I made my first donation to the Red Cross. While donating probably deserves a high five, it's impossible to gather the enthusiasm under the circumstances. The AP photo at right is of a Swedish boy whose parents were swept out to see when tsunamis hit Thailand. With more than 80,000 (and rising) dead, there are certainly more stories like his. There are bright spots, like families being reunited after being separated by currents and the fact that as of this writing people have donated more than $3.7 million to the Red Cross through Amazon, not to mention other donation methods and relief organizations.

After several missed connections, I was able to meet the UPS delivery guy who brought me my new TV. Not long after, I also received some wall decorations (thanks for the flag, Tom). There's still not much here, but it's starting to look like someone actually lives here, not a squatter's hideout.