As it appears in the Austin Craigslist barter section (I've found the barter ads to be the funniest).
Cheeseburger meal for Indiana Jones box set (north)
I am so hungry. I will trade my mint condition box set of Indiana Jones for a Double cheeseburger meal deal(ketchup and cheese only). Call Will @ 512-***-****.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Current Events Hit Home
My husband works for the Texas Department of Health Services as a liaison for disaster preparedness, specifically bioterrorism preparedness. This has not always been his career, but since 9/11, this is a field that has required more people and more expertise.
When the recent raid on the polygamist sect occurred near San Angelo, a mere three hours from Austin, we had a feeling Chris might be deployed to help with the emergency ops and emergency shelter, especially after his work with the same when Amarillo housed Hurricane Katrina evacuees. He got the call about a week ago and left for the small West Texas city this past Monday.
He can't share many details because of confidentiality issues; however, he can share information about his hotel. San Angelo is a city of about 100,000 people. There is a small state university, but needless to say, there aren't many hotels in the entire city. Now that attorneys for the children and media from all over the world have converged upon the city, hotel rooms are hard to come by, so the State put Chris up in a fleabag hotel. In fact, it's so bad, any female employees that were scheduled to stay there demanded better accommodations somewhere else. Hubby, on the other hand, used to be in oilfield sales and is sadly used to staying in similar places in small towns in Western Oklahoma and West Texas.
This particular hotel is the kind where you smell the curry before you walk in. No big deal. Chris knew he'd be working long days, and as long as he has a bed and a shower, he was fine. After working more than 15 hours yesterday and getting back to his room around 11:30 last night, he proceeded to get ready for bed and noticed there were no towels. Not one. He called the front desk and was assured towels would be delivered to his room shortly. After 30-45 mins., Hubby decided he'd get them in the morning and went on to bed.
This morning, he called down to the office, and after several rings, there was no answer. He threw on some shorts and went down himself, only to find the desk unattended. He pounded on the bell for several minutes before an East Indian man finally came out. Chris is normally a pretty patient, mild-mannered guy, but the lack of customer service only compounded the lack of towels in the room. The guy was so slow in responding that if Chris weren't so mad, it would've been comical.
When Hubby returned to his room tonight, he walked in, and there were two Hispanic guys hanging out. In his room. They didn't even act like it was any big deal that Chris was walking in while they were there! Hubby didn't know if the hotel clerk checked him out after this morning's confrontation, or if he'd been checked out by mistake. He grabbed the few things he'd left there and was able to get another room.
He got situated in the new room but then left to do a load of laundry. As he was leaving for the laundromat, a small kitty made itself at home in the room. Chris welcomed the kitty in and then left. I think he's hoping the feline will leave a present or two in the room for the housekeeper. LOL We're laughing about the hotel situation now, but I do feel bad that he's working such long days and coming back to miserable accommodations.
Back to the polygamist sect. Again, Chris can't share many details, but he did say there was a girl about Cameron's age (12) with her baby. I'd heard the State had damning evidence. I doubt it gets any more incriminating than that, does it?
When the recent raid on the polygamist sect occurred near San Angelo, a mere three hours from Austin, we had a feeling Chris might be deployed to help with the emergency ops and emergency shelter, especially after his work with the same when Amarillo housed Hurricane Katrina evacuees. He got the call about a week ago and left for the small West Texas city this past Monday.
He can't share many details because of confidentiality issues; however, he can share information about his hotel. San Angelo is a city of about 100,000 people. There is a small state university, but needless to say, there aren't many hotels in the entire city. Now that attorneys for the children and media from all over the world have converged upon the city, hotel rooms are hard to come by, so the State put Chris up in a fleabag hotel. In fact, it's so bad, any female employees that were scheduled to stay there demanded better accommodations somewhere else. Hubby, on the other hand, used to be in oilfield sales and is sadly used to staying in similar places in small towns in Western Oklahoma and West Texas.
This particular hotel is the kind where you smell the curry before you walk in. No big deal. Chris knew he'd be working long days, and as long as he has a bed and a shower, he was fine. After working more than 15 hours yesterday and getting back to his room around 11:30 last night, he proceeded to get ready for bed and noticed there were no towels. Not one. He called the front desk and was assured towels would be delivered to his room shortly. After 30-45 mins., Hubby decided he'd get them in the morning and went on to bed.
This morning, he called down to the office, and after several rings, there was no answer. He threw on some shorts and went down himself, only to find the desk unattended. He pounded on the bell for several minutes before an East Indian man finally came out. Chris is normally a pretty patient, mild-mannered guy, but the lack of customer service only compounded the lack of towels in the room. The guy was so slow in responding that if Chris weren't so mad, it would've been comical.
When Hubby returned to his room tonight, he walked in, and there were two Hispanic guys hanging out. In his room. They didn't even act like it was any big deal that Chris was walking in while they were there! Hubby didn't know if the hotel clerk checked him out after this morning's confrontation, or if he'd been checked out by mistake. He grabbed the few things he'd left there and was able to get another room.
He got situated in the new room but then left to do a load of laundry. As he was leaving for the laundromat, a small kitty made itself at home in the room. Chris welcomed the kitty in and then left. I think he's hoping the feline will leave a present or two in the room for the housekeeper. LOL We're laughing about the hotel situation now, but I do feel bad that he's working such long days and coming back to miserable accommodations.
Back to the polygamist sect. Again, Chris can't share many details, but he did say there was a girl about Cameron's age (12) with her baby. I'd heard the State had damning evidence. I doubt it gets any more incriminating than that, does it?
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Ya Can't Make This Stuff Up
Ugh. My blogging has been so sporadic, and I do need to finish my series on cystic fibrosis and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Until then, I have to share the latest, funny Craigslist ad. I'm tellin' ya, Austin's Craigslist has the funniest ads! The ad below is as it appears in CL. Enjoy!
I need stuff like clothes, legs, R.A.M., Mp3 player, food, musical instruments, dates with inteligent women that care about the environment, Art, good art, great art, beats for hiphop, and basically any cool shit you can offer.
I have to admit, I'm curious about the "legs" part.
I need stuff like clothes, legs, R.A.M., Mp3 player, food, musical instruments, dates with inteligent women that care about the environment, Art, good art, great art, beats for hiphop, and basically any cool shit you can offer.
I have to admit, I'm curious about the "legs" part.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
What is Cystic Fibrosis?
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. It also obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.
Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis
People with CF can have a variety of symptoms, including:
-- very salty-tasting skin;
-- persistent coughing, at times with phlegm;
-- frequent lung infections;
-- wheezing or shortness of breath;
-- poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite; and
-- frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movements.
Statistics
-- About 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year.
-- More than 70% of patients are diagnosed by age two.
-- More than 40% of the CF patient population is age 18 or older.
-- In 2007, the predicted median age of survival was 38 years.
(Information provided by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Life's Busyness
I really haven't intended to go AWOL with my blog. There could be many excuses, but the truth is work's been extremely busy.
I am the executive director for the Central Texas chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I've spent a good 20+ years in the nonprofit sector and found myself at a career crossroads nearly two years ago.
I loved the nonprofit sector but was feeling unchallenged. A good friend and mentor advised me to move to a bigger market. I'd worked as an executive director before but felt that it was a stressful situation, and at the end of the day, I needed to be a wife and a mother. I started pursuing opportunities in headquarters or regional offices of the few national nonprofits based in Dallas.
As I researched nonprofits, I came upon the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). I didn't know anything at all about this organization, but I liked what I saw and read. Unfortunately, CFF is based in Bethesda, MD, and I didn't want to leave Texas. Now, CFF did have a Texas job available, but it was for an E.D., and it was in Austin. It was the only Austin job I applied for and the only E.D. job I pursued. Fast forward a year and a half, and here I am.
Since my job is so busy, I'm going to write a series of blogs about cystic fibrosis, CFF and my chapter. I've long believed that God puts each one of us on this earth to help people. I realized as a young college student that I was not cut out to go into the mission field or Peace Corps, but I could use my strengths and talents in ways to benefit others. In my case, I parlayed my p.r. and marketing skills into fundraising and event planning and have definitely found my calling.
I am the executive director for the Central Texas chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I've spent a good 20+ years in the nonprofit sector and found myself at a career crossroads nearly two years ago.
I loved the nonprofit sector but was feeling unchallenged. A good friend and mentor advised me to move to a bigger market. I'd worked as an executive director before but felt that it was a stressful situation, and at the end of the day, I needed to be a wife and a mother. I started pursuing opportunities in headquarters or regional offices of the few national nonprofits based in Dallas.
As I researched nonprofits, I came upon the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). I didn't know anything at all about this organization, but I liked what I saw and read. Unfortunately, CFF is based in Bethesda, MD, and I didn't want to leave Texas. Now, CFF did have a Texas job available, but it was for an E.D., and it was in Austin. It was the only Austin job I applied for and the only E.D. job I pursued. Fast forward a year and a half, and here I am.
Since my job is so busy, I'm going to write a series of blogs about cystic fibrosis, CFF and my chapter. I've long believed that God puts each one of us on this earth to help people. I realized as a young college student that I was not cut out to go into the mission field or Peace Corps, but I could use my strengths and talents in ways to benefit others. In my case, I parlayed my p.r. and marketing skills into fundraising and event planning and have definitely found my calling.
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