Holy crap you guys.

There were THREE major fires in and around San Antonio today. The SMALLEST one, in an apartment block, had my usual route home completely blocked off by police and fire trucks. The smoke was so thick you could only see the lights.

It didn't help that Texas has had major windstorms today. I was on a support call, and the front door of the office I was talking to blew open!

Yipes, chrismg, stay safe!

Also I am a bit appalled at the soprano bashing going on here. Like Jilli, I used to sing soprano in HS. Unlike the rest of you, I didn't realize there was any social significance to whether I was in the one group or the other, probably because I sang in a small a capella group, not a full size choir.

I was joking.

I was a soprano in highschool, became an alto in college. Can sing with tenors now and sometimes parts of the bass line.

If I was a fantastically wealthy eccentric (instead of the just-getting-by eccentric my lifestyle currently is), I would take voice lessons. I miss the vocal range I used to have, but age, screaming my lungs out at rock concerts, and trying to hold conversations in loud, smokey goth clubs have done awful things to my voice.

Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bash.

I changed from a first alto to a second soprano after my tonsils and adenoids were removed when I was a teenager. Second soprano is boring.

I miss my vocal range. I'm well and truly an alto again, but age and lack of practice will do that.

I'm not a good enough musician to be a good second soprano, but I also don't have the range anymore to be a first. So that's awesome.

I was basically joking, but whenever I see one of those "stereotypes about the sections" things, they ring true and make me laugh.

Hec,

I heard a doctor on NPR say that he thought it was a good idea for the Pope to resign given his advanced age and likelihood that he will decreasingly lose his faculties (something like 25% of 80 year olds have dementia).

So I'm kind of thinking that even without the scandal brewing he probably would have stepped down soon - supposedly he is losing hearing in one ear and eyesight in one eye.

I understand that he decided to step down upon receiving that report but the Vatican denies that. I just don't understand why he didn't say: "fuck it" and step down right after the New Year rather than wait until Easter proximity to step down. It's like his timing is really off or something.

He clearly doesn't think he can manage all of Easter activities (which is sobering), but if he had announced early January, conclave would have happened already.