Big Giant Voice

Big Giant Voice (hereinafter BGV) spoketh:

"COMNAVMAR is in Condition 3. High winds are expected in less than 48 hours. Remove all missile hazards from yards. Secure your personal property."

BGV is a loud speaker system that reaches all Navy housing across the entire island. The system itself is not that unusual, but the effect is seriously unsettling. There you are, working in your yard, thinking you are alone, when out of nowhere, this booming voice from the heavens begins to give you orders. I fear the operators of BGV may one day recognize the absolute power they have and begin to demand other things:

• "Mow your lawn at least twice a month"
• "Separate your trash from your recycables"
• "Eat your vegetables. I'm watching you."

I also imagine what I would say if someone left the door to BGV unlocked:

• "Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller"
• "And I say unto you, you shall mow the lawn and trim the hedges of your neighbor, especially that one bald guy who is a Navy lawyer"
• Karaoke - "American Pie" - enough said

Tropical Storm Kong-Rey Preparations

They've issued a tropical storm warning for Kong Rey which is centered over Chuuk right now.

I despise storm preparation. The charge nurse called me at home to say the physicians were admitting patients in preparation for the storm, which means the patient census will be increasing, probably to our maximum of 23. If I were working, we'd be closing all the shutters, making it feel like eternal night on the ward and admitting patients left and right while discharging all the healthy and near-healthy, which creates so much churn from the paperwork. I know stuff gets overlooked and back-burnered.

At home, it means waiting in line for gasoline to fill the car and the additional tanks, testing the generator to make sure it works, filling the propane tanks just in case we have to grill every meal, doing the laundry one last time, checking the supply of water and paper plates, policing the yard...

I was supposed to start leave tomorrow. The kids are supposed to start spring break Tuesday. We are supposed to fly to Hong Kong for a week on Friday...

Typhoon preparation is just an additional burden when all I want to do is enjoy my Sunday, read the paper, and drink Chai. I take the Sabbath seriously.