Yo, Floridians!

Stay safe down there! That's a really freakishly impressive storm you've got going your way.

In non-hurricane news: Many thanks to people offering suggestions--will call the numbers I haven't already called as soon as I can stop shaking enough to be able to make myself understood over the phone.

On a happy note, on a leaf on the tree outside my window is a butterfly basking in the sunshine, slowly moving its wings. Also, I have gotten some useful things done today; they just don't happen to be related to the housing situation.

Anybody got a can opener?

To take my mind off things for a little while, I decided to look up some of my horoscopes. One of these days, I need to write a post about why I love astrology even though I don't believe in it. In the meantime, though:

From Free Will Astrology, the 'scope for my ascending sign and moon sign, Leo:

In 1810, an inventor in London originated the technique of sealing food in tin cans to keep it fresh. His idea came into wide use in 1846, when companies began to mass-produce food in cans. But there was no such thing as a can opener until 1858. For 12 years, then, consumers had to make awkward use of hammers and chisels to liberate their food from the new-fangled containers. This story line is an apt metaphor for your current situation, Leo. Some time ago, you got hold of a potentially valuable resource, but you have yet to discover how to make it work for you in the best possible way. The coming weeks should change that, though. I bet you'll finally find or create your equivalent of the can opener.

And for Libra, my sun sign (and sign of several planets):

Libran author William Faulkner (1897-1962) regarded his book, The Sound and the Fury, as his "most splendid failure." For a long time, the public didn't do much to dissuade him from that view. The book sold just 3,300 copies in the 15 years after it was published, and by that time most of Faulkner's other books were out of print. I believe the current state of your fate has some resemblances to that time in his life. On the other hand, your destiny in the next 12 months will have more in common with what happened for Faulkner in 1949, when he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and sales began to pick up. Just as *The Sound and the Fury* had much to do with his award, I believe one of your own "splendid failures" will be a key to the renaissance you'll enjoy.

( More stuff nobody needs to read )

Too bad I don't believe in astrology. Some of that sounds promising.