the list of now

We lost all power for only about 4 hours today. Then it all came back on for an hour or so before half the house went out again.

The half with the fridge and the running water is out. And the networking panel that our internet modem and wireless router is plugged into.

Guess what we were most upset about?

Food staying cold? Whatevs. Having to flush the toilet using a watering can and the water we filled the tub with? All good.

But you best believe we were looking for the power strip/surge protector with the longest cord to get our internet back on, fucking stat.

In local news I keep seeing people throwing the word “preparedness” around. I didn’t think that was even a word. And if it is, how does it differ from “preparation”? Maybe “preparation” is what you do and “preparedness” is a state of being?

No matter.  I’m rocking the prepwhateverness for this hurricane!

Because I live in a small house that I believe to be secure, located outside a dangerzone, the worst that can happen to me is losing power and getting stuck here for a while.  With that in mind, this is the (admittedly somewhat frivolous) list of the kinds of things that I’ve actually been thinking about as “necessities” for such an occasion.

I have:

• supplies to make both white and semi-sweet “puppy chow” (you know, the dessert chex mix)
• lots of tea (and a propane stove, so power or none, the teapot is not bothered)
• coffee (and a french press and a stovetop espresso pot which also give zero fucks about losing power)
• the good incense
• tealight candles
• a shelf full of comic books I have not yet read
• lots and lots of art supplies and writing implements and paper
• a portable record player with batteries
• a set of tiny speakers that run on batteries to play the mp3 player if the power goes out and I run through all the record player batteries.
• scrabble, risk, bananagrams, last night on earth (the zombie apocalypse boardgame), playing cards, uno, guillotine, chess and 90′s trivial pursuit.
• yarnstash and knitting needles
• peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars
• a guitar and a captive audience, really patient Darcy.
• a bottle of wine
• beer for the people in my house who drink beer, not me.
• small cans of v8.  to be healthy or something.
• camping lantern
• clean bedsheets, blankets and lots of pillows for all our fort-building needs
• lots of treats to pacify Max who is afraid of storms and will likely spend the entire hurricane whimpering under our bed.

Clearly, I’m set.

On a more serious note, lest you worry about my situation (or sanity) – I did actually take some actual precautions for emergency.  We have a few gallons of water, a water filter thingie if we need more. Non-perishable food. A cooler to take things out of the fridge that we might need or want so that we can keep it closed if the power goes out.  Flashlights, garbage bags, clothesline. We are filling the tub for extra water and flushing. A place to go if we have to evacuate and a jeep to evacuate in.  Plenty of dog and cat food and a plan of how we’d evacuate them too.

I’m very, very lucky to have the means to be this prepared and live somewhere relatively safe (as much as I can be living right next to the ocean).

I wish the best for everyone on the East Coast dealing with this right now.  I know there are a lot of areas that will need help cleaning up from damages and flooding and people who will need their communities to step up.  Let’s all prepare and be there for that too.