Then check out these, oh about 800 pics from the upcoming game Gran Turismo 4.
Also in other gaming news. I have been participating in a yahoo fantasy football league. the forest lake what league is fantastic. I can say this because my team, My Twins is currently ranked 2nd in points. I barely beat my friend Alex in Week 3, but it was a much needed win.
Now, I haven't crossed over into the DnD geek all grown up and playing more fantasy roles masked as "love for the sport". And besides there is no way I'm shelling out hard earned cash to gain personal confidence that I too have the ability to lead the Giants to the superbowl. I already know that, but anyways. Our main IT guy at work runs w/ a league that has the draft day and they play for a 2 grand prize. But did I mention the $150 buy in. I don't think so, seeing I don't have that superfan #99 jersey on my back. I guess I shouldn't really complain, because if it wasn't for them there wouldn't be free ways of playing fantasy football for us lesser nerds.
Of course I would pay to join a GT4 league because I'm a driver and a winner.
I love sundays, mostly for us its our one day to sleep in and relax. The cats seem to sleep a little longer on sunday mornings before they start their own Daytona 500 around the living room. Of course its more like the 500 mixed w/ super motorcross as they have no care of what they jump over.
But this sunday is not the same. I love my sister and all, but I woke up hating her a bit as my cellphone rang before 7 this morning. My god, it better be important, of course in "daddy mode" I'm expecting bad news. Even worse, she tells me that hurricane Jeanne has continued her mostly west path and is heading for the tampa bay area, well the eye is heading right for us.
Instant awakening is how I can describe it, we looked outside the window as the news got turned on. Our view isn't a great view, all we can see is the parking lot between buildings in our apartment complex, but the little trees out there showed evidence of jeanne moving into our area. The palm trees are swaying violently and when we opened the sliding door could hear the wind gusting. Once again, I wish I was a surfer because I'd be out there, but I have to be alive for my boys to be born so that probably wouldn't be a smart move.
It's like one of those cheesy daytime dramas, or soap operas if you will. Where the main characters is sorta unpredictable, but really their actions are well-drawn out for them. Actually, scratch that, they are so predictable on soap operas, but its even worse that people still watch them like the made up world is real.
Yet another hurricane is threatining Florida. The weather channel says we will tie texas' record of 4 hurricanes to hit a state during one hurricane season. All I can say is wow, thanks for the honor, and I appreciate all the other states who willed for Florida to get hit again. At times like this, I can see how the scientists believe Florida will become an island state on day, which would partially be cool because we'd be that much more seperated from Georgia.
Anyway, it really sucks this year, being the year my boys will be born, hopefully in a structure that still has power.
Once again, I step into the office late. I wake up motivated to go to work, but somewhere between taking a shower and checking the morning e-mail, time disappears. Then I sware Shelby and Elise are looking at me, hoping I'll stay home all day w/ them and give them rubs of affection. What's even worse is when Denise, the office assistant, says good morning. She says it very chippy on days i'm really late.. and as always this is deducted from my time. There is definitely something wrong w/ working at a small office w/ less than 50 employees and time watching being such an issue.
I-10 collapses
This is the part of I-10 that we take to drive through Pensacola. Correction it was the way, but now that Ivan has rolled through and destroyed part of it, then we'll have to find another way to get to MS. But since Shawana is over 6 months pregnant now w/ Caleb and Christian there is no way that we can travel long distances by car. And I'm glad, because no matter how relaxing and fun the destination is for your road trip. Driving long hours sucks.
Ivan has killed 12 since coming ashore yesterday in the Alabama, panhandle Florida area. Adding to those who already have gotten the worst of the storm through the carribean. I haven't heard any official word from my dad yet on how Ivan affected my family members in Grenada. And likewise no word yet has reached me of my family in Jamaica. This hurricane season has been simply unforgetable. Storm after storm has come crashing our way. And now Jean is moving itself into the picture. Lord I hope December comes or my babies will be born under a hurricane warning.
Shawana's sister and her family live in the Pensacola. They stay pretty close to the coastline, but they toughed out the storm at home. When she talked to them last night, they didn't have any power and the winds were definitely present.
just when you think things are beautiful, life happens suddenly and brings it all back to normal. The boys are getting closer and stress from anticipation is building. I'm over excited to welcome my first kids into the world, but oh so nervous. Plus my website is facing difficulties once again. ah dang.
So hurricane francis came through florida leaving its mark across the state. We had to spend and extra day in MS because on monday, the storm was passing over the panhandle. If we would have gone, we would have been driving through the middle of it, dodging powerlines and flying cows. But with the boys on their way, the risk of living young and dangerous is too much. Shelby and Elise took the 11 hour trip pretty well. They stayed in their new, roomier cage for the trip and they were quiet for almost the entire time there and back.
Back in MS, it was a beautiful and sunny the whole time. I know I'm a city type, but there is an enjoyment in doing nothing but relaxing like in those countrytime lemonaded commercials. But the trip was fun - and more will be coming. This week has been short and packed full of stuff that I am behind in everything. So I'll have to fill in the trip details later. Also, I'm very concerned for my family members in Grenada. The news reports 90% of the houses have been destroyed there due to hurricane Ivan. Ivan is currently a category 5 storm and is heading our way, which seems to be the season for all the hurricanes to head for the peninsula state.
Alright, so now labor day weekend. Thanks to the hurricane and the risk of eminent doom to Florida, okay so maybe thats a little bit over the top, but since Frances is heading towards us and should hit Saturday morning. Shawana and I have decided to pack up our cats and drive to MS for the weekend. How do you keep a cat from using the bathroom for 11 hours? Her family would be driving down through the state while the hurricane was coming through, so to Kosciusko we go.
Oh what a Labor Day weekend to look forward to this year. On the good side, Shawana's family is coming down for a visit from MS. Its always interesting to me to be knee deep into southern black coulture and especially good southern cooking. Now all my family is from the caribbean by some form. There is a good chance that on any island is the caribbean lives somebody who is related to me, well maybe not Haiti and I won't even get that mess started here. Anyways, island folk is my background on both sides so all my relatives have some form of west indian accent or can at least bring it up when they are angry enough. My mom is especially known to me to raise up a solid Jamaican accent when she's mad at me. So its a treat to be surrounded by what is a different coulture. Shawana's family is from MS, so its a unique experience to me. Much like Shawana felt when she was at my mom's birthday party w/ alot of my family there, a big coulture difference. Of course we both felt the same about Mr. Grimes, he was my brother Hebron's friend who came down to help do some much needed work to my mom's house. At times we both couldn't decifer all the words he was saying. He's a very nice man, but it seemed only my brother could understand him.
Anyhow on the down side for this weekend. Charley struck florida's west coast about 3 weeks ago and damn if we aren't having a busy hurricane season this year. Out in the Atlantic, Hurricane Frances is heading for the eastern coast of Florida w/ Level 4 strength. Many people are still trying to get their lives back in order after Charley and then another hurricane of equal strength is heading for us again, and the season isn't done yet. So back to wal-mart we go to get "just in case" supplies.
So this past sunday, or maybe saturday, I was awakened very early by Shawana. She suffered a muscle cramp in her lower leg and like a good father-to-be and protector-of-the-family, I arose alert and ready to help. She later told me that she was thankful for my quick attention, but I already had slept through a previous leg cramp encounter earlier. I'm sorry, I can be a heavy sleeper and a snorer. But this event left me wide awake and I convinced shawana, that we had time to check out a sunrise on the Gandy bridge. I would have liked to try catching the sunrise on the pier, but we weren't up that early to make it down there this morning.
So we journeyed out in the dark, I had all my photo equipment w/ me and I was thankful that I at least had my crappy wal-mart tripod w/ me. This was important because I needed both hands to swat the mosquitoes away. I didn't succeed well at this, because I was bit up at least 100 times out there. While catching some remarkable photography shots I could only think of good advertising. I caught myself saying out loud, "you can't beat the deet" You know, from that deep woods off commercial, where that crazy guy is sitting in a tent w/ thousands of mosquitoes. My God, I was wanting some Deep Woods OFF right then.