Emergency Preparedness.

I was walking down one of the main concrete tunnels beneath the academic health center, delivering a package to the shipping dock, when I looked down to see a small case of bottled water. The case has been there for at least a week now, and I'm starting to think it's been forgotten. I'm happy that it's been forgotten though, because looking at the water I got to thinking about something that concerns me, and I think in a post-Katrina, post-9/11, post-35W Collapse society, there is a certain feeling that, "terrible things can happen at any minute."

Suppose for instance, as the trope says, that Zombies finally did rise to feed upon the living. We would need access to clean and safe water, as to avoid potentially catching whatever disease the creatures had, as well as to deal with the potential water-system shutoffs that could happen with alarming ease. I can imagine a group of rag-tag survivors coming upon the bottled water with hope, then tension as they figure out how to ration it.

I strongly hope that the case of water remains to help us survive any possible eventuality.

The Androy Hotel

First off, some perspective, or placing for those of you who don't know the Duluth and Superior area. The Androy hotel is an old building from the 30s or so, and is a mix between a residence and guest hotel. The rooms are tiny and ancient, and compared to the terrifyingly high prices in Duluth in the summer, maintain at a pretty constantly cheap rate, in the 50is dollar range.

I know the Androy primarily because it's a popular (and cheap) destination for people in the late hours of the night. It's popular because there is a very divey, but cheap and apparently decent tasting cafe down at the bottom floor.

I've never stayed at the Hotel though.

Have any of my readers stayed at the Hotel?

One of my coworkers will be staying there over the weekend with her daughter, and I guess I'm just curious. Also, is the area loud enough on weekends (from bar-crowd, etc.) to keep people awake who go to sleep at decent hours?

Michael Wiener. (Or Savage)

"I'll tell you what autism is: In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out."

Hmmmm...

I imagine most kids with Autism have been told to "Cut the act out" dozens, if not hundreds of times, probably to the point of having major problems stemming from it. Really, this holds for all sorts of people with disorders that change their behavior in ways that others find annoying.

I'm not surprised he would say such a thing, as it's inflammatory, and balls-out assholish, but still one would think that with his background in the sciences, he would have some sort of understanding.

Michael Savage is a man who makes Bill O'Reilly seem perfectly reasonable, thoughtful and pleasant.

Good to see psychotic extremists with millions of fans. Also good to see that after insulting the Autistic, their ad dollars get pulled to some degree.

Further bad news

Myrtle, the cat mentioned in yesterday's post, has deteriorated noticably further.Her behavior has become erratic, strange and has no appearance of being happy or interested in life. She's been trying to escape to the outdoors, presumably to hide somewhere and die.

It seems she'll be taken to the vet this week and put to sleep.

Too bad.

Dandelion Jelly

I'm at my parents house in Duluth right now. I decided, basically on friday or late thursday to make the trip, because I found out that Winnie, the dog my parents got when I was nine, is rapidly deteriorating in health. She's dying really, and will be dead within a week or two, the result of generally failing health, and some sort of grotesque, horribly painful looking tumor in her mouth.

Winnie is a St. Bernard and Black Lab mix from a farm in what could be called the outskirts of the Duluth Metro area. One of her littermates was picked up by an eagle and presumably eaten when she was a puppy. Winnie is a stubborn, athletic "water dog," and very big hearted, with a penchant for picking up and carrying rocks.

Other sad news, our cat Myrtle, who my parents have had since I was too young to remember otherwise seems to be wasting away mentally and physically. When I came into my parents' house, she was sitting in the front hall, dirty from head to toe, as she's stopped cleaning herself, either from apathy or lack of ability. She just walks around the house, meowing mournfully. Her normally trim and athletic form is now simply skinny and unhealthy looking.

Needless to say, it's a bit of an emotionally trying trip.

This is why I haven't called any of my Duluth friends.

There is Dandelion Jelly in the fridge though, and the weather is absolutely beautiful. The lake is amazing, it's gorgeous, majestic and powerful. There's an island of craggy rock some 10-15 miles out of town to the NorthEast along the shore, and I will visit it's gullshit covered face before I turn 25.

This Concerns Me

So,as of right now I have a couple of major concerns or worries.

The first is the impending death of Winnie, or Winnifred, a Labrador/St. Bernard mix that I've known since I was nine years old. She's my parents dog officially, but as she grew up with me, and I grew up with her, it's important that I try to see her.

This means an unscheduled trip to Duluth, probably on Saturday.

My other concern is my teeth. My teeth are having issues, and I need to see a Dentist soon, hopefully sometime next week. It shouldn't be too big of a thing to deal with, and once it's done I'll be fine, but until then, aleve, ibuprofen and aspirin are my friends on a rotating schedule.

These are my issues.