This past weekend we had a horrendous storm pass over the usually blue skies of San Diego. Luckily we were prepared, thanks to numerous and early warnings from the news media and meteorologists. Apparently, a large cold front made it's way down from Canada and swept along the coast, leaving a wake of destruction. It terrorized Californians all the way from San Francisco to San Diego.
The odd thing about this storm is that we don't usually get storms this early. Winter will sometimes bring the occasional storm, but not usually until well into November. This year, Motha' Naytcha' was pissed, and she took out her anger on the peace loving Sunshine State. (I've decided Florida doesn't deserve that nickname so I'm taking it back for California. Besides 'Golden State' fits Florida much better, as most of its inhabitants are in their golden years.)
Alice and I braced ourselves for the worst, and we are glad to still be alive and blogging. I will recount some of the more harrowing details of the fateful storm.
Driving home Friday, the radio news program warns of the impending storm. Alice and I stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up bread and other staples in case we have to huddle under our bed for a few days.
Friday night we try to distract ourselves by watching Survivor online. If there is a city wide blackout, we want to get our media fix to tide us over through the outage.
We stay awake until the wee hours of 11pm in order to witness the raw power of the approaching apocalypse. We contemplate unplugging all electronic devices and boarding up our windows, but we are too lazy.
We fall asleep, huddled together in our bed, unsure if society will still be there when we wake up, or if anarchy will have taken over in the aftermath of the storm of the century. The temperature plummets in the night to a frigid 60 degrees, giving me cause to consider shutting our bedroom window. But I shrug off the concern and pull the light blanket back over my body and go back to sleep.
We wake up and take in the devastation. All around us, everything is covered in a thin layer of water! The streets, the cars, even the deck furniture by the pool. The devastation is unbelievable. We check the lights to see if we still have power. I was sure that all that water must have shorted out the power lines, and even electrocuted anybody unlucky or foolish enough to step in the dangerous puddles that dotted the ground here and there. (Water can not only drown a person, but it also conducts electricity very well, making it even that much more dangerous in a city full of electricity.) Miracle of miracles! The power is still on.
We turn on the radio to get a full estimate of the damage. Sure enough, the news reports are rife with warnings and cautions. 'Be careful driving out there! The roads are WET!' 'Spotty rain is slowing down the traffic on 'the five' all the way from Del Mar to La Jolla!' 'Reports of light to very light rain have been coming in from ALL OVER the county!'
Needless to say, it was a very stressful weekend. I'm glad that storm is over and we're back to our 77 degree weather. I just hope we can make it through this winter if that's the kind of storm global warming will make a regular occurrence.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Winter came early to SoCal - HUGE STORM!
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3 Helens agree.
Corbin, thank you for bringing this important topic to our attention. Please allow me a moment to emphasize the dangers that are so freqeuntly caused by this harmful substance you have recently encountered. The following facts are courtesy of John Allen Waterman, a valiant soldier in the rescue of our fragile planet:
As you have undoubtedly read, DIHYDROGEN OXIDE has been found to be a major threat to the environment and to humans and animal health. Here are the facts:
In 1991, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 4,100 Americans, many of them under the age of 10, died from excessive dosages of dihydrogen oxide commonly found in many homes and recreation areas.
Our polluted lakes, rivers, and oceans are known to contain vast quantities of dihydrogen oxide. On this, there is no controversy!
Contaminated ground water? Same tragic situation.
In California, Missouri and Georgia, families have lost their homes due to dihydrogen oxide contamination.
In some applications, dihydrogen oxide is a major contributor to injuries from falls. In other applications, dihydrogen oxide is a major cause of burns.
Why does America endure this wasteful destruction of our planet, our children and ourselves? Greed. Simple greed and stupidity.
We need your help now. In the next 24 hours, we need you to demand an end to the production and use of dihydrogen oxide. Please write: The Dihydrogen Oxide Institute, P.O. Box 7178,
Washington DC 20044-7178.
On behalf of future generations, I thank you.
Sincerely,
John Alan Waterman
You know that story of the gambler who found himself on the other side (dead) in a casino in which he was the luckiest winner of all, never losing and winning all the $$$, only to find out it was hell b/c nothing ever changed and the joy of winning was irrevocably lost. Yeah, that's San Diego for ya. You think it's heaven until... da da da.... you stay a while and find the mundane drives you INSANE!!!! Be grateful for that weather change. It's just the devil trying to keep you strung along just a little bit longer.
Go ahead. It's only 2¢.