Shiny!

TTHFCIF

When Hurricane Ike hit,% it wreaked havoc on some of the offshore rigs operated by the company for which I am currently working. At our monthly departmental meeting,† we learned about the clean-up process and just how arduous and expensive it is.‡

This is all sad.§

But I learned about the most marvelous creature, and I can't help but feel optimistic:




As long as there are crane barges¶ in the world, it can't be all bad.


%FOOTNOTE (percented): I probably shouldn't make jokes, since I'm about to tell you how sad it is that rigs were harmed in the making of this storm, but I caught the giggles in the meeting because they ran down the storms that have affected offshore ops, and it went, "Katrina, Rita, Ike..." and I thought, "It's like the ouija board of the gods. They're trying to spell something out for us." My guess is it has something to do with Krispy Kremes. I know, I know, but I crack me up.

†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Which I have been asked to attend even though I am not an employee and they mostly talk about employee stuff like annual bonuses and why everybody's stock options suck like Paris Hilton right now.

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Not to mention the loss of production and equipment. For those of you scoring at home, my client leaked a total of six gallons of petroleum products through the entire storm season this year. Y'know -- in defense of medium oil.

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Not puppy-kicking sad or children starving in Africa sad, but havoc is havoc, even if it does happen to the mildly evil oil not-quite-congomerate.

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Ocean-going cranes, my friends. And only 48 shopping days 'til Christmas.