More lessons from Ike

My friend Laura sent this to me this morning. I added a few of my own thoughts in red. And yes, Bill, I did want to go through a hurricane, I did think it was fun, but the aftermath….not so much!!

Laura’s list of things Ike taught!

1. Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill. (bagel bites on the grill…not so much!)

2. Hot pockets taste pretty good deep fried on the outdoor cooker!

3. My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it).

4. He who has the biggest generator wins. (just so you know…no matter what size, they are very loud!)

5. A new method of non-lethal torture – showers without hot water.

6. TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful. (mostly for the kids….but, enjoying our newfound Amish lifestyle so much, we still haven’t told them that cable is back.)

7. Flood plain drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong. (ask Bill about when he was bailing water for hours to keep it from coming in from our backyard)

8. People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.

9. Cell phones work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged. (thank you to Jasons Deli for letting me charge my phone in a pinch! Also, cell phones get all messed up in hurricanes and they tell you to start texting which does work. I’m an expert now! Most sent text….Power?!?) The funniest charge I saw was a lady at the mall charging her toothbrush!

10. Hampers were not made to contain such a volume. (Seriously….I’ve had power for a week now and I am just finishing today all the sheets, towels, etc. that backed up!)

11. If I had a store that sold only ice, chainsaws, gas and generators, I’d be rich.

12. Waterfront property can quickly become someone else’s fishing hole.

13. Tree service companies are underappreciated.

14. MATH 101: 30 days in month, minus 6 days without power equals 30% higher electric bill??

15. I can walk a lot farther than I thought.

16. A MUST for all blackouts with kids… GLOWSTICKS!

17. Suddenly you realize you DO have neighbors! (one of the top 3 best things of the storm…hanging out and visiting with neighbors. There were no practices to run to, no calls to make….it was seriously Mayberry. And another favorite storm memory….walking across the street each morning to my neighbors house - who had power and had run an extension cord to our house to run our fridge - with my toaster in hand. I’d toast my English muffin and sit in his driveway to eat it. Bill kept wanting the newspaper to drive by and take my picture….sitting in someones driveway with my toaster bumming a little power off a neighbor!)

18. Neighbors are much more sociable when your trees are being removed from their houses.

19. That neighbor who knows how to use a chainsaw is your new best friend.

20. What looks acceptable by candlelight in your bathroom will scare you when you look at yourself in the mirror at the work. (this is VERY true)

21. Diet Coke is NOT a luxury - it’s a staple! And withdrawal is no fun.

22. Peanut butter and jelly is a perfectly acceptable meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the same day.

23. Ice is a form of currency.

24. You run out of things to barbecue after Day 3. (and you discover things in your freezer you had NO idea were there. Houston refridgerators have never been cleaner!)

25. Hair can dry without a blow dryer, but it may not look the way you planned. (Box fan drying works o.k.)

26. Baseball caps go with any post-hurricane ensemble.

27. You can’t train yourself not to flip on light switches when entering a room. (and it takes a day or two to readjust and realize you CAN turn on the light switch again)

28. Lukewarm is the new cold.

29. It’s easier to ignore a dirty house when you can’t see it. (But it’s a totaly bummer when the lights come back on….dust everywhere!)

30. A new opening phrase when seeing someone: ‘Got lights yet?

31. Daydreaming consists of thinking about what you will do when the freak’n power comes back on! (First thing after the happy dance….turn on the a/c!!!!!!!!!)

32. Your kids realize they have toys, games and puzzles they haven’t worked or played in years. I stopped counting how many times I played Life during the aftermath…and I was always a little angry at my game people….I was sure they were living life with power….but last night at the school Open House I read on Savannah’s paper of her favorite things….playing Life with me. :)