Aftermath 2...

Well, I'm home.  Had the smoothest cab ride and only a little trouble finding said cab ride.  Once I got in, I dropped everything and started filling Katrina in as I raided the fridge for something to eat.  I basically just threw a bunch of stuff in an omelette and made some toast.  I also finished off the bottle of wine from Sunday night.  Then I used the toilet which I did not have to manually flush and immediately jumped in the shower.   Hot (and then gradually lukewarm) water never felt so good.

Funny, I thought, how I'm making like it was such a big deal to be without power and running water for what amounts to slightly more than a day, something that can really be totally bearable if you have the right mindset...also if you're prepared for it.  I was not.  That made all the difference I think.  It's all about comfort levels really.  People go camping after all, on purpose, and expose themselves to a lack of hot water and amenities, after all, and they do this for fun.  I think the worst part of it was not knowing what kind of food I was going to have access to.  I could have survived a couple of days longer but I was coming down with a cold and moving back here was really the best option.  To sort of regroup and recuperate a little.  After all, since I'm pulling overtime tomorrow I'm working for six days straight now.  I'm going to need the rest. 

I don't know how I should prepare for tomorrow's shift.  I don't think I want to bike in, because I'd be biking back in the dark (remember there's no power in Manhattan still, read: no traffic lights) without a light on my bike.  But the bus service doesn't make sense and there's no efficient route into the city as none of the buses go over the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridges I don't think.  Plus, there's no way to heat up food at work so I can't justify bringing food in and will just have to be at the mercy of what kind of food they can get us.  

Still if this the most of my worries I'm probably fine. I keep watching the news and realizing so many people have it so much worse.  This is always the case in just every day life and I'm the kind of person who never takes for granted the good fortune I've had in my life.  Of course, one always needs  perspective and sometimes you can get caught up in your own problems but the truth of the matter is, I dodged a huge bullet with this storm that others did not dodge.  There are 50 homes destroyed by fire in Breezy Point Queens, major flooding and homes destroyed in Staten Island, widespread destruction from wind and flooding all over the city and 18 deaths confirmed in the city already.  The New York City subway system suffered the worst catastrophe in its history and millions of people are without power.  And this is only here in New York City.  Don't forget, this is a storm that was 2,000 miles long and probably affected countless people.  So, my heart goes out to everyone and I found myself earlier today wishing I could help out in some way.  I guess for now all I have time to do is keep helping with the news coverage.  I'm sure I'll find some way.

For now, I have to gather my thoughts and figure out how to get back to work tomorrow, bike or not.  I could buy a light perhaps but when will I have time.  I'm not going to bother packing more than snack food because I can't heat anything up at work anyway.  The microwaves are not hooked to generator power.

Either way, as more news comes in and as the subway system comes back online, I'll keep you all updated on the return to normalcy.