By LAURA CAPITANO, The Times-Union

We're more than three months into the Atlantic hurricane season, and the storm names are about to turn personal. A little too close for comfort down the 2008 list: Kyle, a name shared by a certain canine guest columnist you see in this space from time to time, followed by Laura (the order mimics that of our leash-strained walks). The World Meteorological Organization even drags my nana into the mix this year.

Obviously my nana, my dog and I have our fundamental differences. But what we do share is the perspective that so long as life tosses Fay-esque, stuck-at-home-waiting-out-storms circumstances at us, can't we manage a little good food and fun as we bunker down? A power outage is no reason to turn to the Power Bar.

Little luxuries have a deep impact on the morale of a household suffering a power outage and leaky roof. You can't change the weather, just your mood about the weather, and this is precisely why Floridans have hurricane parties, similar to snow-ins up North.

So if tropical storms Kyle, Laura or dear Nana threaten the area, prepare for the storm as you would for a party that won't offer the advantage of electricity. Food-wise, you want something that won't force you to open your powerless, fridge-in-limbo, so you can preserve its contents as long as possible. Stock your hurricane pantry with your favorite non-perishables: pepperoni, beef jerky, dried apricots, whole cashews, Twizzlers by the pound. You're suffering! You're under stress! You're allowed to forget about sodium counts until the wind dies down.

Storm dining is the perfect time to bust out that neglected fondue set, but do amend your recipes to their most hassle-free form. No need to even dirty a plate when you pair bread cubes and raw vegetables with a can of cheese soup. For dessert, melt together chocolate bars and evaporated milk to dress up room temperature-friendly fruits such as bananas, apples and pears. Don't forget that pretzel rods and Pringles make for excellent salty-sweet combinations.

If you're a canned meat fan, brisling sardines or smoked oysters on mini toasts make a deceptively gourmet, high-protein snack. The chicken and tuna in pouches can be more appealing to those averse to cans, and if you've stocked up with mayo, mustard and relish packets from your nearest hot dog-selling convenience store, you have a tasty sandwich!

There are a lot of stormy hours once the sun goes down, so plan for a little non-electricity entertainment as well. Take a step back into olden times, where people sat around by candlelight swapping stories, or took turns reading aloud from a favorite book. In the board game department, have a few oldies on hand that are easy to play in low light: Connect Four, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Mancala or good ol' party-starting Twister.

Everyone lacks for exercise when cooped up, so look for feats of strength with which to challenge one another. Push-ups! Pull-ups! Hold the gallon jug of water out in front of you the long-est! You could get a whole decathlon of events.

And, slumber party mentality does translate to the hurricane party environment. Both are good times to indulge in a manicure and pedicure. Don't rule out the old slumber party games either: Truth or Dare, Light as a Feather, dress-up and glow-in-the-dark Ouiji board are all proven to go over well with small groups not allowed to leave the house.