A Girl Named Irene

Without a doubt, Hurricane Irene sandblasted the back side of the Neptune statue in Va Beach this weekend.  In the end, the storm did not quite live up the the hype, but I think everyone can agree on that being a very good thing.  There was some flooding, loss of power, minor property damage and limited loss of life from a storm that was predicted to be much worse.

My beef is with the hunderds of people in Irene's path who did not follw evacuation orders and then expected emergency response when they got into a bind.  I feel that if you must ride out a storm, you take what you get.  Don't put firefighters in danger because of you are stubborn.  In New Jersey today, a firefighter died while attempting a water rescue.  I truly hope this person did not die because someone was stupid.

Back when Katrina hit NOLA, many of the people who did not leave the city simply did not have transportation or the ability to get out of town.  Irene hit areas where people had the means to evacuate but chose to remain.

As this storm streaks north, be thankful the damage was not as extensive as it was predicted.  Also, quit critizing the officials who ordered the evacuations and thank them for possibly saving your life.

Been There, Done That

We love to explore.  The world we live in is a huge place and it's easy to find beautiful locations right around the corner.  Last evening, we went for a walk in Herrington Manor State Park in Oakland, Maryland and were virtually alone.  We saw several families of deer feeding in the evening sky and I snapped these pictures as sunset drew near.  Do yourself a favor and get off the couch, pull away from the computer, turn off the tv and go check out what your town has to offer.  You will be amazed.

Quitting via text message

I have been in business for 29 years and today, I received my first "I Quit" text message.  Surprisingly, this was not a teenage kid, it was a 40 year old married mother of 2.  Of course, when she left work early and took all her stuff with her, it was a pretty good clue that the end was near.  I have a message to all you workers who want to tell your boss to stick it, texting them is not a very good idea.  I am sure she will not use me as a reference in her future job searches.  A little face to face confrontation is a much better approach.  Just my two cents.

Father's Day 2011

My oldest daughter got home from the Taylor Swift concert at 3:30am and decided it was the perfect time to wish me Happy Father's Day.  I am good with that.  She was sober and alive, she can wake me anytime.  My youngest left for work at 7:30am and gave me my Father's Day hug then.  It was a good start to a rainy Sunday.  The girls are in charge of dinner tonight, I can't wait.  I do believe I will end up cooking on the grill, but it's the thought that counts.

Last night, our community hosted an annual event called "Redneck Dayz".  As you might imagine from the name, I was out of place in my plaid shorts and polo.  I did enjoy a couple cold PBR's while listening to a little blue grass music but I did not enjoy my view of the drunk lady who staggered around the corner and hurled what must have been 8 or 9 draft beers into the trash can.  Overall, it was a good time but I might have to find something a little more entertaining next time.

I know first postings always suck, so I want to make sure I fit in.