Wednesday, February 06, 2008

SAFE

So Nashville got some bad storms last night. I didn't really understand how bad the storms were until they interrupted American Idol to tell me about them.

So I shrug it off, go on about my evening, and then after Idol get in my car to run one errand. It was barely raining when I left my house, but when I got back it was down-pouring. I don't typically get too worked up over storms but you should know that a cardboard box may have more fortitude than our condo. When the wind blows really hard, my bedroom wall creaks so loud and it sounds like the whole thing is going to tumble like a house of cards.

I heard the siren and thought it was just wind. It wasn't horribly loud, like I thought a tornado siren should be. I don't know. I just wasn't that paranoid about it, even when JB came out of her room, saying that her parents (who happened to be in town) called to recommend we to take cover. Since there aren't a lot of places one can take cover in a third floor condo, her parents suggested we should get in our bathtubs for safety, a plan I was completely on board with since I was minutes away from taking a bath anyway. But then as I was looking out the window at all the lightning, I realized running water while in my tub for safety may not be a good idea. Plus, I have bad timing with alarms/drills and the bathroom. Three different times in college, the dorm fire alarm went off while I was in the shower. So I just knew the minute I got all settled in my bath of shelter, the whole place would fold and they'd find me indecent, yet relaxed and smelling of vanilla bath salts, amid all the rubble.

Here's when it got a little too close for comfort. I tell JB to turn on the TV to see what the weathermen were saying. Now allow me to me paint a picture. Just for a moment, pretend our wishes have been granted and we're back in Auburn, in Foy to be exact, and you hear the weathermen saying if you are on Magnolia, College, Thach or Donahue, to take cover. For those poor souls who didn't go to Auburn and therefore don't understand the illustration I just made, basically he named off five or six streets, four of which are on my running path (aka - very close to me), and then topped it off with this cherry - "pretty much where 440 and Hillsboro intersect." So, basically, my back yard.

At this point, I started to sweat a little bit. I've never been told a storm was passing over my very street. JB retreated into her room and leaves me perched on the couch looking out the living room window, like I'm going to see the thing touch down. I must have looked like a dog, standing on its hind legs looking out the window at nothing. At least I didn't bark. But after a few minutes, I grew bored of this and I decide I should go find a flashlight or something in case we lose power. I join JB in her room, and to distract her, we start a discussion about politics and weekend plans. After a while, we go back into the living room to check what the TV says. We alternate watching storm coverage and election coverage until we see that the very worst is now northeast of the city (and winning in California). Just as we are both exhaling sighs of relief, they mention that there are two more squall lines heading our way later that night. Awesome.

But as the rain and wind died down outside (temporarily), we grew engrossed in an episode of Hannah Montana, after which we were effectively calmed down enough to sleep in our beds and not our tubs.

But, today I've read about how bad the damage was, not only in Tennessee but in Alabama and Arkansas, and I hope everyone is okay. Please understand - I'm definitely not trying to make light of what was a very serious storm that took the lives of 50 people. Sad sad sad. I respect the weather. I just don't control it, so I found other things to worry about, like how Miley was going to get a humiliating picture of the Rock to sell to the tabloids so she'd have money to buy a "Z phone."

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