day 48 - bracing for isaac

Well today's post is written under quite different circumstances that normal. In case you live under a rock, Tropical Storm, soon to be Hurricane Isaac, is currently on a direct path for the Keys. I made my preparations last night - aka I bought pretzel chips, Luna bars, cereal and bottled water - and then bar crawled today. I'm not a hurricane virgin, but this is my first major storm in Key West. I was in Miami for the terrible hurricane season of 2005, but Chartwells packed us nonperishable meals and we lived in concrete buildings with permanent hurricane shutters. Obviously the necessary preparation on my part was very little. I do however, remember one eye opener I had that year. The weekend before classes started, my mom and I were at the Dadeland Target elbow to elbow with every other UM freshman and their parents, attempting to furnish our 6' by 6' dorm rooms and stock up on "necessities" before our parents (i.e. our wallets) left town. My mom looked and me and said "Why is everyone buying flashlights?" I giggled and dismissed her question, thinking it was just silly and frivolous. Just a couple short months later, I woke up after Wilma hit, slipped on the water from my thawed mini-fridge, and realized we were without power. That's when I caught on to the flashlight thing.It doesn't happen often, but that time, mom and I were outsmarted. :)

Anyway - this time I have candles, I think there's a flashlight somewhere, I made lots of extra ice, and I bought some non-perishables. Can't lie, I wouldn't have complained if someone had the boxed lunches prepped for me this go around! Since I have been cooking almost all of my meals at home and eating a diet of mostly fruits/veggies/lean proteins, shopping for foods that don't go bad was kind of shocking. Conclusion - If it doesn't go bad, it's probably bad for you! (Nuts being one of the only exceptions.) So I'll be on carb overload if we lose power, but eh well, doesn't count if there's no other options. I did NOT choose to use the "doesn't count" excuse for drinking. I did contemplate a one-day free pass, but decided I would regret it immediately after the first sip.

Fat Tuesday - Stop #2 on the Isaac Bar Crawl (I had a Virgin Daiquiri which turned out to be just a waste of calories lol)

So I'm 7 weeks in, and in the past week I've conquered a weekend in Miami and now a tourist-free Duval Street Hurricane Party Bar Crawl. My experiences are different than they would be with drinking, but I do not feel like I'm missing out on anything. 

Walking around Brickell Key last weekend - LOVED this walk. (Drinking Kendall wouldn't have worked out multiple times on a weekend vacation! Especially with open bar on the club level...)

I feel lucky and healthy and alert. If I feel all those things 24 hours from now, instead of hot and in the dark, I'll be very happy! Crossing my fingers for power and safety on our little island during/after the storm.