Scary Stuff
Well, that's not an auspicious beginning. I tried to post this on the YDD; they seem to have already shut down the server that hosts my site. So I'm posting it here. Please forgive some of the disconnected references...
I admit it: I'm frightened, for all of us. As of 4 AM CT, Rita seems to be taking better aim at us, though there is still some uncertainty. I don't even know if that's good or bad, i.e., whether it's enough to place us on the "good" side of the storm... right now it looks like a direct hit. But when I read a headline like
Many evacuation routes turn into parking lots, I have to wonder if our decision to stay is any worse than a decision to try to evacuate would have been.
A few practical matters. I may switch to the YDD Annex (see link at top of column) sometime soon; please bookmark it now. My host is a local company, and I assume they will go down during the storm. I also assume our own power and/or telephone service will vanish at some point. I'm taking my laptop to Stella's in case I'm able to blog, but for the worst part of the storm, likely Friday into Saturday, we will probably sit it out in the windowless bathroom of her apartment... no blogging from there. At some point in the next few hours, I'll shut down my main computer and move it to what I hope is a more likely dry location, so this may be the last YDD post for a while.
My thanks to all of you loyal readers who have offered good wishes and assistance. If Stella and I, and of course Tabitha and Samantha, are still alive after the storm, I look forward to resuming posting and discussing life, the universe and everything. If not, so long, and thanks for all the fish. We intend to survive this. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
I admit it: I'm frightened, for all of us. As of 4 AM CT, Rita seems to be taking better aim at us, though there is still some uncertainty. I don't even know if that's good or bad, i.e., whether it's enough to place us on the "good" side of the storm... right now it looks like a direct hit. But when I read a headline like
Many evacuation routes turn into parking lots, I have to wonder if our decision to stay is any worse than a decision to try to evacuate would have been.
A few practical matters. I may switch to the YDD Annex (see link at top of column) sometime soon; please bookmark it now. My host is a local company, and I assume they will go down during the storm. I also assume our own power and/or telephone service will vanish at some point. I'm taking my laptop to Stella's in case I'm able to blog, but for the worst part of the storm, likely Friday into Saturday, we will probably sit it out in the windowless bathroom of her apartment... no blogging from there. At some point in the next few hours, I'll shut down my main computer and move it to what I hope is a more likely dry location, so this may be the last YDD post for a while.
My thanks to all of you loyal readers who have offered good wishes and assistance. If Stella and I, and of course Tabitha and Samantha, are still alive after the storm, I look forward to resuming posting and discussing life, the universe and everything. If not, so long, and thanks for all the fish. We intend to survive this. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
posted by Steve Bates @ 8:13 AM
7 Comments:
At 9/22/2005 6:51 AM,
andante said…
What, no bathroom blogging?
Given the traffic & the limited evacuation routes, I think you've probably made the best decision possible.
I have every confidence you, Stella, and the kitties will be safe and behold you protected and surrounded by the Light.
At 9/22/2005 6:56 AM,
Steve Bates said…
Thanks, andante, for your prayers. There was no "right answer" to the question of whether to stay or go, but we live... or don't... with what we choose. Again, thanks.
At 9/22/2005 8:31 AM,
Liz said…
YDD is back up right now (10:30am Eastern), but you probably made the right decision to go ahead and switch. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Stella and the kitties (and the instrument collection and the computers--fellow flutist and programmer here)
At 9/22/2005 8:35 AM,
Steve Bates said…
Thanks, Liz, but my host reloaded some older snapshot of YDD; that's not the current page, and I can't FTP there at the moment. Stick with the YDD Annex for now.
At 9/22/2005 10:18 AM,
Charles Perez said…
Hope all of you will be okay, Steve. I read on the Houston Chronicle's site that they are opening all outbound routes as one-way... just a thought.
Stay safe, stay dry and if at all possible, stay in touch.
At 9/22/2005 10:24 AM,
Steve Bates said…
Charles, thanks; we'll try to do all of those.
The Houston Chronicle will also tell you that there's a 100-mile traffic jam north of town, and out west isn't so great either, and I believe (I'm not certain) they're releasing another group of mandatory evacuees at noon. Evacuation is really not an option now. If we were in one of the super-dangerous areas, we'd have done it anyway, but we're not, so we won't.
As much stuff as I'm packing to take to Stella's, and to try to safeguard the instruments and computers if possible, I feel almost as if I'm evacuating anyway.
At 9/22/2005 1:58 PM,
Steve Bates said…
vaara, the key word is "weakening." It's not really turning away from Houston, though we may end up on its merely bad side instead of its catastrophic side. But the storm is so big, and so powerful, that even if it misses Houston by a few dozen miles to the east, we'll still get hammered. Cities further inland than Houston will still get hurricane-force winds. It's going to hit someone, and I'd rather it not hit New Orleans. There is no good thing that can happen at this point, only terrible things and less terrible things.
Still, at least I'm not in that 100-mile traffic jam...
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