One hell of a weather season

After the devastating flood of the Cedar River here last June, from which we are only now beginning to recover and rebuild, I am horrified to to see that Hurricane Gustav seems to be heading straight for the Gulf coast. Please God, not again. I hope and pray that Gustav will veer off course or by some miracle weaken or pass over this devastated region quickly and thus deliver only a glancing blow. Sometimes all our prayers can't alter the course of nature. In that case it is our duty to do all we can for the victims of unavoidable disaster, as I hope you have done for my city of Cedar Rapids. And as I will do if the unthinkable happens again to the Gulf Coast.

For now, good night.

The face of a professional clown

Have you ever met someone who seems to have been born to be a professional clown? I did, just recently in fact. This woman has a face perfectly suited to that profession. Her eyelids turn down at the outer corners. As a result, she looks as if she's ready to burst into tears, which coupled with a gentle but perpetual frown, only serves to strengthen the impression. Even when she smiles or laughs, which she seldom does, she looks as if she's about to cry. I can easily imagine her wearing that clown makeup: the exaggerated smile, the painted tear drops rolling down her cheeks. The old cliche says that clowns are laughing on the outside and crying on the inside. She seems to fit that old saw perfectly.

In no way is this meant as a criticism of this person who has been very nice to me. Rather it's to point out that I'm endlessly fascinated by people, and she is an interesting person I've met recently. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better and learning why she seems so sad. Or maybe she's not, and I'm totally misreading things. We'll see.

For now, good night.