I survived Isaac

Just got electricity back. We love Demco. :D Still have high water and the brand new bridge just down the road is closed, but our houses are fine. More details later when I have time to type.

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The BookWorm

Home today and tomorrow

Politics in Louisiana; most times, it's best to do as you're told and not ask too many questions. Yesterday, Gov. Jindal says they'll close state offices Tuesday and Wednesday for sure and figure out where to go after the tropical storm/hurricane hits in one of his press conferences. However, we still were coming to work as if it was a normal day until our state agency head (Commissioner of Insurance for me) says who is essential personnel and who could stay home. Which was finally announced at 3:00pm yesterday. Why do they want to make our safety a pissing contest? I have no idea; I'm still waiting for COOP phone call to not tell me a damn thing.

T.S. Isaac is about 100 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River.

My house (and current location) is the purple pin, and it is on some of the highest ground in Pumpkin Center. Our houses were fine in the Tangipahoa Flood of 1983, which set the flood stages that haven't been broken yet. The closest body of water that the officials are worried about flooding surge from is Lake Maurepas (the smaller lake to the west of Lake Ponchatrain) and I'm 8 to 9 miles north of it. Right now, it's overcast with a slight breeze.

I'm ready as I can be to ride it out. Now I'm going to bounce between writing and daily chores and listen to my boss on the radio.

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Isaac

So Friday I wrote a note to myself on the chores I needed to do this weekend, mainly because I needed to do them and a tropical storm/hurricane headed our way is just the extra push to get things done. I added to it after making the list of 25 items: "This way if I'm home thanks to Isaac I can concentrate on writing. And now that I'm planning for that, it will bypass us completely."

Yeah, I was wrong.

Jindal really should stop promising to speak at the Republican National Convention. He promised in 2008 and had to cancel because we got hit by Gustav. This year it's Isaac. :p

I gassed up the car and bought some groceries on my way into the paying job this morning. The fun has began. I have never seen Walmart that busy my time in the morning and most of the people at the gas station were filling up gas cans. We're crossing fingers that they let us go home early or at least tell us when we should try to make it back to work. I have no faith in the stupid COOP system that is never updated until AFTER I reach Baton Rouge. (See SNOW and Gustav tags) I don't expect it to be bad enough to run, unlike Katrina who was a three or four gearing up to five seven years ago. So it's a wait and see game to which way Isaac is headed, how strong it will get, and when the power will go out.

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August Reboot Not Running Yet

Getting back into my groove in August has not happened yet. What I have managed to accomplish: a Batman short story and a drabble set in the Dark Knight Rises. I'm glad I did something creative, but I need to spend this weekend working on chores and creative pursuits, while keeping a dental appointment and dealing with library books.

Laundry, dishes, the house needs a scrub over from ceiling to floor, website work, figure out where I am in writing projects, write, and cook; I'm exhausted by just the list. Course I'm also exhausted from eating too many carbs and not exercising enough. The ice cream was good though.

In other news, tabs I have left open to talk about. Time to clear them off.

• Headspring Press: need to read and see if they are a fit for my fiction.
• Wordhaus.com: another potential market
• The CanAm Missing Project: tucking this into the ideas folder. Possibly can work with the Piper of Shadows universe.
• New thoughts on "write what you know": I found this video interview compelling.
• Guest Blogger Starling: Schrödinger’s Rapist: or a guy’s guide to approaching strange women without being maced: a post to explain to men that just don't get it.
• Not So Big House: concepts I want to use in the remodel of my house.

Last but not least: Batman: Puppet Master! This fan film is set after the Dark Knight and introduces the Riddler and Scarface to the Nolan Bat-verse. Kudos on the effects and the Batsuit, I like the tweak they gave the Riddler (not so much the actor's choices) but the real power of the whole thing is Wesker. If the actor playing Riddler had brought the same chops to this fan film that Frank Birney did, we'd have one hell of a film here.

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Is It Really August?

Out of twenty-two working days, I had one day off (4th of July), 11 days of normal working times, and ten days of overtime. And I want to double check those dates because I really don't believe that's accurate. Meh, the paystub generator wouldn't show me the first paystub for the month and I have no time to fight with it now.

The home paystubs: I didn't earn any K-time before July 8. That matches the notes I kept on the work calendar. I earned 20.5 hours between July 9 and July 22. I signed my over time today covering July 23 to Aug. 3 and that matched my calendar notes. So now I know the overtime days are right. The bad thing about overtime is it is paid in K-time, which I can get paid for if I keep it long enough, or spend it instead of annual leave. Cash right on the paycheck would be more welcome.

It hasn't been all work and no play (though close to it). I made time to go see the Dark Knight Rises two weeks ago on the 20th. And right after I finished writing down my movie thoughts, I started a fanfic expansion of the ending--my first Batman fanfic ever--and have been working at it when I can for the past two weeks. I'm glad I finished the narrative draft of Stellar Gift of Death before this insanity started because I can't remember enough of it to work on it now. That'll come in handy once I get to edits.

Exercise time was spent sleeping and I haven't been watching my food intake as closely as I should have. August will be a regrouping month on the Hot Bod 2012 project as well as on housework. Don't ask about the state of my house. Yesterday I mustered enough energy by staying home and sleeping plenty to actually cook.

Things are quiet now, let me take advantage and type up posts.

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The BookWorm