Traffic on I-10 is definitely an easterly surge of first responders and returning evacuees. Hruska's was packed, especially for a Monday. We've seen National Guard, a dozen-truck-deep ATT caravan, and lots of folks moving all their earthly possessions and kids in trucks with Labs in the cabs. The Hwy 36 exit in Sealy is blocked off, and it's where we are supposed to meet up with the rest of our crew. The energy is palpable.

Once the solid body wood and steel swagger of “Tick Tick Boom” swings London ’66 in a titanium Stone(s) setting, cheerleading chant “Try It Again” clears both the lumberyard and steel mill long enough for Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist to make an announcement. “They say the definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.” 2007 Hives platter The Black and White Album got different results all right. Loose. The 12X5 skitter of 2004 predecessor Tyrannosaurus Hives, the Fagersta, Sweden, five’s colossal best, ate whole the 1970s German mechanics of B&W's “T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.” and the Weill/Brecht broken music box of “Puppet on a String.” Yet the Aston Martin zip of “Hey Little World,” Bright Lights, Big City slicker “Won’t Be Long,” plus clop rocker “Square One Here I Come,” and hard-banking closer “Bigger Hole to Fill” approach a Between the Buttons density. Breaking out the Hives, Studio 54 wags the Eagles of Death Metal, and Redd Kross substitutes the Willowz at Stubb’s tomorrow night, Tuesday, tick tick booms a bygone era of high-strutting showmanship. His Royal Majesty Prince Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, so listed in the liners to B&W and matching his bandmates in title and attire, let down his onstage, early-Jagger cocksurity to talk business over Labor Day weekend.

The hive of activity that is Mobile Loaves & Fishes began to buzz around 7am. Volunteers and gear mostly from St. John Neumann Catholic and Lakehills Babtist prepped for a 9am rollout. We are pretty much on time. Our truck, commandeered by MLF director Alan (aka Santa Claus) has taken a north Austin trek to pick up ice from Kwik Ice on Burnet and to Radio Shack to keep the power flowing to the computers. 10:22am: We are headed to Hwy 71 to meet the rest of the convoy in Ellinger. We are one of four trucks. Ours is primarily the ice wagon. there are two catering trucks stocked to the gills with food and personal hygiene supplies, and one truck loaded with fuel cells to gas up personal generators, lawn equipment, and the like. I'll post as many pics as I can on this relief effort. Thanks for joining us!

"Welcome to the official opening night of the Alamo South Lamar Drive-In," said Tim League, addressing an enthusiastic 100-plus crowd already primed on barbie-fied shrimp and liter upon liter of Fosters Lager (it's Australian for "Budweiser"). "I know that where you're sitting looks a lot like a fire lane, but trust me, this is all totally above board. And I also realize Hurricane Ike is threatening to show up and blow our beautiful Rolling Roadshow screen over, but please, Ike, just give us two hours to watch one of the greatest action movies of all time." And with that, the Alamo kicked off the first of several free-to-the-public events surrounding the now-monumentally awesome Fantastic Fest. Last Friday's Mad Max screening was just the first of a handful of films from down under being screened at Fantastic Fest 2008 but, along with its sequel The Road Warrior, which screens this coming Friday, it's one of the few that demands to be seen within the context of a drive-in-style outdoor venue. It worked, the crowd was psyched (especially Alamo co-founder Karrie League, who had never borne witness to the fuel-injected kickassery that is Mel Gibson's finest hour-and-a-half), and not even Ike's ominous westward rumblings could put a dent in the proceedings. Even cooler is the fact that, as League revealed to us post-Max, the former fire lane really and truly has been approved by the Austin Fire Department for use as a permanent, additional outdoor screening area. How cool is that? Cooler than a '73 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe aka Max Rockatansky's V-8 Interceptor. Scorchingly so.

It's been tough sitting by watching the goings on from the comfort of home. Ike made his move, now, so must I. So I've hopped aboard the Mobile Loaves & Fishes express. (Hit that link and donate!) We are hitting the road with a convoy of four trucks loaded with basic relief supplies to distribute to whomever we find, wherever we go. It's 9:20am, and we are heading out. Our truck is first going north to fetch more ice, then we will meet the group at Hruska's in Ellinger. Not that we are going to eat kolaches or anything... I'm getting ready to upload pix from this morning's load-in. Until next post, enjoy this picture gallery from yesterday's pre-trip strategy meeting. Plus, you can also check the MLF Blog. More soon.

Arianna Huffington closed out this year's annual Out & Equal Summit Saturday with a speech largely about Sarah Palin. (We're wondering if she watched Saturday Night Live last night! The incomparable Tina Fey played the lady in question.) Needless to say, Arianna Huffington is true political royalty. Her political blog The Huffington Post, is blogtastic! Beyond that, Huffington's humor, poise and fearlessness won the crowd at Out & Equal effortlessly. Here are some of my favorite lines… On Palin: "Who she is, is getting lost in the beehive hairdo…" "As someone who is Greek and knows a lot about Trojan Horses, I can tell you categorically that Sarah Palin is a Trojan Moose" On McCain: "I used to love McCain, but he is no longer the maverick he was" McCain has made a Faustian bargain" - in regards to shoring up his own beliefs for the presidential bid. On Media: "Truth is not in splitting the difference between two sides" On America: "[There is] something about the end of Empire, the obsession with trivial issues is decadent and deeply disturbing"

Fresh from last weekend's 83-46 victory over the Detroit Derby Girls, Austin's own #5 ranked Texecutioners get to play host to the #15 ranked Dairyland Dolls from Madison, Wi, on Monday night. Why Monday, you may ask? Aren't bouts on a Sunday? Well, normally, yes, but this one's a little special. Wisconsin happens to be the home of Frozen Codebase, the firm currently developing the official Women's Flat Track Derby Association video game. They'll be at the Austin Game Developer's Conference at the Austin Convention Center this week, and they're sponsoring this match-up. Oh, and the bout is free for anyone who kept their ticket stub from the Detroit match-up, or for anyone who can pick up a ticket at the Frozen Codebase booth at the GDC, and first-come, first-served at the door (there're even free shuttle buses from the convention center to rink. So, seriously, visiting developers, no excuse not to turn up.) The bout goes down at the Playland Skate Center (8822 McCann Drive), Monday, Sept. 15. Doors 6.30pm.

With the post-Hurricane Ike clean-up looking like a long job, Austin ISD is preparing for the complex job of being both a school system and temporary refugee agency. All schools will re-open Monday morning as normal. Currently, Crockett High School, Small Middle School and the Delco Activity Center are being used as evacuee shelters, but the district is working to ensure the safety of staff, students and evacuees. The expectation is for all campus shelters to be cleared by Tuesday as evacuees are "consolidated" at the Convention Center, and then the search will be on for potential longer-term shelters not on campuses. More information on the Ike response can be found at their dedicated web page. Don't underestimate the scale of the need: As of 11am Sunday, the city of Austin estimates there 3,879 general needs evacuees and 98 special needs evacuees at 20 shelters around Austin, and that doesn't include people staying with friends and family. See below the jump for the full AISD press release.

Whether people are waiting in their cars to get back to southeast Texas or standing in line to get food, ice, or kitty litter... they can find key information at the websites for KHOU-TV and The Houston Chronicle. KHOU, a Belo television station, is broadcasting live online and just provided live video from their helicopter of Galveston Island. Since this is KVUE-TV's sister station, you'll see local hottie and meteorologist George Kanuck reporting from the Houston area. KHOU just interviewed people standing in line at a Walgreens in the Montrose area. The manager of the Walgreens is only allowing about five people in the store at once. Some people have stood in line for nearly an hour for the chance to shop inside the store.