A NICE BREAK WHILE IT LASTED

I'm sitting at home minding my own business and trying to get some computer work caught up.  It's not even 9:00 a.m. when suddenly my computer cuts out.  As a matter of fact, everything cuts out.  All of the electricity shuts down without so much as benefit of wind, rain, nor storm.

Within minutes of the electricity shutting down, I hear sirens.  Many sirens.  I decide to call the electric company to find out what's going on.  I mean, my initial reaction is always, "Shit, who's in my basement shutting off the breakers?"  Probably not a healthy thought process.  Of course, I cannot call the electric company because someone shut off my power!  Maybe the creep in the basement...

I grab my cell, which has about 65% life left in it, and get on the National Grid website for my state.  I report the outage.  According to the website, only two of us have reported the power loss, and a mere 174 addresses are affected. I live on a weird patch, connected to many business and down the street from the switching station (or whatever they're called now where all the big wires meet at fenced-in giant metal stumps that hum like church choirs on Sunday morning).  I'm kind of surprised how localized the outage is and figure the guys working on the railroad tracks probably hit a live wire.  I assume no one fried since the sirens have stopped.

The power is due back on by 11:15, according to the website.  Pissah.  I'm still trying to work and the sun isn't out enough to work by even with the blinds wide open.  Guess what that means. 

Candle time!

I can't believe it.  It's early October, and I already have reason to break out the blizzard candles!  Very exciting.  Of course, it's gearing up to be 75 degrees today, but still.  It's not that warm yet, and ... hey, I can't really see ... the power is out.  I set up some candles in the kitchen and sit down to work on non-computer stuff.  I can even make myself some tea because the burners are gas.  A whiff of sulphur later, I'm in semi-lit business.

I find myself slightly disappointed when the lights come back on by 10:00 a.m.  I go around the house and reset the clocks, but I keep the candles burning for another ten minutes while the internet boots itself back from oblivion.  When it's up and running, I blow out my makeshift work lights and head back to the computer.  It was a nice break while it lasted, just the same.