Odd Observation

Odd Observation

Current mood:weird

Well, the tornado left about 37.5 million dollars in damage in its wake. Hundreds left homeless, and many of the trailer dwellers and apartment dwellers are uninsured. That is sad, and unfortunate that they did not carry insurance.

Embry Riddle aeronautical university was hit especially hard, with each building taking some damage, as well as 65 of their airplanes being destroyed.

What was weird was that Spruance Hall at Embry Riddle was built around 20 years ago. During the building, someone painted "Merry Christmas" on a girder facing the road in yellow spray paint. The tornado tore the facing off of the building in the exact spot that message was painted, revealing the eerie message some 20 years later on Christmas Day.

I am also amazed at how little national coverage there was for this event. I saw the news cover a small storm in Tallahassee, but have heard no national mention of this tradgedy affecting 100s of people directly, and thousands indirectly on Christmas Day.

F2 Tornado Christmas Day

F2 Tornado comes thru DeLand and Daytona

Current mood:shocked

F2 tornado came thru about 2pm. We dodged a major bullet. About a mile and a half from here, about 200 homes took damage. Major devastation. The place is evacuated as gas lines were ruptured. The images are just getting to the media. The WalMart is being used as a staging area for that area, but the tornado continued east, and did a lot of damage to the residential area by the police station, wiping out an apartment complex and playing havoc with a huge area of the city. The counts are still coming in.

Many people are going to come home on Christmas to no home. We rode thru some of the damaged area on the way home from dinner, and it is amazing. I called my house to be sure the electricity was on, as we had no idea what to expect. Fortunately we have no apparant damage that I can see, and our electricity is on, so that is good!

I had dinner at my brother in laws house, with the whole family there. He owns a business downtown and we feared it was levelled. A friend went down and checked it out, and it appears to have sustained no damage, but everything after 100 feet away is majorly damaged. He has no electricity there, but that is a small issue compared with having damage to the building.

Making for an interesting day. Keep a good thought for those more affected. Tomorrow will probably reveal some big hardships.

Go figger....

Go figger....

Why does everything seem to wait until a holiday to break? Last year we found a plumbing leak and had the TV blow up on Christmas, this year water has come flooding from underneath the kitchen faucet.

The main water supply valve outside is completely buried now that they dont actually look at the meter anymore, so I had to dig that out to shut the water off, since there is not a shutoff valve under the sink. So, now all the water to the house is turned off.

It is going to take a plumber to sort where the leak is coming from, and good luck getting one on a Sunday, Christmas eve. I have one on the way and he should be here by 2...and there will be a $149 Holiday surcharge on top of the bill. Oh well. The floors ought to be dry by the time he gets here anyway.

Whatta Weekend!

Whatta Weekend...

Current mood:accomplished

Hello all! What a whirlwind weekend! I have been so very busy with work that I have been neglecting my blogs, lol.

Yesterday was the Shark House fundraiser at Rossi's to benefit the employee family relief fund. I think it went really well, and we had an unbelievable turnout. I got there at 2 and there were already people there.

Many people ask me where I have had the largest rotation of singers, and for now, the answer will be at the benefit! I stopped counting around the 60's...and at points I know we had over 70 singers in line. Of course, some of the singers had to bail out before their turn...nothing like a 4 or 5 hour wait, LOL!

It was suggested that I was going to charge people to sing...like $5 a song, to raise money. I had a better idea. I would let everyone sing for free, but I would take bribes. A $20 would get you to the front of the line...so if you were the 12th person to hand me a $20, you were the 12th singer...all who handed in a 20 or more went to the front of the list. If you wanted to sing next, just hand me $100.

Now assuming I could get 15 singers an hour in (and that would have been tough with raffles, announcements, etc...) that would have only raised about $75 an hour for the cause. The way I did it, after 4 hours of karaoke, I personally raised $1350.00 in bribes alone! I felt REALLY good about that! I was also able to hand Robin an envelope stuffed with cash when I got there...that came from donations made in cash at my other shows this week! That is money that is above and beyond the other efforts, such as the raffles and auctions and contributions being collected elsewhere. So, I am happy to say that it looks like the efforts are working, and we will be able to help some of these folks who may need it. There are more ways to help and I will put them on my website at www.harryoke.com today.

I ended up shutting down around 10pm...that made a long day, but worth it.

On Saturday I did a corporate holiday party just South of Jax. That went really well...we were in a different room than last year, and they had me on a moveable wall with no electricity. That was the only oversight. Once they got electricity to me all went well. The folks seemed a lot more receptive than they were last year, and I was definitely in my groove with the age group. The other parties around us broke up and we kept it going until midnight...some folks from the other parties were walking by and crashed our dance floor since the DJ seemed to be doing such a good job, (coff-coff), LOL!

I always enjoy the reward of being in the right crowd, playing the right music. When people are up for a party, and receptive to entertainment, and interact by requesting, commenting and dancing, it makes the job eaier for me...and I do a better job. Nothing is worse than being at a party that people are being forced to be at, and they are not music people, or dancers...and you cant really get them going. I tend to take nights like that personally, until I have that really good night to remind me that I may actually know what I am doing to some degree.

DJ jobs are infinitely more difficult to me than Karaoke jobs. With karaoke you definitely use a different side of your brain. Not that karaoke is easy, but you are relieved of the song choice process at least. When you DJ, if you are good at it, you must have a strong working knowledge of songs and be able to know in 15 seconds what the better song to play is going to be, then start thinking of the next one, to keep the people happy, working the ebb and flow of energy.

Well with most of the holiday work behind me, things will get back to normal...although now I will have my Sundays free since the fire. This will be a temporary setback...I am looking forward to having a few Sundays free for now, but I have no illusions that come January or February, Sundays will find me onstage at yet another venue. I have some prospects, but nothing committed, so any rumours to the contrary floating around out there are just speculation. It has been less than a week, and already I hear the rumors on the street of where I am gonna be next, LOL!

All for now, and all the best to you all...

Foster is Sick

Foster

Many of you know my dog Foster (www.myspace.com/fosterthedog ). We have been really preoccupied with worry about him this week as he was very ill. He pretty much lost all his steam, became very lethargic and had no interest in anything. I took him to the vet as we had no clue what the problem could be...anything from bowel obstructions to worms or whatever. The vet didnt think it was a bowel obstruction and was leaning toward a parasite of some type, and treated him accordingly. He has not been NORMAL since I left for work on Sunday.

Yesterday he threw up a copious amount and there were undigested leaves in the vomit. He is prone, as is our other dog Tiny, to graze and eat foliage in the yard. We are thinking he got ahold of something poisonous.,.possibly Lantana, that caused the issue. The more I research the issue on the net, the more convinced I become that he was poisoned by Lantana.

Last night he seemed to be sparking back up...actually moving around and had some interest in his tennis ball. I was relieved to wake up this morning and find him standing at my door waiting for me with his tennis ball in his mouth. We went for a long walk, the first in a couple of days. He seems to be getting back to his old self...and I am not worrying as much.

Thinking of the possibility of him being gone, and seeing him suffer, absolutely broke my heart. He is a good guy.

Remembering Mom

Remembering Mom

Current mood:nostalgic

Today it has been one year since my Mom passed away. It hardly seems that long. I suppose I really should have packed up her house by now, but I just havent gotten around to it...in a year, LOL! At least I have the luxury of not being forced to do it...it isnt hurting anything sitting quietly. I go over every once in a while and putter...and I keep the yard groomed, etc...

I am glad she is not suffering. Each day, when I go to lunch with my brother, I see many elderly people who are suffering, but able to get out and about with help...at least they are LIVING rather than existing. When I get to a point where I am merely existing, I hope that my dispatch becomes prompt and eminent. As much as I miss my Mom, I am glad she is gone and no longer existing to suffer. I lost my Mom long before she ceased breathing.

I called her brother in San Diego the other day to check in on him...hadnt heard anything in awhile and was thinking the worst, but was pleased to get him on the phone and have a pleasant conversation. He is going to be 90 on his next birthday. He is the person in my family that I most relate to...we have similar outlooks, personality, and demeanor. He apparantly needs a procedure similar to my Mom, but is reluctant to do so and I cant blame him...my Mom never recovered, and also, c'mon, how invasive of a surgery does a 90 year old want to prolong his life? He goes to lunch and dinner by himself in the car each day, although he is giving up his license on this birthday. At least he is not stuck in a bed in a home somewhere, incoherant and unable to take care of himself.

That will not be me either, hopefully.

Here's to Mom...I think I will have to go eat at one of her favorite haunts in her honor this weekend.

Strange Turn of Events - Entitlement Part 2

Strange Turn of Events - Entitlement Part 2

Current mood:shocked

This blog entry is in reference to my previous blog titled "Entitlement". Although this gravitates around the incidents involving Allen Buzdigian, my post and blog had nothing to do with him per se, but rather the sense of entitlement from one of his neighbors who wrote a letter to the editor concerning a show of force. I reprinted the letters in my previous blog.

Yesterday I was contacted via MySpace by Allen Buzdigians neice, Jennifer. Her profile was new and had no friends added, so I am assumptive she googled the name and saw my blog entry listed and went on to read and felt compelled to respond. Her responses are available at the comment area of the blog.

Now before I go any further, and those who know me know this already....I am no moral champion...that is, I tend to be a little more live and let live rather than getting uptight over legal issues...my friends come from all walks of life and I am no stranger to people who live off the radar or outside of the boundaries of the law. I dont want any strangers reading this to think I am some middle aged uptight white cheerleader for the law community, that is just not the case. What I AM a cheerleader for is what is right VS what is wrong, and I have the ability to justify that when someone is wrong, the earn a penalty for their decisions...and THAT is a price you pay when you operate outside of the boundaries of law.

What I am finding amazing in this situation is that Allens family apparantly shares the same disdain for law enforcement that Allen did...and they are holding grudges that Allen was murdered by law enforcement, and harassed previously to his death...that the cops had it out for him and were looking for a reason to kill him and finally got their way.

I could go on speculatively, but the facts are public record...Allen stood before a judge and then refused to come to sentencing and when he was being arrested he fought back with bullets. It does not matter what he was being charged with or why...that is a case for the lawyers and the system. NOT for gunfire towards the civil servants keeping the system going.

So without further ado, I invite you to read my previous blog and see Jennifers comments, then read the following message sent to me, and feel free to comment at THIS blog, so that Jennifer may get a bigger picture as to who was right and who was wrong, and that we are not "assholes" for feeling that Allen Buzdigian signed his own death warrant with his first shot.

Quote from Jennifer:

Message 1 of 2

Hello Harryoke,
I have a response to make it regards to your letter to the editor disagreeing with Mrs Haas. I do not agree with you at all I in turn agree with Mrs Haas. the police went way to far that day they KILLED Mr buzdigian. If you would have done some further investigating before putting your 2 cents in you would have found that Mr Buzdigian was a handicapped man with 2 hip replacemants and asthma and that the police were well aware of his conditions as well as they were aware that the force they used that day was not needed . There was no need for him to be gunned down in his living room for not appearing in court. He did not harm anyone the only thing he did was not appear in court o There are plently of people in this state who fail to appear in court and they sure as hell are not hunted down and shot, now are they?
You state they used extraordinary step that day and you are right the steps are extaordinary and were uncalled for. There was no need to use 22 canisters of tear gas concussion devices and all the other assortment of toys to be used that day to draw a handicapped man out of his house, they could have killed a herd of elephants that day! The police need to be the ones scrutinized that day not Allen and people such as yourselve need to do a little investigating before speaking about a subject you know nothing about.
It truly saddens me that peolple have no respect for human life Allen was a kind gentle human who loved life and loved living before he was KILLED. just so you know Al has family and friends who are still grieving and who will miss him very much.
Sincerly
jennifer

Message 2 of 2

Well Harry I find it pretty sad and pathetic that you have nothing else better to do than sit around and gossip on the internet about something you nothing nothing about . As a matter of fact Allen is my Uncle and I do know ALL the facts and the fact is that Murdering a handicapped man which is exactly what the police did that day is wrong. You stated that he did not appear in court for a crime he commited do you even know what crime he supposedly commited I DONOT THINK YOU DO!!! Do you know that the police came to his house in May for no reason at all and harrassed him for trespassing which he didnot do. Since none of this is your buisness and I will not waste my time on you and go into any details on this case but you are saddly mistaken by the fact that the police were in the right. But you are right about 1 thing it would have been sad if something happened to any of the police officers on that day, but they put themselves in that perdicament by harrassing a disabled harmless man.
And as far as their "toys" I believe and so do alot of the other residents in Ormand Beach that the police had a hay day playing with all their so called "nonlethal toys", well they were extremly lethal to my Uncle since he was very asmatic and could bearly breath on his own on a normal day, no matter after 22 canisters of tear gas were used they were well aware that they will Murdering a man and that those methods were extremly lethal so donot preach to me or anyone else about a subject you do not even begin to understand It seems to me you are a simple man with nothing else better to do than pry into other peoples buiseness.
You state they were coming to his house to arrest him I donot know about you but there are plenty of people int his state who have warrants out for their arrests and the police do not knock on their door and shoot and murder them for not appearing in court.The police had it out for my uncle and they were not going to stop until they ended it which they did. And if Al was such a threat to the community why did they let him free on his own recognices on May if he was such a threat and if that is the case then the Judicial System let him down and either way you look at it the police screwed up-if he was so "crazy" and they were so scared of him and his actions and they needed 4 police officers to come to his house to arrest him then maybe they should have kept him in jail in May until his trial. they did not keep him cause they had no reason to they were wrong in arresting him in May and they were wrong for Murdering him in September.
So maybe you yourself should shut up and step back and reevaluate your thoughts and look into the facts a little further than you did because unlike you I know all the facts and have known them for a very long time. So put all your BS to a good use and worry about your own life and problems and stop interfering in our families buisness we are greiving the Murder of our beloved family member.
Sincerly
Jennifer

I just find it sad that perspectives can be so skewed so that the cops are made to look like the bad guys...and it is a social statement about our society that I find interesting...hence why I published this...to create a dialogue. I invite anyone who disagrees with me to post such, and try to convince me why someone who shoots at the cops merely because he does not want to go to jail because he disagrees with the verdict did not deserve to die that day.

For more perspective from the family, visit this forum where the family members discuss the death, and are glad he went out in a blaze It is an interesting read, and a view into a mindset:

http://www.topix.net/forum/city/wesley-chapel-fl/TRLK3JKJG4E409DK3

Again, I repeat, I am not here to judge anyone, let alone Allen, BUT I am discussing the social fallout of responsibility of the citizens to operate within "the system" and the fallout that occurs when they do not, and ultimately, who is responsible.