Before and After

Sharkhead's Souvenirs, Biloxi Beach -- August 6, 2005


Sharkhead's Souvenirs, Biloxi Beach -- August 20, 2005

The Human Spirit

A man consoling his 10-year old neighbor in Pascagoula, MS, this photograph (shot by William Colgin of The Press-Register) is probably the best image to come out of the Hurricane Katrina devastation. It is my prayer that this becomes a defining image for the compassion, courage and tenacity of the people who faced this horrible tragedy

New Orleans Underwater

Matt's wife Mandy's grandmother and aunt live in the neighborhood above. This is an area of New Orleans flooded after a breach in a canal levee leading from Lake Ponchartrain. Luckily, they evacuated and are safely away from here. It's uncertain when they will be able to return.

Three Weeks Ago

Three weeks ago, we stayed in a condo one block east of this devastated apartment complex.

An oil platform ripped from its mooring in the Gulf of Mexico rests by the shore in Dauphin Island, Ala. Tuesday Aug. 30, 2005 after hurricane Katrina passed through the area.

Three weeks ago, we were collecting sea shells on this beach.



Three weeks ago, we drove across this bridge from Biloxi to Ocean Springs, Miss.



Another view of the Biloxi-Ocean Springs bridge.



A casino completely swept off its moorings...



...and deposited across the highway.



Three weeks ago, these were the landmarks along our drive down scenic Beach Boulevard/Highway 90 in Biloxi.

Going From Bad to Worse

Things in New Orleans seem to be getting uglier by the hour. Hundreds are feared dead. Martial law has been declared in two parishes. Looting is widespread. Conditions are deteriorating in the Superdome shelter -- one person has jumped to their death from an upper level. The Governor of Louisiana says the whole city should be evacuated.

A scripture comes to mind: "You will find trouble in the world but take heart, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

I saw a news report earlier: A massive live oak tree fell across a small park or cemetary, and still standing in the middle of the tangle of broken limbs and leaves and branches...a statue of Jesus, unscathed.

Keep the faith.

New Orleans Today

I'm sorry to tell you, Becky and Rick. But this is where you car is parked. Come on home and file an insurance claim.

The Katrina Aftermath

Sadler's Apartments -- 2 blocks from the condo where we stayed -- completely destroyed along with more than 100 condominiums along Beach Boulevard.

Like many people, we've been keeping a close eye on Hurricane Katrina and the havoc left in her wake. Having just returned from a vacation in Biloxi/Gulfport, we've spotted many familiar landmarks on the news that are now obliterated. The famous Biloxi lighthouse, once surrounded by light poles, traffic signals and trees, is now the only thing still standing in that spot in the middle of Highway 90/Beach Boulevard. The new Hard Rock Cafe, with its "world's largest" guitar/sign, was set to open next month and will now have to be completely rebuilt.

But the worst news from Biloxi that I've seen so far is a report of 30 people dead in the St. Charles Apartment complex. St. Charles street is just one block west of the Magnolia Gardens condos where we stayed at the corner of St. George and Beach Blvd. It just makes it all hit close to home. I can see those apartments, see those people who were hanging out on their balconies just a couple of weeks ago.

We've also been watching closely for news from LJ's sister and brother-in-law, Becky and Rick. They drove to New Orleans last Friday and set sail Saturday afternoon on a 4-day Carnival Cruise to Cozumel. Becky called last night (collect from a phone on the ship) to tell us that the ship is being re-routed to Galveston where they are being asked to debark and find transportation home from there. Becky asked us to help locate a rental car in Galveston -- something we're finding to be perhaps impossible. And the question now is: Can they travel from Galveston back to New Orleans to retrieve their car? Will New Orleans be accessbile for driving by Friday? Will their car even still be there? I'm beginning to think they should simply drive (or take a bus) from Galveston back home and plan on being without their car for weeks if not months.


This demolished Dairy Queen in Gulfport sits across Beach Boulevard from a Mexican restaurant where we ate.


A sad image taken on Beach Boulevard in Biloxi.

Praying for the innocent victims:


Ninety-year old woman taking shelter in the Louisiana Superdome.


A family rescued from their flooded home in New Orleans.


A deer rests on the shoulder next to flooding along Interstate 10 at the Mississippi state line.

Welcome, Cousin Elvis

I heard a stat the other day, that there are now more than 14 million Web logs (blogs) on the Internet and a new blog is added about every 20 seconds. Well, welcome the latest: Cousin Elvis, the blog of my dearest friend, Greg. This guy is one of a kind. Comedian, singer, writer, poet, performer, actor, recuiter, father and friend -- this is the guy who's pictured next to the definition of all around good guy. (The blog name "Renaissance Man" must have been taken.)

I will be very interested in see what's on his mind.

Blog on, Greg.

Pictured: Greg and Bill at The Museum of Automobiles in Morrilton, Arkanasas.

Alma Mater, The Follow-up

I'm chagrined. The HU Director of Career Counseling and Placement (whose name I'll keep out of this) courteously gave me a phone call just now. She said that she truly did not mean to offend anyone by refusing to post the Second Presbyterian graphic designer job, but went on to explain how she's between a rock and a hard place. Seems this isn't the first time someone's complained about the new CareerNet Web site. She cited an incident when a position at a Church of Christ was posted on the site and Harding was "blasted" by at least one individual because the church was "liberal". So, she knows that a posting for a position at a Presbyterian church would raise someone's ire.

I had to tell her, she's in a tough position. But she said herself, you can not please everyone. To which I suggested they do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and then defend that policy to whoever might complain -- using the truth as their defense.

The bottomline: They will NOT post the Second Pres job listing, but she planned to call my friend and spread news of the junior graphic design position via word of mouth.

All I can do is wish her good luck, thank God I'm not in her position, and pray maranatha -- Lord, come quickly. At least I tried...

Hell, Alma Mater!

So, I get this email from my Harding University classmate (who now works as a professor for the school) letting me know about the HU placement office's new CareerNet Web Site where Harding graduates/alumni and employers can connect. Right away, I forward the email to my friend and client who heads up the in-house communications staff for Second Presbyterian Church here in Memphis, knowing that she's seeking to hire a junior-level graphic designer.

Here's the response she received from Harding's Director of Career Counseling and Placement:

Thank you for your interest in posting jobs on our CareerNet website. I just wanted to let you know that Harding University is affiliated with the Church of Christ and a vast majority of our students are members. I don’t believe it would be beneficial for you to place job postings on our website for that reason.

Can you believe that! Not beneficial? To whom? The feeble Harding graduate who might *gasp* be "converted" to Presbyterianism?

I was shocked, appalled, embarrassed and irrate. It NEVER crossed my mind that Harding would have a problem with a non-Church-of-Christ church seeking to hire one of its alumni.

I fired off an email to said Director, saying her actions were "a poor reflection on the Church of Christ, a personal embarrassment to me, and a disservice to the very Harding graduates you profess to serve." I asked her to reconsider her decision and to consider apologizing to my friend.

That was 2 days ago, and I haven't received a response.

Well, I thought my beef with this was bad, until I heard about a ruckus going on regarding their invitation of Ann Coulter to speak. Under the circumstances, I guess a letter to the administration would probably get lost in the frey.

FedEx Furniture Makes FedEx Furious

Check out this story on WIRED about a guy who makes "ghetto style" furniture using free FedEx packaging! Only FedEx isn't laughing. Their heavyweight lawyers have sent him a nice little "cease and desist" letter. This will be interesting to watch...

House Numbers

What's up with all the addresses? On this house in our neighborhood, there are six -- count them -- six different house numbers: (1) on a sign in the yard, (2) on the mailbox, (3) over the front porch, (4) on the front door, (5) painted on the side of a tree, and (6) over the garage door. Think maybe he's had a problem receiving mail? In the words of The Great Jim Morrison, "People are strange."

Seven-Year Eyes

In honor of Parks's first day of school, here's something I wrote a couple of years ago:

Discoverer.
Adventurer.
Seer of things unseen.
To seven-year eyes
The world is new,
Exciting and clean.
Oh, what a gift
To catch a glimpse
Of life through seven-year eyes.
I, too, with you
We're discoverers,
Adventurers and spies.

Riding in Handbaskets

My wife and I have a favorite T-shirt saying: "Where are we going? And what are we doing in this handbasket?"

It's one of those things that's funny because of the kernel of truth behind it, and we often find ourselves repeating this punchline when faced with the "news of the day" which can be warped and mind-boggling and frightening.

For too long now, I've pessimistically estimated that our good country wouldn't survive more than another 50 years -- tops. And in recent years, I've trimmed that timeline down to as low as 20 years -- depending on the latest, aforementioned "news of the day".

But really: Can the U.S. survive at our present rate? Does a democracy function when the good of society, the majority rule, is sacrificed for the "rights of the individual". And what if that majority is devoid of morality, decency or whatever you want to call it when people are guided by something beyond themselves, something greater than themselves, something other than themselves?

Okay, enough of that. I don't want to think about it, much less rant about it. I want to go back to my complacency, my blissful ignorance. Now, where is that handbasket? Oh, here it is. Weeeeh!

We Are Not Afraid

A great website has been created in response to the acts of terror that have struck London, Madrid, New York and elsewhere around the globe. We're Not Afraid is "a worldwide action for people not willing to be cowed by terrorism and fear-mongering."

Nearly 4,000 images (people, pets, etc., declaring "We are not afraid") have been posted to the site. Check it out. It will amaze and inspire you.

Maybe there's still hope for this planet after all.

Positive News

American Muslim Leaders Issue Fatwa

American Muslim scholars who interpret religious law for their community issued an edict Thursday (July 28) condemning terrorism against civilians in response to the wave of deadly attacks in Britain and other countries.

In the statement, called a fatwa, the 18-member Fiqh Council of North America wrote that people who commit terrorism in the name of Islam were "criminals, not ‘martyrs'."

"There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism," the scholars wrote. "Targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram — or forbidden."

"We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism," the scholars wrote. "We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet."

ON THE NET:Council on American-Islamic Relations (www.cair-net.org).

Who knew?

Thanks to Mr. Positive for helping spread the news.

I Recommend

Looking for positive, uplifting, inspirational news? Do what I did: Google search the words "positive, uplifting, inspirational news" and you'll come across a web site called PositiveNews.net. From there, I found the blog of fellow blogger, Mr. Positive. Talk about "news you can use." Bookmark Mr. Positive's blog and check it out whenever things are looking bleak.

Across the Universe

Just can't get this John Lennon song out of my head today:

"Jai guru deva om."

Which translates:

"Live forever, Teacher, Heavenly One, Vibration of the Universe."

Be Not Afraid

"The inhabitant or soul of the universe
is never seen; its voice alone is heard.
All we know is that it has a gentle voice,
like a woman, a voice so fine...
that even children cannot become afraid.
And what it says is:
'Be not afraid of the universe.'"
-- from an Inuit teaching

I Used to Write

Here's a poem I wrote after a long hiatus, or dry spell:

I used to write
Down all my deepest thoughts
All my prayers
All my dreams
All the mixed, jumbled things
Rattling about in my head.
And they came out in ordered,
Uniformed lines.
Words, subjects and verbs
Linked into sentences
Like dutiful soldiers
Arrayed in a drill.
I used to write
All the storms
All the gales
Into hushed little breezes
Barely bending the grass.

Weatherman Says "Fart"

Introducing his new "Countdown to Autumn," WREG-TV weatherman Tim Simpson tripped over his tongue and said there are 43 days, 9 minutes until "the official fart of stall." Of course he quickly corrected himself to say the "start of fall." I just had to laugh! Where are the censors when you need them?

If you're interested in the "Fart of Stall," check out Tim's blog and let him know it's okay, we all do it -- just not on the air!

Lisa Jo & Wren with Totoro

"My Neighbor Totoro" is by far one of my family's favorite movies. So of course we were thrilled when the Children's Museum of Memphis hosted a traveling exhibit about Japanese anime and manga, featuring Totoro. There was a replica of the Camphor Tree and even a nearly life-size Cat Bus the kids could climb in.

A side note: Our cat's name is Shi Chi -- short for Shichikokuyama, the name of the hospital where Satsuki and Mei's mother is convalescing.

For all things Totoro, check out: .

Napolean Dynamite Sighting

While perusing Getty Images in search of a photograph, I ran across this stock photo of a guy who HAS to be Jon Heder, the actor who played Napolean Dynamite. I feel as though I spotted Elvis in a nursing home! (You can almost hear him saying, "But my lips hurt real bad!")

Stock Photo from Getty Images (left) and still from "Napolean Dynamite" (right).

Home Again

We're back from our end-of-summer road trip to the beach. I'm red with sun and full of seafood and Exxon Tigermart junk food. It's good to be home.

And the best part of the trip? When we were backing out of the condo parking lot in Biloxi and Wren says, "Thanks, Dad, for taking me to this place."

Scrambler

Scrambled brains, that is.

Scary Clown

At Magic Golf, Biloxi Beach.

Choo-choo!

Tilt-a-Whirl

At Magic Golf

Waterspout

You can barely see it, but I promise you there is not one, but two waterspouts coming down from out of the clouds. This was directly across the beach highway from our condo.

Sharkhead's

Doing touristy things.

Breakfast at Mary Mahoney's

Yum! Cafe au lait & beignets!

Dino

More Magic Golf @ Biloxi

Magic Golf

Just how old is this place?

Parks flying a kite

Bathing Beauty

Wren on Biloxi Beach

Biloxi Beach

Brown water. Jellyfish. We're not in Destin. That's for sure.

On the road

Lisa Jo takes the first leg on our weekend at the Gulf coast.

Fishing Lure Update

Well, Mr. Nick (Larry Nicholson from www.TackleCollecting.com) got back to me, and looks like the Heddon Tiny Torpedo I found was a CCZD (Color-C-Lector Blue) which was offered from 1986 to 1989. Not as old as I had thought, but still pretty cool.

The Dam Development

Speaking of the in-fill development next door, "Princeton Forest" continues to rock our world — or, more specifically, flood our world. Check out these images taken following a brief, maybe 20-minute, downpour last month:


Our Backyard Looking West Toward the Development


Our Backyard Looking East (Water flowing from one side to the other)


Our Driveway Looking South

Seeing Our Work "In Situ"

It's always exciting to see something created by Perdue Creative in the "real world". Since a large part of what we do is business-to-business, we rarely happen upon our work in everyday life. So what a thrill when I glimpsed a truckload of IP Wood plywood rolling down I-240! (I snapped a pic with my cellphone camera while managing to stay in my lane, maintaing the same speed as the flatbed trailer next to me).



Then, Matt calls to my attention that they're using IP Wood at the in-fill development going up next door. I snuck over early the next morning before the work crew arrived and got these shots of our coverboard packaging, a little beat up but still "building a brand"!

Electronic Ephemera: August 3, 2005

Found this cool, old fishing lure in a small creek bed at Tanyard Springs, Arkansas, last fall. It's made of metal and is about 2 inches long. The underbelly is stamped with the words "HEDDON TINY TORPEDO" and the word "HEDDON" is repeated on the propellor blades of the spinner. I'm not sure how old this is, but a quick Google search led me to find that "James Heddon is acknowledged the world over as the creator of the first artificial fishing lure."

I emailed a collector who listed several Heddon Tiny Torpedo lures on his web site. From what I could tell this probably dates to 1952-1961. Hopefully he will shed some light on it for me. Just curious to know.

My Little Asian Garden

The west end of our house is coming along nicely. This fall I began a makeover of the area, working with the existing elements of a small fish pond, beautiful Japanese maples and crepe myrtles, and underplanting these with shade loving azaleas, ferns, Lenten rose and hostas. In the couple of areas with sunlight, I planted Florida anise (for a look like rhododendrons, but tolerant of the Memphis heat) and some fantastic Bengal Tiger calla lillies. The Thai Buddha statue (on clearance rack at Target for $14!) added the perfect touch. This should only get better as it all matures and I continue to add little bits here and there.