what the friend we were staying with considered an unreasonable amount of work

?!?!?! only if someone dropped dead doing it. sorry that you didn't have the support back then (I realize -- 13 years, you're probably over it, but I hate seeing bad situations made worse by insensitivity)

I think I would want to be with Allyson and Trudy in a survival-type situation; Allyson would have the firepower and canned goods, and Trudy would keep me from flipping out.

while a good portion of society exists by social contract, there is a substantial portion which is only law abiding only because the police are right there.

This is my biggest nightmare.

Like Mad Max, you know? Or some other dystopian story. No Man's Land, for Batfans. It scares the crap out of me, too.

What's better for self defense? Baseball bat?

Well, it does beat a hammer. As does a knife. But if you're worried about handling weapons in general, go with something less intrinsically effective (and therefore potentially dangerous to your untrained self).

Very few people can swing a baseball bat so badly they're more a danger to themselves.

I can fuck someone up with a baseball bat, big time. I could probably kill someone with a baseball bat, actually, if I hit that person in the head or the right spot of the chest.

a group calling itself Columbia Christians for Life alerts us to the fact that a satellite image of Hurricane Katrina as it hit the Gulf Coast Monday looks just like a six-week old fetus.

Honestly, this made me laugh and laugh and laugh. Because they are so so SO pathetic.

Got in touch with my parents finally, once they discovered that text messages will go through even when cell phone calls will not. They moved to the hotel my grandparents are at, which actually has power and phones. I feel much better.

Dana, I am so glad to hear that, and glad your family is okay. I'm hoping their homes are intact. Heather, same for your friends (and family?) who are affected.

And I'm so glad that -t and her DH evacuated -- has anyone heard from her today?

?!?!?! only if someone dropped dead doing it. sorry that you didn't have the support back then (I realize -- 13 years, you're probably over it, but I hate seeing bad situations made worse by insensitivity)

Oh, I don't mean to make her sound bad. She is a very practical and efficient woman and didn't see the point of changing the water in a bucket holding a teddy bear or a baby blanket two or three times a day for several weeks. The water turns black, you change it, black, change, repeat, repeat, repeat...

I suspect she thought it was hopeless and didn't want to see us disappointed further. She gave us her buckets and her garage nonetheless. And her home -- the four of us lived in her rec room for a month.

Dana, I'm so glad you heard from them and they're okay.

And oh, Trudy, that's a remarkable post. Thank you for sharing it.

It's much appreciated. I think I needed to read that story to let my crankyness subside a bit. I'm angry at the news because it feels impersonal or something. I don't know. I don't want to hear friends and family referred to as "residents" or "people here" or whatever. It's totally irrational, but there you go. It's nice to hear, or read something that's about successful emotional survival, as I expect Krissy, Cyn, Matthew & family, Joel and Kristi and Beverly will get on without the stuff. No one's going to let them be homeless or without.

It's the less tangible stuff you were talking about up there that I couldn't seem to get past, and couldn't imagine how they'd be able to.

Anyway, it was cool. Thanks.

a group calling itself Columbia Christians for Life alerts us to the fact that a satellite image of Hurricane Katrina as it hit the Gulf Coast Monday looks just like a six-week old fetus.

There is a hurricaine legend I like much better. It goes that hurricanes start off the coast of Africa and finish in the Caribbean and the American South. And that is the same route as the slave ships. It says that the storms are the restless souls of the people who died in the middle passage.

I don't think its true, of course. And I doubt the people who died so horribly would want to see so many (including their own decendants) suffer. But I've always been touched by it.

It's totally irrational, but there you go.

See, this is proof of your sanity -- there IS no rational reaction to this.

It's going to be a hard and painful time regardless of how much anyone can do for them. Just acknoweldging that is, imho, very valuable.

We're pretty sure Cyn's didn't. I've heard conflicting reports about Joel and Krissy's area, and I'm not sure about Beverly's. I'm pretty sure Matthew's (actually, my aunt's but we don't really get along) is ok, and he mostly lives on the boat anyway.

ita, I can't get that LJ management thing to work. It hates me.

The pic site? What's it doing wrong?