Well, I remain in constant awe of the power of communication and the internet.

I was approached by a friend. Her sister lives in Houston with her family, but is new to the area. They’ve been evacuated for Hurricane Rita, but had been unable to find anyplace to stay overnight. My friend called me to ask if I knew anyone in Texas who might have a room.

Well, a combination of instant messages, e-mails, and telephone calls found accomodation for everyone for as long as they need it. This generosity is amazing enough, and helps restore some of my faith in mankind. But what’s even more amazing is that this accomodation was arranged in under an hour, from 5000 miles away. Any way you look at it, that’s awesome.

To those of you who contributed in some way — making phone calls, passing along contacts, offering places to stay — I’m grateful. I believe in karma, and I hope one day I can return the favour.

To all my friends and family on the Gulf Coast (and there are a lot of you), please let me know if there’s anything I can do. You’ll be in our thoughts.