We Survived a Tornado!

Never did we ever think that multiple members of The Inappropriate Gift Co. team would survive a tornado! It sounds so surreal to tell the tale of Christmas night 2023 when a Tornado ripped its way through South-East Queensland. Not Tornado Lori firing one-liners after a few too many cocktails or Monique’s kids opening Christmas presents…but a real-life, Wizard of Oz-style tornado!

What we didn’t know was surviving the tornado was nothing compared with no water or power…for Lori 3 days but for Monique 13 long fucking days…with two small(ish) children! So here is a list of things we learned during our off-grid experience!

1. Always ensure, if you decide to invest in a generator, that it can run your coffee machine and fridge, these two appliances will get you through any number of days without electricity! 
   
2. The 80's and 90's were cool! Despite the 7-year-old constantly whining, "I hate the 90s!" it was pretty fun to have very limited access to screens, rations of daily internet access, a small selection of movies to choose from, and heaps of time for board games! 
3. In every crisis there will be heroes, often they are in uniform; SES, Firefighters and Police Officers, the silver lining to a tree falling on your house or a random creek emerging in your backyard will be all these guys showing up. 
   
   

   Image Credit: Australian fire fighters' Calendar 2018

4. Don't bother trying to explain to a 4-year-old that there is no power and expect them to stop asking questions, you will constantly be asked to turn on the fridge light, the wardrobe light, the TV, cook pasta, charge the iPad, and "internet working?" will be yelled every 10 minutes.
5. Never has a sense of humour been more important! Every morning my husband would put on his best Forrest Gump accent and tell me he was going to touch Jenny, our Generator. From the day the blackout started my husband and Jenny were always together, like peas and carrots. 
6. Size matters. Any time you speak with someone also unavoidably living the off-grid dream, the conversation always leads to that one question..."how big is your generator"? Big enough is the right answer, but as the saying goes, it's not about size, it's if it plugs directly into your house or not.
7. Random people will offer their showers during a long power outage, remember recording devices can be run via generators or batteries, saved, and uploaded to OnlyFans at a later date, you're welcome! Best to go with a cold shower in your own home or nothing at all.  
8. Never has a mug ever been more accurate than at this time!
   
9. Wine about it, or whine about it. The choice is yours! We mostly Mojito'ed about it. 
10. Finally, if you have to cook outside on a portable gas cooker, pretend you are on a cooking show like Miguel or Justine Schofield, it makes it feel so much more fun and glamorous, not like you're on a never-ending spontaneous fucking camping trip from hell. 

As we all emerged from our houses to celebrate the return of power, midday on day 13, most people's comments were along the lines of it could have been worse, there could have been zombies. So now we're all busy prepping for the zombie apocalypse. 

If you know someone who is having a rough time don't underestimate the power of laughter! Share some Inappropriate Gift Co humour via our blogs, socials, or a gift.

We also suspect there will be an abundance of babies born in September, so here are some fun gifts for the expectant mother. 

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