Suzanne Calling

While I would never want to go back to the days where hurricanes showed up without any advance warning, the current methods may just provide too much information. Case in point: The Weather Channel has a Storm Tracker . It takes those models from the National Hurricane Center and expands the information. For instance, you can zoom in on that map to street level. Earlier today, it showed the eye of the storm passing three blocks away from my sister's house. Granted, the eye is huge, so her house would be in that-but it's the winds on the back side of the eye that inflict the most damage. When I looked at it a couple of hours ago, it passed over Betsy and Tod's old house (and my sister's old apartment from her single days). Now, it passes about 1/4 mile east of the gas station where Ed and I met when we worked together years ago. A lot can change between now and when it makes landfall in NY. I'm kind of hoping for an outcome like Belle in 1976...

That earthquake today? If we still lived in Maryland, we'd be about 90 miles from the epicenter. Too close for comfort in my book. I'm usually laid back about stuff, but I am terrified of tornadoes and only slightly less scared of earthquakes. Yes, I've lived through several hurricanes and many, many blizzards, but you can plan for them. The unpredictability of the earth shaking or a tornado tearing a swath through the paddock between my house and the neighbor's five acres away is not something I ever want to deal with on a regular basis. That tornado touched down in 1994, while I was in Chicago, moving Ed to Maryland. It was a good thing I wasn't there to see it. A lot of people are describing their experience as "thinking I was lightheaded/dizzy/woozy" and this made one friend comment to me on the phone tonight that she now has a little bit of an idea what life with vertigo must be like. To an extent, yes, what she experienced sounds lik...

Whoever said that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb should have spent the last couple of days in Florida. We've had winds and torrential downpours. Heck, in driving Gameteen to school, I was not that far away from where a tornado touched down . I didn't know about the tornado warnings, but that's because there weren't any for my county at that time! Instead, I drove in rain that made it impossible to see, rivaling the rains that preceded a couple of the hurricanes we had in '04 and '05. Poor Chef had early release from school at 3pm, and didn't arrive home until 4:30, about five minutes earlier than he would have on a regular day. The camera stayed tucked in my bag in my travels today. Once home, I took a look at our pool. Yesterday, Ed and I agreed that perhaps we should drain it a bit with all the rain that we've had. It didn't get done. Around 5pm, I looked at it and saw this: The water is supposed to be about three inch...

For the third time in my life, I saw green skies as I looked out the window of the computer lab today. The two staffers had commented about how nasty it had become outside, and I commented that Holy Crap, the sky is green and that's what I've seen before tornadoes in the past. Ten minutes later, in the middle of taking an exam, the power went out. It would remain so for nearly an hour. (A quick email on my phone to the TA got my exam reset and ready for when the power returned, as she was in St. Pete and experiencing better circumstances). The staffers and I chatted while we waited for the power to return. Reports came from the facilities staff that quite a few light poles got knocked over just north of campus and it took out the campus transformer (the news reports got it wrong). Apparently, if power didn't return by 3:30, the powers that be were going to cancel evening classes. Another report said we did have a tornado just a half mile north of campus. In all, fif...

This week, we finally have the glorious weather that Florida is known for. When I was growing up, I didn't realize that Long Island's temperate climate was unusual. Travel 50 miles north or west and winters would involve a lot of white stuff, the summers sweltering, sticky days. Instead, by virtue of the Atlantic flanking the south shore, Long Island experienced summers in the mid 80's, with the rare day in the 90's. Winters involved freezing rain, but the years with snow were memorable, because the warmth of the ocean kept temperatures above freezing. The move to Maryland brought an understanding of what summer heat really was. I used to joke that Mother Nature turned on the heat on May first, because BOOM, it was 85 degrees, hot and sticky and stayed that way until mid-September. Living in a valley meant that the humidity and heat just stayed there. Those constant breezes that one experiences on Long Island were gone. Over time, we learned to have the summer...

No matter where on the east coast you live, it has been a colder than average winter. Now that the calendar says we are in spring, and more than six weeks past the pint size prognosticator observing his shadow, Florida has finally come out of the cold that's been hanging around for a while. It just feels so strange for the thermometer to register above seventy degrees. Now, if only the rest of the east coast can get some seasonably appropriate weather, too? Come on Mother Nature, Phil promised only six more weeks of that cruddy winter!

There was a time when a weather forecast in the 50's would have us reaching for short sleeve shirts and shorts. Five years later, it's a different tune. This week's forecast: And we're all complaining that we're cold ! Guess it is a good thing that we hung on to thermal shirts and jackets. No matter what your idea of cold is, this week is going to be brisk for most of the country. Try to stay warm, everybody.

It was cold this morning. No, not 65 degree cold. That was last night, with Chef requesting that I turn on the heat in the car on the way home from scouts. No, it was 40 this morning. Too cold to let Gameboy stand at the bus stop in his shirt sleeves. The kid needs a coat. (Chef got the hand me down). There are maybe a dozen days each year that they need a coat, but yes, he needs one. Off to shop.

So, we should be okay, right? This thing is a Cat 3 already! It's going to really suck no matter where this storm makes landfall.

Fay made landfall in Florida. So far, she's been fairly quiet in these parts-kind of like the friend and coworker of years ago. Since I *did* have a friend named Faye, does this count? Do I need to warn the rest of Florida of the storms named after friends and family? Maybe I should. In that case, we should worry about these: 2008 Nana (we called my grandmother Nana, but it wasn't her given name-does that count?) 2009 Bill (my stepdad) If we include Ed's relatives in the mix, then Fred will come visit Peter (my brother and we're seriously screwed on that one, folks) Theresa (aka Legacy, though her given name is Therese-again, we're fucked) 2010 Lisa (a former friend, but she'll probably end up like Fay) Paula (we're IMing right now, I have to tell her we can't be friends anymore! LOL) Walter (aka Socrates, but that one will loop around aimlessly) 2011 We are safe, because middle names have never been a factor. I'll be sure not to befriend anyone...

I moved to Florida in 2004, and rapidly experienced several hurricanes. At the time, I joked about the fact that the hurricanes that hit the state were named after relatives or close family friends. Charlie (my prank playing great uncle), Frances (the great aunt who had a lot of grace) and Jeanne (my mom's BFF that she found when she moved to Florida). Since then, I've joked that a storm had to be named for someone I know before it comes inland here, rather than further up the east coast or the gulf. Now Fay is staring us down and Ed brings up my coworker/friend Faye, that this may be another interesting ride. Are we prepared? Somewhat. Thanks to scouting and camping, we've got plenty of gear that would get us through a power outage of up to a week. On the other hand, I don't usually stock up on water, so we're short on that front. I'm thinking the fridge in the garage is going to gain a few pitchers tonight and tomorrow. I've got the makings for La...