Oh, I am sure there are way more than two ways to die -- but these creative two ways did not escape notice as they recently passed over our lintel post as an ominous black cloud that skirted on by.
Grant had finished up with his final exams at the University and kindly let us know that he thought he would be returning home on Saturday night. Only thing is, we had already given his bed away for the night. We had made arrangements for my brother-in-law and my nephew to spend Saturday night with us as they drove in from California to quickly move my nephew to Dallas to begin a 2 year program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School on the coming Monday. Grant offered to sleep on the couch - what else could he do?
Actually, he did come up with another solution. Finish exams and then go sleep in a bed in Chicago over the weekend as a guest of his roommate Carson. It was a fortuitous move all around, as he worked some of his connections and thinks he has lined up an internship at the Chicago Tribune for the future. He also got to witness yet another Cubs loss at Wrigley Field, ride the El and eat hot dogs. All the while, we and our guests slept soundly here in Texas while others around us cleaned up from a dozen-plus tornadoes that killed 6 and caused much damage 60 miles to our southwest the previous Thursday.
Grant had a good time in Chicago and drove the 5 hours back to Columbia, Missouri. He was going to leave the next day for the 11-hour trip to Texas, but the unstable atmosphere stretching from North Texas to Iowa and southern Illinois had brought forth concern from not only the meteorologist, but from his mother as well.
Death No. 1: (Ooze & Oz) With 24 dead in Oklahoma from the EF-5 twister(s), and more severe storms forecast for the following day; Mom called him up and advised, wait 1 day before you drive home. As the line of severe weather was perfectly aligned to make his route home one of continuous travel laterally right through the heart of the those violet-shaded thunderstorm cores on the Doppler radar. No sense in traveling most of the day through all of that nastiness. You could get blown away to Oz or Kingdom Come. Besides, the National Weather Service has issued a Creedence Clear Water Revival Warning (their most calamitous): DON'T GO OUT TONIGHT, THERE'S A BAD MOON ON THE RISE! (*)
Grant pulled up to the curb the next evening. Mild weather all the way and not even a speeding ticket.
Death No.2: (Death Unplugged) Unfortunately, the strong winds and 2.5" of driving rain we received earlier in the week had found its way into the Verizon cable box on our exterior west wall. The water had fritzed-out our internet service, so once Grant was safely indoors, he was not connected to internet, nor even Wi-Fi for phone. It was a hardship well nigh unto death. "How did you guys ever even live without the internet? I think this is worse than death."
But a savior did arise, the cable guy arrived Friday afternoon, replaced the soggy switches and resuscitated our dowsed and drowning down-loads. We are reconnected with the Land of the Living.
Come weather fair or foul; We Live!
We Live to log-in, tweet and blog another day!
Grant had finished up with his final exams at the University and kindly let us know that he thought he would be returning home on Saturday night. Only thing is, we had already given his bed away for the night. We had made arrangements for my brother-in-law and my nephew to spend Saturday night with us as they drove in from California to quickly move my nephew to Dallas to begin a 2 year program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School on the coming Monday. Grant offered to sleep on the couch - what else could he do?
Actually, he did come up with another solution. Finish exams and then go sleep in a bed in Chicago over the weekend as a guest of his roommate Carson. It was a fortuitous move all around, as he worked some of his connections and thinks he has lined up an internship at the Chicago Tribune for the future. He also got to witness yet another Cubs loss at Wrigley Field, ride the El and eat hot dogs. All the while, we and our guests slept soundly here in Texas while others around us cleaned up from a dozen-plus tornadoes that killed 6 and caused much damage 60 miles to our southwest the previous Thursday.
Grant had a good time in Chicago and drove the 5 hours back to Columbia, Missouri. He was going to leave the next day for the 11-hour trip to Texas, but the unstable atmosphere stretching from North Texas to Iowa and southern Illinois had brought forth concern from not only the meteorologist, but from his mother as well.
Death No. 1: (Ooze & Oz) With 24 dead in Oklahoma from the EF-5 twister(s), and more severe storms forecast for the following day; Mom called him up and advised, wait 1 day before you drive home. As the line of severe weather was perfectly aligned to make his route home one of continuous travel laterally right through the heart of the those violet-shaded thunderstorm cores on the Doppler radar. No sense in traveling most of the day through all of that nastiness. You could get blown away to Oz or Kingdom Come. Besides, the National Weather Service has issued a Creedence Clear Water Revival Warning (their most calamitous): DON'T GO OUT TONIGHT, THERE'S A BAD MOON ON THE RISE! (*)
Grant pulled up to the curb the next evening. Mild weather all the way and not even a speeding ticket.
Death No.2: (Death Unplugged) Unfortunately, the strong winds and 2.5" of driving rain we received earlier in the week had found its way into the Verizon cable box on our exterior west wall. The water had fritzed-out our internet service, so once Grant was safely indoors, he was not connected to internet, nor even Wi-Fi for phone. It was a hardship well nigh unto death. "How did you guys ever even live without the internet? I think this is worse than death."
But a savior did arise, the cable guy arrived Friday afternoon, replaced the soggy switches and resuscitated our dowsed and drowning down-loads. We are reconnected with the Land of the Living.
Come weather fair or foul; We Live!
We Live to log-in, tweet and blog another day!
We're Not Dead Yet!
(*) --My wife always thought the lyrics to Creedence Clearwater Reviaval's chorus for the song, Bad Moon Rising, were: "Don't poke 'round tonight, there's a bathroom on the right". I think that is so funny.
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