Hurricane Irene Recap

Yes, we're still here.

No, I'm not writing this by candlelight or from a canoe.

The storm actually wasn't very bad in our area.  We have a lot of tree debris and small limbs scattered around, as well as a few large branches that snapped off trees.  The worst damage we saw were a couple of trees that fell, but we didn't see any that caused property damage.

We saw some news coverage of flooding in Old Town Alexandria (which seems to be a frequent occurrence), but our area didn't have any issues with rising waters.  We also didn't lose power throughout the entire storm - amazing!

I took photos throughout the storm to show the conditions.  You'll notice the ground collecting more water and the wind moving the trees in some of the photos:

Our squirrel friend Horatio came by to see us around dusk.  We were glad he survived the storm, but he looked as if it had been a LONG day.

I'm very glad the storm was not as catastrophic as anticipated, but I hope this doesn't mean people in the mid-Atlantic and New England areas stop taking future storms seriously.  Take it from me (and Erin, Opal, Georges, Ivan, and Dennis) - these storms can be devastating.

Hurricane Checklist

Hurricane preparations are ongoing at the J + A household.  Here's our checklist:

1. Camp stove and fuel - check
2. Bottled water - check
3. Gatorade - check (If the UF student health care center taught me anything while I was a student it's that Gatorade heals all illnesses)
4. Non-perishable food - check
5. Sanitizing wipes - check
6. Lighter - check
7. Water and fire resistant filing box - check (this isn't really because of the hurricane, but it's something we should have gotten a long time ago anyway, so we got one for important documents)
8. Flashlights - check
9. Batteries - check
10. Extra ice in the freezer in case of power outage - check
11. Fridge and freezer turned to coldest temperature setting - check
12. Outdoor plants and furniture put in the storage shed - waiting for J to get home
13. Laundry finished - working on it
14. Bathtub filled with water - waiting until tomorrow
15. Vehicle gas tanks filled - check
16. Disposable plates, cups, bowls, utensils - check
17. Toilet paper - check (arguably one of the most important items on the list)

Hopefully we won't need to use most of our supplies, but we have them just in case.  And anything that doesn't get used for the hurricane becomes part of our blizzard survival kit - along with other stuff that I don't even know enough about blizzards to realize we need yet.

Jim Cantore, Human Hurricane Magnet

Jim Cantore is currently in Manhattan (NOT D.C.) which makes me feel better.  You know you're in for a wild ride when he shows up in your town!

Irene Anticipation

Factoid of the day: this photo was taken by Ron Garan, an astronaut who graduated
from the University of Florida with an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering.  Go Gators!

As Hurricane Irene heads our way, we've been getting ready... hurricanes are definitely something we're used to preparing for.  I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida and J spent his high school years in Miami.

Personally, my hurricane experience portfolio consists of:

1. Hurricane Erin (1995)

I think I can see my parents' house through Erin's eye.

Erin was a category 2 storm, and my family (as well as all our neighbors) stayed for it.  We had hurricane panels on our windows, but left one off the front door so we could at least get a bit of light and see what was happening.  The storm was a direct hit on our area, so the eye of the storm went right over us.  This meant that during the first half of the storm, all the trees were blown to one side, then there was a short time with beautiful weather during the eye, and then during the second half of the storm the trees were blown in the opposite direction.  What an incredible (and scary) experience.

2. Hurricane Opal (1995)

Opal following Erin's lead towards the panhandle of Florida.

Two months after Hurricane Erin, Hurricane Opal was another direct hit on our area.  After staying for Erin as a category 2, there was NO WAY we were staying for Opal as a category 4.  We evacuated and weren't really sure whether we would have anything to come back to.  Luckily, we only had minor damage, including losing just about all the trees that Hurricane Erin hadn't already taken with it previously.

3. Hurricane Georges (1998)

Georges making landfall.

Georges was a category 4 storm, so once again we evacuated from the area.  Our neighbor across the street didn't, so he was able to check on our house after the storm.  From the coverage we had been watching on television, we weren't sure that any part of our house would still be standing.  But amazingly, our neighbor let us know that not only was our house still there, it had only sustained minor damage.

After leaving for college, my parents ended up dealing with two more major storms.  One of them was by far the worst storm to hit the area...

4. Hurricane Ivan (2004)

Hurricane Ivan about to make landfall over Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Hurricane Ivan hit just west of the Florida panhandle as a category 3 storm, and it devastated the entire area.  The houses along the water in my parents' neighborhood had a 12-foot storm surge hammer them.  The damage caused by the storm left many people living in their driveways in FEMA trailers for years afterward.  To this day, there are still empty lots where houses once stood along the water.

5. Hurricane Dennis (2005)

Hurricane Dennis following the path of Hurricane Ivan the previous year.

A year after Hurricane Ivan, when many houses that survived the storm still had tarps covering their roofs and families were still living in FEMA trailers, Hurricane Dennis made landfall.

While we don't think that Hurricane Irene will cause the sort of damage to the DC area that these other storms did to the Gulf Coast, we aren't taking chances in our preparations.  We're ensuring that we have everything we need in case there is a prolonged power outage, and making sure all our outdoor plants and furniture (known by hurricanes as 'projectiles') are secured.  We can only hope that our neighbors are taking the same precautions.

Earthquake Humor

Yesterday's earthquake was certainly unexpected... and a little scary for those of us who:
1. Have never experienced an earthquake before
2. Live in buildings not meant to withstand earthquakes (ahem, the entire East Coast)
3. Realized afterward that they really didn't know what to do during the earthquake

But scariness aside, there's also been a lot of humor following the earthquake, which is some much-needed comic relief for many.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Too true - so many of my friends (myself included) were on Facebook right after the earthquake.
I also got a text from my mom in Florida asking about the earthquake before I had confirmed that was what occurred.

"Devastation in Downtown D.C. Following Earthquake"
This was sent to me by a former co-worker in Florida.

And now we prepare for Hurricane Irene.  At least this is a natural disaster we're familiar with.

We Survived...

... the Great DC Earthquake of 2011.

That's right, we're both okay!  Thanks to everyone who checked up on us, we really appreciate your concern.

When the earthquake occurred...

J's experience:
J was at work in the new lab he's been setting up.  He was heat shrinking gas lines at the time, with a heat gun in one hand and 9' of stainless steel tubing in the other hand.  His main concern was to stabilize his body enough that he didn't heat shrink himself, and once the worst of the shaking stopped he was able to turn off the heat gun.

Surprisingly, a fire sprinkler cover above his desk was knocked loose by the shaking and bounced underneath his computer monitor.

A's experience:
I was at home washing dishes, doing laundry, and making chocolate chip banana nut muffins.  I'm pleased to report that we now have clean dishes, clean clothes, and delicious muffins to eat despite the earthquake:

Although these look like cookies, they're actually muffins - you just can't see the stumps.
I can't mention muffin tops and stumps without using a clip from the Seinfeld episode.

I initially thought our washing machine was unbalanced and had started to shake the floor, but then realized much more than just the washer was shaking.  Our chandelier started swinging from side to side and I decided to stand in the front doorway.  This was because (1) I'd heard to stand in a doorway during an earthquake - thanks, Saved by the Bell and (2) I wanted to be able to run out of our building if it collapsed.

Luckily, the building didn't collapse and we don't appear to have any damage.  On the bright side, I got a chance to talk with several of our neighbors that I rarely see since everyone went outside after the earthquake to make sure everything was okay.

Innovation

How to add more seating in your boat:

As seen on the Old Town Alexandria waterfront.

Old Town

From A:

Over the weekend, J and I took our first visit to Old Town Alexandria.  It's a nice place to walk around for the afternoon, with a wide variety of shops and restaurants.

We had planned to take a trolley from the Metro down to the waterfront, but ended up walking instead.  It was a nice walk (just over a mile, in and out of shade) that gave us a chance to check out what stores are there.

For lunch we went to a pizzeria near the waterfront.  It didn't live up to Blue Highway deliciousness (nothing ever does), but it was still a tasty lunch.

The only photos I got were from a dock on the Potomac River.  We had a great view looking across the river from Virginia to DC:

That's the Capitol in the distance.

A view of National Harbor across the river.

Sunbathing on a docked boat.  Really?

Finally, we'd like to give a shout out to one of our favorite bloggers, Chelsea.  She has a new blog called Theology and Geometry - you should check it out!*

*However, since J + A isn't on its blog list, we can't make any official guarantees about its awesomeness.

Please Do Not Feed the Animals

From A (captions by J and A):

Feeding wildlife is a bad idea.

Trust us, we did it... and now a squirrel living behind our condo thinks we are his family.

"Are those...nuts that I see?!?!"

"I'll be here if you have any nuts you want to get rid of."

"Will autograph pictures for nuts."

"Oh hi!  I's just laying here, hoping for a nut or two..."

We've named him Horatio.

Banana Muffins

From A:

Somehow we ended up with a lot of bananas last week.  Looking for a way to use them, I found a recipe online for banana muffins.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.

Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

I followed all the measurements and instructions in the recipe, with the exception of adding some chopped walnuts for texture.  The batter was easy to make and the muffins baked up perfectly.  I made large muffins and cooked them for 25 minutes.

J and I both LOVE them.  It's definitely a recipe to keep around for those times we end up with more bananas than we can eat before they become mushy.  And since the ingredients are things we usually keep in the fridge or pantry, it makes this a very practical recipe.

I might experiment a little the next time I make them, by either making mini muffins or by adding cinnamon and/or nutmeg.  But overall, I highly recommend this recipe!

The Ikea Experience

From A:

J and I went to Ikea for the first time this weekend.  This was no ordinary shopping trip, it was nothing less than an experience all its own.

The parking garage entrance.
We parked in row L.

Before we knew what we were getting ourselves into, we made our way to the garage entrance... then up a flight of stairs... then up an escalator... then to a lobby with a restaurant and kids' play area.

The main entrance.
Nobody actually uses this because it's really far from the parking garage.
Unless husbands use this entrance to drop off their wives and go watch football.

Once inside, we had a choice of whether to go to the "showroom" or the "marketplace."  Not knowing what we were doing, we walked into the showroom.  We apparently went the wrong way because everyone else in the store was walking towards us.  We were swimming upstream in a sea of home furnishings!

Anyway, the showroom has a bunch of rooms set up using all Ikea furnishings.

J liked this kitchen in the showroom.
I thought it looked a little small.

And no, the rooms aren't miniaturized.  The mini kitchen is meant to be a child play area.

We saw kitchens, bedrooms, closets, offices, living rooms, etc.  There were even bathrooms.  The main theme of the store is how to make the most of small living spaces.

How to fit enough stuff in a small bathroom to make it usable. 

This has to make you wonder if there's been problems in the past.

After we finished in the showroom, we went downstairs to check out the marketplace.  The marketplace is a huge, one-way store with racks and bins full of all the smaller items that were showcased in the showroom.  After walking forever through a ton of smaller items, you end up in a huge warehouse where all the bigger, assembly-required furniture is kept.

And then at the very end of the store is the checkout.  Thank goodness we didn't find anything to buy because we would have been waiting a very long time.  It's all self-checkout with the help of a few employees assigned to the area.

That was it - except for the refreshment area on the way back to the parking garage - brilliant!

Our condo is pretty well set up, so there wasn't really anything that we needed.  But we enjoyed looking through the store and getting the full Ikea experience.

flora

"Just because" flowers from J...

... the very best kind of flowers.

G'ville

From A:

Other than J's graduation, which was the reason for our trip back to Gainesville, we also had some time with our family.  We spent one evening on campus with J's brother and sister-in-law reliving our time as students.

The new Tim Tebow statue.
Next to the Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel statues.
All are Heisman-winning Gator quarterbacks and sons of ministers.

On the field along with a bunch of other people
who ignored the "keep off field" sign.

Getting chomped!

Sorry, Chelsea - this was way too funny to keep to myself.

For J's graduation dinner we went to Blue Highway.  It has the best pizza in the universe.  In fact, my mouth started watering at the mere thought of the margherita pizza.

Since we went to the Blue Highway in Town of Tioga, we walked around a little after dinner.  It's such a nice place with the trees, sidewalks, and natural areas.

My parents are so cute.

What a great weekend!

Dr. J

From A:

J's PhD graduation from the University of Florida, in photos:

Zookies

From A:

I spent yesterday at the National Zoo with my good friend Colleen and her son Isaac.

We had a great day seeing nearly all the animals in the park, including the lions:

Most of these are cubs, although they're getting pretty big.
This looked like a real-life Lion King scene.

and the goats:

This is quite an elaborate goat playground.
Where did all the money come from to build it?

Oh.  Question answered.

Posing with Isaac in front of the goats.

I also learned several methods for reapplying sunscreen to a toddler:

1. Surprise attack.
Start spraying before the child knows what's going on.

2. Distraction.
Petting zoo animals work quite well.
Zookies (zoo cookies) might also work.

3. Speed.
If all else fails, spray while running after the child.