Ok. In a bizarre twist of nature, Ivan is coming for Houston. You know, the Hurricane that hit Florida and headed up to Pennsylvania TWO WEEKS AGO? Yeah, that one. It spawned a baby tropical system in the Gulf, which has become a not-so-baby tropical storm. (Aside: Yes, mother's are always right, even when you make fun of them and tell them this is impossible.)

I don't know what else to say except put the text of the National Hurricane Center's discussion page from yesterday:


AFTER CONSIDERABLE AND SOMETIMES ANIMATED IN-HOUSE DISCUSSION OF THE DEMISE OF IVAN...IN THE MIDST OF A LOW-PRESSURE AND SURFACE FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES...THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER HAS DECIDED TO CALL THE TROPICAL CYCLONE NOW OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO TROPICAL DEPRESSION IVAN. WHILE DEBATE WILL SURELY CONTINUE HERE AND ELSEWHERE...THIS DECISION WAS BASED PRIMARILY ON THE REASONABLE CONTINUITY OBSERVED IN THE ANALYSIS OF THE SURFACE AND LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION.

One of the managers sent out a very brief e-mail to the division reminding us that Rain-X on your windshield can help with the heavy rain expected by Ivan. Some smart aleck replied to the whole division with the following:

"Hi, I'm R.G. You may remember me from such films as, The Longest Day: DM Budget Meeting, and Castaway: The Story of X-38. I'm here as a representative of Swift Boat Vets for Clear Windshields (SBVCW). We at SBVCW know the importance of being able to see clearly during heavy rainstorms. Back in 1967, Sen Kerry was leading our boat on a river patrol through a monsoon and was able to capture 32 divisions of Viet Cong due to his ability to see clearly through the windshield. Unfortunatley, in the heat of battle, he sustained wounds from shell fragments (albeit, egg shell fragments from his breakfast). He was honored with the Purple Heart and a lifetime supply of Rain-X. Rain-X, the only windshield product endorsed by R.G. and the SBVCW."