And Still Rent Was a Bitch

San Francisco earthquake. Blah blah blah. You know what early 20th century catastrophic natural disaster never gets its due? The 1900 Galveston hurricane, that’s what. For the life of me I don’t know why someone hasn’t turned Isaac’s Storm into a movie yet.

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Or the Johnstown Flood.

@mellbell: 19th century, but why quibble?
@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Yeah, but it produced Stevie Ray, and “Texas Flood”.

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: I agree! That was some hurricane!

Lots of pics in Library of Congress photo archives.

John Lee Hooker, “Tupelo.”

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: They did.

add: linque:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5738477727172072633#

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: I remember reading about it in 7th grade, an account called “The Galveston Tidal Wave.” It made a very big impression.

In the distant-past 20th century, wasn’t there also some big dam that broke and flooded an entire town, killing hundreds? I’m pretty sure there was, but all my Mike Davis books are packed up right now.

@PedonatorUSA:
Ahem, see mellbell.

and the Wikipedias.

ADD: Are you moving?

@redmanlaw: I flew over Gallup NM on my way back from Mobile today. Big cloud formations; will post some pics tomorrow.

@SanFranLefty: Sorry, yes, but that was in Pennsylvania, I was thinking about something Out West (I think). Thus the Mike Davis reference — pretty sure I read about it in City of Quartz, though I’m probably wrong.

No, not moving, just holed up in the bedroom because the rest of the house is in the midst of yet another major makeover.

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Also not to dismiss the Galveston thing. That was certainly major.

Also I am cringing as I watch the first episode of LOGO’s new “reality” series, The A-List. Actually, it’s called The A-List: New York, implying that there will be further spinoffs, like :LA, :Atlanta, :Boise, :Grand Rapids, etc.

This is a truly horrific depiction of gay men, men in general, US Americans, models, model agents, and who knows how many other demographics that can be categorized as consumer.

Reichen actually projects as the only remotely human being in the ensemble. That really says it all.

@PedonatorUSA: Mythbusters Season Premier on right now features DOG MYTHS! And RML’s gun-loving ginger teevee girlfriend is back from her maternity leave.

Sorry, apologies for the all-caps, but doggies! Fuck the ghey knock-off of Real Housewives (a series I have never ever watched, and I feel the same way for the A-List).

@SanFranLefty: Doggammit, which channel is Mythbusters on? Maybe I can dvr the repeat.

I watched one episode of some flavor of Real Housewives and it gave me a headache from all the teased hair and bling and mcmansions and manicured nails. This A-List thing plumbs even lower depths, which I would not have thought possible.

@PedonatorUSA: Discovery Channel.

And South Park goes for a Diyup reference. Might have to see whether ChawDude noticed.

@Dodgerblue: So my client in the area said. I’m going to a meeting there next week.

@SanFranLefty: Awaiting the “all Kari” DVD. : )

@SanFranLefty: Your link didn’t work and I couldn’t find anything but a 1913 King Vidor movie. What did you find?

Ironically, I found this new info. Apparently, someone is going to make “Titanic” on land.

HEY, who’s in Washington DC or Baltimore tomorrow night? I’m stuck on an industrial diplomatic gig in back of the beyond Maryland, west of Catonsville.

You want a real disaster? Holly Golightly, musical version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. That was a disaster.

By the way, am in the middle of a truly astounding novel by the Icelander Laxness Hallness (nobel laureate) entitled Independent People. Anyone who talks John Galt shit should be made to read it. (Trouble is it’s too damn fine for the peasantry). It is John Galt gone insane. Like it wasn’t already, but you know what I mean. Oh and plus it has the best animals in literature that I’ve ever read. You will never feel the same way about veal scaloppini again.

Anyone out there read him? I bought everything to read after this one. He calls it an epic. Which is an understatement. It’s the saga aesthetic applied to nearly modern life. You will not be prepared for the story. Bjartur of Summerhouses is right up there with Jude the Obscure.

Now it’s rotted shark for b’fast then off to the end of the world!!

@FlyingChainSaw: Are we talking Thursday or Friday night? I might find a way down if you let me crash on your couch.

@PedonatorUSA: Ohio West Virginia, too. [Derp] The Buffalo Creek Flood.

@mellbell: My mother’s folks left WV for Johnstown. They survived the flood and decided “Fuck that coal mining shit!” and became farmers. At least they had the good fortune to move east instead of west, and they avoided the dust bowl. And we avoided becoming Amish somehow. Fundamentalist Christianity was much more tolerant.

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Then you’ve got The Hurricane of ’38 that hit New England. People clinging to roofs and whatnot. Horrific.

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: Whoops. Try it now. 90 minute movie called “Isaac’s Storm” based on the book.

@FlyingChainSaw: I’ve got a friend’s birthday thing tonight. Will you be inside the beltway at any point? And how close is “back of the beyond” to Ellicott City?

@FlyingChainSaw: @mellbell: Check your FB email. It would be easier for me to meet west of Catonsville because I could take back roads and avoid 95 and all the silliness of folks trying to squeeze in one more weekend at DE and MD beaches. BUT if DC works better for the two of you, I’ll suck it up and hit the capital.

ADD: I see you’re not FB friends yet. Meet me in the clubhouse?

Didn’t a hurricane wipe Galveston off the map in 2009?

@PedonatorUSA:

It’s actually the A—–e List.

@¡Andrew!: Heh.

@¡Andrew!: Yeah. Ike in 2008. They were expecting another big one this past summer. Many of my surfing friends were anxiously awaiting the chance to paddle out. Ugh.

@JNOV: How’s classes? Are the kids alright?

@¡Andrew!: I haven’t strangled them yet, but there’s time…

Actually, it’s pretty awesome, but it’s so fucking hard. A good hard. And not that “hard.” Maybe after a few of them graduate…

@SanFranLefty: Oh, ok! I think I’ve seen that. Or maybe I just assume that because Edward Herrmann is the voice of every history channel movie. Anyway, it looks familiar too.

As far as recent U.S. natural disasters with high fatalities, I think Chicago’s 1995 heat wave is second only to Katrina–an estimated 700 people died over the course of five days. Sadly, it’s so overlooked because there were no mammoth scenes of destruction connected with it and almost all the victims were poor, elderly, unconnected people who died quietly, hidden away and utterly alone.

@JNOV: It is weird being back in school. I worked out at the university gym with all the 18-20 year-olds for the first time the other night. They looked like scary little muscular babies.

@flippin eck: Something tells me we are going to be seeing repeats of that during this century. Which, of course, will all be the fault of the lamestream media, because you know, global warming is like cartoon gravity: if you acknowledge it exists, it has an effect.

@¡Andrew!: As much as some of them are hawt in a stupid kind of way, I really have no patience with them, especially at the beginning of the semester. They hog the equipment, walk out right in the middle of traffic, steal machines when you’re waiting in line for them — and the nastiest thing — shit in the showers. (I can’t prove it’s them, but still…)

@¡Andrew!: @rptrcub: I don’t work out or shower with these guys. Yet…

Seriously, they’re younger than my kid. I have to work out some age:hotness:conscience ratio at some point. I’m sure science will solve this question one day.

@JNOV: Half your age plus seven is the rule, no?

@rptrcub: My regular gym had threatened to put up a sign that said “no fucking in the showers.” Glad they didn’t ’cause I just assumed it’s OK otherwise.

@mellbell: Score!

@mellbell: I think I finally have an excuse to end the clown tweets.

@mellbell: GREAT RULE!

@¡Andrew!: Exactly!

@JNOV: Oh, wait. No, that’s not a great rule at all! I’m unscrewed by the half my age business right off the bat. Now, if it were 1/4 my age +7, I’d be in business for the year.

@JNOV: Thursday would be tough as I was traveling from the West until about 4:40 PM and now I am grinding backed up email. Friday I will be in the back of the beyond Maryland.

@mellbell: I’m down by F and 11th in town.

@JNOV: What does clubhouse mean? There a secret FB page for Stinquer cognoscenti?

@FlyingChainSaw: If it’s not too crowded, you should grab dinner at the old convention center site (H between 9th and 11th). The city is hosting a dozen or so food trucks there today and tomorrow. The Indian truck (Fojol Bros.) is my absolute favorite.

@JNOV:

My age at 16 plus at least two plus A VERIFIABLE DRIVERS LICENSE AND BIRTH CERTIFICATE used to be my rule. But then I got smarter and less pervy.

True story: When I was about 27 I was at a party at the Palladium in New York City when I met this lovely Korean lad on the dance floor. Full muscleboy, the backwards baseball cap (read: bottom), the whole 9 yards, very much my thing. The Palladium was an old opera theatre, so it had a balcony seating section that people used for…stuff…any way, we were tripping balls and back there, um, discussing literature and poetry. His comments on Ezra Pound were particularly pithy and blithe- plus he could put his feet behind his head like a contortionist- so I asked if we could go back to his place to continue our…discussion…and he says “I’d love to, but I’m afraid I’d wake up my dad”. Quickly moving my hand from where it was, I asked him how old he was and he said “16, but I look 21, right?”.

I went home by myself that night.

I wonder what ever happened to that kid.

@¡Andrew!: If it was a gay gym I would have assumed that too. Does that rule out oral sex?

@Tommmcatt Thinks Masturbation Can Also Involve The Mainstream Media:

the backwards baseball cap (read: bottom)

Somebody should tell that to the screaming fratboys who wander the streets of Columbus everytime there’s Sport (or a day ending in ‘y’). Are they sending a message, or just too drunk to operate a hat correctly? :)

@FlyingChainSaw: I mean Friday night. I’d be leaving NJ around 5 pmish. Gotta meet with a student at 4.

@FlyingChainSaw: Pfft.

@Tommmcatt Thinks Masturbation Can Also Involve The Mainstream Media: Yeah. See? Ya know? I’d describe the SMART smiley happy and *kind* student who sits front and center in one of my classes, but I’m not that stupid, I’d like to keep this job for awhile, and I’m sober. Let’s just say he’s got great command of the double entendre. ADD: So, wait. I’m an official perv? I was wondering when that day would arrive. Shit.

@Tommmcatt: It’s not a gay gym per se, but there does appear to be more semen than water in the jaccuzi.

@¡Andrew!: Maybe it’s just waterproof lube.

@¡Andrew!:

Good for the skin, I hear.

@mellbell: I needed the Wifi to grind mail while I chomped, so I ended up at Harry’s. Was better when they let people smoke in here.

@Tommmcatt: Especially the face and chest.

@JNOV:

One does not become a perv, Grasshopper, rather, perviness is revealed over time, like the peeling away of the skin of an onion, one delicate layer by one delicate layer.

@¡Andrew!:

Or the lower back.

@al2o3cr: Or tell the asshole bridge & tunnel crowd who come to the Castro on Halloween and during Pride to gawk at the gheyz.

@Tommmcatt Thinks Masturbation Can Also Involve The Mainstream Media: You’re not helping. And I just gave my first F. I don’t like.