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Pony: we've got power yes we do
8.15.2003
We've got power, how 'bout you?
Yesterday, my only way to find out what was happening in the news was a laptop and a dialup connection.
But I gave up, in favour of wandering around with the digital camera (pictures later) and gathering around cars and transistor radios.
Chinese kids on rollerblades selling glow sticks.
Huge lineups at hot dog stands.
Restaurants frying up everything and selling it by candlelight.
People were getting really drunk, having loud, speculative conversations of incredibly silly proportions. Overheard:
"Now they are saying it could be from two days to 48 hours 'til this is all over"
"Now would be a really inappropriate time to hit on a girl" ???(apparently the 3 different guys who chatted me up as I walked my bike home did not follow the same ethos. Disaster hormones.)
"Did anyone even TRY the lights?"
Chris, Emily, and I ran into Malcolm at Amadeus and had a beer and some Lupini beans. For some reason, the greeting of the night was: "happy blackout!"
A squeegy kid was directing traffic with a glowstick.
At the health food store they were selling all their ice cream for $1 a package ("it's like a vegan pillage!").
At the corner store, they were selling popsicles for $1 EACH "to cover losses".
We ate a package of tofutti cutie sandwiches , then lined up in a sweltering que for Chinese dumplings and ate them in the middle the streetcar tracks on Spadina. Just cuz we could.
I wished I had taken money out of the bank at lunch.
We thought we would see tons more stars with all the lights out. Lying on our backs in Trinity Bellwoods park, I did actually see a meteor, and there were a few more stars visible than usual, and Mars was glowing all orange and ominous in line with the moon.
Around us were just clusters of people giddily gathered around candles, talking loudly.
I wish I had a solar/battery-operated radio and a lantern.
I am glad I have a gas stove and a bike.
What did you do during the blackout?
