24 hour reprieve for life and property

Yes, chickabiddies, the federal government is closed. DC is shut down thanks to the Metro system, which closed at 11 AM thanks to the slow approach of Isabel. Leave our lives and property alone, Isabel darling, and we'll no beef with ya, just some gratitude.

And a heck of a lot of entertainment. I had MSNBC on, and the entertainment value was high. Brian Williams is whooping it up in Virginia Beach, and for purposes unclear to this correspondent (I believe his intent was the dramatic), he was standing between two tall buildings built close together. In short, he had positioned himself in a wind tunnel, and indeed he breathlessly informed the viewer audience of this fact as he was splayed against the wall, holding on, trying to maintain balance on the 2-foot ledge on which he had positioned himself.

Physics was not one of my strengths, but I know enough to have been most intrigued with these proceedings, and indeed I was not disappointed. He summoned into the frame a Weather Channel lackey who had a little wind reader thingamabob, and there they were desperately clutching each other trying to get a reading, and then, by God, they were gone! Blown off the ledge and out of the camera frame by the wind. (For the tenderhearted out there, they were both unharmed.)

I enjoyed the spectacle immensely. It bore a marked resemblance to the "Monsterpiece Theater" presentation of "Gone with the Wind", and I expected Alistair Cookie to appear with some thoughtful commentary at any moment. If MSNBC would stick to this sort of programming, they can definitely expect a rise in their ratings.