Skeeto: From looking at the dot on the map you posted (MS Street & Trips? Looks familiar....), the secret lab looks almost like it's being hosted in the computer lab at Lake Gibson High. ;-) If you're near there, please take care of it - I might have a job there in about 2 weeks (if it's still there and I'm still here!)

Went to Wal-Mart in Mulberry this afternoon...no major panic then (~1pm), but definitely the water and batteries got hammered good. Then went to State Farm and signed up for renter's insurance. Figured it certainly couldn't hurt, all things considered. (Just got married in June, and wife never had renters on her place [which is now my place], so it's a good idea anyway). Must have been at least 20 people waiting in line for renter's today. Course, now that warnings are up in Florida, I bet they're not issuing policies any more, which is why I went this afternoon....

Going to be standing first in line tomorrow morning at 9am at Home Depot in Brandon to [hopefully] pick up Plylocks - all stores are sold out in Lakeland, and Brandon said they expect a shipment tonight for the morning; hopefully true, as this time around we're going to try and put up plywood on the two small windows, and pray on the glass doors (since complex won't let us put up nails, and there's nothing on the glass doors for the plylocks to "bite" into....).

Think we're not going to dodge this one in western Polk this time. Repeating the Charley drill by bringing grandfather and mother out of their mobile homes to stay with us in the apartment.

Hope everyone everywhere is safe and sound. I used to live in Ft. Lauderdale for 18 years, got real used to the drill of putting the metal panelling up and hunkering down. Now that I'm older, and hopefully wiser, if I was there and saw Frances heading in my general direction, I'd be considering leaving the area for safer ground. Even as it is, wife and I are dubiously watching Frances and a little uneasy in the apartment complex, but we're in it for the long haul. If Frances were on our side of the state, I doubt I'd be staying in the apartment. Still, it's nerve-wracking, and I'm trying to keep my mother and wife calm and not panicked.

Take all precautions, make all arrangements, and do what needs to be done to make it through safe. Oh -- and don't wait for Friday to come to decide what to do. Better to be silly for having overreacted tomorrow than the be sorry for having not acted Friday night when the highways could be clogged solid.

God bless all,

Londovir