The Storm

It's weird about the hurricane. Even though losing power for a week is nothing in comparison to losing your home, it was still pretty traumatic. Sitting in your house and not knowing what's going to happen next was a pretty scary thing. Nothing that you were used to doing was possible once it was over. You didn't know which roads would be open or if water was going to be limited. Could you get gas? It was freaky that the phones--both land lines and cell--were out for a period of time. So even if you didn't lose your home, it was still a tough time.

Everybody at work has been remarking about how off kilter they have been feeling since the storm. I think most are finally beginning to feel that things are back to normal, for the most part. It does weigh on your mind that there are so many people who are suffering from losing their homes, and the thought of losing big sections of the Jersey shore is really sad. Over the last 2 years, I've been spending a lot of time there, and I'm really sad to know that so many of those areas are, for the most part, gone.

The lines at the gas station are finally gone, but there are still many signs of the storm. For example, there are still lots of trees down. These are not just little twigs, but gigantic pine trees that I'm sure are very old.

Everybody I know is planning to get a generator, just in case we have another storm. In other words, people feel pretty certain that this was not the last of the big, crazy storms. I think that's definitely a shift in attitude.

I am very lucky to have good friends who kept checking in. I have a core set of neighbors who banded together and helped each other. That was a very comforting thing.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! We do all have so much to be grateful for!

Dear Date

Before we go out, you must provide:

• fingerprints
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• FBI dossier
• urine sample
• snippet of hair

Ready to go?