ME, MYSELF, & IRENE: Just got back from a hurricane-curtailed trip to the Mountain West -- if USAir didn't have room on their 7:05 am flight, I'd have stuck it out in Denver or Las Vegas until Monday or Tuesday (and still, perhaps, should have) -- and matters at the local SuperFresh were surprisingly un-panicked and relatively well-stocked (bottled water, however: gone).
The one issue I'm still trying to resolve here, and it's a total #firstworldproblem, is what to do about the above-ground koi pond we've got: do I try to fortify it with sandbags to avoid having the fish spill over? is it possible to drain out enough water to matter? do I try to transport the fish and their water into bathtub? or do I just trust the fish to stay below water because, after all, they're fish and that's what fish do?
I hope you and all your dear ones in the affected areas remain safe, secure, and replete with electrical power. This will be an open thread for all your reports, weather-related and otherwise; let's try to keep each other amused.
FYI: the No Politics Rule does not apply to discusson of Chris Christie's pronouncements and press conferences, assuming they remain as blunt and amusing as yesterday's <span> “Get the hell off the beach in Asbury Park. </span><span>You’re done. Do not waste any more time working on your tan.”</span>
ReplyDeleteThere is a time for verbal bullying.
ReplyDeleteOf course, CC got a lot of airtime as opposed to NC, VA, MD, PA, NY CT, RI or MA govs. Must be the quotes.
and NYC is a de facto state by being the country's media center, so go Bloomberg.
End Political/Media Rant
I think the important thing to remember is that we should all have an awesome hurricane party to go to. Apocolyptic buzzes are the best buzzes.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, hope everyone in the path of the storm is someplace safe and secure and stays that way. Adam, I hope you have koi insurance. (For when the fishy ones decide to come for you. And they will.)
ReplyDeleteOur firstworldproblem in the Main Line burbs is that there are no C or D batteries to be found. Anywhere. Based on past, lesser storms, we're figuring there's well over a 50% chance that a tree will take down electrical lines in this area, so we're anticipating being without power for some amount of time tomorrow and maybe Monday. I went on battery patrol for about 3 hours last night (amid fevered rumors of CVS trucks coming in at 10:30 and such), and another two hours this morning, to no avail. The drug store chains, grocery stores, local hardware stores, Radio Shacks, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc., are all sold out of Cs and Ds, as well as flashlights that might have come with batteries, and aren't expecting more before the storm hits. My wife then had the depressingly brilliant idea of suggesting I look in West Philadelphia, just across the city line. Sure enough, at the Rite Aid not more than four blocks across City Ave., more C batteries than you could shake a stick at. (Still no Ds, but we'll take our chances with the few we have in the house - at least we'll have a working radio and the smaller flashlights.)
Other than that, we've been battening down - pulling in all of our outside furniture, pots, swings from the swingset, into the garage, pulling the gas grill into the gardening shed (it can't go in the garage because the only door is the big garage door, which is on an electric opener, so in a power outage we won't be able to get in without breaking a window, and really, what kind of cookout would that be?), and charging up all our various devices. Also bought a corded phone that'll work without power - haven't had one of those in years. Filled up the kids' bike tires with air. Gathered up important papers (insurance policies, checkbook, passports) into Ziploc bags in case we need to make a wet getaway. Pulled tools and other stuff we might need up from the basement. Tried to park the cars strategically to avoid direct tree hazards (although that's what insurance is for, right?).
In short, I feel like I'm ready for this storm, the zombie apocalypse, and quite possibly a dystopic Cormac McCarthy novel. But first I need a nap.
There were no Cs and Ds, but my primary flashlight is a small, but powerful one that runs on AA's, and I invested in a portable CD player/radio that runs on AAs--plenty of AAs available yesterday. Main problem for me is the potential of windows breaking and power loss, but since I'm on 6 and face North, less concerned than I might otherwise be.
ReplyDeleteI had tickets to tomorrow's Phillies game. Thursday night they moved it to 1PM today, creating a day-night-doubleheader. Yesterday, today's scheduled game (7PM) was postponed, but today's makeup game, scheduled for tomorrow, was still to be played. Rain started at about 11:30AM today, but was down to a drizzle by a little after noon. Our seats were (as they are every Sunday, which this technically was), so we had no problem, and were fairly dry when we sat down after the walk from the former Pattison Ave. stop. The ballpark was pretty crowded, most people waiting for them to take off the tarp. At 1:30, they postponed the game.
ReplyDeleteIt was raining a lot harder by the time we walked back to the subway. The Chickie's and Pete's van was blasting Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane," which was nice, but no one really felt like crab fries.
My #firstworldproblem is that I have completely forgotten how to turn on my iPod, since I haven't used it since I got a smartphone this fall (not that I have that much music on my phone, but I've been using Pandora). Phone is charging and I will not want to use up battery playing music, and something someone said on FB just reminded me that I still have an ipod -- have plugged it in to charger, but nothing. Probably nothing b/c it doesn't have any charge yet, but maybe I need to open itunes or something. Really not important, but some music would help me get through the night on my own.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I'm decently set, considering that I'm on my own (husband/son are on father/son retreat way way inland) and that I have a foot injury keeping me on the first floor and off it at much as possible. Have enough nonperishable food, if nothing main-courselike (remembered to hardboil eggs this afternoon so those will be good a while if power goes out), have battery-operated lamps and a hand-crank-powered weather radio, have a ton of books to read and a booklight, am keeping my phone charged and on the most battery-saving mode. Husband moved some lawn furniture, I didn't think about the grill which is right outside the window of the couch where I'm sleeping, but I think our winds here aren't going to be that bad, mostly a power outage issue.
Am bummed b/c I taped a ton of funny movies to watch while I have power (Saved, Bull Durham, 27 Dresses, The Devil Wears Prada, and more) but checked work email (foolish me) and saw something complicated and stressful that I need to work on. Boo. I was planning on that time to relax pre-storm.
It's pouring in Annapolis. The w is down for a nap, now that I've convinced her that she'll probably be up all night anyway, once the really nasty stuff gets here. That gives me time to catch up on Burn Notice and White Collar, as long as the power stays on.
ReplyDeleteIt's been lovely in Charlotte all day. Spent a chunk of the morning watching my buck-naked almost-2 year old run around in the backyard. Hope the storm passes peacefully for everyone and the koi enjoy the ride.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, we're AA'd and AAA'd up the wazoo. My other big purchase, during the period when no Cs were in the mix, was a Sears Craftsman baseball cap that has LED lights in the brim. So at least I'll be looking stylish if all the other flashlights die.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend and I are hunkered down and good to go for the night and whatever it might bring. There's a pot of soup on the stove and fresh cornbread to go with it.
ReplyDeleteI've been working on an afghan, and I'll probably doing that most of the night. Something tells me I need to stay awake for some reason.
First of all east coasters, in all seriousness, be safe and stay indoors.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, my west coast #firstworldproblem is that my cable went out while I'm home sick, preventing me from enjoying reruns of the Gilmore Girls on Soapnet.
A day after our first real earthquake, we headed up to Cape Cod to visit my parents. I really didn't understand how big of a deal Irene was going to be for the northeast, or we probably wouldn't have gone. We were scheduled to fly home (Delta, Providence to National) Sunday morning, but by Thursday night it dawned on us that that wasn't going to happen. Fortunately we were able to find a flight home on US Air for Saturday morning.
ReplyDeleteWe left a lot of extra time for the 90-minute drive from my parents' house to the airport in Providence, mainly because I was afraid there would be a horrible backup at the Bourne Bridge to get off Cape Cod. As it turned out, we encountered very little traffic, and that ended up being really lucky, because halfway to the airport, my 16-month old started projectile vomiting all over the car. The kind where you really have no choice but to stop, even if you're trying to beat a hurricane home. All over himself, the rented car seat, the rented car, etc.
I pulled off at the next exit and as luck would have it, there was a Walmart right there. We bought some supplies, cleaned everything and everyone up as best we could, and actually bought a (fairly cheap) new car seat. 45 minutes later we were on our way again, and because of the extra time we'd left, we still got to the airport with time to spare (and I felt vindicated, because I am always an advocate for leaving time for the unexpected). I'd prepared myself for huge lines, but we checked our bags and got through security with no problem. Our flight was delayed by a little over an hour, but we still got home around 3:30 today. I put the grill, the lawn furniture, and all the potted plants inside the screened porch, and my wife ran out for food, milk, water, and batteries, but we still feel woefully unprepared.
I live in a garden apartment, so my main worry is flooding, though I'm well outside of the NYC evac zone (my neighborhood has the word heights in it's name, and the nearby BQE would act like a levee). Keeping an eye out that drains in front and back stay unclogged, but thankfully windows will be safe, but who knows about power lines. I am going to put some towels by the back door just to be safe. The mayor also said water should be ok, but if we lose power, no heat. Since we won't have subways tomorrow, I'm kind of ok with not bathing for a few days.
ReplyDeleteActivities: piano practice; practicing open E tuning on guitar for slide; "House of Cards" streaming on Netflix. What's that? You might think so, I couldn't possibly comment.
My #firstworldproblem is that my Manhattan day job needs me on call for Sunday and Monday, so I can't go home to Brooklyn -- my host is a woman I've been dating for 6 weeks, who is being very understanding about my predicament, if wary that we're rushing to me moving in. The boxes probably didn't help my case, but I can't very well not have my Buffy and Angel box sets over a weekend! Am I right? Bitches gotta survive, yo. <span> </span>
ReplyDeleteI feel like the entire northeast is on a forced sick day. I work weekends, but they closed the offices today and tomorrow because there are no subways. I went for a run this morning, watched a season and a half of Mad Men, played my guitar for the first time in ages, finally packed a to go bag (just in case), and have spent an abusrd amount of time texting friends around NYC who are doing the same.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the first floor of my building, but I also live a few blocks from the BQE and assume/hope it will help keep the water away from my door.
It's all about the bodegas. They had every battery possible.
ReplyDeleteWe're on a middle floor of a high rise. We moved everything in off the balcony (as ordered by the condo assoc) and they even brought in the enormous planters that sit outside the building. Went to 5 places in Center City yesterday-- no D batteries to be found. I did manage to get two bottles of wine though so I'm set.
ReplyDeleteWe decided on a Lord of the Rings marathon. We considered Harry Potter and the West Wing but it's been awhile since we've watched these. Should provide us with plenty of entertainment as long as we've got power. iPod is charging, phone is charged, and plenty of candles.
Stay safe everyone.
I'm an "essential" employee so I anticipate that I will make my way through Brooklyn for work on Monday. My hipster building will be having a party so I'll probably stop by that one tonight...
ReplyDeleteWe're feeling the same way - might sleep in shifts, but we've decided to have a big sleepover night with the kids and us all in the living room. Better to keep everyone close, we figure.
ReplyDeleteRain's getting heavier and wind's getting windier outside of Philly now. Thunder getting thunderier too.
ReplyDeletePlenty of rain all day today, with audible gusts periodically. Made the Scott Peacock chicken & rice dish for dinner. Tried to convince the fiancé to watch 2012 tonight, but he refuses.
ReplyDeleteThis native Floridian does not approve, in any way, of not evacuating if you've been told to do so. Even the mild hurricanes can cause spectacular levels of flooding and damage, and if you've gotten some warning, and you have somewhere to go, JUST DO SO. Hanging around because you can is ridiculous, and dangerous for the first responders who will inevitably be called in to rescue your stupid, herd-thinning ass when you get in trouble.
ReplyDeleteStay safe, y'all. I will take hurricanes over earthquakes any day. That being said, all this Mother Nature is providing some really interesting tidbits for the project I'm currently working on. Which brings me to my #firstworldproblem--will I be able to get HD footage of the cracks in the Washington Monument AND the soldier at Arlington during the hurricane? The natural disasters I put on the air have to be crystal clear!
Just rain and a little wind so far in central NJ. I've been suspiciously eyeing the ginormous tree in my backyard since yesterday. Planning to spend the night on the couch since it seems to be out of tree's reach. (I hope.) Not expecting to get much sleep once the wind really kicks up later. I'm on the second floor and not in a flood-prone area so wind is my primary concern.
ReplyDeleteCell phone, ipod and laptops (work and personal) charging. Battery-operated lamp (leftover from camping at Bonnaroo several years ago) and flashlight at the ready. Even dug out my old walkman and it still works (AM/FM radio!!). If all else fails I can pop in a mixed tape circa 1993, some Huey Lewis & The News, or the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
Many years of hurricanes from living in Florida and Texas. One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned - fill the bathtubs/sinks with water. Particularly if you live in a high rise that uses electricity to pump your water up. Without going into detail, you will appreciate this when you need to flush the toilet with no water...
ReplyDeleteSitting in Texas in the midst of our drought, experiencing our 73rd 100+ degree day for this summer for Austin (It's 98 degrees now at 9:50 pm...), I'm obsessively watching hurricane coverage and reminding myself what rain actually looks like.
Seriously, though, everyone please be safe. Stay inside and stay away from windows. Hope everyone has a safe night and gets some sleep.
Thus far in Manhattan, pretty consistent rain, but wind doesn't seem to be hugely kicking up yet. Because I face north and the winds are primarily blowing E-W, that risk seems minimal. Battery-powered radio and flashlight next to bed. Have a go bag if need be, but mostly just hunkering down--about to go to bed.
ReplyDeleteMatt, I know that Northern Spy is like two blocks east of the zone, which means you're probably pretty close -- please, please, please, if you're in the zone, get OUT OF THE ZONE.
ReplyDeleteNot even close to Zone 1--Zone A ends at Houston/D, and I'm Houston/Bowery. Zone C runs to Houston and A, but even that is almost half a mile away.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the border of Zones B and C - can hear the rain moving E-W, I'm facing north and in a new building so feeling ok. Concerned about loss of power overnight, but will find out the hard way.
ReplyDeleteVisited my Dad in the hospital this morning with the understanding it was likely my last visit until sometime on Monday. Told the building manager I had a few bedrooms available for building staff if they needed a place to stay. Stayed inside and corrupted my children's minds with copious amounts of Yo Gabba Gabba and Blue's Clues.
ReplyDeleteUp here on the Upper West Side of Manhattan we are about three blocks from the river, but up a hill and on the fourth floor. I am more concerned about flooding and a back-up in the sewage system then I am with a power outage (in my memory, and my dad confirms the same in his, there has never been a weather related power outage in Manhattan. All of our power lines are under ground).
I certainly hope that is true, since I'm probably going to start playing all of those episodes of Sesame Street I have saved in order to entertain my twin 2 year olds tomorrow. My husband is working for a film festival right now and not currently in the city, and I smartly arranges to have to dog boarded until Monday.
In the meantime I know we have at least three battery operated radios and a similar number of flashlights but can not find where the men in my life, none of whom are home, stashed them.
Stay safe everyone.
We survived. Good luck, NYC.
ReplyDeleteFX is currently airing Me, Myself and Irene. Sort of burying the lede - I have power. All is well so far in Central NJ, though roads are pretty bad.
ReplyDeleteWe're fine here on the other side of the Delaware. We've got power and there's no damage so all's well here.
ReplyDeleteI'm exhausted, though. This was a lot more stressful than I thought it would be.
Dislike! I just accidently deleted a stockpile of four Gilmore Girls from Soapnet, and I was pretty bummed. I mean, I could walk downstairs and get the dvds, but ugh, the effort.
ReplyDeleteAlthough our bodega was selling Duracell batteries that were, I'm pretty sure, counterfeit...
ReplyDeleteWe had heavy rain and wind, but no downed trees or water in the house -- our two major concerns. Our Leakfrog took the night shift and never screamed, so I was happy. Now, it's sunny and breezy. I always find the day after a major storm to be strangely beautiful.
ReplyDeletePower stayed on all night (but for a very brief 5 minute hiccup early in the evening), and none of the big branches that worried me wound up coming down. Wind is still blowing here, though, so I suppose we shouldn't be disregarding Winston Wolf's best piece of advice just yet.
ReplyDeleteWe did have a leak through the skylight and/or roof in our enclosed patio, so that'll be something to deal with over the next few days/weeks with the insurance co. and some contractors. But hopefully, it's not a big deal - we'll see how extensive once we can get someone over to look at it. That room closes off from the rest of the house, so it shouldn't be an ongoing worry.
How is he doing?
ReplyDeleteLikewise, no power loss here in Manhattan and no visible structural damage from my window. Those in the 'burbs probably got hit worse because they were more likely to have above-ground power lines, and have different flash flooding risks. Basically, I slept through it after finishing Vol. 1 of Song of Ice and Fire last night
ReplyDeleteMy big regret is that I didn't get to wear the Sears Craftsman cap with LED lights in the brim.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to "like" the part of your comment that said you offered up spare bedrooms for building staff.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I found too, littleredyarn.
ReplyDeleteOther than the door to my patio partly bowing open, nothing. Slept thru the whole thing and when I woke up it had passed, even though the eye supposedly passed directly over my apartment. Oh, and the tree down the street that should have been cut down years ago? Problem solved.
ReplyDeleteIt's still very windy, though, and I'm enjoying opening my windows again.
Season's not over yet...
ReplyDeleteBiggest Irene loss for me was my favorite house on the Outer Banks, which burned down yesterday. We've been going to OBX for almost 20 years, and the Sentinel on Pamlico House was on the edge of the Pea Island Preserve, a landmark with a lighthouse as part of its structure. I've waved to it every time I've driven onto the island and waved goodbye to it whenever we left. This year, my husband drove me past it, and we talked about renting it one year. I hope they rebuild.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm ready for fall and winter-type weather. Give me a good old fashioned nor'easter or blizzard any day of the week...at the very least I'm all batteried-up at good to go!
ReplyDeleteSounds like we had much the same experience as you, Adam C., up in our neck of the Philly 'burbs: only a brief power outage, some wind-downed branches, and lots of rain with minor leaks here and there.
ReplyDeleteWe did, though, get an additional scare around 11:00 last night when a friend called to say, "Are you in the basement?" We'd seen tornado warnings for south Jersey and for Bucks County, but somehow we'd missed the one for the King of Prussia/Chesterbrook area (5 minutes from us). We quickly grabbed the kids out of bed and went downstairs (telling them "it'll be quieter down there," not wanting to freak them out about a tornado). The alert soon passed, but we decided to sleep down in the basement, just to be safe.
Earthquake, hurricane, tornado -- anyone for a plague of frogs?
But how about the fishies? Don't be coy about your koi.
ReplyDelete<span>But how about the fishies? Don't be coy about your koi.</span>
ReplyDeleteI don't think it needs to be saved for special occassions. I picture it as everyday wear.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear this.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad everyone seems to have made it through without much damage!
ReplyDeleteHe's doing well, thanks for asking!
ReplyDeleteThey're fine.
ReplyDeleteGlad Irene was mostly just a very bad storm, and not worse.
ReplyDeleteA self-reliance note: bottled water is a good thing to have around the house, but for these sort of situations what you really want is a high-quality camping water filter. A good one will produce 500 gallons of clean water. That's plenty of water for you and your ill-prepared neighborhood for a week or more.
My son certainly wears his daily.
ReplyDeleteWhile Irene was largely uneventful in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the Catskills in upstate NY were hit badly. See http://www.watershedpost.com/ for updates, info and photos.
ReplyDeleteStill no power in my neighborhood in Central NJ and it's unclear if we should be boiling our water. I'm erring on the side of caution and using bottled. Spotted the National Guard out patrolling in my town last night. Upside of no power: it was dark enough to actually see the stars from my front porch. Also, I spent some time last night watching old West Wing eps on my ipod. Not a bad way to end the day. (Although a hot shower would have been nice!)
ReplyDeleteBattled the downed trees and power lines and a couple of road closures only to arrive at work and learn that a) office is under boil water restriction which was not mentioned on radio (good thing I have some hand sanitizer in my bag), and b) management is being uncharacteristically understanding about people not being able to get here -- although it would have been nice of them to convey that in the emergency line recording which merely stated that office is open and all employees expected to report to work on schedule. But hey, at least I can recharge my ipod while I'm here!
Tonight: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Parts 1 & 2.
Guest (or anyone else who has an opinion), can you offer any specific recommendations on camping water filters, for future reference? Thanks in advance.
ReplyDelete