I am sitting anxiously at my desk right now, during the first serious tornado watch of my life. We had these things occasionally in DOU-Town, but they were kind of a joke: the landscape, as I was told, did not easily permit such things to form, and tornadoes were exceedingly rare.
Apparently, that is not quite the case here in Ghosttown.
I have vast experience in comporting myself appropriately in, say, heavy rainstorms, snowstorms, ice storms, sandstorms, hurricanes, cold snaps, and heat waves. Been there, done all that. I do not fear them very much. (Even though ice storms are a godawful pain in the ass to cope with afterward.) But I'm afraid of tornadoes. *whimper*
We're only half an hour into the "peak severe timing" for this tornado watch, and the weather service, which I am now checking obsessively online while I am still blessed to have internet access, says there are already tornado warning sirens going off in half a dozen towns and cities not so very far away from Ghosttown. There have been periods of intense rainfall tonight, and some high winds. I've been through all of that many times before, and wouldn't really think much of it if I didn't know the larger forecast. The peak severe timing – what does that mean, anyway, 'be even more afraid right now'? – isn't due to end for another four and a half hours. Seriously, until 3AM! How the fuck am I supposed to get a decent night's rest when I may have to somehow rouse myself to stand in my bathroom as Dorothy's express commuter service rips my house off its foundation?
Needless to say, this is not how I hoped to unwind on the evening before my first day of classes. It's entirely possible that both professor and students will be frazzled and underslept tomorrow in my classrooms.
I guess I'll have a shot of whiskey to calm my nerves, and then prepare for bed, where I will sleep with my iPhone by my ear, in case Ghosttown U.'s alert system sends out a "take shelter immediately" warning.
*whimper*
Apparently, that is not quite the case here in Ghosttown.
I have vast experience in comporting myself appropriately in, say, heavy rainstorms, snowstorms, ice storms, sandstorms, hurricanes, cold snaps, and heat waves. Been there, done all that. I do not fear them very much. (Even though ice storms are a godawful pain in the ass to cope with afterward.) But I'm afraid of tornadoes. *whimper*
We're only half an hour into the "peak severe timing" for this tornado watch, and the weather service, which I am now checking obsessively online while I am still blessed to have internet access, says there are already tornado warning sirens going off in half a dozen towns and cities not so very far away from Ghosttown. There have been periods of intense rainfall tonight, and some high winds. I've been through all of that many times before, and wouldn't really think much of it if I didn't know the larger forecast. The peak severe timing – what does that mean, anyway, 'be even more afraid right now'? – isn't due to end for another four and a half hours. Seriously, until 3AM! How the fuck am I supposed to get a decent night's rest when I may have to somehow rouse myself to stand in my bathroom as Dorothy's express commuter service rips my house off its foundation?
Needless to say, this is not how I hoped to unwind on the evening before my first day of classes. It's entirely possible that both professor and students will be frazzled and underslept tomorrow in my classrooms.
I guess I'll have a shot of whiskey to calm my nerves, and then prepare for bed, where I will sleep with my iPhone by my ear, in case Ghosttown U.'s alert system sends out a "take shelter immediately" warning.
*whimper*
You know I am all too accustomed to these things, having lived in that general area for a good bit of my life. I hope that this message finds you in a state of safety and serenity.
ReplyDeleteI hope everything turns out well! Keep your chin up! And I hope none of the damage I've been reading about ends up your way!
ReplyDeleteThanks, you two. We never went higher than a tornado watch, although there was a severe thunderstorm warning (whatever) and we apparently had hail overnight: there were little white ice smears on my car this morning, although no actual damage that I could find.
ReplyDeleteNow I suppose I can channel more of my anxiety toward my career, as per usual.
I'm glad to hear you're all right. Technically I live in tornado country but have never experienced one. They scare me more than earthquakes, though, which people around here find bizarre. It's the randomness that gets me (and that people here find comforting); in an earthquake, you're all in it together.
ReplyDelete