Peeps 2. The Sweaty Asian Strikes Back. Pt 2. Feb '10. 2/21-Final Chapter. Link to TR

[KathyRN137]

Tornado Warning! In what was a first for me, I experienced a tornado warning in CALIFORNIA.... It gets windy and then it REALLY starts coming down. The news reporter lady had actually said to go to your basement....We don't have basements in CA. The weatherman also said to go into the bathtub. I went into the interior hallway for about 5 minutes, but got bored....

BORED?? Potential disaster is imminent and you're bored??


Kathy

 

[jordanyosh]

BORED?? Potential disaster is imminent and you're bored??


Kathy

I mean I was kind of scared, but really...after sitting in the hallway with no way of knowing whether a tornado was really imminent, I just got up and went to look outside and watch the wind. Stupid I know, but we never really get extreme weather here. I guess an F1 touched down in Seal Beach which is about 8-9 miles from here, but it only caused minor damage for about 1/2 a block--a few windows got blown out, a car got flipped, a few roofs damaged.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Okay there's a tornado warning in our area? what do i need to do. our satellite tv isn't working because the rain is so heavy....

1. Go to the lowest point of your home.
2. Kneel on the floor.
3. Put your head between your knees.
4. Kiss your butt good bye.

J/K. Glad everything turned out okay. I hate tornado warnings. They give me a heart attack!!


Ok, going back to read your actual update.

 

[jordanyosh]

1. Go to the lowest point of your home.
2. Kneel on the floor.
3. Put your head between your knees.
4. Kiss your butt good bye.

J/K. Glad everything turned out okay. I hate tornado warnings. They give me a heart attack!!


Ok, going back to read your actual update.

Our house is flat...I would've been jacked up if one had hit....

 

[manntra]

Tornadoes are some scary stuff! We had one here several years ago in Upstate NY and it is unheard of.....it went right through my parents backyard and took out their shed and a big butternut tree! I was actually at their house and watched it out of their back window! I was in such disbelief at what I was seeing I couldn't look away! Stupid!!
Well back to my favorite AKL...if you do decide upon Mara they do have a very good selection. I usually go for the falafel with a side of zebra domes

Tracy

 

[KathyRN137]

--a few windows got blown out, a car got flipped, a few roofs damaged.

Glad you're okay...

I was surprised to see you scaling back on your itinerary... fewer rope drops... but I suppose it makes a whole lot of sense to be as realistic as possible and not try to burn the candle at both ends. You seem to be more of a night owl, anyway.

Kathy

 

[jordanyosh]

Tornadoes are some scary stuff! We had one here several years ago in Upstate NY and it is unheard of.....it went right through my parents backyard and took out their shed and a big butternut tree! I was actually at their house and watched it out of their back window! I was in such disbelief at what I was seeing I couldn't look away! Stupid!!
Well back to my favorite AKL...if you do decide upon Mara they do have a very good selection. I usually go for the falafel with a side of zebra domes

Tracy

The "big" storms are supposed to hit tomorrow and Thursday. I would imagine that we may get more warnings...

 

[jordanyosh]

Glad you're okay...

I was surprised to see you scaling back on your itinerary... fewer rope drops... but I suppose it makes a whole lot of sense to be as realistic as possible and not try to burn the candle at both ends. You seem to be more of a night owl, anyway.

Kathy

I am a night owl for sure. Every trip we plan to get there at opening and it rarely happens. I just decided to stop putting it on the itinerary. I do have it down for 3 out of 13 days to be at a park at Rope Drop, but it's closer to the front end of the trip.

 

[KathyRN137]

The "big" storms are supposed to hit tomorrow and Thursday. I would imagine that we may get more warnings...

Do you have an emergency bag packed?

*Water
*flashlights/batteries
*first aid kit

And most importantly....

puzzles and games so you don't get bored!!!


Kathy

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Chapter 76. Why take notes?

So in a dumb and dumber move, I just re-read my trip notes from the Feb 08 trip. If I was a normal Asian, I would've been all over any past information I could've gathered to avoid making the same mistakes on this upcoming trip. We all know I'm not normal, although last time I checked I am Asian.

In looking at my trip notes, I realized when it got to the end of my 08 trip, I slept in....LATE. Here is evidence of my lazy ways:

I really didn't follow my itinerary too closely, especially in the evenings. By the time I got back to the room in the afternoon, I was beat and took 2-3 hour naps. When I got up from my nap, I just went to Everything Pop; grabbed dinner and just kind of hung out.

So.....I took a closer look at those last 4 full days at WDW-the ones where I'm solo. As I stated before I tried to be more realistic. The biggest change came on Tuesday.

Old Tuesday:
8:00am Up
8:30am Head to DHS
9:00am Hollywood Studios/Grab FP for TSM

• RnRC SR 15 minutes
• ToT 30 minutes
• TSM 30 minutes
• Star Tours 30 minutes

10:45am Shop/Explore
11:30am Lunch-Brown Derby
12:30 m Head out
1:15pm Hangout/Pool/Pack
3:00pm Rest/Nap
4:15pm Get ready for night
4:45pm Head to Epcot-World Showcase
5:15pm World Showcase

• American Adventure 45 minutes
• China 30 minutes
• Japan 30 minutes
• France 30 minutes
• Canada 30 minutes

8:00pm Head to Boardwalk
8:30pm Dinner-Flying Fish Cafe(May cancel)
10:00pm ESPN
Midnight Atlantic Dance
1:00am Cab it back to AKV
1:15am Walk around resort/hang on balcony
1:30am Sleep

New Tuesday
10:00am Up late
10:15am Chill/Get ready
11:00am Head to DHS
11:30am Lunch-Fairfax Fare
12:15pm Tour DHS

• RnRC SR 15 minutes
• ToT 45 minutes
• One Man’s Dream 30 minutes
• Star Tours 30 minutes

2:15pm Shop/Explore
3:15pm Head back to AKV
3:45pm Rest/Nap
5:45pm Up and get ready for the night

Options:
Magic Kingdom
World Showcase
ESPN/Jellyrolls

As you can see, the biggest change is the start time of my day. Instead of a rise/shine time of 8am, I changed it to a 10am up time. I may not even make that time if the AKV is as nice as people say it is. The other major change on that Tuesday is the cancellation or probable cancellation of both Brown Derby and Flying Fish Cafe. Flying Fish was a probable cancellation, but Brown Derby was still a go--that is until today. I looked at my last few days last year. I only ate at CS restaurants those last 2 1/2 days in 08. In fact, I think I ate at Everything Pop, 3 out of 4 of the final meals.

I really do like their food. I think choosing CS restaurants allows even more flexibility in my days and I kinda am liking that. However, that means I won't be eating my beloved Cobb Salad at Brown Derby. I hope Lesllie (LL) isn't reading this.. I AM keeping my Wednesday ADR at Sanaa as to complete the AKL/AKV trifecta, but now I may even get a meal at Mara.

So there you have the latest in my itinerary refinement. I'm sure I'm not done yet-bear with me.

Tornado Warning! In what was a first for me, I experienced a tornado warning in CALIFORNIA. It never happens here or very rarely. I was watching the news and they issued a warning. I look outside and it starts raining harder and harder. Then the satellite TV goes out. It gets windy and then it REALLY starts coming down. The news reporter lady had actually said to go to your basement....We don't have basements in CA. The weatherman also said to go into the bathtub. I went into the interior hallway for about 5 minutes, but got bored. My roommate called and she had heard about the warning....I reported everything was okay. It was all over in about 45 minutes. I put a coffee cup outside just to see how much it rained today. It rained about 2 inches in those 45 minutes..it was nuts! Lots of street flooding and minor mudslides-nothing major yet. Although the 710 fwy is closed going north.
EDIT: it's rained about 2.5-3 inches here in 48 hours. Alot for the desert that SoCal really is.

The new plans look good. We are going to try not to get up so early every single day like past trips. We are usually pretty tired by the 3rd or 4th day even though we take nap breaks in the middle of the day. I never sleep though but I do kick up my feet and chill.

Tornado warnings are super scary. You hear all of this stuff and you aren't sure if it's coming for you or not. From what I understand it sounds like a frieght train. You can't miss the sound of it when it does come.

Anyway, yes the safest place is the lowest floor of your home. The bathtub is a good place because the plumbing will hold the tub to the ground. You can also get in an interior hallway and put lots of blankets or pillows or even a small matress on top of you if you have time. I can't imagine what it's really like. I've only had people tell me their personal experiences. Luckily, they've always missed us.

 

[jordanyosh]

Do you have an emergency bag packed?

*Water
*flashlights/batteries
*first aid kit

And most importantly....

puzzles and games so you don't get bored!!!


Kathy

None of that stuff. they said most Californians would not be prepared if we had a earthquake like Haiti. I told my roommates a few days ago that we should get an earthquake preparedness kit. They laughed at me.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Our house is flat...I would've been jacked up if one had hit....

We are on cement slabs here too. There aren't homes around here with basements. One other thing about tornado's....if you are outside or in your car when one hits you can get in a nearby ditch (if there is one) and lay down. Tornado's normally go straight across the land and not down into the ditch.

 

[MaryAz]

Glad everything by you stayed put. It is still raining here. As much as we try we are not rope drop people. Kids stay on a semi west coast schedule and do not nap. We usually get to the parks around 930 or so. You gotta do what feels right to you. Though that salad did look yummy.

 

[jordanyosh]

The new plans look good. We are going to try not to get up so early every single day like past trips. We are usually pretty tired by the 3rd or 4th day even though we take nap breaks in the middle of the day. I never sleep though but I do kick up my feet and chill.

I wish I would learn my lesson about trying to get up early, but even when I get there I want to get up early to get to the parks on time...what is it? Is it a sickness?

Tornado warnings are super scary. You hear all of this stuff and you aren't sure if it's coming for you or not. From what I understand it sounds like a frieght train. You can't miss the sound of it when it does come.

Anyway, yes the safest place is the lowest floor of your home. The bathtub is a good place because the plumbing will hold the tub to the ground. You can also get in an interior hallway and put lots of blankets or pillows or even a small matress on top of you if you have time. I can't imagine what it's really like. I've only had people tell me their personal experiences. Luckily, they've always missed us.

I never knew that about the bathtub...

I knew about the hallway, but it didn't seem to be that safe, especially since I was sitting right next to the water heater closet.

 

[jordanyosh]

We are on cement slabs here too. There aren't homes around here with basements. One other thing about tornado's....if you are outside or in your car when one hits you can get in a nearby ditch (if there is one) and lay down. Tornado's normally go straight across the land and not down into the ditch.

They mentioned the ditch. I don't even know if we have ditches here. We have drainage canals, but right now they're full of water...

 

[jordanyosh]

Glad everything by you stayed put. It is still raining here. As much as we try we are not rope drop people. Kids stay on a semi west coast schedule and do not nap. We usually get to the parks around 930 or so. You gotta do what feels right to you. Though that salad did look yummy.

The time change really makes a difference.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

I wish I would learn my lesson about trying to get up early, but even when I get there I want to get up early to get to the parks on time...what is it? Is it a sickness?

It must be a sickness. Because even though I'm saying that to you, I know I will want to get up early once I'm there.

I never knew that about the bathtub...

supposed to be one of the safest places but I always end up in the hallway instead. Not sure why.

I knew about the hallway, but it didn't seem to be that safe, especially since I was sitting right next to the water heater closet.

Yeah, the water heater may not be something you want to be right next to.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

They mentioned the ditch. I don't even know if we have ditches here. We have drainage canals, but right now they're full of water...

Then I wouldn't get in the drainage canal either.

 

[winkers]

. If I was a normal Asian, I would've been all over any past information I could've gathered to avoid making the same mistakes on this upcoming trip.

don't know why, but that sentence just made me spew dr.pepper!

now that looks like it could result in a little potty time.

.

I went into the interior hallway for about 5 minutes, but got bored. My roommate called and she had heard about the warning....I reported everything was okay.

dang, I pictured you curled up in the fetal position in your bathtub...

I like my version better.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Kathy, you are cracking me up with your comments about Jordan needing puzzles and games to keep from being bored during a tornado warning.

Jordan, I hope the weather calms down for you soon. It sounds like some serious craziness. I guess the drought will be over soon?

I think you were smart to restructure your solo days. Sounds like you enjoy a much slower pace -- there is no need to try and make rope drop if you would rather sleep in.