Sitting in Irma’s Path

Hello from sunny Fort Lauderdale! Yes, I am in Florida , the state that has a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane bearing down on it. Why, you ask? Well, I decided awhile back to do a little road trip and see a few concerts by Adam Ant. I’m not exactly sure who on his team is responsible for scheduling four concerts in Florida during hurricane season but at the moment, I’m kicking myself for thinking it was a great idea for me to attend them. I mean, I lived in South Florida for five years and am highly aware that September is usually hurricane month.

My hotel down here has a mandatory evacuation by 11am tomorrow morning. Good thing I was already set to head up to Tampa. I do have hotel rooms booked until Monday. But I already called the airline to see if I could change my original flight that had me departing Orlando Monday evening. After checking the weather forecast, Monday is not a day I want to be driving around Florida trying to get to an airport to a catch a flight that won’t be able to go out anyway. Wish me luck that I can get on a flight before the airport is shut down…

The good news is that I have a car that I was able to fill up with gas last night. So, full tank of gas and a fuel-efficient vehicle (and a Volvo so it’s supposed to be safe, although I really don’t want to put it to the test in 185 mph winds). Last night, I stopped at grocery store and basically bought all of the food that would survive five years being unwrapped (junk food is good for something). It’s like a 6-year-old is preparing for the apocalypse. The concerts are all still scheduled, but I’m definitely going to miss the Jacksonville one on Sunday night.

I’m really hoping that I get out of Florida in one piece and that this will be an interesting story to tell people later. I mean, who else has a midlife crisis that involves a touring 80s icon, a road trip, random junk food, and a dangerous, life-threatening storm?

Update a few hours later: Adam Ant has postponed the rest of the Florida dates, with the exception of tonight’s show. I sat on hold with the airline for 30 minutes but am able to get out of Orlando on Friday evening. So incredibly bummed that my midlife crisis hit a detour. But I’m also glad to get out of the way of this storm.