Hi ho, hi ho: it's off to a backlog of work I go...flooding update, too

Back, dear people, from a few days' away and am headed back into the old work homestead. Sorry for no advance warning: a chance to travel a bit elsewhere came available at the last minute on the 5th and I took to it like a woman on the Crusade.

Despite my better judgment, though, I stayed away from work from last Tuesday until today completely and only called in 'to check in' about three times total...dear Lord, that may be a record. However, that may also be the absolute worst thing I could've done, too. If I haven't checked back in here by Wednesday morning, friends, please call the authorities as the papers on my desk most probably have toppled over and buried me alive. I'm not joking as much as you think.

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On a side note, I did hear back from Thespian and FOB Amanda and she is temporarily okay in Coffeyville. Dear friend even sounded relatively upbeat, all things considered. No news yet from dearest Melvin, but then again, that may be newly marriage-related, too, I understand. Hopefully no news is good news...at least for her. The poor town in specific, and the region in general, is something else altogether as both slowly recover. Returning to normalcy can't come soon enough.

The bad news, though, is not over quite yet:

the original estimates of 40,000+ gallons of crude oil being spilt into the flood waters was apparently low, and the new totals now put that number in excess of 70,000+.

Nearby cities, towns and townships are under strict water restrictions and hazards (welcome to the neighbourhood, fecal coliform!).

The cleanup is slow, indeed, because of all of the health threats...and

a class action lawsuit has now been filed against Coffeyville Refineries, the refinery responsible for this agonizing oil spill.

A video update can be seen here (from KOTV 6 in Tulsa, OK).