Not Exactly Live-Blogging Irene

I often joke that my job is very cushy, except when it isn't. Eighteen hours into a stormy ordeal (stordeal?), I have to say that I'm knackered and sore. After a stint at one site, working an event, I had to hotfoot it to another site in order to keep an eye on things overnight.

Everything was going pretty smoothly until about 5AM... I took a couple of walkabouts to make sure that important areas of the site weren't damaged by wind or water. The rain was heavy, but the wind was not too bad. Between 5 and 6 AM, the cumulative effects of the rain caused a serious threat of flooding. Thankfully, the head of the maintenance department had set up a pump near a building that is prone to flooding. I had to ensure that the pump was functioning well, and that the drains weren't clogged with debris. While the rain is slacking off a bit, the storm surge in the vicinity hasn't crested, so we're not out of the soup yet. I've gone through three changes of clothing, and am currently damp- my feet are wet and uncharacteristically tender. Things could be worse, though, I could be stuck working in the office of an insurance company.

My friend **REDACTED** always told me, "You're not happy unless you're getting your ass kicked." Well, the past hours have been one continuous ass-kicking and it wasn't particularly fun. Now, the storm is supposed to abate soon, but the roads are an unmitigated disaster. I am awaiting a call from the guy who is scheduled to work tonight, who may be hampered from coming in by the abysmal road conditions. Being my mother's son, though, I have to say that my current stationary situation is preferable to being on the roads.