Blackout Ramblings

Despite what the weathermen and their maps of doom might have said, we ended up not getting much snow at all yesterday. After forecasts that had us getting anywhere from 6-15 inches of snow on the ground, which caused countless activities in the area to be cancelled, we ended up with maybe two inches of snow on the ground by the late evening. At around 6:30, I had the TV on and was enjoying watching the weathermen try to backtrack and explain to us how they were all so wrong, when I heard a loud buzzing coming from down the street. This was immediately followed by a bright flash and my house plunged into darkness. Apparently, a transformer blew at the end of the street. [Sidebar: It is at this point of the story I would like to point out there are areas of Washington, D.C. that have 50 inches of snow on the ground, but have yet to lose power, whereas we got a dusting and apparently our equipment couldn't take it. Not your best moment, Norwood.]

Now, I think this qualifies as a blackout, because it happened at night, which I believe is the main criteria that separates a blackout from a simple power outage. Anyway, here are some thoughts collected while sitting in relative darkness for almost 3 hours:

-We are well-equipped to deal with darkness in this house. Everyone had a flashlight in their hands almost immediately. We could have had a sweet flashlight tag game going in a heartbeat. [Note to self: play flashlight tag this summer, as it is fun.] Also, enough candles to make it seem as though we were back in the Old West.

-Speaking of the 1800's, no wonder every farmer back then got up at the ass-crack of dawn to work the land. It's really easy to get up at 4 AM when you go to bed at 9 PM cause it's dark and there is nothing to do.

-What is it about using a flashlight to scan a darkened room that makes you feel like a cast member of CSI? I wanted to start using all sorts of sophisticated science dialog but then I realised, oh yeah, I don't know any.

-Not only are there a lot of candles around here, they are all scented. As a result, every room smell differently. If you were in the hallway it could be a little overwhelming as they all mashed together. Is that Christmas Tree, Lavender, Kiwi and Autumn Splendor? Why yes, yes it is.

-While I am a master of getting a fire going, my brother and father are fantastic at pointing out what they would do differently to build that same fire.

-Everything seems classier if eaten by candlelight.

-We had a lot of kindling at our disposal, because we have been cleaning out the office. As a result of this there are lots of old records that need to be shredded before being thrown away. But, instead of shredding them, last night we decided to use them to keep the fire going. I have to say, it is impossible to throw any type of official-looking paper into a fire without feeling like you are about to cover up a crime. "This document would save the orphanage. I guess it's too bad for the children I like my living room warm. Muhahaha!"

-Once the lights came back on I reminded that, for a guy who rarely has to be anywhere at specific times, I have a lot of clocks in my room.