Katrina!

[LoveSickJerk]

I think there are more Floridians on this board than on the HD board. Regardless, how are ya'll holding up with Katrina?

[Liesbeth]

and while we're at it: how's our Austrian doing, in the rains that turn the Alps into one big mudfest - and not in a fun festival kinda way?

[c-dog]

I just saw on the news that Katrina turned into a hurricane... aside from a few showers this afternoon and a nice cool breeze when I was talking my dog for a walk after work... there is no sign of her in Central Florida...but how is Grant doing I wonder?

[Moni]

Yea the weather's been freaky almost all over Europe indeed, with the devastating forest fires in Spain and Portugal and the rain floods in Switzerland, Bavaria and western Austria.
In vienna however there's been less than one day of rain overall (which is pretty typical), so I'm high and dry, thankfully!

I totally missed out on Katrina though, it hasn't been on the news here at all (yet). Hope Grant and everyone else is okay.

[grant]

I'm one of the few people who turned up to work today. It was nothing more than a long, windy thunderstorm near me, but around the Dania/Hollywood/Aventura area, it was a little more intense.

4 people were killed -- one in storm-related traffic, the other three by falling branches.

If you're out where falling branches can get you during a hurricane (assuming you have a choice), then I can't say I'm all that sympathetic.

[c-dog]

Yeah - I have to wonder about people who are near trees during hurricanes on purpose. During the worst one last year, our neighbors took their dog out as trees were bending and we were pushing our couch up against our door in hopes that it wouldn't blow in on us....

[Liesbeth]

poor dog

[Betty Felon]

yikes! the things you miss when you have no access to news in your country for a week! Category 5! holy moly! Stay safe.

Then again, perhaps hurricanes in Florida are treated like typhoons in Japan...a seasonal nuisance.

We non-island/penninsula dwellers are transfixed in horror, while the natives are like, "darn it, this delays my business by a day or two."

[BladeRunner]

Betty's in Japan... when, how long, and do little kids try to constantly poke you up the butt with their fingers?

[Betty Felon]

Betty's in Japan... when, how long, and do little kids try to constantly poke you up the butt with their fingers?

lmao. Yes I'm in Japan, I've been here for one week so far, and no, little kids do not play that game..yet, thank goodness. Actually, the tots are just adorable here and stare at me like I'm from outer space. Sometimes they point and say "Amerka-jin!"

Also, side ponytails are totally in. And mayonaise shows up in the darndest places.

[BladeRunner]

Also, side ponytails are totally in. And mayonaise shows up in the darndest places.

You might want to contact your state-side physican about that one.

[Betty Felon]

Also, side ponytails are totally in. And mayonaise shows up in the darndest places.

You might want to contact your state-side physican about that one.

About side ponytails? They are a medical condition? Oh, I must take care not to make fun of them so much. What about mullets? Those are big here too. Are they contagious?

Im serious about the mayonaise...mayonaise on pizza (along with squid ink and octopus), mayonaise as a dressing on....salad, noodles, meat, etc. I'm functionally illiterate and so far I've been buying a lot of mayonaise on accident.

Oh, but other than the mayonaise, the food in Osaka is incredible...better and cheaper than in Kyoto. Seriously, if you come to Japan, do no skip Osaka because of its lack of historical cultural attractions (we bombed them into oblivion in WWII,) come here to eat. It's a gastronomical dream come true.

I know, those in florida and Louisiana who need to evacuate should all come to Osaka and eat takoyaki and okonomiyaki and wait out the storm. yesh.

[LoveSickJerk]

...on pizza (along with squid ink and octopus)

How is the squid ink? Ever since they ran that original Iron Chef episode, with the squid as the ingredient, I've wanted to taste what this once chef made: squid ink ice cream! I love me some squid, but have never had a chance to taste the ink! How is it? I need to know!

[Liesbeth]

do the Japanese have mayonaise with their fries though? if so, I would feel right at home.
it's really an interesting cultural phenomenon: go to a McDonalds in a foreign country and although almost everything seems the same, there's something different with the fries in almost each country.

[Betty Felon]

do the Japanese have mayonaise with their fries though? if so, I would feel right at home.
it's really an interesting cultural phenomenon: go to a McDonalds in a foreign country and although almost everything seems the same, there's something different with the fries in almost each country.

To be honest, I haven't opted to sample the squid ink nor McD's quite yet. I have had eel, however and it is delicious. I'm not sure how Japanese food is considered healthy, however, as I feel like all I eat is salt and carbs. But hey, if it works, it works.

How is the job search coming, Liesbeth? For what its worth, I think your web creations are quite lovely and professional looking. Perhaps you should freelance?

[LoveSickJerk]

To be honest, I haven't opted to sample the squid ink nor McD's quite yet. I have had eel, however and it is delicious.

Get on the stick Betty! ;)

I love eel! But stay the hell away from sea urchin. My friend describes it as: "licking the floor of a very musty attic".

[grant]

Fresh uni can be lovely, but the texture can be a bit much for the unprepared.

So, Katrina. New Orleans. Like something out of Revelation.

[Liesbeth]

How is the job search coming, Liesbeth? For what its worth, I think your web creations are quite lovely and professional looking. Perhaps you should freelance?

thanks for the compliment, but I'm looking for something less stressful than what I have now - even if I could do it, which I'm not so sure about, freelancing would not be that.

anyway, no job yet means I may have some time soon to get some work on the Library done!

[Betty Felon]

Fresh uni can be lovely, but the texture can be a bit much for the unprepared.

So, Katrina. New Orleans. Like something out of Revelation.

Yes. Mississippi too. I can't believe the pictures I'm seeing. I don't have access to video coverage, so I can't imagine what he news is like stateside.

Tsunami, Wars, Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Terror Attacks, etc, it seems like the past few years have had so many more disasters, natural and man-made, than I remember from the past. Has it always been this way?

[Liesbeth]

I was gonna distinguish between natural disasters and man-made things like terrorist attacks/war, but I guess it could be argued that at least some natural disasters are likely a result from our lifestyle.

Partly it may be that currently more things involve the western world, so we're closer to it now than before. But if I compare to my childhood, the difference is also that then there were two tv-channels only broadcasting in the evening (I'm talking about 70's in the Netherlands), so if a disaster hit, there would be coverage on the evening news, and it was main page news in the newspaper, and people would talk about it, and that was it. Whereas nowadays it's so much more everywhere you look, on a huge amount of channels for much more of the time and with direct footage almost straightaway, and on the internet, and not just on news sites, but on message boards and blogs.

There's a great Dutch tv show called 'Andere Tijden' (different times), which looks at news items from Dutch post-war history, and links them to current affairs. Often the conclusion would have to be that there isn't that much new stuff going on... we just forget easily.