Returns, excuses, and storms.

Sorry for the long lapse in posts. I'd like to give you all a good reason why I haven't been on the ball, but I don't have one. What I do have, however, is a bunch of totally unrelated excuses that won't explain my actions, but should draw your attention away from my laziness:

1. I didn't mean to blow you off, but my world domination plans have thickened.
2. My dog ate my posts, and by 'my dog' I mean 'me' and by 'ate my posts' I mean 'sat on the couch and stuffed my face with cheetos all night'.
3. It was the Germans.
4. How can I post with the state of global economics and unilateral affairs are in the state they're in?
5. They don't make the internet like they used to.
6. The virgin sacrifices took way longer than I expected.
7. The man on the TV told me to stay tuned. I didn't want to let him down.
8. My stigmata was acting up.
9. Time travel accident.
10. Remember that movie with the little kid and the alien and the flying bikes? Same thing happened to me.

Now with that out of the way, I can tackle a pressing issue, Hurricane Katrina. Ok, it was pressing a few weeks ago, but now that I've had time to digest most of it, I think I'm ready to comment. First off, for those of you who don't know, my family and friends down in Louisiana are ok. Houma was spared for the most part. Also, to those of you who asked about my family and showed me the utmost concern and compassion, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

For a while I was pretty nervous. After the storm hit I didn't get in touch with my family for about a week. I did get word that my parents left town and went to Houston. I wasn't worried too much about them leaving town. It was my oldest brother that I was worried about. I wasn't sure if he evacuated or not. In the back of my mind I could picture him half-naked in his driveway, with empty beer cans strewn about the yard, and screaming at God to "come and get you some of this, big boy!" Sure, that scenario seems a little silly, but for those of you who have met my brother, you all know that it isn't too far-fetched.

It's so very sad that the region got nailed the way it did. But then again, that's just the way nature plays the game. I feel bad for the folks who have lost so much and hopefully they'll find the courage to move through this. I can see both sides of the coin for the people who evacuated and the people who stayed put.

For the folks who left, regardless of how early or late they decided to take off, I understand them being concerned with their safety and the uncertainty of not knowing what they would come home to, if they even had a home to come back to at all. It's got to be tough when you're packing your things and you begin to think that there is a chance that these may be your only possessions after all of this is through.

For the folks who stayed put, I understand as well. To those of you say, "Well anyone who stayed deserved what they got", I say this, "Shut your lips!" Nobody, and I mean NOBODY deserves to lose their possessions, their homes, their family, their friends, or their lives. So the next time you hear anyone say that, call them on their ignorance, or if you yourself are thinking about saying that, hold that thought and let it be the stillborn idea it was meant to be.

Not everyone had the means or resources it took to leave town. Not everyone even knew how to leave. It's not something they teach us in school. There are no "Reading, Writing, and Running Like Hell" lesson plans in the curriculum. Once again, for whatever reason people stayed behind, NOBODY deserved this.

Now that I'm nice and spun up, I'd like to ask CNN and Fox News for a favor: Guys, I'm pleading with you, stop showing us just the sensational and negative sides of the story. We just want the facts, nothing more, nothing less. I don't want to see fifty reporters on the street getting tossed about in the wind. You can just tell me that it's windy. I'll believe you. It doesn't take getting clobbered by a flying mailbox to convince me. I'm really not that dense, regardless of what my friends have told you.

Also, there is much more news going on that just looting. Tell me the coordinates of the storm. Tell me how the levees are holding up. Tell me which shelters are open. Tell what roads are closed. We're not asking for much, except for news. Oh wait, I forgot that I was asking a news channel for all of this, I won't get none of that. Let's just watch another three hours of folks running about with bags in waist deep water.

While I've brought up looting, here's my take on it. I think it all comes down to someone's intention when it comes to taking things. 'Oh my goodness, are you condoning theft?' Well, sort of. If things are so bad where you don't have the resources to survive, then, by all means, go and get what you need live. You can always ask for forgiveness later. Now, if you've got your eyes on a kickass big-screen TV and are just waiting for the right natural disaster to go and get that bad boy, I say 'no'. I understand it's tempting. I think the same thoughts. Although I'm in Maryland, where we've got no natural disasters on tap, I'm still wishing for a giant 100 foot mutant bug to come rampage through my city so I can knockout my Christmas list at the local Best Buy. I'm saying this now, but I'm pretty sure if Mothra decided to hit town I'd go stock up on bug spray first before I stroll through video games section. Although, when the new version of Madden NFL Football comes out, I might make an exception.

Now most of you who know me know that I don't like talking politics. I don't care if you vote Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, Green Party, Mars Delegation, Purple Lizard People for a United Venus, or whatever. It's just not my thing. I have my thoughts and beliefs, and you have yours, and I like to leave it at that. But I will say this. Everyone who is trying to find out whose fault it is for the slow response time, or the distribution of resources, or the movement of the evacuees in the shelters, please shut up for a minute. Now is not the time to point fingers. Now is the time to clean up, pick each other up, help each other out, give to charities, and just try to fix the mess before any of us decides who did what to who. Right now, the only thing that can be blamed for Hurricane Katrina is Hurricane Katrina. And I'll tell you what, the hurricane doesn't give a damn if you hate it or not. I've cursed at many a storm and guess what, it didn't stop them one bit.

While I've been putting all of this together, I'm watching Hurricane Rita romping through the Gulf of Mexico. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who is and going to be affected by this one. I hope everyone who decided to leave got out safe, and I hope everyone who decided to stay batons down the hatches and makes it through alright.

Thanks for being so patient with me. Your support is appreciated.
-B

By the way, I'm trying new bells and whistles with the blog. Let me know what you think and if you have any tips, tricks, or suggestions you'd like to throw my way, drop a comment.