verbingnouns

Verbose Ramblings on a Very Windy Day

Today was definitely the windiest day I can remember. It's certainly possible that I've lived through windier days, but none come to mind. There are trees down here and there in the area and the occassional tornado sighting in the region (none in Ouachita Parish that I know of) and lots of rain, though no flooding in my general area of Monroe. The worst I can claim is a bunch of small branches all over my yard. I was going to pick them up earlier this afternoon when I thought the storm had almost passed. I'm glad I didn't because it got all windy on us again. Here's a picture of my house with small limbs all over the yard. (Yes, I'm bored. See below.)

After the storm (all the darker green spots are branches rather than grass)

Here's a picture of my pineapple plant after the storm:

Poor Pitiful Pineapple Plant

I openly confess the plant did not look one bit better before the storm.
What do you think I am? A pineapple farmer?

Since I spent the morning sleeping in, followed by finishing my airplane (crash) book, I was beginning to go a bit stir crazy in the house. I heard from my parents, who live in southern/central east Texas - everybody was okay there - though without power or landline phones. Once I heard from them, I decided I would venture out a bit. The winds seemed calm and the rain had eased.
I (along with all the other geeks in town) went to Books-a-Million - which I hate. I had started to buy some books online earlier in the week, but then I thought - "No, I'll do business locally," - which was a nice sentiment, and even though BaM is not exactly a local company, my purchases still supports local employment. Anyway, I still hate that place. They arrange all their fiction in one section, which bothers my snobby sensibilities. I'm sorry, but seeing War and Peace in the same section with Shopaholic Takes Manhattan bothers me. It's impure. (Not that I'm entirely above Shopaholic Takes Manhattan - I do read In Style Magazine, so I have no room to brag.) Actually, going to BaM saved me some money, since, for some unknown reason, it's more painless for me to buy books online than it is for me to buy them in person. I bought none of the books I'd had in my electronic shopping cart earlier in the week. Instead, I purchased Reading Lolita in Tehran, which was in the non-fiction section - not in the poorly seperated fiction section, so I felt I could buy it in good taste. Besides, I need more information about Iran/Iraq because, frankly, I'm quite ignorant. Book review to follow eventually.

After BaM, I went next door to the Walmart because I wasn't ready to go back home yet, but wasn't willing to venture too far because of the tornado watches. You know that unspoken rule about not going to Walmart on a Saturday (or at 5 pm, or at the first of the month, etc., etc., ad infinitum)? Well it's still true during a tropical storm. Madhouse. I got what I needed, got in a long line {where I saw Thomas (out of the hospital!) and Emily from afar, but wasn't willing to give up my spot in line to say hello.} I noticed it had started raining hard again, but I had no idea. The trek to my car was unreal. I always park far way from the store because I figure I can use the extra walking and other people care more about a good parking space than I do. Sheesh. I have never walked through such. Not only was it pouring down, the wind was unreal. I had one eye shut, the other opened just enough for navigation and I'm pretty sure I was walking at a 45 degree angle. Then I started laughing out loud thinking of how ridiculous I must look - absolutely drenched, squinty eyes, mascara running down my face, trying to carry my case of Diet Mountain Dew (guilty pleasure) and 2 other bags (which were FULL of water by the time I got to my car) - not to mention my laughter, which must have made me look even more insane. I had to sit in the car for a few minutes to recover before driving back home.

I've spent the rest of the afternoon/evening on the verge of stir craziness again. I made some pumpkin scones for tomorrow's breakfast. I've read a few chapters of my new book. I've watched weather.com. I've looked out the window. I'm going nuts.** My phone service is horrible (which is typical - I'm working on getting cable phone instead of stupid BellSouth) so I can't call friends. I don't feel like watching a movie. I guess I'll go read some more.

In short: it's a good thing tomorrow is Sunday. I need human contact.

**I was alone most of the day yesterday, too (alone at work since my boss was gone and alone at home last night by choice), which explains my desperate need for socialization. If I ever end up in solitary confinement - watch out. (Don't think about that too hard because it doesn't make sense.)

Observations On My Trip

*Vacations are good. You should take one.

*It's amazing that a 2-hour time change can totally disorient me. I'm still trying to recover.

*I love Idaho - in the fall anyway. I bet I wouldn't have such fond feelings if I had gone in the dead of winter, but it was about 45 degrees when we left Tuesday morning and about 100 degrees (I kid you not) when we had a layover in Houston. It actually got hotter while we were gone. Today may be the first day of Autumn, but it's not feeling too autumnal around here.

*I'm sure I've said this before, but it bears repeating: I love Moscow. It's a home away from home for me. It is such a charming place. I love the town - the way you can walk all over the place; the fun stuff that goes on all over town (like the random "Luau" held downtown on a weekday afternoon, the farmer's market, etc.); the way I see about 20 people I know on a walk through downtown (and I haven't even lived there for 4 years). I miss it. If it was closer to Texas, I would definitely be tempted to move there (but if it was closer to Texas, the weather wouldn't be so nice right now).

*I always say that part of the charm about vacation is that it makes you miss home - well, I have to admit I wasn't ready to come back.

*When you give someone an airplane book**, you should not give them a book about a plane crash.

*It's good to be missed. I am always a little bit afraid that when I go on vacation, people at work will decide they don't really need me. Thankfully, I'm welcomed back and loaded down with work to do.

*I sat accross from the craziest woman ever to be allowed to board an airplane. This lady (a Monroe native, of course) was going on and on (and on) about her daughter (a model/phsychiatrist in Hollywood), her daughter's boyfriend (also a model) and all the Hollywood elite that she knew. She even had pictures which she was showing to some other ladies on the plane. The funny thing was that the pictures of her supposed daughter and boyfriend were postcards of actual famous people. I guess she assumed no one would notice.

**airplane book - a book that can be read quickly and mindlessly - could be finished after a day's travel.

Four Bucks is the New Two Bucks

April 12, 2003 - "I never thought I'd pay $1.33 for gas and be happy about it."

If I only knew then what I know now. Yesterday's price? $2.67.

Having a Blog is Like Having a Tamagatchi

Remember those annoying little electronic "pets" circa 1993? You know the ones: Tamagatchis a.k.a Gigapets that you had to make sure they got their electronic food, water, etc. so they wouldn't die? I never actually had a Gigapet, but everyone who did was so concerned that they were taken care of because if your Gigapet died - well, what would people think?
Having a blog is not quite so irritating since there is much less beeping, but having a blog does require constant attention, if only to make sure there are no shockingly lude inappropriate comments from spammers.

In Which a Middle-Class White Girl Rants About the Demographics of Louisiana

The demographics of New Orleans have drawn a lot of attention in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. I guess living in a city with remarkably similar demographics (particularly concerning race and poverty level) has made the press less-than-shocking for me.
I expected to find similar statistics in the other major Louisiana cities (Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Alexandria) so I was surprized to find that only our own dear Monroe shared the numbers.
But is it really that shocking? I wouldn't think Louisiana holds the title in poverty and racial turmoil. Did no one know? Was it Louisiana's own dirty little secret? Isn't it like this in other urban areas?
I hope the media coverage and the outrage by some will lead to some sort of dialogue that can honestly evaluate the situation and make progress in the race relations in this state and in the nation as a whole. As much as we (I include myself in that "we") like to ignore the issue or pretend there isn't an issue to deal with, we hinder any progress towards peace, just as much as those who want to make every issue an issue of race.
And, can I just ask: why aren't we allowed to talk about race and poverty? Just saying "black and poor" seems to have some sort of taboo to it. It's a fact: a lot of poor black people live in Louisiana. It's not a mean thing to say. It's true. It's a problem that needs to be addressed. Political correctness isn't helping. Ignoring it won't make it just go away. But why does it feel so inappropriate to mention it? Or is it just me?

Could Be Worse

If I ever complain about being bored in the office on Friday afternoon, remind me that at least it doesn't require rubber gloves.

Post to follow on my time working at the Red Cross Shelter (which was good overall).