- I am spoiled!
- A blackberry makes a splendid flashlight in a pinch
- I LOVE generators
- I hate trees with all of their silly leaves collecting in my pool
- I really hate pine trees
- I’m addicted to the internet
- I’m not as addicted to TV as I thought
- I finally found a good use for all of those water bottles I got when training for the MS150
- Boiling water to wash dishes really blows
- That the doo-hickey that starts the burners on my gas stove is electric
- I can still get those burners lit with a lighter (Duh!)
- I can’t enter a room without flipping a switch even though I know full well that nothing will happen when I do
- The college student is so terrified of tornados that she will sleep in a small closet to feel safe
- The teenager can actually sleep through a hurricane
- The dogs can too
- The pizza stone for the grill that I got for my wedding comes in handy when there is no power
- The fearless Dachshund would rather explode than walk out in the rain to relieve herself
- Max the Wonder Dog would rather not explode even during the last remnants of a hurricane
- Ducks fare pretty well riding out a category 2 hurricane
- I can fix a darn good meal even without power
- Coffee can be made without power by boiling water and pouring it through the coffee and filter in the coffee machine
- When transformers blow, it looks like green lightening from inside the house
- I don’t think I would stay for a hurricane bigger than a category 3
- The hubby was more scared than I was
- You might have to drive 55 miles to find gasoline after a hurricane
Showing posts with label Don't like Ike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Don't like Ike. Show all posts
Saturday, September 20, 2008
25 things I learned from Ike (in no particular order)
Friday, September 19, 2008
WE HAVE POWER!!!
Several of my friends and coworkers still don't have power. I am now wishing them well and hoping they will get power soon too!
I don't know if anyone reading this is one of the workers that came here to help with the recovery. If you are or if you know someone that came here, I would personally like to thank all of them for the hard work to get this city back up and running. I know that they are making a sacrifice being away from their friends and family back home and all of the long hours they are working. The city of Houston is truly grateful for the help! Big bear hug for all of y'all!
I don't know if anyone reading this is one of the workers that came here to help with the recovery. If you are or if you know someone that came here, I would personally like to thank all of them for the hard work to get this city back up and running. I know that they are making a sacrifice being away from their friends and family back home and all of the long hours they are working. The city of Houston is truly grateful for the help! Big bear hug for all of y'all!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Major development!
No we don't have power. However today I drove up to a gas station and got gasoline without waiting in line. Then I went to the grocery store and didn't wait in line there either. HALLELUJAH!!
The lastest news
I'm at work for the first time in a week. I could have come in yesterday but my company sent out emails that they were bringing in a truckload of gas for those who needed it for generators. Luckily it was set up near my home so I didn't have to drive too far.
And speaking of the generosity of my company, a few of the guys in upper management here drove out of town as I understand it and bought generators, electrical cords, ice, water, gas cans full with gas, etc. for the employees to come get if they needed them. I can't say enough about how Enbridge is doing for the hardest hit employees. Normally I don't blog about my company but I felt that I had to give kudos to them because I truly appreciated the gas that they gave me yesterday. Running that generator is getting expensive!
We are still out of power but the latest report puts my zip code in the group that should have power on by Monday evening. I feel fortunate because every zip code surrounding us is in the group that won't get power until after Monday and they can't even tell them when it will be.
Lines for gas and food are getting more manageable as of yesterday afternoon so it's starting feel more normal now. Our water has the "boil notice" lifted so yesterday I gave the rest of our water jugs and ice to the hubby's ex-wife when she dropped off the teenager. Her mom has no water or ice so I figured that it should to someone more needy than myself.
The teenager has been at her mom's house since Thursday before the storm. They haven't eaten too many hot meals since everything in their house is electric. I thought she was going to cry when I told her that she wouldn't have to do that anymore. She's been a trouper through all of it though.
Not much more to report other than it's been really nice to get to know all of the neighbors finally. Usually everyone stays so holed up in their homes that you don't get to know anyone too well. Now that there isn't as much to do, everyone is out and talking to everyone else. It's neat how something like this has made us a much closer knit community.
When we get power up, I will have lots of pictures and videos. Stay tuned...
And speaking of the generosity of my company, a few of the guys in upper management here drove out of town as I understand it and bought generators, electrical cords, ice, water, gas cans full with gas, etc. for the employees to come get if they needed them. I can't say enough about how Enbridge is doing for the hardest hit employees. Normally I don't blog about my company but I felt that I had to give kudos to them because I truly appreciated the gas that they gave me yesterday. Running that generator is getting expensive!
We are still out of power but the latest report puts my zip code in the group that should have power on by Monday evening. I feel fortunate because every zip code surrounding us is in the group that won't get power until after Monday and they can't even tell them when it will be.
Lines for gas and food are getting more manageable as of yesterday afternoon so it's starting feel more normal now. Our water has the "boil notice" lifted so yesterday I gave the rest of our water jugs and ice to the hubby's ex-wife when she dropped off the teenager. Her mom has no water or ice so I figured that it should to someone more needy than myself.
The teenager has been at her mom's house since Thursday before the storm. They haven't eaten too many hot meals since everything in their house is electric. I thought she was going to cry when I told her that she wouldn't have to do that anymore. She's been a trouper through all of it though.
Not much more to report other than it's been really nice to get to know all of the neighbors finally. Usually everyone stays so holed up in their homes that you don't get to know anyone too well. Now that there isn't as much to do, everyone is out and talking to everyone else. It's neat how something like this has made us a much closer knit community.
When we get power up, I will have lots of pictures and videos. Stay tuned...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Still not over quite yet
I sit here at 4am on Tuesday writing this. I'm not even sure if I will get a chance to post it since mobile phone signals are really sketchy here. I can't connect during the day too easily but at night it's a little easier. Problem is that we turn off the generator at night for a quieter evening and to avoid wasting fuel unnecessarily and I can't stay on the computer too long at night. Obviously we are still without power but a cool front moved in yesterday morning. Between having a generator and the weather cooperating, things are actually very bearable.
It's almost bizarre sitting here writing at a time of the night when there is normally extreme quiet. In some neighborhoods, it's probably quieter than normal. In ours however, all I hear is the hum of generators all around me. The only light I see is from an airplane flying overhead. It is a shame that it is overcast this evening. Normally the glow of the city lights prevents you from seeing the stars. I imagine that if there were no clouds I could see every star out there. Maybe tomorrow night we will be luckier in that respect.
I will have to say that I feel highly blessed. Many did not fare as well as my family did. We sustained no damage to our home. We did have roof damage to our Conroe rental home so we didn't come out completely unscathed from Ike. However we aren't dealing with not being able to get back to our home as the people from Galveston are. We didn't lose any loved ones either. There is no telling how many of the people who refused to leave the evacuation zones that didn't make it.
I have a list a mile long of things that I'm able to do that others are not. We are don't sit in the dark in the evenings. I have a working refrigerator and deep freeze. I watch television almost whenever I want. I can get on the internet occasionally. I can charge up my mobile phone and computer. We have running water and natural gas service. I don't know if the water is safe to drink yet but we can boil it on the stove if necessary and I have plenty of clean drinking water from before the storm as well.
I could go on and on about how blessed my family is but you get the idea. You may wonder if this is easy. The answer is no. We drove about 55 miles out of town to find a gas station with a line that was only about 45 minutes long. Around here if you can find a station open, the line is at least two hours long. Going to the grocery store poses the same problem of long lines. We stopped for supplies at a little grocery where we got gas and they were out of things like bread. It is the little things that you expect will always be there that is hard.
One would think that this of all things would trigger my anxiety issues that I often suffer from. The funny thing is that I'm about as relaxed as I've ever been in my life. Maybe it's because I've gotten to spend quality time with my husband where he isn't being constantly interrupted by a work call. Or because I haven't been to work since last Wednesday. It could be that I see on TV the people of Houston and the surrounding area are pulling together to help each other. I see that in my neighborhood as well.
It also could be recollection of being curled up in my bed listening to the worst part of that storm and feeling an unnatural calm and sense of feeling safe. Everyone else tells me how scared they were. I don't recall having that feeling at any point. I feared that a tree would come down on our house but somehow I knew that we were going to be OK anyway. I had faith that God would pull us through this and he did.
It's almost bizarre sitting here writing at a time of the night when there is normally extreme quiet. In some neighborhoods, it's probably quieter than normal. In ours however, all I hear is the hum of generators all around me. The only light I see is from an airplane flying overhead. It is a shame that it is overcast this evening. Normally the glow of the city lights prevents you from seeing the stars. I imagine that if there were no clouds I could see every star out there. Maybe tomorrow night we will be luckier in that respect.
I will have to say that I feel highly blessed. Many did not fare as well as my family did. We sustained no damage to our home. We did have roof damage to our Conroe rental home so we didn't come out completely unscathed from Ike. However we aren't dealing with not being able to get back to our home as the people from Galveston are. We didn't lose any loved ones either. There is no telling how many of the people who refused to leave the evacuation zones that didn't make it.
I have a list a mile long of things that I'm able to do that others are not. We are don't sit in the dark in the evenings. I have a working refrigerator and deep freeze. I watch television almost whenever I want. I can get on the internet occasionally. I can charge up my mobile phone and computer. We have running water and natural gas service. I don't know if the water is safe to drink yet but we can boil it on the stove if necessary and I have plenty of clean drinking water from before the storm as well.
I could go on and on about how blessed my family is but you get the idea. You may wonder if this is easy. The answer is no. We drove about 55 miles out of town to find a gas station with a line that was only about 45 minutes long. Around here if you can find a station open, the line is at least two hours long. Going to the grocery store poses the same problem of long lines. We stopped for supplies at a little grocery where we got gas and they were out of things like bread. It is the little things that you expect will always be there that is hard.
One would think that this of all things would trigger my anxiety issues that I often suffer from. The funny thing is that I'm about as relaxed as I've ever been in my life. Maybe it's because I've gotten to spend quality time with my husband where he isn't being constantly interrupted by a work call. Or because I haven't been to work since last Wednesday. It could be that I see on TV the people of Houston and the surrounding area are pulling together to help each other. I see that in my neighborhood as well.
It also could be recollection of being curled up in my bed listening to the worst part of that storm and feeling an unnatural calm and sense of feeling safe. Everyone else tells me how scared they were. I don't recall having that feeling at any point. I feared that a tree would come down on our house but somehow I knew that we were going to be OK anyway. I had faith that God would pull us through this and he did.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Ike Update #8
Well we lost power right after my last update. That was about the time that the highest winds were getting to Spring. It was really freaky from what little I could see. At this point I think the eye has passed us and we are on the other side of the storm. I slept through the eye passing which I am not happy about but at least I got an hour or two of solid sleep.
I did take some video from before it got really bad but I'm not sure how much you will be able to see. I will post that later. The hubby is getting motivated to get up and film another update so you may be getting several videos in the next post.
I did take some video from before it got really bad but I'm not sure how much you will be able to see. I will post that later. The hubby is getting motivated to get up and film another update so you may be getting several videos in the next post.
Ike Update #7
Satellite, internet and power are sketchy at the moment. We keep have power flickering and tv is even less reliable right now. I slept a little bit earlier but now I can't seem to sleep at all. Looking at the radar on tv, we are at the edge of the highest winds and will see those very soon.
They are warning of tornadoes so I'm up will be listening for that since everyone else is asleep. I can pretty much deal with the hurricane winds but tornadoes are much scarier.
I am completely amazed that I can still watch tv even off and on and that I can still post on my normal internet connection. I do have a work computer which has a Cingular card so I will continue to post updates after we lose all of our creature comforts. At least I'll have the internet to keep me company!
They are warning of tornadoes so I'm up will be listening for that since everyone else is asleep. I can pretty much deal with the hurricane winds but tornadoes are much scarier.
I am completely amazed that I can still watch tv even off and on and that I can still post on my normal internet connection. I do have a work computer which has a Cingular card so I will continue to post updates after we lose all of our creature comforts. At least I'll have the internet to keep me company!
Ike Update # 6
The wind is still howling outside and the rain is hard. We are getting to the hurricane force winds and within the hour we should have the worst of that. No damage that I can see so far. We lose the dish signal off and on so our updates outside of the computer are getting spotty. I still have power and will continue to update everyone as long as I can.
On a sad note, Brennen's is on fire and the general manager and his family are in the hospital right now. Wonderful restaurant that is a staple of midtown Houston. Hopefully they will be ok.
On a sad note, Brennen's is on fire and the general manager and his family are in the hospital right now. Wonderful restaurant that is a staple of midtown Houston. Hopefully they will be ok.
Ike Update #5
At the moment, it's raining hard and the wind is super strong. The eye of the storm is close to making landfall so it's still going to get a lot worse for us. We have electricity and tv still (tv is surprising since we lose Dish Network in a light rain usually). The hubby is all sleepy so his video updates may not be happening until tomorrow morning. I'll try to get a picture to post though.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Ike Update #4.5
Mark finally got the latest video up on youtube. Nothing much more to report other than the wind is getting pretty high.
Ike Update #4
We are getting some pretty good wind now. We made some video earlier and then were talking to our neighbors and didn't get to post it right away so you are getting that one. We have recorded another but the hubby doesn't have that one up on youtube yet.
For dinner this evening I decided to go all gourmet on the family and did a pan seared salmon recipe that I created myself. It had a chipotle lime sauce that was a little too spicy if you asked me but the family loved it. Also had some lovely baked asparagus with olive oil and garlic. Then I added a little frozen broccoli and cheese because I was lazy. It was good too though.
There will be another video very soon when Mark bothers to upload it.
For dinner this evening I decided to go all gourmet on the family and did a pan seared salmon recipe that I created myself. It had a chipotle lime sauce that was a little too spicy if you asked me but the family loved it. Also had some lovely baked asparagus with olive oil and garlic. Then I added a little frozen broccoli and cheese because I was lazy. It was good too though.
There will be another video very soon when Mark bothers to upload it.
Ike Update #3
I had a request for an update so here it is. We are finally starting to get a little sprinkling of rain and it's a little windy now but nothing out of the ordinary yet. As I was watching the news, I did catch a picture of this dumbass running around behind the newsmen on the seawall in Galveston wearing a freaking bear suit. Some people are idiots! The picture is a little hard to see but you get the idea.
This will be the first video update from my husband with his new camcorder.
This will be the first video update from my husband with his new camcorder.
Ike Update #2
So far nothing to report up here. It's starting out to be another beautiful day which is so very odd knowing that a very huge hurricane is less than 24 hours from landfall. I would take another picture but it would pretty much look like the picture in the sidebar.
Things are a little different in Galveston though. We are seeing pictures of parts of the island underwater already. The island will be completely underwater before this storm is over yet people stay there. That is something I don't understand. There will be storm surge in Galveston and potentially all the way to downtown Houston. If I lived south of I-10 on the east side and south of Hwy 59 on the west side, I would be heading to someone else's house for sure. Oh well, I'm sure there are plenty of people who think it's nuts for me to stay. Maybe so... We shall know soon enough.
Things are a little different in Galveston though. We are seeing pictures of parts of the island underwater already. The island will be completely underwater before this storm is over yet people stay there. That is something I don't understand. There will be storm surge in Galveston and potentially all the way to downtown Houston. If I lived south of I-10 on the east side and south of Hwy 59 on the west side, I would be heading to someone else's house for sure. Oh well, I'm sure there are plenty of people who think it's nuts for me to stay. Maybe so... We shall know soon enough.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Ike Update #1
It's coming! Damn that Jim Cantore for showing up in Galveston. It was headed to Victoria until he showed up. That man and his shiny bald head attracts hurricanes.
I've stocked up on the essentials. We have lots of beer, wine, bloody marys and mimosas. We should be good for the duration of the storm. Oh and I have water and canned food. We have a little camp light that is powered by propane for when we lose power (it's not if but when). We are riding this thing out. Fortunately we are about 90 miles away from Freeport area which I believe is where it's still supposed to come in.
It's actually beautiful weather here today and nobody I know is evacuating completely. I have a friend who lives south of Houston who "evacuated" to my other friend's house not too far from here but so far she is the only one I'm aware of. I think that they were in an official evacuation zone so they were told to leave. We were not so hopefully it won't be too bad.
My hubby is currently playing with his new toy. He bought an HD camcorder today so I may have some video to post. Right now nothing exciting to report other than we are preparing for this storm.
We have moved all potential "torpedos" off of the patio and put them all into the garage. We will be rearranging everything in the garage so that we can get two of the four vehicles in there. We don't have any plywood so we will not be boarding up the windows but we are prepared to cover any broken windows.
I will post updates as long as we have power. Here is a picture of the current conditions.
I've stocked up on the essentials. We have lots of beer, wine, bloody marys and mimosas. We should be good for the duration of the storm. Oh and I have water and canned food. We have a little camp light that is powered by propane for when we lose power (it's not if but when). We are riding this thing out. Fortunately we are about 90 miles away from Freeport area which I believe is where it's still supposed to come in.
It's actually beautiful weather here today and nobody I know is evacuating completely. I have a friend who lives south of Houston who "evacuated" to my other friend's house not too far from here but so far she is the only one I'm aware of. I think that they were in an official evacuation zone so they were told to leave. We were not so hopefully it won't be too bad.
My hubby is currently playing with his new toy. He bought an HD camcorder today so I may have some video to post. Right now nothing exciting to report other than we are preparing for this storm.
We have moved all potential "torpedos" off of the patio and put them all into the garage. We will be rearranging everything in the garage so that we can get two of the four vehicles in there. We don't have any plywood so we will not be boarding up the windows but we are prepared to cover any broken windows.
I will post updates as long as we have power. Here is a picture of the current conditions.
Oh and my hairdresser will be working tomorrow so I will be keeping that appointment barring any extreme weather tomorrow morning. And yes, my hair color really is that important!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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