Do you remember Hurricane Ike? He hit the Gulf Coast in 2008* and triggered a wind storm in Central Ohio that knocked my power out for a full week. J and I were living close to the university, in the apartment I just vacated, and we dealt with cold showers and no power for seven days. But it was September and the weather was, thankfully, mild. We pulled through and celebrated with hugs and shouts of joy when the power was finally restored.
Fast forward to June 29, 2012 when a violent storm - one deemed worse than a hurricane based on the speed of the winds - ripped through the Midwest and knocked out power for 1million in Ohio alone. Our governor has declared a state of emergency due to the power outage and the fact that we are currently steeped in weather that can only be described as 'hot as balls'. The temperature has been in the 90's with a heat index in the 100's. My area isn't like Kansas, thank fuck, with the 118 actual degrees, but still, it's pretty sweltering. And according to the electric company's website, I won't have power back until July 8 - and that is just an estimate.
So far so good. Johan is OK as the living room isn't too bad yet and I know I can most likely board him if necessary. I just lay on my bed, sweating into the sheets, reading. I finished I Couldn't Love You More by Jillian Medoff in two days and just began Gone Girl last night. And that's all I do. I lay and read because there isn't anything to do. Well, that isn't exactly true. On Saturday I ventured out because Johan was out of hay. After finding a gas station that was actually up and running, I drove all over creation (OK, OK, I just drove down 23 but I did stop at several stores only to find they were closed) and found an open grocery and an open Pet Co. Johan got bedding, veggies, and hay. I got goldfish crackers and beer.
I have internet from time to time but my laptop was on its last legs. So this morning (Sunday) I drove to the office to power up. Only the idiots who gave me my new access card didn't give me the right level of access so I almost didn't get in. Then the cleaning staff arrived to save the day and here I am, on my office computer with my cell phone charging and two laptops plugged in. I'm doing actual work and everything, just to feel like I'm doing something dammit. But I don't know how long I'll stay. I worry about Johan and what I'll do if it he gets too hot. How will I know? I worry about the fact that I'm stupid and I bought two bags of goldfish and one box of fruit roll ups and thought "OK, I'm good". I'm worried because the cleaning people told me that my area would be the last to get taken care of if it was like it was back during the ice storm of 2005 (I thanked them for their pessimism and asked them to cross their fingers for me anyway).
I think worry is the wrong word. Pissy is a better word. I'm pissy because I don't have electricity and "why is my area always the one that has to go the longest without" runs through my head from time to time. Other times, like when I listen to the radio in my car with its lovely fixed AC, I think about how much I don't envy the AEP workers who are taking shit from all sides because "work faster you sons of bitches" and "why the hell are our power lines still above ground you idiots?" And I have to believe they are doing the best they can the fastest they can and it's just my bad luck that I end up in areas that get taken care of later than others; and I remind myself that I'm not in a single home in the middle of a forest but surrounded by individuals and families who are also without power.
It's inconvenient and damned uncomfortable but there are things to remember. I wasn't on the highway when the storm tore through. Neither my car nor my building suffered any damage. I have hot water this time. The weather isn't quite as bad as we thought it was going to be (though it is still, as I said above, hot as balls). Still, I have that little pouty attitude of "it's not fair" because my power is most likely going to be out for over a week this time and I thought I lived in a schmancier area that would be taken care of quickly.
But what can you do? At least my electric bill will be lower next month.
*I had to look it up so I'm pretty sure Ike was in 2008 and I think it hit the Gulf Coast but this is a silly blog by a silly girl and not, you know, hard hitting news.
Fast forward to June 29, 2012 when a violent storm - one deemed worse than a hurricane based on the speed of the winds - ripped through the Midwest and knocked out power for 1million in Ohio alone. Our governor has declared a state of emergency due to the power outage and the fact that we are currently steeped in weather that can only be described as 'hot as balls'. The temperature has been in the 90's with a heat index in the 100's. My area isn't like Kansas, thank fuck, with the 118 actual degrees, but still, it's pretty sweltering. And according to the electric company's website, I won't have power back until July 8 - and that is just an estimate.
So far so good. Johan is OK as the living room isn't too bad yet and I know I can most likely board him if necessary. I just lay on my bed, sweating into the sheets, reading. I finished I Couldn't Love You More by Jillian Medoff in two days and just began Gone Girl last night. And that's all I do. I lay and read because there isn't anything to do. Well, that isn't exactly true. On Saturday I ventured out because Johan was out of hay. After finding a gas station that was actually up and running, I drove all over creation (OK, OK, I just drove down 23 but I did stop at several stores only to find they were closed) and found an open grocery and an open Pet Co. Johan got bedding, veggies, and hay. I got goldfish crackers and beer.
I have internet from time to time but my laptop was on its last legs. So this morning (Sunday) I drove to the office to power up. Only the idiots who gave me my new access card didn't give me the right level of access so I almost didn't get in. Then the cleaning staff arrived to save the day and here I am, on my office computer with my cell phone charging and two laptops plugged in. I'm doing actual work and everything, just to feel like I'm doing something dammit. But I don't know how long I'll stay. I worry about Johan and what I'll do if it he gets too hot. How will I know? I worry about the fact that I'm stupid and I bought two bags of goldfish and one box of fruit roll ups and thought "OK, I'm good". I'm worried because the cleaning people told me that my area would be the last to get taken care of if it was like it was back during the ice storm of 2005 (I thanked them for their pessimism and asked them to cross their fingers for me anyway).
I think worry is the wrong word. Pissy is a better word. I'm pissy because I don't have electricity and "why is my area always the one that has to go the longest without" runs through my head from time to time. Other times, like when I listen to the radio in my car with its lovely fixed AC, I think about how much I don't envy the AEP workers who are taking shit from all sides because "work faster you sons of bitches" and "why the hell are our power lines still above ground you idiots?" And I have to believe they are doing the best they can the fastest they can and it's just my bad luck that I end up in areas that get taken care of later than others; and I remind myself that I'm not in a single home in the middle of a forest but surrounded by individuals and families who are also without power.
It's inconvenient and damned uncomfortable but there are things to remember. I wasn't on the highway when the storm tore through. Neither my car nor my building suffered any damage. I have hot water this time. The weather isn't quite as bad as we thought it was going to be (though it is still, as I said above, hot as balls). Still, I have that little pouty attitude of "it's not fair" because my power is most likely going to be out for over a week this time and I thought I lived in a schmancier area that would be taken care of quickly.
But what can you do? At least my electric bill will be lower next month.
*I had to look it up so I'm pretty sure Ike was in 2008 and I think it hit the Gulf Coast but this is a silly blog by a silly girl and not, you know, hard hitting news.
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