It's the End of the World....

"But He said to them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?' Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?'" (Matthew 8:26-27, NKJV)

Greetings to all from the epicenter of Hurricane Ike! Many of you have called me, emailed me, and texted...I am NOT leaving Houston. I am off today, while the "ride it out" team works at the hospital. Ike was pretty much off my radar until yesterday. The winds are picking up now, and the damage is probably going to be pretty severe, especially to Galveston Island. The Isenhowers have assured me that our neighborhood should have no problem with flooding, so aside from the wind damage and power loss I should be fine. Clark, (Sarah's brother) is here as well, and our cars have been put in a parking garage nearby. Mrs. Isenhower is cooking (I smell brownies!) so, we are kind of just pretending we are on vacation. I am not one to panic- I just see it as a good time to read books and sleep.

This week was busy and long, so I am appreciating the oppoturnity to sleep in. You should have seen the craziness that was the Medical Center yesterday evening as I left work. It is hard to comprehend how much crazy exists in the world. On the one hand, you have the people who panic, who strip the grocery stores of water and pack every personal item they can fit into their car and then sit on freeways for hours only to move a few miles. These are typically individuals in surrounding counties and towns, who will receive lots of rain, but really don't need to leave. However, they can't stop picturing themselves sitting on top of their rooftops waiting for a boat to come by. I think we should name this "post-Katrinaitis." Then you have the IDIOTS on Galveston Island, who are now trapped, because they chose not to leave a mandatory evacuation area. This one we don't need to name, we can just call it "stupid". I can be a very stubborn, black and white thinker sometimes, and this is one of them. I personally think that we shouldn't risk the lives of emergency personnel to go save those people. Consider it part of natural selection- the strongest (and the smartest!) survive. I mean, seriously.

I will post another message soon about how my first week at the hospital was, but for now, I am signing off. Stay safe, stay dry, and when all else fails, eat a brownie. :)

-Jules