Yea, so aside from prodding people to come to shows and all that, I hate asking things from people on these bloggy bulletin things. But I feel this is really important to take a look at.

A lot of people in the Gulf Coast are in a really, really bad shape right now with this whole Hurricane business. People won't be able to return to their homes for at least one or two months, if there's anything to return to. That's to say nothing of the people who have lost their lives, which could be anywhere from the hundreds to the thousands.

Being from Florida, all this really hits home for me. I went through Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Me and my family were extremely fortunate that all we had to endure was minimal damage to the house, mangled palm trees, a broken car window, and 3-4 weeks without any electricity. Although I was one of the lucky ones, I knew kids who literally lost the roof over their heads, and nearly their lives. I knew others whose entire community was completely wiped out of existence.

But this isn't a pity party, and this certainly isn't about me. Natural disasters happen, and there's nothing we can do about them. What we can do is help out with the relief effort. Donate to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army. Most of you, like myself, are hurting for money (who isn't these days, eh?), so all I ask is to do what you can. Donations are as low as $5.00 on the Red Cross website. If you can't give, please encourage others to do so.

The Red Cross has guidelines regarding donating non-cash items, which you may want to read here.

I've also been told that at most supermarkets you can ask the cashier about donating at the checkout counter.

Thanks for your time.