What to do on those "power-free" days

[krankguitarist]

Last couple of days around here have been marked by quite a few power outages around my block...apparently the transformers had been getting a little old and crappin out.

So, since i woke up this morning (2:30) till about 10 minutes ago, I was without power. Oh the horror.

I was unable to see what was going on on the duncan boards (gasp). So, I went swimming. I read a book. I went for a walk.

And I thought...jeezus, electricity is the devil.

[Robbiedbee]

I usually play my Game Boy Advance SP, which is backlit and everything.

[lpmarshall]

Some have been without power here for over a week from the storms last Wednesday. My parents lost power for 4 days and stayed at my place.

Until you completely lose power you never realize how much you use it. Its basically a crutch we take for granted. I guess you can go out and take a walk, read a book if it isn't at night, or strum on an acoustic.

[Robert S.]

So far we haven't suffered any power outages here in Detroit but we did get hit whan the north east grid went down a couple of years ago. Three days without electricity was definately an eye-opener, especially when you realize that the gas pumps don't work without electricity.

Fortunately we had a full tank of propane and I quickly figured out how to make coffee and scramble eggs on the grill but three days without electricity was just about all we could take.

I played a lot of acoustic guitar and one night I sat on the porch playing guitar by the glow of kerosene lamps. It was around 11 pm and looking around the block I saw folks on their porches listening as the occasional car drove down the street. It was cool to see the neighbors enjoying my playing but they really were a captive audience and there wasn't much else they could do.

Losing the juice makes you realize just how fragile our lifestyle is. It doesn't take much to screw everything up.