Month: December 2007

Washington state flood pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/jeremykingfamily/Flood2007

Gadzooks! I hadn’t heard much about this, but my niece lives in Raymond, WA, and her husband works for a utility company there. This is what he wrote:

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Most people haven’t even heard about the storm (basically a Hurricane: 130+ mph winds) that hit the Oregon and Washington Coasts on December 2 nd. We still haven’t got everybody’s power back on and H and I went without power for over 72 hours. The pictures of Centralia and Chehalis are towns on Interstate 5 just 50 miles East of us off the Coast. You will see the Exit Sign for Raymond and Pe Ell and we live in Raymond. It was a CRAZY storm and lasted over 30 hours.

Most big storms (and we get a few a year) only last about 6 to 10 hours and then we get to work. Last I heard, 5 deaths in WA are attributed to the storm and 10 in Oregon. The National Guard had to come in. All communications were down at several times. Emergency Op. Center had to employ the local HAM radio guys to talk to the outside world.

We were stranded, having to cut our way through downed trees to get anywhere. Hwy 101 (the Coast Hwy that runs Mexico to Canada) was flooded and blocked by trees. Only 1 gas station in the whole county had power and it was 45 minutes from our office. We and the DOT had to ration fuel because we would have run out.

Christmas Wrap Up

Bob got me Guitar Hero III for the Wii. THAT has been fun. Who knew nephew Michael was a Guitar God? It’s a lot easier on my joints than DDR, too. Doesn’t burn as many calories, however. Oh well. I like playing that old Cream song, Sunshine Of Your Love (just call me Eric). Also, loves me the Strokes Reptilia song. Mostly, I’m old.

Here’s my mother, pushing 75, learning how to play. Her sweatshirt says, “Careful, Or You’ll End Up In My Novel.”

Margie learns Guitar Hero

Sissy the dog was just happy Andrew was around. That’s her, being the laptop desk.

Sissy the desk

We had a lot of fun. I am still too pooped to write it up, which means I’ll never do it because it’s fading fast from my memory. We still have a houseful, too.

Ants

Oh, good, I knew things were running a bit too smoothly.  Actually, I’ve been expecting the toilets to back up, so maybe this is good….

We have ants.  In the laundry room and in the bathroom.  They appear periodically (two or three times a year) and we fight them off for a few days, and then we’re ant free until the next onslaught. But they’re here now,  just in time for company.

This house is built on the roots of an old walnut orchard.  I’m sure if I knew how many ants there were under the house, I’d never be able to sleep here again.  Give me zombies any day.

Holiday Furor

Yikes, 10 minutes to find a parking place at the grocery store. Really busy inside, too, but I expect it will be worse on Christmas Eve. I was trying to buy fruit for the brunch, need to make sure it has a couple of days to ripen. I’m not that hot at gaging that sort of thing, so half of it will be one step towards rotten and the rest will still be hard.

Or, mebbe this year it will be perfect.

It has occurred to me that much of my holiday entertaining anxiety is centered around the fact that I’m trying to make everything perfect. All the little details probably don’t really have to be perfect, do they? Make sure the catboxes and sheets are fresh. Ample food and booze. Take the top layer of fur off everything. Make sure the bathrooms are sparkling. Clean up the new cat barf. Brush up on my persiflage. That should do it.

Happy Holidays Wreath

HoliDogs

Something funny on dogs and Christmas by Upset Waitress

….My dog is the sweetest old man accept during the holidays. He hates, and I mean hates Christmas. One year we dressed him up as Santa Paws. All the little kids were pulling on his beard, trying to sit on his lap, and made him fetch candy canes (which made him do a circle dance while shitting mints). I don’t think he liked being dropped down the neighbors chimney either. Oddly enough, neither did the neighbors. What can I say, I drink more during the holidays. ….

Read the rest of it

Metric Conversion Help

Handy Metric Conversions
I hate conversions. I never know what to multiply by what to get the other. Anyways, luckily I found this to clear everything up.
Metric Conversions

We Americans (defined as residents of the USA) frequently have problems with metric conversions. In an attempt to clarify the conversion process here are some common conversions.

1 million microphones = 1 megaphone
2000 mockingbirds = two kilomockingbirds
10 cards = 1 decacards
1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche
453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake
1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin
10 rations = 1 decoration
100 rations = 1 C-ration
10 millipedes = 1 centipede
3 1/3 tridents = 1 decadent
2 monograms = 1 diagram
8 nickels = 2 paradigms
2 wharves = 1 paradox

Lifted from  http://moronland.net/moronia/moron/1057/  – who knows where he got it

Misc

I learned tonight I’m not a slacker, I’m a Cultural Warrior. Isn’t that great? It’s all in the naming conventions. Or naming of a thing. Or interpretation. Or something. Mainly, I love Matthew and his Squirrely son.

Well, Hell.

Onward and upward, right?  I’m such a basketcase right now (I’m blaming hormones – probably rightly so)  – I was just at the grocery store  and a  blonde little boy an aisle over mashed his finger in his cart whilst sitting under it.  He did that pain cry and his mother unstuck his fingers but he needed to be picked up and he kept howling.  Long story short, IT MADE ME CRY, TOO.  Gawd.  That’s so embarrassing.  I think I’d rather have hot flashes.  I’m going to go drink mass quantities of alcohol to soothe it all away.  Just as soon as I candy these lemons somebody brought me.  Lots of lovely fragrant meyer lemons.