Mad Macedonian

While I've Been Getting Wet, Nikita has been Getting Praised by PETA

 

Thursday night, Friday morning, were supposed to see the last of the rain.

I stopped off at Tommy's, in Westminster, on my way home from work, at Midnight, and the rain soon came pouring down.

 

Goldenwest, and Westminster Blvd. soon became rivers, and the Tommy's parking lot a lake. ;-D

Mother Nature soon tired of raining on the human parade, and gave us a break until today.

Meanwhile, Nikita has continued his new found success with a blog all his own.

The  OC Register Pet Tales Blog - Honored as a "Blog We Dig"!

Then....

PETA Calls him Clever, Here, for This!

Things are sure getting interesting over there. ;-D

It's raining, it's pouring! Day 3: Scenes from a Work Commute

With the bike on temporary vacation, this week, I had to rely entirely on the bus to get to, and from work.

The 3rd huge storm got serious starting at 115pm, and got REALLY serious by the time I got to the VA Hospital, in Long Beach,  around 230pm, and then got REALLY, REALLY, serious (And I mean it, too, you puny humans!), by the time I got to Downtown Long Beach, around 315pm. ;-D

 

Santa Ana River, looking north, 115pm.

The Santa Ana River becomes a raging torrent at times like this, and at least 1 person died in the river, about 4 miles north of here, earlier in the week.

What you are looking at, above, where the greenery begins, and heads north, is Riverview Golf Course.

Even Tiger Woods, on his best day, could never play this place on days like this. ;-D

A public golf course has lived in the belly of the beast, for decades, because the days like this one are few, and far between.

The Santa Ana River Bike Trail switches from one side of the river to the other, here, just north of 17th Street, in Santa Ana, by crossing a wonderful wooden bridge on which I stood to take this picture.

 
 

Santa Ana River, looking south, 125pm.

I was standing on 17th, looking south, from the overpass, watching the Santa Ana River continue on its way to eventually empty into the ocean, at the border of Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach.

The OC Register said, today, that about 2 1/2 hours after these pictures...the river was flowing at 3,500 cubic ft. per second (normal = 200), and  had risen as high as 4ft., in some areas.

 

 

7th and Channel, in Long Beach, at 245pm.

By the time I got to the VA Hospital the rain was pouring, the wind was blowing, and just a few minutes of standing at the stop, waiting for the bus, soaked my shoes, and pants. 

Oh, and don't worry about the umbrella...it's fine.

This sucker is made of sterner stuff than your typical umbrella, and it was a simple matter for me to help it recover from this, um, indignity. ;-D

Truth to tell, I got luck with that shot. ;-D

I set the camera on a ledge, pressed a button, and got in place for the 10 second wait for the picture, and when disater struck I had no idea, until I looked at the camera, that I got such a cool shot! ;-D

 

Downtown Long Beach, Pine and Ocean, at 315pm.

I had walked just one block, in this torrent, with a few more blocks to go, when I took the time to set my camera on a nearby restaurant table, and pose for this picture, this time having more control of my umbrella, in the wind. ;-D 

Previous entries in this series:

Monday: It's raining, it's pouring!

Tuesday: Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Your Car, Your SUV, Your Truck, Your Bicycle...

 

Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Your Car, Your SUV, Your Truck, Your Bicycle...

For 45 minutes this afternoon I was having flashbacks to the 1st 42 years of my life, when I lived in the Inland Empire city of Pomona, and the Pomona Valley.

When we got serious rain, Mother Nature didn't wimp out, and give us some namby pamby drenching wanna-be.

She threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at us: Lightening, Thunder, Black Clouds, more rain than any drain could handle, even marble-sized hail, and sometimes snow, in the cities, as far south as the 10 Fwy., not to mention winds like you wouldn't believe!

I loved it!

Maybe only once, in the 7+ years I've lived here in Orange County, have I seen anything close to those experiences, until today. ;-D

The only difference was that I only heard 1 roll of thunder, and the deluge only lasted about 45 minutes, instead of all day, or all night, long.

My ATT Cable Guy had just left to go out to his truck for a conference call before resuming the install, when the rain that had been steadily coming down sudddenly got a hell of a lot heavier.

It was 1230pm.

The above photo is looking out my 2nd floor window onto the "street" that runs past our building, & the 1st floor garages on the south side of our complex, and between the complex beyond the fence.

It was almost 1pm.

 

I went out onto the 2nd floor walk, and looked down on a river along the walkway below, and a lake out in the parking lot beyond.

What I saw blew me away and I, and my neighbors, stood there in awe as the rain just kept on coming.

 

105pm, and we watched as several cars safely navigated the lake, while several others stalled, and had to be pushed across the lake, to a parking spot, so as not to block traffic.

 

 
  

People walking out in this found the water up past their ankles, and the cars, well, see for yourself.

There are 2 drains out front: One beyond the wall, in the upper right corner of the 1st picture, and another, just on our side of the entrance, in the upper left of the 2nd photo.

Both were overwhelmed by the deluge, thus causing all our flood problems out front, and in the south side of the complex.

 

115pm.

The rain was beginning to wind down by now.

The walkway below my building was completely flooded, with water rising, a foot, to touch the 1st step up to the 2nd floor.

I was tempted to wade out in it, as you can see, but ultimately decided against it since I can't swim a lick. ;-D 

It's raining, it's pouring!

As to whether the Old Man is Snoring, well, you'd be better served to ask whoever it is who shares His bed.

I'm just sayin' is all. ;-D

Nikita was busy on the computer, again, this week, his new blog being very busy.

I'm finally getting the chance to blog more, here. ;-D

There is a lull in the rain, as we await the 2nd of 4 consecutive storms, expected to bring up to 10 inches of rain in the valleys, and coast, and 18 inches in the foothills, and mountains (Lots of Snow there!), by the end of Friday.

Flooding, and mud slides are already being reported all over SoCal, especially in the fire ravaged areas.

 

130pm, Monday: Bristol St., a few blocks south of the 22 Frwy., in Santa Ana.

I got soaked on the way to work, yesterday, even with the huge umbrella.

I had to walk into the very heavy wind so the rain drenched my pants from the knees down, and my shoes are still drying out a bit as I type. ;-D

145pm, Monday: 17th St., at the Bus Stop just west of Bristol St., at the Bristol Marketplace Shopping Center, across the street from Sant Ana Community College.

The small flooding seen in these pictures are just a taste of how things are on the streets.

When you have to be a Long Jumper just to cross the street you know a lot of rain is falling. ;-D

 

Part 2: Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Your Car, Your SUV, Your Truck, Your Bicycle...

 

Results of Annual Physical are Mixed Bag

Aside from High Total Cholesterol, and High Bad Cholesterol, and my weight, and a very low Vitamin D Level...I'm fine. ;-D

 

Total Cholesterol is at 220, and should be under 200.

 

Bad Chol is at 149, and should be less than 130.

 

My Vitamin D-3 level is extremely low, so low that the Doc was concerned.

 

I weighed 193, this morning, and should weigh closer to 160.

 

Doc asked if I wanted to consider meds, but I said I want to work on improving my diet, and start taking Vitamins again.

 

I had 2 near full bottles of Vitamins in my Medicine Cab, and 6 empties.

 

To my bottles of Cal-Mag (1000/500 MG), and CoQ10 (60MG) I added bottles of:

 

Glucosamine, Chondroitin, & MSM Complex (1000/500/500)

 

D3-5 (5,000 IU)

 

C  (500MG)

 

Saw Palmetto (160mg)

 

Omega-3 ( Fish Oil 1000MG + 180mg of EPA & 120mg DHA)

 

A Multi-Vitamin

 

I've got to learn to cook more for myself, and eat out less, or at least do so healthier when I do.

The Things I Do So Nikita Can Write a Rabble Rousing Essay

Nikita wrote an update to an old essay, on a subject dear to his heart, that he has written twice in 7 years, the last time in 2007, and this time I had a T-Shirt made, got him his own "Business Card", and wore the shirt in public for the first time today. ;-D

The essay is about a word, and its connection to Felines.

You can read the piece, here, and also see me in the shirt. ;-D

Only 360 Days until 2011!!

 

The new year has begun, and who knows where events will take me as the days go by.

At last!

The hectic week that was moving Nikita to a new blog of his own is over, and...

 the new year begins, without him as my co-blogger for the 1st time, and without his Blogrolls in the sidebar.


I'll manage...um, hee, hee! ;-D

Seriously....It was a big step to start a new blog, just for him, and we look forward to seeing where it will lead.

NOTE: The above graphics, with a New Year's Day Theme, 1st appeared in a wonderful post by Gattina, of Writer's Cramps, who got them in an e-mail - SHOW & TELL.

 

Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat 34: New Year Means New Beginning

The last few days have been hectic ones, and I'm tired, but happy as a Cat in a field of Premium Catnip! ;-D

This will be the final post I make on Daddy's blog, ending 7 years of our being co-bloggers.

The new Blog debuted New Year's Day with a 3 post introduction full of pictures! ;-D

The 1st thing you will notice will be the name of the blog, and the description underneath, then the extensive and, I think unique, collection of links in the blogroll.

I invite you to come on over, and join the month long celebration!

The blog is called Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

The 1st post is here = Hello, World! A Hearty Meow to One, and All!