I got to participate in the internet blackout yesterday, but my participation was in "the rl." I got home from friend's place last night to find my entire apartment complex looking much more peaceful than usual. It had the feeling of rurality that comes when there aren't any lights on at night. I have no idea how long the power had been out--it'd still be on when I left my place a couple hours before, but by 10:00 p.m. it was blacked out completely. I shrugged it off and got ready for bed. Having a power outage in the city is hardly a crisis. When the power goes out in a city, you still have water! Despite upwards of seven years of city living, this still seems miraculous to me. When the power went out back home, we didn't flush toilets or run the tap because we only had whatever residual water pressure was in the line without the pump to bring more up from underground. Mom or Dad would build a fire in the fireplace in the basement if it was cold, and if the power outage lasted long enough, we'd be sent to pump water from the hand pump in the front yard, which had been installed during the Y2K scare. I learned nifty tricks like flushing a toilet by pouring a bucket of water in the bowl and how to do my makeup by candlelight. So last night I wrapped up in a blanket, thanked the universe for providing a warm night, and set my phone alarm. Power outages never last long, and I was confident that soon the power would flick on, bringing heat, the sound of the fridge, and the gurgle of my hot water heater. However, when my alarm woke me up this morning, the world was still dark, both outside and in. No electricity, no hot water, no cold milk. So I sighed, lit a candle, grabbed my headlamp, and changed into my work clothes. I packed up my make-up and brush for getting ready at school, and got here at about 6:45.
The adolescent inside of me is pretty darn sure that if my power was out all night I don't have to come to work today. I wish it was right.
3 comments:
Only if you lived closer to work, I guess! Glad you survived. Do you need a dutch oven, just in case? We can set you up. You'd be the heroine of the complex!
Hmmm. That would be fantastic, except there's no place around here to make a fire. I did think about firing up my camping stove to make oatmeal in the morning, though. :)
Remember how much fun it was to be out of power as a kid (except for the toilet problem)? Too bad they're just a nuisance as an adult. I especially dislike sleeping with my oboe, which is the only way I've figured out to keep it warm when there's no heat. Eddie probably dislikes it even more than me :-)
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