So it begins.

Oh yeah, and a temp of 97 equals a heat index of about 107.

Should be a fun few months.

Snow

I walked out of work today to find it snowing. To put this in perspective, this is only the second time this decade that it’s snowed in Houston.

And man, was it ever snowing. Big, fat white flakes were dropping – the kind that swirl in the wind and cling to your hair long after you’ve come in from the cold. People were gathered on the steps, laughing and taking pictures. A 6 year old girl was running around trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue, almost certainly for the first time ever. It made me sad to think that she’ll never get a snow day, and won’t ever know the childhood joy of making a snow angel.

It made me remember coming in from sledding in the backyard and having hot chocolate with marshmallows in front of a crackling fire. It made me remember how beautiful Truman’s campus is after a fresh snow, and how much fun we had sledding down the hill in Red Barn Park wearing trash bag ponchos. As much as I bitched about the cold then, this snow has me missing it now.

So enjoy your snow, Houston. It’s probably going to be another long while before you see it again.

Update and some pics

A quick link to some Pictures of Ike’s Aftermath in our neighborhood.

Still no power at our place, so we’re crashing at a friend’s house tonight who has electricity (and Internet!) Only minor damage from a leaky roof in our place, but a lot of damage to the area. You probably know as much as we do about the conditions down on the coast, because we haven’t had TV. Thanks for the well wishes.

Still waiting

Galveston is hosed, as is much of the coast.

Getting windy here, but the worst is yet to come. Updates via twitter as the night progresses.

Also, today’s WTF moment:

Batten down the hatches

Heather and I will be staying in Houston for the storm. We’re hoping for the best and planning for the worst, so we’ve got plenty of food and water in the house. With all my camping gear, we’re better prepared than most for a few days without utilities.

I’ll be updating the site periodically through the storm, as conditions allow. If we do find ourselves without power, I won’t be able to receive any messages, but at least I may be to push some updates to twitter via my phone. If phone service goes out, well, then I’ll be in touch when things get back up and running.

Empty bread aisle in the supermarket. I used to think it was bad before snowstorms in the midwest…

Ike-carumba

Ike is poised to seriously mess up Galveston island, and even the National Weather Service isn’t mincing words, reporting that:

PERSONS NOT HEEDING EVACUATION ORDERS IN SINGLE FAMILY ONE OR TWO STORY HOMES MAY FACE CERTAIN DEATH.

Unfazed (or maybe just crazy) some people are staying put. This guy is my favorite:

I know it sounds crazy, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do — experience a hurricane,” said Andrew Lawrence, a former convict turned builder, as he knocked back beers and shots in the bar.

“I’ve been in prison, I’ve been shot … I figure if I do this, I’ll be the Michael Phelps of travesties,”

Rock you like a Hurricane

This oughta be fun…

P.S. If we still have power, I will totally be playing “Rock You Like A Hurricane” on Guitar Hero while the storm rages outside.

Hurricane Links

• Hurricane Ike is headed our way. It’s far too early to be worried, though. My concern at the moment is that the rain might interrupt our waterpark plans this weekend. (Be sure to check out the awesome AJAX-y interface at that new site, Stormpulse)
• Hurricanes from space courtesy of the always-excellent Big Picture.