The Bosque

At 2:45 this morning, I woke up, and noticed that the fire alarm outside the apartment was sounding. I looked outside, saw nothing wrong and attempted to go back to sleep. Probably just a false alarm.

After about 5 minutes, I decided to check with the front desk. They weren't overly helpful last time, which is why I didn't call them right away. I was going to call, but thought it might be better if I actually went down and talked to them.

I decided to take the stairwell nearest my apartment as a precaution. When I stepped into the stairwell, there were a bunch of people out there, and firefighters were walking up to a higher floor.

Wow...is this the real deal?

I followed everyone down the stairwell, getting caught up in the moment, though I still suspected that it was a false alarm. Everything looked alright on our floor, so I wasn't too concerned, but I should have kept myself more focused, and should have went back and gotten Rho.

As I got towards the first floor, the stairwell was partially flooded, apparently a result of the sprinkler system being activated. As I got outside, there were a handful each of cop cars and fire trucks.

Shit...this apparently was the real deal.

Some of us chatted outside for a bit, but it was cold, and all I had on was a T-shirt, a pair of sweatpants and sandals. I decided to head into the lobby.

A bunch of us gathered in the sunroom and waited. As we waited, information trickled in...there was indeed a fire in our building on the 12th floor...1208, which is 5 floors up, and all the way down the hall from me. (Phew! No damage to our apartment.) The tenant did not appear to be present at the time of the fire, and it was contained to one room, though there was probably water damage on at least 3 floors. Just after 4, we were allowed back upstairs, via the stairwell.

When I got upstairs, I went in to check on Rho...she was out like a light. When I talked to her later this morning, she was unaware of what had happened. I probably would have slept through it myself had I not had to use the bathroom.

Hopefully, there were no injuries. I'm weird...I like fire, but at the same time, it scares the shit out of me. I hate getting burned, and I hope that I never have to deal with a fire up close and personal.

While I was standing in the checkout line at Pathmark on Saturday, the gentleman in front of me said that I looked like jazz organist (and Philadelphia native) Joey DeFrancesco.

I dunno...I see a little bit of resemblance, but not much.

When I started hanging out on PhillyBlog last year, I noticed how many folks were strongly involved in community happenings and issues. And that reminded me of what a lazy piece of shit I am. I mean, it's not like I want to be the head of a neighborhood council or anything. But I think it's important to be involved in your community. At the very least, you're in the loop on what's going on...and you might even wind up with a say in what goes on, beyond elections.

When Rho and I lived in the DC area, I kept abreast of the issues affecting our community (Mount Rainier, MD, population 8000) by being on the Board of Aldermen's mailing list. I even spoke with the elected officials and police on occasion. Then we moved here...and I got lazier than I already was. I don't know if we even had a neighborhood association in our old neighborhood. At one point, I had considered starting a tenants association (we had over 350 apartments in our complex, so it could have been a sizable force), but never got around to it. I'd read the local papers on occasion, but for the most part, I didn't know what was going on in the area.

When we decided to move to Germantown last summer, I vowed that I would get more involved in the community. And I have...kinda sorta. I am an ambassador of the area of sorts on PhillyBlog, and a "person that knows which blocks are good and which ones are bad" in the area.

Two weeks ago, I decided to get my hands a little dirtier.

On March 17th, the Philadelphia City Council voted against "pay-to-play" reform legislation. This drew the ire of some folks on PB, which then turned into an actual movement...S3P, Stop Pay-to-Play in Philadelphia. The goals are simple: get the bills reintroduced and shame those who voted no into voting yes. My contribution is behind the scenes: I've developed the group's website. It's a work in progress, but it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. :)

I'm not sure how successful we will be...hell, we may accomplish nothing. But we have to try.

--Boneless chicken breasts marinated in fat-free Italian dressing
--Jasmine rice
--Oreo pie

Not only am I an Eagle Scout, but I can cook too. We've gone out for recent Easters, but with Rho barely able to get around, I decided to cook this year.

I'll let you all know how it turns out.

You might have noticed that I have a couple of banner ads up here...one at the top of the page, the other at the bottom. And you might have noticed the mini-banner that currently resides in my signature at the forum. They are advertisements for a new website I created for a group against pay-to-play contracts in Philadelphia (of which I am a part...more on that Sunday). I'm not getting paid for those banners...it's all for a good cause. But it got me thinking...

I've considered affiliate programs before, but have never followed through on becoming one. I dunno why...probably b/c I didn't like the legalese at the time. Or my site didn't quite meet the requirements.

As of early this morning, I've applied to be an affiliate for Amazon. Which means, if I'm approved, you'll see a couple of ads on the gateway...mostly, they will be for books, CDs and DVDs (I get to make them myself). Most of you probably won't give a shit, but some might yell, "Sell out!"

Here's the reality: I like money, and I'd like to depend less on The Man. Some day, I'd like to be totally independent of The Man...or become The Man. I've come up with a few business ideas, and becoming an affiliate of Amazon.com is a ridiculously simple way to make money. Here's how it works:

--You visit Amazon.com through the link on the gateway.
--You buy stuff.
--I get 5% minimum, plus discounts on my own purchases.

How easy is that?

I'm not expecting to make a mint off this, though given Wolf's addiction to online shopping, I could wind up making a tiny bundle. :) In the coming weeks, I hope to roll out official Bosque/Sycamore T-shirts, and convince my friend Sean to put a banner ad up in exchange for discounts on merchandise in his store. Then there's my CD resale business that has been on the drawing board for what? A year now? Might as well get all this rolling while I have the time, ya know?

And I assure you...if it comes down to expressing my true thoughts and feelings or making money, the ads will come down. I don't need the money...I just want it.

The Amazon ads will go up today...so shop 'til you're broke! :)

I've heard a lot of stupid things on talk radio over the years across the political spectrum. What I heard today though was amazing...it's probably not the dumbest thing I've ever heard, but easily a Top 5'er.

Glenn Beck is a rabid Schindler family supporter (Terri Schiavo's family), going back to his days as a radio talk show host in Tampa. His site is currently hosting the "I Starved My Wife To Death" web store. Need I say more?

I didn't hear the first part of the show this morning, but when I turned it on, he was talking about the case, and was apparently bummed about the recent court decisions. He then said the following:

"I felt like Oskar Schindler."

You WHAT?!

The Schiavo case and the Holocaust aren't even remotely similar. There are legitimate issues on both sides of the Schiavo case. The Holocaust was 1000% wrong. And you are essentially referring to supporters of Michael Schiavo as evil people. While I may make fun of those supporting the Schindlers, I certainly don't think they're all evil people.

So, Glenn, if you happen to read this...take yourself down from the cross and come back to reality, stupid.

...they have to import gasoline in Iraq.

From MSNBC: Now one of the most oil-rich countries in the world is in the bizarre position of importing 2 million gallons of gasoline a day.

Maybe this really isn't so strange, especially when you read why they have to do this. But I find it very funny, politics aside.

...I don't really need my car.

Poor Mónica...I think the catalytic converter crapped out on it.

Over the past week or so, it seemed like something was wrong with either the throttle motor or the fuel injectors on my car...sometimes, my car would die while idling in drive. I didn't give it too much thought, because my car's inspections are due this month, so I was gonna have the problem checked out then.

I stopped at Advanced Auto Parts this morning to pick up a few items. As soon as I tried to start the car when I left, I noticed that something was wrong. It sounded like a piece of paper was caught on my fan, the car was vibrating hard and when I revved the engine, I heard a loud noise coming from under the car. It's been 10 years since I've had a catalytic converter go out, so it's hard to say what exactly the problem is, but I'm relatively confident that this is the problem.

Fortunately, I was able to get it home...the parts store is about a mile from my apartment. I should have someone I know come over and look at it, b/c I ain't driving it anywhere else. But this is just happening at the wrong freaking time. I'm trying to save any extra money we get right now because my income will drop in 3 weeks (I get 60% of my income while on disability). Perhaps it's time to sell platelets...or myself.

At least Putt-putt is still running *knocks on wood*, and the only place I really drive to these days is to rehab three days a week. I walk everywhere else, and can take SEPTA if I need to.

But still...damnit!

...why not get back into some programming?

I learned HTML on my own in 1998. It was ridiculously simple to me, and in no time, I was spending 14-16 hours a day creating stuff for Sycamoreland.

But I didn't really learn much beyond that. I don't know Javascript, and I can barely do anything with XML. If I need something that involves either, I can find it and incorporate it, but creating it myself...ha!

I volunteered to create a website for a community project, and when I started working on it today, I realized how primitive my skills are. Thank God for Mozilla Composer. But that's cool...because I'm able to look at what's new, figure out how it has changed/evolved from the old and attempt to apply it to my newer work. After I get the project site up, it's on to putting the rest of Sycamoreland back up.

Learning rocks!

I had to see my primary care physician today, as he had to examine me as part of the process for getting my disability benefits. It went much better than the last go-round, but I dunno...I think he means well, but I'm just not happy with him. I'm still pissed about last month...not that I'm stewing over it, but it still irks me, and I have contempt for him.

He's pleased with my progress, though he said that my compliance is only good, not excellent. *shrugs* If I get a good for doing what I'm supposed to do, I wonder how I reach excellent. He's told me how important it is that I lose weight, and made it sound like I needed to lose a lot of weight quickly. Yet, he agrees with the rehab folks that a pound a week is fine. *shakes his head*

I go back to see him May 2nd, which is when I'm supposed to be cleared to go back to work. If everything is going well at that time, that will probably be my last appointment with him...we'll see...

I haven't had a light jacket in forever...I basically stole one of Rho's jean jackets 3 years ago, and never gave it back. It had a good life, but was starting to look like swiss cheese.

I wanted a lightweight jacket (for walking), but it had to be cool-looking. I wanted something that would help me blend into the hood better, but still made me stand out. And after searching several stores and websites, I found one that best matched my criteria, and was reasonably priced:



It's made by Champion (the sport apparel folks)...army green with khaki and dark red trim...pockets everywhere, including one especially for your cell phone...a hood that you can seal inside the collar when not needed...$35. I love it.

Back in college, I had a mouser cap...you may also know it as a newsboy's hat or as an old man's hat. I loved it, but lost it less than a year after I bought it, and never replaced it. So when I bought the new jacket, I picked up a new mouser as well. $11...IIRC, the first one I bought was $20.

I bought both items at Burlington Coat Factory. They kick serious ass. That also happens to be where I bought pimpin coat.






I should be set on clothing purchases for a while...hopefully.