END TIMES!

There was a big giant blackout in So Cal Thursday night. Seems some tool in Yuma pulled the wrong thing. (Which sounds like a bad ending to a date, but that's a story for another time.) We had to amuse ourselves with no electricity for 10 hours without getting all shooty/stabby/rioty. It was touch and go for a while. And I'm only talking about my house.

It may not be much of an emergency situation to people in the Midwest or south where power outages are more common but here in San Diego, you would have thought the world was ending. People on the radio were saying things like "apocalypse" and "end times" (I'm not joking).

First up was a trip to the grocery store. Our home is almost completely unprepared for emergencies. I say "almost" because I had plenty of alcohol and cigarettes and knew where I had stashed the jumbo bag of tea lights. Food was a completely different story. So we spent about 30 minutes wandering around the dimly-lit store asking each other what kind of stuff we should get. SPAM? Tuna? Powdered milk? We ended up $116 poorer with many cans of stuff that we would not normally eat. And more whiskey.

I realized during our little foray into darkness how dependent on electricity we are for entertainment around here. It's just not something I tend to think much about, possibly because I would have to admit that I have a problem. (Hi, my name is Nic and I'm an internet addict.) But it's kind of fun to be unplugged for a bit. We swam, barbecued, played games and had actual conversations that were not about what was on television or the fact that the boys hate the music I put on.

I did have to put my foot down when they started coming up with other activities. Looting and playing outlet roulette with metal knives until power was restored seemed like bad ideas.


All in all, it was almost fun. Like camping but with less dirt. We learned a few valuable things, too.

The Hippie: "I learned that in a situation like that, there are no other people I'd rather be with. And to make sure the van has gas."

The Dave, well, he's sleeping, but the fact that the first thing I heard at 2:40 when power was restored was, "OH SWEET JESUS!!" means he learned that he really, really likes his air conditioner.

I learned that I can actually survive without my laptop as long as my smartphone is charged.

-Nic