The big boss started telling people to go home by 3 today, as Tropical Storm Hanna continued its approach. Even with my normal end-of-week trip to our northern office, I was still home by 230, much to the relief of my Beautiful Young Bride and uber-pampered Pomeranian (the cat didn't care).

My trip home was into one of the first feeder bands of Hanna crossing into our county, and at one point (crossing the longest bridge in our county) the wind picked up and visibility dropped to probably 50 to 75 feet for all the side-blowing rain. And, it's only just beginning... For now, the puppy is content chewing her rawhide, the Bride is relaxed now that I am not driving in this weather, and the cat still doesn't care.

But, Hanna remains to our east, where I definitely prefer us to be in relation to the center of a tropical system. Currently we are under a flash flood watch, tropical storm warning, and all man-made global warming doom and gloom forecasts have been suspended until after Hanna passes.

On the other hand, thanks to Hanna this is the earliest I've made it home from work in weeks. Take any silver lining I can get these days...