Pennsic countdown

Pre-Pennsic To-Do list: (We leave Saturday 8/2 to go back out for the rest of War)

Buy rope for tent
Erect tent and wash it, let dry
Waterproof tent
Build Slat Bed!!!! (or a reasonable subsititute)
Get Futon   Found a Futon Bed at Ikea that will work
Size plastic tarp to tent footprint for groundcloth
Get painter's tarp tent floor (over plastic tarp)
Get EZ-Up to use as a sunshade
Get more rugs for tent floor
Get solar charger for cellphones
Buy 3 saris
Make 6 cholis
Make three sari petticoats
Make 2 Roman tunicae
Finish European garb for me and for D
Buy extra totes that will fit under slat bed
Get 2 more lanterns
Get 2 tall shepherd's-crook poles
Finish and bottle homemade beverages

Well, that was rather more excitement than I had planned on having today

I've been smelling hot asphalt and combustion-like odors for the past couple of hours or so, thanks to the roadwork in progress both a block to the west and half a block to the north of here. Ugh. But just a few minutes ago the burning-like smell intensified, followed by the sound of sirens as two fire engines, the chief's vehicle, and an ambulance converged on my neighborhood. I looked out the window to see a slight haze of smoke drifting through the air, and went outside in time to see firefighters hustling toward the house two doors south of mine. A couple of minutes later, they emerged shrugging as the smoke haze dissipated, while others walked up toward the roadwork zone to the north or gestured toward the west. As I watched traffic stack up (including a city bus and several cars), I overheard snatches of conversation containing phrases like "smell" and "construction zone" and "I'm not sure" between the various firefighters and the chief, and about ten minutes later, everyone had boarded their vehicles and left again.

I've not a clue what happened. But it sure got everyone's attention, as folks all over the neighborhood dropped what they were doing to watch.

This is why I <3 xkcd

As someone who has been A) a lifelong night owl and B) a semi-chronic insomniac for most of the past 20 years, I can totally relate. Although I have thus far always lived in the Eastern time zone, I have often felt as though my personal internal clock is set to at least Pacific time, if not Honolulu time.

Apparently, Republicans are confused over the concepts of "public" and "free speech"

So much for the First Amendment:

Sign-toting librarian charged with trespassing at public campaign event

Also covered here.

Ah, civil liberties, we hardly knew ye.