Please! On a music board no mention of the author of "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?" The great Bob Merrill, who composed a string of pop hits on a toy xylophone before moving into the musical theatre.

Here in NYC, I am ensconced on Morningside Heights. Our daughter has headed for the Poconos with friends. We aren't going anywhere -- we can't, because we don't have a car, and all mass transit will begin shutting down at noon. (It will take eight hours to complete.)

The wind and rain are forecast to be VERY heavy for over 20 hours, beginning Saturday evening. We expect to wake up Sunday to no power, despite the fact that all our power lines are underground. The ground is saturated, and water will go wherever it finds a way.

We have our potable water and will fill the bathtub tonight. Our stove is gas, and we also have food that doesn't need to be cooked. Put bottles of water in the freezer to keep things cold longer and are planning what to eat first when the power goes.

We have candles, matches, plus a crank-powered flashlight and radio. The crank-powered radio will also enable us to charge our cell phone.

Dug the old corded phone out and plugged it into the land line. Have a spare hundred in cash around, anticipating the ATMs to be down.

My biggest worry right now is water blowing in around the AC units in the windows.