As I write this I'm lying on my couch. I should probably be out volunteering. And I will later (probably) and certainly tomorrow. But for now I'm laying on my couch. The last few days have been insane. And I'm one of the lucky ones! I didn't lose power for that long. I have heat. I have food. I'm good. I'm really good.
But it's still been insane.
From sandbagging my apartment with kitty litter (no kidding) before the storm hit, to the calls and texts I started getting when the storm got really bad Monday night, to working at home for an utterly hysterical boss, to sleeping at the studio for the past two nights because of the gas hysteria going on right now. Long week.
I was listening to the wind blow things around Monday night and i kinda shrugged when the power went out. Oh well. But the texts I was getting from my friends on the NJ shore were more serious. They were frightened. They were getting slammed. Hard.
And then the texts from my friends in Manhattan went like this: Lights are off. Fuck. This blows.
And then the texts from my friends in Brooklyn went like this: HURRICANE PARTY!!! COME OVER!!!!
Went like that all night. When I woke up the next day I had no tv or internet so I had no idea how bad things were. I walked around to check things out. Lots and lots of trees down and power lines out. A bunch of roof tiles blown off, lots of lawn furniture all over the streets. It looked bad. But I had no idea how bad.
I started getting calls and texts. My friends on the NJ Shore were devastated. One couple was underwater completely. One friend showed me a picture of my favorite bar in the world, which happens to be down the block from her house. Completely destroyed. Everyone had water in the streets, water up to their doorbells, etc etc.
My friends in Manhattan were all like this: Lights still out. This REALLY blows. Fuck this. I'm getting out.....subways are out. fuck this. I'm walking uptown...fuck this.
My friends in Brooklyn were like this: HURRICANE PARTY!! SO HUNGOVER!! OMG!! COME OVER!!
Wednesday is when i started getting a real picture of the complete devastation on the NJ shore. It's just heartbreaking. And it's also when things started getting scary downtown. Day 3 of no power. It's dark. It's cold. No subways. no busses. No way on or off the island except by foot. My friend Rachel lives on the 20th floor in her building and has 2 dogs and cats. What was she supposed to do!? She couldn't leave.
Brooklyn: OMG! I HAVE A HEADACHE!!! Wanna do brunch!?!?!
At this point i was getting hysterical calls, texts and emails from our producer. What does all this mean!?!?! How are we gonna work tomorrow? Nobody can get to work!? INSURANCE!! ARE WE GONNA SHOOT OVER CHRISTMAS!! WHAT IS GOING ON!!??! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH
The tunnels and bridges were reopened late Wednesday night, BUT you needed to carpool and have a minimum of 3 people in your car between 6AM and midnight to be let into the city. So I left my house at 5 on Thursday morning to get there and crossed the GW Bridge at about 5:55 AM (a trip that usually takes about 15 min). But New Yorkers, being who they are, completely disobeyed this rule and tried driving anyway. To everyone's surprise the rule was strictly enforced and cops stopped each and every car to check, backing up traffic for as much as 5 hour waits at the crossings.
Our teamster captain deployed vans in Manhattan before 5am to pick crew members up from certain checkpoints in Manhattan to drive them to work at our studio in Queens. Since most people on our crew were still living in the dark they brought their kids, their pets and their laundry to work with them. So our production office was in total chaos all day Thursday. Part nursery, part kennel, part production office, part therapy center. And then once people GOT to work a lot of them didn't want to leave. Our 2nd AD had her toilet overflow for over 2 HOURS and had an apartment full of shit. Literally. One of our camera guys slept at his mother's house with a loaded shotgun to prevent looting.
So everyone stayed.
We bought pillows, and blankets, and shampoo and we slept in dressing rooms, and bought beer. Kids were running up and down the hallways. Edie Falco stayed with her kids and dog (more out of solidarity since I was actually able to score a hotel room for her- almost an impossible thing to do this week). I stayed because now there is a complete and total gas shortage and there's no way I'm sitting in the 3-5 hour lines that people are sitting in at the few gas stations that are open.
Power started coming back on in lower manhattan late Friday. There were tears of joy in our office. No kidding. Today I passed a line of cars at a gas station so long that I literally could not see the end of it. Tonight my friend Kayla flies into LaGuardia. She's only been here once. I promised her a month ago when she bought the ticket that I'd show her around NY.
Great timing!!!
Maybe tomorrow I'll go to brunch in Brooklyn.
How are you guys doing?
Restore the Shore!!
But it's still been insane.
From sandbagging my apartment with kitty litter (no kidding) before the storm hit, to the calls and texts I started getting when the storm got really bad Monday night, to working at home for an utterly hysterical boss, to sleeping at the studio for the past two nights because of the gas hysteria going on right now. Long week.
I was listening to the wind blow things around Monday night and i kinda shrugged when the power went out. Oh well. But the texts I was getting from my friends on the NJ shore were more serious. They were frightened. They were getting slammed. Hard.
And then the texts from my friends in Manhattan went like this: Lights are off. Fuck. This blows.
And then the texts from my friends in Brooklyn went like this: HURRICANE PARTY!!! COME OVER!!!!
Went like that all night. When I woke up the next day I had no tv or internet so I had no idea how bad things were. I walked around to check things out. Lots and lots of trees down and power lines out. A bunch of roof tiles blown off, lots of lawn furniture all over the streets. It looked bad. But I had no idea how bad.
I started getting calls and texts. My friends on the NJ Shore were devastated. One couple was underwater completely. One friend showed me a picture of my favorite bar in the world, which happens to be down the block from her house. Completely destroyed. Everyone had water in the streets, water up to their doorbells, etc etc.
My friends in Manhattan were all like this: Lights still out. This REALLY blows. Fuck this. I'm getting out.....subways are out. fuck this. I'm walking uptown...fuck this.
My friends in Brooklyn were like this: HURRICANE PARTY!! SO HUNGOVER!! OMG!! COME OVER!!
Wednesday is when i started getting a real picture of the complete devastation on the NJ shore. It's just heartbreaking. And it's also when things started getting scary downtown. Day 3 of no power. It's dark. It's cold. No subways. no busses. No way on or off the island except by foot. My friend Rachel lives on the 20th floor in her building and has 2 dogs and cats. What was she supposed to do!? She couldn't leave.
Brooklyn: OMG! I HAVE A HEADACHE!!! Wanna do brunch!?!?!
At this point i was getting hysterical calls, texts and emails from our producer. What does all this mean!?!?! How are we gonna work tomorrow? Nobody can get to work!? INSURANCE!! ARE WE GONNA SHOOT OVER CHRISTMAS!! WHAT IS GOING ON!!??! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH
The tunnels and bridges were reopened late Wednesday night, BUT you needed to carpool and have a minimum of 3 people in your car between 6AM and midnight to be let into the city. So I left my house at 5 on Thursday morning to get there and crossed the GW Bridge at about 5:55 AM (a trip that usually takes about 15 min). But New Yorkers, being who they are, completely disobeyed this rule and tried driving anyway. To everyone's surprise the rule was strictly enforced and cops stopped each and every car to check, backing up traffic for as much as 5 hour waits at the crossings.
Our teamster captain deployed vans in Manhattan before 5am to pick crew members up from certain checkpoints in Manhattan to drive them to work at our studio in Queens. Since most people on our crew were still living in the dark they brought their kids, their pets and their laundry to work with them. So our production office was in total chaos all day Thursday. Part nursery, part kennel, part production office, part therapy center. And then once people GOT to work a lot of them didn't want to leave. Our 2nd AD had her toilet overflow for over 2 HOURS and had an apartment full of shit. Literally. One of our camera guys slept at his mother's house with a loaded shotgun to prevent looting.
So everyone stayed.
We bought pillows, and blankets, and shampoo and we slept in dressing rooms, and bought beer. Kids were running up and down the hallways. Edie Falco stayed with her kids and dog (more out of solidarity since I was actually able to score a hotel room for her- almost an impossible thing to do this week). I stayed because now there is a complete and total gas shortage and there's no way I'm sitting in the 3-5 hour lines that people are sitting in at the few gas stations that are open.
Power started coming back on in lower manhattan late Friday. There were tears of joy in our office. No kidding. Today I passed a line of cars at a gas station so long that I literally could not see the end of it. Tonight my friend Kayla flies into LaGuardia. She's only been here once. I promised her a month ago when she bought the ticket that I'd show her around NY.
Great timing!!!
Maybe tomorrow I'll go to brunch in Brooklyn.
How are you guys doing?
Restore the Shore!!
VIEW 25 of 32 COMMENTS
marlene:
Not really but this is a matter of time. How are you?
linna:
Cane is adorable and so beautiful ^^