Yo! NJ, You're Not In Kansas Anymore

At 6:12 yesterday evening the sky went dark, thunder crashed in a boom that shook the house and lightening crackled like daggers from the gods.

At 6:14 the lights flickered.

At 6:15 they flickered again.

At 6:21 all the power went out.

I got out the lanterns and candles telling myself that it really wasn’t necessary. There were two hours of light left and surely this would be over way before then.

I went out to the carport to watch the storm – it was impressive. Dark swirling clouds that appeared to be going in every direction at once. Heavy sheets of rain that fell straight down until the winds drove them sideways.

When the wind turned from swift to howling and the hail started I went inside.

Much earlier in the day I had secured all the outside stuff – small planters and light chairs, I anchored the BBQ and cut off the gas connection. I put the patio umbrella in lock position and laid it down against the house.

In other words I prepared for the storm that every TV and radio station had been warning us about for hours.

I truly need to take over the electric company.

I understand wind and lightening and trees don’t go together. I get that virtually all lines here are above ground. I get it, really I do.

What I don’t get is why no extra crews are called in until after the power goes out. The weather service said the storm was 100% on its way.

I don’t get why the customer service number doesn’t have automatic updates. If you can program it to say – “there are widespread power outages, we are working …” then you can program a device where a person enters their zip code or phone number and gets a real estimate of how long power will be out.

You sure as hell shouldn’t have your system tell people all circuits are busy and then hang up on them. You’re responsible for power for millions of people – get a freakin’ IT person.

And people. People! For the love of God. Sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph – as my Mom loved to say – take some responsibility.

If the tree in front of your house has branches and limbs leaning on power lines then call the damn power company and tell them. They’re actually really good about that. They come, they make it better. I’ve done it many times.

And snooty bitch in the supermarket this morning – don’t call the power company and tell them you have downed wires when you don’t. You divert from people who really do. And sure as hell don’t brag about it in front of your kids and everyone on the deli line.

So anyway …

The power was out for 12 hours. Thankfully it wasn’t terribly hot so opening the windows made the air bearable. Although I did discover at least 10 new people around me who I truly don’t like. The power is out – it is not the end of days. Stop shouting to each other, get off your fat ass and walk the 10 feet across the driveway to have your scintillating discussion of whether or not you should go get ice.

And comfort your children and pets. It’s dark, the sky is lighting up and the earth is booming – don’t yell at them you pre-historic tub of beer and chips. Even in the total darkness I can see your neck is red and your trash is white.

All in all I try, as always, to put things back into a state of graceful perspective.

Some folks still don’t have their power back. I discovered that on the way back from the supermarket as I calmly observed people not having a fucking clue as to what to do when a traffic light is out. Gee – I suggest we all just floor it and hope for the best.

People in Iran stand on rooftops and take their lives in their hands to shout for freedom.

NJ can’t make it through an intersection.

Here are some shots I took last night …

Poor Siren did his "fearful aggression" pose and licked himself incessantly throughout the storm. Deaf and Dizzy Mia slept through it all.
I know Si Man well enough to let him be when he's trying to melt into the wall. I just spoke to him lovingly whenever he glanced my way...



There was a storm lull at sunset and the sky was pretty ...



My house is afraid of the dark ...



The candle lit kitchen looked pretty from the carport ...



The lantern at the side door was less romantic and more functional. My son came home from a double shift to find no dinner and the pizza place was closed. We BBQ'd bacon ...



The brake lights of an asshat who speeds down a dark street and then discovers it has a sudden curve ...



My neighbor's son finds me hilarious. Last night I called his solar lights and LED lantern "glowing orbs" and it made him giggle for hours ...



My stationary fan in the light of the glowing orbs. The shadows freaked Siren out so I spent most of the time in the dark. I wish I could have captured Mia's reaction to no lights - she shuffled into the living room at about 3AM and I swear she did a spit take ...



One last thing --- I’m taking a break from SATURDAY WORDZZLE. I have a lot distracting me and I find I only enjoy posting when it comes to me, and how it comes to me. I’m also finding my photo blog to be very relaxing.

I kinda need that right now.