Ooooh, I wanna comment first.

In all seriousness, I do hope that you have a plan for getting out of Los Angeles should something terrible happen.

awesome.

okay, so anderson cooper has always been hot. BUT now that he's reporting the hurricane and he's tromping around outside and not inside cozy little CNN all day, he's a bit sun burned and rugged looking...dear.lord.he's amaaaazing!

and all seriousness here too...i hope you are prepared if something happens to LA.

also, if there's the big one that finally happens where california breaks away from the rest of us, all the stich and bitchers can start knitting bridges to the main land.

awesome.

okay, so anderson cooper has always been hot. BUT now that he's reporting the hurricane and he's tromping around outside and not inside cozy little CNN all day, he's a bit sun burned and rugged looking...dear.lord.he's amaaaazing!

and all seriousness here too...i hope you are prepared if something happens to LA.

also, if there's the big one that finally happens where california breaks away from the rest of us, all the stich and bitchers can start knitting bridges to the main land.

Anderson Cooper=Very Hot. But I think he plays for the other team. More's the pity for us gals.

Just a tee tiny crazy? Heh. Sounds like a good plan. Too bad you gun toters won't be around when I travel back down to ground zero tomorrow morning :(. It's not going to be fun to go back and see all fo the destruction. At least the cats will be safe at my sister's house for the time being.

No, no, no...Anderson is on OUR team. And yeah baby, he is looking way on fire since he's assumed the rain-and-windswept-I-don't-have-five-seconds-to-check-my-hair-or-makeup look.

Maybe you could get Sobakowa in on some militia action from the herd of felines?

Anderson Cooper is so teh hot. I love him.

Hey, back off, all of you. I have always been in love with Anderson Cooper, and as soon as I figure out how to de-gay a man, he is MINE, all MINE!

(You know he's a Vanderbilt? Hot, gritty, smart and the dripping with sex appeal. MINE!)

ANDERSON COOPER IS NOT GAY.

Let a woman have her fantasies, please!!

well be careful!

Anderson's been hot since "The Moll" although I think he needs some sleep bad...I was watching him the other day reporting from Mississippi and he kept thinking he was in Texas.

We can only hope that if there is a big catastrophe in L.A. it will happen with a whole different set of people in charge in Washington and FEMA will have their act together like they did after the 1994 Northridge quake.

gay as a maypole, and let a woman have her hor-o-scopes

Okay, I had to research the anderson cooper gay versus straight debate:

http://www.queerday.com/2004/dec/01/is_anderson_cooper_gay.html

(still seems unconfirmed)

OMG! EVERYONE is crushing on Anderson! I thought it was just me!

Understandable why Laurie would think he's hot. I mean, him being a newsman and all.

For me, the getting all choked up on camera thing sealed the deal. Major cutie.

the photo at the link that *anonymous* posted...well, i'm just sayin...

Awesome plan. Don't forget some knitted ammo bandoliers, too.

Curious about the "cigarettes in the earthquake kit" remark... have you started smoking again? Or is it just your "badass" friends? Because I don't want this to turn into another Sept 11 for you! Remember Peter Jennings...

And Anderson Cooper is too skinny for me, but did y'all see him on Jeopardy?

Your survival plan seems quite sound to me. Purly - you're doing a heck of a job.

I love Anderson. He is yummy, but of course he is gay!

don't smoke dahlink!

Laurie;

What's the disaster plan for knitting needles? Will you have single pointed, double pointed and circulars in every size? Can they double as weapons in case the guns run out of ammo? Does Sobakowa know any martial arts?? Do tell!

I love your blog. You are insane.

Kathy

Anderson Cooper is totally hot. Darn the other team, they got Richard Chamberlain and Sir Laurence Olivier, too! Ah well, congratulations, other team. :)

Hey listen, your disaster plan sounds pretty reasonable to me. I have long felt I should have a disaster plan, though I don't know if I'll ever have to evacuate Tiny Town, Ohio, here. I suppose there might be a tornado someday. Must work on plan. And it will include yarn!

I'm still smoke-free, today makes four weeks. Wow i didn't even realize that ... one month smoke free!

But if we have a disaster here so awful that we're evacuating Los Angeles, smoking will likely happen. Ya'll know.

You're killing me. Very funny stuff!

Girl - Did you ever get my package? Did the kitties get their toys - my dogs want to know!

Wow two Crystal posting comments in a row!
Maybe I should change my name ot Kumquat Girl. Did I tell you the Times is sponsoring Kumquat this year?

De-lurking to say:

Sounds like a good plan to me!

Also...love "The Closer". She reminds me of my friend Diane from North Carolina, especially when she says "thank yew".

The Drew Barrymore movie was "Bad Girls". It had a good ending for everyone except poor ol' Dermot Mulroney. Well, and the bad guys.

I only got to see The Closer when it was on TBS as a promo--loved it! She is officially my fave female TV character now.

Okay, I know the no smoking thing, and I'm totally a non-smoker, but I would pack them to barter with. Can you imagine what people will trade for cigs when they've been without a smoke for days and days in all sorts of stress? They'd be better than money.

I don't know about Anderson being gay. He was freakin' flirty on the second "Mole," especially when he got a bit tipsy in the wine pouring test. I'm just saying . . .

Um, Laurie, you mentioned the smoking thing...Are you still a quitter or did I miss something?

don't know if this helps in the planning, but after 9/11, my friends and i came up with the following plan: we all call kate's mom. why?

because she lives out in nowhere, MD. nothing's really going to happen there. if we call her first, she then can call all of our parents (she has their numbers - my mom/stepdad AND my dad). while calling home is what we all WANT to do, it would be hard for me to call my mom and dad and figure out where my friends are/if we can meet up to help each other. i can call kate's mom to get updates on where everyone is, rather than trying to reach 5-10 people on my own. she's promised to change her voicemail so that it'd read like "wendy's called and checked in. she's at sarah and jim's and is safe. susie is at her apartment."...like a network. over the phone. doesn't mean i won't try to call my mom, too, but if cell phone batteries are dying, trying one number is better than randomly seeing who i can get on the line.

oh, and have a plan for what happens if you get stuck not in your house. like i was on 9/11. do you have supplies at your office? in your car? if you're commuting? stressful and depressing, but having a plan is so much better than not. and women, think about what shoes you wear. seriously. sneakers sound good, but if there's a fire, they soles could melt a little, making it harder to move. anyway. if you want more 'helpful hints from a knitter who's a weird, event/logistics planner', let me know. :)

pink light and sisterhood, ladies.

Haven't seen Anderson Cooper lately. Don't get CNN. But I remember him from Chanel 1 in high school. We had to watch this news show every morning, with a bunch of 20 something reporters trying to act 15. And they always sent Anderson Cooper to places where there was shooting. His reports usually ended with "I've gotta get out of here, they're telling us we need to leave."

We always wondered what he did to the producers to get sent into war zones all the time. Glad to know his career is still going, and that he's still alive.

can i come? if disaster strikes? pickles isn't a cat, but you know, i'm pretty sure that sobokawa could kick his but from here to nyc.

also, Boy will help to protect us. and we can send him out to forage for more wine.

We just had the same discussion! I thought a gun would come in VERY handy if I was trying to get out of DC - of course, whatever might happen in DC would give considerably less warning than a hurricane, so I think the lawlessness situation would descend even quicker here than in NO.

Another good skill to have in an emergency: siphoning gas.

And, yes, Anderson is totally gay - he cruised my friend, so I have non-internet-based confirmation!

Post 9/11 we had a plan to get out of Chicago. Now that we don't commute into the city, it didn't seem so important...until now.

I am originally from Iowa, which my husband disses constantly. BUT - LOL guess where we are headed if there is some other disaster close to Chicago?.......you got it, Iowa!

Make sure to post that holster pattern....I'd love a copy!

Anderson is hot.

I just had this chat with a friend here in NJ. The upshot is that if the gov't says "Go West", we'll go East. That's our plan in a nutshell. He also has an "in" plan (whereby he and his wife bar the door and don't let anyone in, a la Twilight Zone) and an "out" plan (whereby Anderson Cooper declares his preferences - er - whereby he and his wife flee for PA).

I, myself, will be fleeing for WV. That also goes for the other scenario when the white supremists take over - I figure I can pass, and pass off my Jewishy family, and become a member of the resistance behind enemy lines.

Oy, I've been fanatasizing about this way too much... Someone talk me down.

I am totally with you about Anderson Cooper and the making a plan thing. Suddenly I find myself wanting only to make 8''x8'' scrapbooks so they can all easily fit into one bag to be scurried away with me should something terrible happen. However, living pretty far up the East Coast I've only had to prepare for one hurricane and everyone must've thought I was an idiot. I'd always seen people on the news duct taping windows and I happen to really really like my car so I thought duct taping my car windows might be a good idea. Luckily somebody stopped me before I could (Apparently auto glass is much thicker than traditional window glass and is unlikely to blow out because of high winds. Important info they don't put in the owners' manual!) I have to say being without power for 5 days was unbelievable, my heart goes out to all the people in New Orleans and all the other places damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Anyways, since I'm a huge fan of your budget spreadsheet in all its pink goodness, I think you should make an emergency preparedness spreadsheet, or cheatsheet, or something to help all us crafty women out there to survive!

It's good to have a plan, and not at all crazy. My DH 'Pup and I have planned to the hilt, including a discussion post 911 about whether or not we'd allow anyone to stay with us on the stairs when we couldn't make it. We are both disabled. We neither of us want anyone else to die with us if that's the only option. 'Pup even went so far as to make that point very clear at his office. He got some funny looks, and two of his coworkers have told him in no uncertain terms that he has no options. They're getting him out.

Friends are the one thing that EVERY survival kit must have, and the one thing that can not be bought by any amount of money.

I'm glad your survival kit is fully packed.

The disaster plan around here is to head for Long Beach, hop on the parents in law's sailboat, and sail into the sunset. My husband jokes if we end up marooned, I can knit clothes out of palm fronds...

I have a disaster plan too! It was one that my hubby and I formulated after seeing all those people stuck on the highway out of New Orleans, cars jammed up and going nowhere. What if they never move? What if the disaster, whatever it was - let's say it's zombies or some freakish disease - caused the inhabitants of some cars up ahead to die or become unable to drive on so everyone is stuck there permanently? We thought: what if there's, you know, germs/zombies/a wall of water coming at ya and you Gotta Get Outta There? You're not gonna get far running between the cars on foot. So our disaster kit now includes our motor scooter and a length of hose for siphoning gas out of disabled cars (in case the gas pumps are all smashed up or whatever). Hehe :)

This scenario is very scary. Imagine the mix of OCD, pms and guns!

ooohhhh laurie, i could have informed you about anderson two years ago!!!! he may not be as funny as jon stewart, but he's just as hot!!

My survival plan: 1. become VERY active in the Republican party; 2. Purchase Halliburton & Bechtel stock; 3. Make sure everybody knows I'm a white protestant who is VERY active in the Republican party and an owner of Bechtel and Halliburton. ;) ;) ;) Think it'll work?

I'm with you on Anderson Cooper

Please don't buy a gun. Very unsafe to have around. But by all means learn to shoot one so you know how in cases of emergency.

If you're going to buy a gun, buy a gun safe, too. And keep fresj ammo locked up for your survival kit; a gun with no bullets or old bullets is just you looking for trouble.
For maximum impact, wear very girly clothes and lots of makeup when toting the gun. Felted holsters? Totally fall apart, but a felted gun belt reinforced with good hard plastic is tres cool.
Ask me (and my Glock 17) how I know...

I have posted my disaster plan on my blog so everyone knows mine. Definitely plan to have an out of state contact. I hope you and your slingin' chicks do have a plan for getting the hell out of here if need be.

Sorry CAP, Anderson is so so gay.

Love you!

Get a gun and learn to use it. Seriously.
I think it is revealing that your anti-gun friend, when it really came down to the reality of y'all being armed or the rapist wielding the firearm, admitted to the usefulness of one. What are you going to do when some criminal is holding you down to rape you while your child/lover/friend looks on, talk them out of it with some "violence is bad" bullshit?
I would rather shoot them.
If bad people knew that good people were armed and ready to defend themselves perhaps they would think twice before victimizing them.

Stacy--
I did NOT admit the usefulness of owning one. I admitted the usefulness of knowing how to use one in case someone else ever has one pointed at me.

Statistically, guns are usually turned against their owners. This don't matter if you are of the school of "I'd rather be shot that raped and beaten," but I am not. I understand if other people are, but I am not.

If bad people knew that good people were armed and ready to defend themselves they would just get bigger arms before victimizing them. You think that people who didn't have a problem shooting at armed police will have a problem shooting at you?

Again, I understand the urge to have a gun. And now I do want to learn to handle one. But I think owning one is really moot in dangerous situations and dangerous in everyday situtations.

My survival plan:
1. Cats...Must.Get.Cats. Especially hairless one, because, well, he's hairless and doesn't do good in temps under say, 100 degrees.
2. Yarn...All yarn must come with me, even if that means less room for food, unless that food is somewhat chocolatey or salty. And when I say all yarn, I even mean the crap craftstore yarn that I will likely never use in normal circumstances. I doubt I will have a chance to order from Elann or Knit Picks and all my LYSs are near my home.
3. All Addi Turbos...these are an investment, people, and must not be lost. They are like, say, um, a stamp collection or something. Priceless...and face it, I won't likely have $22 to fork over for another set of size 9 24" turbos, right?

And as for Anderson Cooper, I've been noticing him for awhile, but man, oh, man...SUPER HOT!. What is it about him?

That movie was totally Bad Girls, and I rented it one summer on my own (that was The Summer I Learned I Was Old Enough To Do Things By Myself, like walk to the corner store and open a video rental account). My first "girl power" moment came when Drew kissed Andie MacDowell on the lips, just as friends. A brilliant moment.

Anderson Cooper? Hot???!?!? Oh, honey, we need to get you laid and quick!

I've had a thing for Anderson Cooper since the reality show "The Mole." Very hot!

I have no plan. If LA falls into disaster and lawlessness, I may ask if we can come and stay with you Laurie. I’m sure I’ll at least have some wine around to pitch in, and Dexter could probably haul a cart or something. I guess the reason I have no supplies or plan is because 1. I am lazy, and 2. I am in complete denial that anything really bad could happen to me or my loved ones. I know that’s probably foolish, but I would stop living and be consumed by fear and paranoia if I should start developing an emergency plan. Just too many horrible possibilities that I don’t even want to imagine.

Perhaps the Anderson Cooper attraction has something to do with his likeness to this very attractive Whippet?

http://www.lookingforsam.com/archive/2004-07.htm#01-01

I have a thing for Anderson Cooper too.

In re: paleolithic method of laundry, I have a similar method for cleaning out my fridge that involves letting the strongest thing in there eat everything else, and then just getting rid of that. (If, by that time, its not too strong for me to deal with).

Perhaps we can open a cleaning service.

Anderson Cooper = Hot Other team? Say it ain't so!

Gun toting, cat protecting, wine stashing gang?!!! . . . my DH and I will join you should we have the need for such protection . . . he can protect all the coochie present.

It wasn't Washington and FEMA that didn't have their act together, it was the city of NO and the state of La that didn't. They knew the levies wouldn't work for a CAT 4 storm and they did not implement their own written evacuation plan that would use buses to get the poor out of town. They didn't even put food and water in the dome even though they told people to go there. And Anderson Cooper is GAY so don't waste your yearning on him.

aunt gerry - You are plain wrong. They had enough supplies at the convention center for a couple of days, but FEMA failed and didn't help quickly enough. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/index.html

I think cigs AND toilet paper need to go in the kit. Not just for yourselves, but for bartering!!

Hello Jen!
I am delighted that you chose to engage me on the gun matter further. I offer a bit –o-counterpoint to your response. Too bad I cannot figure why this thingie won’t allow spaces and paragraphs. My apologies.
You say that “Statistically, guns are usually turned against their owners. This don't matter if you are of the school of I’d rather be shot that raped and beaten, but I am not. I understand if other people are, but I am not.”

THIS IS AN out and out lie promoted by anti-gun groups. Sorry, but that is just the plain truth. And if you really think about it honestly, does this really hold up?? You can twist and pervert any facts to reflect statistics any way you want to. Did your source (whatever it was) consider the time’s when a potential victim produces a gun, (pulls one out and points it at the criminal) it ended an encounter and the criminal left? I believe guns are used to intimidate people into submission. Who’s to say that the criminal, who was just into it for some cash or sex, would be interested in getting shot and potentially dying for it? Of course stupid people have guns and pull them out on criminals who in turn take them away and shoot the stupid person. This is why knowing how to use a gun is important. HOWEVER if you think a smart, trained and prepared to shoot (this is key, if ya can’t shoot, don’t carry a gun) gun owner is still more likely to have their gun taken from them, then you are definitely in the group that should not own or carry gun, and I trust you to make that personal choice regarding your inalienable right to defend your own person as YOU decide best.

You also stated “If bad people knew that good people were armed and ready to defend themselves they would just get bigger arms before victimizing them. You think that people who didn't have a problem shooting at armed police will have a problem shooting at you?”

WELL, I THINK THIS is just plain intellectual laziness. These people did/do not set out to find a cop and attack him or her, but end up getting caught in the act of a crime and shoot in self defense. Why exactly would you only want criminals (that have demonstrated they don’t follow laws by their very nature) to be the only ones with guns to defend themselves? And regarding “they would just get a bigger gun”. That makes no sense whatsoever. Allow me to explain. I can blow a persons head off with a 9mm gun. Now, if you go get yourself some bad-ass 44 million automag blow-a-greyhound-buss-off the-road kind of gun, that still in now way changes the fact that my puny 9mm is still going to blow your head off. See? The criminal is still just as dead and I am just as safe. What has changed is I now HAVE a gun ALSO.

Further, “Again, I understand the urge to have a gun. And now I do want to learn to handle one. But I think owning one is really moot in dangerous situations and dangerous in everyday situations.”

I THINK HAVING guns is sad, I think it’s a sad world we live in where we need tools that were made only for the purpose of killing other people. HOWEVER, I did not make the world what it is, and it is indeed a world with people that intend to do harm. To deny that is foolish. To deny yourself tools that can prevent these people from harming you is even more foolish. To think that having one and being trained and prepared to shoot to kill is moot in dangerous situations is borderline delusional. I don’t say that to be rude, I really think it is unrealistic.
Anyway, I wish you all the best and again it’s your decision and I’m sure you will make the choice that is best for you.

Well, Ill be. It DID show my spacing. Whoopie!!

What does it say about me that I've never heard of Anderson Cooper?

An armed society is a polite society.

I agree w/Moze - get a safe and keep extra, fresh ammo in a couple of places. Since you don't have children, you don't need a trigger lock nor do you need to keep ammo separate from the weapon. If kids come visiting periodically, though, you do and their parents need to know you have one in the house. Consider getting a carry permit, just in case. Also, KNOW THE LAW - where you can have it, where you can't.

I'd recommend a 9mm, but not a Glock (too expensive, there are less expensive options that are just as nice). A revolver doesn't have a safety. Ask me (and my S&W Airweight .38) how I know... :)

He, he, he, I once had that many (10, yes, TEN)cats all living in one apartment for a few years. Then the kids all left home, toting their selective felines with them.
That left me with three. So, I had to go grab a couple more, and a bunny. BTW, DBF has my picture posted at the pet store across the street, stating, NOT to allow me to leave with any living creatures.
We have to prepare for severe snow storms and ice storms here in the North. Freezing to death is possible.
Hmm, might have to sneak into the pet store in disguise, get a few more warm cats. We can all huddle together to keep. Just thinking, is all.

Girl, you are SO behind. Anderson Cooper has been warming hearts for a long time with his pure-confidence haircut and lack of silicone. If he gets a nose job, I shall find a new yummy.

JJ

You should definitely know how to handle a gun if you ever get into a situation where you might find your hands on one. I always imagined being in a situation where one was kicked to me (just like in the movies) and I didn't want to be the woman shaking with it in her hands not knowing what to do. Some friends had the same thought and dragged me to a gun range. Rented one for an hour and shot at targets. Really good lessons were learned by all for about $10 each - 1) big guns hurt your hands to shoot, crazy recoil 2) it would be damn hard to run and shoot off a 9mm like they do on Alias and 3) I hope I never have to shoot at anyone or anything, but at least I know I could.