Hurricane Preparedness

With my upcoming move to Florida staring at me right in the face I couldn't help but think I overlooked one important detail about moving to Florida in the summer.

HURRICANE SEASON...

I know what you're thinking, "That's kind of an important factor to overlook, isn't it?" Well it is, unless you've been dealing with your own personal hurricane since the beginning of May. And that would be Hurricane NPTE. Now that I've conquered that I guess it's time to start preparing myself for worst case scenario.

1. First, get important papers and special photos in order and secured in plastic. Identification is difficult and time-consuming to replace: so be sure to include social security cards, birth certificates, high school diplomas or GED certificates, titles or deeds to property. Photos of special occasions or loved ones cannot be replaced, so including these is important as well.

2. Think ahead and take video or photos of your property before you leave. This will help later on with any insurance checklist claims for damage that may need to be filed.

3. If staying with relatives is not an option, consider booking a room in a hotel or motel in another nearby town or state. Make sure to get directions and put them in the car ahead of time. It is easy to forget that piece of paper in the rush out the door. A cheaper route might be to find temporary hurricane shelters. Usually nearby towns not in the direct path of the hurricane will provide these for people in need.

4. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that your pet will have a place in a motel or hotel. Keep this in mind, and try to find alternate housing like pet-friendly hotels and motels or dog boarding kennels in areas out of the path of the storm until it is safe to return home.

5. Designate a spot, in the hall closet, to keep a bag of clothes for each person in the household. Make sure to include sleeping gear if you plan on going to a temporary shelter.

6. Along with overnight clothes, consider stocking your Hurricane Kit with the following: extra cash, generator, batteries, flash lights, battery operated radio/television, bottled water, toilet paper, non-perishable foods such as cereal or crackers, canned goods, a can opener, a small cooler, candles, prescription medicines and any over-the-counter remedies you use regularly; and if you have small children - diapers, baby wipes, formula, baby food.

7. Count on the power being out for at least a day or two.Remember that ATM's will be non-operating, so have at least some hard cash in your Hurricane Kit (see no. 6, above) to see you through the storm.

When TV and computer games no longer operate, board games or a deck of cards come in handy! Arts and crafts, crayons and downloadable coloring pages are always great distractions for the kids - so make sure you've stored some of these supplies in a tote bag or in the car trunk.

8. If you decide to tough out the storm, stay downwind in your home. This means if the wind is hitting the living room windows, go to the room opposite the living room.

9. Plywood is a 'hot' commodity for those of who decide to stay. Boarding up windows that will take the brunt of the wind and rain is a wise decision. If board is not available, protect your windows from the wind by criss-crossing them with layers of duct or packing tape. This will be enough protection for light-to-medium winds, but learning how to build and install plywood hurricane shutters is your safest bet. If you can afford it, have them installed by a professional.

10. Finally, STAY INSIDE. However tempting it may be to videotape or take photos of the storm, be sure to shoot from indoors - where it's safe, and dry!

Thank you FEMA checklist. Without you I think I would find myself in my apartment bathroom with Lincoln by my side sharing a Nalgene of water and a can of cold Chef Boyardee.

More realistic big kid purchases

Now that my life is off hold I can actually start to follow through with some of the plans I've been formulating in my head while I should have been strictly studying.

All the fun toys I talked about previously are still up there on my list of priorities, but I have a couple of realistic big kid purchases that can be paid for right away.

Both involve fitness, which I'm sure given my interests doesn't really come as all that much of a surprise.

1) 2010 Health First Sprint Triathlon in Melbourne, FL. A.k.a. my new home.

It's October 3, 2010 and the price is $65.00 I believe. Which doesn't seem like a lot, but if you had access to my bank statements at this current time you would realize otherwise. Between the start up costs of moving and all the little things that keep adding up I think it's safer to wait until my first paycheck to register for this race. Besides I have more important things to spend my money on right now. You know insignificant things like first month's rent.

2)2010 Space Coast Half Marathon in Cocoa, FL. Aka very close to my new home.

It's November 28, 2010 which gives me a little more time before I have to register. It costs $70.00 I think. Again, we won't go through the logistics but just know that this will be paid for with my second paycheck. All the more motivation to keep my butt moving. With the close to 5 mile run I did today I think I can swing this race! I've always wanted to do a half marathon and hopefully things will work out in my favor this time!

Victory!

This entry will be short and sweet:

I PASSED!

Hard work pays off

At least that's what I keep telling myself today. It's the last day before D-Day. Seven years of school come down to this test tomorrow. No biggie, right? How do you honestly accumulate 7 years of knowledge and cram it all into one 250 question multiple choice test?

Looking back at the past few months I keep wondering is there anything else I could have done? Could I have studied more? Could I have reviewed more? Could I have taken more practice tests?

Here's the past couple months broken down into numbers:

Since 5/18 I have logged 126 study hours. This does not account for the three weeks of random studying that took place in the month of April prior to graduation.

Since 5/18 I have used 2 1/2 notebooks to take notes while studying. That's roughly $5.00 spent on knowledge.

Since 4/21 I have taken 12 practice exams. Each exam being 200 questions a piece.

Of the 12 practice exams I have gotten above a 70% on 7 of them.

Of the 12 practice exams, my scores were compared to other students taking the same test for two exams. On both exams I scored above the average.

Since 5/18 39 of those days were spent waiting to get permission to take my test.

Looking back at the number break down I think it's safe to say I think I have done all that I could do. Now all that's left to do is take a deep breath, remember all the hard work I have put into getting ready for this exam, and relax. If relaxation is even possible at this point!

Big kid toys!

With all the studying I've been doing over the past couple of months its hard not to think about what the end result has in store.

I mean yea, new found independence, life as a student over as I know it is over, and a biweekly paycheck are nice. But what is it that I want to spend those biweekly paychecks on?

Well, first the obvious answer is: Student Loan Repayments, Rent, Utilities, Bills, bills, bills...

But that's really not as fun.

You hear recent graduates talk about their first "big" purchase. Whether it be the more obvious choices of car, big screen tv, dog, and on and on and on...

Well my sights are set on other things.

Since I will be living in Florida I will be surrounded by water. Whether it be the pool, the ocean, the river, you name it, it's there. What better purchase than a brand new Kayak? Nothing like spending a Saturday or Sunday morning/afternoon out on the intercoastal waterway. With the excitement of wildlife such as manatees and dolphins what is there not to love? Other than the ever present chance of being capsized by a speed boat that is. I hear they go on sale at the end of the season at Dick's Sporting Goods. You better believe my eyes will be kept wide open for a sale on this beauty.

So what else? Let's face it. I love to do triathlons. In fact, I'm training for one right now. But I must admit it's a little bit disheartening to be one of a handful of people

using a mountain bike during the bike portion of the race. Getting passed by other triathlete competitors on their fancy shiny road bikes is enough to make you wish you had one of your own.

I realize these bikes come in all shapes, sizes, and the most important factor, PRICE RANGE. This will be a later purchase. It may not be my first big purchase, but believe me, it's in the future.

Last,but not least, my final prize that I have my eyes set on would have to be the newest piece of technology utilized by water lovers and swimmers alike. I first heard about this fancy piece of technology on Dailymile.com. And right away I knew I had to have it. Waterproof Ipod shuffle with waterproof headphones from swimman.com. The price isn't too steep, so after paying the necessary bills and getting things squared away I may make this my first purchase. It would be awesome to listen to something other than my thoughts while swimming laps. Not that I don't have some interesting thoughts, but that's beside the point.

I run because...

Someone posted this question on the daily mile forum and I thought I would share it here.

"Why do YOU run?"

I run because I love to lose myself, yet find myself at the same time.
I run because I'm competitive, even if my biggest competitor is myself.
I run because I like have trouble going up and down a flight of stairs after logging miles earlier in the morning.
I run because I like the way it makes my legs work.
I run because I like to leave the house in a light grey shirt and return with a dark grey one in its place.
I run because I am having an affair with my Ipod and have an excuse to spend more time with it.
I run because I want to be healthy and lose weight.
I run because I have a shoe fetish that doesn't involve high heels.
I run because I like to eat, and without running I would feel ten times more guilty.
I run because for a brief period this past winter/spring I couldn't due to illness.