BusterStronghart@Gmail.com

Ft. Lauderdale

The hurricane did not affect us here. Other than some high winds, beach erosion, a very low tide, and moderate surf there is nothing to report.

There was a very strong sideways current in the water, which made it very hard to get out into the deeper surf. Besides me, there were several surfers, mostly teen-age boys, and a few windsurfers who were fl>>>>>>>>ying in and over the ocean. They seemed to leap from white cap to white cap and were really swift--to use a word currently in the news.

Last night, at about 2 A.M. however, the wind and air pressure was such that I could not open the door to my terrace. I am up to 204 lbs and still pretty strong. I thought that perhaps the Misses had locked it, but no, it was the air pressure against it. I could not move it. It was as though it had been welded shut. Not a budge. And remember, we did not get the hurricane--only the edge of a tropical storm.

Maria and I have our hurricane bag ready: Flashlights, water, half the June Atlantic tuna catch, cereal, new batteries, and a battery operated radio (though in these high-rises we can't get AM stations; and I wonder whether there will be any FM stations that will take on hurricane alert news). We also have a week's supply of our medications in a ready bag--and cash.

I had been thinking about some small gold coins with which to bribe the border guards, but the little woman pointed out that it was a hurricane--not a revolution.

I am sure you have read about the hurricane on the West coast of Florida. It was a class four; not as bad as Andrew, but bad. Hope we hear from my friend Hal. I spoke to him yesterday, and he told me that he and Mary were ready and had emptied the pool, as its water could overflow and flood the house.

Hal is packing lobster salad, roast chicken, foie gras and Veuve Clicquot for the duration.

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Good news for Bush fans: this will be good for Bush--there will be a lot of reconstruction hiring--and those figures will show in September-October.

His brother Jeb, has already announced full support from the Florida government, National Guard, extra police, and unnamed programs because, "This is a legitimate purpose of government -- to help in genuine emergencies," ( I may have garbled the quote, as I caught it on the fly, but I am giving you the correct gist.)

I love the action on the McLaughlin report; and tonight Tony Blakely, Editor-in-Chief of the Wshingon Times, owned by the Reverend Moon, and a very conservative paper, remarked on Governor McCreedy's resignation speech: "this is how far we have come, that the Governor uses sexual victimhood to cover up financial malfeasance."

Yes, we have come a far piece....

BusterStronghart@Gmail.com

Word of the Day for Monday August 16, 2004 pervicacious \puhr-vih-KAY-shuhs\, adjective: Refusing to change one's ideas, behavior, etc.; stubborn; obstinate.

In fact, I'm a word nerd. I get a kick out of tossing a few odd ones into my column, just to see if the pervicacious editors will weed them out. --Michael Hawley, "Things That Matter: Waiting for Linguistic Viagra," [1]Technology Review, June, 2001

One of the most pervicacious young creatures that ever was heard of. --Samuel Richardson, [2]Clarissa

The language of the bureaucrats and administrators must needs be recognized as an outgrowth of legal parlance. There is no other way to explain its pervading, pervicacious and pernicious meanderings. --[3]New York Law Journal, 1973 _________________________________________________________ Pervicacious is from Latin pervicax, pervicac-, "stubborn,
point, maintain ones opinion," from per-, "through,\ thoroughly" + vincere, "to conquer, prevail against" + the\ suffix -ious, "characterized by, full of."\\References\\ 1.