You can watch the flooding in real time here.

Also, August has been unexpectedly dry here, so if you want to spread it around a little, that would be good, too.

I'm putting off making a call to the Unemployment Office to straighten out some claim stuff because my cat is sleeping on the desk. This doesn't sound like a very valid reason, right? He looks soooo comfortable.....

This is the wettest Aug. in Chicago in 17 years....

I avoided my usual way to work this morning since that goes through a forest preserve and tends to overflow the ditches easily, but I was able to take the main road with no problem.

What I did have issues with was the fact that a few of the outlets in my apartment are not working, including the one that I had my microwave plugged into in the kitchen and my computer plugged into in the living room. When I talked to the office this morning, they said that sometimes that override switch on the kitchen plug can reset and even screw up the outlet in the living room, for some bizarre reason. They're sending maintenance over today, so here's hoping I have computer access and a working microwave tonight!

The drought level here has been declared "exceptional," which sounds much more fun than it is. Exceptional is meteorology-speak for 100-year drought. We're neck and neck with the worst recorded drought in Georgia. Weather records: never a good thing. It's already the hottest August on record, and we're looking forward to another extra-crispy day. The two things are apparently related; the system that's stuck over the southeast is blocking the rain from going anywhere, so the midwest gets floods and we get the surface of the moon.

I wish I could ship you some rain.

I know. We'd both be so much better off.

eta: How's Emaryn doing in school?

My parents just called to make sure the storm didn't get me.

Heh, I just spent some time reassuring my mother that the tornado didn't get me.

It looks like the actual land the farmhouse sits on isn't being flooded or endangered, but since my uncle has a ton of land all over Mn and SD, I suspect his crops are getting drowned. Not good.

I saw an article about the Mitt health plan

Mitt R. Health Plan

"Romney will urge states to redirect federal money that is now spent on expensive emergency room care for people without insurance, putting it instead towards helping low-income people pay for health insurance."

That sounds impractical without more money, will people without insurance stop getting sick and injured so this plan can get in place? Not a bad idea, but you'll need spend more in the short term and I don't get the impression that is what he means.

"Romney's proposal would also make insurance premiums more affordable for individuals by making health costs tax-deductible once they enroll in a plan."

Sounds good but depends on the details. Itemized deductions would be useless for low income people, but it isn't a bad idea until a better plan can be implemented.

"In hopes of lowering healthcare costs, Romney would also provide federal incentives for states to deregulate their insurance markets -- encouraging them, for example, to get rid of laws that require insurers to pay for certain medical services, like in vitro fertilization."

This could be a disaster.

"He would also give states more flexibility in how they could use federal Medicaid dollars, making it easier for states to develop innovative programs -- such as one in Utah that helps people manage chronic illnesses, which keeps them healthier and reduces costs,"

Cool, let the states innovate better ideas.

"The plan also includes a litany of proposals to help drive down health costs, including medical liability reform. And the plan would provide more information to consumers so they could shop for the best quality and prices."

Republicans love to bring out the malpractice caps, but they don't do much to actually reduce costs Article with references to other studies. The rest sounds meaningless.

All-in-all, I'm underwhelmed. I'm very interested in health care policy in this next election.