Come one, come all!  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you're probably of a like-enough mentality to enjoy this community: DecentChat 

Yeah, I know - ironic, me forming a group called "Decent"  ;)

LiveJournal is free and is STABLE.   A nice feature is organized conversations (kinda like the old bulletin boards/newsgroups). When you respond to a comment, your response is indented under the original.  That makes it REALLY easy to read. 

So come on over!

He blogged about his experience during the storm and for a couple days afterward, then went MIA for a few days while he worked his way out of the city.  His blog caught the attention of some news channels and eventually the New York Press asked him to write an article for them.  It’s taken him some time to feel up to reliving the experience but here it is:  http://www.livejournal.com/users/bobbysan/148046 .html" title="http://www.livejournal.com/users/bobbysan/148046 .html" target="_blank"http://www.livejournal.com/us...

I’m really honored to know him - and so very thankful he made it through. 

Emotional hypocrite - nice, coming from you.  Here's the truth.

I have issues with the choices you and your mom have made.  I talk about it calmly to your face because that's what the COURT said we should do.  Keep things as businesslike as possible and cordial as possible, because that is what is best for Katie.  You and I talk it out, get things resolved, and move on. 

I also have the right to talk with my friend and vent if I want to.  I'm glad Steve is my friend.  I don't have to give him your side of the story because he is MY friend.  And the kinds of comments he made on his post sound a LOT like the kind of thing you used to say about other parents - like the ones bringing their kids into the store at 11 p.m., and so on.    
 
I'd like us to remain friendly towards each other, but I don't want to be your friend.  It still hurts too much. 

Then a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was ofttimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
...
Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and other say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. 

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at a standstill and balanced.

I highlighted the phrase that sticks with me the most.

I often turn to this small little book when I feel stuck.  I love Gibran's writing.
Speaking of which, here's another snippet:

Work is love made visible. 
And if you cannot work with love but only with distate, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half a man's hunger. 

And with that, I shall restart my workday :) 
Have a good one, everyone.

Thank you, from the bottom of my hillbilly heart.

Spending most of Labor Day weekend at my parents. It's always good to get a dose of the family :)

My friend Antal is coming over to visit for a few days.  I'm really excited and really nervous.  He's from the Netherlands, has been around the world - what around here could possibly compare?  He's going to be bored out of his gourd - but with the crazy pace of his life, maybe that's exactly what he needs.

My pal Bobby added a bit more to his blog about his New Orleans post-Katrina experiences.  It chills me to the bone to hear how humans treat each other.

If you haven't donated yet, please do - the Red Cross or Salvation Army or other legit charity of your choice.  Please?  My company is doing a 1:1 match of donations - so check with your companies, too.

I'd write more but I'm too tired.