More Happy Feet News::::::::::::::::::

Another list of demands came in today.. dropped in an envelope at the door of Logistics early...... They included pictures of Happy Feet blindfolded and smoking a cigarette in a bar with a corona beer... and with two strange women too.. clearly being forced to hang out with an unwholesome crowd... it is reminding me of Patty Hurst... Here are some pictures of the Wall where evidence of the investigation are displayed....






I thought you guys might get the flavor of the tension in the place from this set of pictures.

Kidnapping of Happy Feet

I came back to the JFO with Logistics up in arms over the kidnapping of one of our own, a plush toy penguin named Happy Feet. He was part of our Christmas Display and was taken by unknown members of the JFO during Thanksgiving weekend.

We started receiving ransom demands.. and then pictures of Happy feet all tied in his captivity......



Our log chief gave directions to start collecting evidence and we have posted it on one of the cubicle walls that border Logistics. This includes photos, a profile of the perpetrators, photos of suspects, fingerprints .... etc.. we will catch these guys... in the mean time Happy feet has been shown on posters put up around the JFO and the mall.. on milk cartons and more....

The kidnappers set up an account on yahoo so they can taunt us ..... the email address of this dastardly group is wehavethepenguin@yahoo.com

Your thoughts for our brave comrade are appreciated.

Back to Alexandria::::::::::::::::::::::::

Made the drive in from Oklahoma this morning.. it was uneventful except for a few miles of "lostness" in SE Oklahoma.

I did have an adventure when I got to Alexandria however... I warn you this is NOT for the faint of heart and I recommend most of you not read further if you are the least bit queasy about odors and body things......


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Ok.. so I got my room back in the same quasi respectable place I had before (The Clarion) and got a room near where my last one was. I got semi unpacked and noticed the internet hardwire connection was literally in pieces. Sooooo.. I called the desk and they moved me... to the room across the hall. I got moved in.. the internet was just wonderful (not so common according to fema lore in this hotel) and I was happy. I went out for BBQ an hour or so later and came back to the room with some fruit and sherbet from Albertsons. About this time I went to the bathroom to use the facilitiies and opend the lid to the toilette and OH MY GOD there was a world champion turd in that thing. Now I only write about it because you are still not thinking big enough... Imagine one of those really large summer sausages in the mall this time of year.. and add maybe half an inch of diameter.. foot and a half long it was in one unbroken piece and resembled a piece of wood in the bottom of my toilette...surprised it did not lap over the edge... ok.. about this time my admiration for the sheer size of this thing wore off and I was seriously grossed out... I mean.. the maid missed THIS?... soo.. I called down to the front desk.. and told her the tale of the world champion turd sunk in my toilette. While she offered to move me again... (ok.. Iwas actually unpacked by this time and figured the bathroom would clean but the internet may not work out in another room sooo... I elected tostay).. I managed to get her to send up somoene to help me.. I expected a maintenance guy but got one of the housekeepers instead with some cleaning supplies and a plunger...

Here is where i shot cola through my nose... the cleaning lady came in.. apologized for the mess and went into the bathroom.. Literally shrieking she exclaimed "Lord have mercy.. someone must have died birthing this abomination!!!!!" at the top of her lungs..."Sweet Jesus help us!!!" and other religious offerings... I mean I knew it was a record but I figured the world hardened staff would just not react to such a thing. Makes me wish I had a picture. Ok.. it took some time.. but eventually it all went down I counted five flushes.. and she used her cleaning materials to return my bathroom into a usable place instead of a trophy room and then left still muttering God's wrath on the perpetrator of such an event.

Without trying to be mean.. it is fitting to remember Alexandria in such a way.

Happy Thanksgiving::::::::::::::

No Vampires DEE.... somehow this place lacks the mystery of Southern Louisiana...

I did a road trip to Oklahoma to see mom and dad and kids and Trena met me here. We had the standard Turkey dinner... I managed the 500 plus miles and only got one speeding ticket.. (I ALMOST escaped texas and they caught me literally within site of the border... rats!!!) It is nice to have some relaxation time and then back for one more week. Then home for good maybe. depends on what FEMA does.

For those of you that read comments made here, I will tell you I do not engage in debate in this forum and generally ignore negative comments...

My family is well.. and life seems good here in Oklahoma.. I look forward to being back in Colorado even if it is cold. I will not mind leaving Lousy-anna behind at all.

Alexandria... Worst of all worlds....

Hi guys... Alexandria is really awful. Just far enough north to be cold, still within that "you must fry everything" cooking zone that seems to thrive on extra salt... the people are nice ... but they have to be or they would kill each other....

DR 1668 is a cute little disaster.. 210 people checked in as of this morning.. there are 5 IT people checked in at this time but no Disaster Recovery Centers working except two mobile ones. We have been working 7 to 7 X 7 days a week since we got here and will through the day before Thanksgiving where we will begin to work half day saturdays and take off Sunday.

Our Federal Coordinating officer (the big boss) is a dick that learned what he knows about disasters from Katrina and has made life here seriously hell.. we seem to be more about the window dressing than we are about how well things work.

I am announcing that I am going home on December 3rd and will be there indefinitely. My life really is there and I remember how unhappy living on the road made me. I am semi-negotiating with my regional boss about terms for work and if they cannot accomodate me then likely I am done with disasters... I think I would go out in the beginnings of these things and work the first 30 days.. but these long term deployments by myself are too grinding... I have been stonewalled and sandbagged about getting Trena hired by FEMA and the new local hire restrictions are making it unlikely that any will be hired as they were in Baton Rouge last year..... My original hopes for this work was to do some service for my country... and in that regard I feel successful... Anyway... I will post a few more times before I go home but likely will not continue this blog as a disaster thing if I do not do FEMA... I will post if I put up a new blog for other things including "Adventures in Retirement" ... :-D Thanks to all that have supported me over time...

Alexandria it is::::::::::::::::::::::::::

So the update is ... Traveling Sunday... headed to Alexandria..north of Baton Rouge. I have very little other informationo about the disaster. The group I am working with is very similar to the one in El Paso.. More news as I get it.