Back at home base – Power was still out when I arrived, so Dan and I went to publix to get some dry goods and water for me to wait it out here. We had some serendipitous encounters with another shopper… Dan (the big goof) kept prodding me to get her number.

Obligatory tiny quicktime movie of gale-force winds.(~700k) Warning, loudy-loud wind-whoosh.

Power is been back on now, though spotty. Cell phones are still kind of weird in this area, too.

I’m now shaved, showered and re-goatee’d. I’m regretting the office tomorrow.. a lot of work ahead. But, it’ll make the day go by that much more swiftly. I figure the majority of the morning will be putting machines back where they belong, and getting the network back to aces.

Newt’s so happy to be home, he’s practically dancing. I’m delighted to have my own bed again, too, though it wasn’t really a hardship staying with D&J. They were very helpful and gracious… I appreciate being able to stay there. Janet’s cooking is a lot better than I remembered. The scones were especially good.

Ivan is due next weekend. Some frickin’ supervillian is testing his weather machine, I just know it.

Who knows what stuff I missed on the blogs I read…I imagine I’ll get caught up eventually.

Um.. Paris Hilton’s publishing her “memoirs?” It’s a pity that there’s even a possible market for that.

Snopes link for anyone else that mentions that whole “757 or missile?” pentagon crash thing. Read it top to bottom… it answers every question posted with logical and well-researched answers. I guess it’s rearing up again, because the anniversary is drawing near.

Still no power at my place tonight, so I spend one more here at Danny’s. (Beats going black to a dark, hot shoebox.) There’s still a wind advisory and a flood watch, but the worst of Frances is over. Wind and water still whistles and batters the outside.

We all went for a midday wet-walk to the gas station, and around the lake to assess damage, and breathe some open air. It’s messy here, with a number of blown over fences and snapped trees, but the houses look ok and everything seems mostly intact.

Cell phones are still kaput here, and the land line is spotty.

The Winn-Dixie was open, and people were in and out… not crowded, but had a lot of movement. I think that we’re going to get some Chinese Takeout for supper tonight.

The Gamajin movies were a huge success.. Everybody liked ’em, and power only blinked a little bit while watching them.

I wonder how the TV news is able to have so many reporters on the coast… they must be placed just far enough apart up and down the line so that they can’t see one another’s show-lights.

I’ve got about 150% the hits in the first three days of September over the entire month of August, thanks to the hurricane, I’m guessing. (averaging 1813 hits an hour??)

Dear Hurricane Ivan:

Leave me the hell alone. I want to spend next week at my own damn home. Please just shoot North, and harmlessly spin some fishies.

Thanks.

Best Frances Photo so far:

I missed the JLU episode I was really wanting to see.. the one with the Question. I’ll have to seek out a torrent of it when I make it back to base.