Yesterday, Seattle had a bit of snow Not enough to cover my neighborhood's streets, but enough to put a white sheen over our lawns. It snowed a bit, and it rained a bit, and the net effect so far hasn't been much.
Except that our November weather apparently sufficed to knock out power from 7:15 p.m. until about 10:15 p.m. last night. I had given up and gone to bed at 9:30, and was awakened less than hour later by the lights coming back on.
You don't realize how much you depend on electricity until it isn't there. My cats and I sat in a large dark living room, staring into the blackness and avoiding conversation. I felt my way to a cupboard and grabbed my flashlight. I didn't know how long this would last, so I also reached into a drawer for a couple of fresh batteries.
The window next door revealed lit candles. True survivalists, obviously.
You can't read. You can't listen to music. You can't use your computer. I did have my iPhone, but it was low on battery, and I just sent a fast, plaintive message to Facebook, advising them where to find my body. Worse than the darkness, moreover, was the loss of my furnace. It was when the temperature dropped below 60 degrees (15º C) that I gave up and headed to bed. Throwing an extra quilt over me, since the electric blanket was useless.
It wasn't just my house, and it wasn't just my neighborhood. It was black at street level as far as I could see, but the clouds were reflecting light from some far off areas, which kept my street from the total blackness you might find in a horror movie.
Folks on Facebook chided me this morning: "Poor guy. It must have been like living in Ukraine!" I know, I know. I'm a pussy. But my brief three-hour experience did give me increased empathy for the horror that Ukrainians endure, week after week, month after month. I wonder how well I would hold up under not only the constant threat of bombing by a vicious neighbor, but from the loss of all the ordinary services we expect in a civilized society.
Which brings me to the theme of this little essay. Just as I have endured three hours of darkness and cold, so I have endured four weeks of loss of my computer, and you, my arguably faithful readers, have endured the blackness that you have discovered each day on my blog.
But, oh joy! My new computer arrived yesterday, and I spent the afternoon setting it up and trying to struggle my way through Window's latest iteration of its operating system -- fighting to install Chrome as my browser and to resist Microsoft's tenacious struggles to keep me on "Edge"! The battle isn't over, but I've mastered the simpler basics, such as how to continue with "Confused Ideas" in its usual format.
Life without blogging is like living without light and heat, and I sigh a sigh of relief as life returns to some version of normal. Glad to be back!
