Me: Did you hear anything about the outage?

N:  No power until Tuesday.

Me:  Seriously?

N:  That’s what they’re saying…

From the disquieted expression smeared across my face, obviously I was mulling the horrific concept while contemplating what the hell I was going to do for the next three days. 

Damn weather.

Damn falling trees.

Damn power lines underneath the fallen trees.

Damn hurricane.

Don’t get me wrong, I know things could always be worse, and sometimes are.  But amid the obscurity of the neighborhood that darkened all but the few flickering candle flames, the front yard he-said, she-said’s tainted the hopes of everyone.  Veiled beneath this foreboding folly, and a number of other mishaps… at the time it seemed slightly unforgivable.  And while the completely uncontrolled reprieve (!) felt more Little House on the Prairie than anything ever has, those three fright-stricken days turned into a mere seven-hour blackout.  Relief.

Definitely verified the magnanimous impact electrical appliances, including one very weary (self-important) hairdryer, have on our everyday existence.  The things we take for granted… comparatively speaking, I suppose we’re actually quite fortunate.