I’m in a frenzy because as you probably already know, the Frankenstorm is coming.
I’m not good at preparing for natural disasters at all.
I do stupid things like what I’m still doing – starting to look for the flashlights we bought for the last hurricane, then getting sidetracked by the fact that there aren’t any regular-sized batteries in our junk drawer, then getting sidetracked again. I went to the store, my husband went to the store, and we both forgot to get batteries because we got sidetracked. We got Java Chip ice cream, though, and stuff to make caramel apples. And a ham.
My husband is downplaying the urgency of the situation. He thinks the meteorologists are exaggerating because they’re just being over-eager, that they haven’t had a big storm in a long while so they’re going to hype this one up (!). So what he’s doing now is sitting in the hot tub watching the weather turn. Of course, I posted it on Facebook:
He’s basically thumbing his nose at Mother Nature. After I posted about him sitting in the hot tub on Facebook, my friend Megan said:
Maybe he can use the hot tub for a life raft?
Then she took it a little further (even though I was gasping for air, I was laughing so hard). She said:
Yeah…I picture him relaxed with a beer in his hand as he floats down the road. Ella of course is saying something profound while you drift off in to flash flood land. :)
I pictured our little family getting washed down the road in our souped-up hot tub. Ella would be wearing her bright pink earphones to drown out the sound of the hurricane, and Fi would be doing scales on her violin, and I’d have my nose in my laptop…blogging about the experience. Heh.
My BFF is probably my BFF because she is as dimwitted about hurricane preparedness as I am, and I don’t think she will mind reading that I said this about her here because she is honest about her limitations, and that is why I love her. She is much, much better at getting the right hair products than she is getting her hurricane preparedness stuff. She went to Target yesterday and invited me to come along. I declined, as I like to shop for emergency supplies alone and unseen, guerilla-style, mostly because I don’t know what I’m doing. I have a vague, shameful memory of grabbing piles of stupid mini-flashlights at Home Depot last year for Hurricane Irene. They were the only ones left, and they weren’t even strong enough to use as birthday party favors. I think I purchased a shovel, too, but I can’t find it now, and even if I could – I really have no idea what I might use it for. I have another memory of buying stuff to make some kind of salmon mousse or other useless recipe…I mean, really.
As he was sitting in the hot tub my husband reminisced about bad storms while he was growing up in Dublin. He told me the one thing he did learn from his mammy was to always fill the bath tub with water, which is something he does now to prepare, since we are on a well so when the electricity goes off our water goes out, and we can’t even flush. The funny thing was, he said, “is that we were on the mains! So I’m not quite sure why she filled the tub with water, but at least it made us feel prepared.”
My BFF said that she was probably going to be embarrassed if anyone saw all the ridiculous crud that was in her cart at Target. She said, “In the very likely event we lose power, I had to take some necessary precautions. I made the important purchase of curl-boosting mousse since the lack of blow dryer and flat iron can be a perfect storm for my tresses. Oh yeah….and Milano cookies, too.”
Now you see why she is my BFF. (-:
My husband is doing an awful lot of eye-rolling. He thinks all of it is media-hype so we have a $10 bet that it isn’t. I’ve been reading about this storm and one of the articles really scared me, it said this storm is unlike any you have ever seen or heard of before. It’s historic.
I think we will be okay – we aren’t coastal, we are high up on a hill and there aren’t any trees that can fall on our house or anything. I am mostly afraid of people driving – like if my pig-headed husband gets it in his mind that he needs to drive to work, I’m worried about flash floods, car accidents at intersections when the lights are out, downed power lines, all the chaotic mayhem that is the Washington D.C. metropolitan area roads during a freak hurricane. I’m also very concerned about Ella, who has a huge, huge fear of storms and of wind. I am sure the power will go out, and we can just hunker down in the basement and watch videos on our computer until our batteries run out.
But anyway, I’m sure we will be fine but I am unusually nervous, because this is going to be a big one. I’m just going to end it here and go outside to double-check that I haven’t done anything characteristically ridiculous such as leave the doors open on my minivan or anything.
If you are in the path of the storm, take care, and stay safe, and I’ll leave you with Fiona’s “wether report” - and her subsequent advice – that I posted on Facebook yesterday:
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That Priceless Sorority Sister Email…
Didn’t we just go through this with Irene? We’re not in the direct path right now but my college daughter is (in one of the places mentioned in Fiona’s report) and I’m trying to keep from freaking out too much. Stay safe.
Twitter: wordsxo
Stay safe. I really hope it isn’t as bad as they are predicting for you guys. We got very lucky down here and all in all did fine. Went to the beach today at my MIL’s house and the waves were still massive, barely any beach left and some of his beach steps floated away. Nothing like I’ve ever seen…
Twitter: bocafrau
I hope the hurricane literally blows over and just goes to the ocean. Because too many of my peeps are in its path. Damn Sandy. (I bet people named Sandy is cursing that a big ass storm is named after them)
Stay safe & dry!
Twitter: AlisonSWLee
Frankenstorm Is a’Comin’ http://t.co/ChOP3bJF via @sharethis
I love your little weather reporter! And the hot tub visual is hilarious! We are still waiting for the worst her in North Gersy (we DO have huge trees). It’s not too bad yet. Oh, and I totally used your Franken-missile term in my post. So brilliant! Stay safe.
Twitter: snapsandbits
I think Fiona will be a fantastic meteorologist! LOL! I’m with you on the Oklahoma thing though….(cough,cough, clearing throat). You have incredible girls!! They will succeed in whatever they decide to do! Stay safe!
That BFF of @AdotheMomalog sounds hilarious! Frankenstorm Is a’Comin’ http://t.co/KOHeZObi via @sharethis
Nevermind the damn hurricane. I have PMS. Fear ME!
I just had to walk the (multiple expletives) dog in this crap. Of course today she is hyper and wants to go outside every ten minutes. I think next time my storm prep will be to open the door and boot the dog in the ass and say “run free, free as the wind.”. Hey I can dream can’t I?
A few minutes later I saw my neighbor walk HER dog who looks just like mine (same markings) but fluffier. Her dog was hyper too and clearly loving the storm like my crazy dog. I had to stick my head out and commiserate even though it meant letting a flood into my foyer.
Dermot is a hoot. He sounds just like Mike. Same blasé attitude. But really can anything really prepare us for being housebound with noisy hyperactive elementary school kids? I think we will survive fine on Halloween candy and my long expired remaining Zoloft tablets. I’m doing as much housework as I can get done before we lose power. Six cats and a dog and no ability to vaccum is not a good circumstance.
I’m OCD so my ability to prep for disaster is actually decent. But I’m severely hampered in my efforts by my husband constantly making fun of me for the fact our garage has a shitload of bottled water left over from Irene that I won’t drink even in an emergency because I have this wierd ability to taste plastic from the bottles and a huge aversion to “old water”. I’d be more likely to ladle water out of the toilet tank than drink bottled water that’s been sitting in my garage for several months.
Eww on second thought maybe not. While I was typing this mike came home and told me his mom’s roof was leaking and she went into the attic to check it out and the entire ceiling of his old bedroom collapsed under her. She is fine and managed to hang on and not fall. Sounds like they will be coming here to stay with us. But our house is surrounded by tall weak old trees. We can not safely sleep in any of our bedrooms. Wel effity eff eff eff.
You know I really do not want to be cleaning up after my father in law and taking care of his unself-sufficient azz when I have PMS. I am sure they do not want to be around me either. This is going to be interesting. Mwahahaha
Hope all of you are safe and enjoying movies in your basement today! I love Fiona’s weather report and your friend’s mousse purchase – girls after my own heart!
Twitter: ateachablemom
Thanks Mary! (-:
I hope the hot tub remained safely anchored and that you all kept your sanity. Yikes what a post I made. You can tell I had pms and was stir crazy with the kid when I wrote it! She was in a state of hyper excitement especially when the power went out and I let her light the house with glow sticks. She wants to sleep on the living room floor again tonight. I wish there were no school tomorrow so I could let her. I’m still worried the big trees won’t stay anchored in the soggy ground. I’m looking forward to hearing how you and the girls rode out the storm.
Wow hubby just got home. Several of his New Jersey employees who got evacuated here to MD to ride out the storm found out their homes were destroyed. One guy has six feet of water in his living room. Another is not sure if his house was leveled or not but thinks it was. The stories go on. Very sobering news indeed. These are people we care about. I feel like a real jerk whining about pms and stir craziness now.
Yes it puts everything into perspective doesn’t it? Glad you guys are all ok.
I am really hoping you guys are safe and well, this is a freaky storm and I would have been panicking and getting side tracked as well! Your BFF sounds awesome
I love the weather report from Ella as well. Many years ago, I dated a guy from Scotland, he was exactly like your husband – haha! Very tough and macho, no wind and rain going to bother him 
Ice cream and flashlights, very essential for bad weather survival!
Twitter: mommy_padawan
We are! We are! Thanks Anna!