2013 edit: Removed blog picture by choice, not request.

Two months since my last update I’m finally getting around to letting Ghostbusters, The Real Ghostbusters, and Ectocontainment fans know I’ve been ok and let everyone know what had been going on. I know something else more important is happening in our country, which made me write today. The timing couldn’t have been worse since late October, early November.

Around the last update which was suppose to be the “warm up” to a series of updates that might have taken us to Halloween I decided it would be a good time to take advantage of warm Fall weather by going outdoors and go for a walk. I’m a typical evolved human. I don’t usually spend my time in nature, enjoying the scenery, let alone feeling good and exercising out in it. I wasn’t even half way into this walk when I began sneezing. I’m also not one to get sick often (I have had enough health inconveniences) and have sinus flare ups. Within 2 days something had aggravated my sinuses a lot. It didn’t take long me to feel it full on. Which continued to the weekend the Northeast began experiencing heavy winds. For those who didn’t know part of my town is part of the New Jersey shore and I live about 15 miles from shore towns such as Ortley Beach, Lavallette, and yeah Seaside Heights.

With not feeling well I was a little confused as to whether the hurricane had actually come through or not. It wasn’t, we had a separate storm system going on. The hurricane was powerful enough that the winds could be felt 100+ miles from it’s position to areas such as where I live. When the actual hurricane made landfall in Jersey it coincided with how I was feeling. I was almost over it and fortunately my immediate family and I were safe in our house. Except for intermittent power disruptions, we were ok.

I know Hurricane Sandy caused devastation. Even with what I’m going to say I’m not complaining. I want to tell part of my story to help me. Our house only sustained minor damage and our vehicle started right up. It was early on and we didn’t know completely about what had happened in Atlantic City, our own town, the barrier islands, and what was about to happen in NYC and beyond. It was in the aftermath when our problems began. My neighborhood utilities are underground which probably helped during the hurricane. Two days in when selfishly “everything” should have been ok our power went out as I was having lunch. My neighbors and my family thought our entire street was out. When the power hadn’t come back on by dinner and we went out to see where we could eat we knew immediately the entire subdivision was without power. At least the houses. Some local businesses were using generators or were on other “grids.” What played with our minds was knowing and seeing other subdivisions near by had power.

You want to be hopeful that what’s supposed to be “normal” will return that way. Which included use of cell phones. We had thought maybe overnight it would all be restored. It wasn’t and to add what a lot of people were going through a cold front came in. We had somewhere we could have gone to, kept thinking with the timeline the power company gave (originally by November 6) that their was always a chance that as each day came and went the power would be restored. It became clear that wasn’t going to happen. Days were spent in public places like the library, shopping centers, and a mall with lights, heat, and at meal times, food. We’d be in and out of the house until it was a little necessary to stay home. Multiple bedtimes were spent in prayer that when we would wake up we’d have lights and heat. If it had lasted longer as we pushed into another week we were going to leave.

As we were really feeling it and I was preparing a shoddy candle one night over a weekend, the power came on in two short bursts. It was like a tease, by 8:30 it came on. What was a kind of quick normalcy there were still intermittent problems. Some that wouldn’t occur until December.

Thanksgiving was almost an after thought and small plans were thrown together very close to the day where there was a lot to be Thankful for. Even with this, it caused problems between a family member and myself. The holiday passed, that relationship was as normal as could be, and personally life began again to get back to…well normal. Things I had/have to do, appointments I had/need to make had I not been sick or lived through Hurricane Sandy are still on going.

I haven’t given up on Ectocontainment, surviving gave me pause with a lot to think about. I would like to see updates resume. I don’t know when yet. Either a “life update” or site update can be posted here or through Ectocontainment’s social media sites.

I hope this finds you all as well as you can be. May you and your loved ones be safe and have a Merry Christmas and a good start to the new year.