of the above makes it enticing to all who want to be cutting edge Christian folk. The forum will be led by speakers who are living it today, not remembering it from yesterday. So strap on your brain if you haven't already done so, and COME ON DOWN!

President Bush, Ground Zero, and ninetyandnine.net
Today is September 11, 2006, five years following the first attack on American soil in nearly 200 years. But it is also a day to celebrate the launching of the new mothership site, ninetyandnine.net, founded almost 7 years ago by pioneers of a college-and-career class in St. Louis, Missouri. The new look is fantastic, well organized, and more eye-appealing.

What is ninetyandnine.net?
Every week, for me, there is one gold nugget planted within the articles/blogs/poems that lights my fire once again and reminds me why we're all part of the greatest body of people on earth. Jesus people. People who get as excited about church as those football fans with painted faces. Folks who stay connected to what's happening, reading the 'zine to catch up on the latest Apostolic news and find the inspiration they need while cutting the trail into the often hostile world of college and work and marriage and relationships and, well, life.

9/11/2001
Checkout the NY Times site, too as it has some excellent photos and video of Ground Zero, the proposed Freedom Tower, and 9/11 Memorial, estimated construction cost: half a billion dollars. It's been tough for me to think that five years have passed, and I'd rather not think of it at all, the firemen, the office workers diving out of windows 100 stories high, or the absolute compression of two buildings into, basically, a pile of ashes. May God bless those families today who lost someone in that tragedy.

Space Station LIVE To Your 'Puter
The MTS-115 Altantis was launched Saturday morning on its MISSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
I watched the prelaunch coverage at NASA.gov, live at the NASA TV link. My wife watched the actual launch, while I went to bed since I worked the night before in the ER, or Emergency Room. The wife and I had watched Apollo 13 before I headed off to work, so I was excited again about a shuttle launch. One of the points in the film is that the American public had lost interest in the NASA program, but a nation tuned in to live coverage as Apollo 13 limped back to earth. Check out the NASA site today and watch so that, maybe, you and I together can figure out what in the world, er heavens, they do up there in the space station exactly. Perhaps I'll drop my cousin an email, since he previously worked for a contract agency that wrote the official NASA review for all space station activities, due within hours of landing. That was in Huntsville, Alabama. Now he's in Indiana, and I keep up with him at laughingwolf. He'll know.

ATTENTION: A Brief Word About "Triple C"
A new drug called "skittles" by young users, since the pills resemble the fruit candy, causes liver and kidney damage, seizures, brain injury, and...death. It's as simple as buying a pack of Coricidin HBP at the grocery store's pharamacy section, checking out in the diy lane, and popping eight or more of the pills. The result is hallucinations, or "tripping" as called by those intrigues of the drug and its effect. The HBP means "high blood pressure" which probably means that sudaphed is absent. But the killer effect comes from the antihistamine element in the pill interacting with the DM (Dextromethorphan), which causes all of the serious health implications. Download the pamphlet from the link above and print it so you can make others aware of young people who may be lethal dosing an otherwise harmless medication. Anyone who takes it as an overdose is playing with fire.

Follow Your Dreams in America...NOW!
I was surfing for any stuff on illegal Mexican immigrants after I heard a short piece on NPR when the alarm clock/radio went off. That's National Public Radio fyi, and I still find it hard to believe that there are some folks out there who never listened to A Prairie Home Companion on a Saturday night. So, I never found the link at NPR but checked out some of the "This I believe" essays, the one by a Chinese girl most profound. Her name is Ying Ying Yu and her platform is duty...especially to her parents who have encouraged her to become successful. She proposes that in America we are practically forced to pursue our dreams, as opposed to settling down and working. But wasn't it the Declaration that implicitly allows us to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Praise God, that in America, we can pursue happiness.

...And Liberty Run Amok
Citizens of a small town in Oklahoma want their police chief fired after they discovered his wife had posed for a porn site on the internet. The chief is claiming his wife has constitutional rights to pose and he will continue in his present position, despite the fact that angry citizens are distributing photos of her from the website in an effort to expose the situation. Does America get weirder every day or what?

Now About Those Mexicans in the U.S.A.
First off, let me say that we have an active Mexican ministry (referred to as "Spanish Ministry" in that they all speak spanish) in our church, and some of them are truly good friends of mine. Did mention that NPR is a liberal bastion of news that is somehow funded by the public, that is, you and me? More about that later. But they have a habit of chunking out vile little tidbits that I'm unable to qualify anywhere on the internet this morning. The issue stated from my little Sony radio was that the federal government is using anti-terrorist laws to round up illegal Mexican immigrants and send them packing.

I have a dear nurse friend who married a Mexican fellow three years ago, and now he must return to Mexico for 10 months to get his papers in order. They have children, and she is heartbroken that he's leaving. They marched in Atlanta a few months ago to prove the power of immigrant purchasing power, but the demonstration backfired, ending up becoming an opportunity for immigration officials to take names and video of those present.

So, on the one hand, I want these hard-working souls to stay here and work in our country, performing jobs with a zeal that has been lost from our workforce somehow. But I also want them to pay taxes like I do, and become citizens if they are working and building our great country.
And if they marry and start a family here, then that family should not be separated. What do you think?

Emergency Room Male Nurse in the House

Yep, That'd be me, a man/nurse/husband/father/son. There is presently a nursing crisis in America, in case you hadn't heard, so if you happen to be a man who needs a career, let me encourage you to be a Registered Nurse (RN). Starting salaries are excellent, advancement is certain, and diversification unlimited. Plus, you have a chance to care for real human beings, a ministry, if you please. Or take the scientific angle and consider all the lab and research work there is available in nursing. The shortage is already in the 100,000's, so opportunity is, like, right now. Think about getting your RN today.

Two words for Wednesday: Horatio Hornblower
Now I'm reading this first novel of maritime adventure featuring the honest and wet behind the ears midshipman, Horatio Hornblower. The novels were made into a series of films and I have watched them all. It's a great read, and a great flick. Check it out today at amazon, and soon you'll be dashing to the side rail of your pressure-treated suburban deck to yak up breakfast since C.S. Forrester writes that good. Or else you'll be scuttlin' for hardtack and a daily ration of grog for you and yer mateys. Pirates included.

Christian website of the week
I choose for the website of the week: The Journey Church of Anchorage! The message is unintimidating...inviting...friendly...without trumpeting the grand announcement of truth or consequences. If I didn't go to church anywhere, then this would be my first start rather than my last resort. The site sort of throws a monkeywrench into the traditional cog of the well-oiled machine known as "outreach." More about stuscoring® in a blog-to-come.

Time to hit the lights.
And with that, i bid you...adieu. (see photo below)

Headin' Out To Save Lives, One Foley At a Time
This evening, at 7:00pm, I will be reporting on at work at the ER, or Emergency Center, Level One Trauma to be exact, at the same moment Roger Federer takes Center Court at the U.S. Open. I've been going through an extensive orientation this summer, and there is light shining from the end of the tunnel. I was a fireman/paramedic before I became an RN, and so far I'm not looking back. The night shift sort of grows on me, each night less tiresome, hitting a groove around midnight. I'm not making the money Roger's making, but am doing better than fireman's wages. Nursing as a male occupation is tough, what with all the female nurses swarming around. It's rough, but someone's got to do it, and it might as well be me!

Click on ninetyandnine.com
Check out an attorney/mom's Top Ten list for what to do on a day off. Or read the blog of a woman who uses 2 computers simultaneously. Be sure and publish your own comments in the survey or else fire off a letter-to-the-editor. It's a daily lifestyle zine for those who need a fresh perspective on life and live and work here in America, land of the free but unfortunately not cheap. I did however, fill up on $2.50 per gallon yesterday. Americans: there is HOPE!

Stu's Various Webbies
Just in case you were wondering, I'm listening to live365 whilst blogging at the same time (chewing gum will come later). It's free radio with scant few commercials and way less than XM fees. Also, some are still unfamiliar with Google Earth, so here's that link as well. And I must steer over to Loose Parts every day to catch my favorite one-panel strip.

This is that Tuesday, 5 Years Later
I rolled out of bed at 4:30 this morning to get this blog rolling and one hour later remembered that it was this Tuesday, the one following Labor Day weekend that changed the face of America. I'm talking September 11th, 2001 when I was at St. George Island, Florida with family and friends, summoned from sleep to "come see this..."


"This" must be a nightmare. But as you and I remember, it wasn't. This was disaster. This was death. This was demolition. And it was really happening. This day is still in the news as some 40,000 workers who helped in the rescue and clean-up are slowly diagnosed with sickness resulting from contact with toxins at the site.

So even though the dates don't match up, and I'm sure there will be a slew of stuff going on this 11th to commemorate it, it was that day today.

The Croc Hunter No More
It was a sad day today after I learned that The Crocodile Hunter met his demise doing what he loved best: flirting with death. That lovable Aussie seemed to have not a fearful bone in his body when it came to intermingling with reptiles that normally don't end up as roadkill. My hat's off to a man who made a living diving out of jon boats directly into croc-filled waters. I mourn for his wife and two young children and for all of us who dared to watch him as he grappled beasts of the wild, making it look like it was a simple thing to do so. Thanks for joining in today with me on my new missionary adventure into blog land. I will miss my friend Steve Irwin and may his inspiration to do what no man thought possible extend into this journey to bring you all things bloggable, newsworthy, and inspirational.

Steve Irwin
1962-2006

Let the BLOG begin!
Good Evening fellow night owls and readers of ninetyandnine.com! I'm sure that, right on the tip of your tongue as well as mine is, will Andre Agassi win the U.S. Open? My bet is that he'll make it to Roger "El Swisso" Federer and no farther. Maybe tennis isn't at the forefront of your mind, but it's amazing nonetheless to see the man winning for 21 years.



For You, Lee Ann!
Yes, Lee Ann, that kiss from Andre is blown straight to you for one incredible year of blogging at Ductape, Dixie and Me. Your coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath was Pulitzer material. Of course, I'm biased, for the fact that Lee Ann is my half-sister. We also share a reverence for duct tape that borders on compulsive. I trust that Lee Ann is finding many new and creative uses for duct tape with her students, especially the unruly ones.


FYI Notice About Random Posting Times of Day
Still awake? Yeah, I guess it's not that late, after all. In California it's only half past 8:ooPM (Correct me if wrong, you surfer folk out there). I'm working the night shift from 7p-7a at my new job as Registered Nurse, and posting will occur at various and asundry times. Unless of course there is a major world-changing news event, such as "Britney Changes Hair Color To Purple" at which time I'll leap out of bed and post immediately. So look no further for world updates, news flashes, and live interviews as you will get them from none other than moi at House Calls.

Kent Curry Website Launched on Unsuspecting Public
Just when you thought it was safe to go googling, along comes kentcurry.co.uk. The opening page is a rack of spices and cursive lettering appears below stating, "Fine Indian Cuisine Delivered to Your Door." I'm not sure why Kent Curry has launched an international business but I can promise you one thing...I definitely do NOT want Indian cuisine delivered to my door if it's shipped all the way from England. But what the heck: LONG LIVE CAPITALISM! ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS!

The Year of NO Hurricanes
You heard it here first: 2006 will be the year of no hurricanes in the Southeast. We were beat up bad enough last year, so hurricanes are taking the year off. Oh, we'll get a few tropical storms here and there, but NO hurricanes. The federal government has maxed out it's FEMA Visa card on New Orleans and Florida. But there is always Iraq to pay for. So a hurricane break is definitely needed.