Things seem to be bad in Maryland - flooding, roads closed, schools closed, and at least one county government closed and the others have announced a "liberal leave" policy (basically, if you can't get to work you won't be penalized).

Grizzlies are brown bears

See? I told you I'd probably get eaten.

Stay safe & dry, mid-Atlanticistas! I should call my parents.

Grizzlies are brown bears. The advice is that you should play dead for a brown bear, as their attack is likely a response to a perceived threat (you terrified a grizzly! You are the most badass chew toy ever!) You fight a black bear, because they'll be trying to eat you, and lying still just makes it easier for them.

Unfortunately, neither rule is particularly reliable.

I attended a talk many years ago by a Yellowstone biologist. What he said was that Grizzlys attack for two reasons:

1) They perceive you as a threat or a challenge, and they go after your face. Usually this is when you bump into them on the trail or whatever. In this instance the best response is to fall on the ground, curl up in a ball, and cover your head/face with your arms. Don't try to fight back because that continues the impression that you are a threat. They'll likely bat you about a bit, and then go away. Under no circumstances should you run. They had pictures of what happens if you run.

2) The second reason is that they see you as food. That's usually when they come into the camp and so forth--they seek you out. In that instance, fight back as hard as you can, because if you don't, you get eaten. Sometimes this works.

I don't know what happened with the bear-guy in Alaska who thought they were his friends and they ate him anyway.

That's all Grizzlys, though: I think with black bears, you should fight back because they're more likely to be afraid of people.

I wish the Jurassic Park T-Rex advice worked on everything. I'm excellent at freeze tag.

The problem with T-Rex advice is that I suspect T-Rex hunted as much or more by smell as movement.

If West Chester is okay - I hope that means that Glenmoore is too. (I have family there.)

The flooding right around here has subsided, but there are some nearby areas that are pretty bad.

Bob got to Philly with no problem. In two hours which is the best you can expect. Am crossing everything for the weather predicted for Provincetown this weekend holds! Sunny and highs around 70. I'd really love to see the sun again! (Plus my friend's wedding is outside on Saturday and I'm not sure they have a rain plan!)

I swear to god, by the time I get Sara's bus stop changed, the school year will be over. Argh. And good work, district, letting her off on a block with no sidewalks, both-sides parking, and a company with big trucks in and out of their parking lot (and usually blocking the street!) all the day.

the real question is: in a squash court do you punch the cheetah or not?

I had a very frustrating convo with guy at church who keeps asking me out. Nice enough person, but he doesn't listen. He may be attracted to me, but he continually tells me he thinks we connect - and it just seems more and more obvious to me that he has an idea of what I am because I lived in NYC and went to a NE liberal arts school and yadda yadda. He's in academia and likes to discuss things and be very cerebral. I want to tell him that just because I get more of his references than the other people in our class it does not mean we are BFF or soulmates. He gets close to none of my more mainstream pop culture references.