I hope everyone in Katrina's path survived and didn't lose too much... having been without power and rather damp a few times last year (9 days after the first storm) and having to live uncomfortably and relocate still not back to my previous life-pattern, I know what weather can do to a life...

1. Andrew (South Florida, southeast Louisiana), 1992, 5, $43.67 billion
2. Charley (southwest and central Florida), 2004, 4, $15 billion
3. Ivan (Florida Panhandle and Alabama), 2004, 3, $14.2 billion
4. Hugo (South Carolina), 1989, 4, $12.25 billion
5. Agnes (Florida, Northeastern U.S.), 1972, 1, $11.29 billion
6. Betsy (South Florida, southeast Louisiana), 1965, 3, $10.8 billion
7. Frances (central Florida, Florida Panhandle) 2004, 2, $8.9 billion
8. Camille (Mississippi, SE Louisiana, Virginia), 1969, 5, $8.89 billion
9. Diane (Northeastern United States), 1955, 1, $6.99 billion
10. Jeanne (central Florida), 2004, 3, $6.9 billion

the dollar figures are just representative of the actual human cost to lifestyle, spirit, and health... and factoring in inflation, the highest amount does not necessarily mean the worst storm effect... but I found it ironic that # 1, 2, 3, 7, and 10 came near enough to see and # 2, 3, 7, and 10 actually rained on me in one year and changed my lifestyle...

watching the video of the storm, I guess this is how you felt last year (if you weren't in the storm paths) as you watched my neighborhoods on your TVs... weird feeling... if I had the means, I'd drive up to help... the hurricane season is not over yet, but so far Central Florida has been spared... as much as I love weather and feel excited by the storms even after last year, I don't mind a year off from bearing first hand witness to Ma Nature's power...

I hope timdangerous is ok...

I still have 4 entries to complete that I recall in the last week or so (who knows how many entries slipped into the forgotten archives of sleeping memory without actually being completed... well, one day we can go back and count if you're crazy as I am and we have the time, but until that luxury and blessed editor comes along, I'll just keep on rambling)...

in less stressful news, I just love the idea of ffaf which is Free For All Friday... it's like encouraging comments from friend and strangers once a month for a day or a weekend (just look at what happens when there's a ffaf involved)... I wonder how I'd fare in a group diary... and just when I thought it might be this huge internet phenomenon, I find just 16 candles lit in the ring... I still love the idea... with DLand had the ability to let it happen here...

and speaking of mind altering drugs...

you think it's far fetched?...

still?...

once upon a time, the Japanese earned a reputation of being innovative by taking ideas of others and building on those ideas and making them their own... I'm not sure just where the vending machine got it's start, but those wacky Japanese sure did make it their own too... presenting the vending machines of Japan...

in spite of my inner happiness and my resiliency in the face of challenges from nature and human stupidity, sometimes I've just got to grumble a bit... so if you're not into reading a grumble, maybe even a vent (albeit a small one as I'm not giving much energy to the situation), move on down a few paragraphs... if you're staying, let the grumble begin...

I am getting more junk mail... with all the hassles to my email sorting provided by the ailing laptop, I did not need a new source of SPAM... unfortunately, Blogathon provided it... you may recall me mentioning this might happen... and I was going to try to introduce the Blogathon Awards without venting, but I think doing both will be fair...

Blogathon remains a good idea and that's why the link remains here... but this week, another questionable management decision mars the Blogathon experience for me this year, for they've decided to close the shop to outsiders (that means all of us who stayed up supporting the causes and donated our money and got the false sense that we were really part of a great idea) when it comes to voting for the Blogathon Awards... maybe being elitist and entitled group gives them a sense of power or worth that our applause and money did not give them... I know it's not all blogathoners or all the leaders at the blogathon, but a closed door reflects on them all... once again I do not see how this helps a good cause, to shut out the public and those who supported the event...

what bugs me most, personally, because it's intrusive in my daily life right here and now, is that I am receiving much more junk mail at this diary address and if you've emailed me through this diary I may not find your email... but please try it anyway so I can get the filters right...

it is a real shame that someone in charge of a great idea like Blogathon would do this (post my email address publically and encourage people to write nasty emails to me by lying about me and publishing words in my name that I did not write) to me, a complete stranger who supported with words, energy, and money the blogathon, but I remind myself that this is an example of the sort of psychological problems that most self-abusive people exhibit and the best I can do is vent a bit here and move on...

I'm a professional, after all (ah, that's it, a little self mockery eases the strain)...

but seriously, I hope they rethink the leadership at Blogathon next year... it just doesn't make sense to attack supporters and shut out the world for a charitable cause...

and now in an attempt to focus on the positive (and slide out of the grumble, I hope), I really felt good vibs from the Blogathon website designer who was polite and friendly and fun to read (she's up for the Best Blog Award and the Best Themed Blog Award, for you few who can vote)... so visit the Nominee Sites... another nominee, zazzafooky, blogs naked, has a great sense of humor, and shops for food after midnight... obviously kindred spirit...

there, that feels better...

I really should be sleeping... I left a note for my dear augustdreams because I wanted her to know why I might sleep through the phone later if I ever fall back to sleep... I napped at work last night, which is rare for me (thought common practice for other night shifters in the hospital, even though it's against the rules)... after hardly sleeping all weekend, I was sliding into a wonderful sleep a few hours ago when Rasputin woke me because we suddenly had to write checks and turn on Precious's cookie dough money... she was selling cookie dough for her high school chorus... or should I say I was... I took the colorful brochure to work and apparently I sold 42 boxes of the stuff at work... frozen cookie dough... to staff working three different shifts and various days of the week... delivery is going to be a nightmare, but she gets a free song download for each box sold and if nobody sold more she gets a free I-Pod... apparently she found out suddenly (on Friday) that all the money had to be in by Monday (today)... so I wrote a check for $400+ today since a lot of people only bought the stuff providing they could wait until pay-day (next Friday) to pay...

so may people seem to live paycheck to paycheck... I don't know why I never have, even when I was homeless and penniless and even now when my income is barely covering my expenses, the checks go in the back automatically and I don't count the money or balance a checkbook or anything... every couple of months I'll check the balance and if it's gone down I grumble a bit and tell myself to cut back for a month or so, but I don't (never have) think about money or budget on any regular basis... that's probably why I'm not rich, or at least not rich anymore, but I wouldn't trade my way for the money-related stress I see most people carry around...

anyway, I am a zombie... but sleep did not come back yet... maybe it's the constant Katrina news as the TV never goes off when my roomies leave the room (and I don't always feel like getting up to turn it off, especially since they will just pop out of their rooms and turn it on again before long, sit for a few moments staring at the screen, and then disappear into their rooms again... or maybe it's the fact and Precious and her friend are laughing and having fun and I want to have fun too but I'm too tired to move... they brought home Chipolte... usually they bring me one, but Rasputin thought I'd be asleep... just cuz I was a grumblefish when he woke me to figure our the cookie dough money... I'm getting hungry again... I have pizza frozen, leftover from yeasterday... work is in five hours... tomorrow we're supposed to go to a monkey house or something... maybe a zoo, if we can find it... I'm supposed to be awake, which means I'm supposed to have caught up on sleep today... oh well, I can be a fun zombie for people who like zombies...

poor New Orleans...

and Biloxi and other places... I wonder if the hotels on barges floated away... hope they all paid their flood zone insurance... and life insurance if they have families... I don't haav life insurance... I did a long time ago... G.I. life insurance (being the rather liberal wide-eyed innocent goofy undisciplined babbler that I am, probably strange picturing me as a military veteran, huh?... well, I didn't spend long in the regimented life, but I did learn a lot while I was there... still, they couldn't drill the hippie out of me... I won't tell you about the T-Shirts I used to wear to keep people on their toes... I was the original one-man amber alert)... I don't know if there's anything coming to me from that... I meant the life insurance, not the karma points...

just what is the truth laid bear, anyway?...

my tongue is usually in my cheek as I write, but you know that if you are a regular reader... if I offend you, read this and see if it helps any... it's truly sincere and serious and a window into who the real me is behind the candoor... if you care, it'll help you understand... if you don't care, be offended if that's what floats your boat...

boats floating, more thoughts of Katrina...

I wonder if I am psychic... a kid was admitted about ten days ago and I mistyped her name as Katrina on her paperwork... everyone was amused, but everyone mentioned it to me last night... I think they are hoping I don't typo and more names this year... at least not names that start with letters after K in the alphabet...

in spite of being a zombie, which is most of this moody blue you might be reading between the lines, I put pizza in the oven... now would not be the ideal time to fall asleep...

so I browse... just when I thought was a public news site, I find it's also a or is the question blog... I see someone putting in so much time and effort on the web and wonder what it would really be like to be paid for searching for links and rambling on the web... or to just have the luxury to be able to do it full time... the publisher in me (remembering the small print magazines I published in the late eighties and early nineties) is as lazy and lethargic about web design and formatting as the marathon runner is about fitness these days... I think I should be wearing a T-shirt with the word blah... on it... that's it, just blah, lower case, with the elipsis...

hey, some good news... no, I didn't save money on my insurance, even though I am with the little green guy... but even more innocuous and perhaps irreverence good news... in searching for my checkbook earlier (I seldom write a check since the advent of plastic money) to write that check for the cookie dough, I found my razors... I will shave with a sharp razor tonight, in this sleepy stupor, as opposed to the dull-as-a-noodle blade I've been using since we moved into this apartment... yes, that was February... no, I do not like to shave... anyway, I'll be careful...

any of you who thought the good part of that news was the fact that I now have a sharp razor to put to my neck should be ashamed of yourselves... I mean, reading this far down this page that irritated, you must have better things to do with your time...

why did they call them mock turtlenecks, anyway?...

ok, I ate the pizza... eggplant rolatini pizza... delicious, even after frozen and reheated... I should try to nap now... yes, I know, poor eating habits... feel free to come into my life with your good influence, I can be easily swayed back to the light...

if you are more concerned than amused, I so do love you... but no worries, my potential dear true trusted offline friend, I enjoy life even when I do not do it to the best of my ability... that's a trick I learned (along with humility) when I slipped over to the dark side... sleeping on concrete can do that to the most resilient spirit, or so I am told... and my spirit comes and goes (when I get stupid or depressed, it vacations in the Bahamas... or Tahiti during hurricane season)...

remember, if you ever feel abused, there is help... and if you want to put then help info in your own diary, here is the HTML code...

use it, change it, share it...

and as the song goes, if you love me let me know...

. o O ( NOTES ARE THE NEW HAPPY PILL ) O o .
(just let me know you were here)