thesuccub.us

An excerpt from Sarah Palin’s interview with Katie Couric:

” . . . where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh — it’s got to be all about job creation too. Shoring up our economy, and putting it back on the right track. So healthcare reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade, we’ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, um, scary thing, but 1 in 5 jobs being created in the trade sector today. We’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All of those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.”

Good lord!

Wow. That was just awful. One would think that after 60 years they would have figured out how to make it shorter and less boring. They need some better writers and if I was producing them next year I’d probably get Tina Fey to write them. Or the creator of Mad Men.

So things post-Ike seem to be steadily improving. I think now about half the city has its power back and more, much needed refrigerator/tv/air conditioners, are coming back on each day.

However, with much of the electricity still out, a good portion of the city’s traffic lights are also out. (obviously) An inherent “wait your turn” rule has been in affect since the storm and while this is very nice and all; Houston has (and continues to have) a major problem using its turn signals. You know who you are!

Now obviously Centerpoint energy isn’t having problems getting your cars’ lights up and running because… you are driving and that doesn’t even make sense. So for the love of all things holy, why aren’t you using your turn signals! There are no stop lights! I am waiting for you (Yes, you sir in the unnecessarily large SUV across the intersection) to go… now all of a sudden as I think you are going straight through and I can in-turn do the same, you’re gonna’ bust a right on me! Do you understand how incredibly dangerous this is??

Oh! Oh..  I’m sorry.. I didn’t realize you were on your phone. Wow it must be a really important call for you to be not paying any attention to your current driving conditions, and what with their being NO TRAFFIC LIGHTS WORKING. Carry on.

That was sarcasm if you didn’t get it.

So obviously I was wrong and Ike hit Houston harder than an abusive husband on Girl’s Night out.  I feel like I’ve witnessed some serious crap in my life (NYC Black Out, Re-election of George Bush, 25th VMA’s) but this was certainly one of the longest and scariest nights I’ve ever had.

Around 10:30pm is started to get really bad. The wind picked up as did the rain and with every momentous gust we thought that our little Houston home would just come crashing down around us. We had taped up the windows but it didn’t stop the ultimate fear of them breaking. We couldn’t sleep much at all. Rob paced about the house checking for disaster around each corner. It was one of those gross butterfly feelings in your stomach that are not butterflies at all, but actually moths. We just sat their frozen, eyes peeking out the window hoping that THIS gust of wind would be the last.

At about 5 am the entire sky lit up blue. At first I thought it was lightening but after another crystal blue burst we realized it was transformers exploding in the sky. (I made a Decepticon joke that was not appreciated)

By 6ish, it started to slow down and we finally we’re able to fall asleep.

The city is a freakin’ mess. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures. Windows blown out, flooding, trees down, etc. In our little neighborhood, I have to say it doesn’t look that bad. Oh sure everyone lost some branches, down by the bayou behind our house an enormous tree was knocked down taking a power line with it. It might be something about how old our house is and the others in our general area – I guess they don’t make them like they used to. I have to say we were pretty lucky.

What was NOT lucky is my beloved Channel 8 which got hit really hard. Part of the roof blew off, flooding, and major damage to the studio.

The roof – coming off!

The small studio – flooded

You may be receiving a letter from me asking you to send money to HoustonPBS. Just so you know.

Thanks to everyone that called and emailed to see how we were doing.

It’s always so amazing to see how quickly people jump up to help other people in times of need. Watching the news for the past few days, seeing people going out of their way to help the community almost makes you think this country is not completely doomed. Well.. sort of…

If I learned anything from this experience it’s that I won’t have a problem boarding up windows and hiding under my bed during Judgement Day. As you may have heard you don’t need to stop it, just survive. Which in turn means that I’ll live to see the Apocalypse.. which will be awesome.

Go Houston!!!

Oh hurricane Ike, with your Sea Wall serges and your 80 mile per hour gusts of wind and your days off from work. Damn you I say!  Oh wait ..

Here is my ‘so far’ assumption of the Hurricane. As of yesterday 8am my job revved up for another free day off. The offices officially closed at 5pm (big whoop) as the storm really wasn’t due to hit even out at the coast until the following early day-afternoon (meaning today). So for obvious reasons, everyone in my building was out by noon.. ’cause.. I’m not sure. Traffic and stuff.

By 4:30, having been abandoned by my comrades for the greater part of a day, I decide to take off. (The day prior I was instructed by my smart boyfriend to pick up the essentials: water, batteries, flashlights, Thai food – but of course neglected to pick up toilet paper.) SO.. I figured that I would go pick some up and anything else I may have forgotten (READ: wine) before things got too crazy. I feared the worst; bumper-to-bumper traffic,  gas-stations out of gas, ATM’s out of money, riots, looting, the whole nine! Well.. it was just about that bad – Specs Liquor store had like a line almost out the door!

So flash-forward to today having a lovely day off: we clean up the yard, pick up whatever isn’t nailed down, even go as far as to nail some things down that weren’t before… and then we wait. And wait. and we continue to wait. Even now. I know it’s gonna get worse and finger crossed nothing bad happens to our little, already in mild squalor, house – but right now, ehh? Ike don’t scare me. Yet. (As I write this it just got really windy)

Ok ladies.. this is absolutely absurd. Are we kidding now? Just because Sarah Palin knows the pain of child birth we are willing to forgo the fact that she believes in nothing, nothing, nothing that we all believe in.. and get excited about it?? The woman tried to BAN BOOKS. Ban them! I’m sorry but there is only one person I know of that was banning books and that guy had a little mustache. (Oh yeah I went there but I’m Jewish so I can).

It’s unfortunate and sad that women have, yet again, gotten the shaft. Lower wages, low cut shirts, periods and now this. Will we ever have a woman to look up to? A woman that has not only substance and intelligence, but is also strong and feminine at the same time? A woman with an ass-kicking personality, good will, and a competitive nature? A woman that demands respect but doesn’t have a piercing voice that makes you want to shoot yourself in the brain or a pregnant teenage daughter? A woman who doesn’t think its ‘ok’ to shoot polar bears, one that honestly seems like a  good person..  .. and is actually hot?  But where… does such a wonder woman exist?

Of course..

Rob and I have officially lived in Houston for a year. Some days it feels like we’ve been here for a week, sometimes it feels like a century. Every once in a while, Rob turns to me and laughs and says, “We live here!”

When we left we had several specific goals; more time for ourselves, save some money, get more excerise, eat better, more sleep, etc etc etc.. Why we didn’t think we could get any of these New Years’ style resolutions done in NYC, I’m not exactly sure (except for the saving money part!) but for whatever the real reasons were: we made the move. And.. it’s been pretty good actually. You never think that you can pick up and leave and of course it’s much easier to do when there’s two of you, but if we can do it.. anybody can. Here’s to new things!