Scattershots: Back from brief vacation.

I just returned from vacation. Did I miss anything?
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My goodness, since when does a Flood of the Century happen every 15 years?
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We went to Kansas City for a couple days. A water park and Royals game usually equals relaxation, even with kids, but Jenny and I spent so much time on the computer checking on what was going on back here, it made sense to get back. We returned to a flooded basement, but compared to so many people, we got off easy.
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I watched TV around the clock, and for once, very little HD. I couldn't take my eyes off the wall-to-wall flood coverage here on channel 13. I still can't believe some of what I saw. The heartbreaking scenes of people fleeing their homes; downtown Cedar Rapids completely under water; the levees breaking and the water crawling into neighborhoods... I could go on, but you saw it too. Just unbelievable.
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There's a reason people who leave Iowa often move back. You have to have lived somewhere else to truly appreciate how special it is here. The best part of this awful disaster has been seeing people helping other people.
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I helped Andy clean out his flooded storage facility, but it was more than worth it to find out his framed OJ Simpson poster was ruined. I know he's had it since childhood, but it's time to throw that junk away.
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The most surreal sight may have been the I-Cubs playing in secrecy, for safety reasons, in front of a crowd of none. (If you haven't seen Shawn Terrell and Brian Fiser's story, it's worth checking out on our whotv.com sports page video player. ) The weather has wrecked Cubs attendance all season long, and this past weekend really did some damage. Of course, all things considered, a minor concern---unless you own the Cubs.
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The unfortunate timing award goes to the NCAA Track and Field Championships. By all accounts, Drake put on a world class event, but it went virtually unnoticed by the media, including us, for understandable reasons. I hope the weather downer doesn't dampen Drake's chances to host again.
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KGGO's Heather Burnside handed out the hottest T-shirts of the week: SHUT UP AND SANDBAG.
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Shawn Johnson had her training turned upside down when Chow's Gymnastics flooded. It won't stop Shawn. She worked out at ISU, and she'll make the Olympic team this weekend at the Trials in Philadelphia. (look for live coverage here beginning Wednesday) By the way, Liang Chow doesn't have flood insurance, but he'll rebuild in West Des Moines. He also kept his sense of humor intact, joking that he might start swimming lessons at Chow's.
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The Iowa Corn Indy 250 had that traffic snarl nightmare last year because of soggy grounds, but officials there assure me it won't happen again, even with all this rain they've had. President Jerry Jauron told us on SoundOff, they've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve parking.
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The Iowa Corn Indy 250 is great for Central Iowa. Look for the driver with one career IndyCar win to receive most of the attention.
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Tiger Woods third round finish at the U.S. Open, on one leg, was phenomenal--even by his standards. Grinding through the final round, in pain, and making that clutch putt to force a playoff is the stuff of legend.
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Andy thinks I'm going overboard, but I think Tiger is better at his sport than any athlete has ever been at their sport. Maybe I should say "in my lifetime". I don't know much about the first Greek who ran a marathon.
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The Barnstormers lead the league in attendance, but they won't for long if they don't start playing better. Who am I kidding, it won't matter. It's a party win or lose.
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Did you see Jewel on NBC's Nashville Star? She acted nuttier than a squirrel turd. And what's with the new southern accent? Didn't she grow up in Alaska? Maybe she's trying to be the Star's Paul Abdul.
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The new Incredible Hulk is very good, much better than that depressing mess five years ago. I don't know why Edward Norton has a problem, but it delivers just what you'd want in a movie like this. It's no Iron Man, but worth a B.
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If you have HBO, don't miss Dana Carvey's first concert in years. Funny stuff, especially the bit on Andy Rooney.
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We're having my wife's birthday party at Wrigley Field this weekend as the Cubs host the White Sox. I feel like I'm getting a present.
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Be safe, and a big thanks to all of you who helped others this past week.

Keith