Free again!

After a 6 month stint as a temp for Landsafe/Countrywide, I was "released" from the job this past Monday. The reason given was due to a work slow down. This is a bald faced lie, as we were so far behind schedule we barely had time to breathe.

But it was a good experience, all in all. I was witness to the overwhelming crisis brought on by the greedy sub-prime lenders- a crisis which our grandchildren will be paying for. I learned about the real estate and foreclosure market. I got to see firsthand that 3 years after Katrina, there are still huge areas of the gulf coast waiting to be rebuilt or even just cleared out.

This does not bode well for Galveston, which was utterly devestated by Ike. Gone are the warm golden beaches, most of the houses, piers and any semblance of utilities. I imagine it looked worse after the 1900 hurricane, but not by much. I'm still surprised by how many residents refused to leave, but not surprised when they realized too late what they were up against, and called for rescue, only to be told nobody would come for them until sometime the next day, maybe...

Long story short, (too late!) I really enjoy being home. Being a full time cat butler, having dinner ready for Tom when he gets home, playing with my beads, etc. I know this luxury won't last long, so I'll enjoy every minute!

Marta

Thanks for nuthin, Gustav!

For a whole week, the local weatherman said Hurricane Gustav was going to spend it’s dying days over north Texas, giving us some much needed rain. But instead of continuing due west, Gustav took a turn north and soaked Arkansas. On Thursday, one of the outermost bands gave us a glancing blow with just enough misting rain to make the morning commute a total nightmare. By the afternoon, the clouds had burned off and the resulting humidity was like a gym’s locker room.

Now we’re back to every day, Hot and Sunny. At least the days of 100 degrees + are over! I’m tired of worrying about our AC unit. There were probably 5 days in a row that the poor thing never shut off.

It looks like we might have a chance with Ike, but that’s still a week or so before we have a hint of where it’s going. I spent the entire Labor Day weekend glued to the tv, watching the weather channel. I must have seen the same footage of 2 dudes putting plywood over windows a hundred times! No matter how many times I see somebody getting their umbrella turned inside out, it still makes me giggle.