2.75 inches of rain overnight

We have gotten A LOT of rain. This storm is extremely wet. My rain guage shows 2.75 inches of rain since yesterday morning. Some roads around my house are flooded. Walerga Road, Watt Avenue (Both north of PFE Road), and PFE Road itself are flooded. Dry Creek is responsible for all of these roads. Elverta Road may flood next. Here are some pics (click on the pics or description to see a larger image):

This is Walerga Road, between PFE and Baseline Roads. The firetrucks are blocking traffic from continuing on Walerge Road. The car on the left was stalled out.











PFE Road between Watt and Walerga












Watt Avenue between PFE and Baseline. The road dips down near the creek. It is deeper than it looks.












Idiots traversing Watt Avenue. I am amazed when I see people go through flooding.












Dry Creek at Elverta Road - Note: This is still rising at 0.5 feet per hour. Elverta Road may flood.










Here is a shot from KCRA this morning. This is the Sacramento Weir diverting water from the Sacramento River to the Yolo Bypass:
These weir gates are opened by hand. These are (AFAIK) the only manually operated weir gates in California still. The last time they were opened was 1997.

I-80 is closed at Applegate, except for locals up to Truckee. There is a large mudslide 5 miles east of Truckee, completely blocking the road. On KCRA's website: "The slide occurred at approximately 3 a.m. At the time of the slide, approximately six big rigs were caught in the slide, as well as four pieces of Caltrans equipment and four employees. All big rig drivers and Caltrans personnel were rescued, and there have been no reports of injuries, according to the release. The slide occurred at Iceland Grade from the westbound side of the interstate, taking out between 300 and 400 feet of center median barrier, covering both the eastbound and westbound lanes, the release said."

Estimates are 2 days until it is open again.

Sandbag Distro Starts

Well, the water is now high enough and it is raining enough to prompt Sacramento County flood control to start sandbag distribution. Ick. I am very thankful I am on high ground.

The River Rises

And Rises... And rises.

This is the Sacramento River in Sacramento this afternoon, about 3:30pm. Since Sunday, the river has been rising due to massive releases of water from Folsom Dam, Nimbus Dam, Shasta, Yuba, and a few other dams in the state. It is striking to see this much water. I haven't seen it this high since 1997, when I was house-hunting here in the Sacramento area. It is an awesome sight. And concerning. Although the flood control folk say that this is ok, it still makes a lot of us think about the flooding that has occured here in the past.


This second shot is the I Street Bridge, taken from the Tower Bridge. The water is nearly at the level of the bridge.








BTW, 31 feet is flood stage.

If the water rises further, I will post more pics. We are expecting more rainfall tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday. Monday is the next storm after that. Most of this runoff is in anticipation of a lot of water coming from the mountains, since these have not be cold storms dumping a lot of snow, or they have melted the existing snow that was there last week. But some is due to the rain here in the valley.

For those who know the area, Northgate Blvd at Hwy 160 is under water now. The bike path in this shot is literally at the water line. The water has gone over the bike path during high tide today.







This last shot is from Discovery Park. This is the south entrance to the park, off Richards Blvd. Now, keep in mind, Discovery Park does get intentionally flooded during times like this. It is an intentional flood plain. But the sight of this road just disappearing into the water is surreal.

They are selling my home

The house I have been renting for over a year now is apparently being sold. So, right before Christmas, I got a 60 day notice. Ugh... I was hoping not to have to worry about moving until after I graduate in May. Although I asked the property management company rep to ask the owners if I can stay through May, I don't know if they will. With it being winter now, and houses aren't selling right now, I am hoping they will say yes. I mean, the roof needs replacement on this house before they sell... hard to do with storms going on.

So, I am going through stuff, and packing some things up already, just in case I need to move. I don't want to during the semester, so I will want to find a place before the start of the semester. I guess January is going to be a busy month after all!

I am still planning on going to CES during the first week of January, however.

Signs of Life?

Well, I have been mourning over my Treo for a few days now. I miss it!

Anyhow, I decided to put the battery back in for a second to see what happened (since the unit appeared dry). I got a color bar screen, and the words "BootLoad 2.04" (or something to that affect). Hmmm... at least it does that!

So, I went and got a T5 torx and started to pull the unit apart. No broken parts in doing it! I then rinsed it with the highest grade of ethanol I could find (70%). Got a lot of sand and salt out of the unit. The screen looks "interesting" with its pattern from the salts drying in it. I have rinsed the screen several times and the pattern appears to be going away.

I am now going to let it dry completely from the ethanol (shouldn't take nearly as long as the water), and put the unit together. Who knows? It might actually live!

Merry Christmas!

May you enjoy this day celebrating the birth of our lord with family and friends!

Where would I prefer to live?

OK. I took another one of those tests... found it on a friend's blog, and this is what is spat out for me... :-)

Farm or Ranch You scored 5 out of 40 on urban-rural and 17 out of 40 land intensity.

People know you as: The Milkmaid Quote: "You get to not mind the cow smell." Your score indicates that you prefer a rural atmosphere to an urban one and low land intensity. You’re no hermit though; you like other people and, once you start talking to them, other people like you. As far as you’re concerned there is no difference between living in a city and living in a suburb, not that you would want to do either because you’re probably a bit scared of cities in the first place. Examples of places you should live: Amish country, PA; Kansas All Categories Secluded Hideaway / Farm or Ranch / Small Town / Little City / Suburb / Streetcar Suburb / Rowhouse 'Hood / Downtown Loft

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 0% on urban-rural You scored higher than 43% on land intensity

Link: The Where Should You Live Test written by TwelveFloorsUp on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

A Good Night's Sleep... A Nice Massage

And I feel RELAXED... :-)

For anyone going to Reno, I strongly recommend you stay at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino. They have very nice rooms (it is amazing what $35 a night can buy you here!), and a great spa. Their massage therapists are, in a word, wonderful! They don't just use "boilerplate" massage. They cater to the needs of the customer. In my case, my CMT worked for a longer time on my left arm, that has been bugging me a lot of late. I left there refreshed and ready to tackle just about anything! :-)

Treo 650 R.I.P.?

Yes, that is me... with my very wet and presumably dead Treo 650. And yes, I am smiling, it was either that or break down crying. Yesterday, while taking pictures of the incredible waves at Huntington Beach, I did something incredibly stupid. I didn't keep an eye on the waves.

These weren't your everyday waves... these were 15-20 foot swells crashing into the beaches of southern CA. The last time I saw waves like these, it was 1983. And I was in town, so I thought I'd go take some shots of these waves.

OK... So, I was taking pictures on the pier, on the sand, and at... the waterline. No problem. I took a lot of shots without incident. Then a couple on the other side of the Huntington Beach pier caught my attention. They were having a blast, and were running from the waters edge with each wave. They were acting like little kids. It was just... cute. Well, my attentions were distracted away from the waves by me. I got hit by one that just went past my ankles. No big deal. Pants were wet from the knees down. The one right behind it was over 3 feet tall AT THE WATERLINE. This bugger had a lot of power! The undertow, even at what was the waterline was pretty strong, and knocked me down. "Save the camera!" was my thought at the moment, and I did. My arm shot straight up, and my camera was fine. A little spray on it, but I wiped it off quickly. No damage.

About that time, I realized my Treo 650... my UNLOCKED GSM Treo 650, was in my pocket. My now SOAKED pocket! I pulled it out. The screen had water in it. And it was making a hideous sound. I pulled battery, but I think I killed it. I need to get the right Torx driver and open it, give it a cleaning and a new battery, and see if it works again. Somehow, I really doubt it. Salt water is horrible to electronics. Hindsight is an amazing thing. I should have left my Treo in my Jeep. Or at least saved it instead of the camera. The camera is worth half the price of the Treo. Sigh.

Southern CA Driving SUCKS!

Now I remember why I don't ever want to move back to the L.A. Basin... the driving absolutely sucks. I drove down from Sacramento today, taking I-5 the entire way. Until I got to the 405... which I then got on to get to my dad and stepmom's place in Huntington Beach. 7:00pm at night, and the traffic is stop and go as soon as I get on the 405S. At least the commuter lane helped a bit. But sheez!

We had bad traffic all the way from the start of the 405 until past the 105 (Like 40 miles).

Don't get me wrong, I still love the region for the beaches! But the traffic is HORRID. It took me 2 HOURS to get to their house from the start of the 405. Ick.

Speaking of beaches, I plan on going down to Huntington Beach tomorrow... rumor has it that there are swells of up to 15 feet expected. And no, I am NOT planning on surfing! Just looking! And taking a lot of pictures.

Latest Grades

Biochemistry: B
Family Stress and Coping: B+ (Missed the A by a few points!)
Organic Chemistry: Waiting
Molecular Biology: Waiting
Immunology: Waiting

Finals are OVER!

I finished the last two finals today, Immunology and Molecular Biology. What a semester! I don't think I ever worked harder than this semester. I need a break...

OMG... You *HAVE* to listen to this!

http://cbudd.com/BattleofNewOrleans.mp3

It is a great spoof of "The Battle of New Orleans"... set to current day.

OChem final is over

Ugh... I just hope I passed.

An XBOX in your CAR???

Ugh... drivers are crazy enough out there without them playing with an XBOX while they drive... See http://news.com.com/2300-11389_3-5994836-1.html?part=rss&tag=5994836&subj=news
to read this brief announcement.

One Final Down... Three To Go

Biochemistry is over and done with! I got a B. :-)

Last Day of the Semester!

Upside: Today is the last regular class day of the semester! Yeah!
Downside: Finals start Monday.



The picture to the left is from a company called The Gift Basket Connection Network. This collection is the "College Exam Munchies". Interesting, since I am one of those people, ironically enough, that forgets to eat when in intense study! Personally, the Ghiradelli Chocolate Basket looks better. :-)







Nice marketing idea, however!

OK... Here are some serious suggestions for those who are dealing with finals:

Stress Eating - A Nutrition Guide During Finals http://www.engr.utexas.edu/eoe/PeerLeaders/Stress_Eating.pdf

SBC and a corrupted database

Yesterday, while I was sending email out using my usual SBC SMTP method, since I am an SBC DSL customer. I got an error in Thunderbird, asking me to input my password (It is normally stored, so I don't have to enter it each time). Hmmm... I put in my password... and it won't send. Just keeps asking me for my password. I tried it when I got home... no go.

So, after thinking, "Hey, let's see if this problem fixes itself overnight" and relying on my GMail account for sending, I tried again this afternoon. Still not working.

I called SBC, who proceded to tell me that I must have forgotten my password. No guys. I didn't forget it. After several chats back and forth (online, using my DSL account), I finally get them to "reset" my password. Then it comes out:

Renee Roberts: When was it changed? It was working yesterday morning
Renee Roberts: There needs to be a record of the change. You should be able to look that up.
Renee Roberts: Just like you had to verify me, someone else had to do that yesterday, only I wasn't the one who did it.
(Name Deleted): Renee, it is not necessary that someone has changed the password. It can be due to an issue with the server. As far as your records are concerned, there was no request in change of password.
Renee Roberts: In other words, you have a corruption problem in your password database.
Renee Roberts: It would have been better to be more truthful with me.
(Name Deleted): I apologize for the inconvenience.
Renee Roberts: Just be truthful with customers. Don't accuse us of making the mistake when it isn't us causing the problem.
Renee Roberts: Remember, you accused me of forgetting my password
(Name Deleted): I apologize for that. Please bear with us.
(Name Deleted): Let me know if you are able to use the Thunderbird now.
Renee Roberts: Yes, I am.
Renee Roberts: I still need to update my router, but won't do that until we are done talking.
Renee Roberts: (For obvious reasons)
(Name Deleted): Great let me know if there is any issue in which I may assist you.
Renee Roberts: No. Just be truthful in the future.
(Name Deleted): Sure, thanks.

Honestly, I feel blown off by them, over a problem that was not caused by me. I did not forget my password. They had an error occur and didn't want to admit it. Come on SBC... be honest with your customers. You guy have an image problem already. By being truthful with your customers, you will greatly improve your image.

Everyone back where they should be

Friday, the van was fixed to make it driveable. The guys at the Les Schwab store were absolutely amazed that the damage wasn't as bad as previously thought. Given what it looked like when it arrived there (see the pics on the 2nd), they thought like we did that the front end needed major work. It still cost me almost $500 to fix it, not including the tow and stow charges of $150 to the local towyard where it was taken. But it was made safe to drive.

Saturday, after having the van repaired enough to make it roadworthy, we caravaned to Salt Lake City. The roads were a little treacherous, but nothing like the night before. After a 5 hour trip, we made it to SLC, which made me VERY happy. Happy and thankful that nobody was hurt, and that they are safe and back in SLC at their home.

David, Candace and I stayed the night in SLC, then left yesterday morning for Sacto. Got home late last night. It was nice sleeping in my own bed again, although I am still pretty tired right now. The cats seemed to really miss us a lot. I had bedmates most of the night, purring away!

I stopped briefly at the accident site when I was driving back to Sacto. Diana and Jon really had a guardian angel looking out for them. When I was looking it over again, I noticed a concrete drain sticking out from the ground (about 5 feet long, 3 feet high) about 10 feet from where the van landed. If it had gone further and hit the drain... The thought scares the hell out of me.


(David, Diana, and myself yesterday morning at her house in SLC)

They were so lucky...

Tuesday night, my daughter rolled the van I had just given her.

It happened just outside of Elko, NV. They were about 20 miles outside of town, and hit a section of black ice. Before they knew it, they were spinning out of control on Interstate 80. When the van began to hit the median (dirt median between east and westbound lanes - no fencing), the tires on the left dug in. The tires were pulled off the rims, and they slid down the dirt median. They slid about 50 feet in the median, and came to rest facing westbound. The van landed on the left side.

Both Diana and Jon are fine. A couple of bruises, literally. But, after going out to the scene of the accident, it is clear that if this had happened 50 yards further or back, I don't think they would have survived. The topography of the area would have meant that they would have rolled end over end if it had happened anywhere else nearby. I am so thankful that they are ok.

The NHP officer who arrived at the accident started looking inside the van, with Jon and Diana outside the van by then. He finally asked them, "Where are the people that were in the van?". Jon and Diana replied that they were the ones in the van. The officer didn't believe them at first, then asked, "Why didn't you stay in the van?" They replied that they were afraid it would blow up (They smelled gasoline as they were getting out). "Are you ok?"... (Around this time, the dispatcher notified him that Diana was pregnant - I had let them know by calling Elko NHP dispatch, since I wasn't sure if there was an officer on the way or not).

The van, by the way, sustained a fair amount of damage on the left side. These pictures were taken after it was towed from the towyard to Les Schwab. The driver door is, well, screwed up. The window works with great effort only. The tie-rod may be bent, the tires went back on the rims without a problem. The front left panel is crushed in. The worst seems to be cosmetic (who cares...). The NHP officer that responded told Diana and Jon that if they had rolled it in the summer, that the damage would have been much worse. And, they might not be here to talk about it.

I am grateful for the NHP officer, the truckers that stopped to help (Thank you guys! I don't know who you are, but if you ever read this, email me.), and for the dispatcher who relayed information to me, and to the NHP officer, and to my daughter.

UPDATE: The van has been repaired enough to make it road-worthy. Cosmetically, it still looks horrid, but they can fix that later. We will head to SLC tomorrow.