Isaac is definitely on his way. I read about the damage reported in Haiti but the info is limited. Isaac just passed through that island nation this morning but their communications are third world level- poor or none at all. The good news is that Isaac is expected to remain a tropical storm and not achieve hurricane level. Isaac's average windspeed has been 60 mph, and while that can-and will- cause damage, it is not as scary and potentially harmful as a hurricane. Off the top of my head, I would say that whoever has not arrived for the RNC before the storm hits will not likely get here after. Planes do not take of and land in tropical storms due to wind sheer.

Good news! I was notified yesterday that once again, I earned first place awards at national level (Coast Guard Auxiliary) for both our flotilla and division newsletters. The award covers everything from editing to content, layout, etc. This, by the way, is the second year that I earned these awards. I am proud of this achievement.

My ear is better but still weird. I hear funny in my right ear. Sounds seem to have a high-pitched echo and sometimes I hear an "electrical hum" but there is no pain so I cannot describe it as an "earache". The sense of being underwater is gone too, but today I have a headache, something I did not have yesterday.

I am going to read today. I got the book, "The Flowers of War" from the library. It takes place during the 'rape' of Nanking. I saw several movies about the Japanese invasion of China, especially Nanking where between 300,000 and 250,000 civilians were killed by the Japanese. That drew my interest. Despite the great number of photographs that survived and eye-witness accounts, sixty years later, the Japanese continue to deny the scale of the atrocities committed during the invasion and occupation of China. The brutalities were so extreme that they eventually provided the justification needed to drop the atomic bombs on Japan.

"The Flowers of War" was made into motion picture. I can't wait to see it because the director is Zhang Yimou. He created the magnificent visuals seen in movies such as "The House of Flying Daggers", "Raise the Red Lantern", etc.. If his name is unfamiliar to you, you may still have seen his work if you watched the 2008 Olympics in China. He choreographed the opening and closing ceremonies. I mentioned before that Zhang Yimou's cinematography is so incredibly beautiful that every scene would make a stunning painting. He is truly an artist.

Speaking of art, I tried to paint a few things but destroyed them all. Mediocre, mediocre...