storms are a-brewin'

After a quiet hurricane season so far, several tropical storms are churning out in the open waters of the Atlantic, just waiting to make their leap into the Gulf.

My post-traumatized-stressed-syndromed-self still has occasional heart palpitations whenever the lights flicker during a big thunderstorm, so just thinking about dealing with another major tropical event of any kind makes me want to crawl into a fetal position in the corner with a strong cocktail. Hurricane Ike still lingers in my brain ... not as a distant memory, but as a recent monster.

So as Gulf Coasters always do, we'll be watching, monitoring, and waiting as things begin to unfold.