i knew the challenge was coming when, at 7 am, his bedroom door opened, and i heard the slow shuffle of bare feet towards the living room.
he's up to something, i thought. he doesn't want to go to church and he is scheming up an excuse.
a stomachache. not very original, but fairly well executed. a cuddle on the sofa, a pitiful look in those baby blue eyes. a whimper.
he is about to throw down the "i'm not going to church" gauntlet. it's coming. i'm just going to continue my morning routine. maybe if i don't bring it up, he won't.
breakfast? breakfast will be good. a bowl of cheerios. how about some bacon? yes! i love bacon. can you make it a little crispier, please?
surely he will forget about his upset tummy after eating. the food disappears in an instant. i disappear to my room to get ready. still, no one has dared to say the word, "church." i count down the minutes until it is time. "get dre-essed," i sing out. i am positive, upbeat as i dab on eyeliner.
but i don't FEEL good!! stomp, stomp, STOMP down the hallway, measured steps that end with a pathetic slump onto the master bed. i'm not GOING! i don't FEEL good!
i choose a necklace, measure my breaths in the mirror. "but you ate breakfast. i'm sure you're fine."
muffled grunts from the lump on the bed, a defiant head shake or two. "uh-huh. i'm. not. going."
i snuggle up to him, stroke his hair, will the warmth of my body to ease this rigid form that is planted on the bed.
"get OFF of me!" he turns away. "leave me ALONE!"
moving on, i get dressed in the closet, hear him pry himself off the bed and make haste back down the hallway. i slip on my shoes, and prepare for what's next. i'm not going to yell. i'm not going to yell. i'm not going to yell...
i'm staying HERE! i'm going to play video games. you can't make me go!
you need to be dressed and in the car in 5 minutes. i take the dog out for a quick trip around the backyard. i eye the back of the house, looking for movement, but feeling only defiant energy. back inside, and he has steeled himself for the fight. i'm not going to yell. i'm not going to yell. i'm not going yell.
i don't see why i should have to go! i'm not! i don't FEEL WELL!!
i haven't yelled, and he doesn't know quite what to make of it. i apply lip gloss, methodically move my keys and wallet to my black purse, empty the remains of my coffee cup into the sink. i don't make eye contact with him as i walk by. "you need to be in the car in 5 minutes."
rage, rage, rage. no!!!!!
at the last moment, i grab up all of the remote controls, pull the door shut behind me, breathe deeply as i make my way to the car. it would be so easy to give in. i'm tired, too! we could skip this week. we don't have to do this.
nothing.
i call mat. this isn't the first time i've called mat from the car. ican'tdothisican'tdothisican'tdothis. i'm not going to yell. but he needs to get out here. he needs to know that he can't just wear me down with his yelling. he needs to know that one hour out of his day is not going to ruin the rest of it.
nothing.
i back the car up, positioning for the eventual trip down the driveway. i can't leave him here. i won't leave him here. i said be in the car in 5 minutes. he needs to learn that we can't shout ourselves out of things we don't want to do. we need to teach him that.
the back door slams. it is him. he is wearing yesterday's clothes. his hair is not brushed. but he is here.
we pull out of the driveway, turn towards town. there is a stony silence, every once in a while, a groan from the passenger seat. we are heading to church together.
and i did not yell.
Showing posts with label a day in the life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a day in the life. Show all posts
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
spt 1.4.11
i took a self-portrait today. it's been while since i took a meaningful self-portrait. this is an uncomfortable photo to post. it's not pretty, i'm sweaty and red-faced. i haven't yet had my first cup of coffee.
but, this is *me* - today. this day. 1.4.11
on this day i am worried about my son's ADHD.
and on this day, i completed The Shred before work.
the bad with the good.
i like it.
will you take a self-portrait today? leave me a comment if you do!
but, this is *me* - today. this day. 1.4.11
on this day i am worried about my son's ADHD.
and on this day, i completed The Shred before work.
the bad with the good.
i like it.
will you take a self-portrait today? leave me a comment if you do!
Saturday, September 06, 2008
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - the end
6:07 pm
home. showered and fed and rested, with a few hours of watching college football from the sofa under my belt.
ran into the "hurricane researchers" in the elevator. they are a nice group of young men, affiliated with a university, i believe. one of them made a comment about how they only ever get to spend about two hours in any of their hotel rooms (because they basically *chase* storms this time of year.) they travel light! one duffel a piece, and nary a beer can left in their wake!!
will have the landscapers address the wasted wax myrtles next week (total of four down, not two as originally though.) i HATE the loss of mature trees in any storm. it changes everything!
it looks like the east coast will be spared Ike, and i'm hopeful that we ALL are spared Ike. if you ever have to evacuate to a hotel, don't forget to pack your stuffed animals, bring plenty of snacks, and take a moment to salute the staff! you might even ask them if they have any queso dip to share...
do you roger that?!?
home. showered and fed and rested, with a few hours of watching college football from the sofa under my belt.
ran into the "hurricane researchers" in the elevator. they are a nice group of young men, affiliated with a university, i believe. one of them made a comment about how they only ever get to spend about two hours in any of their hotel rooms (because they basically *chase* storms this time of year.) they travel light! one duffel a piece, and nary a beer can left in their wake!!
will have the landscapers address the wasted wax myrtles next week (total of four down, not two as originally though.) i HATE the loss of mature trees in any storm. it changes everything!
it looks like the east coast will be spared Ike, and i'm hopeful that we ALL are spared Ike. if you ever have to evacuate to a hotel, don't forget to pack your stuffed animals, bring plenty of snacks, and take a moment to salute the staff! you might even ask them if they have any queso dip to share...
do you roger that?!?
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part nine
2:05 am
sleeping through the night, only waking up once or twice when i hear heavy wind and rain (hotel rooms, while notoriously thin-walled, are pretty sound proof when it comes to outside noise. especially when the A/C unit is running. jack insists that he wants to go downstairs and "see the storm." i tell him i will wake him if there was anything to see. (wink, wink...)
cheeky monkey sets the alarm for 2 am, the expected time of landfall.
HE does not stir when the alarm goes off.
I jump out of my skin.
6:00 am
take a peek outside. our window faces east, which gets the early part of the storm. not much happening now. think about going down and checking with the night auditor about how it's going. think about checking if they need help setting up the breakfast buffet. (have delayed staff arrival until noon, when winds and rain should be long gone.)
fall back asleep while thinking about it.
7:00 am
time to assess the situation. dress in the semi-dark and head downstairs. take the back door, checking out the pool first. we drained it off yesterday in preparation of heavy rain. now it is a half-full pool. half-full of pine needles!! will take some work to get it back up and running this weekend. (make mental note to prepare adequate signage. in my experience, guests will NOT understand this afternoon why the pool isn't open. it will be sunny! and hot! and they will not be able to swim!! it's called bacteria, people. the invisible killer.) (okay, that might be a little extreme.)
walk the parking lot, check that our brand new palm tree is still standing. there's a truck in the parking lot labeled "hurricane research." wonder if that's a legitimate organization. it looks a little generic. sort of like it might be the truck of some people who's idea of "hurricane research" involves frozen drinks from New Orleans.
parking lot is on the west side of the building, where the wind is heaviest after the "eye" passes. it's still kicking at a pretty good clip. pick up a few palm fronds and decide it's a wasted of time to clean up anymore while the wind is still blowing. walk to the back door to re-enter building and notice that part of the pool fence is listing at a remarkable angle. hmmm. didn't notice that before. need coffee.
7:46 am
coffee in hand, survey pool fence with assistant manager scott (assistant TO the manager). he volunteers to stand there and hold it in place until we can get it fixed. ah, we all still have our sense of humors intact!
executive housekeeper points out that we lost two mature trees on the east side, just outside of the breakfast area. bummer. (good thing we took those bird feeders down!) fortunately, they have fallen parallel to the building, and did not come crashing through the beautiful floor to ceiling windows!
time to begin the water damage survey, which is a very technical process. it involves going into every. single. room. of the hotel and feeling the carpet in front of the A/C unit. i mean getting down and feeling it with your hand. wonder if i can sub-contract that work? (i'm kidding, of course!) (well, sort of...)
sleeping through the night, only waking up once or twice when i hear heavy wind and rain (hotel rooms, while notoriously thin-walled, are pretty sound proof when it comes to outside noise. especially when the A/C unit is running. jack insists that he wants to go downstairs and "see the storm." i tell him i will wake him if there was anything to see. (wink, wink...)
cheeky monkey sets the alarm for 2 am, the expected time of landfall.
HE does not stir when the alarm goes off.
I jump out of my skin.
6:00 am
take a peek outside. our window faces east, which gets the early part of the storm. not much happening now. think about going down and checking with the night auditor about how it's going. think about checking if they need help setting up the breakfast buffet. (have delayed staff arrival until noon, when winds and rain should be long gone.)
fall back asleep while thinking about it.
7:00 am
time to assess the situation. dress in the semi-dark and head downstairs. take the back door, checking out the pool first. we drained it off yesterday in preparation of heavy rain. now it is a half-full pool. half-full of pine needles!! will take some work to get it back up and running this weekend. (make mental note to prepare adequate signage. in my experience, guests will NOT understand this afternoon why the pool isn't open. it will be sunny! and hot! and they will not be able to swim!! it's called bacteria, people. the invisible killer.) (okay, that might be a little extreme.)
walk the parking lot, check that our brand new palm tree is still standing. there's a truck in the parking lot labeled "hurricane research." wonder if that's a legitimate organization. it looks a little generic. sort of like it might be the truck of some people who's idea of "hurricane research" involves frozen drinks from New Orleans.
parking lot is on the west side of the building, where the wind is heaviest after the "eye" passes. it's still kicking at a pretty good clip. pick up a few palm fronds and decide it's a wasted of time to clean up anymore while the wind is still blowing. walk to the back door to re-enter building and notice that part of the pool fence is listing at a remarkable angle. hmmm. didn't notice that before. need coffee.
7:46 am
coffee in hand, survey pool fence with assistant manager scott (assistant TO the manager). he volunteers to stand there and hold it in place until we can get it fixed. ah, we all still have our sense of humors intact!
executive housekeeper points out that we lost two mature trees on the east side, just outside of the breakfast area. bummer. (good thing we took those bird feeders down!) fortunately, they have fallen parallel to the building, and did not come crashing through the beautiful floor to ceiling windows!
time to begin the water damage survey, which is a very technical process. it involves going into every. single. room. of the hotel and feeling the carpet in front of the A/C unit. i mean getting down and feeling it with your hand. wonder if i can sub-contract that work? (i'm kidding, of course!) (well, sort of...)
Friday, September 05, 2008
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part eight
11:29 pm
"landfall" is expected within a few hours. why does "landfall" only count for the center of the storm? what about the hours and hours of wind and rain that sometimes come beforehand?? if jim cantore ever shows up at my hotel, i will ask him that.
The Weather Channel has moved Mike Siedell to a different beach. a windier beach. makes for better television, i guess.
things are calm and quiet here. the pool is full of frogs (but, thankfully, no alligators tonight!) we are watching the history channel and this is really no different than how we would've spent friday night at home. except that, at home, i would have been folding laundry and getting out my fall decorations.
i'm going to bed. i expect when i wake up, we will be feeling more "storm-like" effects. but the coffee will be hot. see you then!
"landfall" is expected within a few hours. why does "landfall" only count for the center of the storm? what about the hours and hours of wind and rain that sometimes come beforehand?? if jim cantore ever shows up at my hotel, i will ask him that.
The Weather Channel has moved Mike Siedell to a different beach. a windier beach. makes for better television, i guess.
things are calm and quiet here. the pool is full of frogs (but, thankfully, no alligators tonight!) we are watching the history channel and this is really no different than how we would've spent friday night at home. except that, at home, i would have been folding laundry and getting out my fall decorations.
i'm going to bed. i expect when i wake up, we will be feeling more "storm-like" effects. but the coffee will be hot. see you then!
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part seven
8:57 pm
i'm having a lot of random thoughts. is it possible to be delirious from spending too much time at the hotel?
we've been up in the room watching food network's bbq and chili challenge. matty and i decided that we should contact christopher guest , and suggest that his next mockumentary should follow the characters who travel the chili cook-off circuit. if you know what i'm talking about, then you will most likely think this is a very funny idea...
the wind/rain has definitely started, and at times the rain hitting our window is making it difficult for me to hear jim cantore. which means it is makin it difficult for me to make fun of jim cantore.
all morning, while jim cantore was broadcasting from the Outer Banks, i kept thinking about how i can't wait to go see "Nights in Rodanthe."
9:14 pm
my mother just called from the beach house where she is spending the night with my grandparents (aside: my grandparents are both over 95 years old, and live in Port Charlotte, FL. several years ago, after their home was damaged by Charley, the family decided that it was a good idea for grabbie and pop-pop to spend hurricane season up here. they rent a beach house in september and october.) anyway, my mother called to ask me if the power had gone out over here, since they couldn't see Southport anymore. the rain bands were heavy enough to obscure their view across the water (a distance of about 3 miles.)
9:24 pm
boredom has set in.
i'm having a lot of random thoughts. is it possible to be delirious from spending too much time at the hotel?
we've been up in the room watching food network's bbq and chili challenge. matty and i decided that we should contact christopher guest , and suggest that his next mockumentary should follow the characters who travel the chili cook-off circuit. if you know what i'm talking about, then you will most likely think this is a very funny idea...
the wind/rain has definitely started, and at times the rain hitting our window is making it difficult for me to hear jim cantore. which means it is makin it difficult for me to make fun of jim cantore.
all morning, while jim cantore was broadcasting from the Outer Banks, i kept thinking about how i can't wait to go see "Nights in Rodanthe."
9:14 pm
my mother just called from the beach house where she is spending the night with my grandparents (aside: my grandparents are both over 95 years old, and live in Port Charlotte, FL. several years ago, after their home was damaged by Charley, the family decided that it was a good idea for grabbie and pop-pop to spend hurricane season up here. they rent a beach house in september and october.) anyway, my mother called to ask me if the power had gone out over here, since they couldn't see Southport anymore. the rain bands were heavy enough to obscure their view across the water (a distance of about 3 miles.)
9:24 pm
boredom has set in.
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part six
thirty minutes ago:
think the surfers will be excited about those waves?? (teehee)
now:
it finally started raining. by the time i got outside to take a picture, it had stopped.
7:27 pm
jack has crumbled. going to get him settled up in the "suite" (ha ha) in p'jayzees. do you believe walmart was entirely OUT of microwave popcorn?!? well, except for "garden herb and olive oil"?? oh, the humanity...
think the surfers will be excited about those waves?? (teehee)
now:
it finally started raining. by the time i got outside to take a picture, it had stopped.
7:27 pm
jack has crumbled. going to get him settled up in the "suite" (ha ha) in p'jayzees. do you believe walmart was entirely OUT of microwave popcorn?!? well, except for "garden herb and olive oil"?? oh, the humanity...
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part five
4:55 pm
wake up from a semi-nap. click the tv back on for updates. more of the same.
jack has taken over my laptop and played "poptropica" for the past forty minutes or so. matty is sound asleep. decide to go downstairs and see what's what.
5:20 pm
jack and i have started melting some queso dip in the crockpot (well...we have to eat something while we're here!!) my management team will spend the night here tonight, so we've decided on a mexican theme for dinner. during ophelia, it was "make your own deli sandwiches." during charley, it was pizza.
5:45 pm
surf a few blogs. get really excited to get a shout out at tip junkie. decide, since it's so quiet around here, to spend some time uploading the new hotel photos to the people that will update the website. each photo is taking approximately 9 minutes to upload. it's feeling very hot and stuffy in my office.
6:18 pm
jack and i have reached our breaking point with each other. try to get matty and jack to go out for a while (because it is still here. and hot. no breezes. no rain.) it really is hard to imagine a storm moving through within the next seven hours or so. decide that I probably need to go out for awhile...
wake up from a semi-nap. click the tv back on for updates. more of the same.
jack has taken over my laptop and played "poptropica" for the past forty minutes or so. matty is sound asleep. decide to go downstairs and see what's what.
5:20 pm
jack and i have started melting some queso dip in the crockpot (well...we have to eat something while we're here!!) my management team will spend the night here tonight, so we've decided on a mexican theme for dinner. during ophelia, it was "make your own deli sandwiches." during charley, it was pizza.
5:45 pm
surf a few blogs. get really excited to get a shout out at tip junkie. decide, since it's so quiet around here, to spend some time uploading the new hotel photos to the people that will update the website. each photo is taking approximately 9 minutes to upload. it's feeling very hot and stuffy in my office.
6:18 pm
jack and i have reached our breaking point with each other. try to get matty and jack to go out for a while (because it is still here. and hot. no breezes. no rain.) it really is hard to imagine a storm moving through within the next seven hours or so. decide that I probably need to go out for awhile...
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part four
2:58 pm
we have retired to our rooms for lunch and potential napping. i justify this as conserving my energy.
ts hanna has revved herself up to 70 mph winds. for you novices out there, a minimal hurricane (category 1) has winds of 74 mph. the difference between a tropical storm and a hurricane is all in those few miles per hour. i know it's a necessary distinction (for all sorts of forecasting and insurance reasons, probably.)
those few miles per hour, though, can truly lead to a false sense of security. most people around here haven't witnessed a major storm since 1999's Floyd, and unfortunately, have become a little too laid back about tropical storms. the prevailing attitude is that a *simple* tropical storm/*weak* hurricane isn't' something to be concerned about. there's more of a party attitude: wooHOO i don't have to work today! let's have a hurricane party!! man-on-the-street, who is inevitably interviewed by The Weather Channel, proudly states that HIS crew doesn't budge for anything less than a "3"!
during the approach of a storm, most residents are urged to move "inland," for fear of heavy winds and, most importantly, storm surge. my hotel is approximately 5 miles from the beach, although you still have to cross the intracoastal waterway to get here from the ocean. 5 miles, with a major waterway in between, does not really make for a good definition of "inland." we've spent a good portion of our week fielding phone calls from all of the party people who would rather ride out the storm in the hotel than in their homes.
i honestly don't believe they want to stay here to get away from the storm. it probably has more to do with the fact that if they stay here, somebody else will clean up all the beer cans...
i do everything in my power to dissuade those people from coming here.
3:12 pm
i've probably bored you to tears with technical storm info. and? i'm getting really tempted to buy the Pro Caulk kit they are advertising incessantly on The Weather Channel. have you seen this thing? i mean, who wouldn't want to re caulk all of their bathrooms with this thing?!?
3:21 pm
forgot to mention: slightly overcast. winds are calm. extremely HUMID!
we have retired to our rooms for lunch and potential napping. i justify this as conserving my energy.
ts hanna has revved herself up to 70 mph winds. for you novices out there, a minimal hurricane (category 1) has winds of 74 mph. the difference between a tropical storm and a hurricane is all in those few miles per hour. i know it's a necessary distinction (for all sorts of forecasting and insurance reasons, probably.)
those few miles per hour, though, can truly lead to a false sense of security. most people around here haven't witnessed a major storm since 1999's Floyd, and unfortunately, have become a little too laid back about tropical storms. the prevailing attitude is that a *simple* tropical storm/*weak* hurricane isn't' something to be concerned about. there's more of a party attitude: wooHOO i don't have to work today! let's have a hurricane party!! man-on-the-street, who is inevitably interviewed by The Weather Channel, proudly states that HIS crew doesn't budge for anything less than a "3"!
during the approach of a storm, most residents are urged to move "inland," for fear of heavy winds and, most importantly, storm surge. my hotel is approximately 5 miles from the beach, although you still have to cross the intracoastal waterway to get here from the ocean. 5 miles, with a major waterway in between, does not really make for a good definition of "inland." we've spent a good portion of our week fielding phone calls from all of the party people who would rather ride out the storm in the hotel than in their homes.
i honestly don't believe they want to stay here to get away from the storm. it probably has more to do with the fact that if they stay here, somebody else will clean up all the beer cans...
i do everything in my power to dissuade those people from coming here.
3:12 pm
i've probably bored you to tears with technical storm info. and? i'm getting really tempted to buy the Pro Caulk kit they are advertising incessantly on The Weather Channel. have you seen this thing? i mean, who wouldn't want to re caulk all of their bathrooms with this thing?!?
3:21 pm
forgot to mention: slightly overcast. winds are calm. extremely HUMID!
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part three
12:45 pm
ho-hum. jack has settled down with his "highlights: top secret" kit that his granne just dropped off. i have settled down to updating my hurricane manual (no time like the present, right??)
matty is finally off-island, and i've just sent him to pick up a few board games from the house and sandwich stuff for our room. rooms, i should say. i *splurged* on the adjoining this time around. it's been about three years since we had to hole up in the hotel for a storm. back then, our little family of three was content in one room. now, our little family of three includes a playstation (warrants it's own TV for sure), AND the aforementioned family of stuffed animals.
12:50 pm
jack is upstairs with the walkie talkie, giving me a play by play of the housekeeping staff. it's hysterical!! maybe i should offer him a part time job as a security guard. he ends every sentence with, "do you roger that?"
12:51 pm
i feel like i've been here for 8 hours. it hasn't even been four... not raining. no breezes. yet.
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part two
11:20 am
latest update from NOAA shows storm making a landfall a little south and west of us, which puts us in the "right front quadrant." typically the hairiest part of the storm. hopefully, though, we still won't see hurricane strength winds.
watching a hurricane come is tedious. it makes me sleepy.
jack and i have been testing the walkie talkies. for an hour. at least he feels free to roam the hotel without me attached to his side.
i want to go to my room and take a nap. it will be a long night (landfall is expected around 2 am tomorrow.) however, this is a "typical workday" now that all of our major preparations are done. hmmmm, how can i get motivated?
jack is still "testing" his walkie talkie. i just turned mine off...
latest update from NOAA shows storm making a landfall a little south and west of us, which puts us in the "right front quadrant." typically the hairiest part of the storm. hopefully, though, we still won't see hurricane strength winds.
watching a hurricane come is tedious. it makes me sleepy.
jack and i have been testing the walkie talkies. for an hour. at least he feels free to roam the hotel without me attached to his side.
i want to go to my room and take a nap. it will be a long night (landfall is expected around 2 am tomorrow.) however, this is a "typical workday" now that all of our major preparations are done. hmmmm, how can i get motivated?
jack is still "testing" his walkie talkie. i just turned mine off...
a day in the life - tropical storm hanna edition - part one
from time to time, i've been asked to share my experiences as the general manager of a hotel. so, i'm thinking, now that i'm *stuck* here for the next 24 hours or so, this could be a good time to try it out!!
fyi, TS Hanna is posing no specific threat to life and limb here. if this was a major storm, i would probably be in my car heading inland. i am not in harms way as type these words. i repeat, i am safe and sound. well, okay, i'm safe. the sound part has yet to be proven...
6:10 am
alarm goes off and i promptly turn it off. school has been cancelled for the day (some of the schools are used as emergency shelters). they're also concerned about the buses running this afternoon in heavy rains and/or wind. so they made the decision last night to go ahead and cancel schools. but, where was i? oh, that's right, sleeping in.
7:18 am
time to get up and prepare for moving over to the hotel. our house is about 9 miles inland from the hotel, so no real threat of damage here. for this storm, at least. we spent wednesday and thursday evenings "battening down the hatches." are windchimes considered "hatches?"
first cup of coffee while i spend twenty minutes watching The Weather Channel. nothing new. really glad jim cantore is up in the Outer Banks. have a feeling he and his crew would be a little high maintenance.
7:45 am
wash up dishes, start packing overnight bag. wake jack, who's overly excited to spend the night at the hotel(!) take trash to the curb, start dishwasher, note big raindrops beginning to fall on the driveway. ugh - it is HUMID!
8:10 am
start thinking i really should be getting to the hotel, as it tends to be a little crazy during storms. "voluntary evacuations" have been issued for all of the beach communities. a "voluntary evacuation" is the local governments way of covering their rearends. hardly anyone will evacuate. unless they think that camping out at the Hampton Inn is an evacuation.
8:40 am
load up four(!) overnight bags. no use convincing jack that he does not need every. single.stuffed animal from his bedroom. they're coming along, too. head into town. there is a light rain that makes it necessary to run windshield wipers. oh, wait, now we don't need them. it will be like this all morning.
mat calls from bald head island. he will cross back to mainland on the noon ferry. debating whether or not to stay at the hotel or stay at the house. i say the house is fine. i will NOT be fine if i have the hotel AND jack to manage alone for the next 24 hours!
9:00 am
second cup of coffee. hampton inn style/robust. jack raids the complimentary breakfast buffet. i touch base with my front desk team, maintenance, housekeeping. all preparations are just about done - the pool is closed, the flags are down, sandbags ready, walkie talkies charged. the sun is shining. decide to eat a bagel before moving our *luggage* upstairs.
9:45 am
unload the car and make our way onto the elevator. by the time we reach our room on the second floor, rain and wind are pelting the window on the east side of the hotel. jack and i give each other a high five that we unloaded the car just in time. we make our way downstairs. ten minutes later, the sun is shining.
fyi, TS Hanna is posing no specific threat to life and limb here. if this was a major storm, i would probably be in my car heading inland. i am not in harms way as type these words. i repeat, i am safe and sound. well, okay, i'm safe. the sound part has yet to be proven...
6:10 am
alarm goes off and i promptly turn it off. school has been cancelled for the day (some of the schools are used as emergency shelters). they're also concerned about the buses running this afternoon in heavy rains and/or wind. so they made the decision last night to go ahead and cancel schools. but, where was i? oh, that's right, sleeping in.
7:18 am
time to get up and prepare for moving over to the hotel. our house is about 9 miles inland from the hotel, so no real threat of damage here. for this storm, at least. we spent wednesday and thursday evenings "battening down the hatches." are windchimes considered "hatches?"
first cup of coffee while i spend twenty minutes watching The Weather Channel. nothing new. really glad jim cantore is up in the Outer Banks. have a feeling he and his crew would be a little high maintenance.
7:45 am
wash up dishes, start packing overnight bag. wake jack, who's overly excited to spend the night at the hotel(!) take trash to the curb, start dishwasher, note big raindrops beginning to fall on the driveway. ugh - it is HUMID!
8:10 am
start thinking i really should be getting to the hotel, as it tends to be a little crazy during storms. "voluntary evacuations" have been issued for all of the beach communities. a "voluntary evacuation" is the local governments way of covering their rearends. hardly anyone will evacuate. unless they think that camping out at the Hampton Inn is an evacuation.
8:40 am
load up four(!) overnight bags. no use convincing jack that he does not need every. single.stuffed animal from his bedroom. they're coming along, too. head into town. there is a light rain that makes it necessary to run windshield wipers. oh, wait, now we don't need them. it will be like this all morning.
mat calls from bald head island. he will cross back to mainland on the noon ferry. debating whether or not to stay at the hotel or stay at the house. i say the house is fine. i will NOT be fine if i have the hotel AND jack to manage alone for the next 24 hours!
9:00 am
second cup of coffee. hampton inn style/robust. jack raids the complimentary breakfast buffet. i touch base with my front desk team, maintenance, housekeeping. all preparations are just about done - the pool is closed, the flags are down, sandbags ready, walkie talkies charged. the sun is shining. decide to eat a bagel before moving our *luggage* upstairs.
9:45 am
unload the car and make our way onto the elevator. by the time we reach our room on the second floor, rain and wind are pelting the window on the east side of the hotel. jack and i give each other a high five that we unloaded the car just in time. we make our way downstairs. ten minutes later, the sun is shining.
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