(Ballard Street via GoComics.com)
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I’m actually pleased that Irene has been a severe disappointment to the television weathermongers, since there’s been enough damage and disruption to satisfy the rest of us, thankyewverymuch.
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How’s the upcoming week looking in your area, with or without existential moments?
Reader Interactions
102Comments
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khead
I might have power by Tuesday. Fun.
Corner Stone
Are there any non-existential moments?
Jenny
Smooching in the Rain
Yutsano
Long, typical, then three day weekend where I get to play with horses.
And I’m picking on an old frat brother on Facebook. He’s tolerating it well so far. But we were always good at shutting each other up when necessary.
JBerardi
Looks like this.
Phylllis
Watching My Man Godfrey. The mother in that movie is one silly twit. Back to work tomorrow. Woo hoo.
Linda Featheringill
@Jenny:
Cute picture.
gogol's wife
Everyone I know except me has no power. I don’t want to brag in case it goes out now.
Meredith
anyone who thinks IRENE was hyped too much is just a fool, and now it’s time for Inspector Lewis.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Yutsano: Horses! Yay.
We look to have okay weather this week here, low to mid 80s. Of existential moments, it seems we will be moving to NH before long, so I need to find a job in the southern part of the state. I am not admitted in NH (though I could waive in if I took the MPRE, which didn’t exist when I sat). So if anyone has any job ideas, I’d love to hear them.
The Dangerman
Deep thoughts, such as I’ve already used my August allowance at the NYT, but if I go through Google News, it lets me see the article that going through the front door wouldn’t allow just now (it appears all Irene articles are free)…
…so should I feel bad for finding a way around their security? Deep thoughts…
/old napster user
gogol's wife
@Meredith:
Yes, I was so sad I wasn’t going to get to see Inspector Lewis if my power went out. Small pleasures.
Lojasmo
Forgot to buy beer yesterday. Unwinding from a clusterfuck of a day at work with mediocre Pinot noir. Tomorrow off. Hoping to ride some single track, and go see “don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”
Ron Beasley
Here in the Pacific NW we are known for our boring weather. It has been a cool summer with precipitation about normal in July and August -zero. We have little earthquakes all the time and a really big one about every 300 years – the bad news is we are overdue for the really big one. Yes we have volcanoes and Mt Hood and Mount Rainer are probably overdue as well but Mt St Helens didn’t impact many people. But we know that Mt Hood and Mt Rainer could but there really isn’t jack we could do about it.
The dark gray days and the rain will return soon and we ethnic Oregonians are actually looking forward to it by the end of August. Big storms are rare as are big earthquakes. Snow is usually a two day inconvenience. Boring is good!
Yutsano
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): There are lots of apple trees on the ranch, and last time I was there most were loaded with fruit. If any are even close to big Cody and I get to play Find the Apple. Of course he just demands it and I give in. :) Plus, well, organic apples!
RossInDetroit
We’re 500 miles west of the bad weather. Thank you Great Lakes for buffering our climate.
SIA
@Phylllis: I love that movie. TCM? They must be running Carole Lombard films today. I watched Lady By Choice earlier.
PurpleGirl
@Meredith: I watch Inspector Lewis too.
SIA
@JBerardi: Ruh-roh. Well, the grill survived, small consolation.
PurpleGirl
Tomorrow morning I’ll put the chairs back on the terrace. Hopefully the wind will have died down — it was still too windy this afternoon to put the stuff back out.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
Just finished King of Hearts, good as I remembered it was. Geneviève Bujold was stunning.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Corner Stone:
Whoa. Cosmic.
Maude
People in NJ were calling the local radio station whining full force that their power had been off since last night and the power company wasn’t answering the phone and when was their power going to be on and they couldn’t stand this anymore. Affluent people are really expecting things to work for them because they want them to.
Litlebritdifrnt
Excuse me if I republish this rant.
Okay peeps I am going to vent. Pin yer ears back. All over the twitterverse the “elites” in the North East are spouting about a “non event” Katty Kaye said she was “underwhelmed by Irene” well madam you are damn well lucky that you are underwhelmed by Irene. You should have sat through almost 24 hours of the most brutal winds and rain and at times thinking that your house was a gonner. As I have said before, I have been through lots and lots of hurricanes, I am not a wimp, but this bitch scared the treacle out of me. Seriously. And to listen to you NE Coast elites spout your bullshit about being “underwhelmed” and Irene being a non event just pisses me off to the nth degree. Why is it only important if it happens to NY or the North East Coast. What the fuck are we down here in the South chopped fucking liver? Seriously, stop it, we have got some serious damage down here. This storm was historic in its fury and its length and you guys up there are bitching about the emergency being “not worth it”. Fuck you guys. Seriously. Fuck you.
Thank you.
Unabogie
@Ron Beasley:
Hey, fellow Portlander!
Paddy
My week started off badly after I read this entire op column, but I did get a post out of it-
Winger Melodrama posing as Serious Newspaper Opinion Column on Michelle Obama
Hopefully I’ll finally get to see a doctor this week. Well, it’s either that or back to the E.R. just to get some damn meds. Bureaucracy sucks big ones. Other than that, the weather in N IN couldn’t be better, balmy and mild.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@Litlebritdifrnt: I’m sick of all these Brit’s on MSNBC that can’t say one fucking sentence without saying “sort of”. Every goddamn thing is sort of this and sort of that. Learn to speak. . . English!
Paddy
@Litlebritdifrnt: Amen. As en ex SoFloridian, any hurricane is nerve fraying, and from what they said on the teevee, this one was unusually large, so the associated crap weather was unusually long. Not a fun wait.
Maude
@Litlebritdifrnt:
9 people died from Irene.
There are parts of NJ that are cut off from the world and will be that way for a bit.
They thing a new canal was plowed by Irene next to Sandy Hook which is part of the Jersey shore that sticks out.
The whiners I was talking about aren’t the ones who are without stuff.
A housing development has 200 houses and no one can get out. People were scared last night and listened to the radio. Irene was big and dangerous. I listened to the radio about how Irene was behaving down south.
I am so glad that the officials made a big deal out of being prepared for the storm. It saved a lot of lives. A lot of shelters in south Jersey were full.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Steeplejack (phone):Good to see you. How you be post-op?
Ira-NY
@Raven (formerly stuckinred):
I sort of agree with you.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@Ira-NY: :)
Litlebritdifrnt
@Paddy: The damn thing was over the top of us for about 24 hours, yet I am supposed to freak out cause it skimmed over New York for 15 minutes or so? What the Fuck?
TaMara (BHF)
Okay, the apple butter is fait accompli. Still cooking two more batches, but the first two are done. The full story here:
Apple Butter Anyone
Not bad for my first attempt at something like this.
YoohooCthulhu
Incidentally, to all the wingnuts freaking out about Al-Megrahi (Lockerbie bomber mastermind), CNN managed to track him down (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/08/28/libya.lockerbie.bomber/index.html)
Looks like it’s a combination of a) he lived longer than the prognosis suggested and b) he was actually sicker than he appeared in public appearances. I fully expect that most of the last two years he’s been confined to his bed.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Maude:
Ditto. Yet all of the coverage today was about New York, Jim Cantori is stuck out on the Battery with a mild overwash. What is wrong with these people?
jeff
Irene for me was sooo long. It was bad for other areas, but not bad for me. My complaint is just that these hurricanes should be much quicker. On the Gulf Coast, where I’m from, we usually had 48 hours of pre-storm news, then 1 day of storm. I swear this one was like 6 days coming and 3 going. I’ve been handling things for tons of people who can’t get to Manhattan because of the shutdowns.
And good god the Weather Channel sucks. I should be glad that midtown is quiet for the first time ever, but I just feel like the last survivor of the zombie apocalypse.
WyldPirate
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Awesome rant, Littlebritdifrnt.
I talked to some of my friends in Greenville, NC just up the road from you and Irene ripped up the town pretty good from what they said. It wasn’t necessarily the intensity that had everyone on edge (though it wasn’t a slouch either) but the duration.
Those hosers in NYC got off really lucky this time. That storm would have been ridiculous in its damage and scope had it been a Cat3.
Got to give big kudos to the NWS for their forecasting on this storm as well. They nailed the hell out of the storm track and timing. Also, big kudos to government at the Federal, State and Local levels. They seemed to have all of their shit in one tiny bag from a preparation standpoint.
Skepticat
@Litlebritdifrnt:
This rather reminds me of the hideous disasters for which the headline reads “Two Americans die” and the remainder of the article slides over the huge loss of life in some other less exceptional country.
Irene’s giving us New England elites only some rain and heavy wind at the moment, but rather than underwhelmed, I am exceedingly grateful. I’ve had the pleasure of being on the receiving end. This time my house in the Bahamas is intact and this shack in Maine is holding up well, so I’m amazingly two for two. However, I’m painfully cognizant of other areas and neighbors who weren’t so lucky. I wish you well.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@WyldPirate: Rodanthe got waxed, higway 12 is trashed.
Jenny
FEMA sure functions well under Democratic administrations.
Maude
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Wall Street is in NY. There are a ton of rich people with multi million dollar apartments in Manhattan. I bet that’s why. NY didn’t get what you got and it was a relief for the regular people. There are also a lot of tv and radio stations located in NYC. That’s the best reasoning I can give.
JPL
@Litlebritdifrnt: Good rant. Yesterday Julie, I think that was her name said enough already. She was in Wilmington and what happened in NC was that it kept going on and on and on and on. Most storms just pass and don’t torment you for 14 plus hours. I’d feel your pain but living in GA our heat is oppressive and rain is lacking so there is that.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@JPL: 65 by mornin, I have to face the frickin ATL commute tomorrow. ugh
Corner Stone
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
he feels much freer now as a female. You may now reference her as SteepleJill.
JPL
@Raven (formerly stuckinred): lol.. those folks need to thank us because our heat sucked the energy out of the storm. Yeah for us.. we saved wall street.
Wasn’t it last year that we had record flooding.
SIA
@JPL: HotLanta is hot. I’m way, way over it, but still better than having the water rising up the stairs. Being in a bad flood must be the worst.
Quarks
Meanwhile, Irene is causing some massive flooding in Vermont and the Catskills:
http://www.wcax.com/story/15347599/wilmington-inundated-by-irene-flooding
http://www.examiner.com/the-weather-channel-in-national/the-weather-channel-reports-on-irene-flooding-vermont-and-catskills
Quarks
Here’s some video of flooding in the Catskills:
http://vimeo.com/28267848
Kewalo
@Ron Beasley:
Hello…I’m with you, I mostly enjoy our boring weather, but for the past two years, here in Tukwila we were snowed in and it was NOT boring but scary. I don’t like snow to begin with and if I have my choice it’ll never happen again. Not only that but the dog was a real pain in the butt to get her to go outside…she hates snow too.
But it was beautiful today, and boring so I did some reading around the web and of course ended up reading something that just infuriated me. I thought I would share it.
If Hypocrisy Was Painful
http://juanitajean.com/2011/08/26/if-hypocrisy-was-painful/
Thank goodness it’s almost time for Inspector Lewis…and it sounds like a good one too.
Tom Q
I agree 100% with the rant as well, and I live in NY. Hearing what others are going through, I’m grateful, not annoyed that I was warned in excess of what we actually got on my block.
And don’t be so sweeping about Eastern elites — Vermont is certainly in that category, and it looks like they got smoked with flooding.
Triassic Sands
Forecasters are great at predicting a hurricane’s path, but not nearly so good at predicting its intensity. For now, responsible people have to be willing to risk the inconvenience that arises out of being over-cautious in order to avoid experiencing the inconvenience of being dead from not being cautious enough.
My guess is that in most hurricanes members of the first group far outnumber those in the second group, but every one of the people in the second group would gladly change places with someone in the first group if they were given the chance. Unfortunately, dead people rarely get another chance.
Another common experience is related by people who decide to “bravely” sit out the storm without evacuating. Afterward, those who were fortunate enough to survive the full brunt of the storm (as opposed to those who were outside the path of greatest impact) usually regret their choice and vow never to do it again. It turns out that being terrified isn’t that much fun.
WyldPirate
@Raven (formerly stuckinred):
I know. A lot of shit on the OBX got trashed.
In some respects, I wouldn’t be at all unhappy if all of the barrier islands had the permanent structures bulldozed from the northernmost point of the East Coast all the way down to Padre Island in the Gulf. There are some real eyesores despoiling the natural beauty of those islands.
No matter. Global warming will end up submerging them and much of the coast soon enough.
JPL
Litlebrit is right because the storm focused on NC and refused to leave but when it did it left a calling card all over the east coast. With some trains not running in NYC, commutes are going to be interesting and long and Vermont is a mess. It’s going to be a long time before clean up is complete.
TaMara (BHF)
@Yutsano: I swear we were separated at birth…Great Danes, cats, cooking, and now horses. Have fun, I’m a bit envious.
Yutsano
@TaMara (BHF): My sister by another mother…I can go for that! If you’re looking at possibly buying a Swedish car too then it’s gonna get REALLY scary! :)
Munira
Here in southern Quebec it’s still going on and on and on – wind, rain, at least four trees down in front – that’s what I can see from the window – or could while it was still light. The wind was too wild to go outside and look. I’m going to bed now and hope it’s finally over by the time I wake up.
SteveinSC
@WyldPirate:Pirate…My son graduated from “ECTC.” Was a Sigma Pi and as anyone from that area knows, the Sigmas were Animal House reborn. Town has lots of trees down and water in the streets, some siding off. I think Little Washington got the eye and Greenville got the eye-wall.
“Rodanthe got waxed, higway 12 is trashed.” Again. Manteo flooded.
JPL
Definitely OT.. but our local elementary schools have grandparents/special friends day and the little boy from next door came over and asked if I would go. He is in first grade and last year he didn’t have anyone and felt awful. He explained that all that was required of me was to help with a craft. I explained that I was good at lots of things but he would have to help with the crafty stuff. He said he felt honored to.
My sons moved here in 4th and 5th grade so missed that aspect but were appalled that the school had something that might exclude someone. I told them to get over it cuz I could finally be someones special friend or grand ma.
Yutsano
YAY!! I just got an e-mail that says I’m eligible for the Registry for Distinguished Women! I’m so honored…
Wait…
:: checks down pants ::
Damn spammers. That one cracked me up no end.
And Another Thing...
@WyldPirate: I totally agree with your comments. NYC & the NE should be very thankful that the storm was 65 mph instead of 85 & that it didn’t arrive at high tide.
A whole lot of people worked their asses off to be prudently prepared, and there’s an awesome amount of work ahead to get things working again.
Any talking head elite who’s bitching ought to be handed a shovel and a pry bar so that can start ripping up ruined drywall. Or maybe send em up a pole to fix the power lines.
JPL
@Yutsano: Distinguished Balloon Juice Commenter is more like it. I’m sure John could sell plaques.
Paddy
I’m not gonna spam the thread with links to my posts, but I wanted ya’ll to know that Michele “Crazy Eyes” Bachman is on a roll. Original Miami Herald link- Bachmann says she’d consider Everglades drilling
That’s hallucinatory fever dream stuff. I called my bro (he’s one of those itchywhatever people) who has spent A LOT of time in the ‘Glades and he rattled off this hongo list of endangered species in the ‘Glades. Seriously, wtf?
Roger Moore
@Yutsano:
I think they noticed you like men and figured you must be a woman. Damn heteronormative spammers!
SIA
Hey This is cool. I’m in the wilds of Alabama for a couple days, but I’m watching tonight’s episode of Inspector Lewis on Netflix streaming on my iPad. I love technology.
Yutsano
@Roger Moore: I considered that possibility. Maybe I need to tone it down a bit. Nah, what fun would that be?
Pizza place gave me the totally wrong pizza. Since the mistake isn’t atrocious I’m not gonna bitch. But I’m not ordering from them again either.
gogol's wife
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I’m glad you’re alive and kicking. I thought of you many times the last couple of days.
jharp
Central Indiana has been experiencing about the most beautiful weather one could expect.
It really is nice.
Daughter is at Purdue. And son is a senior. And I could not be more proud of my kids.
Jay in Oregon
I don’t know how I missed this for so long, but this is the best thing I listened to all weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr4HffbAUTk
Rommie
Star Wars: The Old Republic is supposed to begin large-scale testing next weekend. The Internet will burn with gamer glee and/or rage over the holiday, if it happens on schedule. Only the lucky few already in the Beta, which I can’t confirm or deny about my status, knows the Epic Fireball that is coming to every gaming-related forum when the large-scale testing does begin.
Corner Stone
@Jay in Oregon: Hey Jay, I’ve been wondering. Are you still married?
Svensker
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Completely agree. All the poor people in the projects in Hoboken, NJ, are flooded out, with no power, sewage backing up into the streets. Across town where the banksters live in million dollar condos/brownstones with hand polished concrete countertops, everything is hunky dory and they’re all like, “bogus hurricane, dude”.
Lojasmo
Okay, this is an open thread, Lady Gaga stayed in character as a man through the entire MTV VMA and absolutely rocked the whole show.
Roger Moore
@Yutsano:
You’d better stop asking too many questions about the spam you receive. Next you’ll be wondering why your friend in Nigeria who picked you as an especially trustworthy person to get his money out of the country needs to ask basic information like your name and address.
Mark S.
Tech question: periodically over the last several days, my laptop will be unable to find our home wireless connection. It can find other wireless connections (i.e. my neighbors’) but not the home one. This doesn’t affect any of the other computers or the Nook or the xbox. What the hell is going on?
patrick II
I watched the surfing championship at Virginia Beach today. Yesterday’s events were cancelled because of the storm, however they were at it today. The waves were great.
andy
This weekend I went to a field day at a local farm (they had participated in a U of M feasibility study concerning hop agriculture in Minnesota), and I made some grub on saturday and sunday.
I seem to like the color yellow.
Svensker
@JPL:
Awww, poor little guy. Glad you could help.
Yutsano
@Roger Moore: So you’re saying…I should have responded then? :)
The Dangerman
@Yutsano:
Pfffft; I once had a Fortune Cookie that said (best as I can recall) “He only has eyes for you”…
…and I’m straight.
Nutella
@Litlebritdifrnt
Wow, that ‘nonevent’ Irene seems to be pretty eventful in Vermont. Thanks to a link above, I saw this story that says the creek in Rutland is not only much higher than flood stage, it’s DOUBLE flood stage. Lots of damage.
burnspbesq
@Yutsano:
Forward it to Amanda in the South Bay. Don’t let it go to waste.
Gozer
Anyone here own a Kia? The spousal unit and I are thinking about getting one.
Jay in Oregon
@Corner Stone:
Yes. In fact, Thursday was our 11th anniversary.
However, she moved out almost a year ago; we didn’t see each other or even talk for about four months, but we’ve been slowly reconnecting since we both went to her sister’s wedding in January.
I figure it took us a long time to get where we were, I can stand to take the time to try putting it back together.
I should add that a lot of BJ’ers gave me advice that I didn’t understand at the time and, in some cases, didn’t heed (and in some cases, I really should have); I want to thank all of you did. :)
burnspbesq
It’ll be our turn soon. It has been brutally hot and dry in SoCal for the last couple of weeks (99 here yesterday). All it’s going to take is one spark in the wrong place.
trollhattan
I’m informed by WaPo that per Perry, GWB is insufficiently conservative, also, too.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rick-perry-distances-himself-from-george-w-bush-in-gop-presidential-race/2011/08/24/gIQAyChdlJ_story.html
Lord, deliver us from these people.
moonbat
People who are disappointed that the hurricane wasn’t MORE devastating are idiots. You can also put in that category people who “ride it out” and risk the lives of first responders who have to come rescue their asses when things don’t go as planned and the people who can’t seem to get it through their heads that being in the path of a hurricane is “real” in the sense of being fucking REAL and not something you’re watching on television and so get killed or blown away while standing on their front porch.
Trees downed here and we lost power but only for a little while. Believe me I am happy that things were not any more dramatic.
Corner Stone
@Jay in Oregon: Jay, more power to you amigo.
Helen
@JPL: OMG that just made me cry. That he didn’t have anyone is just awful. Thank goodness he thought to ask you. Thank you for being so kind. Your kindness will be repayed a million-fold.
Marc
OT: The next time that someone needs an example of Daily Kos being obnoxious – there is a perfect example by Hunter on the front page:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/28/1011477/-Open-thread-for-night-owls:-A-few-pointless-grumblings?via=blog_1
Opening lede:
“At some point, you have to come to the conclusion that they just don’t want to create jobs, and it’s as simple as that. By “they” I mean everyone: the Republicans, the Democrats, the House, the Senate, the White House, the Fed, the Wall Street and other business lobbyists that influence them, the banks, and so on.”
Yup, Obama is exactly the same as the Republicans, and what he does has nothing to do with the results of the last election.
Good God, but the firebaggers are deluded. Is there some purpose this swill is supposed to be serving?
Montysano
@moonbat:
It’s Matt Fucking Drudge’s world, and I’m sick of living in it.
Lojasmo
@Gozer:
Jesus. Get a ford focus or chevy sonic instead. DEFINATELY US made and UAW produced.
Katie5
Lots of rain and wind in Montreal. That was one massive storm.
Steeplejack (phone)
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
Doing really well. Doc took three passes, ended up cutting out about 3.5 x 5.5 cm by 1.5 mm deep. Arm didn’t start to hurt until today, as skin starts to tighten up. But that’s a good thing–healing.
Hassle factor is I have to change dressing twice a day. Heavy layer of Vaseline to prevent scabbing, gauze pad, adhesive tape and (until today) wrap to prevent swelling. No stitches on wound, it heals naturally in about a month. Today my brother the combat ophthalmologist showed me some combo bandages at CVS that have gauze and adhesive together, sort of like a gigantic Band-Aid. Much easier to put on one-handed.
Irene didn’t do much in my corner of NoVa, so I have had an uneventful weekend. Find myself wanting to sleep a lot but have a little trouble finding a comfortable arm position.
Off to bed soon. Will check back in the morning.
Bmaccnm
@Unabogie: Hey to both of you, from the People’s Republic of Southeast. I love my neighborhood, even if the weather is boring. Tonight’s sunset was quite lovely, as seen from a table outside of the Baghdad.
Corner Stone
@Steeplejack (phone): C’mon. Not even going to say anything about my “SteepleJill” quip?
I don’t ask for much.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Corner Stone:
Haven’t caught up on the threads, but I’m sure it’s har-de-har-larious.
opie_jeanne
@PurpleGirl: I watch Inspector Lewis also, too.
AnneLaurie, here is what our week will be full of:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowwhite/sets/72157627543286270/
Yutsano
@opie_jeanne: Kill them all before it’s too late. Or get a couple of ferrets. That’ll work too.
Comrade Javamanphil
@JPL: Only one death in VT that I’ve heard reported so far but extensive damage and towns literally cut off from the outside world as bridges washed away. Watching the videos of old covered bridges getting washed away is disproportionately depressing.
brighid
Vermont is underwater. several towns have no way in or out. The destruction is epic. but I am glad your happy the storm wasn’t a big deal. FUCK YOU.
twiffer
given my house (central CT) is surrounded by large trees, i’m just happy none fell on my house. big branch came down in between us and the neighbors; large tree fell down the road a bit (which is why i have no power at home).
i am a bit surprised it is the largest single power outage in CT history. i’d have thought some of the ice storms or nor’easters would have had more impact. also, i’m annoyed that TWC seems to have decided CT is not part of new england.
what bothers me about the impact not being quite proportional to the hype is that one does not quite know how to prepare. sure, i prepped for the worst, battened the hatches down and so forth. but, over-hype does lead people to tune out the possibility of any threat. that leads to trouble.