300!!! Banya, Water, Misery.

Last night was horrible. I don't even want to talk about it, but I will.

In the morning, I drove down to Brooklyn to check out Mariya's lovely hole. Turns out she's got a kitty cat too! Except that hers was about 10 years older and three times the size of кошка.

Mariya also happens to live in an area that I like to call "Jew Town". It was Saturday and the place was swarming with Jews who were completely dressed from head to toe in dark swaths of cloth. Walking down the street made me feel almost as if I were walking through a funeral.

I was wearing a dark coloured dress and tights and I felt so naked.

M and I sat around and talked like English ladies over tea (except that there wasn't any tea or garden or flowered hats).

Then I said my goodbyes and left with four nicely indented claw marks in my right hand.

Since I still had the whole day ahead of me, I decided to go to the баня(Russian sauna) for some good relaxation. If you didn't already know, I am quite addicted to the баня. It feels awesome!

Just as I pulled into the баня, raindrops started to fall from the already darkening skies. I thought to myself "hmm, nice... When I get home, hopefully it'll still be raining out so I can relax at home with a warm cup of tea".

Blissfully, I did my thing in the баня, had some борщ (Russian soup), then stepped outside to find that the little drizzle had turned into a hurricane.

I drove gingerly through the streets and faithfully followed my little GPS system, trusting that it would lead me back home safe, sound and dry in no more than 40 minutes.

Turns out that the lovely GPS decided that Newark was the best way home. Newark, by the way, has more people dying there each week than in Iraq (I know I told you this a million times Tanya). NOT FUN!

Here's what happened next.

As I headed towards a major highway out of Newark, I encountered Flood No. 1. I had no choice but to make an illegal U-turn and drive in the wrong direction backwards (it was a one-way street). I tried to take a detour in the next possible direction and ended up in some shitty flooded road again. I repeated my maneuvers but ended up in another flooded street...

Despondent, I decided to ask other drivers for help. Turns out that every single road around me is flooded in.

Ah ha! Then I see a dark little road that is unblocked by the police!

So I go...

And it's SO FLOODED!

A monstrous truck came towards me (I was already sort of in the water's edge) at phenomenal speed and pushed this GIANT WAVE of water over my car! After that giant wave, there were several other waves that sort of pushed the car to the side a little. You have no idea how freaked out I was.

At this point I had already been driving around for 2 hours just trying to look for a way out of the city.

Water started coming through the floors of the car.

I panicked.

In no time, the water was almost at my knees.

I SAW MY CAMERA AND PHONE FLOATING IN FRONT OF THE PASSENGER SEAT!!!!!

BLOODY!

GPS had failed me miserably. It kept leading me back to the same blocked exits each time I tried to get out. Eventually I had no choice but to call Tanya on my already messed up phone and ask her to look on an actual map of the area to help me get out.

2 hours later, I was sitting outside my home in the car, traumatised. It should've only taken me 40 minutes to get home! Yet there I was, 4 hours of driving and my brain exhausted from making too many illegal U-turns in one night. At one point of time I was even driving on the pedestrian sidewalk because the road between was flooded.

So now the car drives well but the engine light is on. WHY?!? The car manual says that some cap may be loose but who knows. I am going to get it checked soon.

I spent a half hour last night scooping water out from the car and towel-drying the interior.

Today when I woke up, I spent the morning in a strange state of mind. I couldn't seem to finish a thought/task and was just really confused. I don't know why. I think it's the after effects of the past night.

At 1500 I went for a job interview and got the job. I was training there for about 4 hours then I came home and cooked some awesome dinner.

And the moral of the story is:

1) Always check the weather before making plans for the day.

2) Never NEVER drive ANYWHERE near floodwater.

3) Always fill your cat's food bowl before you leave the house. Just in case.

4) GPS's are still not as good as a regular ol' map.

5) When God tells you to calm down, YOU CALM DOWN!

My thoughts are still slightly incoherent as you can see... I'm just a little overwhelmed by the chain of events.

School tomorrow! Then practice, then work..

Toodles. My life is so dramatic...

P.S.
I think my camera died, and my phone can't call.