I’m writing from my Brooklyn apartment, as there’s absolutely no way to get into Manhattan today, other than walking or driving, and as I look out the window, Flatbush Avenue is a parking lot as far as the eye can see—and that’s still the better part of a mile away from the Manhattan Bridge.

For me, thankfully, the hurricane was not so bad. My wife and I were a little late in our preparations—I had to make a Monday late-night run to Walgreens for baby formula, batteries and water—but by Tuesday we were relatively well-prepared, down to having a bathtub full of water just in case.

And then…very little happened that affected us. The wind and the rain were certainly dramatic. Our cable and Internet access went out. (But that’s Time-Warner, so it could have happened anytime, for any reason.) And the building rocked back and forth a bit—the water in the tub was experiencing its own storm surge, and our chandelier was swaying back and forth, a couple feet in each direction from its center axis. So that was a bit unsettling.

But we watched a DVD of Blackhawk Down, had a nice dinner, and slept well. And yesterday morning the storm had passed. So we consider ourselves very fortunate.

Today my office is closed—I’m not sure it has power, but there’s really no way to get to it anyway. Outside it’s beautiful, sunny and warm, and a blue sky indeed. (See post below.) But the weather is deceptive; millions (including family members of mine in Connecticut and New York state) in the region are still struggling without power, which is a very strange thing: Here in Brooklyn we’re enjoying some days working at home, while just a mile or so across the river, people are really out of wack. And will continue to be for some time: No one seems to have any idea when the trains will be running or when the power will be back on. A hell of a storm.