CyberCJH's Blog

Tropical Storm Gustav has formed in the Atlantic just south of Haiti. I’m keeping an eye on the path. I hope it’s not a repeat of Fay.

REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT TROPICAL DEPRESSION SEVEN HAS STRENGTHENED TO BECOME TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV WITH MAXIMUM WINDS NEAR 60 MPH…95 KM/HR.  A SPECIAL ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED WITHIN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES TO UPDATE THE INTENSITY FORECAST AND WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR HISPANIOLA.

written by cybercjh

So, Apu calls me from India to tell me that I qualify for a new, special discount on my AT&T home phone service. Great, I thought. This is how the conversation went…

Me: “Hello?”
Apu: “Yes, is this Mr. Harreatage?”
Me: “Yes, probably.”
Apu: “I am calling from AT&T. Since you have been a customer for so long, I will like to tell you that you qualify for a new discount.”
Me: “Okay, great.”
Apu: “Yes! It is so very great. How much do you pay each month for your AT&T service?”
Me: “$104.”
Apu: “OK. Very good. With this special discount, you will only pay $109.”
Me: “Excuse me?”
Apu: “You will only pay $109. Isn’t that such a good deal?”
Me: “OK. Forgive me. I will admit that my international mathematical skills aren’t that great, but here in America, $109 is actually more than $104.”
Apu: “Oh yes, but this is a discount.”
Me: “A discount of negative $5?”
Apu: “No, it is a discount of $3.”
Me: “So, $104 minus $3 equal $109?”
Apu: “Um, I believe so. Can you hold on?”
Me: “No, I can’t. I’m eating dinner. Turn your calculator round the right way and call me back.”
:::CLICK:::

WTF?! Can you believe this?!

written by cybercjh

Update 8/20/08 1:15pm We made the news on CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/08/20/tropical.storm.fay/index.html

Fay is gone. Horray! Here are some facts about the storm.

• St. Lucie County officials estimated 20 to 30 percent of the county’s roads still are closed Wednesday morning due to flooding.
• The county has received at least 10 inches of rain and there are 5,000 homes without electricity.
• Tropical Storm Fay has caused the worst flooding in at least a decade, surpassing the aftermath of hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004.
• An estimated several thousand homes have suffered flood damage.
• All St. Lucie County public schools and government offices are closed Wednesday due to the flooding. Update 8/20/08 3:15pm St. Lucie County public schools are closed the rest of the week due to the flooding.

We were lucky – it appears we didn’t suffer any damage and we didn’t lose our electricity the entire storm.

Here are some pictures I grabbed from some local websites.

written by cybercjh

Update 11:15am We are currently under a Tropical Storm Warning, a Flash Flood Warning, a Tornado Watch and a Flood Watch.

In the event of a tornado, please refer to the instructions printed on the sign to ensure your safety. Thank you.

- – -

Update 10:40am A tornado has touched down at the Shell gas station on U.S. 1 near Monroe Street just south of Stuart. A vehicle flipped over and power lines are down. FPL workers are en route. Southbound U.S. 1 traffic is reduced to a single lane.

- – -

Well, it’s 8:30am and here I am, at work. Everything in South Florida is closed today … school systems, government offices, courts. You name it, it’s closed. Except where I work, of course.

The roads weren’t too bad on the drive in. There was some debris and some dead palm tree leaves I had to avoid, but other than that, it was okay. Of course, channel 5 is making this sound like the storm of the century … of the week. One horse farm in Wellington suffered a little bit of damage and they’ll all call out the national guard! Please.

The malls are open. That was on the news. Yeah, that’s news.

What else? Let’s have a think… My pants are soaked. I just want to go home and get back into bed. Today is a day you’re supposed to stay in bed. But here I am, working for the man. Damn the man.

Owen: Filthy weather.
Jim: No no no no no no no no I’ve known worse.
Owen: Oh yes? When was that, then?
Jim: The Great Storm, when the windmill got blown over.
Owen: That wasn’t the Great Storm; that was a moderately windy night. No, the really great storm was the Great Storm.
Jim: When was that, then?
Owen: When Dave Batt got decapitated.
Jim: That wasn’t the Great Storm.
Owen: Well, it was pretty damn great.
Jim: No, the greatest storm was the one when Old Harold got blown into the quarry.
Owen: Ooh, that! The Great Winds.
Jim: The what?
Owen: The Great Storm there’s got to be rain, and in the Great Winds there was just wind.
Letitia: Nasty night. It reminds me of the Great Storm.
Owen & Jim: Shut up!

written by cybercjh

Well, after Yellow Freight failed to show up Friday afternoon, I’m happy to report that the desks were delivered today and apparently in good condition.

Finally. Thank God. It’s a miracle.

Christina is home so she was able to unpack them and look at them. Her work closed at 2pm and will by closed tomorrow due to TS Fay. Tina’s work closes at the slightest suggestion of a thunderstorm.

My work, of course, sent out an e-mail saying we will be open for business as usual tomorrow and we all need to stop being such pus*ies about a little bit of rain and wind. WTF?! I thought I left that dreadful place in Mt. Laurel years ago! What’s the number to the in-touch line?

written by cybercjh