hurricane musings (my brain might legit be melting)

Man, it’s been a week.

By now you’ve probably heard about a little thing called Hurricane Beryl. It hit my hometown of Houston earlier this week.

Today is day 4 without power. Rumors are swirling about linemen sitting in parking lots waiting for orders while people bake in their homes.

Then this morning the water went out at my place and I finally called it… about 7 am I packed up the kitties and headed up north to my mom’s farm.

ANYWAY

Because it’s still hot as balls and I am SUPER sleep deprived (it’s kinda hard to sleep in an oven) I figured I’d send out an FAQ for the curious.

Also I kinda need to turn this into something I can laugh at, otherwise I’d probably be setting things on fire LOL.

Without further ado…

Q: OMG Angie did you get hit by Hurricane Beryl?

A) Yes, though by the time it got to my neck of the woods, it was downgraded to a tropical storm. If you’ve never been through either, that probably doesn’t mean a whole hell of a lot. But basically, tropical storms are just reality around here. It’s gonna storm. It’s gonna dump rain. It may topple some trees and flood the roads. Best to hunker down with a week or two of supplies and ride it out.

Q) Oh gosh, you didn’t evacuate?

A) Nope. If you don’t live on the gulf coast, it can be hard to wrap your head around the sheer number of hurricane watches and warnings that happen from June to November every year. It’s just one of those things you learn to live with.
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California has its earthquakes and wildfires. The midwestern US has its floods and tornadoes. The northeast US has its winter storms and blizzards. You can’t evacuate for every single storm and have to use your best judgment as well as resources available to you. All my local family and friends opted to stay in their homes with all their supplies vs risking being stuck on the road, in the open, with only the supplies they could carry.

Q) Are you still without power?

A) Yep, going on 4 days now. I may have a teensy tech addiction… I have spent SO much of my limited battery power playing games on my phone, checking repeatedly for 4G signal, and watching downloaded episodes of Supernatural in my PJs.

Speaking of PJs… those are SO not a thing when you’re broiling alive in a house that’s barely cooler at night than it was during the 95+ degree day. I have learned in situations like these you must choose modesty or comfort: you cannot have both.

Basically, I am well and thoroughly spoiled. I don’t think I could survive the Oregon Trail or the zombie apocalypse, y’all. Mama needs air conditioning and hot showers.

Q) Wait, how are you sending this without power?

A) Turns out Entergy prioritizes shopping centers and places where they can get coffee. (Kidding. Maybe.) My home is currently an oven, even with all the windows open to promote the cross breeze. But a few miles down the road in a more populous city, the Target/Best Buy/Home Depot/Starbucks shopping center is ALL THE WAY OPEN for business.

(^^ That’s what I wrote when I first drafted this little note… now I’m sending it from mom’s fully powered farm. God bless wifi.)

Q) How are you holding up?

A) Ask me again after I’ve had a decent night’s sleep LOL. It’s hard to get solid rest when the air is still, humid, and nearly as hot at night as it was during the day.

Also I don’t know if it’s sleep deprivation or just force of habit being THAT deeply ingrained… but I’m feeling a bit like an idiot. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into my bathroom and flipped on the light switch only to remember… right, no power. Yesterday I rinsed some old beans down the garbage disposal and flipped on the switch. Right… no power.

Q) Do you need anything?

A) Nah, but I appreciate everyone who’s reached out to check on me and the fam. We’re all OK and will make it like the tough bastards we are. If you really want to help, consider donating to organizations like Team Rubicon that go into disaster areas to assist with rescue and recovery.

Q) Any idea when the power will be back on?

A) Updated estimates in my neighborhood say July 14th at the latest. Pray for me – if I don’t have enough books to read or downloaded episodes of Supernatural to keep me occupied, I may have to actually *gasp* go peopling somewhere to stay cool.

(^^ also written before I ran away to mom’s farm. NO PEOPLING FOR ME HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)

Q) What can I do to help?

A) If you’ve got stable wifi, might I suggest binge listening to the last few episodes of Permission to Kick Ass?

This week, Stacy Raske and I talked about business and mindset unfuckery. If you don’t already know her, Stacy is a combat veteran who knows a thing or two about maintaining a cool head under extreme pressure.

Last week, April Pertuis and I talked about the “ordinary extraordinary” and how your stories (even the most mundane seeming ones) can make a huge difference in people’s lives.

And finally, my friend Matt Zeigler got me to finally tell my mosh pit fight stories on his podcast.

Rock on (and enjoy the hell out of your aircon for those who can’t),

Angie