It was a dark, windy, and rainy night. Sounds like we're going to get drenched here in the Pacific Northwest. Stay safe everyone! Let's hope it helps with western wildfires. I thought this was a pretty cool description from the National Weather Service:

Given that this is the first atmospheric river of the season, the rainfall and colder temperatures will generally be quite beneficial and welcomed given the current widespread drought conditions and ongoing wildfire activity.

Remember that late August 2021 drone strike in Kabul that prevented an ISIS-K terrorist attack?

General McKenzie, not surprisingly, employs some passive voice.

...that as many as ten civilians were killed in the strike...

I've seen a few journalists celebrating the role that journalism played in holding the Pentagon accountable. I agree, but the initial coverage read like Pentagon press releases. How often has that happened over the past 20 years, without the follow-up investigation?

From the AP:

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A U.S. drone strike blew up a vehicle carrying “multiple suicide bombers” from Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate on Sunday before they could attack the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul’s international airport, American officials said. An Afghan official said three children were killed in the strike.

I met up with some friends for trivia the other night. They know I've spent some time in warzones. They asked how I felt about our withdrawal from Afghanistan. "Ecstatic."

We also talked about my recent experience with COVID. Like others, they were surprised I got it given that I was able (that's a key word here) to stay fairly isolated pre-vaccine. That ended after the vaxx. Granted, my daily interactions with people are low. But a concert in Bremerton or time inside restaurants/bars was enough for me to get it. They were surprised they haven't gotten it by now. I think there's a good chance they have and just didn't notice it. I wish there was a fast, easy way to find out for sure if you've had it.

I don't obsess over the numbers these days, but I do check them occasionally. I still can't wrap my head around how there can still be people who have not been infected AND haven't been vaxxed. It just seems like there can't be many people left who meet both conditions.

I'll close out on a more uplifting note. There's a great article in The New York Times about Michelle Agins, "the second Black female photographer to join The New York Times."

Here comes the rain again