It’s the first weekend in October—which should be exciting—but the weather is leaving little to be desired. Stupid Tropical Storm Karen! She’s only the second named storm to “threaten” the States this year, and of course she has to fall on the weekend. The weekend when I should be enjoying sunshine, cool(er) breezes, and any number of fall-related pleasures.

Since I’ve been through many a hurricane in my day and need another excuse to write a blog post, I thought I’d share some advice.

1. Have plenty of candles & flashlights on hand. 

Since the power almost always goes out (long before the winds arrive, so I’m pretty sure it’s a scam), you don’t want to be left in the dark. If your candles are of the deliciously-scented autumn leaves, pumpkin spice, etc. variety, even better!

2. Also have plenty of beer on hand (oh, and bottled water).

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Along with the electricity goes the water supply—sometimes. During really strong storms, we’d always fill the bathtub with water (not so sure why) and keep several gallon jugs on hand. But hurricanes are infinitely more exciting when alcohol is involved, so yeah, go for the beer. Hurricane drinking games are great, too! Drink each time an idiot goes surfing in the riptide! Chug (the 6-pack) if Jim Cantore is in your neighborhood!

3. Be prepared to empty the entire contents of your fridge.

This is a challenge I welcome (seeing as how I can polish off 2 Krispie Kreme doughnuts after dinner without batting an eye), but when the electricity goes out, you need to get creative with meals. You may quickly grow tired of scrambled eggs, ice cream straight from the carton (yeah, right!), or leftovers, but it’s less to throw away in the end.

4. Evacuate or hole up with people you actually like.

I feel like I have divine authority on this one, since I did start dating my now-husband as a result of Hurricane Katrina evacuation. Since you may not have electricity—and thus internet, cable, phone, etc.—you’re going to need somebody to talk to—or cuddle with.

5. Embrace laziness.

It’s perfectly acceptable if, for an entire 48 hours, you don’t change out of your pajamas. You’re not going to spend time outside anyway, so make yourself comfy. It’s also recommended that you sleep at least until 10 AM, but I’d shoot for noon. Whether or not you shower, well, that’s completely up to you and your loved ones.

That’s pretty much it. It’s just going to rain buckets all day Saturday and Sunday, so I’m going to enjoy this time to do absolutely nothing. Maybe I’ll work on some recipes or blog posts, but I imagine there will be plenty of TV viewing (if the power stays on), cuddling with the dog (and the husband, I guess), and clawing at the walls while trying not to go completely stir-crazy.

And then Monday will come, bringing with it beautiful blue skies, crisp fall air, and probably a bunch of garbage and debris along the shore. But, hey, 2 out of 3 isn’t so bad, right?