Mattes's Musings by KC2GIK

As a writer and a webmaster I feel I have to assist the victims of the hurricane anyway I can. I have been posting the following message all over the internet. On mailing lists, bulletin boards and anywhere else I can get my hands on. So I might as well post it on my blog as well. Also below are so other links that might be helpful. This really isn't scanner related and I don't want to start a discussion about Hurricane Katrina but I am not only donating money to the Red Cross I am also putting a link to the Red Cross on http://www.bergenscanner.com I suggest folks with scanner websites do the same. This is something simple and only takes five seconds .. We need to show our support! PLEASE SUPPORT THE RED CROSS!! http://www.redcross.org/ Other useful links: Fema.gov MS Emergency Management LA Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness

Ok here's the deal about the last post, I held it off for a week because I didn't know if it was worth posting! I have been thinking about moving Bergescanner.com to a different serve, it has taken me two weeks to get the ball rolling. I have an open invitation to write another article for Plates Magazine, the sole consistant writing gig that allows me to publish anytime I want, but I can't get myself to start writing stuff down. I started this post at 4:24 PM, it's 5:00PM! The problem is I never prioritize! One thing leads to another and the cycle continues. I don't call it procrastinnatiopn but something's up. Shock of shocks last night my parents (well my mom, and then dad agreed) brought up going to the CP Conference together, which has always been their plan. However I am not really happy about them going. So my reaction was sayingf I don't know if I want to go, the point is I don't want to go with them. I would never actually admit that but I think...

By the title you would think I would be posting this from thr West Coast, but actually the folks dragged us up to Orange County NY which is about an hour away! This was a true genuine "family outing". It was of course the three of us, my younger brother Pete, my Uncle Matt and his girlfriend Shannon. Now I'm not going to claim to be a wine freak now, but I did buy my first bottle of wine. The question is when am I going to crack it open? Knowing this household it will be gone inside of a week but I might actually surprise everyone and let it age for a good long time. Any suggestions out there? I can't say. Although I'll tell you a did enjoy the wine tasting part of the trip, for the record there wasn't as much spitting at this winery as you see on TV. There now you kids can say I told you most of this stuff you see on cable is indeed fake. Now picture the six of us sitt ing around the table with a bottle of wine. I was tempted to shout out "where'...

I got chinese food last night and usually I ignore the advice but this particular message struck me: "One who admires you greatly is hidden before your eyes." Well maybe that person reads this blog? Or even better visits my websites? Hey it could happen. Now I don't really call myself "supersticious" (watch a black cat is going to come strolling in my bedroom as soon as I click the "publish post" button) but I do sometimes cast fate into the wind. People who don't believe in a little fate difinitely have a closed mind.That's not to say people who have too much fate and there is such a thing, aren't just as looney. Back to the fortune cookie, the problem is I don't think folks realize it might take awhile for the fortune to kick in! Although last night when after I opened the fortune cookie, I accidently spilt soda on it and it ripped in half, so doesn that mean the fortune is no longer valid? Note I didn't throw it anyway, I care...

Usually when a famous person passes away there is about a week or two of fanfare and then it fades into the background. I hope people really think about his impact on both the country and the world, not just for the next few days, but whenever they watch the news. There's a lot of debate on wether the media as a whole is drifting into rough waters. You have people saying it's too far left or right depending on the way you look at it and what channels you watch. Peter Jennings rose above that, he never let his personal views cloud his judgement, but his style always came through. When he interviewed people Jennings was always respectful and always got answers. He just knew how to interview people in a way where he got answers without making people feel uncomfertable! That's what made him a good reporter. Too many journalists like to make the people they interview uneasy, Peter didn't do that. He respected people, you can't say that about a lot of these "journali...

Sean sent this to me and I thought I would test the "BlogThis!" feature since they are also using Blogspot. I haven't been following the story so I can't really commment. Just check their site out, might be interesting for those living in Cresskill: SAVE CRESSKILL FIRST AID

Before I beginning I have to say I got to the Saugerties Lighthouse today. It was a long ride up north to Kingston but my folks and I pulled off another day excursion. Maybe it was the hike in the woods that got me psyched to see my seventh light or the look on the keeper's face when I politely asked him if he had a stamp for my lighthouse passport, it was a great day.. The Saugerties Lighthouse is connected to the main land via a foot bridge but during high tide it is on a island. It's on the Hudson River which I call "my river" because it 's always close by even when we go upto Lake George. Funny thing about the lighthouse, the base is made of stone which makes for a very strong foundation. We were in a swamp, it smelt bad but I didn't care I was in my glory. Hey I walked a little under a mile to go see it. That would make anyone happen. This particular light is also a bed and breakfast. Tell me that isn't a good idea? Alright the dreammin-vacation woul...