Lightbulbs Go Off – Get an Idea
Here’s my answer to the Open Question about Power Failures:
The power went out for almost an hour late Sunday afternoon, and we began to ask the usual questions: “Where did the kids hide the flashlights? Where are the transistor radios? Do we have enough batteries?”
The power was restored 10 minutes or so after we sorted the radio problem…and we didn’t really sort it properly – I found a radio, but not the radio I was originally looking for – it was a casualty of all that shuffling of boxes between the spare room and the basement.
It’s been, what, 9 years since the big black-out, and I still don’t have everything organized as neatly as I’d like. And this, despite the federal government’s Disaster Preparedness booklet they advertised so heavily last year.
Actually, we’re not in that bad shape: we do have batteries, blankets, candles, a working gas grill and food to eat. Not like during the Ice Storm, when I found myself huddled up for a time with a bunch of friends at a cafe. I wandered downtown looking for a store that still had batteries and candles for sale…and the sex shops were the only option left.
So next time, they’ll be my first choice [grin].
When the power goes off, I used to try to turn everything except a single light off, so I’d know when the power comes back on, but most appliances shut down automatically when the power’s disconnected, so that’s no longer an issue.
When the lights come back on, I try not to turn on the power-hogging appliances, but I can’t resist a little TV and a little internet. I just can’t.
I’m the meantime, I’m restocking some batteries and buying one of those hand-crank radios.
Looks Cooler than Cool.
Count me in for this movie, based on the excellent Greg Rucka & Steve Leiber comic book published by Oni Press.
Download the PDF of the first issue for free. Here are the direct links: Whiteout #1 – Part 1&Whiteout #1 – Part 2.
Cursed link rot! Toast has posted the updated links in the comments.
Happy Birthday, Naomi!
You are 21 months old today, and you’re ready for the beach!
Open Question: Power Down
Here’s the Open Question for July:
“What do you do when the lights go out and the power goes off? Do you have a stash of batteries and candles? Is there a radio close at hand? Is there a difference between winter and summer outages? What do you do when the lights come back on?”
Post your answers and anecdotes in the comments. I’ll post mine tomorrow.
Naps are Good
Ah…that’s much better. Now I don’t feel quite so rubbery.
Still, I don’t think I’ll be lifting anything heavier than the children for the rest of day, and the rest of the day isn’t going to last that long!
48. Done Like Dinner (or is that Breakfast?)
Well, that was intense! I hope you enjoyed reading the posts. Staying up late and figuring what to write posed an interesting challenge for me. I don’t think that was half-bad.
Thank you to all my sponsors for helping me raise $1365.88$1400 (US) for the Montreal Children’s Hospital:
Dina, Scott, Mom & Dad, Tilly & Lou, Martine, ***Dave, Bill, Guis, Tal & Erik, Libby, Debbie, Ramsay, Kuan Yin, Caroline, Maggie, Adriana, Kimberley, Sandro, Diane, Astro Books, Melissa, Anonymous, Joel, Thorgak & TxRedHead.
Thanks to all the commenters for stopping by and saying “Howdy:”
***Dave, Scott, Guis, Martine, Tal, Melissa (both of you), Crystal, Jeff, Alison, Libby & Maggie.
And of course, thanks to Dina, Ben and Naomi for being, well, everything to me.
And for putting up with me while I sleep and snore for part of the day.
But first…a pancake breakfast!
FIN
47. The Penultimate Post for My First Blogathon
I made it! I’m not sure I understand how! I’m so very, very tired…
Random observations:
- I get really hungry at 3 a.m.
- I didn’t drink more than 2 cups of coffe – a cup of instant at 11, and cup of filtered in my usual 6 a.m. The rest of the night was all about the pink lemonade.
- I had a whole posting outline worked out beforehand, but as soon as I started typing, the outline went out the window. Ain’t it always the way.
- I managed get pretty far ahead on my posts, which was essential for the early morning posts. I could barely type when the sun shone.
- The cats are still pretty loud in the middle of the night.
- I managed to read the three Y trades, but was too pooped to review. Something to look forward to, then.
- Chatting is helpful, let me tell you.
- If I looked at the hourly rate for all my pledges, blogathoning is the most lucrative writing job I’ve had all year!
- Dina is wonderful for chasing up all those pledges – basically doubling the amount sponsored in two days. She’s amazing in so many ways.
- I’ll do this again. It’s a good cause.
46. Indispensable
The one essential element of my comics collecting experience is the Slings & Arrows Comic Guide: A Critical Assessment. I first blogged about it two years ago…yesterday, in fact!…but it warrants another look:
If you don’t have a copy, go hit up eBay or Bud Plant books and order one. The book has been remaindered and the publisher is out of business (at least, their old website is down), so there probably won’t anything as comprehensive and level-headed out there for a long while.
If I won the lottery, I’d find the editor, Frank Plowright, and bankroll a new edition (after a prolonged vacation in New Zealand with the family, of course).
Interlude: The Clock Moves Forward
I’ve officially been awake for 24 hours. No catnaps.
“Hey, look! A wall!”
[crash]
“I’m okay!”
45. Top 12: Singles
Okay, I’m going to totally cheat here and refer to titles and multi-issue storylines:
- Thor, by Walt Simonson
- Xombi, by John Rozum
- 1963, by Alan Moore & various
- Atlantis Chronicles, by Peter David & Eduardo Barretto
- Alpha Flight, by John Byrne
- JLA, by Grant Morrison & Howard Porter
- Martian Manhunter, by John Ostrander & Tom Mandrake
- Infinity Gauntlet, by Jim Starlin, George Perez & Ron Lim (no, I’m not kidding)
- Avengers vs. JLA, by Kurt Busiek & George Perez
- Archer & Armstrong, by Barry Windsor-Smith
- Incredible Hulk, by Peter David & Dale Keown (the storyline that merges Banner/Gray Hulk/Green Hulk into Smart Hulk)
- Tangent Comics, year 1 – by various