I'm not supposed to have a headache *after* eating food.

I'm alternating between actually putting items on my flashly new portable hard drive thingy (it looks like a big block of candy!) and being too distracted by everything else to put things on my bitsy toy. It probably doesn't help that Iron Chef is on because I cannot pass up an episode of Iron Chef.

For some reason I keep spelling "chef" as "chif."

Maybe I'll also use this time to post pictures once tech feel secure?

I'm apparently going to use my day off to run to Best Buy and purchase an external hard drive since Merv tried to actually die this morning. (Lately he's been sticking with "warnings of doom" and must have noticed what little affect they had on my trying to fix him.) I've already poked around online, attempting to be an informed consumer and discover what would be the best use of my meager theater earnings. All the reviews, however, are the same mix of people squealing about "love it! must buy!" or received a defective one and/or had the most soul-sucking experience possible with customer service. Actually, it seems none of these companies have good customer service, if the reviews are to be believed.

Hopefully, talking to an actual human being will help.

We apparently get a free carpet shampoo. I don't know if it's from Ike or signing the lease.

The subject of pets came up during signing our lease this morning. (Incidentally, yay! Staying in the same place for another year!) It went something like this:

Hannah: So, about the pet deposit. It's still $200...

Lorainne, our awesome apartment manager: It's $500.

H: Really?

L,OAAM: It's always been $500. And now your pet will need to pay rent, too. That's new. It's $15 per month.

H: What if we had two of them? We're thinking of getting two cats so they aren't bored when we're not around.

L,OAAM: Huh. I don't know.

Debbie, other awesome apartment manager: Would we know there are two? Like, would they looking similar so we wouldn't notice?

Deb: With the ones we were thinking about, they might.

L,OAAM: I guess that'd be $15 then.


The important question, of course, was if we need to pay a deposit per pet. They'd allow us break the $500 into two payments over the course of a month, but even that might be a little steep for our theater paychecks, let alone paying it twice.

Maybe that siamese twin cat isn't such a bad idea after all. We could at least make back the pet rent by charging admission to see our bundle of (double) joy.

I like it in "ocean."

Well, that's interesting.

no good will come of my drinking a pure-sugar coke at 10 p.m.

(No good will come from re-Lysoling my carpet and staying in that room, either, from purely brain cell purposes.)

After fighting all the traffic necessary to reach the downtown aquarium for their $5 night, we discovered downtown itself is under a different curfew of 8 p.m. We arrived at 7:12.

Maybe we'll see fish (and ride the ferris wheel and watch the white tigers sleep) tomorrow?

Other things:
- I need to move my London snowglobe away from quick grab range, as I sit and absentmindedly shake it while reading emails...and then end up staring at the snow falling on the little red double decker. It's not a hopeless cause when people know they have a problem, right?

- I really should track down my alarm clock because cell phone alarms don't have a snooze function.

- I'm listening to a Meatloaf song and actually updating my blog (while avoiding doing other work). What is this, college?!

and the bitsy balls of yarn to claw apart!

Looking at pictures of all the kittens on the Humane Society website makes me tear up a little. With the tails and the tiny paws and whiskers!

Anyway. Our talk about "maybe? possibly? someday?" adopting a pet of someday suddenly spun into "Kitten! We'd need two of them! One each for when someone moves out!" earlier in the evening. As is everything else in the city, the Humane Society has temporarily paused adoptions due to the hurricane and treating incoming animals.

So, who's allergic to cats? Might as well tell us now so we can stop hanging out with you.

*still* still standing

We're back in the apartment with power (and a newly cleaned freezer). My work building either is still without power, or they haven't noticed I'm not there yet. (Out of the way offices will do that to you, I guess.)

I'm hoping to catch up on some life today, seeing as life is starting to get back to normal. I need to check with our apartment office about my carpet (which thankfully doesn't smell anymore), do laundry, buy stamps, return library stuff, and post a bunch of pictures (storm and otherwise). Do I see myself on the couch for about five hours instead, watching old things on the DVR? Possibly, but here's hoping for the best.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers (plus calls and texts) that went out over the weekend. I don't regret staying, but I do know we were very, very fortunate not to end with anything falling or seeping into our apartment more than a little water. If I ever find where I stashed my camera cord to keep it safe, I'll provide some examples.

Shall we gather at the river? (tomorrow, it may be my street)

I still have a little time, but I'm going to go ahead and start unplugging electronics to prepare for when the front of the storm hits my doorstep. My cell will be on for as long as it gets a signal, and hopefully even after. Jet me a text if need be, or try to get in by regular phone. (I will reimburse you, if needed, as it will amuse me to send fifteen cents in the mail.)

If you're going to be in a hurricane, we're on the safest side of town to ride it out. Prayers go out to all those spread around the storm path, especially people I know and wish could fit in Deb's closet with me.

I'll send word out tomorrow when things are clear-ish. Keep watching for twitters as long as reception holds out and I find things that amuse me to post.

Apparently, Galveston has yet to lose its sense of humor

A bit of youtube Bwah?!-ness for you all.

The tub is full of water, some windows are taped and others are soon to be, I've taken pictures of stuffed animals reading the hurricane prep guide (why not?), and I'm way tired of endless coverage on the news. Time to watch things on the DVR!

They don't have these in London, do they?

Flooding is already occuring in Galveston with most of a day to go before landfall. Remember that road we drove down to reach the beach, right in the middle of town? That's apparently underwater due to backups in the storm drain. The news this morning had awesome video of the waves erupting (that's what it looked like) over the main storm wall.

Right now, Ike is getting his strength mostly from how *huge* he is rather than wind speed or whatever normally powers hurricanes. The current track places him to land at Galveston, probably pop up Galveston Bay, and head for all of Houston. I am not a fan of this plan, though authorities are still saying that those who don't need to leave should stay put.

When Deb wakes up (ah, blissful days of rest, no matter the circumstances), I guess we'll reassess whether we want to relocate slightly. The recommendation is to be off the road by noon, so if we're going, we're going this morning.

In the meantime, I'm going to clean the tub and fill it (yes, Mom, I was already planning to do so), move all the nonperishables into one place, pack my "if we have to run for it" bag, and tend to the window situation. Also, I need to take some pictures, because it's not every day I get to tape a shower curtain to a sliding glass door.

"Remember how I said I'd be concerned when the locals got concerned?"

As of now, Deb and I are planning on hunkering down (such a great verb, huh?) here in Houston instead of fleeing elsewhere. I've filled water gallons and pulled in my porch stuff already tonight, and will mess with any boarding/taping of windows tomorrow. We shut down shows for the rest of the weekend, including tomorrow's opening, and won't be at work until hopefully Monday. We're also hopeful that things won't be underwater by that point.

I might go to the mall tomorrow. I don't think many other people will be there.

I'll keep people updated best as I can throughout the weekend. From what I hear, it's almost certain that power will go out and flooding commence. How long and how deep is up in the air. Watch for twitters as long as I can text.

One of my favorite things heard today: "I was really pulling for your hurricane to come this direction. That way, the newspapers would've been 'Hanna Hits Houston!' 'Ike Hits Houston' just isn't the same."

I've been spending lots of time on weather-themed websites lately.

I love how there's always that point of tech week when I think about what things I'd do in life if I were not a stage manager and therefore stressing about ridiculous things. (Examples? Tortise shell straps, bell dings, fake money, trees potentially killing the audience, fifteen scene shifts in one show. And, currently, ginormous yellow window frames.) Obviously, I always come to my senses (meaning: haven't come up with a solid alternative yet), but I do wonder how long I'll put up with the drama.

Also drama: Ike (Thanks, Mom! I still have all those milk gallons!) and the off-and-on sharp pain in my back/side that is potentially in the vicinity of my kidneys. Since I don't trust theater people to be up on their human anatomy, I'm using that as an excuse to not do anything about it. Excuse me while I download all manner of free NBC shows from iTunes to celebrate all the money I'll spend buying 30 Rock each week.

I really don't know what it means to be a vine.

Once Upon a Time, back at the evening of my first Spotlighter Awards, I stood at the far end of the hall, clutching my suitcase prop (for my part as "New Intern #2) and listening to the announcement of the technical awards. This was my first official day with the players, and I was already nervous about finding where I'd fit in with the company. And there I was, listening to people I already knew as actors winning designing awards, box office staff being named best director, and the like. The secret to extending your time with the players beyond the intern year, it seemed, was not only to find one area to excel, but *three.* I sincerely had the thought that myself, as stage manager (or assistant sm, at the time) and box office worker, wouldn't quite cut the line. Oh, the sound designs and posters I saw myself creating during those brief five minutes.

(I am now aware how delusional this idea was.)

There's some part of me that has never gotten over that moment. Clearly, I'm foolish for ever thinking a stage manager would never be in demand somewhere, but *three* positions in one company? Who really has time to devote to three seperate fields? If I "root quickly and getting into everything," as one person put it, it's only because I can't not be involved in a department. Part being raised not to shirk responsibility (even when it sucks), part frightened intern hoping not to be kicked out of Texas (all my stuff had moved), that's what makes up this vine.