Looking Up at the End of My Rope
As I said previously, the first few days were kind of fun. We were bold urban pioneers keeping up a stiff upper lip in the face of disaster. I took pride in our ingenuity and toughness. Articles about wimpy Eastsiders who had fled to hotels in downtown Seattle were greeted with a disdainful curl of my lip. Hah! We were made of sterner stuff! We would not abandon our post for the cushy comforts of a hotel!
But by Sunday night it began to get a trifle wearing. I never seemed to remember to get everything I needed in place before dark, when things got nearly impossible to find. I wanted to curl up with a nice book. And the firewood was all wet, and the skinny branches burned through really fast. And because they were round, they tended to roll off the grate. And when Monday, a work-day rolled around, with no way to start up the computer, I started to get a little irked. Still, Katie and I went out in the rain and cut up more wood for the fire.
At least Katie had circus camp from Noon to 3PM. Happily, three other girls from Katie's school had also signed up. I took Katie to camp, and retired to our local cafe, hoping to find a table near an outlet for my laptop. No such luck. I ate my lunch, with a brave smile pasted on my face, listening politely to people telling me that their power had only been out for a few days. Then I retired to the Georgetown Starbucks where there was a convenient outlet and got a few pages of editing completed before picking Katie up and retreating to the Cold and the Dark.
By Tuesday, I was getting seriously irked. Power had been restored to West Marginal for a couple of days. Large swatches of Seattle were online. A note of irritation had crept into my voice during my daily call to the power company. I was in denial around cleaning the dead stuff out of the freezer.
Meanwhile, my husband got to go to work and spend the whole day in a place where there was light and power and he could Get Work Done. Grrr, Argh, Waaaaaah! When I dropped Katie off at circus camp, one of her schoolmates mothers slipped me a pass to a local spa/bathhouse that she's a partner in. Clearly I was looking frazzled. At least I found the cafe that Edd had told me about All City Coffee, a funky, barebones cafe with a concrete floor, basic tables, and power. I liked it immediately, and managed to get a little work done despite the distractions of interesting bohemian folk and a bunch of nice, friendly dogs, who were clearly welcome and at home here.
Then it was time to pick Katie up and go home. Sometime that evening I noticed that Katie's fish was lying cold, still and grey on the bottom of his tank. *damn* I couldn't bring myself to tell her about it. Edd and I were searching desperately for dry firewood. I finally descended to the level of overpriced fake pressed wood logs (oh the SHAME!). Which at least last a long time, even if they do crap up your chimney and contain dubious petrochemicals. Melting wax from candles was starting to build up on the furniture, and it was going to be a bitch to remove. I didn't really care.
By Wednesday, the end of the rope was slipping through my hands. I called every number I could think of, including the local shift supervisor, in hopes of getting power. I sounded distinctly pissed off. Katie's fish was Still Dead. She hadn't noticed, thank god. Edd helped me clean out the fridge. EeeeW! We set the butter, milk and eggs outside to keep cold, along with a remarkable amount of beer left over from previous parties. But by mutual consent, we left the downstairs freezer till later. I went back to the cafe in the afternoon, rinse lather repeat. That night a recently-widowed friend called for some company and consolation. In a shameful display of self-pity, I wound up crying on her shoulder. It had been six whole days without power. Merry Fucking Christmas. Bah humbug!
Next Rock: A Miracle occurs.
But by Sunday night it began to get a trifle wearing. I never seemed to remember to get everything I needed in place before dark, when things got nearly impossible to find. I wanted to curl up with a nice book. And the firewood was all wet, and the skinny branches burned through really fast. And because they were round, they tended to roll off the grate. And when Monday, a work-day rolled around, with no way to start up the computer, I started to get a little irked. Still, Katie and I went out in the rain and cut up more wood for the fire.
At least Katie had circus camp from Noon to 3PM. Happily, three other girls from Katie's school had also signed up. I took Katie to camp, and retired to our local cafe, hoping to find a table near an outlet for my laptop. No such luck. I ate my lunch, with a brave smile pasted on my face, listening politely to people telling me that their power had only been out for a few days. Then I retired to the Georgetown Starbucks where there was a convenient outlet and got a few pages of editing completed before picking Katie up and retreating to the Cold and the Dark.
By Tuesday, I was getting seriously irked. Power had been restored to West Marginal for a couple of days. Large swatches of Seattle were online. A note of irritation had crept into my voice during my daily call to the power company. I was in denial around cleaning the dead stuff out of the freezer.
Meanwhile, my husband got to go to work and spend the whole day in a place where there was light and power and he could Get Work Done. Grrr, Argh, Waaaaaah! When I dropped Katie off at circus camp, one of her schoolmates mothers slipped me a pass to a local spa/bathhouse that she's a partner in. Clearly I was looking frazzled. At least I found the cafe that Edd had told me about All City Coffee, a funky, barebones cafe with a concrete floor, basic tables, and power. I liked it immediately, and managed to get a little work done despite the distractions of interesting bohemian folk and a bunch of nice, friendly dogs, who were clearly welcome and at home here.
Then it was time to pick Katie up and go home. Sometime that evening I noticed that Katie's fish was lying cold, still and grey on the bottom of his tank. *damn* I couldn't bring myself to tell her about it. Edd and I were searching desperately for dry firewood. I finally descended to the level of overpriced fake pressed wood logs (oh the SHAME!). Which at least last a long time, even if they do crap up your chimney and contain dubious petrochemicals. Melting wax from candles was starting to build up on the furniture, and it was going to be a bitch to remove. I didn't really care.
By Wednesday, the end of the rope was slipping through my hands. I called every number I could think of, including the local shift supervisor, in hopes of getting power. I sounded distinctly pissed off. Katie's fish was Still Dead. She hadn't noticed, thank god. Edd helped me clean out the fridge. EeeeW! We set the butter, milk and eggs outside to keep cold, along with a remarkable amount of beer left over from previous parties. But by mutual consent, we left the downstairs freezer till later. I went back to the cafe in the afternoon, rinse lather repeat. That night a recently-widowed friend called for some company and consolation. In a shameful display of self-pity, I wound up crying on her shoulder. It had been six whole days without power. Merry Fucking Christmas. Bah humbug!
Next Rock: A Miracle occurs.