Carrying charge

Wow.  Just wow is about all I can say about Sandy.  The hurricane (HAIR-i-kin in Baltimorese) that became a post-tropical cyclone after it left our area and went up and just pounded the living hell out of New York and New Jersey is something like we will never see again.  The other night, I mentioned something about it being a once-in-a-lifetime event, and someone was quick to pooh-pooh me. 

I get pooh-poohed on all the time, but for once, I was right.  I'm not one for meteorological data, but I am fairly certain that no one currently alive will ever see a storm of this magnitude again. 

So, after seeing what happened here in Baltimore and points north and south, many people are going to be thinking about being prepared for the next time the ship hits the Sandy.  I catch a lot of grief for the amount of things I make sure to have on hand at all times, but I also see a lot of people asking me to lend them a flashlight or a multitool when they're trying to cut into something in the dark.

So, next time you're stuffing your pockets or your manpurse or ladypurse, try picking out a few ideas from this list: (ideas from the Code Name Insight blog)

• A good cell phone with internet and GPS service.
• Some extra cash and coins
• Pocket knife or multitool - e.g a Leatherman
• Thumb drive with back-up files and medical info on it.
• List of phone numbers for emergency contacts (you'll want the printout should your cell die)
• List of medical info (kept in my wallet and includes allergies, medications, doctor's name, brief health history, etc).
• A small flashlight (spend a few bucks on a Mini Maglite and you can count on it working in the dark)
• Pens (2), pencil, Moleskin-style agenda book with extra pages for jotting notes and what-have-you
• Aspirin (the kind that comes two to a foil pack which makes them easy to carry).
• Floss for both flossing your teeth or for tying a string around a bundle
• A bandana or handkerchief

I just noticed, when I wrote about the agenda book, I used the expression "what-have-you."  If the past few days have taught us anything about being prepared for all Hades breaking loose, it would be that we can't say for sure when we leave the house that we won't encounter a little bit of Hades or Heaven before we get home again.  Might as well be ready.