Quaking All Over

I am back. Finally. It has been busy and I have also been lazy. Baseball, work and, of course, we NEED a new bathroom at the old homestead. The best part is that yesterday the earth shook in these parts. We had a fucking 5.0 earthquake strike this area!

It was kind of cool, too. I was working from home and I was at my computer when I heard some rattling. I thought that there was something wrong with the fridge and when I got up I could hear the rattle from the mirror hanging in the front. I could not hear construction noises, so I headed upstairs. I heard the shower doors rattling and then came into our bedroom, only to hear the mirrors hanging on our wall shaking. I knew it was a tremor or earthquake.

I put on CP24 and they were showing coverage of Obama's conference after firing/forced resignation of General Stanley McChrystal. They then broke away for some "Breaking News". My earthquake conclusion was confirmed.

No damage, so la di dah. Then again, is this a harbinger of a greater quake to come? Are we prepared? Is our infrastructure (homes, buildings, bridges and roads) capable of dealing with a larger quake? This should be a call to figure this stuff out so that we can be prepared should it strike again, soon and with more force.

The funny thing is that the other day, Sunday, the Wife and I were watching a thing on earthquakes and how structures were built and tested on the US west coast. It showed that midsize steel structured buildings in Los Angeles could withstand a largeish quake centered along the San Andreas Fault. If the quake is centered in the LA Basin, where a faultline lies in downtown LA, then there will be MASSIVE damage to all structures.

It also showed that the causeway in Seattle was built on information that is obsolete. That means that double decker bridge is not capable of withstanding a big quake in Seattle. They are keeping an eye on it, and it is very old, and it needs far more than "keeping a" fucking "eye" on it. It is all about money to pay for rebuilding infrastructure and maintaining infrastructure. That is not really there. I am not sure how disaster relief money will help as that job will be massive. Then again, it may become one in a series of Mother Nature make work projects. It may be better than a war, though that, too, may be on its way.

Depressing thought and there ain't nothin' funny 'bout that! I am going to quake away for today. I must remember to regale you all with my experience at the Pavement concert on Toronto Island with the Lad. Ciao!

Rue McLanahan Dies. Gary Coleman Dies. Conrad Bain the Connection. Is Todd Bridges Next?

I am back. It has been a long time. I just do not know exactly how long. Damn, fucking interface changes! Well, I do not recall posting about Gary Coleman's death, or did I? It came quickly and kind of out of the blue. As I thought, though I do not recall if I posted, that it is surprising that of the "Drummond" children that Willis (Todd Bridges) would be the last one standing. Again, I would have thought it would be Kimberley (Dana Plato), but that was not to be. She committed suicide. In fact, her 25 year old son just did the same thing recently. He never did get over his mother's suicide. That does beg the question, "does one EVER get over" something like that? I am just not sure.

Of course, you do not get OVER it. You do learn how to cope and put it in perspective. The goal is to not allow that to overwhelm you and to live a life. Enjoy life as best one can with a heavy heart. Enjoy it nonetheless.

Now, word is out that Rue McLanahan has died. Here is the thing. She was "married" to Conrad Bain on "Maude" (with Bea Arthur who has been dead for about a year now). Gary Coleman was the adopted son of Conrad Bain on "Different Strokes" and Dana Plato is daughter. Esther Rolle, who played Maude's housekeeper, Florida, is also dead. Do you see the connection?

Apparently, if you are on a television show with Conrad Bain...you will die. If you played a relative of his on television, you will really die. Todd Bridges is not out of the woods yet. Then again, neither is Adrienne Barbeau or Bill Macy. I figure that with 2 co-stars dead (family members, too) in under a week in 2010, Todd Bridges should for sure be on the look out for the Grim Reaper.

Sad to say, but that is strange patterns talking, not me.

Ciao!