Power shoutage

Yesterday started with two time outs before eight a.m. and went downhill from there.

Owen, sorry to say, was a pill. And then I went to work and several worky things exploded (figuratively) and I was two hours late getting home. And when I got home, the house was dark and it was obvious that there was a homicidal maniac inside waiting to slay me and my family.

Fortunately for me I have an overactive imagination; the house was dark not because of a homicidal maniac lying in wait but because the power had gone out, we figure sometime shortly after lunch. These damn high winds just tossed the hell out of my plans to kick my feet up and watch television.

We had to do all of the typical blackout stuff — cook dinner on the gas stove, read bedtime stories by candlelight, continually peer out the window to see if our neighbors had power yet, bitch and moan about all the electricity-dependent stuff we have to do. We were down to using a birthday candle in the shape of a 2 (which, of course, burned out during my meal) and staring nervously at the refrigerator, wondering what gut-destroying bacteria was now lurking within.

The temperature in the house plummeted, of course, so I brought Owen into bed with us so he wouldn’t freeze when he inevitably kicked off the covers. Iain’s alarm clock wouldn’t accept the one 9v battery we found, so he had no alarm for the next morning. And I am pregnant. Combine these factors and you’ll understand that the only person who got any sleep is under three feet tall and says “I yuv trash!” with some frequency.

Speaking of trash: One of my tasks this morning was googling “power outage refrigerator food spoilage” to see what needed to be pitched after 18 hours in a lukewarm refrigerator. The answer was a lot of stuff. The upshot, though, is that Owen is physically unable to be a pill while he’s helping take out the trash, so we had a pleasant morning together. The downside is that I had to spend more money, which is decidedly not in the food budget for this week, to replace many gallons of milk and cartons of eggs and whatnot. BITCHES. I blame YOU, Baltimore Gas and Electric.

Bah. Anyway. As I told the God I don’t believe in last night, I would gladly take another day of no power, as long as the trees in our backyard stayed standing. A 65-year-old oak through the living room would be way worse than rebuying perishables. And since I do not have a 65-year-old oak in my living room, I guess today is shaping up to be a pretty good day. I just have to go find a virgin to sacrifice to appease the electricity gods and we’re all set.

April 17, 2007 | Filed Under daily grind

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Comments

8 Responses to “Power shoutage”

TW on April 17th, 2007 10:38 am

Your insurance will cover that in most cases…without deductible in many states!
supa on April 17th, 2007 1:19 pm

Really? Because our deductible is, like, a hundred million dollars. And we’d be pretty much screwed, I thought. Hence the bargaining.
Jennifer on April 17th, 2007 2:07 pm

Yikes. I’ll be thinking about you and hoping the trees stay standing. And that the power returns. And that everyone behaves.
supa on April 17th, 2007 2:14 pm

thanks, Jennifer. The power came back this morning, at about 5:30 … if it’s still on when I get home we’ll know we’re good to go.
Ty on April 17th, 2007 3:53 pm

Read that link…Really? Eggs go bad that quickly?? I don’t believe that one. People used to leave them out on the counter, no refrigeration at all…

But I will be sure to locate my nearest dry ice facility! ;o)

Hope the power is still on when you get home!!
LetterB on April 17th, 2007 11:07 pm

Man, what is it about small boys and the trash? I can easily distract Lowell from pretty much any nefarious activity by suggesting that he take out the trash and/or put something in the garbage can.
supa on April 18th, 2007 10:20 am

interesting tidbit on eggs, ty! Hmmm. Luckily we only lost 2, so it wasn’t a horrible waste.

still a waste, though.

LetterB, tell me about it! Owen’s that easily distracted, too. Plus, today is Wednesday, which is Garbage Truck Day, which means we have to wait until the Garbage Truck Guys come and take the trash while we stand at the front door, slackjawed with wonder. EVERY WEEK. Good thing he’s cute.
Rachael on April 19th, 2007 12:49 pm

You sillly goose, next time the power goes out come on over and get some candles. I stockpile everything.