Lightning Storm

Check out the nice little light show I caught from my patio last night. I have a video that I made, but YouTube is being stubborn at the moment. Maybe I'll try uploading again later.

Virginia Tech's "Intermediate" Memorial

Virginia Tech has announced plans for a memorial to the victims of April's shooting (Norris Hall, where most of the victims were killed, will re-open on June 18). The memorial will be a semicircle of 32 Hokie stones, each with the name of a victim engraved on it. It will be placed on the Drillfield at the bottom of the steps up to Burruss Hall. Apparently, this is where students had already set up a make-shift memorial to the victims. I remember those steps. They lead up to a platform for viewing the Drillfield. And it's the logical place for a temporary memorial. That's why I'm glad this memorial is being billed as an intermediate memorial. Burruss Hall is right at the center of campus. To have the memorial in such a prominent location on a permanent basis would simply be too much. This tragedy affected all Hokies, but it does not define us. We must allow the wounds to heal.

Quote of the Day - June 6, 2007

John Jackson: "It's time someone had the courage to stand up and say: I'm against those things that everybody hates."
Jack Johnson: "Now, I respect my opponent. I think he's a good man. But quite frankly, I agree with everything he just said."
John Jackson: "I say your three cent titanium tax goes too far."
Jack Johnson: "And I say your three cent titanium tax doesn't go too far enough."

- "A Head in the Polls", Futurama

Tropical Cyclone Gonu

Weird stuff is happening in the Arabian Sea. This is the strongest storm recorded in the Arabian Sea since records began in 1945. It peaked at 160 mph winds, but weakened to a category 1 before hitting Oman. Iran is next in the storm's path. Winds are currently at 70 mph.

It's difficult to find anything about how much damage has been done yet, but the media wishes to reassure you that the oil supply should not be adversely effected. Most of the "news" available at the moment seems to be in the form of pictures. Flooding in some areas is pretty severe. Flash floods are a big concern when a lot of rain falls in a dry area in a short period of time. I'm not hearing much about storm surge, though I would think that would be a problem, too, with a storm that was so powerful at it's peak.

I find it interesting that authorities are using text messages to keep locals up to date and warn them to remain inside until morning. I wonder what kind of system they have set up that allows them to do that. Would we be able to set up something like that here for emergencies? Or would privacy and "big brother" concerns in this country get in the way (for instance, if you had to give you cell phone number out to get on the emergency alert list)?

Behold, The Power of Mint!

A lot of people find chocolate to be irresistible. Frankly, plain chocolate I can take or leave. I don't eat it that much anymore anyway because it keeps me up at night (what doesn't? you ask). Mint, on the other hand, is a weakness. If I see something with mint, I have great difficulty convincing myself not to get it. For instance, this evening, I saw Mint 3 Musketeers. I bought 4. Then I went to Chik-Fil-A and saw their Mint Chocolate milk shake. I had to keep saying to myself "You already bought the Musketeers. You already bought the Musketeers." I managed to resist - this time. But the next time I see a Chik-Fil-A, I may have to stop in (hopefully, it will be on a Sunday).

As you can image, the Christmas season is a killer. EVERYTHING goes mint : M&M's, Hershey's Kisses, even Kit-Kats went mint this year. But I have yet to see Reese's cups go mint. I think that's the only thing left. Unless Peeps start injecting a flavor other than "sugary" into their Christmas line. And before you say "ew!" to mint Reese's peanut butter cups, my mom makes mint peanut butter chocolate fudge, and it is delicious. Oddly, you can't taste the mint and the peanut butter at the same time, so your taste buds alternate between which flavor to transmit to your brain. So if Reese's ever go mint, I may have to increase my daily jog to 3 hours.