6. Electioneering. You’d have to be under a rock not to know the big news story this year was the U.S. elections.

Bush got reelected. Some even say legitimately. It took me a while to come to grips, but I’m over it now. I might not like him any more than I did before, but I no longer feel the need to rant about him. I did what I could; its time to move on.

In the long run, his victory might be better for Dems. Iraq is Bush’s to clean up. He got us into this mess and its up to him to get us out.
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I’ve driven by the Sears Outlet Store on Six Forks Road many times on my way to work but never stopped by there until today. Needless to say, I’m impressed. It’s a treasure trove of Kenmore appliances and other Sears products. There are dozens of refrigerators, washers and dryers, along with a handful of ranges and window air conditioners. All are 15-20% less than the retail versions, with some discounted even greater than that!

I went in search of a new dishwasher. There was only one, a Frigidaire model that listed “cosmetic damage,” though I didn’t see any damage. It was $80 less than the same retail model. We may buy it this week.

Anyway, if you’re in the market for a new (or almost-new) refrigerator or washer, you should definitely pay a visit first to the outlet store. It’s on the Atlantic Avenue end of Six Forks road, next to the railroad overpass.

MT.Net says check it out!

The USGS has a nice site showing current worldwide earthquake activity.

Found some good information on the NOAA website called Tsunamis: The Great Waves. Most governments assume tsunamis are a Pacific Ocean problem. India and some other Indian Ocean countries didn’t have any warning network set up.

I wonder if such a network exists for the Atlantic. The Atlantic is fairly quiet of seismic activity, but then again, that’s what was said about the Indian Ocean before Sunday. If one of those large rocks came calling from space, Sunday’s tsunami would seem like a ripple.

On another note, here’s a nice website which details relief efforts underway.

Our phone number used to belong to a popular local family because it generates lots of wrong numbers. This morning’s sleet generated the following call:
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I can see why the fear of tsunamis runs so deep in Japanese culture. The earthquake and resulting tsunami is stunning in its devastation. At this moment, the death toll stands at a horrific 11,800 people, and that number is bound to rise. Hit hardest were some of the poorest, most-suffering people on Earth.

Phuket, the popular Thailand tourist resort, was hit especially hard. Phuket was the favorite port of those I visited while in the Navy. The Laguna Beach, Pattaya Beach, and Patong areas were smashed by waves towering 10 meters high.

Nothing I could complain about in life could ever compare to the misery these poor people are feeling. Unthinkable.

From the forecast discussion of the local NWS office (emphasis mine):

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)…
A SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER EVENT WILL BE MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY MORNING.

(snip)

…WITH THE CYCLOGENESIS NOW OCCURRING WELL OVER THE DATA-VOID GULF OF MEXICO…THE MODELS ARE LIKELY UNDERESTIMATING THE STRENGTH OF THIS SYSTEM.

7. Vacation In Florida. The hits just keep on coming! Coming in at number 7 is our August vacation in Panama City Beach. Yes, with all that was going on, we actually found the time (and the money) to take a vacation. The Sterling Beach resort condominums were top-rate, a fact made all too clear by our choice to stay at the aging Commodore on our most recent trip.
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Merry Christmas! I hope you’re enjoying it with family and friends.

Kelly and I are enjoying the two best gifts we’ve ever given each other (though only one of them was “given” this year): Hallie and Travis.

Santa’s got nothing on us!