The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Outages!

Wondering where I've been? I suppose their ought to be a pool on my whereabouts by now. Which pays the highest? "Holy Fool's on vacation?" "Holy Fool's hung it up?" "Holy Fool's out of his mind?" Well, if only the truth was so dramatic.

I was a little under the weather. In fact, about 12,000 of us were in the dark. The lights went out at my place around 5:30PM, just after I delivered the Coalition for Darfur post of the week. The Thunderstorm had rippped through our area with plenty of warning but greater intensity that I had thought. The winds swirled around my backyard like the funnel wall s of a tornedo. Thankfully, no tornedo came!

The temperature dropped slightly after the storm passed through. Not enough, however. And the humidity was murder. We all felt smothered by it. No air conditioning on a 100+ degree day will do that to you, even if the storm cut the edge off!

It was so uncomfortable that Mira, Dad, Frankie and I escaped it by running off to Dairy Queen. Mom felt too tired to join us. Frankie loved every minute of it, of course. Who wouldn't?

We returned to a blackened house. O&R had informed their customers via teleprompt that they'd restore power to our home by 9:45. Well, Mira and I slept from 9 until midnight with windows open and no sheets, and the power did not return! Then Frankie woke up the first time; he was hot and sticky. We tossed and turned the next three hours away. Frankie woke up at least two or three more times.

The lights came back on at 2:30 AM. Frankie finally settled down. Then six o[clock rolled around; I had to get up. Yesterday and today I met two collegues at my school. We're putting together a 9th grade advisory curriculum. Oy!

Meanwhile, Cable was still out. That meant no digital cable, VoIP phone service for my parents, ...and my internet connection. It's finally back at, you guessed it, now!

Dad's surgery. Mom's surgery. Mom's complication. And now a blackout! Is this Summer over yet?