There are a few things that will ruin your morning. A NyQuil hangover. A real hangover. The breakfast sandwich at the Tacoma Dome.

And then there’s this little ditty that my RSS feeder kicked up: According to a computer simulation, a 9.0 earthquake would not only be not good for Washington, but Tacoma (and Seattle, Olympia and Vancouver, Wash.) would be especially bad off.

"What the scientists learned from this simulation is not reassuring," read PhysOrg.com.

It continues:

The long-duration shaking, combined with high ground velocities, raises the possibility that such an earthquake

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It’s early. It’s loud. That means the state basketball tournaments at the Tacoma Dome are about to get under way.

I’ll be here much of the day chatting with players, coaches, fans and workers in the broad, go-there-and-capture-the-vibe-of-the-event kind of story editors love to call “scene-setters.”

I’m about to hit the road for Puayllup. I’ve received several e-mails from concerned residents of a mobile-home park there who were given one year’s notice to leave. Many can’t financially leave, and others’ units can’t safely be transported. And then there’s the shock of an entire neighborhood going away.

The owner of the park is allegedly selling the land to developers (I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet) — and it’s part of a growing national trend.

The Hilltop Action Coalition has voiced support for Tacoma Streetcar, which advocates for the return of vintage or replica streetcars to provide mass transit in Tacoma.

From the press release:

Tacoma Streetcar, a non-profit transportation advocacy organization, has announced that the Hilltop Action Coalition has joined the growing list of organizations and individuals that support the creation of a city-wide streetcar system. Jeannie Peterson, Director of Community Initiatives for the Hilltop Action Coalition stated, “We need better transportation alternatives and streetcars will add vintage flavor to areas that deserve them, especially the Hilltop.”

Other supporters

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It was hectic last week; now it’s all calm out there. I’m making some calls to put together some stories for the next few days, and I’ll let you know what else I’m up to today.

Joe and I followed Clover Park High School’s Air Force JROTC team. Here’s a video from today’s competition at Wilson High School:

Janice Sami stood at attention and didn’t flinch when a judge snapped questions at her during inspection. During regulation and exhibition, she was conscious to move in near-perfect formation. A wrong answer or misstep, she knew, could put the competition’s outcome at risk.

Only when Sami and her colleagues from the Clover Park High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps left the gymnasium, the site of the unarmed drill competition, could they relax a bit. Proud parents snapped photos of them. The cadets smiled for the first time since the competition began.

For Sami, a senior at Clover Park and a cadet lieutenant colonel, the competition was also a celebration of the JROTC program. She wants to become an agent in the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations after she graduates from college, and she JROTC is giving her an early taste of military life.

"This program is amazing," she said while wearing her dress blue uniform. "It’s not just a program. It’s like a family. It’s made me a different person, and I’m proud of who I am because of this program."

Clover Park was one of nine schools participating at Saturday’s Northwest Rifle and Drill Conference competition at Wilson High School in Tacoma. The squads vied in color guard, shooting, strength, armed drill and unarmed drill teams contests.

The teams gather once a month from December to March, when teams have a chance to qualify for championship meets. The regional meet is April 19 at Bethel High School in Spanaway.

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Joe and I have decided to shadow Clover Park High School’s unarmed drill squad. They just finished their competition, and we’re going to chat with a few people soon.

Here’s a photo from the first drill, the inspection: