In Search of an East Cobb Ulysses

1. Today will be mostly sunny and breezy with gusts up to 20 mph, a high of 90 degrees and an overnight low of about 64, the National Weather Service says. By the time you read this, the rain should be gone for the day.

2. That was quite a surprising storm from about 6 p.m. Wednesday through 2 a.m. or so today. We knew we'd get rain and knew the storm could be severe, but we didn't expect all that hail, and we didn't expect periods of heavy rain stretching over eight-plus hours. The temperature dropped more than 20 degrees in a matter of minutes, and the storm poured about an inch and a half of rain on us, according to Weather Underground. As of 4 a.m., Marietta Power & Water was down to seven customers without electricity, all in the western Marietta. As of 3 a.m., Georgia Power had 77,000 customers in the dark statewide, including 27,000 in metro Atlanta.

3. Want to start today with a smile, even if you had to deal with losing power or other troubles from the violent weather Wednesday? Check out our Playdate in the Park photo gallery. If happy, playful children enjoying summer break don't make your day brighter, is your name Scrooge or Grinch? If so, you're six months early.

4. East Cobb lawyer and historian Jonathan W. Jordan will talk about World War II today at 12:30 p.m. at the East Cobb Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Rd. It's a treat to hear Jordan free close to home; after all, at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans this spring. For more information, call 770-509-2730.

5. Well, we've covered three literary figures (Jordan, Scrooge and the Grinch), but today is the day for Leopold Bloom, who famously wanders throughout Dublin on June 16, 1904, in James Joyce's Ulysses. The traditional Bloomsday observances include reading the nearly 800-page book aloud, drinking Guinness, and eating things such as gorgonzola sandwiches and liver. An added twist this year, NPR reports, is the tweeting of the stream-of-consciousness novel, 140 or fewer characters at a time; follow @11ysses to join the fun. Meanwhile, where would Leopold Bloom go and what would he do if he lived in East Cobb instead of Dublin?