So I Tried to Drink my Lip When it Went Numb.

River Overlook
Originally uploaded by link5001.

Hurricania!!!

As you all know, there was recently a little tempest that swirled on through here and, well, totally discombobulated us UNCWers. In light of the recent Katrina disaster, I think the shot callers at the school were a little hyper sensitive to the storm, since they knew parents probably would be. As a result, we were asked to leave Monday afternoon by 4:30, and campus was shut down, while Ophilia was still a tropical storm.
We all giggled at the lameness of the evacuation, but you know, you gotta do what you gotta do. I, as well as my two guests Caroline and her brother Stewart, assumed that the storm would breeze through Tuesday and we'd be back in class Wednesday afternoon at the latest. Unfortunately we underestimated this storm's mighty power to linger. What kind of self respecting hurricane slows down to 3 MPH and does a little froo-froo circle in the Atlantic before coming inland? Then it didn't even really make a good landfall, it just pooped up the coast.

You notice how we tend to talk crap to the storms that don't do anything? Strange isn't it? You'd think we'd be congratulating it. Then we get all mad at the ones that pile drive straight over the capitol. No one ever says "That Hurricane was the MAN!"
oh well, side note.

Well, the point of my telling you the hurricane information that you already knew was that you would get an idea of just how unprepared my guests and I were to spend three days in Four Oaks, randomly.
Day one, I perfected my cup drooling talent. Every bit of drool, fell in the cup. I got the feeling that Caroline and Stewart were restless, but with no gas and nothing to do even if I had gas, we were helpless. Tuesday I got smart and tried to be all fun and stuff. Under the assumption that el slo storm would make all of Wednesday crappy, thus eliminating the chance for outdoor fun then, I took them, and my sister Elizabeth to the wondrous beauty of Raven Rock State Park.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Raven Rock, I highly suggest you go there sometime. It's really a cool experience. It's like walking through the flat Piedmont and then, WHAMMO, you're in the mountains. They have camp grounds and picnic grounds but coolest of all is their walking trail system. We went on the Raven Rock trail which curved around through the woods and then took us down the surprisingly huge face of Raven Rock cliffs on some comically rinky dink looking stairs. After playing around down on the bottom we straight ROCKYed up the stairs and on to the overlook trail. Let me tell you, no finer place to rest after climbing 12 flights of uber steep stairs and walking a half mile than somewhere with as nice a view as that overlook. After resting, I dug up a big rock and we went back to the parking lot.
The rest of the "vacation" served as a reminder that 3 college kids in a house for hours on end is a bit stuffy, but we survived! And made the best of the situation on top of it, I might add.
After having a lovely lunch with my Grandma Sloan yesterday, we returned to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington at around 4:15. Now I sit in my room, awaiting class at 11 and dreading the lab with quiz I have after it.
From there its into Caroline's Clown car and ALL THE WAY TO CHARLOTTE for the weekend. Ok, not exactly Charlotte, Mt. Holly, which is near the Big Queasy. Her cousin is getting married and I get to watch it...and reportedly get cake...MUAH HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA!!!

I think when the Golden Girls die they should dip them in solid gold and put them on display in Washington.