A Kite And A Key

I contemplated standing outside, waiting for a lightening and thunderstorm, so that I could pretend to be Ben Franklin and somehow power up my house. Instead, I took quick, luke-warm showers, listened to the battery-operated/hand-cranked radio, played Solitaire in all different forms, played 500 Rummy, played War, lit candles, and talked. These are things I do anyway, except for the shower thing. I like steaming hot showers.

Also, I spent several days chowing down on restaurant food. Every day became a date. This is how the other half lives--the other half being people who can stomach restaurant food daily. I have a strict food regiment. I don't eat like a normal person, so the whole not having a fridge thing threw me for a loop. I don't know how to make meals out of non-perishable items.

The gas-stove was a blessing and a curse. I could heat up just about anything, but I had nothing to heat up. If I made something like pasta, there was no place to put the leftovers, and I'm not one to know anything about measuring and making a small meal. Besides, I don't eat pasta as a meal. I missed my protein terribly.

It wasn't all that bad. I missed a few episodes of my shows, but my shows are also On Demand and online. I missed a few phone calls, but I could check my voicemail from my cell. I used my cell sparingly. My laptop was working and I used it sparingly, too, just not the internet since I had no wireless access since the router was not powered up.

We did not flood. We had no downed trees or wires. No windows shattered. Nothing broken. Nothing injured. These were things to be thankful for. This is what I thought about when I got exasperated at not having power in the house.

Apparently, the LIPA guys came early in the morning, right after I'd left for work. They left right after noontime. They'd repaired two transformers and some wires somewhere. Our block was back on the grid. So I kept up my half of the bargain--I paid my LIPA bill. They still have not responded to my email rant. I don't think they will.