MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
So on Thursday afternoon, I'm in clinic with a patient and the doctor and suddenly the lights start to flicker, so we look up and then they go out and there's suddenly a lot of commotion coming from the hallway.

10 minutes later someone says the power is out from New York to Southeastern Michigan and as far north as Toronto. Well, this doesn't sound very reasonable to me, so I sort of pooh-poohed it until I listened to the radio. Indeed, here I was sitting smack in the middle (OK, so actually on the Western end) of one of the biggest national disasters to hit the U.S. since Sept 11., 2001.

Got our power on yesterday afternoon. Good thing, too, because it was hotter n' blazes here. However, I get let out of the hospital (all outpatient clinics were closed and there weren't that many sick kids in the hospital) on Friday so I went for a walk in the arboretum (which is sort of like a super-park with nature trails and all) and strolled through fields of grass as tall as I am, towering trees, rolling hills, and along the river for about 4 hours. And then I spun poi and nailed the backwards windmill.

My car was down to 1/4 tank of gas and I couldn't fill it. I was out of food and couldn't buy any. It was like the Day the Earth Stood Still. So yeah, losing power is sort of cute for a few hours. But after 26 it gets a bit stale. Fortunately, I have my power (and computer and A/C and refrigerator) back now.

But wow. What a friggin' mess.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
i dunno sounds kinda fun, not having to do anything for a while, but then again i dunno i would want to be without my puter for to long unless i was in some nice remote location. funny to think that 10 years ago it would have been no big deal (annoying yes but most ppl could still do their jobs), now days it really is a big deal itll be interesting to see what happens in 10 more years when it happens ......

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


Pink...?BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom


Posted:
I heard all about the blackout on the news.

Glad that nothing too bad happened while it went - it could have been a lot worse

Also glad you got the bckwds windmill

Alice

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...


Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
mikey, very glad that you took advantage of this crisistunity!

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


King Of Bongoaddict
522 posts
Location: Berlin


Posted:
was watching the spanish news today and the reporter was spitting out random facts one of which stuck firmly in my mind:
there was a massive spike in births 9 months after the last blackout!
hehe...
bet u'll have your hands full in nine months mr lightning!

Your life is ending one minute at a time...
So live it.


RoziSILVER Member
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia


Posted:
that sounds like a truly blissful day really.

though

It was a day for screaming at inanimate objects.

What this calls for is a special mix of psychology and extreme violence...


CharlesBRONZE Member
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand


Posted:
Good to hear you used it constructively...Maybe now would be the time to get a good can opener and buy lots of canned foods that you don't mind eating cold...

Food is very important to me, so I was creeped out hearing you had no food and couldn't get any either...

My favourite cold-can-blackout food is creamed rice with boysenberries in syrup and peaches...Yummmm

HoP Posting Guidelines
* Is it the Truth?
* Is it Fair to all concerned?
* Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
* Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
hey Mikie...wanna hear a good one?

On Tues of last week, a guy went into a bank on the local Xerox campus, where PWB works. He killed one guy, shot another. Our ENTIRE town was shut down. The guy was wearing an FBI jacket and had a Marshall's Badge sooo...the FBI had every exit point from our town closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave without getting thier car searched and questioned. PWB was stuck at Xerox, in his cubicle, without food, from 10 am til when they let him out at 8pm. They had all the employees in "safety zones" in case the guy either a) tried to hide within one of the campus buildings or b) took a sharpshooter position and played the part of gun toting disgruntled ex-employee. It was all very dramatic and I swear to god I thought that rolling into towns and shutting everything down only happened in movies! It made national news though.

Then, since we live in Western New York, we got stuck in the power outage on Thurs. We had just bought over $200 in food, and were terrified in the heat it would go bad, and since the stove is electric couldn't cook it anyway. PWB's truck was literally on the e-line as well, my car was heading into the shop, so we couldn't head for cooler ground really. Which is far better than how the people in NYC faired out, all wandering the streets trying to get cool, that is, those that were not trapped in high rises.

The "Blackout of 2003" as it has been dubbed, reached down to the Upper portions of Pennsylvania, into Ottowa and Toronto Canada and started right at the Eastern seaboard of New York ending in Michigan for a grand total of about 1000 mile radius blackout.

What happened is this: and no one has reported how or where it started, though there are theories... One city lost power and in an effort to suppliment the system calls for backup from the next power supply grid. There is supposed to be a "safety" of sorts to keep it from knocking one out after another but it failed. So, with all the power drain from people trying to beat the heat...the next grid failed, etc. This cascade effect finally stopped when power plants forced the safety grids to kick in. We had power back within 12 hours and have had brown outs ever since.
We are used to power outages in snow storms but not in the summer, that was strange.

Who said country living was boring?
lol
(I am ready for that Aus vacation now! )

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


Charmedmember
9 posts
Location: TX


Posted:
no i dont think surgery by flash light is fun. then again it just might be...kidding

I'm not perfect. I'm not you. I don't want to be.


Bobo DCLmember
141 posts
Location: Halifax


Posted:
Yeah, all of my relatives except for my immediate family that live with me, got hit by it. I would've found it entertaining, but the heat kills me, so it would not have been much fun.

If it were in the winter, now that's another story. I love black outs in the winter, when the house gets right cold, and you have to have a few comforters to survive. XD But I mean, I sleep outside in a tent during winter, so... *whistles innocently*

Last major black out we had... was actually on my birthday, and I was out with my friends at the library (don't ask) and everyone got kicked out because of the lack of... well, power! It was great, though, because all the lights were out, and the stars were amazing. For a city girl, seeing a thousand stars in the middle of a city it pretty amazing.

I like orange.And don't take my cookies.


Bobo DCLmember
141 posts
Location: Halifax


Posted:
Yeah, all of my relatives except for my immediate family that live with me, got hit by it. I would've found it entertaining, but the heat kills me, so it would not have been much fun.

If it were in the winter, now that's another story. I love black outs in the winter, when the house gets right cold, and you have to have a few comforters to survive. XD But I mean, I sleep outside in a tent during winter, so... *whistles innocently*

Last major black out we had... was actually on my birthday, and I was out with my friends at the library [don't ask] and everyone got kicked out because of the lack of... well, power! It was great, though, because all the lights were out, and the stars were amazing. For a city girl, seeing a thousand stars in the middle of a city it pretty amazing.

I like orange.And don't take my cookies.



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