Hurricane Irene has been affecting us since about noon today - but we're still here! I still have power, internet, etc. It's been raining pretty hard for about 4 hours now and the wind has picked up in the last hour or so. But I'm still here!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Hurricane hysteria
As I sit here looking out the window, I can't help but wonder what it will look like about 12 hours from now. By now unless you've been living under a rock you'd know that Hurricane Irene is headed up the east coast. It's definitely going to impact a lot of people. However the hysteria is unnecessary.
I realize that there is potential for a lot of flooding and damage, but for the most part people will be fine. If you live in low lying areas, move everything to higher shelves or ground. Park your car up the street on a hill. Go visit some friends you haven't seen in a while. Hell, take a weekend trip somewhere.
Now we sit and wait. Everything is packed away at my house and I'm just going to sit and wait it out. I've got food, water, and a grill. I'm good to go!
I realize that there is potential for a lot of flooding and damage, but for the most part people will be fine. If you live in low lying areas, move everything to higher shelves or ground. Park your car up the street on a hill. Go visit some friends you haven't seen in a while. Hell, take a weekend trip somewhere.
Now we sit and wait. Everything is packed away at my house and I'm just going to sit and wait it out. I've got food, water, and a grill. I'm good to go!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Earthquake
Now that I've had time to sit and think about today's earthquake, here's a quick recap of where I was and what I witnessed:
I was at work, talking to a co-worker about our upcoming fantasy football draft. All of the sudden the floor started shaking, similar to when somebody is running down the hall. I looked down the hall and saw nobody running. I then heard the windows starting to rattle. It felt like a low flying plane. Our security manager came out of her office to ask what was going on. I looked down the hall and saw people coming out of their offices with very curious or frightened looks on their faces. I then said "I think we're having an earthquake!" We all stood for another 15-20 seconds when things started to quiet down. Right about then the fire alarm sounded, so we exited the building.
It was strange. I had never experienced an earthquake before. While it wasn't as strong as other parts of the area, it was definitely wild.
When I got home, I found some pictures crooked and a few light items had fallen down or shifted. Luckily I didn't notice any structural damage to the house. We were lucky.
I was at work, talking to a co-worker about our upcoming fantasy football draft. All of the sudden the floor started shaking, similar to when somebody is running down the hall. I looked down the hall and saw nobody running. I then heard the windows starting to rattle. It felt like a low flying plane. Our security manager came out of her office to ask what was going on. I looked down the hall and saw people coming out of their offices with very curious or frightened looks on their faces. I then said "I think we're having an earthquake!" We all stood for another 15-20 seconds when things started to quiet down. Right about then the fire alarm sounded, so we exited the building.
It was strange. I had never experienced an earthquake before. While it wasn't as strong as other parts of the area, it was definitely wild.
When I got home, I found some pictures crooked and a few light items had fallen down or shifted. Luckily I didn't notice any structural damage to the house. We were lucky.
Wow
We had an earthquake here in MD this afternoon. Shook my office for about 20-30 seconds. It was nuts. Luckily no damage or injuries at my office. Never been through one before this. That was definitely crazy.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Nashville
We took a family vacation to Nashville from July 22-29. What a good time. Here's the rundown of what we did and saw:
22nd: After stopping for the night in Bristol, TN, I borrowed some time in the morning to go over to Bristol Motor Speedway to attempt to do one of their track tours. It didn't quite work out as I had planned as they had rented the track out, but instead got to do a self-guided tour of the infield! Basically I signed a waiver, walked through the tunnel, and had freedom to roam around the infield. It was really crazy. But a lot of fun. I even got my exercise by climbing the banking into the turns, getting my picture taken, then seeing a car had pulled onto the track and had to run down the banking (which was a lot harder than it sounds). It was the best $5 I didn't have to spend!
23rd: I attended the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. As it stands right now, it's the last NASCAR race there for at least 18 months. I bought the "All Access" pass which allowed me to go into the pits and meet drivers like Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Elliott Sadler, among others. It was pretty cool. My name is on the start finish line and may be there for some time now since there will be no racing at NSS for a while.
24th: We went to historic downtown Franklin. Enjoyed walking around the downtown area.
25th: Visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, Bridgestone Arena, and walked around the Opryland Hotel. The Hall of Fame was really well done. We got to see the Williams family collection, which was the rotating exhibit.
26th: Visited the Hermitage, which was Andrew Jackson's estate, and the Belle Meade Plantation house. Jackson's estate was rather interesting. There was lots to see, and they have done a very good job maintaining a lot of the artifacts that Jackson owned and had in the house. Belle Meade was also well done, but we did not allow enough time to tour the entire plantation, but we did sample some of their wine and even brought some home. We finished the day at Cooter's museum.
27th: We left Nashville for the day to head over to Chattanooga and visit the Tennessee Aquarium. What a place! It was very interactive and there were plenty of activities for "kids" of all ages. My daughter, who turned 7 months hte next day, enjoyed watching the fish and sharks. At one point, there was a large catfish that was swimming right where she was being held. Her eyes lit up every time he swimmed by, but finally he stopped and made her day. She also enjoyed seeing the penguins. We had dinner with some of my friends that night who I hadn't seen in 8 years. It was good to catch up and see them again. We joked that the next time needed to be sooner than 8 years from now!
28th: Last day in Nashville. We decided to take a day trip to Mammoth Cave up in Kentucky. We did the historic tour, which was quite amazing. There's one spot on the tour called "Fat Man's Misery" where it's only 2 feet wide and about 4 feet high. My back and my legs surely got a workout! The guide was very good and was very talkative. The part that interested me the most was how dark and quiet it got in there. At one point we stopped and were told to turn all lights off. It was rather dark and quiet in there! But the simple glow from a camera or cell phone was enough to help you find your way out! That night we went and had dinner with one of Lauren's friends. We went out for a bit afterwards and got to catch up with her.
All in all a great trip. Although I think we saw all the major things within the Nashville area, it was very relaxing and I would go back.
22nd: After stopping for the night in Bristol, TN, I borrowed some time in the morning to go over to Bristol Motor Speedway to attempt to do one of their track tours. It didn't quite work out as I had planned as they had rented the track out, but instead got to do a self-guided tour of the infield! Basically I signed a waiver, walked through the tunnel, and had freedom to roam around the infield. It was really crazy. But a lot of fun. I even got my exercise by climbing the banking into the turns, getting my picture taken, then seeing a car had pulled onto the track and had to run down the banking (which was a lot harder than it sounds). It was the best $5 I didn't have to spend!
23rd: I attended the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. As it stands right now, it's the last NASCAR race there for at least 18 months. I bought the "All Access" pass which allowed me to go into the pits and meet drivers like Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Elliott Sadler, among others. It was pretty cool. My name is on the start finish line and may be there for some time now since there will be no racing at NSS for a while.
24th: We went to historic downtown Franklin. Enjoyed walking around the downtown area.
25th: Visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, Bridgestone Arena, and walked around the Opryland Hotel. The Hall of Fame was really well done. We got to see the Williams family collection, which was the rotating exhibit.
26th: Visited the Hermitage, which was Andrew Jackson's estate, and the Belle Meade Plantation house. Jackson's estate was rather interesting. There was lots to see, and they have done a very good job maintaining a lot of the artifacts that Jackson owned and had in the house. Belle Meade was also well done, but we did not allow enough time to tour the entire plantation, but we did sample some of their wine and even brought some home. We finished the day at Cooter's museum.
27th: We left Nashville for the day to head over to Chattanooga and visit the Tennessee Aquarium. What a place! It was very interactive and there were plenty of activities for "kids" of all ages. My daughter, who turned 7 months hte next day, enjoyed watching the fish and sharks. At one point, there was a large catfish that was swimming right where she was being held. Her eyes lit up every time he swimmed by, but finally he stopped and made her day. She also enjoyed seeing the penguins. We had dinner with some of my friends that night who I hadn't seen in 8 years. It was good to catch up and see them again. We joked that the next time needed to be sooner than 8 years from now!
28th: Last day in Nashville. We decided to take a day trip to Mammoth Cave up in Kentucky. We did the historic tour, which was quite amazing. There's one spot on the tour called "Fat Man's Misery" where it's only 2 feet wide and about 4 feet high. My back and my legs surely got a workout! The guide was very good and was very talkative. The part that interested me the most was how dark and quiet it got in there. At one point we stopped and were told to turn all lights off. It was rather dark and quiet in there! But the simple glow from a camera or cell phone was enough to help you find your way out! That night we went and had dinner with one of Lauren's friends. We went out for a bit afterwards and got to catch up with her.
All in all a great trip. Although I think we saw all the major things within the Nashville area, it was very relaxing and I would go back.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
So I witnessed history
I attended what appears to be the final NASCAR race at Nashville Superspeedway for the forseeable future:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dover-motorsports-inc-declines-2012-nascar-sanctions-for-nashville-superspeedway-2011-08-03?reflink=MW_news_stmp
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dover-motorsports-inc-declines-2012-nascar-sanctions-for-nashville-superspeedway-2011-08-03?reflink=MW_news_stmp
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