I had a lot of plans for this week. I had scheduled my babysitter to come three mornings so that I could get a head start on NaNoWriMo, take care of doctor's appointments, and get some exercise. I was going to knit and get caught up on TV. I was basically going to live my little life, nothing spectacular. Then a hurricane came and devastated my state. I love living in NJ — I loved living in NYC too — and seeing the destruction that Hurricane Sandy has wrought on my two favorite states is horrifying. The Jersey Shore is almost completely gone. Most of my state is still without power 5 days post-hurricane. Including us.
The 40ft pine tree that came down in our backyard but thankfully did not hit our house.
We're one of the fortunate few, though. Last year, after Hurricane Irene came through and then a freak winter storm that dropped a tree on our house, I said to my husband, “We should buy a generator.” He wanted to take our slush fund and buy a new garage door, but I was convinced that we would need the generator. I believe in global warming. I think that anyone who does not is an idiot. And I knew that Hurricane Irene would not be the last hurricane we saw in our new house. Certainly, that freak snow storm would not be the last either. We have young kids and need power for our sanity and our jobs. It seemed that the generator was a solid investment.
Let me tell you, it is. Now, if only we could find gas for it! Note to all readers: if you're going to buy a generator, get one that hooks up to your natural gas line. Learn from my semi-mistake! Gas is suddenly very hard to come by in NJ and we need it to keep the lights on at night, our heat running, and our food from spoiling. Oh, and to keep my two SICK kids from going crazy. Yes, they're both sick. It's maddening, the timing.
I still plan on participating in NaNoWriMo. When the power is on and my computer is charged up, I have been writing. My heart's not in it now, though, to be honest. I'm worried about my home, my family, and what's in store for us if the power doesn't come back on soon. If you can spare a moment to send good thoughts to my entire state (for there are people a lot worse off than us!), I'd appreciate it. And please be sure to thank FEMA and all the government agencies that are helping us through this crisis. They should never be taken for granted.
Hopefully I'll be back here on Tuesday to say the power is back on, my kid is at school, and I voted. That would be normal life again.
