Preparing for Irene

Have you heard?  It's big news.  Apparently, the world is ending!

On Tuesday, the east coast suffered a 5.8 magnitude earthquake.  Two nights ago there was an aftershock of 4.5 magnitude.  I felt the 5.8, but that's about it.  Damage was mild, and no one was injured.  This earthquake was almost a record breaker and was the largest since the 1800s.  Yes, it was the earthquake of the century.  Could we also call it a bicentennial earthquake?

Image via here.

Now, we're supposed to be hit by Hurricane Irene.  I'm have mixed emotions as to how I feel about this.  Plenty of people are panicking.  They have tubs of water and plenty of kerosene and they're securing anything that's not tied down.  I'm getting phone calls from my mom and texts from the in-laws telling us to be prepared.  However, as far as I can tell, the most we'll get here in RIC is a tropical storm.  Serious? Yes.  Stay home weather?  Yes.  Design a bunker?  No.

Anyway, I'm left feeling slightly anxious and under-prepared.  Oh, and I'm more than a little annoyed.  I mean, we go through hurricane season every year.  I've lived through plenty of hurricanes and tropical storms, and there's never been a problem.  However, the last BIG hurricane that came through here was Isabel, and she was quite a doozy.  I think people are thinking of her and are preparing for the absolute worst.  So, just to make all the parents happy, here's my emergency plan:

• Know where all the flashlights and candles are, and have matches/lighter to light them.  I do expect we'll lose power at some point.
• Have a book to read since I know the dogs will be freaking out over the storm and I won't get any sleep.
• Have plenty of foods for grilling in case we're out of power for a while.  If we don't lose power, we'll still enjoy the grilled foods.
• Shower at the gym.  We can also get a bit of water from here if necessary.  I doubt we'll lose water, but at least there's a plan.
• If worse comes to worse, we can always stay at Dad's house or at friends' houses.  I really doubt it will come to that, so I'm not at all concerned about packing a bag.

Alright, I hope you're all happy.  Now watch.  It will probably be nothing.  Of course, I could just be like the proverbial grasshopper and y'all are the ants, in which case I'll be mooching off you shortly.  :)