Sunday, August 28, 2005
Updating for 8/28
It's been a pleasant Sunday in Houston. Real life reality TV is unfolding in front of our eyes on CNN, FNC, and MSNBC. Hurricane Katrina is going to hit the Gulf Coast and level a significant portion of of Louisiana and/or Mississippi.
It's funny. On Friday, I stepped out of the shower and heard the Today Show talk about the path of the storm and mention Fort Walton Beach and Destin. Because of family interests, I laughed when I heard that. Here we go again for storm number three to hit that area. I was in Destin in March and they were still recovering from Ivan.
Then on Saturday, it had Biloxi and New Orleans in mind. But, the turn hadn't happened at that time. It could still head to Houston, depending on some upper level winds and various pressure systems.
This morning I woke up for my long run as I train for the Chicago Marathon. That's when I heard it was a category 5 storm. After a two hour run, I spent the better part of the day between tasks with the television on one of the cable news channels watching this storm move toward the Big Easy. This is real life reality television.
Over the past few years, we watched Big Brother, Fear Factor, The Bachelor, and Survivor. Those shows got ratings and created water cooler chat. Now, it's Survivor New Orleans. Real Life, In Front of Your Eyes.
I studied hurricanes in a couple classes at the University of Wisconsin. Camille was always a benchmark for studies. The hurricane parties that happened with storms, the damage, the development of the numerical strength category always used Camille as a guidepost until Andrew came along. Camille is still a bigger benchmark in many academic's minds because it is a more studied storm. Katrina will trump both Camille and Andrew in magnitude, real dollar damage, and more.
Tomorrow evening, we'll see what's left of the city and see how the oil markets reacted to the situation.
Thoughts:
- Astros need to score runs. Fast. Clemens is pitching his brains out and has no run support. Why return next year?
- The Texans could be in a lot of trouble this year.
- So might the Badgers.
- NASCAR is the new great American sport.
- Cruises are the best vacations to take.
- I'm gonna miss New Orleans. It was a great weekend getaway. Great food at Court of Two Sisters, the Port of Call, and Felix's. Plus the Sheraton - a great hotel on Canal Street. Then, there's the Tropical Isle - a must stop on any trip to New Orleans. I've always said "I love going to New Orleans and I love leaving New Orleans."
Time to exit ... Coming up more reporters getting blown away by the storm.
-30-
It's funny. On Friday, I stepped out of the shower and heard the Today Show talk about the path of the storm and mention Fort Walton Beach and Destin. Because of family interests, I laughed when I heard that. Here we go again for storm number three to hit that area. I was in Destin in March and they were still recovering from Ivan.
Then on Saturday, it had Biloxi and New Orleans in mind. But, the turn hadn't happened at that time. It could still head to Houston, depending on some upper level winds and various pressure systems.
This morning I woke up for my long run as I train for the Chicago Marathon. That's when I heard it was a category 5 storm. After a two hour run, I spent the better part of the day between tasks with the television on one of the cable news channels watching this storm move toward the Big Easy. This is real life reality television.
Over the past few years, we watched Big Brother, Fear Factor, The Bachelor, and Survivor. Those shows got ratings and created water cooler chat. Now, it's Survivor New Orleans. Real Life, In Front of Your Eyes.
I studied hurricanes in a couple classes at the University of Wisconsin. Camille was always a benchmark for studies. The hurricane parties that happened with storms, the damage, the development of the numerical strength category always used Camille as a guidepost until Andrew came along. Camille is still a bigger benchmark in many academic's minds because it is a more studied storm. Katrina will trump both Camille and Andrew in magnitude, real dollar damage, and more.
Tomorrow evening, we'll see what's left of the city and see how the oil markets reacted to the situation.
Thoughts:
- Astros need to score runs. Fast. Clemens is pitching his brains out and has no run support. Why return next year?
- The Texans could be in a lot of trouble this year.
- So might the Badgers.
- NASCAR is the new great American sport.
- Cruises are the best vacations to take.
- I'm gonna miss New Orleans. It was a great weekend getaway. Great food at Court of Two Sisters, the Port of Call, and Felix's. Plus the Sheraton - a great hotel on Canal Street. Then, there's the Tropical Isle - a must stop on any trip to New Orleans. I've always said "I love going to New Orleans and I love leaving New Orleans."
Time to exit ... Coming up more reporters getting blown away by the storm.
-30-
