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O Power, Power! Wherefore art Thou

My family and I are one of the Lucky Southern California residents due to the Heat Wave is without Power. It's odd because the way the Power Grids are set up, only a few homes on my block are powerless and in no particular order. Both my neighbors (left and right) are powerless while homes across the street are staggered evenly. I'm not sure if its some kind of a peculiar arrangement or a mini mini mine mo situation... Dinner feels a little stone-age especially when you can hear your neighbors TV going while eating in the Dark. See sounds from your neighbors electrical appliances tend to reverberate inside your house when you don't have Power... I could even hear their washing machine running from my room and it was driving me insane. It was like i was jealous "I wanna do my laundry too Damn It" lol. Never had i wished i could do laundry ever...

Believe it or not this kind of thing (rolling black-outs) is a daily routine when i was still living in the Philippines so i wasn't too bummed about it. I was thinking-- yea this is California not Sta Ignacia Tarlac Philippines-- we've got unlimited resources and fast-acting service. So in the first Powerless night it was candle light dinner even for the dogs hahaha. But right now two and a half days later i'm starting to feel pessimistic about things. DWP was out inspecting their equipment Monday afternoon but was unsure of the ETA. I guess that is understandable considering the drastic effect of the unexpected Heat Wave. That first Powerless night was interesting even almost nostalgic actually haha (very reminiscent of our life back in the Philippines). An NBC News Van was parked in front of the house with one of their really good-looking blonde correspondents. First i declined an interview but she really turned on the charm and i just melted (... crap). It was like my first lap dance or something-- i just kept saying "Yes Please" duhrr... So i let them in the house to have a look around and for a short interview about how i was coping with the Power and the Heat. We even had to do a re-take on the Refrigerator scene because i was blocking the fridge when i initially opened it haha (It came on the 11 o'clock news . My sister Tivo'd it). My dad spent the rest of the night calling people about my 15 minutes of fame. I didn't tell a single soul. I was too worried about the heat...

The second Powerless night was just annoying. Although a somewhat balmy 80 degrees by past midnight making it somewhat bearable, having no power for the 2nd night in a row really ticked me off. In an attempt to salvage the night i drove to Kragens to pick up a 1000 watt generator which would've been enough to power the TV, lights, and the ultra-important computer... but all three stores in the Greater San Fernando Valley were out of stock. Well except for the 5500 Watt $600.00 one which could probably Power an entire Mansion. Home Depot was even worse. I think they even had a 10,000 Watt unit...They're non-refundable once you pour gas into it and if it doesn't actually run you'll have to take it up to the Manufacturer. And i doubt they have a Tech Rep ready to roll at a moments notice. My fear was-- Power would magically spring back to life as soon as i swipe my check card...

Anyhow i didn't pick up the expensive Generator. I felt as if i'd failed my parents and dogs who were patiently awaiting my return with the magic box. I came home hungry, empty handed, disappointed, and bearing bad news to boot. But most of all i was pissed off that i couldn't work on my Generator Project. You know what i mean? I felt that my family including my dogs was in dire need of relief from the heat and the helplessness of having no Electricity. Sure, Power was going to come back on eventually and one more night without it wasn't going to kill us, but the feeling of an unfinished project irked me...

Annoyed out of my wits and feeling less than an over-achiever i wanted to settle into chill-mode. I hooked up my Ipod to my really expensive Bose Headset and cranked it up. Although it is only a Headset i became unhappy with its lack of grunt. So i started playing McGyver. I took out a set of 2-way PC speakers and tried to devise a power source using duct tape C energizer batteries and some brass wiring. None of it worked but it kept me occupied for a few hours which is probably what is most important on a Powerless aggravating night...

The next day my dad and i played phone tag debating whether it was a good idea to purchase a generator or leave it in the mercy of DWP. Luckily before heading out to the hardware store DWP showed up. But after inspecting the Transformers in the area they were not able to offer a definitive answer as to when power will be restored. Uninspired with their uncertainty my dad drove to the store to put an end to the debate. That's when we began to debate about another matter. He wanted a larger capacity Generator. Something than can handle the entire house he says. My original idea was to spend less than $200 on a small scale capacity to run the fans so we could sleep better at night and maybe run the Fridge (and PC of course)... I mean screw the house lights lets put them flashlights and candles to use. But knowing my dad he wouldn't have any of it. So he purchased a 5500 Watt Generator. When he got home Power was already back on... Life is fuckin' Great!!!

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Tuesday, July 25, 2006