One of the sad truths about going to Sundance is that you can’t possibly see every movie that catches your eye. A few years back, I attended the fest but didn’t get in to see one flick that sounded intriguing — Right At Your Door. Last week, I finally made it happen.

If you aren’t already familiar, the basic premise is that a dirty bomb has gone off in Los Angeles, leaving the husband safe inside the sealed house and his wife stuck outside with the potentially deadly fallout. Scary topic, yes. Horror movie, no.

But what struck me most about the movie was the disaster and preparedness angle. There’s a frantic trip to the hardware store to get last-minute supplies. There’s the breaking open of bottled water. And, most intriguing, there’s the sealing up of the entire house — done with garbage bags, grocery bags, shower curtains and anything they can get their hands on that’s relatively impermeable.

Which got me thinking — if there was ever a dirty bomb in Portland or if I had to seal up my home from, say, volcanic ash, I am woefully unequipped. I doubt I have nearly enough plastic (I certainly don’t have tarps) and I don’t think I have even ONE roll of duct tape.

Now we’re not all about fear-mongering or frightening you into getting prepared. But we are all about providing food for thought. If you’re interested in reading some terrorism preparedness tips, you can see ’em here.

And let it be said that the next time I head to Fred Meyer, I’m picking up a few rolls of duct tape. You never know when that stuff might come in handy!