"There's a light at the end of this tunnel..."

Okay, I'm safe and once again connected to the outside world. It's been an adventure. Details to follow. For now, the bulletin:

--Power has finally been restored to my apartment (but not my parents' house--GRRR.)
Because i'm an idiot, i left food in the fridge (thinking I'd only be gone a day or so), and it rotted. Worst offender? Bags o' chicken. So despite my best efforts to air it out and clean it out, the place still smells most foul/fowl.
--Back to work tomorrow, but I won't be logging on to AIM, because I have a beastly tasklist. I know, I know, you're going through Dave-withdrawals. Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so you'll REALLY love me when we can finally chat again.
--Please please pray for the folks here on the Texas coast--the devastated thousands in the communities in and around Galveston, as well as the heavily-taxed and frustrated folks up in Houston and its suburbs (like my folks) who are trying to make do without power, without consistent supply of food or gasoline, some without easily accessed water, and all without access to the outside world. The local stations are showing IKE-recovery 24/7, so we have no idea what else is going on.