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Hurricane Sandy, please excuse my gray hair – Metro US

Hurricane Sandy, please excuse my gray hair

As Hurricane Sandy approaches, New Yorkers are taking every measure possible to be prepared. Streets and places of business were packed yesterday, with hustle and bustle equivalent to a Monday rush hour rather than a Sunday afternoon.

Last year during Irene, we were ready for the worst and got lucky, suffering little damage or impact. We stacked up on non-perishable items like dried pasta and canned soup (I quickly discovered that I do not like canned soup), and left those on the shelves for other less picky cane participants this year.

We also filled large pots and our bathtub — in hopes that we’d still be able to flush the toilet if the power goes out. We never lost power, but wasted approximately 50 gallons of tap water.

We were one of the three apartments on the Upper West Side that taped our windows with an $18.00 roll of tape, which merely created a bad window decoration. We decided to forgo the window taping this year for Sandy.

I did however complete a list of other necessary tasks that will take us through the next 48 hours with ease, no matter what Mother Nature brings to the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

1. I purchased lots of fresh food such as salmon, shrimp, chicken breast, turkey, tomatoes, apples, arugula, yogurt, and other perishables that cannot be frozen.

2. I stocked up on $7.99 bottles of Forest Glen Merlot (the cheapest and tastiest red wine ever)!

3. I filled an entire shelf of our closet with 14 bottles of Poland Spring since Bogey is a big drinker.

4. I bought enough candles to take us through Christmas of 2013.

5. I prepared all 6 working flashlights and a transistor radio for emergency. Like every Duane Reade in New York City, we are officially out of batteries.

6. I purchased a 12-pack of toilet paper because it seemed like the most practical item to buy during a natural disaster.

After waiting in line at the Food Emporium, which looked like it had been looted by a bunch of ruffians, I couldn’t bear any more queues or crowds, and didn’t stop by the Duane Reade for hair color as planned. I decided that Hurricane Sandy wouldn’t judge my gray roots, and would excuse my neglected beauty status this time around.

I did however make it to Blue Mercury to replenish my Mario Badescu eye cream — good eyes are more important than fresh color during Frankenstorm.

What am I missing? Did I forget any emergency supplies? Actually, I meant to make it to Crumbs for cupcakes, but I didn’t. Maybe the 24-hr/365 Hot & Crusty is open today…..

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