Not A Dollarshort

Birthday Thanks.

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, either on their site or via email.

Daily Routine.

We've spent the past couple days avoiding the news as much as we can.

Of course, avoiding means only watching six hours of coverage rather than fourteen.

After last night, we realized that we need to turn off the news, at least for a while, if we're going to try to function somewhat normally.

Last night was really difficult; shock quickly melted away into extreme grief.

Today, we exercised a bit more self-control and watched Valley of the T-Rex on The Discovery Channel. Fascinating stuff -- we learned that all evidence points to the T-Rex being a really ugly scavenger instead of a predator.

And then, we've been watching Heavyweights on the Disney channel.

Slim pickings, I know. But at least it was a diversion.

And then my best friend called. She and her husband are in town from Fresno because her sister-in-law just delivered her baby.

Life goes on.

Tonight we'll be at Ben's parents' house for our birthdays. Mine is tomorrow and Ben's birthday is next Saturday. Being six days apart means that we share birthday parties, an odd thing for an only child to do.

It's the seventh one we are sharing together and I'm very grateful.

Irresponsible Media part I.

N.Y. airport arrests a false alarm
Yeah, you'd think you'd be "belligerant" as well if you were unrightfully arrested and then reported to have: knives, fake airport personnel badges, pilot licenses from Vero Beach and flying manuals.

I'm so sick of misinformation.

It's bad enough when it give hope and only worse when it incites fear.

dooce.com excerpts.

dooce.com excerpts the articles I've been reading for the past two days that really say it much better than I could.

I shouldn't feel excluded.

I've been listening to the congressional prayer vigil.

Yes, I'm Catholic.
Yes, I'm Christian.
They seem to be praying to "my" God; I shouldn't feel excluded.

But isn't there some little thing in the Constitution separating church and state? The lines have been really blurred these past few days.

Perhaps if other religions were more represented, this wouldn't seem as troublesome.

Thought-process update: I've had time to think about this post and realized what really bothered me about the prayer vigil.

It's the whole "my God is better than your God" thing that has been responsible for so much worldwide carnage.

Put it to a good use.

Donate your tax rebate
Soon you'll receive your tax rebate in the mail. Consider donating your rebate to the American Red Cross to help save lives. You'd be amazed at how far your gift will go to help those affected by disaster:

• $600 buys food for a week and clothing for a family of four.
  
• $300 buys five days of meals and motel stays for one displaced disaster victim.
  
• $250 provides emergency shelter and food for 50 disaster victims for one day.
  
• $100 buys replacement prescription medication, like insulin, blood pressure or seizure medication for 3 disaster victims who have lost everything.
  
• $50 buys 10 new blankets in an emergency.
  

Your tax-deductible gift -- in whatever amount you choose -- will provide disaster relief and other essential Red Cross services in your community, and around the world.

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Congressional leaders and White House agreed to set aside $20 billion for rescue efforts, repairs and counterterrorism work. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young said lawmakers hoped to have the spending bill on Bush's desk by Thursday.

Phone calls from the brave.

Flight 93 pilot and passengers may have fought back.

It has been those phone calls -- from the passengers to their wives and husbands, mothers and fathers that have been, for me, most poignant.

Another passenger, Tom Burnett, of Pleasanton, Calif., called his wife, Deena, and also reported that the plane had been hijacked, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

Burnett knew the plane was going down.

"I love you, honey. We're all going to die, but three of us are going to do something," he said, according to a family spokesman.

And then, there are the reports coming in about trapped victims using their phones to call for help.

Amazon Red Cross Fund.

The online Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund provided by Amazon.com has gone from $2,000 to $38,000 since I last looked. This, in hardly an hour span of time.

Update: As of 9:30, the fund has reached $132,000.

I only wish we didn't need disasters to demonstrate that, in general, people are good.

Another update: This is really quite amazing, since 5:30 am PST, the fund has gone from about $232,000 to $611,000. (as of 10:30 am pst) It's literally growing by the thousands with every mouse click, every second.

Donate Blood.

Where to donate blood in the Bay Area.

New York City bombing check-in form.

Retaliation?

It has seemingly begun...

I've heard reports that the United States is bombing Afghanistan. Reports are mixed, and some sources say we can't be sure that America is actually responsible for the attacks.

Update: White House says that it wasn't an American attack but rather, continual civil war fighting.