So a couple of Fridays ago, we had a pretty bad storm. We were supposed to have Cindy's baby shower and a bunch of us were going to go out and celebrate Trevor's 30th birthday, however those plans got thrown out the window. So I just hunkered down in my house, put on some comfy loungewear, turned the heat up a smidge and settled in for a night of relaxation. Around 7:30 I was watching some David Letterman clips on YouTube (soliloquy-if you can think of it, chances are you can find it on YouTube-it's wicked). It was around 7:30 when all of a sudden, the power went out. My computer clicked off, the lights went dark and as I sat there in the darkness, I could hear the hum of the house go silent.
As I sat in my computer room, in the dark, I thought to myself, hhmmmm, what do I do now?! This was the first power outage in my new place. It was so dark and quiet. It was nice but at the same time, kinda scary.
Panic initially set in. I realized that I hadn't had supper yet...that's ok, I'll just make some popcorn. Nope, couldn't do that, microwaves run off of power. If only I had some Jiffy Pop...nope stoves use power too! So I went downstairs in search of a flashlight. Luckily I had it in plain sight "phew". As I stood in my kitchen I thought of what I could eat to get me through the night. I found some crackers in the cupboard, but what would I have with them?! I rummaged through the fridge (quickly-didn't want anything to spoil) and found some cheese, some lunch meats, mushrooms and ranch dressing. A meal fit for a king, or in my case, a queen.
As I assembled my feast, I realized that I would need something to wash it down. I instinctively reached for a can of Pepsi but then caught a glimpse of a half a bottle of wine in the side door. Splendid!! It was all coming together. But what would I have for dessert?! I remembered that I had a couple spoonfuls of ice cream in the freezer (ok, it was more like a third of a container) and I couldn't very well let it spoil and go to waste.
So I get all of this stuff upstairs, light some candles, get some blankets and settle in for my picnic. But one thing is missing...noise. At any point in time, there is some kind of media cranking in my house, CD player, TV, computer, clock radio, etc. It was just too quiet. So I look around and spot my clock radio. I grab the flashlight, aim it towards the battery section and observe that it requires a 9V battery. A 9V battery?! As if I would have one of those...or would I. So I check my personal vibration device...just kidding...besides, that takes D batteries ;) I remembered I had an extra 9V when my smoke detector went dead last year! Hallelujah!
So I pop the battery in the clock radio and the music starts blaring!! I'M SAVED!!! I finish my food and the bottle of wine (I'm half lit by this point-I don't drink very often so just sniffing the cork can make me tipsy).
An hour and a half has passed since I've lost power. The novelty is wearing off and the realization of the potential downfalls to losing power sink in. It's starting to get a little colder in my house, what would I eat for my next meal, can you flush the toilet when the power's out?! I have digital phones...if there was an emergency, how would I contact the outside world?! But then I realize that I had an old landline phone. I plugged that in...It worked!! So I decided to call Christy (who lives in Devon/Nasis) to see if she had lost power. Nope, they had power. We talked for a bit, I recounted my story above and she warned me not to pass out until after I extinguished my candles (my friend, the mother hen-I loves 'er, I f%&*in' loves 'er) but before we hung up...the power came back on and the hum of the house resumed!!
In total, I lost power for about 2 hours. But in that two hours I learned alot. I realized how dependent we are on power for pretty much everything but given the right tools, you can adapt and survive.
I never realized it before that night but Cinderella really knew what they were singing about, if you don't believe me, click it...
As I sat in my computer room, in the dark, I thought to myself, hhmmmm, what do I do now?! This was the first power outage in my new place. It was so dark and quiet. It was nice but at the same time, kinda scary.
Panic initially set in. I realized that I hadn't had supper yet...that's ok, I'll just make some popcorn. Nope, couldn't do that, microwaves run off of power. If only I had some Jiffy Pop...nope stoves use power too! So I went downstairs in search of a flashlight. Luckily I had it in plain sight "phew". As I stood in my kitchen I thought of what I could eat to get me through the night. I found some crackers in the cupboard, but what would I have with them?! I rummaged through the fridge (quickly-didn't want anything to spoil) and found some cheese, some lunch meats, mushrooms and ranch dressing. A meal fit for a king, or in my case, a queen.
As I assembled my feast, I realized that I would need something to wash it down. I instinctively reached for a can of Pepsi but then caught a glimpse of a half a bottle of wine in the side door. Splendid!! It was all coming together. But what would I have for dessert?! I remembered that I had a couple spoonfuls of ice cream in the freezer (ok, it was more like a third of a container) and I couldn't very well let it spoil and go to waste.
So I get all of this stuff upstairs, light some candles, get some blankets and settle in for my picnic. But one thing is missing...noise. At any point in time, there is some kind of media cranking in my house, CD player, TV, computer, clock radio, etc. It was just too quiet. So I look around and spot my clock radio. I grab the flashlight, aim it towards the battery section and observe that it requires a 9V battery. A 9V battery?! As if I would have one of those...or would I. So I check my personal vibration device...just kidding...besides, that takes D batteries ;) I remembered I had an extra 9V when my smoke detector went dead last year! Hallelujah!
So I pop the battery in the clock radio and the music starts blaring!! I'M SAVED!!! I finish my food and the bottle of wine (I'm half lit by this point-I don't drink very often so just sniffing the cork can make me tipsy).
An hour and a half has passed since I've lost power. The novelty is wearing off and the realization of the potential downfalls to losing power sink in. It's starting to get a little colder in my house, what would I eat for my next meal, can you flush the toilet when the power's out?! I have digital phones...if there was an emergency, how would I contact the outside world?! But then I realize that I had an old landline phone. I plugged that in...It worked!! So I decided to call Christy (who lives in Devon/Nasis) to see if she had lost power. Nope, they had power. We talked for a bit, I recounted my story above and she warned me not to pass out until after I extinguished my candles (my friend, the mother hen-I loves 'er, I f%&*in' loves 'er) but before we hung up...the power came back on and the hum of the house resumed!!
In total, I lost power for about 2 hours. But in that two hours I learned alot. I realized how dependent we are on power for pretty much everything but given the right tools, you can adapt and survive.
I never realized it before that night but Cinderella really knew what they were singing about, if you don't believe me, click it...
All the power to ya!
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