Remember

9.11.01

Red Cross

I just saw an interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and Marty Evans (President of the Red Cross) discussing the Red Cross' volunteer needs. She stated that volunteers could be trained "in a day or two".

Cool. I was a little worried that it would take longer.

'Nother update

Received this yesterday in my email from Habitat for Humanity:

Habitat plans to pilot this "home in a box" project at the end of this month in Jackson, Miss. Through this component of Operation Home Delivery, you may be able to volunteer in your own community to help the families who lost their homes and so much more. Please check our Web site,www.habitat.org, later this month to learn more about how you can organize a build in your community.

Additional volunteering opportunities will become available later in the year or early 2006, when conditions on the ground allow for the permanent house reconstruction to begin and affiliates start unfolding their "homes in a box." If your interests are to volunteer in immediate relief-oriented activities, we suggest you contact the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army or any other reputable relief agency.

This was the organization I was interested in working with the most (as it appeals most to my interests, skills, etc.), but I can’t really wait until the end of the year.  Needless to say I was a bit bummed when I read it.

Then I saw a press conference on CNN where John Dangan, a public affairs official with the Red Cross, requested people sign up at their local chapters to be trained so they can be sent to the Gulf States to help out.  He said they were in need of 40,000 new volunteers to handle the crisis.  Granted, I’ve already contacted my local chapter once (actually twice, but who’s counting), but I’m going to contact them again on Monday and see what develops.  

If anyone is interested in volunteering, I’ll be posting a link list to various organizations on my other sites as soon as they’re up.  I’d do it here, but that would mean reformatting this site, and frankly, it’s not worth it since the other ones are almost up.



On another note:

The other sites I’m working on (there are 3 now) are coming along pretty well.  I’ll post the links to them soon.

This site (Journeys) was originally created for the sole purpose on documenting my road trips(s), not as a daily journal of sorts.  So as soon as the other ones are up and running, I’ll discontinue updating this one until I actually go on a road trip.  But I’ll continue using this one until the others are up and running.


Ciao for now.

What's Up

I’ve received some emails over the past couple of days (weeks) from various people asking what was going on with the trip.  I plan on emailing you all back, I swear, but I’ve been preoccupied with a few things over this past week or so.

So I figured the best way to let y’all (heh, I’ve been in the South way too long) know what was going on was to post a quick blurb.

The trip has been postponed for a few reasons:

• The recent hurricane we experienced.  No, it didn’t hit anywhere near where I live, but it hit areas I had planned on seeing.
• Gas prices have soared over the last week or so, and when you plan on driving a Jeep cross-country, it’s best if the prices were a bit lower.  Yeah, Jeeps aren’t really known for the fuel economy.
• I feel a bit odd (read: guilty-ish) carousing across the country while thousands of people are now homeless and jobless.  Yes, I know there are always homeless and jobless people, but this is particularly different.
• I’ve been in touch with a few organizations (Salvation Army, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, etc.) about volunteering in the hurricane-affected area and I’m waiting to see what develops from that.  I don’t know if I’ll end up going, but I definitely want to.
• I’ve recently reconnected with my father (long story, another time) and am currently in the process of making plans to see him (in TX, kind of convenient with the whole “volunteering” thing) for a quick visit.
• I’m sure there’s more, but these are the main ones.

I know I haven’t posted any pics in a while, but I’ve been busy with a few other things that have (surprisingly) consumed a lot of my time; namely, designing a few new sites.

The actions of our government in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina alarmed me, to say the least.  I’ve always been more of an “armchair political pundit”, keeping my opinions about politics more or less to myself and few friends, but I’ve recently discovered some interesting blogs/journals/sites devoted to discussing current events and the political atmosphere.  With that in mind, I’ve decided to flex my powers of observation and writing and devote a journal to these topics.  I’ll post the link to this journal when I’ve completed the construction process of it.

The second journal is more philosophical in nature, concentrating more on theories and the nature of living.  It much more of a creative writing site than the other one, devoted more to the process of thought and psychology.  It’s a not a “daily life” journal like my recently expired one, but rather, scholastic in nature.  Various topics will be explored, including religion, politics, nature, literature, etc., but unlike the first, it will not concentrate on specific current events, but rather draw inspiration from them.  I’ll post the link to this journal when I’ve completed the construction of it.

I’m still into photography and will continue to explore it of course, but I’d like to spend some time developing my other interests.

When I was younger (for those of you who don’t know) I went to school to pursue degrees in both Psychology and Philosophy, and was active in numerous academic publications.  Since that time, I’ve allowed my career (which had nothing to do with any subject mentioned) to consume the majority of my time and energy.  Now that I’m sans career, I’d like to go back and re-explore those areas.  

Consider this my Renaissance Period…