Empress of Mars: Undisputed @zebratron2084@awoo.space

@Phorm <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

But most importantl,y, WHAT IS TODAY'S LUCKY NUMBER?

Dammit, @anthracite, is your fucked-up dreamtown gonna turn me into a meteo nerd, too!?! (heh, attn: @Trouffee@mastodon.social <3 ) It's bad enough I got turned into a carto/geo nerd by my day job.

Another cold comfort: if we do get bopped by Mindy or the next storm on the conveyor belt, the pattern will closely resemble that between Katrina and Rita one month later back in '05.

There was negligible loss of life in Rita because the emergency systems were at full red alert, the repair infrastructure was right thre and mobilized, and not even the worst policitians were gonna risk putting off the evacuation. Even still reeling from Katrina, they got almost everybody outta there.

So if we do get hit again... heh... we know the cats can make it a couple days on their own. Apparently! And it seems very likely Peg and friends could get outta dodge one way or the other, even if it's on a shitty FEMA bus to a shitty shelter facility, whereupon I immediately rent a car and make a mad dash for them.

And the early models would leave me pretty astonished if we end up with a Cat 5 SuperMindy. I really don't think she's got a good shot at that evil brass ring we call the loop current.

One comfort, though: whatever happens, it's not gonna happen soon. It's gonna be in Wet Fart mode for at least a week, assuming it survives that long. And its 30% chance of 5-day development got chunked down to 20% and I like that,

Sorry, Mindy, you seem like a nice kid but we've had a rough week. Go say hi to the Pacific.

@Phorm Haha, mind if I share that on Birdsite with suitably snarky commentary? Do you want attribution or would you prefer to stay anonymous (and faceless *pop*)?

OK, now I'm a tad nervous about Invest 91L. (https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/storminfo/#91L)

It was originally predicted to peter out over Yucatan and Central America but now there's a chance it could escape into the Gulf, weakened but ready to flip north and redevelop.

Nothing I've seen indicates it's *likely* so far, and the only meteorologist video I could find was a Texas forecast that said verbatim "It's one to watch, not worry about."

No indication of a high category thus far, and IANA meteorologist but I _think_ it's too far west to hit that horrid "loop current" that gave Ida her crinos form, but...

Especially given Ida was supposed to be a Cat 1-2 when I left for Ohio, I am a very strong believer in Murphy's Law. I'll be much happier when it either dissipates or shows us a safe track consensus.

@anthracite please keep an eye out and have a Plan M for Mindy, 'cause that's what she's gonna be called if she does come for us.

(Cripes, and the next storm in line is MY birth name, Nicholas. You had BETTER stay the fuck away from us, cousin.)

get me my fucking theory gun

in case you didn't see peg's announcement

all cats confirmed alive and they seem well if frazzled

no house or property damage

now we just gotta got her through a week in a city with no services but she has a ton of supplies and the sitch on the ground seems to be improving rapidly

They at least weren't an asshole about it. So I am working SO FUCKING HARD to play at being the Good Cop here.

special thanks to Bast for services rendered

@LexYeen Assuming they're all still healthy through this and there are no further tragedies in the offing... I'm gonna drive the little fuckers NUTS with how clingy I'm gonna be towards them for the next few months. :)

Meanwhile, there's just something irreplaceably exhilarating about watching the karma total of someone else's well-rated Reddit comment start dropping like a stone after *I* pounce in and debate them.

Praise Bast.

Artie confirmed alive. Peebles 80% likely. Ceejay 70% likely. Others unknown but Ceejay is our "special cat" who can barely even jump-- Sugarfoot and Shadow are very skilled climbers and Shemp is not but he's a great hunter, so I am somewhat hopeful.

But I gotta be honest, if I had been forced to make Sophie's Choice... I would have chosen Artie and Peebles. And I got 'em. I think we still got 'em. We might have all of 'em. Just hang in there, guys, Food Dude and Food Lady are comin' for ya. ;___;

@Austin_Dern Haha, YES, exactly.

Yes, folks, I GET that the spread among the MAGAoids is still a threat. I should have specified ASIDE from that. There's still a pretty meaningful distinction, I think, between "I still care for you and want to save you" and "I want you to be well so your filthy diseased deluded ass doesn't get us all killed."

@001zlnv Goes without saying. *nod*

OK, seriously, is anybody still actively concerned about right-wingers dying from COVID denialism? Is anybody still not actively cheering for it?

I am at the point where I can literally no longer mentally model how I could care about these people nor how anyone else could. I can't even model whether that's right or wrong anymore.

And now, here it is.

Your moment of Zen.

I've become such a petty fuck when debating with Trumpies that I will even deliberately mix factual arguments in with personal insults PURELY in the hopes someone will accuse me of an ad hominem argument.

That was I can point out that it's only an ad hominem if you actually base your argument on it and they're using the term wrong.

And then I insult them again. :D

@Austin_Dern HAHAHA YES, her work is PRECISELY the poetical equivalent of Hot Dish and Ambrosia Salad...

"Aw hell, naw, Karen, keep your bland-ass potato salad to yourself."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMzFGgmQOc&t=307s