more on irene (lyn)

                                   Mass Transit to Shut Saturday at Noon

                                   By JAMES BARRON 2 minutes ago

              With Hurricane Irene pushing toward the East Coast, officials made plans to shut      down the city’s mass transit system on Saturday, and the mayor ordered a mandatory evacuation of certain coastal areas.

That's from newyorktimes.com.  These are unprecedented moves by Mayor Bloomberg.  Tomorrow at noon, train, bus and subway service will stop.  And people in lower Manhattan have been told they must evacuate.  I'll need to stay close to home, unless I plan on walking.

In NJ, Governor Christie is shutting down major sections of the Garden State Parkway tonight at 8.

I go to Agata to buy some food for tonight’s dinner; the lines are so long I leave.  I’ll grab some pizza instead.

The storm is supposed to last 7 hours, basically all day Sunday.  My mother calls and is worried about trees falling on her house.  Otherwise, she’s prepared. 

The news is all about Irene.  My conversations today, with East Coast friends, are not.

But I do get calls, texts, and emails from friends in Chicago, LA and Ireland.  The media makes it sound so frightening that those outside this area are more worried than those who live here.