Pool Party: Success!

We ended up being lucky last week. Even though it wasn't a particularly hot or sunny day, when we got to the pool, the sun suddenly came out. We got to have the pool all to ourselves and it was plenty warm enough....especially since it's a heated pool (80 degrees).

Pool Party

Last weekend, it was extremely hot in Seattle. It seemed like a good idea to plan a pool party--my mom's condo has a pool--so some friends and I invited ourselves over this Saturday to swim in it and later have a Bar-B-Q.

Unfortunately for us, the weather changed. Now that Saturday is here, it's only dimly sunny with highs in the low 70s and a chance of rain. On the bright side, we'll probably have the whole pool to ourselves!

Nashville Is Flooded

Poor old Nashville. This would be a rough time to be in Music City, USA:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville braced for more deaths Monday as the flooded Cumberland River continued to swell, sending muddy water rushing through neighborhoods and into parts of the historic heart of Music City after a destructive line of weekend storms killed 22 people in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.

The flash floods caught the city off-guard, and thousands of residents and tourists were forced to flee homes and hotels as the river rapidly spilled over its banks. Using motor boats, jet skis and canoes, authorities and volunteers rescued residents trapped in flooded homes on Monday, some which looked like islands surround by dark brown river water. Eleven of the 12 people killed in Tennessee drowned, including six in Nashville.

Country music's landmark, The Grand Ole Opry House, was flooded with several feet of water, forcing managers to seek alternate space for upcoming shows. It wasn't clear how much water was in the concert hall, which is part of the large Gaylord Opryland Hotel complex along the river northeast of downtown, but at least 10 feet of water flooded the nearby hotel.

The downtown — home of a historic warehouse district that dates back to the 1800s and is now occupied by bars and restaurants — was nearly deserted after authorities evacuated the area. Floodwater spilled into some streets near the riverfront, and restaurants and bars in the warehouse district were closed.

Water seeped into a mechanical room in the basement of the Country Music Hall of Fame, though it was not immediately clear if there was any damage. Two blocks away, the historic Ryman Auditorium, longtime former home of the Grand Ole Opry, was in no immediate danger nor were many of the country music recording studios, located about a mile west of downtown.
On the east side of the river at LP Field, where the Tennessee Titans play, water covered the field and surrounding parking lot.

"It's shocking to see it this way, but it was an incredible storm," Mayor Karl Dean said as he surveyed the downtown flooding. The Cumberland River was expected to crest Monday afternoon at more than 11 feet above flood stage, and officials worried they may find more bodies in the rising floodwaters.

Thousands of people took refuge overnight in emergency shelters, including about 1,500 guests at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel who spent the night at a high school to escape the flooding.
The resort's hotel, located northeast of downtown along the river, had "significant water" inside and would remain closed indefinitely, said hotel spokeswoman Kim Keelor. A life-sized Elvis statue, missing his guitar, was laying on its back in the parking lot of the Wax Museum of the Stars near Opryland Hotel.

German tourists Gerdi and Kurt Bauerle, both 70, said resort staff suddenly started rushing people out of the area Sunday night.

"We had just finished eating and suddenly they said: 'Go! Go! Go!'" said Gerdi Bauerle, who was visiting from Munich. "And we said 'Wait, we haven't even paid.'"

Lucy Owens, 46, said she had followed directions to stay inside with her 21-year-old son at their home near Opryland when she heard her neighborhood was being evacuated Sunday night. She and her son tried to escape in her truck, but she couldn't even drive to her mailbox because the water was so high.

She said she screamed for help and a police officer came and took her and son to a point where a boat could rescue them. By then, water was up to her ribcage.

"I got no notice. No one said nothing about evacuating. I did what they said and stayed put. I didn't get out. I didn't drive. Then it just all happened so fast," she said.

Floodwaters swallowed up hundreds of homes including 45-year-old Lisa Blackmon's in the suburb of Bellevue on the west side of Nashville. Water was up to her knees inside her house when a neighbor rushed her out Sunday. Blackmon said she feared she had nothing left in her home. She said she had no flood insurance and lost her job at a trucking company last December.

"I know God doesn't give us more than we can take," she said. "But I'm at my breaking point."
The Cumberland flooded quickly after the weekend's storms dumped more than 13 inches of rain in Nashville over two days. That nearly doubled the previous record of 6.68 inches of rain that fell in the wake of Hurricane Fredrick in 1979.

The storms, which also spawned deadly tornadoes, killed at least 12 people in Tennessee — including one person killed by a tornado in the western part of the state — six in Mississippi and four in Kentucky.

Three of the people killed in Mississippi died when high winds believed to be tornados hit their homes; the other three were killed in weather-related traffic accidents. Four weather-related deaths were also reported in Kentucky, including one man whose truck ran off the road and into a flooded creek.
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen got a bird's eye view of the flooding damage during a helicopter tour of the area on Monday. As he crossed the Tennessee River and neared the hard-hit area of Madison County, flood waters were so deep that the tops of trees made the land looked like islands.

The Cumberland River already reached record levels since an early 1960s flood control project was put in place. With so much water inundating its tributaries, it was difficult to gauge whether the river would stop at 50 feet deep, or 11 feet above flood stage.

Much of the damage from flooding was done in outlying areas of Nashville and across the middle and western parts of Tennessee. Rescues turned dramatic over the weekend with homeowners plucked off roofs and pregnant women airlifted off a waterlogged interstate.

The rain ended Monday but there will likely be weeks of cleanup. Though there was no official estimate, it was clear thousands of homes had been damaged or destroyed by flooding and tornados. Emily Petro, with the Red Cross in Nashville, said the agency was sheltering about 2,000 people across Tennessee — more than half in Nashville.

Most schools in middle Tennessee were closed Monday and many universities in the Nashville area postponed final exams.

In Nashville, even the state's own emergency operations center wasn't immune. It took up to a foot of water below a false floor, forcing officials to relocate to an auxiliary command center.

"I've never seen it this high," said emergency official Donnie Smith, who's lived in Nashville 45 years. "I'm sure that it's rained this hard at one time, but never for this much of an extended period."

Volcano Lightning

Yes, volcano lightning.

I honestly didn't think any weather could ever out-cool the thundersnow that we experienced a few winters ago in Seattle. That's right: thundersnow. That's got to be the coolest weather ever, right?

At least I thought so until today when I read about volcano lightning.

As if that isn't awesome enough, the actual volcano is named Eyjafjallajokull. Amazing! (If you are one those sad mofos who has been stuck at Kennedy airport for days--or elsewhere--I'm sure you are so over it, and I can't blame you.) Anyway, from Yahoo news:

The Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano continues to produce spectacular visual effects. Photographers have captured images of lightning, seemingly erupting directly from the volcano. The bolts may look like Hollywood special effects, but they're very much the real deal. But as LiveScience reports, they're also still a "bit of a mystery."

Things Are Looking Sunny Today

This Saturday I went to see a play at ACT theater and guess who was sitting at the end of my row? Local weatherman Steve Pool! Now, I don't really watch TV news and never have, but I've lived in Seattle since 1991, so I guess the awareness of Steve Pool seeped slowly into my consciousness over time, since he's been our local weatherman since the dawn of time (or 1984 anyway).

Isn't he pleasant and engaging? Here he is dispensing sage advice about preparing for winter weather:


Let's learn more:

"Steve Pool (born November 5, 1955) is the principal weather anchor for KOMO-TV in Seattle, having joined the station as an intern while attending the University of Washington. He joined in 1977 as KOMO's principal science reporter, in addition to serving as weekend news anchor and weather forecaster.

"In 1984, he became KOMO's primary weather forecaster after the retirement of longtime KOMO weather anchor Ray Ramsey. That same year, he began hosting a program on KOMO-TV titled "Front Runners" which aired every Saturday at 7:30PM on KOMO. The show would soon pick up nationwide syndication and featured the stories of people who beat all odds or had a unique talent, etc. Memorable segments of Front Runners include a look behind the scenes at the world of Bill Nye the Science Guy and a look at the career of fellow KOMO colleague Kathi Goertzen, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour at KOMO. Front Runners was produced by Ken Morrison and won many awards in its run, including scores of Emmy Awards. The show ended in 1996.

"KOMO News anchors Dan Lewis, Kathi Goertzen, and Steve Pool have the third longest-running tenure out of any news team in America, having worked together at KOMO-TV since 1987.

"He has won seven Emmy Awards during his career to date, made more than 80 appearances as a guest weather talent on the television show Good Morning America, and appeared in the movies Vixen Highway (2001) and Life or Something Like It (2002).

"Additionally, he is the author of a book about weather and its forecasting, titled "Somewhere, I Was Right." During the 1990s, Steve Pool hosted a video series titled I Wanna Be...(astronaut, construction worker, pilot, TV news reporter, etc)."

...Being a local celebrity seems like maybe it would be better than being, say, Angelina Jolie or someone like that. You could still enjoy some of the perks of fame, without having to deal with stuff like paparazzi and fans mobbing you every time you left the house.

However, even being a mild celebrity apparently doesn't rule out the possibility of some wackjob ornamenting himself with a giant tattoo of your face!! Yes, some weirdo got this huge portrait of Steve Pool tattooed onto his leg. I don't know who it is...someone posted it anonymously on the KOMO news website. Creepy...but also kind of sweet, in a way. I can't decide. As far as tattoos go, this is a friendly one, with a hopeful, optimistic vibe. But it's surprising that anyone would feel that strongly about Steve Pool. I wonder how Steve Pool feels about it?

Allergies

Unlike the rest of the country, Seattle has been experiencing balmy, Spring-like weather for the past few weeks.

This is nice but also not-so-nice for people like me who suffer from allergies. I never had any major allergies in New York, but as soon as I moved here, they hit me really hard. When Spring rolls around, my eyes get really itchy and watery, my nose runs (even more than usual), and I sneeze a lot. I haven't found any over-the-counter medicine that helps much. Claritin does nothing for me.

I should probably go to my doctor and try to get a prescription. I did try a prescription nasal spray once, but it didn't seem to work that well either.

When I was in Hawaii, all my allergies disappeared.

Snowshoe No Go

Darn! We had to cancel our snowshoeing plans due to inclement weather (too much rain).

Snowshoeing

We're going snowshoeing this weekend! Guy did this drawing of what he will look like, treading through the snow.

Thanks to Rico "Ice" Hertz for lending his snowshoes. They don't call him "Ice" for nothing!

Schadenfreude

I'm sad we didn't get any snow in Seattle this year. Last year was so magical. Since the city of Seattle is unable to deal with extreme weather, heavy snow shuts everything down, and civilization temporarily crashes.

Since Guy and I are evil, one of our favorite snow-related activities is running to the window when we hear the tell-tale squeal of brakes...then gleefully watching as some poor mofo slides all over the road in a sorry-ass failed attempt to drive. It warms our black little hearts.

Heartwarming Rescue of Cute Polish Dog

Dog drifts 75 miles on ice, rescued in Baltic Sea

WARSAW, Poland – A frightened, shivering dog was rescued after floating at least 75 miles (120 kilometers) on an ice floe down Poland's Vistula River and into the Baltic Sea, officials said Thursday.

Now his saviors just have to figure out who really owns him.

Four people have already claimed him, but so far rescuers say there's been no wagging tail of joy from the miracle dog they nicknamed "Baltic."

The dog's frozen odyssey came as Poland suffers through a winter cold snap, with temperatures dipping to below minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 Celsius).

The thick-furred male dog was found adrift Monday 15 miles (24 kilometers) out in the Baltic Sea by the crew of the Baltica, a Polish ship of ocean scientists carrying out research.

Researcher Natalia Drgas said Thursday the rescue was difficult and at one point it seemed the dog had drowned.

"It was really a tough struggle. It kept slipping into the water and crawling back on top of the ice. At one point it vanished underwater, under the ship and we thought it was the end, but it emerged again and crawled on an ice sheet," Drgas said.

At that point, the crew lowered a pontoon down to the water and a crew member managed to grab the dog by the scruff of his neck and pull him to safety.

Too weak to shake off the frigid water, Baltic was dried and wrapped in blankets. After he warmed up, he was massaged, fed and soon got on his feet to seek company, Drgas said.

A firefighter in Grudziadz, on the Vistula river 60 miles (100 kilometers) inland from the Bay of Gdansk, told The Associated Press the dog was spotted Saturday floating on ice through the city. Firefighters tried to save him but could not approach the dog due to shifting ice sheets, said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Baltica crew, now moored in the port city of Gdynia, have been searching for the dog's owners, ship captain Jerzy Wosachlo said. So far four people have claimed him, but Baltic has not claimed any of them back, Drgas said.

The dog didn't welcome the first two people to come for him, keeping his distance and showing no recognition toward a couple on Wednesday and a woman on Thursday who both said he was theirs. Two other would-be owners were still en route to Gdynia for a possible reunion.

Once in port, the brown-and-black mongrel was taken to a veterinarian, who found him in surprisingly good condition and estimated his age at around 5 or 6 years old. Veterinarian Aleksandra Lawniczak said the 44-pound (20-kilogram) dog was clearly frightened but in strikingly good shape and had suffered no frostbite.

A dog with thick fur and a layer of fat can survive such cold conditions for as long as eight days if it has water to drink, Lawniczak said.

She described Baltic as a friendly dog who was clearly well treated before getting lost. Wosachlo said the research team is prepared to adopt Baltic if his original owner is never found.

Pink Rain Boots

I just saw two sorority girls (I'm guessing) walking past my office, both wearing adorable pale pink rain boots! So cute! I want 'em!

But they probably paid more money for them than I would be willing to spend on rain boots. I did a search online and found these even cooler hot pink DKNY rain boots. Even marked way down to $99, that's still more than I would pay. (For regular boots, yes, but not for galoshes).

If I did own these boots, I'd be tempted to wear them all the time, not just in the rain.

Dark

It's not even 4:30 yet and it's already pitch black out and raining. Oh, Seattle. I kind of like it, though. But I wish we would end Daylight Savings, I would rather have dark mornings and have it stay a little lighter at night.

And just for fun, here's some bats. Enjoy!

Giant Underground Vat of Magma Underneath Washington State

In case you're pressed for time, here's the short version (by Beebo):

Cool Scientists Discover Super Volcano Under Washington!: Uncool Volcano Seismologist Nerds Are Boringly Skeptical

And here's the longer version (by Les Blumenthal):

Controversial study suggests vast magma pool under Washington state

Mon Oct 26, 6:00 am WASHINGTON -- A vast pool of molten rock in the continental crust that underlies southwestern Washington state could supply magma to three active volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains -- Mount St. Helens , Mount Rainier and Mount Adams -- according to a new study that's causing a stir among scientists.

The study, published Sunday in the magazine Nature Geoscience, concluded that the magma pool among the three mountains could be the "most widespread magma-bearing area of continental crust discovered so far."

Other scientists dismiss the existence of an underground vat of magma covering potentially hundreds of square miles as "farfetched" and "highly unlikely." Rather than magma heated to 1,300 to 1,400 degrees, some think it could be water. [Boo! You're farfetched and unlikely!!]

They also discount speculation that a so-called "super volcano" such as the one under the Yellowstone National Park area might be beneath the region. They say there's no credible evidence to suggest a need to overhaul the volcanic hazard assessments for the three mountains.

In the late 1980s, scientists discovered a massive underground electromagnetic anomaly known as the Southern Washington Cascades Conductor. However, the two-year study published Sunday is the first to suggest that it may be the source of magma for Mounts St. Helens, Rainier and Adams. Scientists think that each volcano has its own small magma chamber three miles or more directly beneath it. A large pool of magma 12 to 15 miles under the region's surface supplies each of the shallower chambers, the new study theorizes.

"The take-home point is there is evidence of a primary magma pool that feeds the chambers underneath the volcanoes," said Matt Burgess , who worked on the study before becoming a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in San Diego . "It's one source all these volcanoes feed off."

Using sensitive instruments at 85 sites among the mountains -- including Mount St. Helens during its just-ended eruptive phase -- scientists studied the electric and magnetic fields of the Southern Washington Cascades Conductor, Burgess said. "It's up for debate, but it is reasonable to assume it is a large magma chamber," he said. "There is no other explanation for this."

Among the scientists who study volcanoes, the study has, in fact, touched off a major debate. "Their interpretation is open to disagreement," said Seth Moran , a volcano seismologist with the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash. "Other geophysical studies don't support this theory." [Booooo!]

Moran said the most telling evidence that the theory was wrong was the lack of any surface evidence, such as geothermal vents or hot springs, among the mountains that would indicate the presence of a super-heated underground magma pool. "If there was such a large body of magma, you would find surface evidence," Moran said, adding that Yellowstone, with its geysers and hot springs, is a perfect example of the type of visible evidence that's lacking in southwest Washington state .

Yet some of Malone's colleagues agree with the study and Hill's conclusions. Olivier Bachmann , a geochemist at the University of Washington , said the data in the study were "pretty solid." He said there was other evidence, including geochemical evidence, to suggest that the Southern Washington Cascades Conductor might be a magma pool. The lack of surface evidence is no reason to discount the possibility of a southwest Washington magma pool, Bachmann said, adding that the geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone, Iceland and New Zealand are over much shallower magma pools than the Southern Washington Cascades Conductor.

Bachmann called the Southern Washington Cascades Conductor a "mush zone," about 20 to 50 percent magma and the rest crystalline rock. The magma extruded at Mount St. Helens was filled with crystals, he said. "The magma at Mount St. Helens is sticky, viscous, explosive and didn't come directly from the (Earth's) mantle," he said.

All the scientists, including Hill and Burgess, said there was nothing to suggest that a dangerous super volcano was underneath southwest Washington .

The Yellowstone super volcano is one of the largest on Earth, with a caldera, or depression, in the surface that covers 1,500 square miles. During its last eruption, 640,000 years ago, it released 8,000 times more lava and ash than the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens did.

Panico en el Transiberiano

...otherwise known as Horror Express.

This movie from 1972 stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Telly Savalas. All three of them really give it their all. Guy and I watched this movie the other night and it truly delivers. This is a summary from IMDB:

"In 1906, in China, Professor Alexander Saxton discovers an ancient frozen fossil in the remote Province of Szechuan. He brings the remains of the being in a box to Shanghai and boards a trans-Siberian train, where he meets his acquaintance Dr. Wells. During the trip, a life force trapped in the frozen creature is released, killing the passengers."

Sounds dumb, no? But, surprisingly, there are many cool reveals and interesting ideas in this film. The pacing is excellent too. It's action-packed all the way through, but the plot builds somewhat slowly and spookily at first, as the mystery deepens and the action begins to accelerate. By the end of the movie, it's an all-out zombie fest, but it takes a while to get there.

Rainbow Malcontent

Guy managed to capture these photos of a rainbow yesterday in Lynnwood. It had been raining all day and then the sun suddenly came out and the rainbow appeared. My mom complained that the wires were "in the way" and also that even though we get a lot of rainbows in Washington, "we should get more." But, personally, I was happy to see something on Aurora besides gun shops and prostitutes.

Overrated / Underrated

I've been meaning to make a list like this for quite a while. Remember, this list is completely subjective objective, irrefutable fact, arrived at scientifically, and with absolutely no bias.

Overrated: Sun. Underrated: Rain.
Overrated: Thick-crust pizza. Underrated: Thin-crust pizza.
Overrated: Long hair. Underrated: Short hair.
Overrated: Justice. Underrated: Mercy.
Overrated: Natural. Underrated: Artificial.
Overrated: Tina Fey. Underrated: Anna Faris.
Overrated: Peacocks. Underrated: Pigeons.
Overrated: Ryan Seacrest (American Idol). Underrated: Chris Harrison (The Bachelor).
Overrated: "Star Wars." Underrated: "The Creation of the Humanoids."
Overrated: Cars. Underrated: Public transportation.
Overrated: Outer space. Underrated: Astrology.
Overrated: New York City. Underrated: Seattle.
Overrated: Houses. Underrated: Apartments.
Overrated: Tastefulness. Underrated: Trashiness.
Overrated: Talking it out. Underrated: Letting it go.
Overrated: "Sex & the City." Underrated: "Sex & the Single Girl."
Overrated: Labrador retrievers. Underrated: Mutts.
Overrated: "He's Just Not That Into You." Underrated: "Down With Love."
Overrated: "The Catcher In the Rye." Underrated: "The Sword In the Stone."
Overrated: Engagement rings. Underrated: Eloping.
Overrated: Showers. Underrated: Baths.
Overrated: Music. Underrated: Silence.
Overrated: Huck Finn. Underrated: Tom Sawyer.
Overrated: Youth. Underrated: Age.
Overrated: Cherry/strawberry flavored. Underrated: Lime/lemon flavored.
Overrated: Celebrity. Underrated: Obscurity.
Overrated: Logic. Underrated: Intuition.
Overrated: Knowing. Underrated: Not knowing.
Overrated: Horses. Underrated: Squirrels.
Overrated: Summer. Underrated: Fall.
Overrated: Humans. Underrated: Animals.

And here is a short list of things that are highly rated--but that live up to the hype!
William Shatner, bacon, the Obamas, Dolly Parton, sharks, Oprah Winfrey, Hawaii, Krispy Kreme.

What would be on YOUR list? Feel free to share in the comments!

Fun's Over

Looks like the heat wave is over.

Now that it's finally over, I have to admit, I actually miss it a little. How will I replace that magical feeling of my head being on fire?

Life goes on, I guess.

I LOVE THIS WEATHER

Don't you love 100 degree weather with no air conditioning?

IT'S SO AWESOME.

It's the AMAZING KATIE HOLMES of weather.

Hell

The weather report for Hell, Michigan today is 82 degrees, plus thundershowers.













That means that today in Seattle, it is officially hotter than Hell. We are expecting a Satanic high of 91 (with the Seattle Times listing the current temperature at 85, although it already feels hotter than that).

Anyway, I'm impressed with whomever came up with the town name of Hell. Genius! Just reading the daily newspaper would be fun, and you could attend Hell High, and when you left and people asked where you were from, you could say, "Hell."




Read more about Hell, MI here:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/2456

Did You Know...?

...that Hawaiians have over 500 words for "snow"? Apparently, it occasionally snows on Mauna Kea, the tallest volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Still, why would they need 500 words to describe snow? Especially since they never even got around to coming up with one word for "ocean." Too busy surfing, I guess.

Because of this, Hawaiians are reduced to describing the ocean by vaguely gesturing and describing it as, "you know, that big blue thing."

It's a mystery, just like so many other mysteries you will find on these beautiful yet inscrutable islands we like to call Hawaii.