In Oklahoma there’s an entire season devoted to tornadoes. It sucks. Today sucks. I’m a city away from my kids. Commuting sucks. People keep commenting on keeping on eye on those storms. People suck. But mostly, tornadoes suck.
I was here in 1999 when the biggest tornado in history hit. I worked in a library and remember watching the tv at the circulation desk, listening to students debating trying to make it home. People telling others to get away from the damn windows! By people, of course, I mean me. No one listened. Afterward, my friend’s boyfriend who was a paramedic told us horrific stories.
There’s nothing to do but wait. Because it could be nothing. A little rain, maybe some hail. Or it could be something. Just…wait.
I spend days like this just wanting it to be over. The day. The storm. The tummyache. The comments. The speculation. Oh god, the speculation.
When storms come in Oklahoma, everyone is an expert. So all day long there are predictions. This will be huge. This will destroy half the city. It’s coming! It’s coming! Danny, who actually studies meteorology, tells me not to listen. Then he tells me not to worry. THEN he tells me he’ll just drive away from the tornado which – wtf? With hail all around? Where would you go? What if you misjudge, then you’re in a CAR aka worst place to be.
So, I just worry. And hope the cloud cover holds. Hope my friends will be ok. Feel tiny. What else can I do? To make things worse our tv is broken. Great.
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May 10, 2010 at 12:29 pm
mamambruce
You’ll be happy to know the old TV has been sent to the TV hospital for repairs and your husband got an excellent old TV from Goodwill. It works great and now we can watch all the excitement created by the OKC media for any possible storm. Of course, when there is no storm, they are so disappointed, you almost wish there were a storm just for them. All at home a doing well…actually, down for naps. 🙂
May 10, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Kris
I spent a good portion of my childhood in Michigan, and while there was no tornado “season,” we got them occasionally. Yet another thing in my childhood over which I had no control. Whatever.
My clearest memory of tornadoes?
The crazy gray-green of the sky just before the tornado arrived.
May 11, 2010 at 7:21 am
winklybink
Believe it or not, I’ve never seen the fabled “green sky”. I’ve heard it’s very eerie.
May 10, 2010 at 10:28 pm
cathy
grew up in minnesota and am familiar with tornados…best storm i remember was when i was stuck in the bathroom (the only interior room of apt) calling a friend every 5 minutes to find out what was goin on (phone was antique – it had a cord) cause power was out…sittin in the bathtub with a flashlight, my pillow and the phone – woulda made a great photo!
as for the broken tv – they have this thing called “the internet” now – you can watch your favorite shows on it!
May 11, 2010 at 7:21 am
winklybink
the…inter….net?
May 29, 2011 at 5:23 pm
pie >3
ok no offense but that girl standing there is crazy and i’m really scared because right now as i’m typing this comment there is a tornado warning where we are.