It's starting to lightning. Still no rain. Odd since Galveston is already getting pounded. The news showed the reporting just getting pelted.
Looking out my window I see exactly six cars driving around. When was the last time Westheimer was that empty? I see plenty of cops driving around. One has been sitting in the same spot in the Zone D'erotica parking lot. I thought maybe someone was riding the storm out there since a car was in the lot for hours. I saw a tow trucking hauling it off and the cop has been parked there ever since.
CVS was going to stay open through the store. The only ones they were going to close were the ones in the evacuated areas. I guess they changed their minds since the one across the street is closed.
In some weird twisted way this is exciting. I know how dangerous the storm is and how much damage it's going to cause but I'm getting some kind of cheap thrill sitting through it.
Just in: 315,000 homes without electricity according to CenterPoint Energy.
I expect the hotel power will go out soon. We keep getting brief outages. A memo was passed out saying if power goes out they have emergency power but it will be minimal power. Rooms will be in the dark and the air conditioning will be out. Power will only light the hallways and operate one elevator. They are also setting up one of the meeting rooms as a "shelter in place" in case people have problems with their rooms.
If power is still on later I'll post more.
Friday, September 12, 2008
I just had dinner in one of the hotel ballrooms. Sat with three couples. The elderly couple that sat with us was from Baytown. Just my luck I come into Houston and I meet people from Baytown. The man was telling us about his previous hurricane experiences. We told us the worse one was in the 1930s back before they used to name storms. The next was Carla in 1961. It was nice to meet a World War II veteran. He served in the navy during the war.
Even though the storm hasn't hit places are already starting to lose power. The Houston Chronicle is reporting up to 160,000 homes are out of electricity. My hotel had a brief outage.
These are my last pictures for the night. It looks more like someone nuked Katy but it's the sunset. Amazing since it's been cloudy all day.
Even though the storm hasn't hit places are already starting to lose power. The Houston Chronicle is reporting up to 160,000 homes are out of electricity. My hotel had a brief outage.
These are my last pictures for the night. It looks more like someone nuked Katy but it's the sunset. Amazing since it's been cloudy all day.
I like Ike
No, I really don't like Ike. He screwed up my weekend plans. It was all football weekend starting with Houston Cougars vs. Air Force and then Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens. The college game moved to Dallas and the Texans game will be played Monday evening. I hope to still go to the Texans game if I don't have to report back to work.
As far as the weather, it is getting cloudy and the wind has definitely kicked up. I was just outside and I can feel the wind but looking out my window I don't see the tree swaying. Strange. I'm also surprised it still hasn't rained. Landfall is less than eight hours out.
People I can tell are getting restless already. I went downstairs and the lobby was full. People were just sitting around talking and reading. The bar was full. They closed the hotel restaurant but they will be serving a buffet from 7-9 p.m. Good. I have supplies to get me through the weekend but you can't beat a good solid hot meal.
The latest pictures from my window:
As far as the weather, it is getting cloudy and the wind has definitely kicked up. I was just outside and I can feel the wind but looking out my window I don't see the tree swaying. Strange. I'm also surprised it still hasn't rained. Landfall is less than eight hours out.
People I can tell are getting restless already. I went downstairs and the lobby was full. People were just sitting around talking and reading. The bar was full. They closed the hotel restaurant but they will be serving a buffet from 7-9 p.m. Good. I have supplies to get me through the weekend but you can't beat a good solid hot meal.
The latest pictures from my window:
Blogging Hurrican Ike
Hello all out there. I'm here holed up in the luxurious Hotel Detriech.
Right now is the calm before the storm. The first clouds are coming in right on time like predicted. I'll give the weathermen credit for getting it right.
Things are pretty quiet now that folks have either evacuated or holed in. Of course there are several idiots that are going to try and ride out the storm surge predicted at up to 20 feet.
These pictures are the view from my hotel room. They were taken about 12:30 p.m. Be safe and I'll post more later.
Right now is the calm before the storm. The first clouds are coming in right on time like predicted. I'll give the weathermen credit for getting it right.
Things are pretty quiet now that folks have either evacuated or holed in. Of course there are several idiots that are going to try and ride out the storm surge predicted at up to 20 feet.
These pictures are the view from my hotel room. They were taken about 12:30 p.m. Be safe and I'll post more later.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Good-bye Amy Winehouse
Sometimes is just best to let someone go down the path of destruction they've chosen. I'm all for giving second, third and fourth chances. As long as a person is making a genuine effort to turn things around I have no problem helping him out. When that person repeatedly continues to behave in a self destructive way and each episode is worse than the last, it is time to let go. In my opinion Amy Winehouse has reached that point. It's not really the amount of times she's drugged up and overdose that would turn me away from her if she were a friend or relative. It's actual amount of drugs and the increasing amount that she's allegedly taking. The latest news reports indicate that Winehouse went on a 36 hour marijuana binge.
Reports state that as a result of her latest binge she may have brain damage. Allegedly she's had two overdoses in the last year. Judging from the reports it appears that her problems are only getting worse and her attempts fail.
I know each case is different but the effort just doesn't seem to be there. Winehouse doesn't appear to be making any effort to try and rehab and stay sober. Of course, if the reports are true that she's brain damaged then it may be too late regardless of her efforts. She just might not be in her right mind to make the decisions to stay clean anymore. No matter what effort she puts in the capacity to think straight and make rational decisions may be gone.
What's a friend or relative do? It must be hard and heart breaking to see someone so close and that is loved to destroy herself like this. Evidently her father has put in a herculean effort to help her but so far all for naught. I have to wonder if there will be a point where raises his hands and gives up. I sincerely doubt it. The only way I see him giving up is if she is beyond reach mentally. I think she'd have to reach a near vegetative state for him to give up. And judging from reports, she just may be there now or very close.
It's sad to see someone with such talent waste away. I personally don't like her music.
I ask myself what would I do if I had a friend or relative in her shoes? I think at this point I'd have to let them go down their chosen path. If repeated efforts fail miserably and the amounts of drugs or alcohol are increasing, I'd just have to walk away. It would break my heart to do it but sometimes the effort isn't there or the desire to remain sober lacks. Why put myself through the emotional and physical exertion if the person isn't willing to help herself? All I would do is point them to a hospital or rehab center and go my own way. I would turn my back not out of lack of caring but because I care. If I put in all my time and effort to help someone and they can't put in the effort it would eventually take a toll on me. It would wear me down. It would make no sense for me to keep hitting my head against the wall. Also it would bring me down emotionally and I just couldn't bear to watch someone I love destroy themselves. It would be a defense mechanism to walk away. The addiction cuts both ways. It hurts the user and those around them. I just would have to protect myself and my well being by going in a different direction than the addict. It's sad but it's the truth.
Reports state that as a result of her latest binge she may have brain damage. Allegedly she's had two overdoses in the last year. Judging from the reports it appears that her problems are only getting worse and her attempts fail.
I know each case is different but the effort just doesn't seem to be there. Winehouse doesn't appear to be making any effort to try and rehab and stay sober. Of course, if the reports are true that she's brain damaged then it may be too late regardless of her efforts. She just might not be in her right mind to make the decisions to stay clean anymore. No matter what effort she puts in the capacity to think straight and make rational decisions may be gone.
What's a friend or relative do? It must be hard and heart breaking to see someone so close and that is loved to destroy herself like this. Evidently her father has put in a herculean effort to help her but so far all for naught. I have to wonder if there will be a point where raises his hands and gives up. I sincerely doubt it. The only way I see him giving up is if she is beyond reach mentally. I think she'd have to reach a near vegetative state for him to give up. And judging from reports, she just may be there now or very close.
It's sad to see someone with such talent waste away. I personally don't like her music.
I ask myself what would I do if I had a friend or relative in her shoes? I think at this point I'd have to let them go down their chosen path. If repeated efforts fail miserably and the amounts of drugs or alcohol are increasing, I'd just have to walk away. It would break my heart to do it but sometimes the effort isn't there or the desire to remain sober lacks. Why put myself through the emotional and physical exertion if the person isn't willing to help herself? All I would do is point them to a hospital or rehab center and go my own way. I would turn my back not out of lack of caring but because I care. If I put in all my time and effort to help someone and they can't put in the effort it would eventually take a toll on me. It would wear me down. It would make no sense for me to keep hitting my head against the wall. Also it would bring me down emotionally and I just couldn't bear to watch someone I love destroy themselves. It would be a defense mechanism to walk away. The addiction cuts both ways. It hurts the user and those around them. I just would have to protect myself and my well being by going in a different direction than the addict. It's sad but it's the truth.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The Dark Knight Review
Me and a friend went see The Dark Knight. I have a mixed review of it. First off, Heath Ledger portrayed the Joker as a homicidal sociopath who has no qualms about killing. The Joker is set on taking control of Gotham's underworld and turning it into chaos. The Batman, Lt. Gordon and Harvey Dent team up to bring out the fall of the Joker. Harvey Dent becomes the Two-Face after an accident at the hands of the Joker and becomes just as homicidal but the flip of a coin decides if a victim lives or dies.
There is plenty of chaos, destruction, death and action to keep the masses happy. The film falls short on a few points. First off, Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is great. He kills with freely, has the laugh that is traditional to the character and cares not whit for one human being. He's an utter social path. Unfortunately we get no background on the Joker's origin. He just appears and the chaos ensues. We are also left unresolved as to his fate. Ledger's Joker is outstanding and not over the top. However I don't think it's a fantastic Academy Award material. Some reviews write the Ledger's Joker on par with Anthony Hopkins Hannibal Lecter. No way. He's not that good.
Another area the movie fails is in the characterization of Batman. The Bat is dark but not brooding. The Batman in this film is just a vigilante swinging fists and pounding evil doers into submission. The is no character driven exploration of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He's nothing more than playboy by day, super hero by night. Nothing about what makes him tick. Nothing that makes the Joker tick for that matter is revealed. The Harvey Dent/Two-Face character should have been left for another film. The Harvey Dent/Two-face, Batman, Commisioner Gordan story stands as whole story on its own.
Over all it's pretty mindless entertainment. None of the characters are explored. Especially Wayne's brooding quest to fight crime to avenge his parents death. It's central theme to his character that it must be in play some how. Then they screw us on not giving any reason for the Joker's existence. The only theme mentioned by the Joker is when he tells Batman that they need each other to thrive. If there is no Joker there is no Batman. It's a central theme to the Batman comic books.
So go, sit back relax and have a good time watching the latest installment of the Bat man saga.
There is plenty of chaos, destruction, death and action to keep the masses happy. The film falls short on a few points. First off, Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is great. He kills with freely, has the laugh that is traditional to the character and cares not whit for one human being. He's an utter social path. Unfortunately we get no background on the Joker's origin. He just appears and the chaos ensues. We are also left unresolved as to his fate. Ledger's Joker is outstanding and not over the top. However I don't think it's a fantastic Academy Award material. Some reviews write the Ledger's Joker on par with Anthony Hopkins Hannibal Lecter. No way. He's not that good.
Another area the movie fails is in the characterization of Batman. The Bat is dark but not brooding. The Batman in this film is just a vigilante swinging fists and pounding evil doers into submission. The is no character driven exploration of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He's nothing more than playboy by day, super hero by night. Nothing about what makes him tick. Nothing that makes the Joker tick for that matter is revealed. The Harvey Dent/Two-Face character should have been left for another film. The Harvey Dent/Two-face, Batman, Commisioner Gordan story stands as whole story on its own.
Over all it's pretty mindless entertainment. None of the characters are explored. Especially Wayne's brooding quest to fight crime to avenge his parents death. It's central theme to his character that it must be in play some how. Then they screw us on not giving any reason for the Joker's existence. The only theme mentioned by the Joker is when he tells Batman that they need each other to thrive. If there is no Joker there is no Batman. It's a central theme to the Batman comic books.
So go, sit back relax and have a good time watching the latest installment of the Bat man saga.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
I got it right
I called my shot about the how the Supreme Court would rule on the Washington D.C. hand gun ban. Of course I got the judgement right but I have no idea about their logic yet. I haven't read the opinion and will try to over the weekend.
Is it me or is it a disturbing trend that the number of rulings that are 5-4? It's obvious the Court has become an ideological battleground. Ideally the Court should be comprised of the most noble, wisest and fairest judges in the land. They should base their decisions on the facts of the case and not their political leanings. Instead the President nominates someone who he and his party believe will tow the company line. If the other party hold the Senate majority, a compromise must be found. Actually that's probably a good thing but chances are the candidate will still lean to the political side of the President.
In any case, I'm glad they upheld the right to bear arms. In reading the D.C. ordinance, it was just ridiculous. I believe in reasonable controls on guns. For example, who really needs to own an assault rifle or grenade launcher? I think it's reasonable for people to own guns for protection as well as hunting rifles. An outright ban did nothing to bring the D.C. crime rate down.
So buy up those guns and enjoy your right to bear arms!
Is it me or is it a disturbing trend that the number of rulings that are 5-4? It's obvious the Court has become an ideological battleground. Ideally the Court should be comprised of the most noble, wisest and fairest judges in the land. They should base their decisions on the facts of the case and not their political leanings. Instead the President nominates someone who he and his party believe will tow the company line. If the other party hold the Senate majority, a compromise must be found. Actually that's probably a good thing but chances are the candidate will still lean to the political side of the President.
In any case, I'm glad they upheld the right to bear arms. In reading the D.C. ordinance, it was just ridiculous. I believe in reasonable controls on guns. For example, who really needs to own an assault rifle or grenade launcher? I think it's reasonable for people to own guns for protection as well as hunting rifles. An outright ban did nothing to bring the D.C. crime rate down.
So buy up those guns and enjoy your right to bear arms!
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