Monday Morning Quarterbacking

Hi All . . .

Of course the big news Sunday, at least for me, was the 6.6 quake in Hawai'i. At 5:45 AM EST this morning, there was still a mention of it on the New York Times website's front page. By 7:15, it was gone, buried beneath other important stories like "Unplug the Amps, CBGB is History," documenting the club's last show.

Here's a funny item from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin's initial article on the quakes (there was a 5.8 temblor shortly after the 6.6):

The quakes generated a 1-inch tsunami that came ahsore on the west side of the Big Island, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

No, that's not a misprint. That did say 1-inch tsunami. Now, tsunamis are no laughing matter, but I still found that bit of information amusing.

Nonetheless, all is well with the BillyBlogMom on the Big Island. The quake was close. The epicenter as you can see was between Kona and Waimea. Between Waimea and Hilo, but closer to Waimea, near Honoka'a, is the small town of Pa'auilo, location of Pihanakalani Ranch, home to Mom, "Poppa" John Ferriera, and the "AFoJaS" (Animal Friends of Jolee and Shayna). Everyone is all right. No significant damage to the house, just some busted dishes, glasses, tchotchkes, and spoiled food. Maybe some minor repair needed on the fireplace.

The biggest thing appears to be this:

A lane that collapsed at the 35-mile marker at Pa'auilo, along the Hamakua Coast, severed the major route between the east and west sides of the island. State officials will have to assess the damage before it can be repaired and reopened.

That's Mom's neck of the woods, that is, on a road they take whenever they go to Hilo.

Amazingly, no fatalities reported, thanks in part to the time of the quakes (early Sunday norning) and the remoteness (relative to say, Southern Califonria) of the location.

In happier news, the Tigers are going to the World Series! They swept the Oakland A's, finishing them off Saturday night in dramatic fashion, when Magglio Ordonez crushed a walk-off, three-run homer, in the bottom of the 9th inning.



As Borat would say, "Ni-i-ice!"