Sandy Blows

8 days ago I shut off my computer here at work, turned out all the lights in the teen center & locked the doors.  I had no idea it would be 8 days before I was able to sit down and actually get work done again.  All in all, my family has survived the hurricaine.  My parents house (last year's storm was a disaster) is still without power, but this year at least, we had fewer leaves and no snow! 

Once of the biggest problems is that there is no gas.  Which is a wierd concept, considering that there is practically a gas station on every corner in these towns.  But they are empty.  Or they dont have power so the pumps are off.  We have a gas rationing system that no one seems to understand (I've heard like 6 explenations of the licence plate rules, all contradicting each other).  I retreated up to PA for the weekend, so I filled up before I left, and brought back 10 gallons of gas for my dad.  There are also, unfortunatly, people taking advantage of this fact, and price gouging like you woulding believe (200% increase overnight for fuel...wtf)  Unfortunatly, with the disaster affecting SO much of the state, most of the attention has (rightly) gone to the ravaged shore.  Its a good learning expereince for the northern counties, how to carpool, plan trips, ride your bike etc.  My co-worker and I set a good example by walking to DD for lunch, and I think we are going to make a thing of it from now on.  We drive way too much (I promise I dont usually drive to work unless I am leaving from work to go somewhere that requires a car.  I live about 100 yards from the building...)

If you are looking to help out NY & NJ, I recommend donating to the American Red Cross.  We are going to start a food and clothing drive here, so send me a message if you would like to contribute to that :)