When I imagined myself living downtown with a sweeping view of the city, I figured I would share that view with the world by planting a webcam in my window because that’s what you did 10 years ago when that dream was conceived. Now it’s 2012 and the still-image webcam isn’t exactly cutting-edge, but publishing my slice of the city to the world was somehow still the icing on the cake of my downtown-living goal and the experience just wasn’t complete for me without it. So here it is, updated every 15 mins and featured in the sidebar.

I’m also archiving every image on SmugMug so I can build some cool time lapses later. Here’s a first attempt, capturing a week’s worth of images during a January snowstorm:

Thanks to my Mom’s diligent news-watching, i realized tonight that Hurricane Ike swept right through Galveston, home to my best friend and his family. I’ve been scouring for news or information online while trying to reach them – I haven’t heard back yet. I really hope they’re OK.

I found this youtube video taken from a Coast Guard helicopter flying over Galveston:

I cut a few frames from it and tagged them:

Approximately where their house is at:

Moody Gardens, where Clint, Lillian and I spent several days:

The NOAA research facility where Christi works:

Webcam from the Commodore at 37th on the Seawall, dated Friday the 12th, before the storm surge was supposed to land. Link to that spot on the map

A webcam at Galveston Harbor. The oil derrick in this picture is the one Clint and I toured.

Downtown shopping district known as “The Strand”. Link to approx location on the map

What is usually a pier in Galveston Harbor. The Starbucks we walked to is a block to the left of this. Link to this spot on the map

A shot I found here that I matched to one of my photos from July for comparison. Again, this is *before* the actual storm surge is supposed to hit sometime on the 13th.

An even closer-to-submerged shot of that same pier, which is here on the map, about six blocks west of the NOAA facility.

I found a few more photos on Click2Houston.com. Here’s the Flagship Hotel on the seawall, which is located here on the map.

I’m going to quit looking for more pictures because there’s only really one piece of news that I care about… Clint, call me back.

The rain returned yesterday, which means it’s mercifully back above freezing. I was wearing three shirts, a sweater, a scarf and a wool coat and still couldn’t stay warm – and it’s not for lack of bodyfat. It was only a test of my cold-weather hardiness – which i failed and which indicates i’m not ready to cross three mountain passes friday and spend next week in montana for the holidays. If there was any lingering chance i might be the next antarctic blogger this winter has put that soundly to rest. Just thinking about it has me wishing for a hot drink.

I’m ready in nearly every other way, tho, or getting close. My Z should be back home in it’s garage, safe and warm, by thursday or so. All the quibbling between the body shop, the insurance company and myself (you can guess which of those three was the royal cheapskate causing all the turbulence – no, shut up, it wasn’t me) has finally subsided and the hood will be replaced proper with a factory aluminum one, which you bet your ass i’ll be inspecting very carefully in person on thursday morning to verify it’s the *real* aluminum deal and not the steel ripoff. If it weighs more than my garage door, heads will roll, people.

Other than a couple of gifts that will have to be belated due to my slacker friends taking off for the holidays already without warning me ahead of time to adjust my shopping deadlines, everything is purchased, wrapped, distributed and – in some cases – already unwrapped and covered with sticky fingerprints. I’ve had so much fun shopping this year for everyone; it’s really a bummer the rush was so brief and the high so expensive. ;) At it’s peak (before the distribution phase) my plastic evergeen looked all kinds of festive. People with january birthdays can expect cool gifts, as i’m sure i’ll need another hit off the pipe by then.

I’m not packed, but i know what i need to pack (lots of wool). Also, ski gear. Hopefully i’ll get a chance to use it proper, but if not i’m sure goggles and a full face mask will come in handy walking out to get the paper for Dad. I’m hoping there will also be some seat time on the ‘rents’ sweet Honda ATV’s, and enough snow to plow the driveway with the big one, which is always 95% fun and only 5% chore, especially in ski goggles and a funny hat.

I’m ready to unplug for a bit, as well, not in a move to deflate my budding interweb stardom but just to live at a montana pace for a week, where my phone doesn’t work so i won’t get those daily SMS low-checking-balance warnings from my bank. To stop thinking about resumes i’ve sent that have gone unanswered, about bills that need to be paid with money that doesn’t exist, about house-buying and traffic and overdue auto repairs and not spending enough time at the gym. It will be great to think about everything but my regular life for a few days, even if it will all be waiting to greet me on my return. For 9 days, though, normal life will be frozen, along with everything else outside my parents’ four walls, so in that way the cold will be a welcome change.

Needless to say, our daily morning constitutional to Starbucks was called on account of weather. Probably for the best, tho, as there’s only $3.06 left on my Sbux card, no cash in my wallet, and it’s 12 more days until payday…

Someday when i have a cameraphone i’ll take these sorts of extrinsic photos myself, but for today the WSDOT is my (likely unintentional) supplier. Probably also for the best, as who really wants to see a bunch of cameraphone pics of me adorned in gold and rubies, counting my tiaras and using rolled-up franklins to light my cigars?

Let’s see, what’s going on this week. I leave for Chicago this Saturday, so I’m trying to get Christmas all squared away before I leave – buying presents and such. I finished writing Christmas cards and will hopefully get those mailed, so watch your mailboxes. Those of you who are slackers and fail to keep me updated on your mailing address won’t be getting any holiday mail…

We had a big phatty windstorm this weekend, leaving pieces of trees all over the place. Our front windows looked like they were going to blast right out onto the floor (but they didn’t). Josh and I opted to stay in the house for about 50 hours straight, playing video games, watching cartoons and cruising the internet, rather than venture into the tempest. (Can a windstorm be a tempest, or is that just the sea? Anyway.) If any of you are going to be around New Year’s Eve, we’re planning some sort of holiday bash (details TBD). Apparently there are fireworks all over Lake Washington that night and we’re the ones with the best view of the lake, so come join us if you can. We’ll save you a hot toddy.