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Seven kinds of stupid: #1 driving in a tropical storm


At 11:15 a.m. right when I was driving home...


Driving anywhere nonessential in a tropical storm---even the edge of a sort of one---is seven kinds of stupid.

I? Am seven kinds of stupid.

For the record? The dentist is nonessential and not worth the twenty-five years I took off my life span driving to and from the office in this torrential rain.

I knew it was not good news when, as I backed out of my drive, rain band 1 hit, turning the sky gunmetal gray with rain slashing down at about a 45 degree angle. I had about ten feet of visibility in front of me.

I knew it was very bad news when, as I paid the dentist and prepared to leave, the sky turned black as night. That rain crashed down bone straight, and left about five feet of visibility. Everyone had to drive in the left lanes as the right ones were flooded.

As we drove, the radio made that ghastly shrieking noise and issued storm and flash flood alerts for...everywhere I am.

Then the sky and air got freaky weird. The edge of black cloud tapered into light gray, with a slight space in between rain band systems that opened up to nearly blue. It was so quiet right there, with no rain, or noise. I could see across to the bay, where the next line of rain was coming in.

We made it the rest of the way home and inside the house quickly before that band hit.

Now it's pounding rain and thunder outside.

We're so water logged here that the water is sitting too much on the surface, so I believe the flash flood warnings.

So it's just rain...and really, we're fairly used to it by now. But man, driving in it sucks and is seven kinds of stupid. (New England friends, it's like a Nor'easters and then some.)

South of us are under "boil water" warnings. If we're getting pounded, I hope they are okay.

Fellow Gulf coasters, if you can, please check in! Mainly tell me you are not as stupid as I am, LOL.

Copyright 2007 Julie Pippert
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Comments

Aliki2006 said…
You made it home though! I've done that type of thing before, don't worry!

I'm glad you're ok.
August 16, 2007 at 11:51 AM
Gwen said…
Good to hear you survived your own stupidity. Not that I'm saying you're stupid. I was just trying to be agreeable. I know how much you like it when we all agree with everything you've ever said or thought. No, back up: that's me, who likes agreement, always.

Isn't there another storm behind Erin? And what kind of name is Erin for a hurricane? Pshaw!
August 16, 2007 at 12:40 PM
Anonymous said…
Hi there!

I decided to stay inside this morning. Glad to hear all travels did not end up on local news. WeatherChannel addicted husband is now worried about future weather possibly heading our way. By the way, I find the phrase "cone of uncertainty" obnoxious and one I wish I knew when I was in college!

Erin
www.expectingexecutive.com
August 16, 2007 at 1:15 PM
S said…
Oh, Julie, Julie...

Stay safe. Indoors.
August 16, 2007 at 2:00 PM
flutter said…
um, but how are your TEETH?
August 16, 2007 at 2:28 PM
Anonymous said…
As a fellow Hurricane Alley inhabitant, I know what you're talking about. Glad you made it home okay. Now stay put and good luck :)
August 16, 2007 at 3:03 PM
Jeff and Charli Lee said…
According to the weather channel, Erin is a "tropical depression." We don't get those here in MN - in fact we don't get ANYTHING that starts with "tropical" around here. Anyway, what does that even mean?
August 16, 2007 at 3:10 PM
Unknown said…
Glad you made it. I don't think I have the temperament to live where you live. Guess I'll stop complaining about the 100 degree weather here.
August 16, 2007 at 3:22 PM
Julie @ Letter9 said…
Julie, I've never been in the middle of a hurricane or a tropical depression or whatever this giant rain storm that's pummeling your home is currently being called, but I've been in plenty of Nor'easters and other such snow storms and I'll wager there's one difference: we seasoned northerners like to believe we have learned how to drive in the snow, and so some of us, particularly those of us who have left the snow belt for slightly warmer pastures, have this superiority complex and thus like to show off by driving in any damned storm that hits and then complaining about the local idiots who got stuck out in the snow and proceeded to spin out in all directions around us, putting our good-snow-driving lives in danger unnecessarily. But of course we're all just crazy, crazy punks.

I guess like you.

Now stay inside.
August 16, 2007 at 4:00 PM
Kyla said…
Josh is wading his way home as I type this. Our neighborhood is flooded, so he had to park the car and walk the rest of the way. Poor guy. The kids and I stayed in all day.
August 16, 2007 at 4:46 PM
Unknown said…
The worst "weather" I've ever had to deal with are some good old-fashioned Texas thunderstorms--all hell breaks loose for 20 minutes to two hours and then it is all done, until the next one.

I think that my kind of Texas storm, up in Dallas, is different that what you are dealing with there. I hope you all stay safe and dry and that it all passes over soon.
August 16, 2007 at 7:05 PM
Anonymous said…
Well, at least you have clean teeth.
August 16, 2007 at 7:50 PM
Chicky Chicky Baby said…
Don't you wish sometimes that you still lived up here? We only get the occasional hurricane, not those crazy storms that you all get.
August 16, 2007 at 8:10 PM
Girlplustwo said…
i never get to worry about this sort of thing in cali. i sometimes wish i could.
August 16, 2007 at 10:35 PM
painted maypole said…
i might have to go with 8 kinds of stupid. ;) Glad you are home safe. We, too, have our eye on Dean here in N'awlins.
August 16, 2007 at 10:59 PM
Christine said…
stay safe ok, ? i really hope things are ok. i am just home now and catching up on blog posts.
love,
c--
August 17, 2007 at 7:13 AM
Julie Pippert said…
Thanks all!

Especially YOU Painted Maypole telling me it is EIGHT kinds of stupid LOL!!!! :)

Luckily there didn't seem to be any sort of surge up here so all of our water was able to drain out into the bayou that runs to the lake that runs to the bay that runs to the gulf that runs to the ocean. Did you catch that? LOL. It's all close enough that you can stand and see the bayou run into the lake and the lake run into the bay.

Anyway today is a bright, sunny day, probably going to be hotter than anyone could stand...so we're off to a water park. :)
August 17, 2007 at 8:10 AM
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