Hurricane season
The start of hurricane season usually means the start of the summer worrying about my family. They live in Daytona Beach (well, except for the ones that live in Michigan) and it's always touch-and-go. My mom is a certified hurricane addict. She watches The Weather Channel even when there is absolutely no chance the hurricane will come anywhere near a single human being.
My brother-in-law Erik works for a major airline and is equally obsessed with tropical weather systems. Because of them both, I've learned a lot about hurricanes. Also, because I've been trapped in Florida several times in the past couple years before, during and after hurricanes, I've had more than my share of hurricane TV coverage.
So yesterday Mom and I were talking about how it's a bad thing that the media circus started already with Alberto, and that people will eventually start tuning the non-stop coverage out. I was driving through Illinois very slowly, and Mom and I amused ourselves by coming up with a game - Hurricane Party Bingo.
If you've ever watched coverage on TV you know how crazy it can get. If you've been through a hurricane you know how awful staring at the box hour after hour can be, with a terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach and the windows boarded up so you can't even see outside. If you've been stranded by a storm you know how awful it is to wait hour after hour, glued to the tv and hoping against hope that the system is going to pass you.
The sick dread is the worst. When you go to sleep dreaming you're still watching coverage, you know it's been too long. When the taste of the bbq ribs you ate before the storm started is finally gone and the newscaster looks like she's been on a 3-day binge at the local tavern, you know you've had enough.
For those times, for those awful, horrid times when you hear the wind whistling up and the sky has turned black and your tv is your only connection to reality, life and safety, for the horribleness of hoping the power and water hold out, for the nightmare of evacuating your stuff while you feel the wind picking up, I offer you a little something to take the edge off -
Hurricane Party Bingo.
You decide the prizes, you decide what to use for markers. Try to entertain yourself while you're stuck at the mercy of those often unintentionally hilarious newscasters.
And stay safe.
My brother-in-law Erik works for a major airline and is equally obsessed with tropical weather systems. Because of them both, I've learned a lot about hurricanes. Also, because I've been trapped in Florida several times in the past couple years before, during and after hurricanes, I've had more than my share of hurricane TV coverage.
So yesterday Mom and I were talking about how it's a bad thing that the media circus started already with Alberto, and that people will eventually start tuning the non-stop coverage out. I was driving through Illinois very slowly, and Mom and I amused ourselves by coming up with a game - Hurricane Party Bingo.
If you've ever watched coverage on TV you know how crazy it can get. If you've been through a hurricane you know how awful staring at the box hour after hour can be, with a terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach and the windows boarded up so you can't even see outside. If you've been stranded by a storm you know how awful it is to wait hour after hour, glued to the tv and hoping against hope that the system is going to pass you.
The sick dread is the worst. When you go to sleep dreaming you're still watching coverage, you know it's been too long. When the taste of the bbq ribs you ate before the storm started is finally gone and the newscaster looks like she's been on a 3-day binge at the local tavern, you know you've had enough.
For those times, for those awful, horrid times when you hear the wind whistling up and the sky has turned black and your tv is your only connection to reality, life and safety, for the horribleness of hoping the power and water hold out, for the nightmare of evacuating your stuff while you feel the wind picking up, I offer you a little something to take the edge off -
Hurricane Party Bingo.
You decide the prizes, you decide what to use for markers. Try to entertain yourself while you're stuck at the mercy of those often unintentionally hilarious newscasters.
And stay safe.
posted by Jen at 3:27 PM
11 Comments:
Ooooo. I am also hurricane obsessed, even though I haven't really lived in range since 1998. I don't care - I'm still glued to the weather channel and weather websites.
I love the Hurricane Bingo. I grew up in Puerto Rico and my parents still live down there. I will have to send this to them, they will get a kick out of it!
this is the best thing ever. that is all. :)
.♥.
I may use this game more than you think as I'm married to one of those unintentionally hilarious newscasters at AccuWeather.com He is one that goes to report when everyone is evacuating.
I just emailed it to him (along with your post) and a couple of his cohorts.
Very well written. We both wish godspeed and safety to your family, friends and all.
Eep! We don't get such extreme weather here in the UK that often but it must be scary over there when it does happen. I like the hurricane bingo though
Eeek. We don't tend to get hurricanes down this end of Australia, but I guess the bushfires make up for it...
Fingers crossed for everyone during hurrican season!
That's so hilarious! Living in SC we are always worried about another Hugo or Fran or something like that, so this will be a good way for us to keep our spirits up when things get nasty!
That is so great.
I found you from Blog Hero's post. Your Hurricane Bingo game is very funny even if it is rather useless to me in California!
Who are you calling "unintentionally hilarious newscasters"?
I resemble that remark!
And the bingo game is great, btw
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