Monday, October 29, 2012

3653-5 Sandy, 1:45 pm Monday

The aforementioned garbage can is now gone.  Wind is much stronger.  I hear that some trees are down a few streets over, but on this street it's just branches.

Uh oh, the lights just flickered a bit.
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3653-4 Sandy, 1:15 pm, Monday

I see cars going up and down the street.  I'd be afraid to go anywhere now, worried that if a tree fell I wouldn't be able to get back home again.

Another word for "brave" is "foolish".

Ha!  Just after writing that, I looked out the window, and Hercules' car is gone.  I called Daughter to ask if it had blown away.  She said he was asking if she needed milk or something, he was antsy, it was obvious he wanted to go out.  He's probably driving around checking out the storm.  If you see some idiot getting washed off a boardwalk somewhere, that could be him.

A few years ago I advised Daughter to take out as much insurance on him as they could afford.  I was perfectly serious.
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3653-3 Sandy, 12:20 pm Monday

Strange that inside my house I can usually hear everything on the street.  I can hear the neighbor's phone ring.  There's a sump pump on the next street over that normally drives me crazy. 

Not today.  The wind and whipping trees have now risen to a roar, it's really loud on the porch, but inside my house it's quiet.  You'd never know there was anything going on out there.  Weird.

The TV is on, but it's constant mayors and governors saying the same things over and over.  I need a little entertainment.

One small tree in my back yard has bent over parallel to the ground.  I'm not worried about that one.  The 100+ foot gum tree, on the other hand....  If that goes the wrong direction it'll take out my roof and second floor.


3653-2 Sandy, Monday, 11:10 am

Wind has picked up.  It's not steady, though.  Strong gusts in one spot while 50 feet away the air is still.   Light rain, almost a drizzle.  Neighbor's garbage has hit the road.  People are walking down the street, heading for the seawall.  I am tempted, but I don't have any waterproof jackets and an umbrella would be ridiculous.  Tall trees up the street are beginning to worry me.  Most amazing - birds are flying, and they don't seem to be driven by the wind!

3653-1 Sandy, 9:55 AM Monday

Monday, October 29, 2012

If I have not seen as far as others,
it is only because giants have been standing on my shoulders.

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I don't understand.  I doubt I ever will.

The eye is now projected to pass about 80 miles south of here late this evening.  On TV I'm seeing wind, waves, and sea-surge flooding in NYC, north of here, and really bad stuff south, around the tip of NJ.  The air is full of water.

Here?  Nothing.  There's some high wind tossing the tops of taller trees, but not more than normal with any summer storm.  I'm sure it will rapidly get worse, but I'm surprised to see so much going on already north and south, but nothing here.

Yet.

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Garbage collection for today has been cancelled.  As predicted, the folks across the street have their garbage out for collection.  Two large garbage cans, without lids.

Idiots.

A few people have wondered whether they'd have to take this or that in.  People seem to think heavy patio furniture and grills would be safe to leave out, unsecured.

My advice:  Imagine putting it on the hood of your car and then driving 60 mph.  Same thing.

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If you are ever advised to store water by filling the bathtub, forget it.  Few bathtubs will hold water for more than a day.  Having lived in an area where everyone has wells, so no electricity means no water, I know how to store it.

Cardboard boxes and garbage bags.  Put the boxes in the bathtub, line them with sturdy plastic bags, then fill them.
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Sunday, October 28, 2012

3652 Thrashing

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Confidence - The feeling you have before you fully understand the situation.

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(I do hope that green randomly-generated quote above is not prophetic.)
 
If you don't hear from me for a while, it'll be because we lost power.

Yesterday was weird.  All up and down the street, people were raking and blowing leaves into the street.

Duh?  Why?

They are all just going to blow, and what doesn't blow away will block the storm drains as soon as it rains.

If you have a day and a half before all hell breaks loose, why are you spending that time raking leaves?

I don't understand.

Tomorrow is garbage collection day.  I will not be surprised to see garbage cans at the curb.

Sheesh.

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I searched the blog to help remember when last year's hurricane was, and I found this, from August 2011:
Back in the mid-70s, Dr. K. said that one of my problems involved feelings of omnipotence, that I felt I was personally responsible for everything bad that happened. No wonder, given that my father blamed me for everything.

Anyhow, it's awfully hard not to fall back into that.

I mean, there's a lot of circumstantial evidence. People have been convicted of murder on less.

Let's examine:
I bought the house last fall.
This past winter [2010-2011] was the coldest and snowiest here in decades.
This summer [2011] had the worst heat wave in decades.
Last week we felt seismic activity for the first time ever here.
Now we're to get a hurricane, and the last time an eye passed directly over this area was in the 19th century!

I rest my case.  
Today, add to the list what is predicted to be the worst storm since the 1800's, and the eye will (probably) be passing about 20 miles south.

I am Typhoon Mary.

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I am hoping that the wind and ocean surge predictions are exaggerated because no government entity wants to be accused of downplaying it.  Daughter and Hercules, and the Nugget, plan to stay here.  "We have a generator now." 

I'm not happy with that, because the Nugget has been very sick with a head cold, croup, and TWO infected ears.  She was limp-sick on Friday, but a little better yesterday now that she has antibiotics.  But I don't know where else they could go with a sick baby.

Also, while my house is 29' above sea level, their house is at least 8' lower.

Well, excuse me while I bring outdoor furniture in and corral the flamingo herd.

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Flash:  NYC Mayor is on TV right now, he says surge is expected to be 10-11 feet.  Ok.  That's a lot better than the 20' I was hearing yesterday!  I guess I don't have to worry about fish in my living room.
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