but the weather channel has on, right now, a special with brian williams talking about how hard it was to report on katrina.

hey you know who else had a rough time during katrina? the people that actually lived there.

the weather channel was basically ruined the day nbc bought it (kind of like everything else nbc does)

and as long as we’re talking about the weather channel, bring my smooth jazz back you jerks! i don’t want to have to sit through something that sounds like it’s from the nightmare before christmas soundtrack during local on the 8s (which btw are NOT EVEN ON because of this dumb special)

first world problems, i know. but come on, anderson cooper saves orphans and is bravely out in every hurricane that comes ashore and right now is probably personally nursing oil-covered sea creatures back to health and HE doesn’t make self-important hours of smug about it.

real things i saw today:

1. the paper contained a flyer for local fireworks store generous jerry’s, celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. the first firework set listed was “god bless our troups”, misspelling included.

it gets better.

generous jerry himself was promoting some “fountain of youth” supplement, they were explaining how they get their fireworks straight from china so they’re better (and coated in cadmium?) AND there were 40 reasons to shop there for their 40th anniversary, including the last, amazing reason: “jesus is lord at generous jerry’s”.

2. local news tonight. weatherman’s mic wasn’t working and after testing about 3 different ones he finally walked over and shared the pretty lady anchor’s mic. awkward sexual tension ensued. it being wino friday, i laughed my ass off. they also had a clip from the mayor of fargo congratulating them on their 10th anniversary of having news. has it been 10 amazing trainwreck years already? channel 10 4ever.

3. THE QUEEN IS COMING TO WINNIPEG TOMORROW. what? i’m sure my little cbc newsies are so excited!! (they’ll make it on the national! mansbro showing the love at last) even channel 8, grand forks’s one own channel that we don’t just snipe from fargo, is sending a crew. this is going to be amazing. someone on channel 8 is going to fake a british accent or say something wildly inappropriate and i will start crying with laughter.

4. if you remember this story, the neighbors have their nascar flag out. will wait and see if an american flag is added sunday, and if so, which is on top.

5. when i was out at dinner with my parents tonight, my dad suddenly cried out in despair that he’d forgotten to tape “the dullum file” (weekly segment on local news with reporter chatting about whatever or going around town) because he’d seen them filming when he and my mom went to get lunch at a local drive-in restaurant this week and wanted to SEE IF THEIR CAR MADE IT ON THE NEWS.

this is my family. this is my hometown.

i feel like all your questions about why i’m so fucking strange will be answered by the time i return home on tuesday. oh, north country, you never fail to be exactly what you are.

also: every local commercial has a terrible and amazing jingle. i need the “5-star collision and glass center” jam in my life immediately.