I didn't want your freakin' hurricane

So I went to see "Tell no one" Sunday afternoon. Bit windy on the way there, a few traffic lights were out. 10 minutes in, the theater looses power. We wait 20 minutes before they hand out passes & everyone leaves. My internet-enabled phone with itunes kept me happy during the wait. I go out to my car. Two car lengths in front of me, a tree is down across the road. Could have totalled my car, which would have sucked since I just got new shocks & struts. I think "crazy" and snap a photo.

 

The whole way home there are trees and power lines down. My car is literally rocking in the wind. The power is just coming back in my building when I get home. I make a quick meal (it was 3pm and I hadn't had lunch), then decided to run out and get food that didn't require cooking in case it goes out again. I see more trees & lines down. The brick roof has come off one building. People are out with chainsaws cutting up 100-year-old downed trees. The grocery store is closed and guarded by police.

 

I find an open gas station & run in to grab foodstuff. The power goes out, but comes right back on again. I go home. Garage door is shutting, then freezes. The power is out again. I find a spot on the street that is not near any trees. Sit in the semi-darkness. Check the internet on my phone. Then I find out that Findlay market is on fire. That's just not right (damage is now said to be minimal).

 

Later, I went to Starbucks in Rookwood Commons to charge my phone. Since that's the only spot in the city with power, everyone & their grandmother is there. No phone charging for me. I just grab my coffee & return to my dark house to read a book with 8 candles and a mini flashlight. I was very jealous of my neighbor who had an electric torch.

 

Power is still out this am, but fortunately the high is only 72. Work has power, so that's where I am now (though many of the other locations are out of power and a lot of people are not in the office).

 

There are over 600,000 people in the Cincinnati area without power. It may take up to a week to get our power back. We had gusts of up to 75mph.

 

Now, I realize that Houston is WAY worse of. But seriously, I soo did not want your freakin' hurricane, big sister.

(PS I wrote this on Monday. I had power back by that afternoon. Over a million people were out in Ohio at the hight of the storm - they've got it down to about 100,000 at this point. Crazy).