That was so much fun

Tonight after Orchestra, I went down to the Irish Emigrant for karaoke night (I know, seriously) with Gautam, Stephen, and Neal. I took the opportunity to let out years and years of pent-up karaoke energy.

What I sing? Thanks for asking.

• Elvis Costello - Alison
• I got this out of my system while it was still early and the place was mostly empty. Gautam's tip: sing louder.
  
• Ides of March - Vehicle
• No problem singing louder. I absolutely love this song. And I'd like to take this space to point out that this song is not by Blood, Sweat and Tears. It's an easy mistake to make, though, it sounds almost exactly like them. When I downloaded the mp3 for the first time (using original Napster in 2000, baby), it was mislabeled.
  
• Huey Lewis and the News - The Heart of Rock 'n' Roll
• Detroit! (bop bop)... (da da do wop) Ugh! Heart of Rock 'n' Roll
  
• Queen - Bohemian Rapshody
• We had to do something that would get all of the guys on stage, and the entire bar singing along. Any way the wind blows...

This place is really fun. This actually isn't the first time I'd sung there. A few weeks ago, Gautam and I put forth one of the drunkest, sloppiest versions of Lola (by the Kinks). Hopefully tonight's performances got us back into the black.

Annnnnnd tomorrow, I have a 10am conference call. Sweet. Better get some sleep.

Second Life

I've been reading a lot about this online game Second Life, and I felt compelled to check it out. I have barely scratched the surface of the game world (I haven't left "Orientation Island"), but I did spend about two hours customizing my avatar. What do you think? Does it look like me? Their character is extremely flexible, allowing you to change practically every physical attribute, including earlobe attachedness.

I now wonder- what does it say about someone who creates an avatar in their own image? Does this demonstrate my self confidence, and my firm connection to reality? Or is it a sign of narcissism or a lack of creativity?

If you got to design your own avatar, would you make it look like you, or would you make up some fantasy character?

Maybe I would be happy if I owned Carnival stock

But as it comes time to do my taxes, I get more and more sensitive about bad spending decisions by our government.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency-contracted cruise ships still occupied by emergency staff in New Orleans and Mississippi will be vacated by 7 p.m. today.

As of Monday, there were still 1,428 emergency response personnel in New Orleans on two Carnival cruise ships...

The $236 million contract between FEMA and Carnival cruise lines only lasted for six months. Originally there were about 2,400 police officers, firefighters and EMS workers on the ships in New Orleans. link [dailytexanonline.com]

Let's run some quick numbers here. $236 million / six months = 1,311,111 per night; divided by an average of, say, 2000 relief workers = $655 a night.

By comparison, you can stay at the Waldorf in New York for $549 a night. This is a pretty bad deal, FEMA.

As I was looking for pictures of cruise ships docked in New Orleans, I found the Honolulu Advertiser's take on this whole debacle.

To critics, the price is exorbitant. If the ships were at capacity, with 7,116 evacuees, for six months, the price per evacuee would total $1,275 a week, according to calculations by aides to Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. A seven-day western Caribbean cruise out of Galveston can be had for $599 a person.

"When the federal government would actually save millions of dollars by forgoing the status quo and actually sending evacuees on a luxurious six-month cruise, it is time to rethink how we are conducting oversight. A short-term temporary solution has turned into a long-term, grossly overpriced sweetheart deal for a cruise line," said Coburn and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in a joint statement yesterday calling for a chief financial officer to oversee Katrina spending.