Coming Out Party

So, I went out there. I woke up around 8:15 and checked the radar and the reporting and the social media and it seemed like, if I wanted to take the dog out, it might be a good time. I looked out the windows in each direction and saw someone walking his dog so, hey, why not at least try?

I wrapped my phone in a water resistant case from Solution Man and a plastic bag. Winds were gusting and I thought about leaving it inside then realized that if a gust cut off my way home with debris or electric wires I'd need my phone. Put on my rain coat, convinced the dog to come with me, and it took some work, then headed out.

It's very quiet in the complex. So quiet, especially for this time on a Sunday when everyone is usually out with their dogs or headed to church. When I stepped out into the hallway, though, I smelled pot roast so everyone's still here and carrying on.

On the way out of the courtyard I met the guy I'd seen going out with his dog so I asked him if there was any danger to look out for. He said the wind seemed to be picking up but it was mostly just wet. Oh and there was a pretty big tree down on DeKalb. I didn't plan to go that far so I felt OK.

Then I went through the security building during a big wind gust and had to really work to keep the door from slamming behind me and surely breaking. The guards let me deal with that myself while watching me very closely with worried eyes. Thanks guys, you rest, I'll take care of it.

Out on the street the first piece of good news is the building's sprinklers still work! I was extremely worried that the grass would dry out today so thank goodness no one tried to cut that off. Humbug.

Anyway, the wind abruptly died down so I followed the dog up the block and there were some small limbs down but I didn't feel unsafe. Even felt ok going under the scaffolding on the corner, which I hadn't planned on. Around the corner there was a thin but long and bushy branch blocking the sidewalk. The dog beelined for it so I let him investigate and he deemed it a great place to poop. Huzzah! That gave me time to look around and I saw that on the other side of the limb was a line down. It wasn't electrical, probably cable, but I decided that could be our party alarm. So back we went.

Ed peed a couple more times but when we got to the complex's entrance he went straight inside, happy to be home. I decided it was a good idea to follow his lead and, new information, he can go almost 10 hours without going out if circumstances demand it.

We've passed one high tide but have another before the storm and its potential damage has completely passed. The coastal areas of the city are wildly flooded and much windier than it is here. When I turned on the news as I got back inside they were announcing that one tube of the Holland Tunnel has been closed due to flooding. That's pretty major. I've seen some photos of the subway which are a little nuts. Steps turned into waterfalls and platforms into swimming pools. They are predicting the transit system to be up by midday tomorrow but experts wonder if that's optimistic. Apparently the trains have been stashed in tunnels along their routes to keep them safe so between working out which stations have been cleared of water and getting the trains back to where they belong is going to be an intricate and time consuming venture. I'm guessing I'll be working from home tomorrow but I'm going to wait until this evening to make that call. It's not that I won't be able to get there at all but that if I don't have to add my body to the mess why should I?

According to my NY1 weather guy, who I have stayed with through 4 shirt changes so far this storm, the trip through Coney Island significantly reduced Irene's strength so New England should get a much saner version of the storm. Hope that's true!

There's a sinkhole in the courtyard, a tiny one, and reporting tells me that all this water is weighting things down and compromising the ground so I think we'll stay put. Seems like a good day to hang around the house enjoying an excuse to be lazy.