Latest news on the massive power outage affecting US

[Lisa Denton]

Yes, we was plunged back into the dark ages. Man, or woman, against the elements. Without everything we take for granted.

I dunno exactly how much of the US was affected, but I couldn't see no lights in any direction from my house, so I suppose it was widespread.

There I was, trying to boot into safe mode because my computer was fucked, when all the power went out. I looked across the street and couldn't see no lights. I was thinking maybe I shouldn't have pressed F2 during boot or whatever I had just pressed, because I had knocked out power in a wide area, but it probably wa sjust a coinkidink.

Anyways, I calmly and quickly evaluated the situation, I was fucked. Out of the four flashlights which I keep for just such situations, only two had batteries that wasn't dead, but they were dying. I lit two candles and got out the oil lamps.

Who knew lamp oil evaporates? Fuck. I got out the big refilling lamp oil container thingie. Trying to refill oil lamps by candlelight sucks, then of couse, tragedy struck. One of the lamps wicks only had a tiny bit left and it flickered out.

I looked at my doggie Scooter. It was dog eat dog. The chips wa sdown and only the strongest would survive. I wondered if he would fit in the big turkey roaster thing.

I had two candles and two oil lamps but still couldn't see shit. I used the dying flashlight to find the power company number and called them. They played elevator music. the FUCKING EMERGENCY POWER NUMBER FUCKIN PLAYED ELEVATOR MUSIC!!!!!!!! While you are dying without power they torture you with elevator music.

Finally a girl who speaks perfect english, with an acccent so think I couldn't understand hardly a word came on, I told her the situation, and the power came on.

She had prolly been sitting there with a big light beeping saying "punch this button" but she had been sleeeping until I called.

Anyways, me and Scooter survived, I dunno anbout everbody else.

 

[trysail]

...I looked at my doggie Scooter. It was dog eat dog. The chips wa sdown and only the strongest would survive. I wondered if he would fit in the big turkey roaster thing...

...Anyways, me and Scooter survived, I dunno anbout everbody else.

Ummm. Errrr. Uhhhh. For a while there, I think Scooter was more than a bit worried.

Don't be surprised if Scooter looks at you a little quizzically for the next couple of months and seems a bit distrustful.

...'n if I were you, I'd be mighty careful about turning my back on Scooter for the next coupla weeks.

 

[Lisa Denton]

Ummm. Errrr. Uhhhh. For a while there, I think Scooter was more than a bit worried.

Don't be surprised if Scooter looks at you a little quizzically for the next couple of months and seems a bit distrustful.

...'n if I were you, I'd be mighty careful about turning my back on Scooter for the next coupla weeks.

He,he.

Scooter don't like the dark, he was bumpin into me and stuff while I was getting things.

My computer is still fucked, I had to get out this lil old one, while I kick on the good one ...... which may not be the good one anymore.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Didn't get as far as the Left Coast.

 

[TE999]

Livin' in the land of hurricanes, I always keep a supply of flashlights, camping lights and batteries on hand of all sizes and types. I also have three of those shake 'n' light flashlights. They're cool.

Get Scooter a glow in the dark collar with a bell on it so you can keep track of him in the next blackout.

 

[TxRad]

Livin' in the land of hurricanes, I always keep a supply of flashlights, camping lights and batteries on hand of all sizes and types. I also have three of those shake 'n' light flashlights. They're cool.

Get Scooter a glow in the dark collar with a bell on it so you can keep track of him in the next blackout.

I'll second the land of Hurricanes supply stuff only my flashlights are the hand crank kind instead of the shakem up type.

Maybe Lisa needs the glow in the dark collar so poor little scooter can hide. That roasting pan sounded kind of harsh.

Lisa the dark didn't reach here, or at least I don't think it did. But then again I'm so far back in the woods on this job that we have to truck in sunshine. At least the rig generators work as long as we have diesel.

 

[Lisa Denton]

Well, thanks everbody for the suggestions, I was wanting some of them hand crank flashlights but why buy more flashlights when I have 4. That was my thinking but I have re-evaluated and need to get some of those and throw out the useless battery ones.

Scooter don't need a glow in the dark collar, but maybe I need a bigger roasting pan (it's ok, he is asleepin and don't see this)

Maybe this massive power outage didn't affect the eastern coast, or western coast, but more like the central coastal areas, or at least my block. I haven't seen the news because I am still messin with my computer.

The power is still on, but after not being able to reheat my coffee in the microwave last night, I know what hardships and trials and tribulations can occur when technology fails. It was a close call, but luckily, we survived. Scooter is all wore out from the excitement last night.

 

[Safe_Bet]

Well, thanks everbody for the suggestions, I was wanting some of them hand crank flashlights but why buy more flashlights when I have 4. That was my thinking but I have re-evaluated and need to get some of those and throw out the useless battery ones.

Scooter don't need a glow in the dark collar, but maybe I need a bigger roasting pan (it's ok, he is asleepin and don't see this)

Maybe this massive power outage didn't affect the eastern coast, or western coast, but more like the central coastal areas, or at least my block. I haven't seen the news because I am still messin with my computer.

The power is still on, but after not being able to reheat my coffee in the microwave last night, I know what hardships and trials and tribulations can occur when technology fails. It was a close call, but luckily, we survived. Scooter is all wore out from the excitement last night.

OMG! No microwave? You poor thing! How in the hell would you make popcorn? Without electricity it could have been pitch black out for days and days! That's like being in the Dark Ages!
(Hmmm, maybe that’s why they called them the DARK Ages... A coincidence? I think not!)

 

[Katyusha]

Didn't reach Chicagoland either unless it rippled through my town on Tuesday...power went out here for no discernible reason that day but it was back on in an hour or so.

 

[Lisa Denton]

OMG! No microwave? You poor thing! How in the hell would you make popcorn? Without electricity it could have been pitch black out for days and days! That's like being in the Dark Ages!
(Hmmm, maybe that’s why they called them the DARK Ages... A coincidence? I think not!)

I think the dark ages was before computers, didn't Chris Columbus look up america on mapquest?

Anyways, my computer hard crashed!!! No, not bursting into flames and smoke and a big pile of molten metal, but it was totally fucked. I am doing a fresh widows load up on a different hard drive hoping I can save some stuff from that drive later but I don't know.

I will be loading programs for days because it wouldn't let me copy the drive, but I was needing to clean things out, this sure did it.

Maybe I can sue the power company for crashing my hard drive, it was acting strange but when the power came back on it was toast.

Oh well, I will have a nice clean xp windows with a crisp new feel.

 

[epiphany65]

I think the dark ages was before computers, didn't Chris Columbus look up america on mapquest?

Anyways, my computer hard crashed!!! No, not bursting into flames and smoke and a big pile of molten metal, but it was totally fucked. I am doing a fresh widows load up on a different hard drive hoping I can save some stuff from that drive later but I don't know.

I will be loading programs for days because it wouldn't let me copy the drive, but I was needing to clean things out, this sure did it.

Maybe I can sue the power company for crashing my hard drive, it was acting strange but when the power came back on it was toast.

Oh well, I will have a nice clean xp windows with a crisp new feel.

Years ago we had a power surge here that fried my mom's microwave and tv. She complained to the power company and they paid to buy her new ones, so you should look into it

 

[DeeZire]

I'm surprised you don't have one of those battery backup power supplies that gives you AC for ten or twenty minutes after the power shuts off. They're under $100 - a worthwhile investment considering what you stand to lose if a power failure trashes your computer. I've got three of them to handle my recording studio, and although the CRT monitor might blink during the switchover from AC to battery backup, the computer doesn't shut down, and the open applications don't crash.

Lightning is another thing that can fry your computer via the phone line, so it's a good idea to unplug the internet during a storm, or at least use the protection circuit provided by a power strip with phone jacks.

Another suggestion - one of those tiny flashlights people put on their keychains. You could clip it to your dog's collar so you'll always know where to find it when the lights go out.

 

[R. Richard]

Get Scooter a glow in the dark collar with a bell on it so you can keep track of him in the next blackout.

Sorry! A bell may only be used with a cat. Have you no sense of tradition?

 

[epiphany65]

Sorry! A bell may only be used with a cat. Have you no sense of tradition?

Or a cow...

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Or a cow...

Or a whether (gelded ram)

 

[neonlyte]

or a Goat (not thee, Thee)


Strangely, Lisa... as a read the bit about Scooter and the roasting pan, our cat took a sudden interest

 

[Lisa Denton]

or a Goat (not thee, Thee)


Strangely, Lisa... as a read the bit about Scooter and the roasting pan, our cat took a sudden interest

Well; tell your kitty that maybe he will fit in there with Scooter .... but I ain't makin no promises, we'll havta see.

 

[R. Richard]

Or a cow...

Quite correct! Since I was only thinking in the dog/cat house pet arena I overlooked the location determination effect of the cow bell.

 

[Lisa Denton]

I overlooked the location determination effect .............

HUH?

 

[epiphany65]

HUH?

... the ability to determine the location of the animal -- in this case, a cow.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Quite correct! Since I was only thinking in the dog/cat house pet arena I overlooked the location determination effect of the cow bell.

Matters not, you are still incorrect. Well-bred bird dogs in thick brush also wear bells.

 

[SlickTony]

I'm glad you've got power again. Power outages are not only scary, they're damned inconvenient. When I was a little kid I thought it was cool when we had a power outage; we could get out the candles and play like we were pioneers. My kids have NEVER seen it that way; it only means there is no TV and no computers.

A few years ago there was a city-wide blackout where I live. Now, the building where I was working suffered from blackouts frequently--there was something weird about the grid it was in. Someone told me later that it was one of these built-on-top-of-an-Indian-burial-ground type situations. However, this time we found that the power was out just about EVERYWHERE west of the Intracoastal Waterway. I honestly wondered if perhaps a terrorist had bombed the power plant. But it turned out to be something totally normal and mundane.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I used to work in a run down area of town (R. Richard is very familiar with the neighborhood) and every time it rained, some one would run into a power pole or a capacitor would get water and short out. There wasn't a window in the entire place so we'd show up, sit around in the dark for a couple of hours then go home. There wasn't anything else we could do.

 

[SlickTony]

I used to work in a run down area of town (R. Richard is very familiar with the neighborhood) and every time it rained, some one would run into a power pole or a capacitor would get water and short out. There wasn't a window in the entire place so we'd show up, sit around in the dark for a couple of hours then go home. There wasn't anything else we could do.

Even with windows in the buildings, nowadays, you can't get much of anything done without electricity.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Even with windows in the buildings, nowadays, you can't get much of anything done without electricity.

True. Back then we filled out all the forms by hand. http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii177/1volupturary_manque/4.gif