Ice Storm 2009: Part 1

In case you didn't know, I'm one of those people who doesn't get all worked up about things that normal people get worked up over. When I heard this ice storm was coming, I though "Eh, we might get a little something, but nothing's really gonna happen." I figured since everyone was freaking out then we wouldn't really get anything. We'd be in school without even an hour delay. As Alison frantically packed her bags and searched for candles, I calmly played free step on the Wii Fit. When she cried and begged me to come with her to her friend, Trish's house, I explained to her that I wasn't scared of a little ice. I'd be fine alone. So after she headed out, I continued to play the Wii Fit. Next thing I know, the power flickered off and back on. It only lasted a few seconds, so I continued playing Wii, a little angry that I had to start my game over again. A few minutes later, the power flickered again. At this point I figured I might as well get prepared just in case we temporarily lost power.

This is where it gets fun. Still not thinking we'd get much, I drove up to the gas station, filled up my car, and bought a lighter in case I needed to light candles. So this is what I had to make it through the power outage everyone was predicting: about 12 candles that I had taken from Alison's room, a small blanket that was already on the couch, a blue lighter, leftover Chinese food, and a full tank of gas. No snacks, no water. I could survive with that, right? Well, I set up the candles, got out the lighter, and got back to work on the Wii Fit. In the meantime, Alison kept texting me asking me to please let her pick me up when she got finished shopping for supplies at the dollar store. I continued to assure her that I was fine and nothing big was going to happen. Just then, the power went out again. This time it didn't come back on. I had lost 30 minutes of free step wii fit work. I was pissed. I remembered that I had a flashlight in the car. I figured it would come in handy. I took a step outside my door. For a split second, this line from Carrie Underwood's song went through my head "she heard the trumpets from the military band and the flowers fell out of her hand." Then everything went black.




The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I could hear my neighbor trying to stifle a laugh as she asked if I was ok. She repeatedly asked me if I was ok, but I couldn't answer. Finally, a tad embarrassed, I sat up and told her I was fine. All I could think was "Oh God, I'm wearing my penguin pajamas. I hope I don't have to go to the hospital like this."

After retrieving the flashlight, I came inside. From there, all I remember about the next hour is that I started sobbing uncontrollably. I called my mom and told her about my fall. I could hear her immediately call Alison and beg her to come get me. As Alison pulled into the driveway, I heard a HUGE crash. I thought she might have fallen. When they walked in, they told me that part of the big tree out front had fallen.




Alison and Trish helped me pack my stuff. They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I refused. I was really out of it. I went to Trish's for a bit, but don't really remember much about that except that the dog kept trying to hump my arm. Finally I decided I wanted to go home. It was so eerie coming back to my apartment. All of the power was out on my end of Richmond. After assuring the girls I'd be fine, they finally left me in the darkness of my apartment. I slept bundled up on the couch. I kept waking myself up every good few hours just to make sure I was still alive. What an adventure! More to come!