Magnificent, Jilli.

Maria, I'd like to echo what Erin (I think it was Erin) said about PPE when doing flood cleanup. Make sure you wear a mask that can handle mold.

That's all I got. ~ma to them as needs it, how they needs it. Office is a ghost town and I'm barely awake.

To be fair, at Brown's Ferry they were checking for air leaks using smoke from a candle, which was an accepted technique. They screwed up badly, but the candle was only part of the problem.

The 2003 blackout, which affected some 50 million people, was the result of one failed transmission line and both human and computer error in monitoring the grid in FirstEnergy's control room.

The electricity grid is a patchwork of lines built by hundreds of companies over a century, carrying more power longer distances than it was ever intended to. There's a lot of work being done on a smart grid, but to be really effective, the whole damn country needs rewired.

I just find it ... ironic ... that a high-tech nuclear power plant should be set on fire by a workman with a candle. (If Homer Simpson were responsible, there would have been donuts involved.)

The water system has similar issues. Lots of cities are past 100 years old on large sections of the water and sewer lines, and even cast iron doesn't last forever.

I have a 7 month old asleep on my shoulder and K-Bug is on the floor playing legos and coloring with the 3 year old. My work is done for the week and there is a busy weekend ahead. I think I'll bask in the current moment for a while.

My school-age child has just learned how to use the blue Angry Birds. I'm so proud!

Paul wants to look at Outbacks. Man, that's a pricy car.

I love my Outback, but that is true. I got mine used at a good price, but I boggle at the price of new ones.

Aww, that is a nice moment, SuziQ.

The water system has similar issues. Lots of cities are past 100 years old on large sections of the water and sewer lines, and even cast iron doesn't last forever.

My current town is dealing with that. The main road is in mid-tear up so they can replace the ancient, falling-to-ruin sewage lines beneath them. At least one business has gone under because the construction made it difficult for people to drive there. And unexpected problems stemming from the the age and disrepair of the lines meant that construction on the first section took over twice as long as expected.

There's also a busted sewage line behind some old businesses that's falling into limbo. Apparently it was put in privately, many decades ago, and the water and sewage company says they have neither access rights to nor responsibility for it. The business owners are saying they've been paying for sewage treatment as part of their water bill (which, to be fair, they have, but probably for the sewage that went from the private line into the public line, and thence to the treatment plant). Meanwhile, the raw sewage keeps seeping into the world, untreated and unclaimed.

Utilities may not be as politically sexy as being able to claim you've cut violent crime in half or lured millions in business to your town. But damn they're noticeable when they stop working.

Just FYI to other people who might have an issue: I have queued up Good Stuff with posts through the weekend, because I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back on tumblr -- my dash was already full of 9/11 pictures just now. FYI.

But Good Stuff will remain Safe Space, of course.