Live Blog, Part the Third

8:55 am:

Power has remained on (i.e., no one has tried to simulate a power outage in our house -- cough -- MIKE HAMILTON -- cough).

Mike is driving to work this morning. No school for the kids. Still chilly and rainy, but all I've seen looking out our windows is some downed patio furniture at a neighbor's house. So we were lucky. There don't seem to be as many power outages in the area as I expected, so I imagine we will all have school tomorrow.

Thinking of all the New Yorkers/ New Jerseyans (?) out there. We lucked out around here.

3:06 pm:

The school I work in follows Prince George's County Public Schools for weather-related closings. PGCPS is open for business tomorrow, which means I will be getting my usual early start tomorrow. No announcements from Anne Arundel County yet, but I imagine they don't want to burn through three snow days before the end of October.

Le Pup had a session with the dog trainer this morning. Unfortunately, I think she smells the experience on him, because she is never particularly happy to see him. Either that, or the breeder graduated her from some kind of Protect the Homestead from Old(ish) Bearded Guys Certification Program. I wonder if or when Cookie might figure out that she's small.

Live Blog, Part Deux

9:25:

Kids were very excited to show us their somersaults. Mark went down to watch and decided to participate. To his wife's chagrin, he emerged from the basement crowing, "I flipped like a bitch!"

His wife tried to convince him that outdoors was the place to be. :)

9:20

My intrepid neighbor Eric went to investigate kid noise in the basement. He came up bearing some very pointy darts, but swears none of the kids got any piercings. Refilling my glass now.

8:15

The power flickered out.

Just when we finished our 'oh, crap' reactions, the power flickered back on. Relief lasted for a few seconds, before the power flickered off again.

This time, when the power came back on, Mike and our neighbor, Steve, stood there grinning. They found the fuse box and decided to have some fun. Steve swears it was Mike's idea (Guilty -- MH). They were called every name in the book before their ingenuity was celebrated.

7:32

My neighbors are underwhelmed by the wind. Mark, who admittedly has has several shots of Honey Jack, declared that the current windspeed is 15 mph, max.

Maddie just dispatched Mike to get her American Girl doll (in her case, more aptly named American Tomboy doll), so that her doll can join Lauren, Shannon, and the rest of the Huntresses.

7:12:

Mark Taylor: : "What's wrong with us?" (I.e. men?)

For those two or three of you reading our humble blog, feel free to post your thoughts.

6:40 pm:

RsLatest power-outage scare: Lights go out in kitchen at neighbors' house. Adults jump six feet in the air and wonder where the flashlights are. The Hamiltons are less fazed, and inform the assembled gathering that it is not BGE's fault. Leah is flipping light switches. Drink refills all around.




 

Posted with Blogsy

Hurricane Sandy live blog

To keep everybody up to date and maybe have a few laughs (as long as we have power). ...

6 pm: 

Off to the neighborhood hurricane party across the street! Our neighbor Mark has already posted on Facebook about his liquor stash (vaulting him to the top of our List of Houses to Loot if the Worst Happens), and is now making hurricanes in honor of today's weather disturbance. It takes more than 45 mph wind gusts to deter the Putnam Lane Driveway Drinking Society (or in this case, the Putnam Lane Get Away from the Windows Society).

5:14 pm:

Maddie says to her friend Emily via FaceTime: "Guess what I can do with my pants?"

Since I don't want to be arrested as a purveyor of internet porn, I decide to check what is happening with said pants. Luckily, her broadcast-worthy trouser feat was pulling the waistband up to her armpits.

Whew. A mega-dork, instead of a perv.

4:55 pm:

Last look today at Patio Lake.

4:40 pm:

So you're saying it isn't over?

4:30 pm: 

Facetiming with a friend down the street about how bored they are.

3:33 pm

Lights just flickered. One possible plus to a power outage: Leah is currently stimming on PBS Kids. Losing power would end my daydream of asking Lauren and her merry band of American Girl huntresses to take out the television.

3:30 pm

The rain is steady but not too intense yet.

3:15 pm: 

Lauren is teaching her American Girl to hunt, aided and abetted by her friend Shannon. Maybe that's the next Girl of the Year -- Artemis, comes complete with bow and arrow set, wall-mountable stag head, and chastity belt. Who wants to volunteer to write the required four-book set?

3:09 pm: 

Mike gave the mutt some peanuts. Cookie expressed her thanks by barfing on the couch. Thank God for IKEA couches with removable slipcovers.

2:50 pm:

Provisions check. Looking grim.

1:55 pm:

Hardware out, Maddie has her first popcorn in more than a year.

1:25 pm:

The wind is starting to pick up.

11:45 am:

The rain is picking up and our usual patio lake starts to form.

10:55 am:

On a conference call from my kitchen office (yay, unused outlets).

10:26 am:

Maddie's orthodontist moved up her appointment from tomorrow so the lip bumper and palate expander come out at noon. Just in time for chewy Halloween candy.

10:13 am:

For the handful of people who have not seen this one on Facebook. It came in via e-mail this morning:

10:05 am: 

One foul-weather perk: Cookie is extremely mellow. No sitting on my head, no arguments with the Swiffer, no standing on the deck protecting the homestead from random noises.

10 am:

It's not really raining right now. IS THAT ALL YOU GOT, SANDY? HUH?

(Runs inside and hides under bed)

9:20 am:

Even better: Hurricane bacon and pancakes!

9:13 am:

Hurricane bacon!

9:03 am:

Did I remember to mention that Notre Dame is 8-0? No? Well, GO IRISH!!

8:47 am:

As long as we're blogging, we might as well play a little Hamilton family catch-up. Maddie has revised her previous stance on having babies.

Not too long ago, she announced, "When I'm ready to have babies, I will go to the orphanage and ask for a boy who's potty-trained. Diapers are gross."

8:12 am: 

Um ... I need to go NOW. This is the routine, right?

So far, not much wind but a fair amount of rain.