[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by arel

Thank you, everyone, for your expressions of concern.

I checked the NYC forum several times and saw no mention of the tornado on the thread list. Maybe there was some mention of the tornado within the threads, but I didn't take the time to look.

We New Yorkers are known for our blase attitudes. But a tornado in Brooklyn??? That's really something. I'm surprised there is no thread about it. According to the Weather Channel's website, this was the first tornado in Brooklyn in about 100 years. It was not the first recorded tornado, as I erroneously wrote on an earlier post.

I've read that there will be more severe weather in NYC because of global warming.

Hopefully, I'll be visiting Brattleboro before the end of the month. Right now the friend at whose home I stay when I visit is away. This weekend I plan to visit friends in southern Rhode Island.

So much has been happening in NYC. A bursing steam pipe, causing what looked like a volcano on the street, subway flooding, a tornado in Brooklyn. I must get myself to Vermont as soon as I can. I hope it doesn't take a hurricane, serious crime, major earthquake or nuclear attack to break my attachment to NYC.

What's holding me back? Three things, basically: attachment, inertia and fear.

That is: attachment to NYC and to my familiar home, inertia and resistance regarding the intense amount of physical and emotional work involved in moving, and fear of regret. I also have practical concerns about the Vermont economy, and, less so, about the winter and winter driving. At least I know I would be moving to Brattleboro; the only other alternatives, at least for the future, would be Burlington, Middlebury or Montpelier. A tiny town would not be a good fit for a New Yorker, except maybe Waitsfield.

I bet when I move in there will be a steam pipe explosion and a tornado. So no culture shock for me.

My last email from SWT addresses moving trauma: Social Solutions: Webinar - How to Effectively Address Relocation Stress Syndrome
Oh, it's moving in the elderly, not exactly your area but perhaps of interest.
We've moved six times since 1996 and it always sucks IMO. No matter how much detrius you discard, it seems to reproduce at night and make new boxes of stuff.
My worst move was as a teenager when we moved from NE to the midwest. A total culture shock and no support. Many of the kids were rotten, bigoted, aggressive, and just plain arseholes. There were a very few nice ones. The others were neutral and uninvolved.
The idea of living in the same area or town for decades is an interesting one I hope to explore.
I once looked up an old elementary school buddy who lived in the same house for 30 years, and worked in the same town she went to school in. Just weird. So different from my experience.

And so go...The Days of Our Lives.

[arel]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

Glad to hear you're OK. Haven't been here lately, then couldn't get signed in.
Being in a huge city during a huge disaster is an experience I don't want to have.

Me neither.

Imagine evacuating New York before a hurricane. I saw the TV pictures of the evacuation of Houston. I saw someone speak about, or I read about (not sure) a cat-owner who was frantic because her cat was getting seriously in the car. As a person with 5 cats, one of whom is diabetic, that is a nightmare I want to avoid.

Remember the attempted evacuation of New Orleans? There were, I believe several carjackings. Can you imagine being pulled out of your car and having it taken by others during an evacuation for a major storm? Imagine having that happen when you have pets in the car! Or children!

And that's for a hurricane you can supposedly prepare for.

You can't prepare for a tornado.

And now there is talk of home-grown terrorism. You can't prepare for that either. And I'm sure New York will be a major target for weapons of mass destruction, should the terrorists succeed in getting them. You can't prepare for that either.

This is part of what energizes me in my plans to move to Vermont. But for some reason, I find it very hard to dislodge myself from NYC, and from the house that has been in my family for about 52 years. This is probably more of an obstacle for me than practical concerns about Vermont's economy and winters. Attachment and inertia are usually things to challenge, not indulge. I hope that if I want to move, I do so before something really bad happens.

But as a friend of a friend once said to me: When all is said and done, a house is just a building.

[vter]

Tornado warnings in parts of VT today....don't think any touched down though. We had some wicked storms roll through! Looks like some more coming according to the radar!

[arel]

You just need a burst steam pipe, a few terrorist attacks and some serious crimes and New Yorkers will feel right at home.

Seriously, though, I'm sorry you are going through all that. Now, tornado advisories, watches and, especially, warnings are very frightening.

One time I was driving from Rhode Island to Maine. The weather was very bad. Clouds were thick and menacing all day, which, for some reason, was why I chose that day to drive up. Well, I was in Burlington, Massachusetts, driving on Route 128 (I think) around Boston, and there was a tornado watch or warning for several towns, including...Burlington Massachusetts! I was stuck in traffic, hardly moving. Eventually, I was able to get off the highway and to a donut shop. There was no tornado, but I did eat some donuts.

[vter]

The storm went north of where I am....there was some pretty widespread damage in Grand Isle and northern Chittenden Counties.
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