Is there REALLY any question left?

Back when Barak Obama first announced his candidacy for President I had on blinders. It wasn't that I was "against" him, rather, I was so "for Hillary" I didn't give him any consideration because I, like so many people, believed Hillary Clinton was simply a no-brainer for the nomination. I contributed to the Clinton campaign on numerous occasions, and received all the "personal" communications from her via email all throughout the campaign and felt like I was taking part in a truly historic moment.

Who knew that in the end, after doing absolutely everything possible to win the nomination, her campaign fell short. Certainly there were some incredibly unfair obstacles that were put in her path - by the media who made Obama their darling from the start - but more importantly - by a vindicitve Howard Dean, an incredulous Donna Brazil, and the rest of the schizophrenic Democratic National Committee who allowed HIGHLY inconsistent proceedings to take place from state to state (like they always have, BTW, but it's never been as big a deal as this campaign season)and stood by as Super-Delegates took sides WAY TOO EARLY, which made for a rather sketchy determiniation of the number of delegates that would be allocated to each candidate leading up to the nomination. It was pretty shitty all the way around, the way Clinton was screwed at every turn - feilding backlash from all directions.

I felt personally, deeply saddened when Clinton gave her inspiring speech at the Democratic National Convention leading up to the nomination of Obama. It physically hurt to watch her standing strong and smiling confidently, knowing how close she had come to being the first woman to be elected President of the United States. I was choked up and teared up during her entire speech that night in her gutsy Tangerine colored pantsuit. (It chokes me up now to write about it). She is truly a hero of mine, and will always be, and I have the utmost respect for her and confidendly say that she would have made an excellent president. Tangerine pantsuit and all.

But the fact is, she will not be president in 2008. Barak Obama is my candidate now, and I stand behind him with the same support I had for Clinton when she was still in the race, if not more. My blinders came off after hearing his acceptance speech in Denver and I absolutely believe without a shadow of a doubt that he is exactly what the US needs right now. And at this point, anyone - and I mean ANYONE - who believes that McCain would make an excellent president has only to look to his choice for a running mate and know that the man has simply lost his mind and has no credibility left. He has no business making equally absurd and ridiculous choices for the American people as he has for his Veep.

Don't tell me Palin "bitch-slapped" the democrats at the Republican Convention. SHE DID NOT WRITE THAT SPEECH. She has been kept out of the public eye and banned by the McCain camp to speak to the media for good reason. One has only to watch her interview with Katie Couric to know that she is simply not intelligent enough, not capable enough, not anything enough to be Vice President, much less, God forbid, President. She has an undergraduate degree from some obscure college and was a sports-caster on a local tv station prior to becoming mayor of a 7,000-person town and governor of the least populous state in the nation where the residents receive checks every year from the state government's surplus of oil money (and remind me again why I should be OK with not having been able to get gas for my car for over a week now???).

There is literally not one single thing I can say I like about her. From selfishly over-populating the world by having had 5 children (so far), from slaughtering innocent animals for sport, to advocating abstinence-only sex education in schools while sheepishly telling the world her 17-year-old is pregnant, to believing man and dinosaurs roamed the Earth together in harmony "when the world was first created by God 6,000 year ago" (yes - 6,000, not 65 million+), to believing that it should be illegal for American women to make choices about their own bodies and futures, to believing that because she "can see Russia" from her backyard that she is qualified to make Foreign Policy decisions, to believing she can be the VP - ALL with a special needs baby (and, really, with her 6th on the way via her 17 year old) - it just leaves me speechless. I can not believe that ANYONE would actually be OK with voting for this person. Please. Somebody. Give me one good reason to vote for her (them)?

And really. Don't get me started on McCain either. Or his 8 vacation homes. Or his 13 cars. Or his wife's $30,000 gown she wore recently to a big event. Or that you think he "won" the first debate - the one he wouldn't commit to until 12 hours prior. The man did not have the stones to tell Dave Letterman the truth about why he felt like he needed to cancel his Late Show appearance Wednesday night, instead leading Letterman to believe that he had to get down to DC IMMEDIATELY!!! TO SAVE THE COUNTRY!!! Do you really think he'll tell the American people the truth about anything? It's all ego. That's ALL that's keeping the man in the race at this point.

So - there's a really nice and uplifting article about Barak & Michelle Obama on Huffington Post today that I recommend anyone should read. Click here.

MAD AS HELL

Before I left the working world I always felt well informed of current events and issues because I was an *NPR* listener (and supporter - making donations during all Pledge campaigns throughout the year). I listened religously to "Morning Edition" while getting ready for work every morning and on the drive in to work. I caught "All Things Considered" and "Market Place" every evening on the drive home. Even on the weekends I enjoyed listening to "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me", "This American Life", "Car Talk" and I even "Prairie Home Companion" most weekends.

Now that I'm "not working" and at home or on the boat during the day, I listen to NPR all day long. My favorite day time shows are "Fresh Air" "Here and Now" and "Talk of the Nation".

I listen to these in-depth shows regularly, so now I feel even more connected and up to date on current events and issues than ever, which brings me to the title of this post. I am mad as hell about the Washington bailout of Wall Street, the biggest corporate fat cats on the planet. Today I listened with great interest to an interview about whether or not the tax payers should be OK with the bailout of the Wall Street titans, and whether Congress should agree to allocate $700 Billion to "fix things" that they screwed up royally. That amount of money (besides being roughly the same amount we've spent on the SENSELESS WAR IN IRAQ) equates to about $2,300 from every person in America and will take 70-80 years to pay off. WTF PEOPLE?!?!?

The highest paid of those Wall Street bastards pocketed $70 Million last year. Again, WTF PEOPLE?!? Why on Earth should the tax payers bear the brunt of this crisis and pay the bills resulting from the EXTREME GREED and CORRUPTION that has run rampant on Wall Street for the past 20 years - where a kid - three years out of Grad School - could "earn" $10 Million a year? It is unconscionable. I don't care WHO you are - nobody - not sports figures, not Wall Street executives, not movie stars - deserves to be paid $10 Million to do the job they're doing. MUCH LESS $70 Million.

The argument for the bailout is that if the government doesn't step in, the entire American Economy is likely to spiral into the abyss and Armageddon is sure to follow. You know what I say to that? TOUGH SHIT ASSHOLES. You brought it on yourselves. And I mean to include all the "poor people" who over-extended their reach, agreeing to a mortgage that was being served up on a silver platter, despite the fact that they AND their lender knew they couldn't afford. If you make $60K a year, YOU CAN'T AFFORD A $400K house. It's that simple. But it's this culture of greed and "bigger, better, more" that has turned this country on its head and why everything's gone to shit. And it's not over. Go to the mall on any given weekend and you'll see young kids - 11, 12,13 - walking around carrying $300 purses. They think that's NORMAL. Their parents think it's normal. In fact, the parents that indulge their kids in these kinds of fantasies are the same ones who are losing their shirts because of really stupid choices they've made. I've said it for many years - but I whole-heartedly believe credit cards are the DEVIL! Credit cards and borrowing against stuff you don't even own out-right - it's the DEVIL I tell you!

What makes me even more freaking mad is that I, personally, have not lived above my means, yet I'll be expected (forced) to pay my share of the bill for the lunacy of others. One may argue that clearly I have the means - just look at my life - I'm taking a year off! A luxury most people can't (won't, actually) fathom. But the only way I could do it is because I worked my ass off last year and saved money based on a very rigid plan. (and yes, I must admit that I am extraordinarily lucky to have Gary's support for this, without which my year off would be impossible) - but the point is - I know money doesn't grow on trees and I am not living on borrowed money because of extremely careful planning on my part).

Anyhow, the reason I'm so mad is due more to my student loan debt than anything else. I am stuck with a monstrous debt (which is $50,000 HIGHER than the day I graduated 14 years ago) from 4 years of undergraduate education that I (now) believe should NEVER HAVE BEEN LENT TO ME IN THE FIRST PLACE - but due to the predatory lending practices and (now) illegal types of loans that were available at that time, combined with the HORRIBLE, FINANCIALLY DEVASTATING ADVICE dolled out by my university's Financial Aid Office - I took every dime I could get. So my question is - Where's MY bailout? Where's some help or at least ACKNOWLEDGEMENT by the Federal Government that tens of thousands of younger Americans just like me are saddled with debt that's so upside-down it's not even funny. Heck, my student loan debt is like one-ten thousandth of one percent of the $700B they're about to chuck at Wall Street. But NOOOOOOOOOOOO - you never hear a WORD about the Student Loan debt being shouldered by my generation and those who came after us, holding us hostage financially without much to show for it but a piece of paper. And the response WE get from the government? "TOUGH SHIT ASSHOLES!". So what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander, is it.

Sadly, ironically, you could say that my grotesque student loan debt "saved me" from the current mortgage crisis because if not for that debt, I would probably own a home by now (like most people in their mid-30's are supposed to), which could potentially be upside down by now, and I'd be screwed just like so many tens of thousands of people are now, only I'd have a bit more incientive to struggle to keep paying my mortgage than I do to pay off my piece of paper.

What's the answer? I don't know - but my $.02 is first, get every dime from the personal fortunes of the sons-of-bitches on Wall Street and apply it towards the $700B, then throw their greedy asses in jail or at the very least legislate that ALL THE MONEY THEY EVER MAKE IN THE FUTURE SHOULD GO TOWARDS PAYING DOWN THE $700 BILLION BAILOUT. Make them live like paupers for the rest of their lives and struggle to make ends meet like the rest of the country and see how they like it. The sad fact is, that will never happen.

The other bit of irony here is that at least they can't take my education away from me since, at this point, it is just a piece of paper in a lot of ways and not something someone else could profit from buying or selling. But I'm sick to death of my [essentially worthless] $93,000 piece of paper. Maybe I'll put it on eBay and see if someone wants to buy it 'cause I really don't want it anymore. It gives me a headache. Somebody, please, bail me out too.

I Love Mondays! (again)

At 7:50pm my cell phone/alarm clock went off. I set it last week to go off at 10 minutes til the NEW SEASON OF TV STARTS! WOO-HOO! I've always watched a fair amount of TV, so these past couple of months have been nothing but re-runs and we've seen them ALL!

I generally watch only CBS shows. Why? I don't know exactly, but I'm pretty sure it goes back to when a) I didn't have cable for the first couple years I lived in Baltimore and my rabbit ears could only pick up a few local channels. The best reception was on the CBS affiliate... and b) during the same period of time I also went through a phase of temporary amnesia as to where to buy bateries and my remote control didn't work for a long time.

CBS has really great programming anyway. Monday is all comedy, then the rest of the week is a good mix of detective shows and reality shows. Occasionally Gary can convince me to veer away from my faves and go for Discovery, History or Turner Classic Movies. We like to watch "How It's Made", "Myth Busters" and other brainiac (nerdy) shows like "How the Weather Changed History" or some such.

But tonight I was especailly looking forward to "The Big Bang" - my favoite of the funny shows on Monday nights. Sheldon & Leonard ROCK!

SPARKLE!

Gary and his guy Jack are down at the beach right now scrubbing the boat and waxing it. He said the poor thing was sucking up the wax it was in such desparate need. It's definitely a 2-man, 2-3 day job. Next time he says he'll pay someone else to do it, but for now it's so gratifying to see our baby shining again!

(photo courtesy of Gary's camera-phone)

Saturday - 7:45 PM - Please Help!

I have lost my phone. I have looked everywhere for it. If you're reading this around 7:45 Saturday and you have my phone # - would somebody please call my phone so I might be able to located it from the ring?????

Thanks.

AW

Pitiful

We think she just wants to play with the Kitty in the reflection - or she just wants to get her little claws into the curtain covering the door. Either way - it PAINS ME to watch this because it seems like she's desperately trying to get inside. In my head, I REALLY don't think that's the goal. Watch what happens when I finally open the door:

Tag

I've never had a "vanity" or "specialty" license plate on a car before, but I had to renew my tag this week and decided to get one. I paid $30 extra for this - $20 of which goes directly to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which I very happy about. We go up there alot - tooling around on the curvy roads is a favorite pastime, and no matter what the season, it's always beautiful. Nature at it's finest!



I have to say I was pretty impressed that I ordered it online on Monday, and received it by regular mail on Tuesday. I guess they're doing something right in Raleigh.

Drinking Politics

From the online edition of Restaurants & Institutions "Beverage Briefing" that came out today, there are two new drinks of choice for the Political set, being served at a restuarnat in Beverly Hills called blue on blue:

Obamarita
Silver tequila 2 oz.
Blue curaçao 1 oz.
Lime juice, freshly squeezed ¾ oz.
Simple syrup dash
Prosecco splash
Lime twist to garnish
In mixing glass, shake tequila, blue curacao, lime juice and simple syrup with ice; strain into rocks glass with salted rim over ice. Top with Prosecco; garnish with lime twist.

McCainade
Bourbon 2 oz.
Almond-flavoured liqueur ½ oz.
Lemonade 1 oz.
Iced tea 1 oz.
Red currant-pomegranate syrup healthy dash
Lemon wheel to garnish
Cherry to garnish
In mixing glass, shake bourbon, almond liqueur, lemonade, iced tea and red currant-pomegranate syrup with ice; strain into hurricane glass over ice. Garnish with lemon wheel and cherry.

...and you think *I'M* competitive?!

When I was up at my Dad's in August, he challenged me repeatedly to games of Free Cell - my (then) game of choice on my computer. I've been playing Free Cell to kill time and for brain calisthenics for several years. I never really played it competitively, in fact I was perfectly happy to just clear the board. Nevertheless, I probably played at least a couple games of Free Cell every day. So when Dad challenged me I was totally game.

To my astonishment, by the time I was maybe halfway through the game he'd shout out "DONE!". And I'd be all, "I haven't even gotten half way yet" and he'd just smirk and say "let's play again" - and he'd finish a second game before I was finished with the first one still.

Seeing I was getting a little apathetic about the game, given the fact he failed to tell me he's the FREE CELL CHAMPION OF THE WORLD - he asked if I'd ever played Spider Solitaire. He gave me the basics and I set out to learn how to play.

Spider Solitaire is sorta like Free Cell -- in that it's a computer card game - but it is a very different game. At this point, I've played it so much I can't even look at Free Cell anymore because since August I have ONLY played Spider Solitaire. That is to say, looking at Free Cell is like trying to read a page of Chinese - when you don't know the first thing about Chinese. It totally scrambles my brain to bits. It's the weirdest thing.

So anyway - tonight I played my best game ever. I scored 1200 points with 100 moves!!!!! Of course I had to call my Dad to tell him about my score. He was impressed with my accomplishment and admitted that he, himself, has won the game in 100 moves, but hasn't been able to break 100.

Later on I was at it again and 'lo and behold I did even better. Not only did I break 100, I won in 98 moves!!!!! And I took a picture of the screen to prove it! Woot Woot!

Not Your Average Bonsai Kitten

Our Kitty, aka Killer, Puss and Kissy - has been around now for 5 months. Sadly, she lost all 4 of her kittens to scavengers in the night, but she found US and seems like she's pretty content to stay.

Although it's hard to tell because cats don't smile like dogs, she's a very sweet cat and enjoys being around us when we sit on the porch at night. I love to pick her up and hold her cradled in my arms. She likes it too, for about a minute and a half - but then she struggles to get free. I feel like the little girl who dresses her cat up in baby doll clothes and walks around with her cat in a stroller. I love playing with her - she tolerates it b/c it means she'll get her head and belly rubbed. I've never had a cat before. I am trying to train her to be more dog-like, although I have to say that unlike most dogs who want constant attention, having a cat is nice because she'll play with you for a while and whenever either of you tires of playing, it's OK and we go our separate ways. No guilt, no whining - just - see ya later!

One habit she's picked up that is not as bad as leaving decapitated lizards or maimed moles for us as tokens of her affection - is she will drink out of our glasses if we leave them on the table unattended. She's a big fan of chocolate milk and iced tea.

She still has no concept of what "please don't walk on my laptop" means. But she's great and we love her.

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Guess what I got?! A new OFFICE!
Guess what else I got?! A NEW COMPUTER!!!!!

In the quietest room in the house (in Charlotte), the farthest from distractions and with the brightest sun streaming through the windows gleaming off the whitest walls - I now sit in front of my new desktop computer which includes a sweet 20" flat panel monitor!!!!!

So why does someone who "doesn't work" need an office? Well, first off, I am working again. For free, but still. I've been creating marketing pieces for Gary Inc. - which explains why I haven't posted anything this week again b/c I've been working on 3 separate pieces all week. Regardless, I've needed a place (since I moved into this house) that was ALL MINE, and since I no longer have my old 8 x 8 office at the hotel which gave me all kinds of security, serenity and solitude - I've needed my own space desperately.

The boat worked wonders along those lines, but it has a few drawbacks - including a temperamental wireless internet system that worked best if I was sitting on the back of the boat. Which is all fine and good, but during the day a) it's too hot (in the summer)to be out there long - even with the AC cranked and b) it's too bright to see what you're typing or trying to read. So evening and late night are the optimal times to use the internet at the boat - which led me to staying up til 2:00am every night and sleeping til 11 every day - a habit I have still yet to break.

Anywhoo - I'm so stoked about my office and desktop and spending hours upon hours of creative, productive time up here! Woot!

Photo Session By The Sea

Who would believe that after all the hype, Hanna fizzled out so quickly we were able to go ahead with our photo session with local celebrity photographer Angela Fellenz on Saturday evening.



The weather was GOR-JUS! The wind was very calm and the sunset was breathtaking. Mom & A.Vee, Ele, Will, Finn and Gary and I drove over to 10th Ave in Cherry Grove and met up with Angela. We were all in white tops with khaki bottoms and she took a couple of group shots and then individual couple shots sitting in the dunes among the sea grass and sand.

These snaps were taken with our camera before and during the shoot, and I think they turned out great - so I am excited to see the actual portraits taken by the professional among us.



Me and my "the sky is falling" nay-saying just about demanded that this session, which had been scheduled for months, be cancelled - thank goodness for the wisdom of mothers.

Hanna - 2:00 PM Saturday Update

After sleeping til nearly 1:00 today, I am oddly disappointed to say that I slept through the rest of the night after my last posting at 1:30, and am now sitting here having my crow pie for breakfast. It's beautiful outside, with a nice breeze, dammit.

Gary got up around 3 and sat on the back of the boat til about 5am. The only thing that "happened" was the water level under the boat rose so high all but about an inch of the fire extinguisher on the pylon was completely below the trash receptacle fixed on the dock, so that put the depth at about 9.6 feet, 2.5 feet above normal.

The biggest thing I'm disappointed about is that I didn't get to wear these:

Hanna - 1:30 AM Update

I'm going to bed now. Here's the most recent radar picture from NOAA.



Basically, Raleigh is getting it harder than we are right now. The local news is braodcasting non-stop and commercial free now, but they seem to be struggling to keep talking because nothing serious is happening. Yeesh.

Hanna - 11:30 PM Update

We just went for a walk. A WALK! You're not supposed to be able to go for a walk during a hurricane! Yeah, it's a little gusty - I was knocked slightly off balance a few times, but NOTHING like what we were expecting. It's not raining at the moment, it hasn't rained for about 30 minutes.


This palm tree is barely bent.


This water is only mildly rippling.

The Marina offices are boarded up except for the glass doors. I guess they have extra doors...? But see what I mean about the boarded up buildings looking creepy? It reminds me of what people do after a house fire. By the way - that is my biggest fear in life - a house fire. Maybe that's at the root of the anxiety I'm feeling. My eyes see boarded up buildings, but my brain reads it as rampant house fires. Hmmmm.....

So, on a lighter note, Gary and I were hamming it up a little - trying to create dramatic photos like this one - I call it "holding on for dear life!"



Not very convincing. How about this one, called "Gone with the Wind" -



So how sad is that? C'mon Hanna! Hit me with your best shot!

OK, not really. I don't want to tempt fate, and I'm all about getting through this without too much drama.

Anyhow, in case the power goes out the gates lock automatically. I know this because I've been locked in before which really freaked me out, and this afternoon Captain Bob, the head honcho at the marina, reconfirmed this fact when he stopped by to check on us this afternoon. So with the agreement of George & Betty, we decided we would make sure we were not locked in, in case of an emergency.


This is Gary's handy-work, complete with bungee suspension system. He's so smart.

Well, if anything happens I'll be back online - as long as we still have internet service. If our power goes out there's always the generator. The loss of wireless internet service is another story!

Cheerio!

Hanna - 10:00 Update

The latitude of Myrtle Beach is 33.688N, longitude 78.886W.
On our TV screen it says the storm is currently located at 31.6N and 79.3W with 70mph sustained winds. By my calculations that means we are just about "in it". It's raining pretty hard, but still off and on. I've experienced worse conditions than this when I've been here on the boat by myself. The only thing that jumps out at me as strange at this point is that it's usually warm (hot) outside for this time of night and with this much rain. I can feel the warm air coming in on my feet.

I want to put on my bright yellow rain gear and walk around in the rain. There hasn't been any thunder or lightning, so besides being swept into the water I don't see much reason not to. Some people say I'm a dare devil, others say it's just my "devil may care" attitude, but I just want to feel it!

Our neighbor the Orthopedic Surgeon came by a little while ago to check on his boat (another 40+ ft motor yacht, actually). He seemed to think it's secure enough - we sure hope so.

So far we've managed not to get too much rain in the boat. We've discovered a minor drip coming from the radar mount in the hard top, but other than that we're good. Oooh! There was a little flutter in the plastic - cool!

I've had a headache pretty much all day, due to the changing barometric pressure I think. It's been a long day of waiting. On the one hand I'm glad we came down because if we were sitting at home in Charlotte we'd be worried to death about the boat. But on the other hand, given that supposedly we haven't even begun to feel the worst effects of the storm, I'm a little anxious. Not scared, but slightly wigged out.

Remember in the movie "You've Got Mail" when Tom Hanks' character is stuck in an elevator with other residents from his building, including the doorman, and they're all sitting around on the floor of the elevator waiting for the "super" to get them unstuck, and the doorman says, "If I ever get out of here, I'm gonna marry [so and so]..." and then they all say what they're gonna do to change their lives "if we get out of here." The funny part is that they're just stuck in an elevator. But I feel like that right now. Maybe it's the 2 beers I had with dinner, maybe it's just that I have a little flair for the dramatic. But...for the record...if I ever get out of here... I want to hire a personal trainer. : )

Hanna Update 7:30 - 8:30 PM

Still no major squalls, no severe rain... Slightly disappointing, truth be told. We've turned off the weather channel and are now watching a movie. Around 7:30 George & Betty came out to check on things and we chatted with them for a good while. They said they were telling everyone they were only staying because WE were here - and we told them we're telling everyone we're staying because THEY were here! Ha ha! Here they are - our heros:



Gary and George spotted this little guy swimming in the slip and we grabbed our very efficient Tweety Bird net and scooped him out of the water.



Note, this is a salt water crab. He's not supposed to be over here in the fresh water! George said the marina folks have seen an alligator in the water - and we *may* have spotted it earlier today, but can't confirm.

Other than that, there were some ominous looking clouds overhead, but as of 8:45 we haven't experienced anything close to hurricane force winds or rain. Stay tuned!

Beach Cam

I've been checking this live web cam for updates on the ocean conditions - as long as the power stays on you can check here to see what's goning on from 3 different directions. Even at night - because they have a light that shines brightly on the beach!

I've also been looking at this site to see wind speed graphs from North Myrtle Beach.

And of course there's NOAA to check on the current path of the storm. We're still right in the middle of where the storm is likely to make landfall. As of right now this is the track:

Hanna Update: 4:30 - 6:30 PM

We headed out around 4:30 to go look at the ocean conditions, and to get a few more things from the grocery store. The ocean wasn't too much of a stew, but you could definitely tell something was brewing at that time.

I took a picture to capture the wind and its effect on my hair - which has been the key criteria for whether or not conditions would be OK to go ahead with the photo shoot today. I think my hair looks fine!

In all seriousness, we had really decided that today was completely out of the question for the picture, holding out for tomorrow. We're still just going to have to wait and see. There certainly should be some good shelling tomorrow after the storm.



Now at 6:25, we've had another 2-3 bands of rain and some gusty winds, but still nothing major - just on again, off again. On our way back from the grocery store we could feel the wind pushing us around on the road a bit, but still not a white-knuckler.

More later!

In a Hurrincane, things change by the minute...

This was taken at 1:55 pm:



This was taken at 2:05 pm:

2:00 PM Hanna Update: All Yachts Rise In The Tide

It's a little after 1:30 and the rain has started. Winds are still relatively normal, and the boat is stationary. Both North Carolina and South Carolina have declared a state of emergency this hour.

One obvious change that has taken place is the water level has risen to a height we've never experienced before. We are typically sitting in about 7 feet of water at our slip, but we are currently in almost 9 feet.



Besides the reading on the depth gauges, two of the most tell tale signs are:

1-There is a pylon just off the bow of the boat. Normally one must look *up* at the sign afixed to it, and the fire extinguisher is usually at eye level. Now the sign is at eye level and the fire extinguisher looks like it might be knocked off the pylon by the trash receptacle if the water level gets much higher.



2-We can see the cars in the parking lot through the banisters that run along the retaining wall. We have NEVER been able to see the parking lot, even at the highest tide.

12:00 Noon Update on Hanna

Live from Myrtle Beach we are holed up on Sublimate awaiting Tropical Storm Hanna. Good Day everyone.

Currently we have normal to slightly elevated wind speeds, although it's hard to tell exactly because the Marina has taken down the flags from the flag pole - which is the normal non-scientific wind gauge for this amateur meteorologist.

We are seeing think bands of stratocumulus opacus clouds according to our cloud chart, which indicate an immediate threat of bad weather from a sprinkle to heavy precipitation. We have seen moments of sprinkles in the past hour, with patches of blue sky peaking through between layers of clouds earlier. Currently there is no blue sky visible from our vantage point, but that is not a deterrent for a few golfers who just HAD to get in that last round of golf before the storm.

The boat is well secured and not going anywhere without the dock. Final preparations on the boat this afternoon include the snapping of all window plastic and the removal of heavy, breakable objects from counter tops.


We will now return to regular programming. More later on deteriorating conditions.

We interrupt our hurricane coverage to bring you this late breaking news:

Here are two short pieces that basically sum up my feelings on Sarah Palin. Just because she has ovaries is NOT a reason to vote for McCain.

Article 1 Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention

Article 2 Sarah Palin - Queen of the Nobodies



I just love the internets.

Tropical Storm Hanna Update

Live from Myrtle Beach at Hurricane Central! We came down to the beach late today to make sure the boat was tied down well enough to weather the impending storms. We have no less than 18 lines holding her down. If anything, we're gonna bring the dock with us if we break free (pictures tomorrow when it's light outside). We're more concerned about boats breaking free and hitting us more than we are about damage from hitting our own slip. The other boats on our dock all appear to be pretty well secured though.

We've been watching the weather channel pretty much non-stop since Tuesday and Myrtle Beach has been in the projected path the whole time. Myrtle Beach is located in Horry County, South Carolina and as of today the SC governor has recommended voluntary evacuations, and all the schools are closed tomorrow. We stopped by Wally World to pick up a few supplies when we got here, and the parking lot was the emptiest we've ever seen it. Bizarre.

I've felt sick to my stomach all day - partially because of the thought of any potential damage to our beloved boat, and partially because we have landed ourselves in the direct path of a hurricane. OK, technically it's *just* a tropical storm but there's not much difference between 65 mph winds and 74 mph winds - which is what makes it a Category 1 Hurricane.

Also on the way down we had to make a stop in Wilmington, NC, and between there and the beach we passed a number of homes and businesses that had boarded up windows. Add that to my sick stomach. It was weird - very much a ghost town feeling. I can't stop thinking about how bad Hurricane Hugo was for us in 1989. I know Hanna is no Hugo - but still.

So how long we stay will really be determined tomorrow, but in all likelihood we're going to stay here and ride out the storm. The real kicker is that we've had a photographer booked for MONTHS to take a family portrait this weekend, and as of right now, we are STILL planning to be able to have that taken. On the beach. Saturday. I KNOW!!!!!!!!!! The absurdity of not cancelling/rescheduling that appointment has become comical at this point. Mother Nature may yet prove me wrong, and I'll eat crow if she does, but I'm just not seeing this portrait session taking place. Oy.

Our 70+ friends George & Betty are down here and they plan to stay through the weekend. We'll see. More updates tomorrow. But as of right now, it's breezy but no more than normal really. It's cloudy but some stars (AND PLANETS) are visible. The water is calm and all's quiet at the marina. Again, more updates tomorrow and pictures of our boat all strapped down and ready for Hanna, and probably for Hurricane Ike, a Cat 4, right on her heels.

A System for Everything

Here's a great system for not having to go through your closet every day to pick out somethig to wear. Outfits that pick themselves out, like Garanimals for Grown-ups, but better:

New Friends

We had such a good time with our weekend guests who drove down from Ohio. It's not often that the first time you meet people they're actually going to be staying in your home, much less that they turn out to be people you feel like you've known forever and get along so well, and have so much in common with. Aaron & Sarah turned out to be just that - and we spent our time together riding the motorcycles and jet skis, sharing a few decent meals, and talking about work and life for hours on end.



Sarah is an artist, an educator - she's a High School Art Teacher, and has started a community art studio for people of all ages to go and reclaim their own inner artist. She's smart, kind and thoughtful and she's an Aquarius - which explains a lot.



Aaron is a hugely talented ice guy, a clever business man, and is obsessed with making lists. Except for the lists part, you'd think he was Gary's long lost identical twin. He even eats peanut butter on Ritz crackers for dinner occasionally, just like Gary. They had so much to talk about they stayed up til 4 in the morning both days discussing all sorts of things of great importance.

Last night when Gary and I got home from a day of driving along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway where we parted ways with Aaron & Sarah, Gary discovered this lovely note, obviously drawn by Sarah in her sketch pad which she uses as a notebook:



Once again, the similarity struck me that I'd been thinking about how I'd blog about our weekend and the words "New Friends" had already come into my mind before I saw this. Awwwwww : )