Sandy

I've had so many e-mails, texts, and phone calls in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and just wanted to say that we are all okay.  We live at one of the highest points in Brooklyn (something I really hated while I was pregnant and had to walk up the hill everyday, but something I'm really appreciating now) so we were not directly impacted by the storm.  We have a lot of trees down, but none of them fell on our car or our building, or even on any of the bars, restaurants, and stores that we frequent.  Our gym, a converted armory, is now being used as a shelter for evacuees with special medical needs (mostly elderly and disabled) from lower lying neighborhoods  We are not avid gym-goers, so haven't really noticed the unavailability of our elliptical machines.

We cannot leave the neighborhood, because public transportation is extremely limited, and what's running is overcrowded and slow.  Traffic is horrendous, many streets are closed because of trees and debris - we aren't driving, and car services are all booked.  We are working remotely when we can, hanging out with the kids, taking walks around the neighborhood to see all the stuff that the downed trees smashed.  Public schools are closed (many are being used as shelters) but Chai Tots opened yesterday on a scaled back schedule, so Ro and I rode our bikes there this morning.  It was nice to have a break from him.

Last night we celebrated Halloween with friends and went trick or treating.  Finally, Roan is getting the hang of this Halloween thing.  Last year, when people offered him candy, he said, "no thanks, I already have some."   This year he accepted it, and would run to me and exclaim, "Mommy, everyone wants to give me candy!"  like he can't believe his good luck.

Here are some photos I took outside our building, before we went to the Halloween party.

Here are our next door neighbors' jack-o-lanterns, which we saw shining brightly as we trudged up our hill, heavy with candy: