NYC Tornado 2010

Another wacky day in the Big Apple yesterday. Work was as hectic as ever and, as usual, still at my desk at 5:30pm. I started hearing thunder & catching glimpses of lightning bolts. I waited a bit longer before leaving for the pounding rain to slow down. By the time I made it outside, I was surprised to see that not only was it not raining, but streets were drying out as well.

Made it to Penn with no problem. And then...big problem! All trains were suspended due to bad weather and a tree down on tracks outside tunnel. That is how the long night began.

I found a nice AC vent to stand under to wait for an announcement. I started texting when an old bus-commuter friend came up to me. {{{Flashback}}} Fiona & I often met at bus stop a long while ago where we would chat through the bus ride, throughout subway to final destination - Penn. I immediately said "Drinks?" Her response in her thick Irish Brogue, "Sure." So we went up to the bar, had some nips 'n sips and caught up. Once we realized we weren't getting a train we both grabbed our cells and texted our bosses. My boss is bigger then hers, within 15 my plight was handled. Fiona's shortly after. (SPOILER ALERT! Fiona got home way before me)

Now some folks may have bitched, moaned, groaned, & cursed at this hiccup in getting home. I saw this as an unexpected adventure. As I twittered (Facebook-style) "Stranded with people everywhere. Maybe I'll fine my Prince Charming in this crowd. After all, isn't that how good love stories begin?"

So now that you have a feel for how the night was headed, I'll bullet-point you through my night.

• Went to Hotel Penn to meet one of Lenny's drivers - Khan
• Blackberry locked - had to approach strangers to help me unlock it
• Lost texting- didn't know it & felt lonely while waiting and nobody responding to my texts
• Khan finally arrives
• Avoided major highways as all were stopped at a standstill
• Stopped for gas
• And talked to my new bestie Khan for 4.5 hrs. Simply stated...I hope drivers honor 'client confidentiality.' As long as "...whatever is stated in car STAYS in car..." Lots of laughs, shared secrets, and OMG comments for all the trees torn in half.
• Finally hit some open road after tree-strewn Woodhaven Blvd. accelerated from 0.05 to a good 65.
• Walked through house doors by 12:10a.a.m. the next morning. Logan, dad, animals...happy I made it!

Shout out to phone supporters: Jen, Tina, Karen, Dad and Logan
And thanks to Jen, Carol, Kate, Lenny, & of course, the mighty Khan (very tall man when he stepped out of car)

I had no complaints other than tired and long commute home - 7 hours since I left the office.

On a very serious note, it certainly was not an adventure for many people. It was especially sad to hear that a 30 year old woman was killed after pulling over to the side of the parkway and changing seats with her husband. Keep her in your prayers as well as her husband who is resting in hospital.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in New York on September 16, 2010. The tornadoes turned the sky from day to night, tore down trees and caused damage estimated to be in the millions.

Blackberry Blogging

I did it. I finally committed (for one year) to becoming the proud, overly excited, owner of a Blackberry a.k.a. BB owner. For the past two days during this holiday weekend, I have been racing to my BB to see if there are any messages. You see I now have at my fingertips access to my personal email, Facebook, texting, & let's not forget phone calls. Notice how the phone portion of the many communicators take a back seat to all other features.

Too my senior fans, this will all seem very foreign to you. To the not-so-senior readers, YOU get it. I see this as a freedom to have access to all. I am not a slave to it (heck,yes...I am), but I love my new master. All hail the great & powerful Blackberry! {{{kneeling}}

As I have to run to start this busy day with Logan's return, school starting, and tying up some loose ends at work, know I will BBB (BB blogging) more often. I haven't master including an image. Therefore, my BBB will be noted by this format. Tootles!

Introducing "Hurricane Earl"

It is hurricane season down south and guess who is on his annual "escape-the-hurricane" cruise? Yep, Logan left with his dad last Friday to cruise out of Florida down to Cozumel, Costa Rica, and Panama. Tomorrow is the last port visit (Panama) and then two days at sea before returning to our coastline again.

The night before he left, he was so,so talkative. I was quite exhausted as I had dental surgery that morning. After a day of pain killers and lying around, I was ready for bed by 11pm. Guess who walks in my room and says, "Mom, I'm not tired - let's talk?" Knowing he'd be unavailable to me for the next ten nights, I forced my eyes open and had the best conversation -- 2 hours, mind you -- with my favorite person.

As he talked and talked and laughed and talked, I recognized as a very experienced talker myself, that he was just happy, excited, and wound up. This really brought home the fact that he lives for cruises. So, as another school year begins next week, we will have to roll up our sleeves and get him on the right path to a great university with a top-notch Hospitality curriculum.

Speaking of school (like that way I switched topics?)...summer is ending and the new school year begins next Tuesday. Logan will be the top grade of his middle school as he begins 8th Grade. His first year at this middle school was his best year yet; last year best year (6th Grade) was bypassed. His 7th Grade core teachers team were fantastic. In fact, they like him so much that they went overboard at the end of the year when they gave out "silly awards." I had to remind them that no matter how great they thought he was, they need to remember that as teachers they need to keep dignity part of the awards. No harm - no foul. A couple phone calls from teachers to Logan and all was fine.

Rereading this post, makes me think that it's not my best work. But I know my #1 fan (shout out to Haboo) enjoys waking up to some Butterfly Living. Remember even butterflies just float around sometimes.

More tomorrow when I describe Day 2 of Gazelle Living. After all, today IS September 1. What better day to begin a new routine that on a "1" date. G'night fans!