The Waiting is the Hardest Part
When I went to bed last night there were still long lines of traffic on the freeway. When I woke up this morning there was news of a horrible bus accident near Dallas. This is very sad. What makes it even worse is the irony. In New Orleans, the elderly were not evacuated and died slow deaths of heat exhaustion, dehydration and lack of medical care. So this time authorities decided to get the elderly and sick out first and this group didn't make it. My heart is with the families of the people who were on the bus, and for the bus driver, the sheriff and others who weren't able to save everyone. I know they won't sleep well for a very long time.
I slept late this morning. I've been so exhausted from being in job training at the same time I'm talking a full load at college. The training is difficult enough, but I have to drive from The Woodlands to the Astrodome area three days a week. To make the training bearable I've had to drink lots and lots of coffee (which I usually only drink decaf) to stay awake, and then I have trouble sleeping at night. On the days I work at the clinic I have to get up at 4 a.m., and I've never seen 4 a.m. unless I was coming home from somewhere. After 3 weeks of this brutality I've been running into walls and furniture and been more than a little cranky. My school cancelled classes and the clinic closed so I've had a couple of days to relax, and got the best night's sleep I've had in a while.
Today was water collecting day. I filled the bathtubs, waste baskets (cleaned with a 1:10 bleach and water solution) and every available pot, vessel and plastic container I could find. I packed a few things in case we have to evacuate. Most evacuations allow one suitcase per person. We have one suitcase with clothes and a duffle bag for toiletries. She'll take one and I'll take the other and hope we don't get separated. My sweetie cooked a wonderful breakfast of smoked bangus, egg over easy and rice to keep us fortified and distracted. Now, settled down with coffee and the Internet, I can hear the wind rustling in the trees outside but little else. I'm going to go lie on the couch and watch the disaster unfold for a while. Later on I'll drag a mattress downstairs in case we have to shelter in the bathroom. Judy gathered up all the emergency supplies and put them in one place so we can find them easily if the power goes out.
There is an eerie calm as we wait for Rita to arrive. The latest news is it will make landfall around Beaumont/Port Arthur. My heart goes out to those folks. Oh, and to the folks in New Orleans who are in the admist of a second levee break. I can't imagine the bad day their mayor must be having.
I slept late this morning. I've been so exhausted from being in job training at the same time I'm talking a full load at college. The training is difficult enough, but I have to drive from The Woodlands to the Astrodome area three days a week. To make the training bearable I've had to drink lots and lots of coffee (which I usually only drink decaf) to stay awake, and then I have trouble sleeping at night. On the days I work at the clinic I have to get up at 4 a.m., and I've never seen 4 a.m. unless I was coming home from somewhere. After 3 weeks of this brutality I've been running into walls and furniture and been more than a little cranky. My school cancelled classes and the clinic closed so I've had a couple of days to relax, and got the best night's sleep I've had in a while.
Today was water collecting day. I filled the bathtubs, waste baskets (cleaned with a 1:10 bleach and water solution) and every available pot, vessel and plastic container I could find. I packed a few things in case we have to evacuate. Most evacuations allow one suitcase per person. We have one suitcase with clothes and a duffle bag for toiletries. She'll take one and I'll take the other and hope we don't get separated. My sweetie cooked a wonderful breakfast of smoked bangus, egg over easy and rice to keep us fortified and distracted. Now, settled down with coffee and the Internet, I can hear the wind rustling in the trees outside but little else. I'm going to go lie on the couch and watch the disaster unfold for a while. Later on I'll drag a mattress downstairs in case we have to shelter in the bathroom. Judy gathered up all the emergency supplies and put them in one place so we can find them easily if the power goes out.
There is an eerie calm as we wait for Rita to arrive. The latest news is it will make landfall around Beaumont/Port Arthur. My heart goes out to those folks. Oh, and to the folks in New Orleans who are in the admist of a second levee break. I can't imagine the bad day their mayor must be having.