Reflections on a Hurricane

Umm, if you haven’t heard there was a hurricane that traveled up the East Coast yesterday. Her name, Irene. And based on media hype, you’d expect that Irene was the second coming of Hugo (’89), Andrew (’92) and Katrina (’05) all rolled into one. In reality though,  it appeared that my   grandmother’s sister Irene is stronger than this hurricane. I know many of you will say, that the loss of lives in NC and VA  demonstrates the dangerous impact of the storm. And though, I don’t underplay the loss of life in any natural disaster, people do die in these storms no matter how big or small. It’s a hurricane fact. Today, as I awoke with no power (and no, I didn’t bitch; loss of power in storms is expected. And...

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Hurricane Survival Tips You Won’t Hear on the News

With all the over zealous news reporting of  Hurricane Irene and the minute-by-minute projections of the Irene’s whereabouts, I’m reminded of a few key Hurricane survival tips  that may go unreported by mainstream media. 1. Yes, the power may go out (sorry Marylander’s this is a given), which means you may not have hot water. Take your shower now and prepare to look like ass for a few days. 2. Befriend  neighbors with grills.  When your chicken’s hours from extinction, those neighbors can be a lot more fun than you originally gave them credit. 3. Go old school. Read, work puzzles, draw, paint, write(by hand). 4. Don’t suffer in silence. Have a party and play truth or dare or spin the bottle. 5. Drink a lot of wine  and  go to...

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The Power of Prayer

As the snow is falling again inside the DC beltway, we’re appealing to a higher power for no more snow!

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Storm Pet Peeves

Anyone that knows me, knows I’d rather be in on a beach in the middle of a hurricane than endure a major snow storm. Apparently, God has my number and is testing me this year. In just the past  8 weeks, He’s thrown 40+ inches on me–a total that exceeds the total amount of snow I’ve seen in my lifetime.  I really try to be a good sport about it by stocking up on wine and taking advantage of the time to catch up on Dr. Phil and The Vampire Diaries. But after three days pre-storm hype, then round the clock storm central news coverage, followed by post-storm messiness, I’m exhausted and ready for those daffodils to pop out of the ground. My Storm Pet Peeves: 1) Dumb News Casters – It seems winter storms are the prime opportunity...

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Managing Through the Snow

Living in Michigan for 2 1/2 years, I got enough snow to last me a life time. Apparently, God had other plans and once again I’m haunted by large flakes and snow banks. Nonetheless, Michigan did teach me a thing or two about managing through these crazy-ass storms. 1)Buy a house/condo with a grocery store in walking distance. This avoids any mad rush for milk or toilet paper the night before, and if you’re caught in a crunch for some wine, you can simply just walk up the road. 2) Life goes on. Other news outside the storm is going on the world, so after you’ve gotten the latest on traffic and road closures, turn the channel and see what else is going on the world. No need for 24/7 storm watch. 3) Garage parking. I actually learned this one in NJ,...

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