I can't post details yet, but UT's corporate greed to control all aspects of everything on campus is incredibly frustrating.
September 2008 Archives
First, Vanessa's parents are back with power and all seems to be normal in their world.
Hung, however, is not doing as well. Today, he was allowed back on the island and while he did not take the chance to wait in line to visit, he did hear from his apartment manager. His apartment, while not directly having damage, was below apartments that had a great deal of damage. The resulting water and dampness in the wall resulted in a great deal of mildew to the point that his unit is not livable.
On Friday, he'll be traveling to Galveston to pick up what of his belongings are still in good condition, moving it to a storage area and starting the process of finding a new place.
Hung, however, is not doing as well. Today, he was allowed back on the island and while he did not take the chance to wait in line to visit, he did hear from his apartment manager. His apartment, while not directly having damage, was below apartments that had a great deal of damage. The resulting water and dampness in the wall resulted in a great deal of mildew to the point that his unit is not livable.
On Friday, he'll be traveling to Galveston to pick up what of his belongings are still in good condition, moving it to a storage area and starting the process of finding a new place.
I'm downloading the Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) beta now. I'm not sure how smart it is for a new user to Linux to venture into beta testing, but eh, how else do you learn?
I've been using Ubuntu for a few weeks now, as exclusive as I can get for the moment, and I'm really enjoying it.
I've been using Ubuntu for a few weeks now, as exclusive as I can get for the moment, and I'm really enjoying it.
I have various student loans. They're a fun part of my life [sarcasm]. A nice little chunk of my paycheck is used to pay off the various financial institutions that bankrolled my college career.
I'm used to sending them checks--usually electronic, but nevertheless, the cash flow goes toward them. Until today.
I recieved a check from one of the loan services with a memo of 8/1/2008 for the amount of my usual payment. I do a bit of research; my 8/1/08 payment was taken from my account, but not one on 9/1/08. I check online and my account is paid in full. The check was a refund for overpayment.
Why am I confused? I've only paid a quarter of the loan. I've sent them an e-mail (since the offices are already closed) and figure this out.
I'm not complaining, but just confused.
A few random notes from various items I found today.
There's always a way.
The first comes from the problems in Galveston. The city has been using the San Luis Resort and Conference Center as the base of operations during the storm, as the hotel was one of the best built buildings on the island to weather an event like this.
The generator on-site is functioning fine, but city officials simply needed more juice. A request from FEMA returned with a "we don't install generators in private buildings" reply. What is a mayor to do? The mayor commandeered the facility and declared it a city facility.
FEMA generators are now installed in the building. [original story from chron.com]
Initial shock.
The City of Galveston starting allowing individuals to "look and leave", giving residents the first chance to check out what happened to their homes or businesses. A chron.com blog entry details the shock that fell upon one gentleman, 20 blocks from the seawall, who saw his never-flooded-before-in-70-years home ravished by at least two feet of water. More than what I can type here, so head to chron.com for the story directly.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
If you can't tell by now, chron.com, the homepage for the Houston Chronicle newspaper, is an excellent resource for information. Virtually every time you refresh either their homepage or hurricane blog page, new information is present.
One of the things currently on their homepage is a before and after photo spread of Bolivar. Says only things pictures can say.
Mini-update on Vanessa's parents
According to news from earlier today, The Woodlands will not be fully back on the grid until September 26th; however, the area of town where her parents are at should be restored today. We haven't heard anything from them yet, so we'll see.
On a related note to the last entry about Vanessa's parents, Hung is also well. Hung and his cat spent the weekend with me in Austin and now he's in Dallas. NOAA has posted satellite imagery of Hung's apartment. For his privacy, I won't say which complex is his, but if you've been there, you should be able to see it.
In short, it's still there.
In short, it's still there.
A few people have asked me about Vanessa's parents in The Woodlands. They're fine. Like the rest of that area, they're without power and will be for awhile from all accounts. Cell and landline phone service is also not operational, but we can occasionally get a text message through.
They weathered the storm fine. Mr. Gonzalez had to go out to clear debris from a gate to allow rain water to flow out to the street since the water started to flood a portion of the backyard. Once he cleared the passage, the water drained as planned. The pool looks disgusting, full of mud, muck and more.
I'll post any news on here for those who are interested.
They weathered the storm fine. Mr. Gonzalez had to go out to clear debris from a gate to allow rain water to flow out to the street since the water started to flood a portion of the backyard. Once he cleared the passage, the water drained as planned. The pool looks disgusting, full of mud, muck and more.
I'll post any news on here for those who are interested.
The Houston Police Chief just announced that a city-wide curfew will be in effect, starting tonight at 9 pm until 6 am daily until Saturday at 6 am.
The Harris County Judge said that the unincorporated areas of town do not have a curfew, as of now, and it is up to each city to make their own announcements.
Airports will not be open today either.
In some of the forums, people are asking if their cruises departing tomorrow will actually depart. There's no word, officially, but there's just no way.
Ike is long past hurricane status. The good news is everyone I'm close to in that area is okay, having either left early or have made contact during the day today.
Frankly, I'm quite worried for Hung's apartment in Galveston. There hasn't been enough information about damage close enough to his location to really know what happened. There's a rumor that an apartment in the general location of his complex sustained very heavy damage, but there are a number of complexes in his general area.
Frankly, I'm quite worried for Hung's apartment in Galveston. There hasn't been enough information about damage close enough to his location to really know what happened. There's a rumor that an apartment in the general location of his complex sustained very heavy damage, but there are a number of complexes in his general area.
Hurricane Ike is 612 miles from Austin, heading toward Galveston at 12 MPH.
Galveston has a mandatory evacuation meaning that friends (with pets) are coming up to stay in Austin. AISD schools are closing early to help keep the roads clear, as well as many other Central Texas schools.
UT, short of changing athletic schedules and opening up parking garages for everyone, has not made any announcement regarding closures.
Our families are a bit worried about traveling during the storm. Vanessa and I are scheduled to be in Wichita Falls this weekend. Her parents, who were going to join us from The Woodlands, has canceled their trip. Before looking at everything, I think a Austin to Wichita Falls trip would not be terribly impacted by the hurricane.
Galveston has a mandatory evacuation meaning that friends (with pets) are coming up to stay in Austin. AISD schools are closing early to help keep the roads clear, as well as many other Central Texas schools.
UT, short of changing athletic schedules and opening up parking garages for everyone, has not made any announcement regarding closures.
Our families are a bit worried about traveling during the storm. Vanessa and I are scheduled to be in Wichita Falls this weekend. Her parents, who were going to join us from The Woodlands, has canceled their trip. Before looking at everything, I think a Austin to Wichita Falls trip would not be terribly impacted by the hurricane.
Hurricane Ike is coming! Currently, the storm's center is 850 miles from Austin, heading generally toward the city at 7 MPH. For much of the day today, the forecast had the storm nearing the Austin area landfall, still packing quite a punch.
We were planning on heading to Wichita Falls this weekend for a wedding shower, so we should be out of the way of the storm. The latest (10 pm) advisory had the storm moving more toward Houston and further away from Austin, as well as the Austin-WF highways.
We were planning on heading to Wichita Falls this weekend for a wedding shower, so we should be out of the way of the storm. The latest (10 pm) advisory had the storm moving more toward Houston and further away from Austin, as well as the Austin-WF highways.
I'm not sure when the last name a UT football game was moved for any reason, but this weekend, DKR will be quiet.
The game was moved to the bye week for both teams, September 27th. With it being ACL weekend, things could get quite interesting for finding hotels.
I wonder what the UT Conference Center will do since they probably already have bookings for that reason, but contractually gives rooms on game weekends to high-dollar donors.
The UCC's tailgate this weekend, obviously, is canceled as well.
The game was moved to the bye week for both teams, September 27th. With it being ACL weekend, things could get quite interesting for finding hotels.
I wonder what the UT Conference Center will do since they probably already have bookings for that reason, but contractually gives rooms on game weekends to high-dollar donors.
The UCC's tailgate this weekend, obviously, is canceled as well.
