ruh-ruh-ruh-rita

Hurricane Rita has got all of Texas in a scuttle. HEB's and other grocery stores are being flocked by the masses. There's not a cart waiting for you at the front, you might find an abandoned one in an aisle if you are lucky. I was. Bottled water aisles are empty. There's just too many people in the store for an early Thursday afternoon. Too many. I waited in an extra-long checkout line and it was the shortest one in the store. I just needed to get my Milk-drinking flatmate a entire gallon of 2% milk. Anything to curb the high-pitched whine. Well, almost anything. Along the way I picked up the TP whose absence would have not been forgiven, and some other items. How about some of that nasty Crystal Light Tea powder to help mask the taste of the tap water at the apartment, seeing that I won't be drinking bottled water for a while.

For those of you in other places reading this... know that I'm safe. But feel free to still call and check in on me, I enjoy the chance to catch up with y'all. So ya, we should be ok here in Austin, at least so far. I mean, I suppose we are supposed to get up to 70 mph winds and some crazy rain this weekend, but heck, I'm from Oregon. This girl can do rain... even the TEXAS-sized rain. Now the humidity that will probably show up in the process, well, that's another matter. Ha ha, you should see my hair these days. Woo-whee! They don't say "everything's bigger in Texas" for nothin'. The freeways from Houston are packed out because of the evacuation from there... and that usual 3 hour trip is taking people over 10. That's gotta be the bunk. Where will everyone go to? I mean, Houston is huge. I heard the New Orleans' evacuees were actually flown to Atlanta, which makes sense, because a lot of them don't have cars anymore or jobs to buy the gas to get out anyways. Some of my friends here have opened their homes, apartments, to family and others' loved ones from that area. We are just praying for a safe evacuation and for menial to no damage to their residences. That may be a lot to ask for, but the Lord knows and nothing is too big for Him.