The possibly-scary but definitely fascinating weather event of the season almost closed its doors before its debut. The National Hurricane Center temporarily downgraded Hurricane Sandy from a category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm early on Saturday morning. Sandy's strength weakened a little in the twilight hours of Friday night, and winds dipped below the 75 miles per hour threshold to be designated a category 1 hurricane. After only a few hours as a tropical storm, a hurricane-tracking aircraft registered winds strong enough to reclassify Sandy as a category 1, rescheduling its super storm destiny. You can now go back to convincing your parents you're prepared for the storm when really all you're doing is stocking up on beer and ramen noodles. It's OK. We won't tell. Don't forget to call your hurricane boyfriend. You guys can talk about your favorite stormanteaus. Get him to bring over his Downton DVDs on Monday afternoon, and a few extra blankets for possible safety forts. 

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