Aftermath of Ike

By Joyce Boatright

With more than two weeks blown from the semester by a Category 2 hurricane with a monster surge, employees have been working hard to support students as well as colleagues in the aftermath of Ike.  Everyone is pulling together, and I am once again reminded why I love working here.

Some co-workers have composed Lists of 10 on the subject, “What I’ve learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.” Here’s Pat Szmania’s list:

1. Generators must have gas to run: who knew?
2. Generators need oil changes every 5 days.
3. Generators are loud.
4. My neighbors are very neighborly.
5. I miss TV like crazy, especially Charlie Rose.
6. Reading in bed in the dark with a flashlight makes me feel like a teenager.
7. Those flashlight batteries must be replaced every 2 days.
8. I can text message in code, plus I know where the punctuation marks are now (under the 1).
9. I have eaten enough bananas, extra-crunchy peanut butter and crackers for a lifetime.
10. I am a much better outdoor-griller than I was 2 weeks ago.  And shrimp burn very fast.

Gwen Chavis sent hers and here they are:

1. I don’t really need everything I have in my closet at home.
2. My in-laws are worth their weight in gold.
3. E-mail is priceless.
4. Together Everybody Achieves More! (TEAM) Cleaning the yard debris from my sister-in-law’s house was so much easier and enjoyable with six of us laboring together.
5. My plants can survive very well without water and without me for a week.
6. Hearing the voice of your loved ones on the phone after a crisis is beautiful.
7. What did we ever do before cell phones?
8. I’ve been off work for two weeks. How come I’m still not ready for class on Monday?
9. Be thankful for what you have; so many people lost so much.
10. People heed the weather man and make preparations when a storm is predicted nearby. They don’t heed the word of God that tells them to make preparations for eternity (coming soon to a location near all).

I think it would be interesting for you to come up with your own and post it here. (Just hit Comments under the headline and respond with your list.)