Category: weather

I had originally created this list a week or so ago while waiting for Gustav, which went East to Louisiana. So, I tweaked it a little and this is the list, redux.

The top five games to play while waiting for Hurricane Ike are:

5. Writing sentences with words that start with the letters from abbreviations of the computers that are giving us the spaghetti models. i.e. HWRF: His watch ran fast.

4. Finding synonyms for the word, “swath.” “Swath” was apparently before Roget’s time.

3. Wondering aloud what Hawking would say about the Cone of Uncertainty and whether or not Jim Cantore can tell the future… because Cantore showed up in Galveston long before it was in the middle of said Cone of Uncertainty.

2. Crank up the static electric flashlights! If there was another person here, we could actually race and it might be fun.

and the number one game to play while waiting for Hurricane Ike:

With an ode to Carmen Sandiego… Where on the Gulf is Jim Cantore? (and unfortunately, we found him in Galveston last night and he’s still there!)

This is why I am not evacuating. Much like what happened with Rita, the freeways were clogged today with people who needed to evacuate, and many people who did not. Though the freeways are not as packed as they were three years ago, I still had no desire to go sit in traffic and go 5 mph for hours on end.

This picture was taken around 3:15 PM at Blalock Road and I-10. I was dismissed from work at noon and the freeways were not nearly this busy. Even now, six hours later, the freeway situation has not improved much. We may see contraflow lanes open in a couple of hours, but still, I feel the need to stay put.

I walked over to my neighborhood grocery store and the parking lot was full all the way to the freeway. Either people are staying put, or they are buying supplies so they can cook dinner while they wait in traffic. Either alternative is plausible.

That poor lonely loaf of bread… but it was gone when I went back with Jene’ a couple of hours later.

And of course, the obligatory shot of the bottled water aisle.

What I’m sure will be a more common sight by tomorrow morning:

Right now, the most I expect are some fallen tree limbs, and some loss of electricity. I am as prepared as I can be, and maybe I’ll sneak out for more pics tomorrow.

Last night it got down to freezing or below freezing for the first time this year… and really this is the first sign of “winter” we’ve had all season. I will not whine, though, most of the northeast is buried under a foot or more of snow, so I consider myself fortunate to just be cold. I’m loving the coffee this morning.

I forgot to cover my fern last night and have not checked on it. I doubt it was freezing or below for more than two or three hours, but I should at least go check and see how Ferny is doing.

The heater actually kicked on several times last night, so the upstairs is significantly warmer than downstairs. The only downside of this is the dry skin and nosebleeds I’ve been experiencing this morning.

Now I’m watching qualifying for the Daytona 500, which I am really excited about. I love racing. Anyone who could get 90mph out of a 1979 Chevy Chevette with year-round snow tires on it should love racing. My goal is to get to a race by 2008, which gives me plenty of time to figure out how to pay for it and decide which race I want to attend.

SHINGLES UPDATE:
And, a little update on the shingles episode… I feel much better, but the fatigue still clings to me and I’m doing all I can to overcome that. The itching is gone (thank goodness), but I’m still dealing with the lethargy and the mental confusion (i.e. “blondness”) so, keep praying for me, if you are so inclined.

Back to qualifying…