{"id":1002,"date":"2011-05-25T23:33:31","date_gmt":"2011-05-26T06:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/melissaruth.com\/blog\/?p=1002"},"modified":"2011-05-25T23:33:31","modified_gmt":"2011-05-26T06:33:31","slug":"twist-shout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/melissaruth.com\/blog\/2011\/05\/twist-shout\/","title":{"rendered":"Twist & Shout"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I was at the dentist yesterday getting my tenth or eleventh filling (what does it say about my ongoing dental adventures of the last two-three years that I have actually lost track of A. how many times I've been to the dentist lately and B. how many fillings I've had over the same time period.) and while I was waiting for the drugs to kick in on my back upper jaw, I turned on the television in the exam room and watched coverage on the terrible tornadoes that have been ripping across the Midwest.<\/p>\n

The CNN weatherperson had ordered his crews in the Joplin Area to leave the area – to literally not be around the area when last night's latest batch of tornadoes hit because the debris that had been left in the wake of the first F-5 would likely be caught up in the weather and turned into dangerous projectiles. I never even thought of that.<\/p>\n

This seems so scary to me. I remember back when I lived in San Antonio when Katrina hit the Gulf states in 2005. About a month after Katrina hit (maybe only three weeks or so) Rita had formed over the Gulf and its cone of landfall was directed straight over San Antonio. I didn't think we'd get much rain – by the time that hurricane would be that far inland, it would only be a category 1 storm, which isn't that big a deal compared. I decided I should get a few supplies in case anything happened (extra toilet paper, some water, and matches\/candles). When I got to the Walmart down the street from where I lived, it was a total MADHOUSE. Everyone else had had the same idea as me, and the place was mobbed.<\/p>\n

What made that so stupid was that everyone panicked over Rita's potential landfall and San Antonio never<\/em> got any rain from Rita, and didn't have rain for weeks surrounding her existence either. I at least had toilet paper.<\/p>\n

The recent spate of horrendous tornadoes dislodged a long-buried tornado memory. The only summer I returned home from college was 2002 – there were numerous graduations to attend (my sister from high school and several friends from college – unlike me they didn't change their major three times and transfer out of state, hah). That summer was the summer that I stayed with Sarah and Bill in Westchester for Rhoda's UCLA grad, Sam, Malvina, and I (and Felicia) went to Disneyland together for the first time, Sarah got married, among other things large, small, tragic. It was also the summer that I learned to drive a stick-shift.<\/p>\n

At the time, I was learning to drive the truck (a turquoise Ford Ranger that I loved, but drove me nuts over the years until I totalled it in 2005 -another story). My dad had taught me how to drive it out at the old Price Club parking lot, and I was still having problems getting it out of first gear and stalling it all over the place. I would take myself on adventures around the block, and I remember the first time I made it to the Long's Drugs a mile away without stalling, I was so thrilled I bought myself a Crunchy Bar.<\/p>\n

So in August of that year my dad and I packed up the truck and headed out to Texas so I could start the first of three senior years. (Which is what happens when  you change your majuor 3 times and transfer out of state.)<\/p>\n

It was somewhere along I-10 East in New Mexico when we ran into the storm. To our right, I noticed a white funnel cloud touching down. It wasn't a big one – maybe 10-20 feet in diameter at the ground, but I'd never seen one in real life before, so I was kind of thrilled. My dad was asleep in the passenger seat, and I was driving the truck that I had just learned how to drive only a month or so before.<\/p>\n

I looked over to my left, and there were three<\/em> funnel clouds touching down over the fields. The farmland was stark with brown grass and the sky was black with lightning and rain. My dad woke up and I pointed out the funnel clouds to him. The one on the right had inched closer to the road and another had formed behind it. Five<\/em> funnel clouds, surrounding us.<\/p>\n

Not gonna lie, this was scary, especially with the wind whipping the lightweight truck around and the rain coming down in sheets.<\/p>\n

Now, I know that these little twisters were nothing compared to what has happened to the Midwest this spring, but if I thought that these five twisters were scary, I can hardly imagine what it must be like to experience a real<\/em> tornado – and let me tell you, it's so much more relaxing to deal with living in earthquake country. My heart goes out to our friends in the Midwest.<\/p>\n

How to help Joplin and the surrounding area.<\/a><\/p>\n