soundboard de cheevo

I know I need to stop looking, listening and over absorbing myself in the news from the Gulf Coast, but it sure is hard to relax when you know that people so close by are suffering and possibly dying. I'm glad the news has some small stories of hope to report like people and animals being rescued and attended to. Last night, in our much tamer version of the storm, a beautiful small pigeon got confused (with the barometric pressure drop I guess) and flew right into our glass front door. She was stunned, but not badly hurt from what I observed. K and I made her a little nest in a drink cooler with towels and bird seed and she stayed there all night and was gone by morning. I wish I could reach out to others in need right now like we did that pigeon last night. All I can hope and pray for is that the Red Cross and National Guard can take care of the many hundreds of people and animals that need so much help right now. I wish there was more we could do because it seems like those of us...

At 1:00 a.m. it looks like the storm has passed us. It never really got that bad here in Birmingham. The wind did blow and there are limbs down around the neighborhood, but from the radar shows, the most intense part of the storm that was the eye, passed us to the west and hit areas on that side of Alabama much harder. Right now its in Tennessee as you can see from this radar image. From what we reported from the newsroom tonight, there was no widespread damage in our metro area. My sister lost power in Southside for a while then it came back on. K said our power flickered many times. I will have some pictures tomorrow of what the storm debris looks like here. I think I can safely say were lucky in dodging one of the biggest storms of the past century to hit the Gulf Coast. Some folks in south Alabama and south Mississippi weren't so lucky.

My heart and prayers go out to the poor people stranded in New Orleans tonight. This strength of this hurricane is nothing the city has ever seen and only the fourth strongest hurricane, at category 5, to come from the Atlantic. In central Alabama, the verdict is still out as to how bad it will be. We know we will see a lot of rain and wind, but hopefully last September's Hurricane Ivan took care of the most of the weak trees and might spare us from massive power outages, but it is really just a wait and see matter (as probably goes without saying.) K and I responded to the knee jerk reaction to stock up and our pantry could now feed a small army and is complete with five cases of bottled water, extra batteries and all sorts of food we can cook over the gas grill (but NO SPAM! -- sorry Dad! ). That grill saved us last September during Hurricane Ivan and was amazingly not damaged when a Hackberry tree from our next door neighbor's back yard came crashing down and landed on our d...

For those of you that might have missed the most crazy random headline of the past week, on Monday, August 22, The Rev. Pat Robertson , one-time presidential candidate and full-time zealous maniac made the following remark referring to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: "You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop." He continued: "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability." - - Take him out? Has America's favorite uber "Christian", who has blamed 9/11 on the ACLU (among others), been watching "The Sopranos" and conveniently forgotten one of the most important Ten Commandments? The ridiculous and hypocritical nature of this statement is newsworthy, but not the first...

It's not always easy and sometimes it's not fun, but it is definitely worth it. The renewed mental and physical energy I have combined with a clearer and more focused mind have made me see the great benefits of not drinking for the past five months.

"I believe humans and fish can peacefully coexist" -- George W. Bush 9/29/00 "I believe great danes and babies can peacefully coexist " -- Brooks 8/23/05

Sometimes certain times of the year remind me of certain albums. The end of summer and beginning of the school year will always remind me of "Ritual de lo Habitual" because that is when it was released in 1990 -- the year I graduated from high school and started college. It was the first major transition in my life and I have many detailed memories of that fall. This album is definitely one of the highlights. I had been a Jane's fan since I was a junior in high school when a friend in my english class gave me the first EP " Jane's Addiction" and the second album " Nothing's Shocking" to borrow on tape. I can easily say that hearing the Los Angeles band wasn't like anything I had ever heard before and they instantly caught my ear with their triptified rendition of The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" on their first EP. The original line-up of Jane's Addiction featured so much creative craziness and musicians who co...

I have been "tagged" by Mojo . Rules: list five songs that you are currently digging - it doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions and the five songs (with artist) in your blog. Then tag five people to see what they're listening to. Here is my list of the songs I am currently digging: 1. Feel Good Inc . -- Gorillaz Yes, from an iPod commercial, but a damn good roller skating jam. 2. Lay all Your Love on Me -- ABBA This song was a 'one of these things is not like the other' on a classics compilation my sister burned at my place and then returned back to m e. The bass line really rocks. 3. Crazy Little Thing Called Love -- Queen Other example of great backing vocals by Queen, love the line "Until I'm ready, Ready Freddy, Crazy Little thing called love" 4. Don't Stop Believing -- Journey From the ...

"What happens to a dream deferred? ... Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?" -- Langston Hughes - Every once in a while a story comes along that gets under my skin and the true story of Aileen Wuornos is one of those. Being overly involved in true crime stories ever since college, I have known the story of Aileen Carol Wuornos for many years. She was a prostitute in Orlando, Florida that murdered seven johns starting in the late 1980s, the first most likely in self-defense. I recently saw the documentary about her life, "Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer" (2003) by Nick Broomfield and am captivated by his interviews with Wuornos throughout her time on death row. I certainly don't advocate serial murder, but something about Wuornos makes me feel sympathetic and sorry that her life began and ended in such harsh sadness. The documentary digs deep into Wuornos' past to reveal a childhood where her teenaged mother and father abando...

I wrote a travel piece on the Brown family's May trip to British Columbia and it was published last week in The Birmingham News (most importantly, I get paid for it). http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/entertainment/112323358624150.xml&coll=2 (When you click on this link, a printer window will appear and you can press 'cancel' to make it go away. Publishing the link to the printer-friendly version of the story was the only was to display the article without those freakin' annoying ads.) It's not the same without the pictures, but my Canada photo blog has everything I mentioned in the article (for those of you who haven't seen it). See B.C. photos at http://echeevocanada.blogspot.com/

In continuing with my birthday of Dad series, I had to take a look at some of the events of 1945. I have to save some of these events since my Mom was born in November of the same year. I should have included this photo in the "Seven decades of Dad" feature (see two posts down), but I forgot all about it until I was driving to work today. This photo shows Dad, on the left, and my first cousin Al Simms, son of my Aunt Chinky . These two were at a fair in Butler, Ala. and in the e-mail Al sent with this picture years ago, he says he rode a ride called "The Octopus" until he vomited and that burned him on carnival rides for life. I would guess this photo was taken in 1962 or 63. Al also noted the merthiolate (antiseptic) running down his arm. 1945 Events of the world San Francisco Conference establishes the United Nations (April–June). In World War II news: Yalta Conference (Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin) plans final defeat of Germany (Feb) Hitler commits suicide (...

Major history was being made the week my dad was born. War World II was finally ending and our boys were coming home marking the official beginning the baby boom. Three of Dad's brothers fought in WWII. When they came home in the early 1940's, they met their new sister Mable Marie , the second to youngest child, and renamed her Chinky after one of their higher-ups named Chinko who was as bald as she was. The name has stuck to this day. Top photo: USS Bougainville crewmen celebrate after listening to the announcement of Japan's surrender, August 15, 1945 . Their ship was then transporting aircraft to the central Pacific. Bottom photo: Ships in Leyte Gulf, Philippines, firing pyrotechnic flares to celebrate the news that Japan had accepted Allied terms, August 15, 1945 . U.S. Naval Historical Center Photographs

I just realized last night that although Dad is just a young lad of 60, he has actuallly lived in seven decades. So here is a brief recap of his life in pictures (these are just some of the ones I have). Click here for "Seven Decades of Dad"

Jerry Elijah Brown was born 60 years ago today He is the youngest of 14 children born to Coley and Alliene Brown in Coffeeville, Alabama on August 13, 1945. Later this weekend I will post more photos in a feature called "Seven decades of Dad" and mention some fun 1945 trivia. I am sorry I cannot be in Missoula, Montana to celebrate Dad's day with him and Mom, but I thinking a lot about him and all of his sixty years. Also born on this day: Alfred Hitchcock (1899) , movie director, master of macabre and one of the most popular and influential filmmakers of the 20th century was born in London. Annie Oakley (1860), one of the greatest female sharpshooters in American history, was born in Patterson Township, Ohio. Herb Ritts (1952) photographer, director, was one of the best-known celebrity photographers of the late 1980's and 1990's, his work appeared in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. Dan Fogelberg (1954) singer, s...

This is Mojo's recent interview of yours truly. 1. Who’s your favorite relative outside of Mom and Dad? My sister and since she is my only sibling that was an easy and painless answer. Most importantly, it's the honest answer. 2. Which entrepreneur do you admire most? I like Todd Oldham very much. He is a fashion desiger, product designer interior designer and multi-media artist. He takes junk off the street and makes it look good. He is unpretentious, honest and seems like the same guy he was before he was well-known. His designs are fun and simple and make the world a brighter place. 3. What is the first thing you would do with 10 million dollars? Build houses for as many poor Southerners as possible. Sure their are starving poor people in other nations, but there are people who live in third world conditions right here in Alabama. I would also have to give some money to who ever is the strongest non-Republican candidate for the 2008 presidential race and I would pay off th...

I have a twist on "album of the week" this week. Instead of picking a specific album, I want to draw attention the concept of the album in general because I am afraid it is becoming a lost art form. In the past few years with the influx of iTunes, iPods, mp3 players and other computer-based music listening and purchasing, it seems like the album is getting lost in the digital fray. I like the new technology as much as the next music freak and have succumbed to the portable mp3 player, satellite radio and the like, but a little voice in the back of my music geek mind says, "Don't forget about the album." When I was a little kid in the 1970s all albums were on vinyl like this Beatles album that I listened to for the first time on this medium. While it's bulky and delicate, vinyl albums provided such personality with their covers -- a completely lost art form. Bands like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones made great use of album covers with those great int...

In my opinion these are four of the best album covers of all time (click on the image to see the high res glory). Top left: Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers ( 1971) There is a legendary story behind this album cover, designed by Andy Warhol. If you want to hear it e-mail me. It's too lewd for the blog as you can probably imagine. The original album had a real zipper you could unzip like this example shows. Bottom left: Rolling Stones. Some Girls (1978) I think this is Warhol's best album design ever -- a newspaper wig advertisement with the faces cut out and the Stones' faces on the album sleeve. Top right: Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti (1975) This cover is a timeless classic. It makes great use of the die-cut like Some Girls and since it's a double album the windows, which are cut out, can have different backgrounds depending on which sleeve you put in which direction -- brilliant! Bottom right: Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin III (1970) The little hand you see is ...

The crocodiles were too hot to party as were the zebras and tigers, but that didn't stop Hannah, Ian and Davey from rockin' on their last day of summer vacation Tuesday at the Birmingham Zoo. I think their sugar high began in the morning and lasted all day. It didn't help that I bought them each a slushie, but how many last days of summer does a kid get to celebrate? The flamingos were quite a sassy bunch and were offering what looked like free back-to-school haircuts. A big thunderstorm ended our excursion a little early and that didn't really bother me so much. I babysit these three on a pretty regular basis and know where their Mom was coming from when she said she was so glad school started this week. I came home and crashed for a couple of hours after running after these wild animals. I love Hannah's purple outfit with sky blue knee socks -- reminds me of what I was wearing back in the late '70s. Her outfits always remind me of the illustrations in the th...

As I recall, this sign wasn't posted at the zebra's living area last time I was at the zoo so a kid like Davey probably stuck his hand through the fence to pet this critter and got chomped. Last time we were at the zoo Davey climbed the giraffe cage in about three seconds (in which I had my back turned). Part of me wanted to see just what those giraffes would do with a three-year-old boy, but after getting many looks of horror from two old biddies I pulled him down.

Evan Patrick Williams , my second cousin, is at the total Arizona Quint stage at the moment. Instead of crawling he crabs along (like my sister did) and like the babies in the movie, never cries and is easily amused at all the adults who love to entertain him in various dorky ways. Thirteen months sure is a cute age as is age 3 displayed by Kaitlyn Ashley Williams at right. Since he looks nothing like Laurie or her other two chillens he must be kidnapped! If this is the really the case, where can I get one? I got a small baby fever fix this past week in Nashville and have decided, as has Laurie, that we can't go for another three years without seeing each other. The babies turn into kids who turn into eye-rolling teenagers way too fast to let that much time slip by again.

Okay, who in this picture doesn't want to be posing for pictures? This was taken after my grandmother's 83rd birthday party and it was super hot outside. Ryan, age 6, and Kaitlyn, age 3, are obviously not into it. Evan, 13 months, is too young to be in to it. Laurie, my cousin, is in the middle of having a "talking to" with Ryan which leaves Mimi and Aunt Claudia actually posing for the picture. It was really amazing seeing little kids in my grandmother's house again after so many years. They sat at the same kids table we did, pulled the same "I don't want to eat my dinner" tricks and pilfered through all the cabinets and drawers in the house just like we did. Laurie has been telling me that Kaitlyn has reminded her of my sister Lindsay for over a year now and I can totally see it now. Especially when she doesn't get her way. This photo reminds me of the famous pop art piece by Marisol called "The Family".

That's what cousins are for -- spoiling babies with Mimi's chocolate cake. We don't get to eat like this every day so we all might as well enjoy it.

1922 -- The year of Mimi I think it's interesting to know what was going on in the world the year you or a person you love was born. Mimi has a lot to say about how the stock market crash of '29 affected her childhood and although I know she probably never see this blog, this entry is all about her birth year. - - Events of 1922 January 11 - First successful insulin treatment of diabetes January 24 - Christian K. Nelson patents the Eskimo Pie February 2 - Ulysses by James Joyce is published in Paris on his fortieth birthday by Sylvia Beach February 5 - DeWitt and Lila Wallace publish the first issue of Reader's Digest Editor's note: ironically, this has always been a bathroom reading staple at my grandparent's house February 8 - President of the United States, Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House February 27 - A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by...