SparkPoint

I just visited a weblog of a soldier in Iraq and thought I would share some good news of what is happening over there. I think I have something in my eye…

A New Set of Wheels

‘Twould be nice if some of these humanitarian stories would make their way to the fore. The world needs to see this kind of human side of things right now.

…And air-conditioning!

We finally have power once again. I don’t feel quite like I’m camping so much anymore. Now I have lots to catch up on with bills and upkeep and more. 8 days without power, 2 days without water - amazing how quickly you get back to basics in such a situation. It’s also amazing how quickly you get used to the heat and lack of light. Yep, humans are still adaptable - there might be some hope for us yet!

We had no damage to our property other than small branches all over the yard, so we were lucky in that regard. Hardly any rain came with this hurricane, strangely enough - and none of the predicted 10’s of inches and concomitant flooding. Most people got power days before we did, but our neighbors just down the street are still without, and likely to be so for days to come. I’ll be picking up the yard more tomorrow and doing chores and such.

The rain is here in earnest now (10:30pm) and now it’s just wait, watch, and see. We’re finally getting the real bands from the hurricane and some wind along with it. There’s probably only one more clear band left before the more major storms hit. The wind estimates have dropped a bit after a slight upping, but the gusts still look pretty high - maybe even up to 80mph come Saturday afternoon! I’m glad I went back and boarded up some more windows. We should be set as long as the trees hold - though they are placed in the safest manner around the house for the way this storm is coming in, so that’s a good thing. Again, though, we’re going to be watching very carefully for tornadoes.

It’s 4:30pm on Friday, and we’re finally seeing some slight drops of rain. Just a sprinkle, as sort of a taste of things to come I guess.

With Rita fast approaching, the NSU campus was closed today so I could get some work done around the house to prepare for Rita. I’ve boarded up the windows in danger that will handle being boarded up. The cars and motorcycle are now in the garage and are all gassed up. We loaded up about 10 gallons of drinking water in case the local water tower runs dry due to the electricity being off for too long. We also filled up the other bathtub for toilet-flushing water and have been eating food that likely will go bad once we lose electricity (we always do with even medium storms here). Bags are packed in case we have to go and the baby carseat is installed and ready to go.

Tonight the storms should start hitting. Supposedly we will get 40 mile an hour winds tomorrow, with higher gusts at time of course. The rain will likely be heavyish, but that’s not our real concern since we live at the top of a hill - no flooding here! The wind doesn’t sound too bad on the face of it, but with the fact that hurricanes bring tornadoes on the E and NE sides, that’s a bit worrisome. We will be on that side of things, so we’re watching the weather very closely, outside as well as via computer and TV.

Still, the outlook looks pretty good. We’re prepared for even long bouts of no electricity. We have a plan for a tornado, though I wish we were better set for one of those. Failing a tornado, we should be all set and fine.

Will post an update later, either when conditions change markedly or tomorrow if we still have electricity. If electricity goes out, I might be able to post something anyway (all computers are on backup power for up to 30 mins).

So I decided to set up a blog to keep track of random musings, observations, experiences, and whatever else I feel like rambling on about. Of course no-one will likely read it, but I figured what the hey - it’s mainly for my own thinking “out print” as it were.

First off I need to say I really need to find a better job in a better location and for better pay. *grin* I know, an amazing thought that nobody’s ever had before. It just gets to be more and more of a need with the growing family and its need, and my own concommitent need to take care of them better and better. I’m keeping my feelers out and my eyes open, and I’m sure I’ll find something.

Other than that, I’ve been getting back in shape which is great stuff. Doing a triathlon in just over a week, getting back in to my martial arts training in earnest, and gearing up to compete in powerlifting again in November. All that feels good, though I am getting a bit perplexed at the slowing down of my healing ability now that I’m no longer college-age (haven’t been for nearly 2 decades now - amazing thought!).