"Before refrigeration, food was preserved in brine within wooden casks. In time, the salt-hardened fat on the meat, became stuck to the sides of the barrel. But the cook would not waste this and could often be seen scraping the barrel whilst the crew impatiently waited and chewed the fat." Sailing Terms Explained For 'Lubbers
9/11. Those of us living in the Washington D.C. area don't get the sympathy that New Yorkers get on this day, but we know that we, too, are living in a ground zero zone. We all remember waiting for yet another shoe to drop on that day. We've been waiting ever since, more or less haphazardly. Following government recommendations I've stored a few cans of food and some water in the laundry/storage room in my basement, where I would go if, say, a nuclear bomb were to be dropped on the Capitol. So in case of such an event, being about twelve miles from the Capitol I would die well-fed. The room is cool, having cinderblock walls, and I have a wine rack down there, so I wouldn't even have to die sober if I didn't want to. (Note to self: put a spare corkscrew in the store room.)
No no no, that isn't the real Plan. Yes, we have A Plan, although it is so unlikely to be of any use as to be laughable, still, as a parent I felt it would be irresponsible for me not to have A Plan.
So this is The Plan agreed upon by myself and my son, who was a junior in high school on 9/11/2001: If you see a mushroom cloud over DC, get in the car and drive. Don't wait to hear from me; don't take the time to call me. Get on 66 West or 95 South, whichever is closer. Assuming you are one of the first million or so people with the same Plan, and you are not stuck hopelessly in a massive traffic jam, take 66 West to 29 South, or 95 South to 3 West to 29 South, and meet me at Krispy Kreme on Emmett Street in Charlottesville. That's it; that's The Plan.
Now that my son is a student at the University of Virginia the Krispy Kreme on Emmett Street is conveniently close, but he's no longer living in a ground zero zone. There's irony in there somewhere.
Leave a comment