Storm

You know how it is whenever any type of storm comes through. There is hourly overreacting news broadcasts and everyone rushes out to buy up all the candles, water and toilet paper, and to fill their car with gas. It's a little less dramatic here in Guam while we are preparing for a typhoon tomorrow. Technically it is still a tropical storm and the winds gust at about 35 miles per hour. We're only going to get the edges of it so it will stay tropical storm strength to us unless it decides to turn and go straight over us instead of Saipan. If it does hit us directly they're still only expecting 50 mph winds. I think we saw more dramatic storms almost monthly while living in Beaufort, but I have yet to see. I guess I will find out tomorrow......or around two in the morning which is 12pm est. Yeah....I'll be asleep. The only thing that urks me is my next door neighbor. The lady has five kids and all of their toys are in the backyard. She has yet to come home and put all these toys away even though it's almost midnight here. I just know that I'm going to have a big plastic tricycle blast through my bedroom window. That would really piss me off. Especially since my bedroom is on the second floor. Supposedly we have safety glass that can sustain 150 mph winds, but I'm wondering how they will fair with a coconut at 50mph. I know I wouldn't be doing too good if it hit me, but I'm not reinforced. Then there is the question of all the spikes and poles and plastic swirly slides that are still just lying around waiting to be put together just 200 yds from by backdoor (which is a full wall of glass I might add). I don't think they thought this out properly. I think I may finally get to see (up close and personal) what's been sitting in those boxes for the past month and a half waiting to be put together.
I'm ready. I have my water and all of my canned food. They say to get one gallon per person/ per day. Yeah......I've been working on a two gallon jug for the past month now and it was still only 2/3rds empty. If I drink a glass of water before I go to bed I should be good for a week. All joking aside I do have six gallons that I bought as well as 32 gallons in a plastic Rubbermaid bin and a full bathtub. I also got a rug for $20 to go in my living room at the local K-Mart while shopping for candles. I was ready for this storm about a week after moving in. Live in typhoon alley and you must be prepared for the storms to come. The wind is already starting to pick up and someone was saying that there is always an earthquake after a typhoon. Great.......a double whammy. Probably not any worse then the ones that we have already expereinced. Speaking of which there was an earthquake while I was in K-Mart and let me tell you......feeling the ground shake and watching the shelves FULL of merchandise in front of you shake and sway is not a fun way to get an adrinaline high. Slightly amusing a few hours later, but not fun at the moment.
One thing that I do have to say for Guam.......they know how to have a storm. The locals here do, anyways. It was the tourists and the transplanted Americans freaking out and running around like ants today. For the locals it was a reason to cook all those steaks in the freezer. Barbeque!!!! Lots of barbeque. I'm sure they'll be barbequing tomorrow in the wind and rain ( for reals.....it's just a leetle storm, man). That's how I feel right now. I always hated it when I lived in Virginia and they would freak out over the littlest things. Dun dun dun......noreaster! Dun dun dun.......tropical storm! Dun dun dun.......1/4 inch of snow.......shut everything down......we're going to die!!!! Stormwatch 2000! 24 hour coverage of the approaching wind from a fart from a cow in Wyoming!