Shaddup Already!
2004-08-13
Sorry Charley
The vigil continues. Right now they are saying it will hit my area around 7:30 tonight. Oh goody.I was doing fine with my fear, meaning I was actually quite complacent, until I woke up from a nap not long ago.
I woke up because my mom called to check on me. I have been surprised that she didn't insist on me staying at their house and all that stuff. In fact, I've hardly heard from her at all. So I had kind of started believing that this was just going to be a little storm.
Anyway, she called to check on me. Then I got up and looked out my sliding glass door. My neighbors have cleared off their porch and duct taped their windows. I never understood the duct tape thing because how you're supposed to do it would cause the glass splinters to still fly free, possibly severing your corotid artery.
I immediately called my mom and said, "The neighbors have taped their windows, do I need to tape mine?"
My mom assured me that there was no need to keep up with the Joneses in this situation. Of course I took that assurance to mean that we are going to all be okay because my mommie said so. Although I started looking around and noticing that no one else has their windows taped, so my neighbors are just freaks. Now if I'm typing here tomorrow from a computer that is no longer behind the walls of my house because they no longer exist, then I suppose you can all laugh at me.
I have a history of panicking when a storm approaches. I have suprised myself with my calm in this instance. I think it has to do with two factors--I'm a teacher and can no longer freak out about anything because then the kids will freak and I haven't been watching much news.
The news has a habit of freaking people out. First they send a reporter out in the highest winds of the hurricane and they film him trying desperately to stand, or in a very recent case (like 5 minutes ago) getting hit in the head with a piece of roof. Then they have him talk. While he's talking, he invariably loses contact with the station, so he continues to talk while the station person is trying to tell them, with an amazing amount of desperation in her voice, to get out of the storm. Then they tell you not to panic, they comment that if you haven't gotten your supplies then you're shit outta luck, and if you chose to ride out the storm, you're going to die a horrible death while trying to reach the 911 operator through impossibly busy phone lines. But don't panic.
I'm not panicking, I bought frozen pizza last night. If the power goes out I can light the pilot light on my gas stove. If the gas goes out, then I can have myself some pizza-cicles. I put containers of water and ice in my fridge. I figured this would serve two purposes. If we lose water, I will have the pleasure of delightfully ice cold water. If we lose power, my ice water will help keep my fridge cold for about an extra 30 seconds.
Truly the only thing that really scares me is tornadoes.
So think of me tonight between 7:30 and 11:30pm EST. If I make it to Oz, I'll be sure to send a postcard with the wizard on it.
