Hurricane Irene Post #13

7:15 am Monday - Ok, this is really the last post... One last bit of damage in the house - Colleen noticed a ceiling tile in the basement was wet, towards the back of the house. After checking it out, I determined that it was water that must have dripped from the heat duct that ran from the main ductwork at the back of the house, to the vent next to the front door, where we had a small puddle of water from the leaking picture window. Water probably ran down the vent and into the duct, and when the duct turned down to meet the main duct, leaked out onto the ceiling tile. It looks drier this morning.

All in all, Irene turned out to be mainly a pest for our family, not a disaster, fortunately. I'm glad we were prepared!

Hurricane Irene Post #12

3:00 pm - Probably my last post, since the worst has definitely passed us. Still windy out, and it looks like we might get another band of rain, but people seem to be out and about a little. Took a long walk around the neighborhood, saw a couple of trees tilting but only the one at my neighbor's that had actually fallen over. I can hear his chainsaw at work now.

Talked to Rob up in Keene a few minutes ago, they are fine and have power in their dorm. He and his roommates are getting ready to head over to their Fraternity House for a while. He actually parked his car there yesterday as he heard that the parking lot at school where he normally parks floods.... No word on whether classes will be starting tomorrow. The worst of the storm hasn't really hit there yet.

Also just heard from AJ, they survived as well, no power outages and they didn't run out of beer. Classes for them have been postponed from Tuesday but they haven't announced a start date yet.

Hurricane Irene Post #11

8:00 am - Just came in from a walk around the block. Very little damage. Collected all 4 of my missing shutters, too. But no paper delivered yet. Still raining, but alternating between heavy and light, with gusting winds. All the grass is squelchy underfoot. Power out to about 5,000 residents, including across Georges Rd from us. A few pictures -

House of the Missing Shutters













River Running Through It













Only damage I saw until I walked around the corner....













...and saw this. Good thing it fell this way and not the other.

Hurricane Irene Post #10

7:15 am Sunday - Made it through the night, although didn't sleep much. Left the TV on low volume so we could hear if the tornado watch turned into a warning. Still raining hard and very windy, although it seems to be shifting away from the front of the house (NE facing) to the right side (NW facing). Good news for my leaking windows in the front. Damage-wise, everything looks ok, but I have lost several shutters - one is sitting on the front steps.

Hurricane Irene Post #9

11:25 PM - Wind/rain really strong now. Multiple leaks from windows above front door. Can't believe caulk doesn't last 15 years.

Hurricane Irene Post #8

10:40 pm - The first major 'flicker' in the electricity.... Earlier than I though it might happen! Major rain and wind right now, beating against the house. Haven't decided whether to stay up and monitor the situation, but I suspect the wine with dinner and a Pat O'Brien 'Hurricane' drink might decide for me....

Hurricane Irene Post #7

8:20 pm - Still raining heavily and windy. If I hear the expression 'hunkered down' on TV one more time, I may become deranged.

Hurricane Irene Post #6

7:30 pm - Well, the newly-caulked study window is leaking already. Not a good sign. I thought I had fixed it, but I guess I was too caulky about it...

Hurricane Irene Post #5

6:45 pm - Just had a decent-sized wind gust to accompany the suddenly-heavier rain. Looks like we are into the main rain bands now. Just saw the filled bathtub and am wondering why it's blue, when the tub isn't. Hope Kathleen got all the bleach out...

Hurricane Irene Post #4

5:00 pm - Rain coming down pretty heavily now, and the wind is picking up. I guess we are officially 'into it' now.

Hurricane Irene Post #3

3:15 pm - Still not much activity. Some rain, but basically zero wind. Governor Christie just had a news conference, I think Irene is afraid to approach NJ because the Governor said to 'stay the hell away from New Jersey'....

Hurricane Irene Post #2

1:40 pm - Panic sets in as I realize we are out of grenadine. I brave the elements to go to the liquor store.

Hurricane Irene Post #1

I will try to keep this going as long as we have power and Internet access!

11:35 am Saturday – we've had one band of showers come through

so far, around 9:00 am, and it looks like it's about to start again. Getting

a little breezy out now too. Very humid and gross outside, 78 degrees.

House is as prepped as we can get it, everything outside moved into

the garage or tucked away. Oh yeah, caulked that leaking window in my

study, too... Basement floor cleared of anything that could soak up

water that could be moved. Water and supplies laid in, candles ready

to go.

The 'stache is dead...

...long live the 'stache! Decided to kill the whole thing this morning. Oh well. Perhaps next time I do a goatee I will keep the 'stache part for a day or two when I inevitably shave it off....

Sneak Mustache Attack

Ok, I am disguising my mustache with a full goatee, to deceive those that have somehow discovered that I am growing one.... Also, I'm not crazy about the half-grown look. Somehow, a goatee looks ok while it's growing in, but a 'stache just seems creepy....

Return of the Centipede

For some reason I am growing a mustache... Felt like it was time for some facial hair but didn't feel like the usual goatee. I may also add a soul patch. But having just gotten my summer haircut (buzzed to about 3/8 inch) I feel like I need some balance on my head! And not really having much of an upper lip, a 'stache balances things off nicely!

Fun Day....

Well, today I get to prep for my 5-year colonoscopy. I picked a bad day for it, being Mother's Day. I made Kathleen some eggs this morning, and couldn't eat them. And she and the kids will be on their own for dinner tonight! But I DO get to have all the Jello I want! As long as it's not red.

One would think that if we could put a man on the moon and find Osama Bin laden's hide-out, we could figure out a simple way to cleanse the system for this procedure. Other than having to ingest copious amounts of a thick viscous liquid that turns you inside out. The key is to pick something to mix with the nasty stuff that you NEVER want to drink again, as you will lose all liking for it. My choice today is orange Gatorade. I've never had it to this point, and never will again.

Dan's 2010 Reading List

Ok, I know everyone out in cyber-blog land has been anxiously awaiting the 2010 reading list, so here it goes. Some thoughts after the list....

1) Stephen King – Under the Dome – Jan

2) Paul Doherty – The Treason of the Ghosts – Jan

3) Michael Crichton – Pirate Latitudes – Jan

4) Paul Doherty – Corpse Candle – Jan

5) Charles Todd – A Cold Treachery – Feb

6) Victor Sebestyen – Revolution 1989 - Feb

7) Paul Doherty – The Magician’s Death – Feb

8) Charles Todd – A Long Shadow – Feb

9) Aimee & David Thurlo – Blackening Song – Feb

10) Charles Todd – A False Mirror – Mar

11) James O’Donnell – The Ruin of the Roman Empire – Mar

12) Dan Brown – The Lost Symbol – Mar

13) Charles Todd – A Pale Horse – Mar

14) Aimee & David Thurlo – Death Walker – Mar

15) Will Thomas – The Hellfire Conspiracy – Mar

16) Charles Todd – A Matter of Justice – Mar

17) Charles Todd – The Red Door – Mar

18) Tony Hillerman – The Great Taos Bank Robbery – Mar

19) Woody Holton – Abigail Adams – Apr

20) Douglas Preston – Impact – Apr

21) Aimee & David Thurlo – Bad Medicine – Apr

22) Patrick O’Brian – Post Captain – Apr

23) Travis Ayres – The Bomber Boys – Apr

24) Barbara Tuchman – The Guns of August – Apr

25) Joseph Kanon – Los Alamos – Apr

26) Sontag/Drew – Blind Man’s Bluff – Apr

27) Mark Stein – How The States Got Their Shapes – May

28) Joseph Kanon – The Prodigal Spy – May

29) Will Thomas – The Black Hand – May

30) Patrick O’Brian – HMS Surprise – May

31) Preston/Child – Fever Dream – May

32) Greg Grandin – Fordlandia – May

33) Lou Manfredo – Rizzo’s War – May

34) Paul Doherty – The Waxman Murders – Jun

35) Paul Doherty – The Spies of Sobeck – Jun

36) Robert Masello – Vigil – Jun

37) Michael Robertson – The Baker Street Letters – Jun

38) Dan Fesperman – Lie In The Dark – Jun

39) Dan Fesperman – The Small Boat of Great Sorrows – Jun

40) Charles Mann – 1491 – Jul

41) Eric Harry – Society of the Mind – Jul

42) Rick Reilly – Who’s Your Caddy? – Jul

43) Paul Doherty – The Mysterium – Jul

44) Justin Cronin – The Passage – Jul

45) Lee Miller – Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony – Aug

46) John Verdon - Think Of A Number – Aug

47) Paul Doherty – Nightshade – Aug

48) Keith Thomas – Once A Spy – Aug

49) Richard Snow – A Measureless Peril – Aug

50) Jason Turbow/Michael Duce – The Baseball Codes – Aug

51) John Connolly – The Whisperers – Aug

52) Ronald Kessler – In The President’s Secret Service – Aug

53) Charles Brokaw – The Atlantis Code – Aug

54) Bruce Henderson – Hero Found – Sept

55) Paul Doherty – The Templar – Sept

56) Seth Grahame-Smith – Abraham Lincoln – Vampire Hunter – Sept

57) William Trotter – A Frozen Hell – The Russo-Finnish Winter War of

1939-1940 – Sept

58) Patrick O’Brian – The Mauritius Command – Sept

59) Aimee’ and David Turlo – Enemy Way - Sept

60) Scott Siegler – Infected – Sept

61) William R Trotter – The Sands of Pride – Oct

62) Joseph Kanon – The Good German – Oct

63) Patrick O’Brian – Desolation Island – Oct

64) Diana Preston – Lusitania – Oct

65) Hew Strachan – The First World War – Oct

66) Steven Saylor – Empire – Nov

67) Richard Hough – Man O’War – Nov

68) Steve Berry – The Paris Vendetta – Nov

69) Paul Nagel – Descent from Glory: Four Generations of the Adams Family –

Nov

70) David Stone – The Echelon Vendetta – Nov

71) John Lawton – A Lily Of The Field – Dec

72) William Trotter – The Fires of Pride – Dec

73) Brian Haig – Secret Sanction – Dec

74) David Stone – The Orpheus Deception - Dec

75) David Stone – The Venetian Judgment – Dec

76) Daniel Silva – The Rembrandt Affair – Dec

77) Martin Cruz Smith – Three Stations - Dec

X) Henry Kissinger – The White House Years, Volume 1 – left off @ page 573

So the total of 77+ (including Kissinger) is a little less than my record of 82 read in 2009, but starting off with a 1,000 page tome from Stephen King is going to hamstring you from the start... And I spent a lot of time plowing through Kissinger's book, which is only volume 1 of 3 1,000+ page volumes - and very tough reading. Interesting, mostly, but tough. I mean how many ways can Kissinger praise himself?? Very many, apparently.....

Found a couple new authors, too. Aimee and David Thurlo have a series that take place on the Navajo Reservation, with a female investigator on the Navajo Tribal police - very Hillerman-like (although Hillerman-lite would be a better description). Still, they are entertaining, as I do have a strong interest in the area. Joseph Kanon is another good author, writing mysteries in famous places/eras with lots of historical figures that make it fun. And David Stone writes similarly to Daniel Silva, who I like.

I also read some good non-fiction items, several of which I had been looking to read for a while. Paul Nagel's 'Descent from Glory' is about the four generations of the Adams family starting with john, and how they basically drove themselves away from the greatness of the John/John Quincy generation with character traits that really started with John. Fascinating stuff, and a little sad. Also read quite a bit of war-related stuff, both ancient and more contemporary, including the classic 'The Guns of August' by Barbara Tuchman. A fun non-fiction selection was 'How The States Got Their Shapes' by Mark Stein.

For 2011, I am thinking that I would really like to re-read all of Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police books, as they are so evocative of that region and culture - and darn good mysteries as well. Also looking forward to the newest Ian Rutledge books from Charles Todd, which was due out in January (hasn't arrived at the library yet). I'm thinking I will get through at least 75 books - need to also pick a theme for my non-fiction reading. So a fun year is ahead, reading wise!