Neonred

Well, Milton is scary. I'm not feeling bad as it seems the eye will be north of me. After experiencing many hurricanes over the years a direct/near direct hit by the eye is what scares me now. Sure we will lose power and have downed trees and a mess to clean up while those closer to the beach will suffer the worst from storm surge. Watching TV may not be a great idea. Now landfall has shifted closer and with that the storm surge possibilities and severity have increased. My office could end up with 1 or 2 feet of salt water inside. I told my wife if that happens it will be early retirement.

Nothing outstanding to report from here in SW FL other than general panic from folks that haven't been thru a hurricane and those that lost so much 2 years ago in Ian, especially from the surge. What really caught my attention was current wind speeds at 180 mph. I don't recall any hurricanes that were so intense. Even Andrew, a very intense hurricane that changed everything in FL, maxed out at 175. Good news is that here in Naples we are on the southern edge of the cone of uncertainty. That means we are going to be subject to surge in the 7 to 10 foot range. I'm far enough away from the Gulf that it's not a concern for me. More updates when things get interesting. And an update: 899 mbar pressure. In the top 6 strength of all time storms in the Atlantic basin.

No, I'm just thinking about the current group of posters. Oh how I miss Slim. Never gave much thought about a suppressor knowing the hassle and length of time it was taking. Turns out right now is a great time as the wait times have shortened dramatically. Median wait times at ATF for an eform 4 individual approval is 3 days with a range of 1 to 82 days. For a trust it's median 5 days with a similar range. Maybe USCIS could take some lessons.

Failed to mention that weapons and ammo have been checked and are ready! But I didn't want to trigger anyone here. Used to be guns and ammo were popular topics on the forum, but that was several years ago. Now it seems that kind of talk is frowned upon here. Changing times I guess. It's a shame too as I should be getting my first suppressor very soon. You loot, we shoot....

As I'm sure you have seen, another hurricane is ramping up in the gulf. This one will impact us on the west coast of FL. With each new update it's looking worse for us. I was reasonably prepared for Helene that skirted past us so the prep has not been so bad. Generators have been checked and are ready. (Almost) everything movable outside has been moved or secured. Just a few more items outside to attend to. Fridge is full of beer and I'm fully stocked on liquor and mixers (thinking about making frozen margaritas for this "hurricane party"). Looks like Wednesday is the day. May well be a very powerful storm (cat 3 or 4) with a LOT of water which is really bad because it is raining now and has been on and off for a couple of days. Ground is saturated and many areas and homes will flood not to mention the storm surge. Been through enough of these I know the preparation drill. Told my wife "if the office gets destroyed I'll officially retire". On Tuesday 91 year old mama Neon is scheduled for knee replacement. Wonder what's going to happen with that. If I have internet I'll try to keep everyone updated. Preparing for uncle Miltie...

Another option is to apply for the SSN using your maiden name. When you get your green card go back and update the name change and request the card without the work auth notation.

All I can tell you is I am staying far away from Uranus...

Not really an issue. Everyone in Okeechobee is already well armed.

We ducked most of it. As it passed by we did get several bands along with the rains and winds (70-80 mph gusts) and a few tornados. Got woken up at 1:30am Thursday morning with the cell phones screaming alerts because of a tornado warning in our immediate area. I rolled over and went back to sleep. Got up about 5:30 and shortly after getting my wife up the power went out. We went to the office anyway and fortunately the power was on there. Worked the whole day and was surprisingly busy. Got home to find the power was back on, but had been out for a full 9 hours. The yard is a mess and will take several days to pick up the branches and palm fronds. Talked with my son who is full time National Guard out of Jacksonville with a helicopter division. He said they are gearing up for search and rescue/recovery. I told him it must be exciting to finally get to do what they have trained for. He said not really because it's going to screw up his weekend. LOL

Defund the Secret Service...

The 70's. Went to high school then university. Had a great girlfriend. Discovered drinking and sex. Suppose one lead to the other. Then the 80's. Great music that I still listen to. Went to professional school and made the best forever lasting close friends. Started a family. This decade is great too. Have young grandchildren. Saved up a bunch of money and can retire at any time now.

Keep calm and drill baby drill. That's been my mantra for my entire working life.

A better and more detailed local news article. https://www.flkeysnews.com/news/local/article291225705.html

Sheriff: 5 jailed in Keys part of ‘very well organized’ human trafficking operation https://www.local10.com/news/local/2024/08/21/sheriff-5-jailed-in-keys-part-of-very-well-organized-human-trafficking-operation/ MARATHON, Fla. – Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay says four men and one woman arrested on smuggling charges in the Florida Keys are part of a sophisticated human trafficking operation. Ramsay’s agency announced the arrests on Tuesday. The quintet is accused of smuggling 13 Ecuadorian nationals and seven Chinese nationals into South Florida after the group landed via boat off County Road 905 in Key Largo. And here is the kicker: Ramsay said that local prosecutors are choosing to try the case because officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to pursue charges. $20,000 each was the price to get to the US and then to NY and NJ I'm down here in the Keys this week but much closer to Key West. Just unbelievable that the US Attorney doesn't feel like pursuing charges.

Ex-Mrs.-T-B sounds like a wonderful, terrific woman!

I was talking to a guy yesterday (on an island in the FL Keys, yes really) that said his brother or cousin is a Secret Service agent. Says the real truth will never be made public but the belief is it was an inside job or at least there was assistance from within. Says watch now for Trumps family as they could be the next target.

It's the same one night after night after night. You, on the other hand, have many almost every night.😜

Hiding in the basement worked very well for Joe. I think Kamala's version could be called hiding in plain sight.

I'm on VACATION!! We actually cut out a little early yesterday to start our trip down here to the Keys. Hope the boss doesn't fire me! LOL Once upon a time I was the boss, but since my wife arrived and started working in the office... well, you know the rest of the story. It's OK though because I'm sleeping with the boss. Just finished a little maintenance on the boat changing gear lube, and ready to put her in the water as soon as I get some lunch. Have some friends coming down later today and they will be staying until Saturday. We are here for a week and a half. No phone calls from grumpy patients. No alarm clock. Traffic yesterday was much lighter than usual. Got to enjoy it now because in a couple of months the snow birds will be arriving and it will be crazy busy. Time to eat and get out on the water.

Another point about getting the SSN early. You have until the 76th day following the issue of the I-94 to apply for the SSN. After that you will have to wait until the EAD is issued to apply.

People believe what they want to believe.

I'm especially impressed with her work on her sole major task, fixing the problem on the southern boarder.

I wasn't spied on but did get turned down when I was looking to change my insurance (in the Keys) recently. My house has a metal roof which is about the most resistant roof to hurricane winds and deterioration. Metal roofs typically last for 50 years or more, and mine is about 25 years old. I was told by the insurance company that it was too old. I just went ahead and dropped hurricane windstorm ins along with flood. Just ridiculously expensive.

Hurricane? There was a hurricane? Well, we did get a LOT of rain. Had several inches in the street and our driveway. Also had a couple acre swamp in the back yard. Headed down to the Keys middle of next week for 10 days and of course on the news tonight they are predicting another system to be near the southern tip of FL by late next week. Might get exciting...

Just tonight my wife yelled to me to come get a lizard out of the bathroom. We live in Florida and there are those little lizards everywhere. No big deal. Got him cornered and with a gentle pinch to the back I picked him up and took him outside. I've found if you don't take them outside they may live a week or two, then you find them dead and dried up in a corner.