Clear and warm this evening, low 70s. With very little breeze to speak of, the air in my backyard is pregnant with the smells of Carne Asada and Bistec Ranchero, both of which waft over from my neighbor’s woodchip grill.
Having just finished taping large Xs over each of our storm windows, I lean back in a deck chair, light the citronella candle, and pour myself a pint of Guinness. Inside, three cases of bottled water and some parchment-wrapped smoked salmon—along with a jar of capers and some fresh lemon wheels—sit iced in the garage, just in case.
Developing…*
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previous hurricane coverage here and here
Thanks for keeping us up to date, though you could tone down the sensationalism. I mean, it is a massive force of nature rampaging through the Southeasterly areas of the US, but we’ll know what happens when it happens. No need to leap to so much hysteria, okay?
Well, I’m trying to stay calm. But it’s difficult, what with Sheperd Smith on my TV all day telling me the world’s about to end.
Shepard Smith says a lot of stuff. Nobody listens to him. Everyone who is smart tunes in for O’Reilly right after him anyway.
Even though the salmon is parchment-wrapped, you still might want to stash away a couple of rolls of Charmin.
Booze. You need booze supplies.
What kinda stormonaut are you?
Oh, I have about 8 cases of Guinness, too. I just don’t have it iced. I figure if I have to, I can drink it warm—or let it get hot and cook itself into a pudding.
As you aren’t now, nor have you likely ever BEEN in a REAL hurricane, you clearly don’t have the moral authority to talk about this.
Weatherhawk!
Actually, I’m from Maryland and was living ocean front for a hurricane in ‘86.
We invited some tourist girsl over, taped up the windows and strapped ourselves to beach chairs on the 3rd floor balcony. Fun times.
The next morning, some buddies of mine got past the Beach Patrol and went out to try to surf the chop. And left me with all the girls. Idiots.
Yeah, well, still…
You brave, magnificent bastard. Godspeed.
TW: “try”; I must <i>try<./i> to be half the Citizen Journalist that Jeff is.
You’re going to drink your Guiness warm? Man, our forefathers left Europe so that they might be free to enjoy ice cold beer*, and you go and spit in their faces like this? Well, sir, I for one am off to enjoy a tall, frosty one. Like an American.
*I seem to remember something about religious freedom, too, but the cold beer is the really important part when all is said and done.
I seriously heard on BBC World Service tonight a segment baldly blaming the hurricane, (and world-wide natural disasters, generally) on the United States, and–surprise–Bush’s failure to ratify the Kyoto Treaty. In the words of the correspondent, “Sound far-fetched? Not so fast.”
They quoted some scientician’s article suggesting that storm intensity has increased in the last 30 years as a result of rising ocean tempertures. Their resident Bush-hater weather expert then tied greenhouse gases to rising ocean temperature, and voila–Bush caused, (and/or failed to stop) a hurricane. The story suggested that the U.S. would be welcome to start its own Atlantic hurricanes and then scrape up its own dead, (it would seem to serve us right) but it was thought to be beyond the pale for Bush to go killing third world Pacific-island people with his unilateral, neocon hurricanes.
I tried to find a transcipt or link, but had no luck. Is the world insane? This clearly resembles the silliness of ancient cultures blaming natural disasters on their enemies. Obviously, Bush is eviler than all previous evil-doers combined, but he’s got them bonkers with paranoia and delusions of persecution.
Well, yeah. It’s obvious that he’s responsible for all bad weather ever and has sealed our eventual greenhouse doom because he wouldn’t sign on to Kyoto. It doesn’t matter in the least that Kyoto is such a giant turd that even tree-hugging Kiwis are trying to get out of it and latch on to W’s plan. Bush is the biggest meany EVER!1!!
I just heard one of the 24-hour anchor-critters say that “the situation in New Orleans remains fluid.”
Heh- “fluid.” Someone needs to proof his copy.
I think it’s wrong that you’re encouraging Katrinaphobia.
Dammit, HURRICANES HAVE FEELINGS TOO!!
What we need here is DIALOGUE, people, not scapegoating and stereotyping and hatemongering.
Damn, 55 dead in missippi, and reports of bodies floating in the water in NO. eeesh.
ss…
It’s always interesting to hear the enviro-crowd placing 100% of the blame on Bush for the United States’ non-ratification of the Kyoto Protocols. According to Wikipedia, the Kyoto Protocol “…was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997, opened for signature on March 16, 1998, and closed on March 15, 1999.”
Can someone out there help me? Who was the President of the United States from December 1997 to March 1999? I forget.
If I remember correctly it never got past the Senate for Clinton to be able to sign it, but I think he was perfectly happy to pass the buck on that anyway. Holding up that and the Law of the Sea Treaty are two of my favorite accomplishments for the GOP in Congress.
NYT actual admits that the variability of hurricane seasons are caused by a natural long term cycle. Almost.