Best wishes & luck to any New Orleans members...

[fryke]

Plus there are other options, too. Natural gas, for example. And nixgeek: Didn't want to pick on you. I just read "40 bucks filling your tank" and thought that I'd _love_ that low price.

[nixgeek]

Originally Posted by fryke

Plus there are other options, too. Natural gas, for example. And nixgeek: Didn't want to pick on you. I just read "40 bucks filling your tank" and thought that I'd _love_ that low price.

Well, it was for this reason I didn't get one of those huge monster SUVs and stuck with the Hondas. I have a 98 Civic LX sedan and my wife has the 2001 CR-V. We've never had to spend that much to fill a tank and considering this is Miami where traffic is always an issue, having a vehicle with more cylinders than those two have would be a waste of gas and money. So for us, spending 40 bucks on a full tank is a lot. Of course, compared to what others are spending as well here in Miami to fill their huge SUVs and pickups it's nothing, and it's even less considering what others pay in some other states.

We are looking for a mini-van for our family since the CR-V is getting a little crowded. Of course, this means that 40 bucks for gas will seem like chump change once we get it.

[fuzz]

I've been volunteering at the Astrodome and the immense scale of operations is just amazing. I got to direct bus traffic Saturday night. Last night, I helped input evacuee information into www.familymessages.org. That's the official site that's being supported by the Red Cross now. Earlier, they had too much traffic. The website could use a little bit better usability desisgn. But that's not important now. If you have an interest in volunteering, there's a lot of need. Here's the website to check out for volunteer and donation opportunities.

http://www.volunteercenter.us/rsvp6.htm

If you want to come to the Astrodome and help out. There's also volunteer opportunities at the George R Brown Convention Center downtown. Here's the info cut and paste from that site:

Harris County Citizen Corps- Astrodome shelter for disaster evacuees:

Persons wanting to volunteer in direct service to help the Katrina disaster victims who have arrived in Houston should go to the McNee Street parking lot just north of Reliant Stadium, between Kirby and Fannin.. (They should use the “West Entrance”, so called because it is on the west side of Reliant Center). If met by a guard, volunteers should identify themselves as being with Harris County Citizen Corps. Volunteers should come to the 2nd floor of Reliant Center and ask for the volunteer coordinator. They will be given wrist-bands to serve as identifiers. About 300-500 volunteers will be needed on the scene at all times around the clock.

BULLETIN (8:45 a.m. 9/5/05): Daytime volunteer shifts for today, Labor Day, are FILLED. (This bulletin does not pertain to medical personnel.)

Volunteers must be 18 or older. They should be able-bodied individuals who can walk 3 flights of stairs. Shifts last 4 to 8 hours, and standard shift times are as follows:

Shift One: 6a.m. to 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Shift Two: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Shift Three: 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

When you check in let them know if there are additional shifts and days you can volunteer. It’s recommended that volunteers wear comfortable shoes, bring a bottle of water, and avoid taking their purses.

Volunteers can just come by to volunteer, but they do run the risk of being told that shifts for that day are covered if there is an excess of volunteers. (The editor of this Web site will post “filled-for-today” notices when he is aware that such an overflow has taken place.)