Those pictures are upsetting.

They are, but they're also reassuring, in a way. I can't say for sure about my parents, but it was driving me nuts not having *specific* information. Yes, areas of Lakeview were under tons of water, but Lakeview covers a bit of ground. Seeing pictures where I can pinpoint things, see landmarks, judge water depth and the like definitely helps.

And really, the news could be a lot worse. St. Dominic, as I said, is where I went to grade school. My mother's office is right next door, on the second floor, up many steep steps. Judging from where the water is, it seems like there's a good chance that her office (and the thousands of pieces of music stored in it) are okay. There was also a picture of a two-story house with water up to the middle of the first story. At this point, we've moved to hoping that the second story of my parents' house is okay, and it seems like there might be a decent chance of that too.

I also found a post on a Yahoo Group from someone who lives a street away from my parents and had a first-hand report on water levels and the like. She said several two-story houses on her street didn't seem to have water in the top story. So. Cautiously optimistic, sort of. But it's still jarring to look at a drugstore I've been in a hundred times and see it wrecked to shit.

Ophelia is still behaving erratically: [link]

Ophelia is still behaving erratically.

This made me snort.

Y'know, some names should just be avoided.

Ophelia is still behaving erratically:

The National Weather Service should know better than to name a hurricane Ophelia.

Hell, why didn't they just name it Lucia and be done with it?

t /and here I display the depths of my uber-geek-ness

You sold alien memorabilia, didn't you? Admit it! (I know, cheap shot. Even I get teased about Roswell just for being from NM. )

Heh. I'll have you know that Roswell has SIX museums! SIX! Which is outstanding for a town its size, and countered only by the fact that it also has more fast food restaurants per capita than any town in the US.

Sadly no, as the whole alien thing really took off after I'd left. Twas the actual museum, and what a cush job. The whole work thing has gone downhill ever since.

I'm trying to figure out who thought "A newspaper boys' strike. That's a great set up for a musical."

The subordinates of the people who thought, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame! Now THERE'S an upbeat movie for the kiddies!"

I'm trying to figure out who thought "A newspaper boys' strike. That's a great set up for a musical."

I'm fairly sure Oliver must have figured into their thought processes somehow, though the details are unclear. Thankfully, there are very few actors on whose behalf I would subject myself to a viewing experience like that. (Too bad that Christian Bale was one of the few...)

Oh, liar liar LIAR.

NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- President Bush said Monday that when he told the country, two days after Hurricane Katrina crashed ashore, that no one had anticipated the breach of levees in New Orleans, that wasn't what he meant.

Bush said he wanted to "clarify" the remark he made in an interview with ABC -- an inaccurate statement that added to blistering criticism against the president.

"When that storm came by, a lot of people said we dodged a bullet. When that storm came through at first, people said, 'Whew.' There was a sense of relaxation. And that's what I was referring to," Bush told reporters in New Orleans Monday. "Of course, there were plans in case the levee had been breached. There was a sense of relaxation at a critical moment."

There are so many top government officials that I want to kick in the balls right now.

Sirens all over LA. There's big blackouts hitting large parts of town, for no discernable reason. They're not rolling blackouts -- it's pretty cool today, and the energy consumption levels aren't out of the ordinary.

We just had the power here go down for about twenty minutes, while I was in the middle of trying to download XP SP2

Hell, why didn't they just name it Lucia and be done with it?

Except Lucia would take some newlywed with her. Hurricane Tosca at least would only kiss the corrupt politicians. Hmmm . . .

Oddest part time job--auctioneer's assistant when in my early teens.

Coolest job moment--calling Industrial Light and Magic's actual phone to see if they wanted to upgrade their networking software. Unfortunately, the people who decided that were on vacation, so someone else got to call later.

2nd coolest moment--calling a bookstore at, I swear, 666 Dead Cat Alley, also about their networking software. I told the owner I thought his address was way cool, and he snapped, "Then you can buy the store, I'm sick of it." I had to wonder just what he thought he was getting into, with an address like that.