tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68456210600700922622024-03-13T20:41:16.367-07:00Gator In A New SwampScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-31297356346729046992008-04-14T16:32:00.000-07:002008-04-14T16:36:37.529-07:00A NoteTo anyone out there who may occasionally check in on my blog: I've obviously been away from writing here for awhile. That will probably continue, as I'm in the middle of some transition. My time in New Orleans is winding down at the end of April. I will still be involved with my program here -- in fact, it should be bigger and better than ever. But I will no longer be living here. I should Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-82504374041225432792008-03-18T21:36:00.000-07:002008-03-18T21:53:14.430-07:00A Great QuoteCrediting ESPN Radio Host Colin Cowherd, who said the following today while discussing with several callers how he prefers to spend his time and money on doing things with friends as opposed to spending money on material things:"I'm more about experiences than I am about things".I loved that. Having just returned from the wedding of a good friend in San Francisco, a trip that cost me a small Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-63853661634037398092008-03-18T21:29:00.000-07:002008-03-18T21:35:00.536-07:00Follow UpA follow-up to my posting last week about the "raise" that ICF International received from the state of Louisiana (see below, Stunning Numbers, posted 3/13/08)......Here's excerpts from a story in today's Times-Picayune:Jindal Wants to Broaden Inquiry Into Raise for ICFBy Bill Barrow BATON ROUGE -- The Jindal administration has asked the state inspector general to join the legislative auditor inScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-51768770514958363042008-03-13T20:53:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:12:32.797-07:00Stunning NumbersChew on this number: $912 Million Dollars!That's how much the Louisiana Recovery Authority is paying contractor ICF International to manage the Road Home Program. The new $912 million dollar figure just became publicized this week when news leaked that state officials, under former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, approved an "INCREASE" in the amount of the contract with ICF of $156 million Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-14195411860372167712008-03-06T08:43:00.000-08:002008-03-06T21:20:02.850-08:00RandomsJust a few random notes and thoughts before I run out for the day....--I still have a storage unit full of donated furniture in Maryland that I collected with my brother when I was there in January. Since I'm re-starting the nonprofit program, I currently do not have the web site to refer people to, business cards to disperse. Word of mouth still works, of course, and so why not the blog, too?Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-30437507092746090232008-03-04T13:45:00.000-08:002008-03-04T14:32:41.566-08:00No Time for Thank You'sDonald Powell, the man President Bush appointed as his Gulf Coast Recovery Czar in 2005, announced he is retiring from the position in the coming weeks. Today (March 4, 2008), The Times-Picayune, whose editorials I have found to be pretty pointed and focused when it comes to Katrina-related issues, was way off the mark.The Times-Pic saluted Mr. Powell and gave him its "sincere thanks" for being Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-70750840721150723822008-02-26T19:42:00.000-08:002008-02-26T20:04:47.292-08:00Halfway Back To New OrleansI'm just about there, almost back to New Orleans. I'm in a hotel in Daphne, AL tonight (anyone heard of Daphne?). My time away lasted longer than I thought it would. I left on January 9, I think. I'm anxious to get back.I have a plan, which is good. I just have to stick to it. I'll probably write more on that soon, just not now.I don't have a plan for this blog. I still want to write, butScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-72645290152660673392008-02-05T17:39:00.000-08:002008-02-05T18:04:58.699-08:00Halfway Done In AZOne week in, one week to go in Arizona. Not forever. I'll be back here. Often, I hope. But after a few days of taking in the FBR Open and Super Bowl festivities, this is fast becoming a very productive second week.I wasn't going to blog today, or even this week, but I just got home from running around all day and just had a real urge to write a few things. One thing I knew wouldn't be the Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-79515596458019492832008-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:002008-01-29T15:04:14.631-08:00Thoughts From The AirIt’s been so long since I’ve done this. At least it feels that way. I’m at about 38,000 feet, on a Southwest flight heading from Florida to Phoenix, AZ, and I have my laptop propped open and in my laptop. This used to be such a regular occurrence for me, going back to my days working for a software company. I’d fly all over the place, almost weekly, and rarely go a flight without propping Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-57254737452960889592008-01-16T19:00:00.001-08:002008-01-16T19:02:53.856-08:00A Slice of InspirationOne of the biggest influences on my life the past eight months has been a book written by John Wood. Wood left a very successful career at Microsoft to start his own non-profit, Room to Read. Inspired by what he saw during a trip he took to the Himalayas, namely the lack of books at a local school, Wood put together a fund raiser, reaching out to family, friends and business contacts all over Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-47396970376959592542008-01-15T15:33:00.000-08:002008-01-15T15:51:13.166-08:00Just Some ThoughtsI'm in Florida, on the first leg of what is about a month's worth of focus on networking and fundraising for the SBRC. In a few days, I'll experience a temperature drop of about 40 degrees as I fly from Jacksonville to Manchester, N.H. I'll be in Boston for a couple of days, meeting with a handful of people who will either be good contacts or possible donors. Snow is predicted for Friday, Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-82821725311130970002008-01-10T07:45:00.000-08:002008-01-10T07:56:51.995-08:00SBRC Truck Run #3On December 26, we loaded up another UHaul full of donated furniture. My brother Todd and his wife Aquilina did an awesome job rallying an array of neighbors, friends, co-workers and family to help out and give some things they may have no longer needed or wanted to change over, while Erin got an apartment's worth of furniture from a family member in New York. Combined, all those things were Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-50015822567460836452008-01-08T15:29:00.000-08:002008-01-08T15:39:38.982-08:00Letter from a VolunteerI am posting a letter sent out via email to a number of recipients by Chris Hinchey. Chris is a nursing student from San Diego, CA, who decided to spend her holiday break from school and work in the New Orleans area volunteering (Chris is second from left in front in the pic to the right). Another volunteer who visited St. Bernard earlier in 2007 put Chris in touch with me, and I helped set herScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-20324285198233259072008-01-03T17:06:00.000-08:002008-01-03T17:24:17.474-08:00Still AliveIt's been awhile. The holidays were good, save a few bumps, and I'm back in New Orleans since this past weekend after heading to Connecticut to be with family for Christmas. With lots of help from my family (in particular my older brother and sister-in-law), Erin, one of Erin's co-workers and a lot of generous donors, I was able to arrive back in New Orleans with a UHaul full of furniture. OnScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-63641598782776215062007-12-19T20:48:00.000-08:002007-12-19T21:08:28.865-08:00Christmas Just About HereCheck out this photo to the right. I had it under Pic of the Day the past few days, but I couldn't get it to post at the right size (and I think I'm still having that problem over there). I had to post it here, though, so that you could see it better. It's a FEMA Trailer decorated for Christmas. I spotted it in one of the neighborhoods in St. Bernard after leaving a house the other day. Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-13989215075972699242007-12-15T14:29:00.001-08:002007-12-15T15:38:52.840-08:00SBRC Holiday Party A Big SuccessWe (St. Bernard Recovery Corp.) had our Holiday Party last Wednesday, December 12. Over 25 families from St. Bernard Parish, 100+ people in all, came out for a night of great food, Santa Claus, Christmas Music, gifts, raffle prizes and so much more. We had our challenges, as the chef that we recruited to come down from New York and cook (volunteering his time) got sick on Tuesday and was out ofScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-5271662350411444122007-12-09T20:48:00.000-08:002007-12-09T20:51:19.519-08:00AJ RumblingsI had a chance to take part in something pretty fun and special at Andrew Jackson Elementary last week. The school asked me to sit on a committee with three other teachers and interview candidates for Student of the Year. The students were all fifth graders. The interview portion is just one part of the selection process. Grades, extracurricular activities and a writing sample also are Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-54771550696825626242007-12-04T17:45:00.000-08:002007-12-04T17:49:51.756-08:00Pitt Making a DifferenceMy drive from New Orleans into St. Bernard Parish just got a lot more scenic. Every day I drive over the North Claiborne St. Bridge and through the Lower Ninth to get to St. Bernard. Now, as I pass over the Industrial Canal and look to my left down at the battered neighborhood, I see dozens of big structures draped in pink scattered across several blocks. They’re here because of Brad Pitt, Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-49997767662035876022007-11-29T22:39:00.000-08:002007-11-29T23:00:03.994-08:00Ms. HelenI went by to see Helen today. She just moved into a two-family house after spending two weeks in a hotel (not a nice hotel, either). She had to move out of her temporary home due to mold. FEMA was paying for the hotel, and is going to take care of the rent on her new place for the next several months, maybe more.Helen's problem now is stuff, or lack thereof. She's sleeping on an air mattressScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-9640330996544398922007-11-26T21:10:00.001-08:002007-11-26T21:14:06.610-08:00New Type of DayNo question this has been a year of change for me, and Thanksgiving week was no different. The past couple of years, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I was working in an office, with great people but with unfulfilling duties, and would leave work by early afternoon, race to the gym for a quick workout, run home to shower, and then head to a restaurant in Phoenix that was (and probably stillScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-50612591336455903052007-11-20T21:29:00.000-08:002007-11-20T21:52:37.306-08:00Presidential Debate NOT Coming to New Orleans -- A ShameNew Orleans received some bad news Monday when the commission that organizes the Presidential Debates for the upcoming election did not choose it as a host site for one of the scheduled debates in 2008. Sponsors of the the effort to bring a debate to New Orleans next year were extremely frustrated and disappointed, and I think rightfully so, particularly when the reasoning is considered. I usedScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-46505983515842010092007-11-19T20:46:00.000-08:002007-11-19T20:52:25.902-08:00"Yes, Scott". "You know, Scott".“Yes, Scott. You know, Scott. You know what I mean, Scott. I’m telling you, Scott.” I wish I could play a tape recording of the conversations I have with some of the residents I work with. For something that probably shouldn’t seem so unusual or in the least bit odd, I can’t seem to shake the fact that I’m intrigued by how many of them always use my name in conversation. Scott seems to be Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-45080555577808896942007-11-12T22:13:00.000-08:002007-11-12T22:52:00.895-08:00Distro #1 A SuccessThis past Saturday, November 10, the St. Bernard Recovery Corporation held its first widespread distribution to help out some of the families in St. Bernard Parish. After gathering a couple of UHaul trucks worth of stuff, as well as combinations of other things picked up both locally and from afar, almost all of it donated, we were able to distribute an array of things to over 30 families. At Scott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-2450308757893305312007-11-07T07:36:00.000-08:002007-11-07T07:59:10.274-08:00Exciting Few Days....Most of the time when I write, be it for the blog or in the journal I keep, it's at night. I'm up late, and it's a good time for me to reflect back on stuff that occurred that day or in the prior days. When I wake up in the morning, I'm usually full of angst and anxiety about all the stuff I have to get done that day. Heck, even on a weekend day that I might have nothing to do I wake up with aScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845621060070092262.post-72777004814353386442007-11-05T22:23:00.000-08:002007-11-05T22:24:11.433-08:00Pressed for time...I haven’t had much time to write lately. At least it feels that way. Whereas I used to easily write three and four times a week, now I feel like I’m fortunate to sit down and do it once or twice a week. But it’s for very good reason. Things have really ramped up with SBRC. The piece that ran in the St. Bernard News last week and included my phone number made for a hectic few days. The paperScott Stolzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17188264645665065253noreply@blogger.com0