On Sunday night, I baked a coconut loaf. You know, to add to the pile of already prepared food available in the event of a multi-day power outage. (Also, to test out the recipe, also from The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook.) It was delicious.

I also gathered a decent amount of water, tea lights (to float in those blue bowls of water), my extra headlamp, and (ahem) the gin.

Here’s what the sky looked like as I walked down the hill from campus on Monday.

I knew Boh could tell that something was going on. He never really goes into the guest room, but yesterday it was where he wanted to be.

We settled in for an afternoon and evening on the couch, alternating between writing a few sentences of the dissertation and reading storm information.

This isn’t Sandy’s fault. A leak developed last week, and the management company patched it on Friday because Sandy was approaching, but this was only supposed to be a temporary fix. It held through most of the night, and began leaking early this morning. Nothing to complain about here, especially when I look at images of NYC and the coast. The Sandy trajectory had the eye of the storm heading north right through here, but everything seems to be slowing down and heading further west. I’m thankful for that, and thinking of all my friends in NYC, DC, CT, and everywhere in between. And while I rarely discuss politics (in this space, anyway), election day is a week away, and I think it is important to consider the different ways that Romney and Obama approach the role of government in situations like Sandy. The New York Times, in a morning editorial on partisan ideas about federal emergency response titled, “A Big Storm Requires Big Government,” had this to say about it: “The agency [FEMA] was put back in working order by President Obama, but ideology still blinds Republicans to its value. Many don’t like the idea of free aid for poor people, or they think people should pay for their bad decisions, which this week includes living on the East Coast.” I am all for responsibility; it’s just that the way I see it, responsibility means accountability and action on the part of the United States to acknowledge the ways in which our actions are influencing the complex systems that govern global climate. It means broadening our sense of caring and community to include those who are most vulnerable — and not only when disaster strikes. Significant resources at the federal level are necessary to deal with significant problems. (You can donate to the American Red Cross here.)

Hope you’re safe, warm, and dry, wherever you are. Stay tuned for more knitting!