Lauras 23, 29.

DIARY

- LIGHT BLOGGING - There will probably be few substantive posts this week and none the next; I'm preparing for and then executing a trip to my brother-in-law's wedding and then a week in Michigan researching my thesis project.

- HUE AND TERROR - It will hopefully be a week of hue and terror, since I will be alternately in Flint and the middle-of-nowhere, studying serial killers and evil ex-lumberjacks. The focus of this search will be James Carr, a "blood stained and filthy soul" who introduced slavery to Clare, Michigan at his "Devil's Ranch Stockage," and Maggie Duncan, his lover, a madame with icy eyes of death. Oooh. I'm gretting creeped out already. There's a lot of alleged documentation of these events, but almost nobody knows of them, because they all went down in Clare, MI in the 1870s...

- WEATHER - The Northeast, at least, enjoyed a perfect weekend; blue skies, warm air, cool breezes, perfect. This will be "disrupted" today by a heat spike to the upper eighties, followed by storms tonight, and more niceness tomorrow. Ouch. The midwest is going to get some storms and rains, and the south and west will continue to be unbearably hot. A non-tropical low is presently fluttering a few hundred miles off of the Georgia coast; it could either curve south towards Florida, north to the Carolinas, or northeast into the Atlantic, depending on how pressure centers move. It won't, however, pack any Hurricane-caliber punch.

- TIGERS - Glum. The White Sox just swept the series they hosted at Comisky against the Tigers. This is important, because it has narrowed the gap between the two teams a mere 5.5 games. While they are still separated by almost two series, the Tigers are going up against the Yankees, the Red Sox, and more of the White Sox in the next couple weeks; further decisive performances by the White Sox could pose a challenge.
Does this mean that the Tigers are unlikely to lose their playoff spot? Most likely not. At .650, the Tigers are well ahead of everyone else, meaning even if the White Sox did win the Central division, Detroit would probably get the playoff spot. More to the point, the South Side pulled a similar stunt last year, when they turned extended losing streaks (just late week they were all but tied with the Twins) into a blitz toward the playoffs. It's also worth noting that the Tigers have only been swept twice now this season; both times, it was the White Sox.
I was happy to see the White Sox win last year, and I'm glad they're still playing strong. I just hope it doesn't go to anyone's head; in Chicago, bursts of glory are typically followed by century-long droughts, and that could be said of more than a couple teams.

- AUGUST - is Admit You're Happy month.
- TODAY - is National Code Talkers day.
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Steve Martin, Gary Larson, Magic Johnson, and Halle Barry.

- NEWS OF THE WEEK -
CBC News: Mexican recount begins as protests expand.
BBC News: Chad and Sudan resume relations.
BBC News: 'Airlines terror plot' disrupted.
BBC News: China typhoon sparks mass exodus.
New York Times: Cease-Fire Begins After a Day of Fierce Attacks.

- QUESTION OF THE DAY -
Draw up a list, not to exceed one-hundred items, of places you would like to live before you die, living defined as residing for at least three months. You must include places you have already lived.

END OF POST.