So on Friday

the temperature was in the 70s and we had tornadoes in the area. Tonight? A wintry mix with 1-3 inches of snow possible.

Crazy Kentucky weather. They always say if you don't like it, wait around for a bit.

Spring really is around the corner. Really. I have faith it will come (but please, a little calmer this time).

Hopes dashed

A sad end to what seemed to be a miracle...

Ind. toddler found in field dies from tornado injuries

Angel [who was 15 months old] was found in critical condition in a field near her New Pekin home Friday afternoon, shortly after a tornado ripped through her home, killing the rest of her immediate family — her parents, Joseph Babcock, 21, and Moriah Brough, 20; her big brother, Jaydon Babcock, 2, and her baby sister, Kendall Babcock, 2 months.

I feel very sad for this family, which has lost five loved ones so quickly, and with the three children being so very young.

Having a Scottish music interlude...

:)

So after all the excitement, I fell asleep (not surprisingly)

but I'm up now, checking on the reports. So far the death toll is at 27 for the region, with 85 tornadoes reported. Somehow I think those numbers will go up. And at least a couple of towns (one in Indiana, one here in Kentucky) are reportedly essentially gone, although in the latter case there's still not a lot of official assessment. State officials did lose contact with the town, West Liberty (I've always wondered about that name, as it is northeast of and in an entirely different county than Liberty) and have sent in the National Guard plus rescue teams.

The storms were so fast, they went through my area very quickly, and we only had one tornado warning here in Lexington, while other areas were pounded over and over. But I'm glad I came home when I did, or I would probably have been trapped at work for about two hours after my shift. Tomorrow, by the light of day, we'll know more about damage throughout the area.

The scary thing is that we're just at the beginning of March. What a way to open storm season. Take care out there.

I'm going to go back to bed. The idea is to get up in the wee hours and do game notes and maybe some laundry. I have to stop by work for a bit tomorrow and go help with some things at my friends' house, too, so it'll be busy. Good night.

I came home early, along with a good portion of the people in the area

All day we've been at something the Weather Channel calls TOR:CON 9, meaning we have a 9 in 10 chance of a tornado in the area.

Because it was set to hit about the commute, the city sent home non-essential personnel, the University of Kentucky cancelled late classes, and many, many businesses closed or sent who they could home so they wouldn't be en route anywhere.

The line of thunderstorms was set to hit about the time I would normally take the bus home, so one of my co-workers took me home a bit early. I've been watching the weather for a little over two hours. The storms are very fast. Owen and Grant counties, where my dad is from, got hit pretty hard, and my mom's under a tornado warning (one of many) right now. Boyle and Lincoln have been hit over and over, and a new storm is on its way. At one point they told everyone at the Cincinnati Airport (which is in northern Kentucky) to head to the basement. One Kentuckian is dead, they're reporting, from Kenton county. They've reported everything from pea-sized to softball-sized hail throughout the state, and several tornadoes have been spotted. A tornado seems to have hit West Liberty, which had one just two days ago, causing extensive damage. In fact, the storms have tended to track very similar to the ones on Wednesday.

At one point we had a tornado warning here, and I went into the bathroom for its duration. The storm was travelling at 85 miles per hour. Really. Fortunately they seem to have passed for Lexington and to the north and west, but south and eastern Kentucky is still very much in danger. But I'm feeling a little more at ease here; there's even some clearing to the west--I can see blue sky as the sun sets. Good luck to those out there still dealing with the storms.

But before I go, a last bit of 'music'

'Is he died?'

Poor Beaker. I know what it's like, my man, yes I do.

I was listening to some music earlier

and had just about fallen asleep, I was so relaxed, when a friend called. I'd told him I'd been listening to Simon & Garfunkel and had almost drifted off. He said no wonder; it was like being given sodium pentathol. I've loved the duo since my childhood, but he doesn't care for them, obviously. For that matter, we don't always mesh when it comes to musical tastes (no sense that we should, as we're not clones) although we overlap on show tunes, classical music, traditional Celtic music, and a bit of country. We each have a wide range of taste. I like folk and oldies, 80s, modern rock, and alternative music. He likes all sorts of things from 'Sunshine Day' sung by the Brady Bunch (which I just can't get in to), some oldies (but he insists they shouldn't be called that if they're from his lifetime), but then things like The Black Crowes, (which I must admit are pretty cool, I just haven't heard them much), etc. I don't think you can pin him to genres, really. He tends to like songs from several, but just those songs, or some musicians, but not necessarily everything like them. I think it's good to not easily be pegged.

Anyway, so I really did drop off eventually, after we talked, but it was after 10 pm, so I think the change in schedule helped today. I'm up now just to take my medication, shut off the aquarium light, and generally prepare for bed. Good night.

Haunting and beautiful and creepy

all at once...



Okay, really, on to Harry Dresden and his lot.

I may be biting off more than I can chew

but I just downloaded another library book for the Kindle that I happened upon by accident, but which sounded intriguing. It's called The Metropolis Case, by Matthew Galloway. It takes place in America and in Europe, over three centuries, with four main characters united by Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde.

I know little of opera (although I knew someone in the opera programme at the University of Kentucky, and between him and another friend with good taste, I have been exposed to some). I am, of course, familiar with Wagner, although I have never heard this particular opera, which is perhaps sad, as of course I've read versions of the original tale. But apparently it's not a requirement to enjoy the book, and it does make me think I should broaden my horizons and see if I can find some decent clips on YouTube of performances.

It's just now dusk and I'm getting home about the time I have been--but...

before that I worked a full schedule at work, got off while it was still quite light outside, went to Parisa International Supermarket to look for something for a friend (and found it; they were very helpful), ate dinner, took the bus to the library, returned a book, checked for wi-fi-only updates for the tablet (there was one that popped up yesterday, but it's gone now), paid a small fine, checked out two seven-day videos (Back to the Future 2 and Monty Python's Life of Brian, both of which I enjoy), and checked out a book by Matthew Pearl called The Technologists. I had just read a review yesterday about it and it was on the new book shelf.

Today was busy at both jobs, and the day seemed to fly by. I don't feel as draggy as normal. Maybe I just need a regular workday to keep my Circadian rhythm happy. It's nice to see some sunshine that isn't just through a window. At least I have a window, even if it is at my back. Some people have little cubicles that have no natural light anywhere about.

It was a gorgeous day today, calm, sunny, in the 60s, and few clouds, which is kind of strange as it's sitting right between two days of tornadic storms. Wednesday we had a tornado warning at one point and there were several that touched down in the state. They're saying we may have really bad storms tomorrow. In fact they're saying our area has a 70% chance of tornadic activity within 50 miles. Fun. I have a feeling that I'm going to get wet tomorrow. Maybe I should put the electronics into those gallon-sized Zip-Lock bags I accidentally got before my trip, and then put them into my backpack.

Okay, I think I'm going to read a little Turn Coat (Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files). I only have it out for Kindle for a little while and I'm only about a third of the way through.