Hurricane Irma stuff...
So what have we been doing for the past few days? Just using up all of my friend's goodwill and staying at her house since Friday. Jon's job has its drawbacks, but one of the perks is that the government takes care of their people. Generally. (I'm not allowed to talk about the stupid stuff that went on with this evacuation because it's the government and they have eyes everywhere). Anyway, he was paid and ordered to evacuate to avoid the storm which means we don't have to decide if we should stay or go. We just do what we're told, and since we have framily (friends, family, and friends like family) in the upstate, it's not a huge ordeal for us to leave. So we left. It took two extra hours to get to Greenville, but we expected that. And then the storm projections changed. So let's talk about that.
Basically, hurricane projections suck. These meteorologists do things like show a giant cone pointing in a direction with a red in in the middle. They talk about the red line for 5 minutes. Then they say "DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE RED LINE!" It's reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz and the whole "DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!" moment. Do not talk to me about the dire, specific circumstances our world will face from man-made global warning in 100 years when you can't tell me where a hurricane will be tomorrow.
In all seriousness though, while we can all look back and jeer at the premature closures and evacuations in SC now, what choice was there really? When the government knows how long it takes to evacuate a region, and the forecast is calling for a Cat 4 hurricane to hit when that invisible mark of time arrives, you have to make the best decision you can with the information you have. So here we are. I will not make fun of evacuees in South Carolina, and I will not ridicule people that chose to hunker down in Florida.
However, I will point out that South Carolina is woefully behind in the infrastructure department. Seriously? STILL only 2 lanes out of Charleston, SC? I95, one of only a few routes through South Carolina, is 2 pothole infested lanes? Maybe we wouldn't need a week to evacuate if we had proper roads that can handle the traffic. But I digress.
After watching Florida go through a mass exodus in the last few days while reading stories of people that did not have the means to leave, I realize what a luxury it is for my husband to have paid leave and travel expenses covered for all of us during emergencies like this. If we did not have his job to foot the bill for our evacuation, we would have to take the decision much more seriously. As it is, my biggest evacuation decision is what kind of snacks to pack in the car for the longer than usual car ride. I do not take that for granted.
So what good things did this weekend bring me? Well, first, I got to see IT with my fellow horror movie loving friend. I found out there's a Battlestar Galactica movie made from the perspectives of the Cylons that I had NO IDEA existed. And I got to watch it. So that was great. We were able to visit the church that I now consider my church away from church where I heard a very moving sermon on...wait for it...the wrath of God. Seriously, it was really good and pertinent to my immediate life. Sometimes I get glimpses of the sin in my heart, and I'm like "Whoa. I can't believe I thought that. What kind of horrible person considers doing that!? Me. That's who." Sigh.
Anyway, what bad things came of this weekend? Well, I realized that I'm not a fun person to be around when I have to evacuate. A couple of planned days away are fun and relaxing. Setting out for an unknown number of days with no real purpose other than to not be home makes me moody. And it makes the rest of my people anxious. You know how everyone has that comfort thing they want when they get anxious? Well, for my husband, I am that thing. Apparently I'm also that thing for my kids because all day Saturday the four of them were within arms reach. All. Day. So I was moody AND I was touched out. I was like this last year with Hurricane Matthew, but I thought it was a fluke. Now I know I'm just not good company during these kinds of things.
We made it home today, and it was so. good. to be home. I didn't realize how tense I was until we arrived home and I was able to take a hard nap on my couch. Then I went to dinner with some friends to Olive Garden. Then I came home, put on leggings, took off my bra, and I don't even have to worry about looking presentable. I love my friends and going to their home, but I just feel in the way after a few days. And I missed my bed. And my bathroom. And my couch.
And now after an evacuation that followed a holiday weekend hosting multiple guests, I have no idea what day it is and what I'm supposed to doing with my life. School is supposed to be happening, and I'm so disoriented. I was lost BEFORE all of these scheduling roadblocks. I can't be in my younger kids' classes to know what they're supposed to be doing. And I still think it's August. Which, by the way, it is NOT. Apparently I can bring out fall decor now. All two things of fall decor that I own. But it seems weird to do that since I'm still planning beach and pool days. Basically, the phrase for September is "dazed and confused". I'll get it together for September in about two more weeks, otherwise known as October.
I guess that's about it. I didn't even talk about the horrible snacking that went on this weekend. All I'll say is Little Debbie is not my friend even if I acted like she was my BFF for a couple of days.
Basically, hurricane projections suck. These meteorologists do things like show a giant cone pointing in a direction with a red in in the middle. They talk about the red line for 5 minutes. Then they say "DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE RED LINE!" It's reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz and the whole "DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!" moment. Do not talk to me about the dire, specific circumstances our world will face from man-made global warning in 100 years when you can't tell me where a hurricane will be tomorrow.
In all seriousness though, while we can all look back and jeer at the premature closures and evacuations in SC now, what choice was there really? When the government knows how long it takes to evacuate a region, and the forecast is calling for a Cat 4 hurricane to hit when that invisible mark of time arrives, you have to make the best decision you can with the information you have. So here we are. I will not make fun of evacuees in South Carolina, and I will not ridicule people that chose to hunker down in Florida.
However, I will point out that South Carolina is woefully behind in the infrastructure department. Seriously? STILL only 2 lanes out of Charleston, SC? I95, one of only a few routes through South Carolina, is 2 pothole infested lanes? Maybe we wouldn't need a week to evacuate if we had proper roads that can handle the traffic. But I digress.
After watching Florida go through a mass exodus in the last few days while reading stories of people that did not have the means to leave, I realize what a luxury it is for my husband to have paid leave and travel expenses covered for all of us during emergencies like this. If we did not have his job to foot the bill for our evacuation, we would have to take the decision much more seriously. As it is, my biggest evacuation decision is what kind of snacks to pack in the car for the longer than usual car ride. I do not take that for granted.
So what good things did this weekend bring me? Well, first, I got to see IT with my fellow horror movie loving friend. I found out there's a Battlestar Galactica movie made from the perspectives of the Cylons that I had NO IDEA existed. And I got to watch it. So that was great. We were able to visit the church that I now consider my church away from church where I heard a very moving sermon on...wait for it...the wrath of God. Seriously, it was really good and pertinent to my immediate life. Sometimes I get glimpses of the sin in my heart, and I'm like "Whoa. I can't believe I thought that. What kind of horrible person considers doing that!? Me. That's who." Sigh.
Anyway, what bad things came of this weekend? Well, I realized that I'm not a fun person to be around when I have to evacuate. A couple of planned days away are fun and relaxing. Setting out for an unknown number of days with no real purpose other than to not be home makes me moody. And it makes the rest of my people anxious. You know how everyone has that comfort thing they want when they get anxious? Well, for my husband, I am that thing. Apparently I'm also that thing for my kids because all day Saturday the four of them were within arms reach. All. Day. So I was moody AND I was touched out. I was like this last year with Hurricane Matthew, but I thought it was a fluke. Now I know I'm just not good company during these kinds of things.
We made it home today, and it was so. good. to be home. I didn't realize how tense I was until we arrived home and I was able to take a hard nap on my couch. Then I went to dinner with some friends to Olive Garden. Then I came home, put on leggings, took off my bra, and I don't even have to worry about looking presentable. I love my friends and going to their home, but I just feel in the way after a few days. And I missed my bed. And my bathroom. And my couch.
And now after an evacuation that followed a holiday weekend hosting multiple guests, I have no idea what day it is and what I'm supposed to doing with my life. School is supposed to be happening, and I'm so disoriented. I was lost BEFORE all of these scheduling roadblocks. I can't be in my younger kids' classes to know what they're supposed to be doing. And I still think it's August. Which, by the way, it is NOT. Apparently I can bring out fall decor now. All two things of fall decor that I own. But it seems weird to do that since I'm still planning beach and pool days. Basically, the phrase for September is "dazed and confused". I'll get it together for September in about two more weeks, otherwise known as October.
I guess that's about it. I didn't even talk about the horrible snacking that went on this weekend. All I'll say is Little Debbie is not my friend even if I acted like she was my BFF for a couple of days.
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