The Turn of a Switch
Sep 5th, 2008 by Nola
My electricity, cable and even internet have been restored. The water restrictions have been lifted. Things are officially back to normal for me. And I find that I am disappointed. In myself. Let me back up.
In preparing for the storm, riding the storm out in Baton Rouge, and especially in the four days of no electricity post storm, I have been feeling more alert, more introspective, more inspired. I’ve also been eating better and doing physical labor. I raked and bagged all the debris in the front yard (and part of my neighbors’ yards). The effort took two days and resulted in a curb full of broken branches and bags of leaves.
I’ve also been talking with my neighbors (even those that are still not home yet) and even met a few more. With no a/c for most folks (I think I was the only wimp in the immediate vicinity that buckled and bought a window unit—I can blame it on Sun, though), they’ve been on their front porches and the porches of their neighbors. Visiting. I’ve been keeping my 70+ neighbor in cool Jell-o, ice and fruit. In return, she gave Sun a can of apple juice.
And then as I was working on bagging those leaves and having just been talking to two neighbors, a third neighbor came running to let us know our electricity was back on. I dropped the rake and ran inside. It was true! I turned on the a/c, plugged in the refrigerator, shut off the window unit and generator, called the evacuated neighbors, then turned on the tv. The tv was on the weather channel—the last channel we’d been watching before we evacuated. It was showing T.S. Ike. It scared me and I was not yet ready to start tracking another possible disaster.
So I switched it to Bravo, hoping to catch the Project Runway I had missed. Instead, it was Please Date My Ex, with Jo from the Real Housewives of Orange County. I didn’t watch RHOC. But next thing I knew, I was watching a marathon of her ex trying to get her matched up with a new guy.
And just like that, poof, I was back to living inside the bubble of my home that provides for all my creature comforts. Just that quick, I no longer was concerned with spending time in the yard or talking to my wonderful neighbors or exercising. About an hour passed and then the cable went out. And I was relieved. I didn’t want to watch crap tv but couldn’t make myself stop. I think it was just a guilty pleasure because I could watch tv, but it was completely unenjoyable.
Then the cable came back on, CS came home, and we spent most of our evening watching more crap tv. Then we turned it off and talked. And we agree that neither of us missed the television in the least. So we will do our best to watch less tv and instead spend more time cultivating the relationships we have with our neighbors (did I mention how awesome they all are?).
I just hope that my neighbors don’t return to their respective bubbles, and that we continue to remember each others’ names and actually stop to say hi and inquire about each other. Because it sure would be a shame that this great feeling of creativity and generosity of spirit only comes around during Hurricane Season.
Funny what brings people together, hurricanes, pregnant teenagers, political conventions, terrorism. I too hope it will last, always last, for the good of everyone.
moosh in indy.’s last blog post..Big House of Pain.
TV!… exactly the reason I only got 2 hours of sleep last night. I caught up on Project Runway, Top Design, Raising the Bar, (the new) 90210, Chelsea Lately, Mad Men, The Closer, Architecture School… I had a marathon of tv to make up for not being able to watch any. So, so bad, but so, so good
NOLADawn’s last blog post..3 years later
I’m addicted to TV…
Jane Moneypenny’s last blog post..Grocery Adventures
Exactly the reason we don’t have a tv. Everyone thinks it is because we don’t like television shows, or that we are making some noble political statement. All false. It is just simply that I like it too much. Life is too short to waste time watching it go by on a couch and not out in your front yard living it.
lilalia’s last blog post..Grrrr!
Most of my street is still either deserted, or because we have power, “bubbled” again already. I’m secretly hoping that tomorrow when the hubby and I spend what will be hours raking up tree branches that we’ll finally get a chance to see our neighbors again.
And I really really hope we’re not doing this whole dance again in a week. You might have to talk me down off the ledge again in a few days. I do not like where Ike is headed, but I’m trying (failing!) to ignore it for the time being.
(And I found these for you HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH)
Katie’s last blog post..Hurricane Laws
Happy electricity. When we lived in the city, one of my greatest pleasures was sitting on the front porch with a glass of wine and talking to neighbors who strolled past. I miss it still.
Glad your live is getting back to normal. Praying you are spared IKE. (My parents have to get a new roof after Gustav, and had one tree uprooted.)
jen’s last blog post..Game Day (Week 2)
I am glad you got back your electricity!! I hope you do get outside more and talk to the neighbors as well. We really only have like 4 on our block….I see them quite a bit. My problem isn’t TV it is the fact that I can’t keep my eyes open!!
stacey’s last blog post..Good To be Home
Nothing like a good disaster to bring people together. I can remember great block parties we had after Hurricane Opal, using up thawed food we didn’t want to spoil or have to throw out. I wished that we had kept those up, even if only once a month.
Tara R.’s last blog post..Sketchy drunk guys…
I am guilty of the same thing. I got pwr back a couple of days ago, but just got the cable and internet back yesterday. I cannot lie, I had friends over last night just hanging out and drinking and could not wait for them to leave just so I could catch up with my friend : the TV. So sad
Whew, glad everything turned out ok and life is getting back to normal! But that is a good observation – wouldn’t it be great if people connected like this without some sort of threat or tragedy? i found the same thing happening on a smaller level when my dad passed away. All these cousins and uncles with whom I hadn’t spoken to in ages all came out of the woodwork and we vowed to stay in touch and be closer. After the funeral, it all went back to “normal.”
BusyDad’s last blog post..Smart Ad Execs Choose Cartoon Network