NaBloPoMo | Day 10: Hurricane Sandy – The Conclusion

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Meleah

It’s fairly safe to say Hurricane Sandy was the worst storm in history for New York and New Jersey.

We are still suffering from effects of the aftermath.

 

And I’m sure it didn’t help matters when we got slammed with that Nor’easter just a few days later. Especially for all of the people who still didn’t have heat or electricity.

But in the midst of heartbreak, unbelievable loss, and total devastation, I witness such an outpour of absolute kindness. It still brings tears to my eyes.

From people offering up power cords to strangers on the street for charging electrical devices, all the way to people opening up their own homes to complete strangers for shelter. Businesses gave away free water, free services, free food, free haircuts, and everything in-between.

And that is exactly what makes us Jersey Strong.

In case you missed my miniseries on Hurricane Sandy the posts can be found here:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six

 

And for the absolute funniest recap of the whole Hurricane Sandy situation, please read Justin’s blog post over HERE.

 

 

PS: Are you as happy as I am that my Hurricane posts are over?

Posted in Drama Drama, Life, Links, NaBloPoMo, Photos | 37 Comments

NaBloPoMo | Day 9: Hurricane Sandy – Part Three

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Meleah

It’s no surprise that I woke up with a significant hangover, after the night before, but that didn’t stop me from grabbing my son, packing up my favorite belongings, and hightailing it out of New Jersey.

After a fist-full of Tylenol, and some Dexeter Coffee, my son and I loaded up the car with our luggage and raced to the nearest gas station. I guess we shouldn’t have been shocked to find out they didn’t have any fuel. And neither did any of the other five gas stations we tried. But since we didn’t have any access to any news we had NO CLUE how bad things really were.

And so, we came back home.

Totally defeated.

Luckily, my father took one look at our faces and handed us the keys to his car.

Booyah.

I’m not gunna lie. The drive to Pennsylvania was absolutely terrifying. Not only because I was scared at any moment one of the fallen trees stuck in a broken power line would suddenly come crashing down on us, or worse a telephone pole, or even worse a traffic light, and not only because the roads were covered in huge trees, broken branches, wet leaves, and live electrical wires, but mostly because all of the other drivers looked just as terrified.

Now…

You’re just going to have to use your imagination here because we were too nervous to take an actual photo of what I’m about to tell you  – but yes, I drove to my brother’s house in my bathrobe, mostly because I don’t own a winter coat, and also because it wouldn’t fit inside my over stuffed suitcase.

But if we had taken that picture, this would have been the caption:

 

I don’t always drive in my bathrobe, officer.  But when I do it’s because I’m a hurricane victim.

 

And after an hour in the car, we made it safely to my brother Adam’s house.

And well… you already know how that worked out.

I couldn’t write next to this hot mess, that silly cat, Louis, refused to play any of us, and after three nights and four days, just when I was at my wits end, it was time for us to leave.

My brother’s girlfriend, Leah, has her own family, who were also in desperate need of heat and electricity. And since my son and I could easily join my parents who were staying with my Uncle Rick, we packed our bags and hit the road.

The drive back to New Jersey was much less horrifying. And on the way to Uncle Ricks, my mother asked if we could stop back at our house first, to pick up a few things. Plus, my son really needed more clothes. And underwear. And his computer.

Upon arriving home, it was so sad to see my whole neighborhood blacked out and practically empty. But I was beyond thrilled to see things were in relatively good shape, all things considered.

I gathered the items my mother asked for and my son refreshed his overnight bag. We were moving as fast as we could, when I heard the doorbell ring.

It was our neighbor, Ira. He informed us that a relative of his had spoken to the police and it might be another 7 – 21 days until the power would be restored.

My heart sank. And a lump formed in my throat. I immediately thought about all of the people that didn’t have a safe haven, to escape from the damage and destruction, like I did. And I almost started to cry.

Before we got back onto the highway, and before we headed to Uncle Ricks house, my son politely asked if he could, “please stop by his girlfriends house, if only for like five minutes, pretty, pretty, please?”

And of course, I said, “yes.”

I let them have a some time together, while I updated my Facebook status from my iPhone. I still had spotty cell reception and I wanted to make sure my mother knew we would be there soon.

After we left his girlfriends house, we turned down our own street and saw something flickering, and glowing, in the distance.

“THE HELL?” I yelled.

“Are those lights?” My son and I both wondered.

Within a matter of seconds my cell phone rang.

And it was only the best phone call ever.

Good ole’ Ira – called to tell us to turn the car around and come home.

OUR POWER HAD BEEN RESTORED!

 

And then, this happened.

PS: Please stay tuned for the final conclusion of Hurricane Sandy.

PPS: I am at a whopping word count of 14,121 for NaNoWriMo!

Posted in Drama Drama, Driving, Family, Humor, JCH quotes, Life, Links, NaBloPoMo, NaNoWriMo | 29 Comments

NaBloPoMo | Day 8: Hurricane Sandy – Part Two

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Meleah

When we woke up Tuesday morning all any one wanted was a cup of caffeine. Luckily my mother has one of those French Press machines and we made our coffee, Dexter Style.

Once we were awake and functional, my son and I decided to take a ride, in our pajamas, in search of a WiFi connection. We also wanted survey the damage in our area, and we needed to charge our cell phones, just in case the service was magically restored.

Of course, most of the roads were closed and no traffic lights were operational, which made traveling not only difficult but also dangerous.

 

[*We quickly turned the car around and went back home.]

 

Later that afternoon, suffering from Internet withdrawl, and practically foaming at the mouth, my next-door neighbor, Ira, took pity on me. And y’all can thank him for providing his iPad and Audi WiFi access so that I could quickly update my Facebook status.

“Okay people – I’m alive. However, I’m posting this from my neighbors iPad, and from the parking lot of some abandoned building, inside my neighbors car, because this is the only available Internet access.  New Jersey is a total disaster area. We have no power, no landlines, no cell phone service, no Internet, and we’re basically cut off from the outside world. I’m going to tough it out for one more night in NJ & then I’m going to try to get to PA tomorrow (if the roads are safe enough to travel) and hopefully I will be able to communicate with y’all sooner than later. I love & miss everyone so very much!”

On the way back home Ira asked, “Have you ever had a car with Internet access?”

I rolled my eyes and laughed, “Please. I’ve never even had a car with power windows.”

[*Like a crack head – hitting the pipe – desperate for that really good high.]

 

That evening, my parents managed to whip together one of the greatest meals, ever. Mostly because we had to cook whatever we had in the freezer and refrigerator before it spoiled, and also because we thought it would be fun to host a dinner party.

And we were right.

And even though my mom accidentally spilled an entire container of crushed red pepper into the sauté pan, we were able to skip right to the part where we started laughing instead of yelling.

And that’s when the real fun began.

 

[*My son JCH, Our Neighbors: Barbara & Ira, My Father & My Mother]

 

My mother and father lovingly prepared linguine pasta with sautéed shrimp, covered in a garlic, onion, artichoke, and Le Sueur pea, red sauce. While Barbara and Ira graced us with some hot sausage and fresh spinach leaves. We also had Italian bread with spiced Olive Oil. And everything was sprinkled with Parmesan-Reggiano grated cheese.

 

[*Who cares about food allergies, if I end up in the hospital at least we will have electricity and Internet.]

 

But you can’t serve that kind of meal without breaking out the really expensive wine.

And that’s just what my mother did, when she opened up three bottles of the 2001 Gold Medal Napa Red Zinfandel.

 

 

We ate.

We drank.

We laughed.

We shared funny stories.

And enjoyed drunken debauchery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a good time was had by all.

Seriously.

If you’re ever in a blackout, these are people to hang out with.

 

PS: Stay tuned for Part Three and the Final Conclusion.
I’m sure you’re all sick of my stories by now. It’s almost over. I promise.

Posted in Family, Friends, Humor, NaBloPoMo, Photos | 34 Comments

NaBloPoMo | Day 7: Hurricane Sandy – Part One

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Meleah

The day Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey, started like any other typical Monday.

Coffee.

Cigarette.

Brush teeth.

Log into Facebook. Update Status.

Check emails.

Check text messages.

Get more coffee.

A light rain fell from the skies and it was a little windy. But there didn’t seem to be any cause for concern. In fact, I began to wonder if this storm was nothing more than sensationalized weather reports and hype.

And boy was I wrong.

Luckily I decided to prepare for the worst and took out my checklist.

Flashlights X
Lanterns X
Batteries X
Candles X
Carton of cigarettes X
Pick up never ending supply of: Bottled Water, Pop-Tarts, Benadryl X
Charge all computers, cell phones, and electronic devices X
Take out board games: Scrabble, Monopoly, Sorry, Risk X
Finish the laundry to ensure enough pajama options X
Move outdoor items [cushions, decorations, chotskies] to the storage unit X
Tie down remaining outdoor furniture X
Pack emergency get out of town bag X
Upload and schedule blog postings for the remaining three pictures in the 30 Day Photo Challenge X
Try to convince other family members to come here so we can all be trapped together X
Take a really long shower [complete with shaving all body parts and a deep conditioning treatment – and then hot-roll the hell out of my hair] so the clean will last for a few days, in the event of a power outage X

[X = checked off. As if you couldn’t figure that out.]

 

As the day progressed the rain fell harder and the winds picked up.

But that didn’t stop My Uncle Sol (who’s 94 years old) and my Aunt Bea (who’s 93 years old) from driving to the gym to exercise (in 50 MPH winds). Because when we’re facing uncertain death, it’s really important to be in good shape. Almost as important as hot-rolling your hair.

And it didn’t stop the bird from flying into my garage, and scaring the crap out of me, when it dive-bombed my head.

* And it certainly didn’t stop me from filming my father while he tried to fix our broken garbage disposal.

 

 

[*Yes, there is a home movie in progress detailing that glorious event.]

 

At exactly 4:18pm we heard a horrifying boom.

And just like that – our power was gone.

We had no television, no radio, no Internet, no landlines, no cell phone service, no texts, no emails, no form of communication whatsoever.

Nothing.

There is something very eerie about being completely cut off from the outside world.

As we listened to the wind rip off the siding from the houses, we tried distracting ourselves by reading.

And that was fun.

For about an hour.

Because once the sun went down it was pretty difficult to read anything with lighting like this:

 

 

My son and I ditched our books and headed into the kitchen to set up the board games. And since we couldn’t use our phones to make calls, or send texts, or even access the Internet, we still found them slightly useful when providing much needed mood music.

First, we played Sorry to the soundtrack from the movie Almost Famous.

And I lost, badly.

Then we played Parcheesi to the tunes Tangled Up In Blue and American Pie.

And I lost, badly.

Again.

 

 

But then we played Connect Four to the White Album, by the Beatles.

And that’s when things got interesting.

Instead of playing one chip at a time like your supposed to. And instead of taking your time to decide on your next move? We took things to a whole new level when we changed the rules, altogether. We gave each other ONE SECOND to drop in TWO CHIPS at the same time, and then the next person had one second to drop in two chips at the same time.

We called it ‘Split-Second-Double-Down-Connect-Four’ and I finally won a game.

Maybe for the 1st time ever.

 

[*My son also wants his autograph.]

 

When my 16-year-old had enough of hanging out with his annoying mother, he took one of the lanterns and disappeared into the night.

But the fun didn’t stop there.

Oh, no.

Because that’s when my father came into the kitchen wielding this:

 

 

Now I am not going to bore you with the details of this game, because anyone who’s ever played Risk, knows this game never fucking ends. And if you’ve never played this game, here’s a useful hint: it never fucking ends.

But I will give you the main highlights.

1. I’ve never played this game before.
2. My father is the most competitive person on the face of the earth.
3. When asking questions, he will NOT provide any answers or suggestions, even if it’s a practice round and nothing counts.
4. My mother and I formed an alliance.
5. We don’t care if that’s against the rules.
6. At some point during the game I morphed into George S. Patton.

And success was all mine, MOFOS!

 

 

When the clock struck 2:30am and I only had 9% battery life left on my phone, I climbed into bed, laughing hysterically.

That is, until the next morning….

TO BE CONTINUED.

PS: Now aren’t you glad I decided to break up my Hurricane Sandy saga into separate blog posts? Stay tuned for Part 2 & 3!

PPS: I am finally making progress with NaNoWriMo. Word Count: 9,767. BOOM.

Posted in Drama Drama, Family, Humor, Life, Links, NaBloPoMo, NaNoWriMo, Photos, Writing | 33 Comments

NaBloPoMo | Day 6: Hurricane Sandy – Part Six

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Meleah

Wanna know the first thing I did when I walked in the door of my house, after the power was restored, and after thanking the heavens above?

Cleaned.

Yep.

That’s right.

I cleaned the whole house from top to bottom.

Before I unpacked.
Before I took a shower.
Before I ate any food.
Before I even updated my Facebook Status.

I cleaned.

Cleaning has always been cathartic for me, especially when I feel totally out of control, or when I am in super-high-strung-panic-mode. And if there was ever a time I truly needed to clean, this was it.

 

 

After unpacking, finishing the laundry, and making all things sparkly fresh, my son and I began the hunt for food. Obviously everything in our refrigerator had expired. And after living on frozen Pizza and Halloween candy, for six days in a row, we were pretty desperate for a solid meal.

However, finding something to eat proved to be a lot more difficult than I expected.

As we drove down the highway, it was unsettling to see so many houses and businesses still blacked out. Some traffic lights were still totally non-functional, others had been knocked down to the ground, and the rest just blinked yellow. I don’t think I have ever been so happy to see a Red traffic light, upright, working properly.

 

 

We tried several different restaurants, only to find they were closed, or still without power. Police officers patrolled the parking lots for potential looters. And I was beginning to feel as though this is what life would be like after the Zombie Apocalypse.

I didn’t want spend too much time driving around in the car in light of the gas situation. And by “situation” I mean the gas supply New Jersey is very limited. And the little amount that is available is being rationed out via some numerical odd/even system that I don’t really understand, because my plate ends with a letter, and mostly because I don’t understand anything mathematical, whatsoever.

And who the hell wants to wait on this line?

 

 

We were just about to give up, when we decided to make a left, instead of a right onto another highway. And much to our surprise everything was lit up like Las Vegas.

“Oh, hell yes!” My son shouted. “Lights! People! Cars!”

“Eureka!” I yelled back while making an illegal turn because I couldn’t pull into the strip-mall fast enough.  “There has to be food in here!”

Of course, it took ten minutes for us to find the only vacant parking space. But once we parked the car we hauled ass into the Chinese restaurant.

“Can we get a table for two?”

“Take-Out only.”

“Can we at least see a menu?”

“No beef. Only chicken.”

“Um, how about eggrolls.”

“No. Just noodles.”

With our stomach rumbling we ordered the only option on the menu and then I handed her my Visa card.

“Cash only. No machine.”

“Oh.” It hadn’t occurred to me that debit/credit card machines wouldn’t work, even though the power was back. And I usually don’t carry any cash. “Um… What’s the total?”

“$18.00.”

I looked in my wallet but I only had $10.00.

“Shit!”

I turned to my son and suggested we try going to Walmart because maybe they would accept credit cards and maybe they would have some food that we could cook back home. And I was dressed appropriately. And by appropriately, I mean in my pajamas.

“Wait!” My son checked his back pocket, “I have ten bucks too!”

“Sweet!”

As we walked back to the car with a bag full of Chinese greasiness I grabbed my son’s hand, “Dude, this is like real life Survivor, yo.”

He replied with perfect comedic timing and a rap song, “Cash rules everything around me. C.R.E.A.M get the money.”

“Dolla dolla bill y’all.”

Dolla dolla bill, indeed.

We decided we would still go to Walmart because it was right across the street. And it probably wouldn’t be packed because it was so late. And we should pick up a few things to have in the house so we wouldn’t have to play ‘Scavenger Hunt’ in the morning for breakfast.

Now, anyone who’s ever shopped at Walmart on a GOOD DAY knows it’s a lot like ‘Night Of The Living Dead.’

And this was no exception.

But at least Walmart accepted debit/credit cards.

We grabbed a cart fully prepared to clean out the store. But I didn’t Hula Hoop, like the last time I was there, because we were on a serious mission.

We went up and down every single aisle, in search of necessary staples.

Milk? Nope.
Eggs? Nope.
Cheese? Nope.
Bread? Nope.
Bacon? No way.

90% of the shelves were completely empty.

Damn!

Fortunately, they did have some frozen foods.

 

 

[*insert maniacal laughter*]

Seriously.

We bought that.

And one package of Toaster Strudel®

On the way to the register, we grabbed a few toiletries, like shampoo and deodorant so we wouldn’t smell like dirty mokeys. And I was smart enough choose  “cash back” – because I had just learned a valuable lesson about always having paper money on my person.

When we arrived home, we stuffed our faces and our bellies with Chicken Lo Mein, until we passed out under MSG induced comas.

And speaking of comas…

The next day, after my parents came home from my Uncle Ricks house, and after socializing with my friends for a few hours at my favorite club, commonly referred to as KHCC, and after ingesting the greatest Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger of all time….

 

 

I slept, and slept, and slept, and slept. I slept as if I had mononucleosis. Like for 20 hours. I didn’t even smoke a cigarette, much less read any blogs.

It’s safe to say, that I am feeling a MILLION times better. In fact, I almost feel new. And I am 100% ready and willing and able to dive back into NaNoBloPo & NaNoWriMo.

And I still haven’t missed a single day!

BOOM!

 

PS: Since we’re still pretending I am George Lucas, by posting my story about Hurricane Sandy, in reverse order, like Star Wars, I am happy to announce that Part One, Two, and Three will be shared next. And in that order.

Posted in Drama Drama, Family, Humor, JCH quotes, KHCC, Life, Links, NaBloPoMo, NaNoWriMo, Photos, Videos | 38 Comments

NaBloPoMo | Day 5: Hurricane Sandy – Part Five

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Meleah

In case you haven’t already heard the totally-super-awesomenews, the power in my neighborhood has been restored, and I am back home.

Holy happiness, Batman.

* throws confetti *

I will be back to posting, blogging, updating, tweeting, facebooking, and working on my novel, right after I catch up on some much needed sleep!

Until then…

Please enjoy this hilarious video of my 5 year old nephew, MDW.

 

 

I don’t know what’s funnier?

The way he does the worm?
The knee-slide?
The robot?
Or the fact that this is his new favorite song and he will dance to it all day long!

PS: Don’t forget, we’re pretending  that I’m George Lucas and my story about the hurricane will continue to be posted out of order, kind of like Star Wars.

M’kay?

Posted in Family, Humor, NaBloPoMo, Videos | 31 Comments

NaBloPoMo | Day 4: Still | Otherwise Known As Hurricane Sandy – Part 4

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Meleah

DISCLAIMER:

I wrote this yesterday, before the power was restored. But, I still wanted to share this post with you, because it’s exactly how I felt at the time. And maybe others will still be able to relate to it. Also, I’m sorry this is Hurricane Sandy – Part Four  instead of Hurricane Sandy – Part One.

But let’s just pretend I’m George Lucas and my story about the hurricane will be posted out of order, kind of like Star Wars.

M’kay?

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Hey y’all.

I know. I know.

You’re still waiting for my miniseries on Hurricane Sandy. And I promise it’s still in the works. It’s just that I am still out here in Pennsylvania because we still don’t have any power back home. And I can’t seem to find my sense of humor.

It’s been six days since the Hurricane hit.

And things still aren’t back to normal.

Maybe six days, isn’t all that many in the grand scheme of things. But for someone with all of my Weirdo Phobias and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, this has been terribly tough.

And I am REALLY struggling.

Please don’t get me wrong.

There are so many people far worse off than I am, like those who have lost everything. Including loved ones. And my whole entire heart goes out to them. I can’t even begin to imagine what they are going through. And I certainly can’t wrap my head around living inside one of the Monmouth County Schools for shelter, because I can’t even handle living out of my suitcase.

And I feel like a complete asshole for what I’m about to say.

Yes, I am extremely grateful that my son and I are safe. And I am even more grateful that we have heat, and food, and water, and coffee, and Internet access, and electricity, and television, and all that jazz. And in a shocking turn of events, Louis, finally came out to play with me. He even slept on my lap while I watched a marathon of the Showtime Series: Homeland.

But there is a VERY big part of me that just wants to go home, already.

I miss everything about New Jersey, like the Pizza and the Chinese Food. But even more so, I really miss my house. I miss my things. I miss my usual surroundings. I miss my bedroom. I miss my schedule and my routine. I miss my writing setup. I miss my parents. I miss my friends. I miss my life.

And I am sofa king tired.

I haven’t been sleeping very well. This stiff and narrow sofa is pretty friggen uncomfortable. And I’m not quite as skilled as my brother. As such, I’m feeling very restless, very anxious, and very cranky. And I feel incredibly guilty for being so selfish – but I don’t know how much more I can take. Moreover, I don’t know how much more my hosts can take.

My body aches all over. My back is on fire. My limbs feel as though they are made of concrete. My eyes burn. My brain is foggy. My knees are flaring up. And my heart is heavy.

I am also having a difficult time getting much writing done. While I can still manage to squeeze out a blog post, but, I still need complete silence in order to get into the zone when it comes to working on my Novel.  Therefore, I am very disappointed with my NaNoWriMo progress.

I know this all sounds so trivial. Almost even obnoxious. Especially compared to the total devastation others are facing. And I hate myself for feeling this way, much less thinking this way. But I also think I am allowed to feel some level of frustration.

Yes?

I’ve been telling myself, “At least we are not living in one of the shelters. I’m so blessed everyone in my family survived. Things could be a lot worse.” And I’ve been watching The News, with tears streaming down my cheeks, and a lump in my throat.

And that’s when I was reminded exactly how to be grateful.

Even for the simplest of things, like showers.

However, I still want to rip out my hair from the roots.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
PS: Writing that down on paper totally made me feel better.

 

For a much funnier recount of the events please read this.

 

Posted in Drama Drama, Family, Life, Links, NaBloPoMo, NaNoWriMo, Writing | 35 Comments

NaBloPoMo | Day 3: Naps

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Meleah

Okay, people.

I am totally working on my Hurricane Sandy story as requested. And it might very well become a three part miniseries because there’s just way too much to put everything in one post.

Also, since I am still stuck out here in Pennsylvania and since I am participating in both NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo I’m finding it slightly difficult to get as much writing done as I would like.

And it’s not just because I am away from my usual writing set-up within the comfy confines of my bedroom, also known as my purple paradise.

It’s mostly because it’s really hard to focus when you’re sitting next to this hot mess.

 

 

Seriously, y’all.

How am I supposed to get any work done?

Especially when I am laughing so much.

Posted in Family, Humor, NaBloPoMo, Photos | 28 Comments

NaBloPoMo | Day 2 : Meet Louis

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Meleah

He’s as beautiful as he is dumb.

And he is scared of everything.

And he is scared of everyone.

 

 

My son and I are staying at my brothers house in Pennsylvania, in light of Hurricane Sandy so we can enjoy the simple things like electricity. And Internet. And television. And showers. And the ability to hot roll my hair.

But apparently, this is very upsetting to Louis.

Because no one could find him.

For hours.

And he wasn’t in any of his usual hiding places.

And just when we started to panic, Leah magically discovered him.

He had Shawshanked himself into the box-spring, after craftily burrowing inside while removing the evidence one pawful at a time.

 

 

Really, Louis?

You came from a dumpster. How can you possibly be so scared of me?

Get it together, man!

—————————————————————-

PS: I think we are in serious trouble, y’all.

It’s only the second day of NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo and I’m already posting pictures of cats.

Posted in Family, Humor, NaBloPoMo, Photos, Writing | 42 Comments

NaBloPoMo & NaNoWriMo | Day 1: And So It Begins

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Meleah

November is:

National Blog Posting Month

 

 

And it’s National Novel Writing Month

 

 

And, Yes.

I signed up for BOTH.

I have officially  lost my mind.

Posted in Writing | 37 Comments