Heroic or Idiotic?

I never thought I would be that guy. The guy who refuses to evacuate.

Of course, since it's not mandatory for my neck of the woods, my defiance really isn't all that heroic (nor idiotic). However, with four large windows on my second floor looking right out into a large pecan tree, my dug-in heels may still prove to be one or the other -- heroic or idiotic. We'll see.

In the meantime, here are a few glimpses into my life pre-Rita:

• Not being able to sleep much last night due to an accidental nap after work and an addiction to the news, I decided to run errands around 3:00 am. Kroger reminded me of the grocery stores I saw in Moscow prior to the Wall coming down. My search for gas took me past no less than 6 stations that were sold out. I finally struck gold at the Diamond Shamrock at Westheimer and Montrose. There were only three cars in front of me in line. The first car appeared to be filled with twentysomethings ready to go clubbing. The second car was a guy filling up his car and some additional containers. The third guy was in line waiting just like me. That second guy put gas in what appeared to be a clear milk carton. The first car was still trying to get their act together and fill up the car by the time I left. The pumping duties fell to a six-foot tall Cher look-alike, who may or may not have been a woman. Bless his/her heart.

• Mom and Dad left Baytown around 5:00 am headed for Ft. Worth. About 4:30 pm this afternoon, they were back in Baytown. After 11 hours of trying to navigate highways and backroads, they decided that it was just not worth the trouble. So, as it turns out, they had loaded up the car with treasured possessions -- and the two cats -- just for a lovely day trip. Total mileage? 104 miles.

• I love to have folks over to my house. One of the spoils of these parties is a refrigerator full of 2-liter bottles of every type of drink you can imagine. (Seriously ... who buys some of that stuff? "Christmas Spice" Pepsi? Sugar-free diet lemonade? Nasty.) Well, the spoils have finally paid off. Rather than paying $19.99 for a pack of Evian at Kroger last night (the only bottled water they had left), I've emptied out eleven 2-liter bottles and filled them up with Houston tap water. I cannot tell you how much this gives me a sense of accomplishment. I was resourceful. I was cost-effective. I provided for myself. But truth be told, I'll probably drink my roommate's Ozarka bottles first. He left town.