29 | October | 2012

Well I might as well start writing now while we still have power. And having written that sentence…
Bill and I are safely indoors waiting to the storm to arrive. So far it’s been windy and rainy but it’s not really raining. Some precipitation is falling or rather flying sideways. I went out earlier just for a few minutes to see what was happening and came home shortly thereafter. An hour or so later, the tree in front of our building was knocked over by winds. It was just chopped in two as the picture and video below will show.

We’ve been indoors mostly. I did go out yesterday and checked out the waterfront, where I used to busk. It wasn’t that bad, some white caps on the river and a bit windy. I walked around Pier A and took some snapshots, then walked into the train station for a moment. A couple of hours later the area by the train station was beginning to flood and soon after that, the train tracks inside the station were filling with water. It wasn’t windy, it wasn’t raining, it was the proximity of the river and a full moon high tide with the rising waters from the storm surge.

It was eerily quiet last night when I went to bed. Bill was already asleep. Before falling asleep he called his office to see if they were open or closed today (they were closed). I sent some info to friends in Manhattan to let them know that the MTA was shutting down as well as NJ Transit. Last year while working at the cigar shack, the same thing happened when Hurricane Irene approached. There was no way to get to and from work for anyone so there was no work.

We didn’t get paid for the day but if we were working at the cigar shack Swiss cheese headquarters in Florida and couldn’t make it in, then we would have gotten paid. Since we were mere grunts in suits and ties in New York City, and despite Zack’s impotent attempt we got nothing. So some of those friends got the word, I figured they would tell other people. I couldn’t give a damn if they told the marsupial. I don’t know if possums could swim.

It is now 4PM and there are no cars allowed to drive on the streets of Hoboken. A big construction crane is dangling on west 57th Street due to the high winds. A curfew is in effect in Hoboken at 6PM. And the fucking storm isn’t even here yet. I’ve seen pictures of Ocean City MD, Atlantic City, Ortley Beach and they’re all overrun by the ocean waters. Fire Island has been evacuated and I can only wonder what is going on in Sandy Hook or any of those shore towns on Route 36.

So far we are OK here in Hoboken. We can’t leave the building due to downed wires so we are in for the night. We’re fine with provisions so now we just have to ride it out. Hope all is well where you are.