I'm leaving early for dragon*con 2005. I've been watching the news with mingled fascination and horror, and with the growing realization that I should probably get to Atlanta either before or after Hurricane Katrina hits our area. We are a multiple-hour-drive inland, practically in Tennessee for crying out loud, and we are still going to have tropical-storm-force winds from this one.Silly me. I don't feel like driving in a tropical storm, and I've got a lot of stuff to do in Atlanta for tech, so I'm going to need to leave tomorrow morning. I need the whole of Tuesday and Wednesday to finish up my pre-dragon*con tasks, and there's absolutely no sense waiting any later than I absolutely must.

Time to pack. Since we're to the north and the east of the storm, we'll likely start getting winds at around the same time that the eye makes landfall. We are in no significant danger here in Huntsville, except for maybe errant blown-down trees, but if I can avoid driving through tropical-storm-force winds, I should.

Best wishes to my friends, several of whom have family or friends who are directly in harm's way right now. They know who they are.

Good luck, New Orleans. I fear you're going to need it.