Gustav

Hurricane's a' comin'. Got food, water, flashlights, blah, blah, blah... I even conveniently maxed out on hurricane induced freaking-out early this afternoon....

I've probably been watching cable television news for about 20 of the past twenty four hours. It's compulsive. They show the same footage over and over again, interview experts and moronic reporters who say the same things over and over again. (My favorite was the reporter who tried to interview some native New Orleaneans who'd decided not to evacuate. Apparently they were "several drinks in" and used very "colorful language." As Scott said, that's what they get for sending someone named Contessa to cover people who ride out hurricanes.) I tried surfing through the channels earlier but I just kept on flipping back. I haven't learned anything new in hours and it's not like anything I find out will make any difference, but I can't stop watching. It's sort of amazing and terrible.

Also, Baton Rouge is due for some hurricane force winds (category one, but still). Which causes me to ask only one question: why, oh why, is the twelve story construction crane a few blocks from my house still up? Since when do they make cranes to withstand seventy mile per hour winds? Well, I guess that massive crash I'll be hearing tomorrow, oh, around noon, will be the sound of the crane crushing the River Center Library. Good lord.

And in other morons in hurricanes related news, I'm told CNN has a reporter in Grand Isle. Because they apparently want him/her to die.