Somewhat Normal After Ike
So, as most of you either have xerj or tash-mac friended, you know how things stand here in The Woodlands. Trees down everywhere (some even on houses and apartments and cars), power out for the vast majority of the area - I even saw a giant highway billboard through the roof of an apartment building just a bit up north of our joint. Things at our apartment are fine, though, and at my mom's, my grandparents, and both of my uncles' houses. Xero's folks, well... They live in La Porte. We don't know how bad their house is yet (they were under mandetory evacuation), but we know for certain it flooded. Nobody is presently being allowed into La Porte due to safety issues.
Right now, we're about the only people we know in the Great Houston Area who have power. My grandparents are running on a generator, but since my mom doesn't have any power still, she's staying with us. She's still having to work "from home" right now, and needs both power and internet to do so.
There are some major downsides to us being the only ones in the area with power, though. For one, I still can't go in to work - there's no power just a few blocks down, where my office is. Second, and far worse... The slum of apartments that are behind our complex don't have power. And the fence came down with the storm. They've been all but invading our complex, jumping the fence around the pool to unplug the coke machine and charge their cell phones and god only knows what else. We've even had people showing up from across the freeway, in THOSE slummy apartments, trying to do the same thing. The gas station across the street from us has electricity and the line out of the pumps stretches almost all the way to the freeway. It's pretty insane.
None of the grocery stores (that I know of) have electricity yet, either. My mom unloaded her freezers and brought things over, so we should be alright for a little bit. But things like milk, eggs, butter... Those have suddenly become high commodity. I'm going to check with the corner store later and see if they've got any shipments in yet.
It's funny how we're suddenly the only little tiny center of normality. I sit here in my apartment and think "oh, I should go to the store and get this, that and the other" only to realize I can't. Even if they had such things, there's lines out the store as they only allow a few people in at a time.
I hope things get back to TRUE normal soon. I have new recipes I want to try out, dammit!
An ending good news note: I sent off my book proposal to TOR on Thursday, so it was out of here and on it's way before Ike hit. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!
Right now, we're about the only people we know in the Great Houston Area who have power. My grandparents are running on a generator, but since my mom doesn't have any power still, she's staying with us. She's still having to work "from home" right now, and needs both power and internet to do so.
There are some major downsides to us being the only ones in the area with power, though. For one, I still can't go in to work - there's no power just a few blocks down, where my office is. Second, and far worse... The slum of apartments that are behind our complex don't have power. And the fence came down with the storm. They've been all but invading our complex, jumping the fence around the pool to unplug the coke machine and charge their cell phones and god only knows what else. We've even had people showing up from across the freeway, in THOSE slummy apartments, trying to do the same thing. The gas station across the street from us has electricity and the line out of the pumps stretches almost all the way to the freeway. It's pretty insane.
None of the grocery stores (that I know of) have electricity yet, either. My mom unloaded her freezers and brought things over, so we should be alright for a little bit. But things like milk, eggs, butter... Those have suddenly become high commodity. I'm going to check with the corner store later and see if they've got any shipments in yet.
It's funny how we're suddenly the only little tiny center of normality. I sit here in my apartment and think "oh, I should go to the store and get this, that and the other" only to realize I can't. Even if they had such things, there's lines out the store as they only allow a few people in at a time.
I hope things get back to TRUE normal soon. I have new recipes I want to try out, dammit!
An ending good news note: I sent off my book proposal to TOR on Thursday, so it was out of here and on it's way before Ike hit. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!