faster pussycat... type! type!

The bandwidth hasn't been the only issue to impede my blogging. Friday's 50 Word Fiction was preempted due to the BIG STORM. And, believe me when I say this storm deserves all caps. It started Thursday afternoon. It took me an hour and 45 minutes to get home Thursday night. I might have made some tactical errors, navigationally speaking. But not so much that it should cost me an hour and 45 minutes. I was driving down Lk. Washington Blvd watchings sheets of water just poor off the cars around me. Those parked looked dangerously close to being stranded due to flooding, so I can only imagine what I was driving through. Torrents were rolling down the hill from Lakeside Dr. It was insane. That night the wind howled it sounded like logs were being dropped on my roof. In reality, they were only large branches, but they sound worse coming down.

My power went out on Thursday night. When I woke up Friday morning, I took a quick shower in the dark, and went out to make a path on my driveway. I know I've mentioned the ginormous pine tress in my yard before. I had enough to make five separate xmas trees. Then I left for work.

My neighborhood looks, and still looks, like a war zone. It was completely powerless. Not just my subdivision, but all the main streets and business as well. As it turns out, over 1.1 Million People lost power. My first route to the freeway was blocked by a large tree. Last night, I came down that road, it's still closed to incoming traffic, and crews are still working. It's right next to a large forested park. It took me over 25 minutes to even reach the freeway. It's usually about 3 minutes. Once on there I sat and sat and sat and sat. Barely moving. Finally I found out, on the radio, that my bridge to Seattle, the 520, was closed. I gave up. 45 minutes later, I made it back home.

It was too cold, and I wasn't the only one who did not make it in from the Eastside, so I said screw it, there is heat in the rental car, let's head up to Mt. Vernon and pick up Lola. A thousand bucks later I was heading up to Canada, which was well powered and heated.

When I got home Sunday night, I had power, but many around me did not. Evildeb does not. In fact, a tree fell through the roof of AlmostCertainlyGoingToEndUpEvilMaggie's bedroom in the middle of night. No one was hurt. Evildeb spends some time at the local Tully's, which has coffee beverages and free wi-fi. She said she was listening to a woman who has been told she may not have power until after Christmas. They are hoping to get their power back tonight or tomorrow, depending on if there is any damage done to their house by the tree. I mean, besides the roof. They have a wood burning stove and a gas water heater. So they are ok. But the entire Evil family is out of clean underpants. It's insane how much damage this storm caused. We may be declared a disaster area. If they saw my yard, they'd have no question. I will try to take a picture before Ron comes back to town and starts trying to clean it up.