Random Thoughts and a Serious Note

Random Thought

I found out today the stylus I bought for my tablet works not only with my phone, but with any touch enabled device. Much to my totally understandable delight this also includes the ATM. With that stylus in my pocket I never have to actually touch that filthy thing ever again! Thank you Kingston! Your wonderful little stylus will save me from picking up something virulent from a magic money machine and becoming another helpless victim in a super-virus style disaster movie. 

On a Serious Note

There is an enormous fire burning in my home state of Colorado. It's being called the Black Forest Fire because of the name of the forest in the burn area, located in Colorado Springs. At 15,700 acres it's not the biggest wildfire Colorado has ever faced, but it is a monster fire nonetheless, and it's only about five-percent contained. This has touched me personally as a dear friend posted on Facebook today that his parent's home was destroyed in the blaze, and their dog, Molly, is missing. His parents weren't at home when the evacuation order came, so they were not able to get to the house to rescue papers, photos, get extra clothes, and (worst of all) they weren't able to make it home to get the dog.

I can only imagine the devastation they must be feeling in the loss of their home, even as as we hope Molly somehow, miraculously, escaped. In light of this news I'm going to do something here I don't usually do. I'm going to solicit you, dear reader, for help. Please make a donation to support relief efforts for those facing displacement and desolation in the aftermath of what is being called Colorado's most destructive wildfire.

You can always donate to the Red Cross disaster relief fund, and they make it pretty easy to do so through their website or from your phone by sending a text message.

• www.redcross.org (click "DONATE"); 1-800-RED-CROSS; or text "redcross" to 90999 to make a $10 donation, which will be added to your next phone bill.

To make a donation that impacts the people affected by the fire more directly you can donate to the Emergency Relief Fund of the Pike's Peak Region. They are accepting donations through their website: http://www.ppcf.org/products/emergency-relief

To make a donation that goes directly to people displaced by the fire you can make a donation to Mercy's Gate of Colorado Springs. They are seeking, "financial donations to help provide fire victims with emergency financial assistance, gas vouchers, food, gift cards and more."

http://www.mercysgatecs.org/

Whatever you can spare, whatever you can donate, it goes to helping people who at this moment may truly have nothing left but the kindness of others.

On a final note. This guy is an asshole.

My friends parents lost their house, and probably their dog, and this mother fucker thinks the fire is funny. 

Dear interwebs: Find this guy on Twitter and tell him he's an asshole. I'd love to see a hundred comments on this tweet, all calling him an asshole.