click on the pictures to make them bigger

Some pictures from the tropical storm that passed through here. These are of the "lake" in front of my home.

In the first picture, you can see how high the water is. That round thing by the tree is a trash can (on the walking path).





Pictures two and four show the main street I live on which is all under water currently.

Picture three shows the one way street submerged under water. The road is between the two sets of trees, and the trees on the right side are along the walking path.

I didn't make it to the other side of the lake, but it was obvious that it is also under water. I'm not trapped, but there are people unable to get out of their homes.
I'll let you know how long it takes to clear up.

Drugs and stupid people go hand in hand

In June, police in Spokane, Wash., arrested Calvin Robinson, 19, who had set up inside the lockable family restroom at a mall because he needed an electrical outlet to run the color printer he had just bought for $100 (in real money) in order to make counterfeit $10 bills. Police recovered a sheet of uncut, poorly made copies, which Robinson said he had intended to use to buy "90 dollars" worth of marijuana. [Spokesman-Review (Spokane), 6-6-08]

All of my law school friends are gone. I just realized this today. And they all have jobs. Well, maybe not all of them. I am being really selective in my job search because I am too old to get stuck in a crappy job. And I am very good at making excuses. But really, I don't want to take the first job that comes along just because it is offered to me. I am thinking of an ex-friend who is working in insurance defense law or slip and fall law--not sure which. Either way, it is the "afterbirth of law" according to one poster on a law site I frequent.

As a result of my stress, I ate a bunch of pizza and am now on my third beer. Self destruction lite.

A recent case of a drunk woman being beaten to death at Lil Kim's birthday party really had me thinking. Women are vulnerable and need to stick with their friends. I have done a lot of stupid things and I consider myself lucky to be alive. Most recently, my sister and I visited my "Frasier apartment" and both of us made a bad decision. We followed some dude into an elevator who offered to show us around. I had a bad feeling and after talking to sis, she also had a creepy feeling, and yet both of us ignored this feeling and went with him into a small space with no escape route. Dumb. I had my pepper spray, and sis has some muscle power, but still, very dumb. I think we ignored our creep detector because there was another person there--I said to myself, well, if Essie is going along, it must not be so bad, and I would guess she was feeling the same. Gavin De Becker is hanging his head in shame at the both of us.

It didn't help matters that the guy kept talking about how thick the walls were--and how you couldn't hear your neighbors--subtext: no one will hear your screams, and how you rarely passed anyone in the halls--subtext: no witnesses. When he walked away, it gave me the opportunity to ask sis whether she was creeped out by this guy, and upon her response: a little, we boogied it out of there. So, no Frasier apartment for me.

The other apartment we looked at had a nature trail to hell. Actually the trail was to a park, but the leasing agent told us they had a guy wander up to the complex from the trail which totally creeped me out, and the more I think about it, the less I want to rent from them.

In sum: no job, no apartment.
I applied for 7 jobs today, and I expect a certain career book to arrive tomorrow which will give me tips for my career search. I have 2 backup plans, and I am trying to decide when I want to move out of this town for good. It needs to be soon because my neighbors are making me insane. The constant booming of their music grates on my nerves so bad that beginning around 5 pm, I am on edge just waiting for them to start their impromptu discotheque. I hate them.

I just realized the guy from TMZ is the same guy who interviews people on the street on People's Court. That makes me feel weird--I think it makes me feel weird because he is short. Or because he is a trained attorney trying to make it in Hollywood, or because he thought up TMZ and is now a very wealthy man. I am assuming he is the brains behind TMZ. I want to be him.

Something else on tv makes me feel weird, and that is the Target commercial that features two young ladies doing a dance off as they move into their dorm room. I love that commercial because the song is so upbeat and the white girl is so lanky. I could watch her dance all day. She's so lanky and obviously white that you think she can't dance, but then she busts out her moves, and even then, you think--is she executing that move correctly? She is, but there is something a little strange about it. She is a dancing illusion/mirage.

I've been trying to write a cover letter all day. I now have carpel tunnel and no letter. Why can't I just write: dude, give me a job. I promise I'm cool.
All this trying to word stuff is exhausting. Add in the fact that my dogs are all about sitting next to or on top of me, and you are getting one cranky rp.

I just realized this week that the dude from group that I promised to write an entry about reminds me of Chandler on Friends. And I recently saw his current gal-pal, and she is totally a younger, ruder version of Janice--what with the over the top clothes and spackled on makeup. Although young Janice had her boobs hanging out, and I don't envision tv Janice doing that. And young Janice didn't even look at me (or anyone else) when introduced, and tv Janice wasn't a rude character. Word on the street is young Janice smelled like pot, so maybe her bad manners were doobie-induced. Whatever the origin of her manners, she did not impress me.

Just this week I told Esther that Morgan Freeman was a national treasure, and now I read on Yahoo news he has been injured in a car accident. I am flipping out. I love that man.

The bar was what it was. I was going to write a long entry about it, but I can't be bothered to do so when our national treasure is in "serious condition". Atlanta was fun, though. Did I need a comma after fun? I love my sister and wish we lived closer, and assuming I find a job, we will live closer soon. The problem is, I don't really want most of the jobs I am qualified for--they are so freaking boring. I may have to settle for a paycheck for a while.