I’ve been watching hurricane Ike with some extra interest—I finally heard from some of my Houston friends that didn’t bug out of the city. My friend David’s apartment shook all night like a sonufabitch but he only lost power for several hours (putting him in the minority I guess) and came through with everything basically intact.
He’s been getting a ton of writing done I’m told, what with the curfews, debris-ridden roads, and University of Houston closed until tomorrow at the earliest. He went to the Poison Girl (the local joint) last night, though with no refrigeration they had to chill the beer in buckets of ice (and during an ice shortage too). Priorities are priorities. Totally understandable. David described it as a kind of heaven, and I must admit I’m finding myself just a little jealous.
It’s some scary-ass business though. We were down there when Rita barreled down on Houston (or almost did). We evac-ed to the airport to fly up to Detroit. Almost didn’t make it—gridlock on the highways at 4am, an airport in a state of pandemonium, Stef and I running with toddler Scarlett for the ate at the last possible moment. Took years off my fuckin’ life I’m sure.
Scarlett asked us about the hurricane this weekend when we had the CNN footage going—she wanted to know why no hurricanes in Michigan. I told her don’t worry, we get tornados instead, sort of like a scoop of hurricane in a cone.
It got me to thinking about the places I’ve lived and have yet to live and I can’t decide which of the natural disasters scare me the most—hurricane, tornado, mudslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, living in a flood plain, the Santa Ana fires, volcanic eruption, killer bees, etc.
I guess they all suck, though I have to admit the footage of the guy who refuses to leave his home in the Hawaiian jungle every time the volcano rains shit down upon him is slightly funny. I mean, the lava moves so deliberately and slow, and he knows it’s coming and yet he refuses to go . . . I guess I should applaud his wherewithal? But I don’t, I usually giggle a little and grab a bag of chips or something.