h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Lil, you, the cats, a CD-Rom case full of a complete back-up of everything on your system right now, water, any pieces of art or mementos that you cannot live without, some clothes and a toilet kit.

But beyond the cats and you? Everything else is replacable. Nothing is worth you.

Man. It's times like these that I'm glad I live in a sea of concrete. It's unlikely for a fire like that to threaten my home.

T-minus 5 days until we have to be out of the current apartment, and we still don't have a new place. Life sucks when you're a student. No one wants to let you have a co-signer, but they won't lower their requirements for your income, either.

Lil, MR is definitely correct, nothing is worth you.

Lil, wot they said. You need food, water, truly irreplacable objects and the lapdog.

http://www.asterlil.com/journal/nightfire.htm

These are pretty striking, and I'm so pleased with peppin_25 that I'm going to submit it to the Hubbard photo competition this fall.


A calm night, no ash fall, but the coyotes are ~really~ close by. I worry for my cats.

for Lil. Get the car mostly packed, and then you can just jump in a nd zoom off. Hope it doesn't come to that though.

Lil, those pictures are scary and beautiful all at the same time.

Does anyone have any extra sleep they can loan me? I have a feeling I'm going to be a little short on it for the next couple of weeks.

And I have a sticky situation to ask you all about. My grandmother, the ultimate drama queen who also happens to have a title in guilt, is in failing health. My aunt, who is downright not very decent, decided that we should all get together in about 3 weeks in Florida for a family reunion. I get nervous just walking into an airport, get sick to my stomach when I watch planes take off or land (I'm feeling right now just talking about it), and on top of that, have to find a job as soon as I possibly can for the summer. I don't have the time to drive or take the train, but my fear of flying is such that I'm feeling quite like I'm stuck. My grandmother, of course, is saying things like, "oh, get over it" or, even better, "I just want to see everyone one more time, and then I can die." (I've tried to get over it, and if she'd listen to her damned doctors, she'll live another 20 years).

What would you all do?

Is it just at night the coyotes are prowling, or has the fire forced tehm out during the day? I know very little about coyotes and their habits, but can you keep the cats in at night?

MR, would prescription medication help? Z will help me out, but I think it was beta blockers a friend's daughter took before a driving test to help calm her nerves. If it was me, I would try to get there as I know I would feel guilty if I didn't, whatever the outcome.

Lil:
Scary. Do be careful and keep your eyes and ears open (as you have been) to any further developments. Wouldn’t want you endangered. Take the advice. You, the cats, back-up files, important paperwork in an accordion file (birt cert., SSN, medical, life ins., school records, certifications, passports, etc.), small suitcase with clothes and hygiene items. Some snacks and drinks for both species. Prep it and keep it ready. Hopefully you won’t have to use it. Then it’ll just be a minor inconvenience to put it all back, and you can breathe easier about it.

MR:
Take along a good book to read, to help take your mind off it and keep your attention focused somewhere else. Might I suggest Erica Jong’s book, “Fear of Flying,” as an ultimately apt diversion for your trip. Check it out here: http://www.ericajong.com/flying.htm
There are also a buhzillion self-help groups out there (like SOAR), willing to help you examine these feelings, get a handle on them, and overcome them. Just do a web search on “fear of flying” and you’ll have an excellent start.

All:
Along those lines (books), I have to recommend http://www.dearreader.com/ as a source of great new titles you folks might be interested in. Once you subscribe to any of the almost a dozen genres of publications, you received a “5-minute daily read” in your e-mail Monday through Friday. It’s a quick way to preview a book and see if you take a liking to the story or info, with no obligation to buy. MR might be interested in one that showed up in my Business e-mail for review, called “Right Risk,” and details what constitutes solid preparation for a risk, versus what’s just plain fool-hardy. It also shows you how to take the strengths you’ve gained from other risk-taking endeavors in your life and apply them to current or pending situations. Check it out. “It’s so good to read with friends.”

B4idecide2goskydiving

How about this for keeping your chickens in the back garden:

http://www.omlet.co.uk/homepage/homepage.php

Cassie would be entertained for hours.

[T]
[¤o¤]

For me it would be livestock if any, laptop, paper filing (one box), handwritten journals, (about 10 hardback notebooks), photos if I had time, an armful of clothes and toiletries for practical purposes. Oh, and addressbook and phone numbers.

MR, would you regret not going if she did die? If so, then you have no choice and you have to go. If not, then don't go. I have used this 'would I regret... if...' process for my decisions for about 10 years, and as a result I have done and not done some unexpected things and pushed myself outside my comfort zone on a couple of occasions but there is little that I have done that I regret, and little that I regret not doing, either.

B

[p]

[dave]

[Amy]

You're in my thoughts, Lil. I really hope you won't have to evacuate.

[Sol]

Remember the girl I fell over and got a date with? Well, the date went well, we had some lunch on Monday and just wandered around town chatting for a while afterwards. Although when we walked into Music Zone and they were playing "fall at Your feet" by Crowded House, I was slightly unnerved...

So, will there be the all important third date, Egon?

PEncilled in for "possibly some time this weekend" at the moment.