Mean Jeanne

Oops! I think I goofed!

Grace was invited to a birthday sleep-over in Apollo Beach in a gated community, in a big house on a canal. After I dropped her off, I was looking at the houses, awestruck, and decided that THIS is one of the places I'd like to move to next. After leaving the community I heard on the radio that we could feel the effects of Jeanne in the wee hours of the morning. Effects being tropical storm force winds and flooding. All of Apollo Beach is in evacuation level "A", which should be the first level to evacuate.

The closer I got to our house, the more foreboding I felt. "Should I have let Grace go?" "What happens if we're ravaged by this storm?" I arrived home and turned one of the local channels and found that the only mandatory evacuations are from mobile homes and RV's. I decided then, that I will go get her if they issue a mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas.

I think I've gotten "Hurricane Apathy". I really don't feel like preparing. I don't feel like sitting on the edge of my seat, or getting all nervous about the impending storm. I think Bob will eventually put the plywood up today, and we will bring in the patio stuff. We've gone through so much anxiety before the last three storms, only to get pretty much nothing, that I DON'T WANNA DO IT AGAIN!!! WAAAAAAHH!

I'll call Grace. I'll warn her that she may have to cut the fun short. She'll be mad at me for a month. A month isn't that long. Better to be safe than sorry!

The Morning Show

Things aren't like they used to be.

Remember the good-old-days at school, when the morning announcements would be heard over the P.A. system, with all of that glorious feedback and other such noises?

The P.A. system is a thing of the past. Dinosaur-age.

At Meghan's and Emily's elementary school, they have what is called "The Morning Show", complete with Anchor's desk, video camera, teleprompter and various other new-fangled media equipment.

A few weeks ago, Meghan auditioned for the part of "Camera Person" and WAS ACCEPTED! Woo Hoo!

Their team now consists of two anchors, two camera people, and a teleprompter person who doubles as the Weather person. They have been practicing for about a week.

Their first live broadcast is on Monday, September 27. I'm tempted to sneak into school one morning and watch!

Meghan had mentioned that the camera people may switch with the teleprompter person from time to time. Can you imagine? Meghan as the Weather person!!

I think this is a great opportunity, don't you?

Let's play Dodgeball!

Well, now that we can breathe a little easier with regard to Ivan, I have begun to put a little more effort into the job search.

At the advice of Charlene, I've enlisted a couple of job placement agencies again, along with applying for jobs online. One place set up an interview with a prospective employer, and I'm having second thoughts. It's a temp-to-perm position and pays only a dollar more an hour than what I'm getting now. This is a little frustrating to me, as I should have told the placement guy that I'm NOT interested. I always seem a little slow on the up-take, or not as assertive as I should be. What bothers me even more is that I told him what I wanted, and it looks as if he didn't hear me, or doesn't give a crap; he's working for the "employer". So, I put a call in to the agency to tell them I'm having second thoughts. I really don't want to waste my time (and lose money by taking time off work) on something that I'm not interested in.

The "degree" thing, or lack thereof, REALLY bugs me. Employers just can't seem to wrap their heads around the idea that accounting degrees aren't necessarily the end-all-be-all when it comes to knowledge. Maybe I have to be even MORE assertive in the interviews, and bring home the idea thet I have the knowledge!

Then comes the big question -- do I really want to continue to persue a career in Accounting? Seems like I get nowhere. Maybe it's because it doesn't bring me warm fuzzies like it used to. I REALLY get warm fuzzies when I "Carry the Message", but I know it would lose its impact if I did it for a living. I would like to get into the alternative health field, but that takes schoolin' too. Sheesh! Maybe I could be an apprentice, or something...

Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP)

I lost the application. Grace brought home a brochure a few weeks ago and immediately commented on the fact that we won't be able to AFFORD this program that Duke University has for gifted kids, that I might as well just throw it away because she won't be able to participate. Heavy, heavy sigh... poor Grace... I did her an injustice by complaining all the time about how broke we are...

Actually, the application fee isn't all that expensive, and from what I've read, Grace would be able to practice taking the SAT or the ACT, among other things.

I called Gracie's Guidance counselor and asked if I could get another app. Mrs. Diaz told me that she has just ONE left - how lucky! She also felt that congratulations were in order for being invited to apply, and that Grace is a great kid. Hooray for our side!

This kid is "going places"!

Ivan the Terrible

This doesn't look good. We're thinking of leaving. If we DO leave, we're going to have to start working hard and fast to get things prepared around here. More plywood, some sandbags, plastic bins; we also have to figure out what we'll take with us.

I got the photos back that I had given Grandma over the years. They're going with us. And maybe a few more...

Where would we go? Good question... We could go to Atlanta, or we could take a 2-day trek to Virginia. Yuck.

Let's hope that Ivan fizzles out, or decides to visit Texas instead, as a Category 0.

We've been lucky, even compared to others in our TOWN. After Frances, lots of people were flooded out, 12 to 20 feet, along the Alafia River. Some people in this area still don't have electricity, after almost a week. And that's just from 40 mile-per-hour winds! We've had no flooding and our power was on throughout.

Time for bed...

testing

testing - our new "handle" is tropkelleys, because we moved from the "holler" to the "tropics". Hee hee