We got power Friday!

Back in business. Super special thanks to Lindsey for being a fantastic friend and taking in me and Skittles and Schlitz and Elsie - her kindness and patience were unsurpassed and we are so appreciative. Of course when we got home and turned on the lights Ike had sure made a mess. I have been cleaning for days!

Hurricane Education

This was not written by me, but worth posting!

1. Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill.
2. No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't workwithout electricity.
3. My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it).
4. Kids can survive 4 days or longer without a video game controller intheir hand.
5. Cats are even more irritating without power
6. He who has the biggest generator, wins.
7. Women can actually survive without doing their hair- you just wishthey weren't around you.
8. A new method of non-lethal torture- showers without hot water.
9. There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.
10. TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.
11. A 7 lb bag of ice will chill 6-12 oz Budweiser's to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14 lb. turkey frozen for 8more hours.
12. There are a lot of dang trees around here.
13. Flood plane drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong.
14. Aluminum siding, while aesthetically pleasing, is definitely not required.
15. Crickets can increase their volume to overcome the sound of 14 generators.
16. People will get into a line that has already formed without havingany idea what the line is for.
17. When required, a Lincoln Continental will float, doesn't steer well but floats just the same.
18. Tele-marketers function no matter what the weather is doing.
19. Cell phones work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged.
20. 27 of your neighbors are fed from a different transformer than you, and they are quick to point that out!
21. Laundry hampers were not made to contain such a volume.
22. If my store sold only ice, chainsaws, gas and generators ... I'd be rich.
23. Price of a can of soup rises 200% in a storm.
24. Your water front property can quickly become someone else's fishing hole.
25. Tree service companies are under appreciated.
26. I learned what happens when you make fun of another states' blackout.
27. MATH 101: 30 days in month, minus 6 days without power equals 30% higher electric bill ?????
28. Drywall is a compound word, take away the "dry" part and it'sworthless.
29. I can walk a lot farther than I thought.

Volunteer / Donation Opportunities

(Taken from Houston Tidbits)
Houston Food Bank is accepting much-needed donations between 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. They also need volunteers in their warehouse from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. to help pack disaster relief boxes for families affected by Ike.
3811 Eastex Fwy (713) 223-3700‎

The Houston SPCA is asking for items off their wish list. You can make a drop-off from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. While you’re there, find out how you can help. Volunteers are needed to feed baby squirrels and load up animals displaced by the hurricane.
900 Portway Dr. (713) 869-7722‎

The city’s green spaces were ravished by Ike. Put the pretty back in the parks by helping to clean debris at Hermann Park from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., or join the Green Work Party at Memorial Park on Saturday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Other clean-ups.Send a text

You can donate $5 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund – which is crucial in helping local families devastated by the storm – by text messaging GIVE to 2HELP. (The charge will show up on your bill). Or, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcross.org to make a larger donation by credit card.

All Tasting Room locations are donating $1 from every pizza and glass of wine sold to Red Cross hurricane relief now through Saturday. And, beginning at noon on Saturday at the Uptown Park location, join a grill-out complete with live music and raffles. Party for the Cause will raise funds and collect donations of clothing and food for Houstonians in need.

Food Drive for the Houston Food Bank

Houston Fit and Luke's Locker will have a food driveSaturday, September 20, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 21, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

If you would like to donate food, water, or essential items, drop them off at Luke's Locker, 1953 West Gray. The most needed items are canned tuna or chicken packed in water, canned stews and pasta with meat, peanut butter, canned fruits in light syrup, natural applesauce, 100 percent juice in cans or boxes (no glass, please), canned veggies, tomatoes, tomato sauce, soups with meat or beans, cereals, cereal bars, pasta, spaghetti, macaroni, noodles and packages of dry beans. Please bring your items in paper or plastic bags. Thank you.

Tila's is Open!

We just got an email from Tila and they are up and running. Head on over for lunch or dinner! We are going for lunch today.
TILA'S RESTAURANTE & BAR
1111 S. SHEPHERD DR.
HOUSTON, TX 77019
www.tilas.com
713.522.7654

Yee Haw we have cable!

That is it. Just reporting cable. I am not much of a TV person but after nothing but news (and it has been informative, don't get me wrong) I am ready for something to take my mind off it. But as of 8:25 Tuesday night we have multiple mindless cable channels.

The Pinter Personal Report: Post Ike

(or: What it is like to camp inside my house)

I hope all out there are safe and well. We have gotten by well, weathering the actual storm in the home of our fabulous Austin hosts Everybody Loves Jill and Dylan. Dylan can air guitar every song on the Tom Petty live concert DVD and is the coolest 4 year old you will ever meet.

We returned about 4 p.m. Sunday. Our fence was down, but not out, and a tree dented our a/c, but we are optimistic that that is cosmetic to the caging and it will still work once power flops on. Our neighborhood (Mangum Manor - near oak Forest) had trees down but it looked like we were fortunate as a whole and I did not see any through houses. Most of our neighbors had cleaned their yards already (show-offs) so we went from "those tacky people who never mow their lawn" to "those slacker people who still have not cleaned up their lawn." Hank Hill my husband is not. However, when we rolled up with a cooler of beer iced down by magical good karma Austin ice, all was forgiven.

We have no electricity yet, but being blessed with a husband in the construction field with an awesome company (Hurray Native services!) we were commissioned to pick up generators before we left Austin, and given one so he could work at home. So until it gets hot we are really not suffering at all. Last night we even actually turned the TV away from the news and watched Family Guy for a while (seen it *sigh* my suffering never ends.) After bagging leaves most of the day Monday (myself - Skittles went off to work), I actually sat on the back porch and did my toe nails (the need was dire) and only drank half a bottle of wine before I was too tired to hold my head up. Raking and bagging leaves kinds stinks. I am saving the back yard for Skittles.

Her are the things I have learned so far:

• You can run a hairdryer off a generator
• Emergency ice can be used to keep beer cold
• When a hurricane is rolling in, leave it to my brother to text me from the roof of his downtown apartments parking garage that he can throw a Dixie cup 200 yards
• Reading is Fun, God bless my itty bitty book light
• If your refrigerator is out, so is Kroger's. Here is to being vegetarian in September.
• I will always have a gas heater and stove!
• I would rather live without electricity than water
• you can fiddle with your fuse box, splice a power cord, and plug a generator into your wall so it gives you power - AMAZING.
• If your neighbor across the street (BILL) has electricity, you will hate them (BILL)
• If you have a generator, your neighbors without electricity will hate you
• If you give said neighbors a cold beer iced down by emergency ice, they will forgive you
• I have 8 bottles of wine left, so this better not last more than 8 days

In all seriousness:
We feel really lucky to be in the position we are in. We think the Pinter family beach house is still standing, and out hearts go out our friends in Crystal Beach, Boliver, Beaumont, League City, Galveston and all the other wonderful coastal cities so devastated by this.

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. We are fine, just a bit inconvenienced. There are many others out there that are in real need of help and support.

Where to eat OUT during the power outage

Taken from Houston Tidbits:
Tiny Boxwood’s is serving lunch until 2 p.m. and the espresso bar is open after that. (Located inside Thomspon + Hanson nursery).
Crave Cupcakes is serving their super-fresh treats during normal business hours.
Enjoy Hugo’s for lunch and dinner this week.
Brasil Cafe is serving their entire scrumptous menu.
Armando’s is open for dinner this week.
Gravitas is offering their full menu at 50% off for rescue responders, and hosting their normal happy hour from 4 – 7 p.m. each day.

Donate Blood

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center isin need of donations because of a drop-off in supply due to Ike. Please stop by this week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at their headquarters at 1400 La Concha Lane (near Reliant Stadium) to do your part. For more information, call 713.790.1200.