Well, Humberto missed us. I never feel really comfortable saying something like that out loud since I don't like the implication that I'm glad it hit somewhere else. I wish H's would just always come ashore in those draught-ridden, parched, desolate, uninhabited areas. But WOW, was that quick! Caught everyone off guard. Galvestonians and other coastal folks, expecting a tropical depression to drop by with approx. 35 mph winds, tucked in for the night unworried and bam! he moves northeast and morphs into a full fledged Hurricane and strikes High Island at 85 mph. Humberto intensified faster than any other tropical cyclone on record - within 18 hours of landfall. On the bright side, it cleared out all the rain that's been drenching us all summer. Our skies are beautifully clear, humidity is down and it's really rather delicious outside.

Our new deck is finally finished, complete with amazing hand-crafted built-in tables and benches (think those swings that hang on front porches only w/o the chains, built-in). We hired this guy to just replace the old deck and he genuinely turned the project into a work of art. He projected completion in 5 days but it took two weeks. If you could see it, you'd say, "No wonder!" He and his crew really did a nice job.

Thirteen years ago I had LASIK surgery on my eyes and while it provided exactly what I'd hoped for, the doctor was clear that it would not stop the aging process. So here I am, 13 years later, depending on Walgreens reading glasses again and, just like in the old days, losing them every half hour. While I can have a PRK procedure done now, my vision would still be slightly blurry in 3 weeks and there's no way I'm going on my vacation with blurry vision. So made the backward leap to contacts this week and realized I'm no darn better at getting them in than I was 14 years ago.

Went to the movie last night to see the revenge thriller "The Brave One," starring Jodie Foster as a vigilante killer on the streets of New York. Riveting as expected; Foster delivered a powerful and believable performance. Some critics think it's a remake knock-off of "Death Wish" which Foster says makes her furious, but I've said it before, if it keeps me engrossed and I walk out thinking I'd sure like to see that again, well, in my book, that's a winner. Startled in my seat a few times so I agree it's not easy to watch - not at all. Its opening-weekend attendance was estimated at 55% female and 70% age 30 and up. According to Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros., older females rated the film highest in exit polls. I did find audience reactions intriguing - not just to the obvious plot line but to the more unexpected turns.........well, you just need to see it and be sure to observe audience reactions. Maybe I'll drag Pops out to see it now that he's back from his firm's retreat in Alamo City.