Ah, the smell of the season’s first hurricane. It’s not unlike the anticipation of Christmas, only with destruction instead of presents. If you have enough small kids, perhaps the two events are more similar than you’d like to admit.
I won’t pretend to give you hurricane updates. You can find that at a number of places. My favorite source is un-official, but excellent. Please check out the flhurricane blog for some interesting analysis and information. Another useful site is the Orlando Sentinel Hurricane Blog. Finally, the state operates Florida Disaster web site.
Although I should consider this good news, I’m a bit disappointed now that the experts tell us Ernesto should remain a tropical storm while over Florida. That’s going to take the fire out of the TV news broadcasts. These guys get really excited showing us everything you ever wanted to know about hurricanes. This morning, the WESH weather guy was giving a Cuban history lesson about the Pico Turquino mountains.
It seems that Ernesto was passing this spot, the highest peak in Cuba. That’s when he told us how Fidel Castro and his band of merry men hid out for a while. Yeah, nothing like weather and communist history in the making to complete my morning quest for information. Thanks, WESH.
Life gets mildly complicated when a hurricane (or tropical storm) approaches. Expect long lines at grocery stores, gas stations, and home improvement stores.
I started at Publix today. Things were busier than most Monday’s after work, but not too cramped. Employees were stocking all over the place. The cashier told me it was busier yesterday and this morning. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get some bottles of water and some snack foods, just in case the power goes out and I can’t cook. I must’ve picked up five pounds of grapes, too.
Next, I needed gas. I was going to hit Sam’s Club, but the line was outrageous. I decided to skip the gas then and headed home. When I got there, I saw the same Sam’s Club gas pumps on the evening news. Looks like I made the right decision. So I waited until 8:30 tonight and hit another station. It was busy, but I found one pump free waiting for me. The guy at the pump in front of me was filling his Civic and a 5-gallon gas can. I guess nobody told him we don’t have any gas reserve problems this time around. Then again, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
As I have no desire to get in a fight for plywood, I skipped the whole mess at the home improvement stores. I hate those places, anyway.
It looks like Wednesday may be a day to stay home from work. If that’s the case, I’ll need more food. Another trip to Publix may suck, but I didn’t want to stand in line for the deli today.
