Wally Parks, an automobile enthusiast who founded the National Hot Rod Association and helped turn drag racing into a legitimate sport, has died. He was 94.

Parks died Friday at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center of complications from pneumonia, said Michael Hollander, a spokesman with the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona.

As a test driver for General Motors, Parks started organizing car races in Southern California's dry lake beds in the 1940s.

"He effectively created drag racing," Hollander said. "These kids were racing jalopies and he wanted to get them off the streets and start them racing in an organized manner. He set up a system of timing and scoring and turned it into a legitimate sport."

…

His wife Barbara died in 2005, Hollander said. He is survived by two sons, Richard and David.

Wally Parks is a legend in the sport, and this is a huge loss for everyone. Having created the NHRA back in the 1950's, Mr. Parks changed the landscape of racing forever. If you've never been to an NHRA event, you are truly missing out.

Rest In Peace, Wally.

In case you didn't know, Chef Tom has another blog called The Secret Recipe Blog.

Last week he featured a copycat recipe of Red Lobster's Schrimp Scampi.

Ingredients:

1 cup White Wine
1/2 cup unsalted Butter
3 tablespoon minced Garlic
1 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt & pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Combine the butter, wine, garlic and shrimp in a pan.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 7 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink.
Be careful not to overcook the Shrimp.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve.

This recipe serves 2-4 people (if you're a shrimp lover like me, this will serve 1). I worked at Red Lobster for a short time, and I can personally vouch that this recipe tastes just like the real thing, except you don't get the rude waiter, ignorant management, or the high price.

If you're wondering, no, I didn't work at Red Lobster very long, the food servers I worked with were rude, the management didn't have a clue how to run a restaurant (lucky for them they were small fish in a bigger sea), and the price you pay for the food you get? Ridiculous.

Try this copycat recipe, it's easy, and it's delicious, or head on over to the Secret Recipe Blog and check out some of the other yummy creations.

One of the issues we have at my company is keeping track of timesheets. When it comes time to bill a customer we want to make sure we have billed them for all of the engineering and installation hours which apply to their project, but if our timesheets are not up to par, we end up getting screwed.

Well, now we don't have to worry because JournyX offers free timesheet software that integrates into Microsoft Project, Quickbooks, payroll software and more.

JournyX offers a free copy of Timesheet, with 10 licenses, with no strings attached. Why? They have seven reasons listed on their site, but I think it's all about reputation and word of mouth. You see, if they give away software that works, and people like it, they will come to rely on it, and when the company grows or the person goes to work at a larger company, they are going to remember JournyX and return to purchase the software.

The company I work for? We're small, so this offer is perfect for us. And if we grow in the future? JournyX has that covered.

What's going on in my corner of the internet today?

On The Alligator Pit, Disney cell phone customers probably aren't too happy this morning.

At Bits Of Dust, Gordon Ramsay is cooking up some Crispy Salmon.

Those Kooks at the UAW have settled their strike with GM. Big surprise huh?

Lately, we've been getting RetroMental with old television shows.

In the world of left hand turns, Kyle Petty had one good reason for being so pissed last weekend.

Does John Edwards ever talk without whining?

Paul Walker and Adrianne Curry heat things up over at TinselTown Trash.

I can't believe it's almost October already. It's been three months since I started posting regularly (almost every day) at all eight blogs, and things are going well. I think I have blogged about everything out there, including the kitchen and bathroom sinks. Is it possible to have bloggers cramp? Have a great weekend!

Six people have died from this already and we haven't heard about it? While it's not quite as popular as West Nile Virus (which has caused 58 deaths from January through Sept 25 of this year), and is much more deadly in the United States than Bird Flu (thus far), I still think we should have been warned, especially since it can be found in warm, standing water.

With drought conditions all over this country, there is warm, standing water everywhere. Even at the feet of John Edwards who is freaking about all the money being raised this campaign season.

A 14-year-old Lake Havasu boy has become the sixth victim to die nationwide this year of a microscopic organism that attacks the body through the nasal cavity, quickly eating its way to the brain.

Aaron Evans died Sept. 17 of Naegleria fowleri, an organism doctors said he probably picked up a week before while swimming in the balmy shallows of Lake Havasu.

According to the Centers For Disease Control, Naegleria infected 23 people from 1995 to 2004. This year health officials said they've noticed a spike in cases, with six Naegleria-related cases so far — all of them fatal.

Such attacks are extremely rare, though some health officials have put their communities on high alert, telling people to stay away from warm, standing water.

You better watch out people, and don't go near the water!