This Pretty Much Says It All

Our current weather forecast:

Now through 11:00 AM CDT June 27, 2007
A flash flood watch is in effect for all of north Texas through Thursday morning... Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms will continue along and southeast of a Sherman...Dallas...Meridian...to Goldthwaite line through 11 AM. One hour rainfall amounts will average between one tenth and one quarter inch with isolated one half inch amounts between kaufaman...Bonham...and Paris. All precipitation will move northeast at 25 mph. The remainder of north Texas should remain rain-free through 11 AM. However...many roads...rivers...creeks...and streams will remain flooded due to runoff from earlier storms. Additional showers and thunderstorms are expected across all of north Texas this afternoon.
Rest Of Today
High: 85
A chance of showers and thunderstorms late in the morning...then showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
Tonight
Low: 68
Showers and thunderstorms likely. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Lows in the upper 60s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph becoming south 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
Thursday
High: 85
Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night
Low: 70
Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Lows around 70. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
High: 85
Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night
Low: 72
Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.
Saturday
High: 90
Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 90.
Saturday Night
Low: 75
Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s.
Sunday
High: 92
Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s.
Sunday Night
Low: 72
Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.
Monday
High: 92
Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms... Mainly in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 90s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
Monday Night and Tuesday
Low: 75 High: 92
Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s. Highs in the lower 90s.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining. After almost two years of a drought, we need the rain--perhaps not all at once like this, but we'll take it.

In the meantime, my heart goes out to the family and friends of the local teen who was swept away in floodwaters last night, which should remind all of us not to drive into water without knowing for sure how deep it is. I'm lucky in that my own driving is kept to a minimum in the summer, so I haven't had to mess with this much.

And it really needs to stop raining by next Wednesday; wet fireworks are just no fun.

Political Engrish: It turns out that many of the presidential candidates' names are difficult to translate into Chinese. Among others, Mitt Romney becomes "Sticky Rice," and Fred Thompson is "Virtue Soup." If you want to translate your own name into Mandarin, go here. Mine came out as Mao Kun Wu or Ma Kuan Fan, among others.