Not Quite There And Back Again

Or
A Rube's Tale

01:00
The alarm clock didn't go off. After a quick check at the switch on the back of the clock I realized I forgotten to turn on the alarm. Fortunately, my body has the uncanny ability of knowing when it needs to wake up (though it's ability to keep itself awake isn't quite as impressive). At one o'clock in the morning the world outside is at it's most calm but today is like no other day. I hope appearances are not deceiving. Hopping out of bed I take a cursory glance around the room knowing that some of what I see lying around needs to be bagged for protection against water damage in case the roof leaks.



02:30
Everything is all packed. Since my original entourage to Austin had already pulled out this was to be a solo trip. No bother. That'll just enable me to pack even more things into my car. Truth is, I don't know if my apartment will be here when I get back. I was surprised to see how little space the things that really mattered to me occupied. My important documents, my photographs, a guitar, a computer, some clothing...all of questionable financial or personal value. However, I had the extra room, and I used that room to save a few extraneous items that I otherwise would have left behind.

I can't deny that my apartment has basically become a storage shed for the driftwood that has accumulated on the shores of my life. Everything in it had a memory attached to it though total destruction could never take that away. Some could be replaced, others could not, and still others I'm really better off without. Less clutter. I would never be able to replace everything in my apartment if it was lost, but my life would be far from ravaged if the clutter that makes up my personal possessions were permanately removed from my charge.

With my body half out the door, the light switch flipped to the "off" position, and the clicking sound of the deadbolt my journey to Austin had begun. Before closing the door I said goodbye to my apartment. I'm talking the kind of scene you see on your favorite prime time sitcom at the final moments of it's final episode, right before it fades to black. Lights go off and the door closes, never to be looked upon again. It's sad that pop culture has taken away the sanctity of what should have been a truly sincere moment. Instead, it's turned into a game of reality copying entertainment copying reality.

03:30
On the road.

The first 25 miles of my trip were uneventful. More traffic than I would have expected for the wee hours of the morning but nothing to get me nervous. I was surprisingly awake despite having woken up so early. The sleep shifting all week had finally come in handy. I encountered only modest traffic around the 45/610 interchange, the first sign of the mass exodus from Houston. Despite this traffic, I eventually made the exit onto 610 and encounter absolutely no traffic for approximately 15 miles. If only the whole trip had gone this well.

It was at this time that I hit the kind of traffic that can only be expected when the entire population of a city leaves at one syncronous moment. In this case, however, "leaves" is only an expression as no one was actually going anywhere. The nature of this evacuation had me believing that the lack of movement might actually be due to a traffic light somewhere in the Austin area. I had no reason to believe the line of vehicles ended anywhere between here or there.

04:30
Going nowhere.
05:30
Still going nowhere.
06:30
Wait, I think I'm...no, not going anywhere.
07:30
I hate traffic.
08:30
I mean I REALLY hate traffic.
09:30
Still hate traffic.
10:30
Getting really sick of Cheerios and Reese's Pieces
11:30
Getting tired. Took a nap while waiting in traffic.
12:30
Sure is getting hot outside. It's a good thing I have the air conditioning on.
13:30
Crap. Now I understand why everyone else has their AC off and windows open. Gas is getting to be an issue.
14:30
Windows open. Sweating a lot. Getting worried about gas. Started reading a book.
15:30
Almost half a tank left. At the next opportunity I'll get off the highway and start looking for a gas station.
16:30
Still waiting for that next exit. Only half a tank left. I'm in trouble. At this rate there's no way I'll make it to Austin without getting any gas. Man on the radio says that gas is hard to find these days in the area between Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. That's a large area. I wasn't very worried about this trip before I left. Now I'm concerned. This could get very messy.

17:00
Gas is non-existant. I creeped my way off the highway in search of fuel. Every gas station in a 10 mile radius is empty. No, every station is empty, I only had the heart to search the 10-mile radius. This isn't going to happen.

The plug has effectively been pulled on my weekend. After much thought I've come to the rational conclusion that I have two options: 1) Continue on to Austin and stall on the side of the road or 2) Turn around. I'm not a happy camper. I've been waiting a long time for Austin City Limits and I'm getting screwed because a hurricane had to hit Houston at absolutely the worst time. That's not to say that there's ever a good time for a hurricane, but it's all relative. Next weekend would have been much better.

The sad fact is that the hurricane is only the catalyst for the dilemma I'm now facing. Weather isn't stopping me, or anyone, from making it to their final destination. It's the lack of gas. The traffic is horrible, true, but we all have time. It's the needle pointing to "E" that screws us in the end. I thought that leaving when I did was a good idea. I was wrong.

I know I can't go on. I see too many vehicles on the side of the road with very hot, uncomfortable, and scared people waiting for help to come. I see too many vehicles waiting at gas stations for a tanker to come because they have no other option, despite already knowing that no tanker is on it's way.

17:30
For the first time in fifteen hours I've gone above 10 mph. Not surprisingly, the roads are empty on the way back into Houston. With the car parked in a parking lot and the cell phone running out of power, I managed to find my refuge. A friend (and coworker) of mine had previously offered a room at his house in southwest Houston. Not the best place to be in a hurricane, but at this point I had no other options, apart from returning to my apartment.

On a side note, it was very relieving to know that all my friends were frantically calling each other making sure that everyone was safe. I had a lot of people worried about my little head for some time today and I'm grateful for that. Disasters are never so bad when you know you've gt someone looking out for you.

Not surprisingly, traffic was non-existant back into Houston. I would have been cursing up a storm out of my frustration and disappointment if I wasn't so incredibly tired. I figure at this point I must have slept about 4-5 hours over the past two days. I'm not sure how I made it this long, but I did and I was only surviving on the fact that it would all be over soon.

18:00
My travels are over. Having arrived at my friend's house I'm now in the position to mentally prepare myself for the worst. As you may notice, my final position does not differ too dramatically from my starting point, though I am far enough way to put me potentially out of harm's way.

Now it's just a matter of waiting this bastard out and seeing how we pull through in the morning.





...Friday Morning
If you followed the news you know that Rita was downgraded to a category 3 before hitting land just east of Houston, but this city in a much better situation. In fact, I woke up to a powerless house and some moderate wind outside. After all the citizens of Houston had been through, the hurricane that was expected to ravage the city had hardly left a dent. In only thing flying around in the wind now was relief. The city could once again breath easy.

The story does continue, mostly with a lot of commentary on what had transgressed during my day between the traffic and the disappointment of not making it to Austin. However, I will hold off from posting that until a later date, like tomorrow. This entry has become a monster in itself and I'm better off just making a clean break and continuing later with an aftermath debrief.

For all those interested, both myself, my friends, and all our stuff have survived the hurricane. No need to worry any longer; all is well once again in the city of Houston.