So.....this "Fay" person is on her way to Key West, I hear. She causes flights to be canceled and tourists to be evacuated. She causes the local newscasters to show up in the streets and start interviewing locals about their "storm terror". And she causes me to be really, really, really.....bored.
I haven't been down here too long, I don't know a ton of people, I am living by myself, my store isn't open yet. I don't have a whole hell of a lot to do, aside from getting my business up and running, but most of the tasks involved in that aren't really feasible during a tropical storm/hurricane. Especially when one's main (read:only) mode of transportation is a bicycle.
So this morning, during a break in the rain, I decide I am going to try and race over to the store space and gather a bunch of raw inventory, so that, until the power goes out, I can maybe be somewhat productive and make some jewelry. Oh, and I also wanted to find my raincoat amongst the boxes.
So I hop on the old bike and pedal over to the GP in the light drizzle.
I pack my tacklebox full of chain, stones, wires, and tools, put it in my bike basket, put on my raincoat, and put my bag over my shoulder. Precisely the second I lock the door to my store, the heavens open up, and it is a torrential downpour. I set off in the direction of home, thinking, "I can do this. It's five blocks."
Oh my god, I felt like I was riding in the tour de france. I mean, due to the level of difficulty, not the breathtaking scenery. The raincoat might as well have been a ziplock baggie i held against my forehead, for all the good it did. my face and eyes were beaten by the driving rain. The wind made it nearly impossible to move forward. I kept repeating out loud, "almost there, almost there," while pounding on my pedals in my flip-flops, which were squelching water. It was clearly a dramatic 8 minutes.
When I reached the apartment, I figured, since I was already soaked to the bone, I might as well pull all the patio furniture into the pool house, so it wouldn't end up in Cuba tomorrow. That made me feel productive. Now I guess I will go make some jewelry, since I fought so hard for it. coming soon: the Fay collection.