Eight Feet Deep

A five-day cone of rain?

The National Hurricane Center just upgraded TD 9 to Tropical Storm Humberto. It is sitting just off the Upper Texas Coast and has been providing an abundance of rain here in Beaumont, Texas, today. We (Jefferson County) are (is) under (enough already!) a tropical storm warning here but that isn’t particularly as ominous as it sounds. Sez the hurricane predictors:

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED AND ARE NOW NEAR 45 MPH…75
KM/HR…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS
POSSIBLE PRIOR TO LANDFALL … RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE MIDDLE AND UPPER TEXAS COAST AND IN EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA…WITH
ISOLATED MAXIMUM ACCUMULATIONS OF 15 INCHES POSSIBLE …

Okay, I must admit 15 inches of rain would definitely rain on someone’s picnic but if you are ignorant enough to have a picnic out in the middle of a tropical storm, you deserve some wet potato salad.

We (I) shall see what develops with Humberto, ¿dokey del okey?

I don’t know if it does any good to post this on my site given the small audience reached by EFD but if it helps then it is worth it.

Galveston County authorities are seeking information on the murder of Bridgett Gearen. Police think the murder occurred in the early morning of July 15, 2007 at Crystal Beach, Texas, on the Bolivar Peninsula. Gearen was a secretary with a local law firm here in Beaumont. Scroll down a bit on the Galveston Crime Stoppers Web page for more information. I also believe that the reward has been increased from $15,000.

The Iraq situation report given Congress earlier this afternoon by Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker was hardly surprising. Both pointed to gains being made since the surge of thousands of more troops. What did anyone expect them to say?

That is not to say Petraeus, the commanding general in Iraq, was “cooking the books” in favor of the White House as some on the left have charged. But Petraeus was chosen to lead after the infusion of troops because he generally supports the White House point of view with respect to the Iraq situation.

Listening in between the lines, however, it doesn’t really sound like things are all that much better in that war that should not have happened. Petraeus said he thinks troops can be back to “pre-surge” levels by next summer. What happens after that is really unknown, he said.

Crocker said he thought the administration’s goals in Iraq were “attainable,” but he clearly stated it won’t happen soon. In fact, he said we may not even know when the turning point would be until long after it happens.

I know that makes me feel much better.

Sometime last week I was riding along in my trusty Toy-ota and heard some kind of weird song on the radio. I say it was weird because my radio was tuned to Rock 103.7 FM and the music was far and away from the type of music that station usually played. I soon realized that the halfway decent Houston rock station was no longer a rock station for it had been Jacked.

Cumulus Media switched formats on me. What was Rock 103.7 had suddenly become Jack FM. It is described in the linked article as a “eclectic, iPod shuffle-like” format. Jack FM plays what they want to play, at least that’s what they say.

Apparently its a popular format in both Canada and the U.S. It plays music without the non-stop talk of deejays who may or may not know what the hell they are talking about, which is a good thing. But since it is so eclectic there naturally will be any number of tunes you won’t like, which is not particularly a good thing.

Since listening to Jack FM I have heard, of course, Led Zeppelin, but also Prince, Stevie Wonder, Hot Chocolate, Bee Gees, Kelly Clarkson (I think). It is a real cornucopia of sounds, a place one might hear Stevie Wonder’s gritty rock “Living for the City.” But one might also hear “Mandy” by Barry Manilow (Sorry for the link. I guess I just have a mean streak.) I don’t know for a fact they would play Manilow but theoretically at least it is something one might hear.

The jury is still out, as far as I am concerned, on Jack FM. But living in what is a really disappointing radio market, I’m game for something different. But the first time I hear “Mandy” …

Do you ever wondered what happened to Old Spice? I did and I don’t know why. I haven’t worn aftershave lotion in a dog’s age but do seem to remember Old Spice was the first such “smellum” I splashed on my face.

The Old Spice TV commercials years ago featured some old mariner coming from the sea and whistling a certain catchy little tune. Or maybe I’m just making that up. I don’t know.

But alas and ahoy matey, it seems Old Spice is still around and is using that magic tool called the Internet and another magic tool called sex to sell their toilet water. Send someone an AhoyGram mate. Shiver me timbers.