Hurricane Irene

It's been a long time since I've actually been in a hurricane. We've had a lot of tropical storms and Nor'easters hit these parts in the last twenty years, but a hurricane?

I live about thirty miles west of Ocean City, Maryland (which had a mandatory evacuation yesterday). I grew up three miles from the Cape Henlopen State Park, in Delaware (which was part of a coastal evacuation this morning). It's just a scary thought. And not because of the winds, but because of all the rain that this storm has already dumped on North Carolina. We get serious flooding from tropical storms. I can't imagine what the Rehoboth Boardwalk will look like tomorrow.

I'm also planning on losing power sometime this evening. My bathtub is full of water for refilling the toilet tank. I have pots of water on the stove to use in my Brita dispenser. And I have a case of bottled water on standby. I have food, batteries, flashlights and lots of candles. My cell phone is staying plugged in today, so I know it's fully charged. My laptop will last about two to three hours on battery.

But I do have one failsafe option for entertaining myself this evening: books. Lots and lots of books to pick up and read. I'll probably pick some fun romances. There will be enough action and drama going on outside in the storm. ;)

To everyone else in Irene's path, stay safe!

I think this week is going down in history for me. I mean, it's the first time the mid-Atlantic has had both a 5.9 earthquake AND a hurricane.

Five Items of an Everyday Sort 2

Item the First: In case you haven't heard, the awesome Stacia Kane's Downside series is on sale for Kindle and Nook. You can download the first book, UNHOLY GHOSTS, for $.99, and the next two books, UNHOLY MAGIC and CITY OF GHOSTS, for $4.99 each. That's the entire digital series for $11! Give it a try, why dontcha?

Item the Second: This might seem obvious, but here goes. Social media is not private. Corporations and companies pay big bucks to track what people say about them in Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and anywhere else you post stuff publicly. So be careful what you say and how you say it, especially if it's about something YOU WORK FOR.

Item the Third: I think I've seen a total of two episodes of EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION. It's not a show I tend to watch, but I will be tuning in for their Thanksgiving special episode. Why? Because it's currently filming in my hometown of Lewes, DE. And they're helping out a very wonderful lady I went to church with once upon a time. I'm so excited for Dale and for all of the good work she'll be able to do in Sussex County with her new, improved soup kitchen.

Item the Fourth: Yesterday afternoon, I was taking a break from reading SOFT APOCALYPSE by Will McIntosh to check Twitter on my computer. The book is near-future, not-quite-SF, and pretty dark scary in how possible that future seems. But just as I was sitting down at my desk, it started to shimmy. Then the wall started to shake. And I started to freak the hell out. It lasted about forty-five seconds. I remember thinking "This feels like an earthquake, but that's not possible. We don't have earthquakes this strong out here!" Then a friend in DC emailed me and asked if I'd felt it. Then my sister called. Yep. We'd had an earthquake.

Item the Fifth:


If you read anything this fall, read this book. It's going on my top 5 for the year. It isn't a happy book, but it also isn't a sad book. It's a hopeful book, with a narrator you can't help but root for. I just loved it.

Changing Seasons

Good grief, where did September go? No, seriously. Where? Two weeks into the month already, and I feel like it's still August (except for the chilly nights we've had recently). The weather is cooling off, it's getting dark sooner, and before I'm ready for it, the leaves will start to turn.

I think I'm partial to spring, rather than fall. In the spring, things are warming up, waking up, coming alive. In the fall, the world is cooling off and going to sleep. And it will officially be autumn in a week. *boggles*

Summer? Where, oh where did you go?

Ocean City in the Storm

While the rest of the Md-Atlantic was getting pelted by Tropical Storm Hanna, we were only getting her fringes. A few hours of heavy rain and wind, followed by a mild night (Sunday, by contrast, was gorgeous). So what are two storm-prepared women to do when the squall they've prepared for turns out to be a small throat-clearing?

Drive down to Ocean City, Maryland, and take pictures of the Inlet/Boardwalk. And from the pic below, you can see we weren't the only ones out and about.



Rain smacked us, sand pelted our legs, and we left thoroughly soaked and sticky, but it was quite fun. I've never seen that parking lot so deserted. A few brave businesses were still open, but most of the Boardwalk had shut down. There was even one idiot out in the water, trying to surf. Needless to say, he didn't succeed.

For all of the prep, Hanna stayed to our west and actually drenched NoVa. Right were we used to live. I joked with my roomie that "our Hannah went home."

Ides of March

Okay, so I'm a day late. I just wanted to complain for a moment about the month of March. Two days ago, we threw open the windows and patio doors and allowed a little bit of warm, seventy-degree air into the apartment. It was wonderful.

Today, I keep glancing out the window to see how much more snow is on the ground. Yep, snow. First it was rain, then sleet, now friggin' snow! It's cold, it's snowy, and it's the middle of March.

Allergy sufferers will be happy (and I work with several, so trust me), but I hate this. It feels like a big tease. Give us warm weather, then give us snow and ice.

Damn you, Mother Nature!

Oh yeah, and a Happy Birthday to my sister, Dawn. Just remember, my dear, no matter how old you get....I'll always be younger. *rimshot*

The Weather Man

Now I know why people threw stuff at Nicolas Cage in that particular movie. They just never know, do they?

The forecast for my town: Clear.

What's it doing: Snow Flurries.

Um, hello?

Sheesh.