Month: July 2005

Today marks the 3-month anniversary of “eight feet deep.” What was started as a means for an unemployed journalist to keep his writing skills somewhat in tact has turned into some sort of labor of love. I haven’t developed a large readership. But that’s okay with me. I have some loyal readers and others who check in from time-to-time. Mostly those reading are my friends.

I didn’t know if I would be able to stick with the blog. But so far, I have and we’ll see what happens in the future. With that said, I came across a great piece of news early this morning during yet another bout with insomnia. I found out that Tom Robbins has a new book coming out next month called “Wild Ducks Flying Backwards.” It is a combination of previously published journalistic pieces he wrote for a number of magazines along with some short stories and unpublished poetry. (Note: I can’t link directly to the page about the new book but you can get there through searching for Tom Robbins on the above link. Sorry.)

Although “Ducks” will not be a new novel, I still look forward to it because a new Robbins book is cause for celebration. He only comes out with one every few years and those books he has written offer wonderfully humorous expositions of this life and others through the eyes of someone who writes as if he invented language.

I eagerly await the new Robbins work.

It is apparent that the four blasts on the subway system and a bus in London today were minor. Although reports are sketchy the only injury reported so far may have been one of the people responsible for the detonations, the BBC says. Hopefully the British police will catch this or others involved.

What seems kind of bizarre is the lack of cell phone reports/video/photos in the wake of today’s incidents that were so evident after the attacks two weeks ago. I’m sure some perfectly good explanation exists for that. Or maybe not.

PM Tony Blair was supposed to speak almost 40 minutes ago but has yet to do so. I was going to listen to his speech but have to go out for awhile. I don’t know if anyone in the U.K. will see this blog from Beaumont, Texas, but my thoughts and best wishes are with the English people.

For the last 30 minutes I have been hearing this plane flying around. I’m used to helicopters since I’m only two blocks from St. Elizabeth hospital. But this airplane sounded unusually low and unusually noisy.

Once it appeared flying directly overhead (really low) I could see that it is a fast twin-engine job and is spraying, what I hope is for mosquitoes. We’re in deep doo if they aren’t spraying for mosquitoes.

I heard the other day that the local mosquito control district had detected several mosquitoes in their sampling around Beaumont (Texas) with West Nile Virus. The critters hadn’t been too bad lately because because it had been so hot and dry. But with the rain we’ve had they will likely be coming out in their typical Southeast Texas, saber-tooth fashion. I’ve been forgetting to put on the DEET the last two mornings I’ve gone for a walk. I think I will remember tomorrow morning.

I really like a good thunderstorm. But I don’t particularly like one at 4 o’clock in the morning. Nature was in the kitchen this morning banging her pots and pans which caused me to enter a state of levitation as well as wakefulness. I never really did get back to sleep after that. But I don’t want to bore you with my insomnia.

As I write it is thundering outside. We are on the very outer fringe of Hurricane Emily, according to the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, La. And I don’t mind it at all because it has hidden Old Sol and made temperatures just a little more bearable here.

Thunderstorms can be downright frightening but they also are a magical piece of nature’s handiwork. It is just uncanny the amount of energy involved in putting on a little light-and-thunder exhibit. Just how much energy, I don’t know for sure. I’ve seen different figures like 10 times the energy of the first atomic bomb. Regardless, T-storms are bursting with juice and can cause some serious clam bakes.

On this day full of nature’s energy I leave you with a little weather/airline humor:

After the airline pilot had managed to land his plane — albeit bumpily — following a descent through exceptionally heavy weather, he came out of the flight deck to bid his passengers farewell as they gratefully entered the jetway on their way back to terra firma.

The most memorable comment he received was from a little old lady who asked him politely whether he would please satisfy her curiosity on just one point: “Did we land, or were we shot down?”

Judge John Roberts

It’s the last time I trust the Washington rumor mill. Ha! Only joking. As you may or may not know, President Bush nominated U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia, Judge John Roberts to succeed Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court. Thus, all the speculation about a somewhat moderate woman candidate is obviously kaput. He’s definitely another white guy, but also being another white guy I don’t suppose I should hold that against him.

Where he stands with respect to interpreting the law versus party politics is something I guess we will just have to find out if he is confirmed by the Senate. What Senate Democrats will do is probably what Senate Republicans will do — bloviate. Anyway, the big day for GW has come. How many more justices he gets to nominate only time will tell.

I just hope there isn’t a repeat of the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings. I don’t think I drank Coca-Cola again after that for a long, long time.