About Andrew Phelps
Andrew Phelps is a WBUR reporter and the host of Hubbub, a new blog about Boston.
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Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning
Another day of school missed tomorrow, Thursday, and probably Friday, due to the fire. More precisely, it’s not the threat of fire closing down various institutions, it’s the poor air quality.
It’s weird experiencing the scary equivalent of “snow days” here. On the news the other night, Marty Levin said, “In the East, we have snow days, and in the West, we have fire and ash days.” My mother pointed out one difference: snow days back east are fun days in winter snowscapes.
Even Starbucks in San Marcos shut its doors today. Fry’s Electronics was filled with clouds of smoke, and employees wore masks either on their belts or on their mouths. The massive warehouse was eerily empty for once, and so were the roads. Everybody has been staying inside all day.
I have been talking to more people, making sure they’re safe, hearing personal stories. My aunt’s house in Scripps Ranch, somehow, remains standing — among eight other houses on the same street that burned down.
Others have not been so lucky. One e-mail message from my eighth grade teacher described a friend who lost everything but her house in Valley Center — including her horses and sheep, her sheds and barns, her landscaping, and her 17-year-old daughter. The driver of the girl’s getaway car could not see through the smoke and hit another car, and the vehicle burst into flames. I offer my sincere condolence to her family and to all Californians most tragically affected by the blaze.
I have not intended to make andrewphelps.com a negative zone for the past three days, but in the middle of a giant emergency, frankly, things are pretty negative. We will learn a lot of valuable lessons, we will come out stronger, and nature will use this period for regrowth. Until then, it’s not too rosy.
How are you being affected? Continue writing those anecdotes.
9 Comments on ‘Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning’
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i found out that on saturday my friend (yes, the “fake” mormon one) has decided to throw and “end of the world party”. at the same time that i love playing along with the whole joke (because it takes my mind off the madness), it’s a little disturbing that she’s going to have a BONFIRE of all things. it’s almost a celebration of the fires. a little offputting… and andrew was supposed to go do something with me last night but he didn’t… so i went and got a chai cream frapaccino and watched clifford (starring the genius: martin short). it was okay, but courtney fell asleep… again.
Did you not get my e-mail?!
i no i was out so i couldn’t check it. i’ll check it now…
andrew has informed me that the correct spelling is ‘chai creme frappucino’. so i apologize for any confusion that i may have caused. anyway:
i feel sompletely detatched today because i tried to write a song having something to do with tragedy (almost a personal homage to the victims of the fires) and it came out to be a song about a girl…
the things we do for what could possible turn into love one day.
trying to go the rest of the night without looking anyone int he eyes… just to see if it feels the same.
Andrew you’re wrong. It’s actually Chai Creme Frappucino, Blended Creme. What a tool.
By the way, I have never once called it by its official name in my entire life, for the moment I do, I will have lost all dignity and self-respect, leaving me no choice but to hang myself by my own large intestines.
I have a nasty comment to add, this one being from 28 Days Later.
“repent. the end is extremely fucking nigh.”
Peace,
-G
Next year for Halloween I’m going to be the priest from the beginning of that movie.
Sam,
What about this year?
A triumphant return to my costume of my junior year, Jesus Quintana of the Big Lebowski.