So … Irene. Depending on your location (Vermont, I’m hurting so hard for you, DC, notsomuch) it was QUITE the storm.
The headlines read “Irene Shuts Down The City That Never Sleeps”. Broadway, shuttered for 2 days (and I had tickets to see MASTER CLASS with Tyne Daly! BOOOOO!!). MTA, closed down from noon on Saturday. Shops boarded up, restaurants closed. KA‘s bachelorette was cancelled (BOOO!!!).
For some reason, Applebee’s in Astoria was open. Go figure.
Considering I was going to be stuck for a few days, I holed up at my friend Paul’s … he of the Applebee’s late shift. And what began as wow-this-is-boring-I-wish-I-had-something-to-do turned into a lovely time by myself to reflect. Time to think, to nap, to pray and refocus. Time to read Harry Potter again (partially) and think I really SHOULD see the movies already. Time to really just let myself heal, both physically and mentally.
Being a long weekend, there was ALSO time to have some fun. Venture out for last-minute sugar* and discover one last 6-pack of my favorite beer … the one you can’t get in DC. ** Drink said beer, along with mimosas and some really fabulous wine. (Paul’s roommate is a professional sommelier and a fantastic cook … wine pairings FTW!) Play a few rockus games of Speed Monopoly (damn that Mr Monopoly dice!) and Phase 10.*** And tell stories only four theater kids can really tell.****
Sunday afternoon, after the storm blew through, we went out to survey the damage.
The river had risen about three feet. There were branches everywhere. The wind was still blowing everything – us included – around. And this monster thing had been ripped up from … somewhere.
You guys … this was a FULL ON TREE. No idea where it came from. We searched all over, and could not find the stump. And it didn’t match the other trees in the area. Talk about eerie.
We headed in at twilight to begin another game of Phase 10 … and to sleep like the dead. What is it about doing nothing, or doing not much that is so exhausting?
All in all … perfect weekend. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to be able to just sit, be quiet, and have some fun at home.
*Come on, you ALL know you ate nothing but sugar while you were cooped up. Fess up.
**PALM. Oh my dear lord, wonderful. I may have to plan trips to NY just to pick some up.
*** This MUST be added to my collection of games. We started off laughing and ended with death threats. As all good games should.
**** There may or may not have been humiliating reenactments happening. Guess you’ll never know. ::winks::
Little Pieces Everywhere 