For those of you who were bored out of your gourd watching the last video, here's something probably more up your alley. Credit goes to H for showing me this one.
20 September 2008
17 September 2008
Pow-urgh.
As of 8 PM CST tonight, there were still 2.26 million CenterPoint Energy customers without power. The energy company is providing outage and restoration updates on their web site. According to the latest schedule of outages by zip code, 93 percent of my zip code (77019) remains without power. That's luck. That also means I have two vacancies, in the form of one couch and one sleeping bag lined with a striped pattern à la Bert and Ernie, for anyone who doesn't have power and doesn't mind me typing the night away, or listening to Bon Iver on repeat. I have air conditioning, hot water, a slow-draining tub, and plenty of week-old sugar cookies and fresh Dunkin' Donuts coffee (I miss you, New York). You have two hours—midnight curfew, y'all!
This is an uprooted tree.
These uprooted trees are spectacular to look at and certainly a distraction for drivers like myself. The bigger, the more magical. Like something out of Pan's Labyrinth or Big Fish or…you get the idea. Wish you were here to see it in person.
After Ike
Well, I lost power around 3 AM Saturday morning. Lucky me, I woke up to the rumble and chill of my A/C late Sunday morning. Many friends who live nearby are still without power, which resulted in a couple nights of girl slumber partying to the heart-wrenching music of Bon Iver, who is playing now, unless your volume is off.
I emerged from the hurricane with one leaky ceiling and an addiction to AMC's Mad Men, a show about the "ad men" (ad as in advertising) of Madison Avenue in 1960s New York. Part of the appeal, for me, is that three of the characters remind me of boys I know. It ranks nowhere near my all-time favorite Six Feet Under, but at the least I want to know what happens next. Mad Men is on Sundays at 10/9c, and it's available on iTunes, where I bought my copy.
I'm writing from the office where there is power again, as well as working Internet, which has become a hot commodity these days. Some video footage of swaying trees forthcoming. I have never seen so many trees uprooted.
I emerged from the hurricane with one leaky ceiling and an addiction to AMC's Mad Men, a show about the "ad men" (ad as in advertising) of Madison Avenue in 1960s New York. Part of the appeal, for me, is that three of the characters remind me of boys I know. It ranks nowhere near my all-time favorite Six Feet Under, but at the least I want to know what happens next. Mad Men is on Sundays at 10/9c, and it's available on iTunes, where I bought my copy.
I'm writing from the office where there is power again, as well as working Internet, which has become a hot commodity these days. Some video footage of swaying trees forthcoming. I have never seen so many trees uprooted.
11 September 2008
Live hurricane reports from Houston!
A has decided to "hunker down" and weather hurricane Ike. Read what happens.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
2:48 AM. Power just went out for a bit but came back on. It was perfectly black. I can hear things moving around outside. You're just waiting for it to hit a window.
2:42 AM. Light just flickered.
2:20 AM. Just turned on the television. Apparently 1.3 million customers without power. But for those of us with power, we have yet to deal with the edge of the eye and the back of the storm. As Liz Lemon would say, BLURG. I confess the news reporters are lovely company. They're informative, etc., etc. Watched some Mad Men. I'm not in love, but I'll watch it.
On the news: footage of reporter Wayne Dolcefino being blown around. A tree snapped at the base in The Heights. I do not want to see that happen here. The sportscaster is reporting from Baytown. It's like when your high school football coach also teaches English.
2:13 AM. It sounds like there is an ocean outside. Will most likely be sleeping with one eye open.
Friday, September 12, 2008
10:38 PM. I moved my mattress away from my bedroom windows to a more central spot in my apartment. It feels like I'm at the fifth grade lock-in again, except it's just me. Earlier, a news reporter described how a broken window can send shards of glass across a room. Which would suck. I filled my bathtub with water for what, I'm not entirely sure. For flushing the toilet? Not for drinking, I hope. Anyway, I plan to camp out like this until Ike blows over. Ha, ha. I recently downloaded the first season of Mad Men, so I guess you know what I'll be doing until the power goes out, or until my MacBook battery dies, rather. I have a such a headache. 415,000 CenterPoint Energy customers are without power right now. Another 32,500 from another power company.
9:53 PM. 315,000 CenterPoint Energy customers are without power. I still have power here in 77019.
9:12 PM. I've exhausted my Netflix disc of The Office (Season 4: Disc 1). Earlier, I moved my furniture away from the windows. I also filled up several water bottles. Now, when I'm on my couch, I face Park St, as if I'm waiting for a show to begin. After inhaling macaroni and cheese and some leftover steak, I'm tired again but not about to fall asleep, only to wake up face to face with Ike. The wind in the trees is so loud, I feel like it's a matter of time before a window breaks. Also, when do the news anchors and reporters throw down their pencils?
7:44 PM. It's darker out now. I've got box macaroni and cheese on the stove, and I'm listening to the drone of the news reporter and the trees moving outside. It's not raining yet, but I imagine it will get a bit scary when it does. Earlier, from my living room window, I saw a few neighbors in and out of their houses, with a cigarette in hand, or a drink, or a dog. My mind is intermittently flooded by images of my car getting picked up by the wind or a tree crashing through the windows. Galveston Island is without power.
6:03 PM. Need a laugh? Hurricane Bound For Texas Slowed By Large Land Mass To The South.
5:30 PM. Passed out after watching an episode of The Office. Just woke up and wondering why I'm so tired. Turned the TV back on; I like the company. WHOA, just saw a live image of Houston's downtown. A blanket of gray clouds over those iconic buildings. 1900 marines are coming our way!! If this were a pregnancy, I think we are in the hospital. Oh my…
11:41 AM. I'm stayin'.
10:48 AM. Just woke up to a voicemail from H, who broke and took off, to Austin. H says I should be with people. Do I go to my parents, who live thirty minutes away? Do I drive to a friend's nearby? Or do I stay here, at my apartment? I don't know what to do I don't know what to do I don't know what to do. In Houston, the trees are moving a bit. Predicted 25-35 winds by noon. In Galveston, they're enforcing an 8 PM curfew. "The wind field is extremely broad," they say.
1:25 AM. Had a homestyle dinner with H and M at Buffalo Grille, then beers at Rud's. Just heated up some old pepperoni pizza to eat while I watch The Office until I pass out. Also plan to go to the grocery store first thing tomorrow. The news channels love this web site. Can currently anticipate 69 mph winds!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
6:59 PM. I just woke up from a couch nap and am wondering if I have enough food and water for the weekend. Why do I need food and water? Because of flooding and crazy winds, I could be stranded at my house for a couple days. My friend MDM makes a good point: "Wine and cheese does not count."
Saturday, September 13, 2008
2:48 AM. Power just went out for a bit but came back on. It was perfectly black. I can hear things moving around outside. You're just waiting for it to hit a window.
2:42 AM. Light just flickered.
2:20 AM. Just turned on the television. Apparently 1.3 million customers without power. But for those of us with power, we have yet to deal with the edge of the eye and the back of the storm. As Liz Lemon would say, BLURG. I confess the news reporters are lovely company. They're informative, etc., etc. Watched some Mad Men. I'm not in love, but I'll watch it.
On the news: footage of reporter Wayne Dolcefino being blown around. A tree snapped at the base in The Heights. I do not want to see that happen here. The sportscaster is reporting from Baytown. It's like when your high school football coach also teaches English.
2:13 AM. It sounds like there is an ocean outside. Will most likely be sleeping with one eye open.
Friday, September 12, 2008
10:38 PM. I moved my mattress away from my bedroom windows to a more central spot in my apartment. It feels like I'm at the fifth grade lock-in again, except it's just me. Earlier, a news reporter described how a broken window can send shards of glass across a room. Which would suck. I filled my bathtub with water for what, I'm not entirely sure. For flushing the toilet? Not for drinking, I hope. Anyway, I plan to camp out like this until Ike blows over. Ha, ha. I recently downloaded the first season of Mad Men, so I guess you know what I'll be doing until the power goes out, or until my MacBook battery dies, rather. I have a such a headache. 415,000 CenterPoint Energy customers are without power right now. Another 32,500 from another power company.
9:53 PM. 315,000 CenterPoint Energy customers are without power. I still have power here in 77019.
9:12 PM. I've exhausted my Netflix disc of The Office (Season 4: Disc 1). Earlier, I moved my furniture away from the windows. I also filled up several water bottles. Now, when I'm on my couch, I face Park St, as if I'm waiting for a show to begin. After inhaling macaroni and cheese and some leftover steak, I'm tired again but not about to fall asleep, only to wake up face to face with Ike. The wind in the trees is so loud, I feel like it's a matter of time before a window breaks. Also, when do the news anchors and reporters throw down their pencils?
7:44 PM. It's darker out now. I've got box macaroni and cheese on the stove, and I'm listening to the drone of the news reporter and the trees moving outside. It's not raining yet, but I imagine it will get a bit scary when it does. Earlier, from my living room window, I saw a few neighbors in and out of their houses, with a cigarette in hand, or a drink, or a dog. My mind is intermittently flooded by images of my car getting picked up by the wind or a tree crashing through the windows. Galveston Island is without power.
6:03 PM. Need a laugh? Hurricane Bound For Texas Slowed By Large Land Mass To The South.
5:30 PM. Passed out after watching an episode of The Office. Just woke up and wondering why I'm so tired. Turned the TV back on; I like the company. WHOA, just saw a live image of Houston's downtown. A blanket of gray clouds over those iconic buildings. 1900 marines are coming our way!! If this were a pregnancy, I think we are in the hospital. Oh my…
11:41 AM. I'm stayin'.
10:48 AM. Just woke up to a voicemail from H, who broke and took off, to Austin. H says I should be with people. Do I go to my parents, who live thirty minutes away? Do I drive to a friend's nearby? Or do I stay here, at my apartment? I don't know what to do I don't know what to do I don't know what to do. In Houston, the trees are moving a bit. Predicted 25-35 winds by noon. In Galveston, they're enforcing an 8 PM curfew. "The wind field is extremely broad," they say.
1:25 AM. Had a homestyle dinner with H and M at Buffalo Grille, then beers at Rud's. Just heated up some old pepperoni pizza to eat while I watch The Office until I pass out. Also plan to go to the grocery store first thing tomorrow. The news channels love this web site. Can currently anticipate 69 mph winds!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
6:59 PM. I just woke up from a couch nap and am wondering if I have enough food and water for the weekend. Why do I need food and water? Because of flooding and crazy winds, I could be stranded at my house for a couple days. My friend MDM makes a good point: "Wine and cheese does not count."
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