Hey All, checking in from the other side of the SAN DIEGO COUNTY BLACKOUT. We survived fine and, other than feeling compelled to eat a disturbing amount of ice cream for dinner to keep it from melting, unscathed. I understand there was gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair from football fans, though.

I loved that the NYTimes article I was readingending with a group having a blockwide barbecue to eat perishables but while they had meat and beer, woe they could not watching the game.

I got email from my aunt that their oldest was playing beer pong by the pool. By candlelight. Then I freaked because he's a kid! Except he's nineteen and this was the uncle who'd give me wee glasses of wine growing up. That said, healthiest attitude toward drinking in that family so it was mostly me realizing that I am old. They have power back as of late this mornign and are realizing they need to reevaluate their disaster planning because phones didn't work and news was all through Twitter in retrospect.

I haven't heard any horror stories beyong massive traffic and commutes so maybe this will encourage people to plan. It made me realize I don't know if I could find immediate local news on Twitter and I know I don't any local radio stations at all. I do have flashlights and !!!!! Fire extinguishers (thanks, mom!)

meara, from what I gather, her room is between the kitchen and the rest of the house? So that means Smonster has to go through roomie's bedroom to get to the kitchen.

I could never deal with any side of that equation. But I'm one of the least flexible Buffista types (when it comes to personal space) so that comes as no surprise.

BTW, Tom Scola is an excellent houseguest who is so bent on not bothering me that when I was in my bedroom this morning (door open), answering work emails, he texted me from the kitchen to ask about composting.

Might be my favorite text ever.

What meara said. Also, she could proactively and getting-shit-done-ively hang a fucking sheet over the door her own self if it's truly that much of an issue (and not, say, a matter of feeling pissy and entitled), yes?

Sorry. I know it's all been said by now. But gotta throw in on behalf of introverts everywhere who aren't fucking fainting flowers, ya know...

But gotta throw in on behalf of introverts everywhere who aren't fucking fainting flowers, ya know...

::also loves amych so very much::

::snorgles Toddson right back::

meara, from what I gather, her room is between the kitchen and the rest of the house? So that means Smonster has to go through roomie's bedroom to get to the kitchen.

Sure. Shotgun house. And while I'm totally extroverted and love having people around, having people wlak through my rom would drive me bonkers...so I wouldn't MOVE IN. But having someone hanging out in the room next to mine? Yeah, no big. Though I probably would've already hung a curtain. Or arranged some sort of "OK I'm done int he kitchen and walking through now" signal.

They have power back as of late this mornign

"Late" this morning? Where are they? Ours came back around 1:30-2:00 this morning, but "more populous" areas were supposed to get it first (score one for the burbs over "Outlying areas").

and are realizing they need to reevaluate their disaster planning because phones didn't work and news was all through Twitter in retrospect.

I was re-thinking my staunch "I don't need a smart phone stance" when I was driving home and all but one radio station were dead, even.

And yeah, we were discussing how we've borrowed pretty much everything except the first aid kit from our "disaster preparedness kit" (such as it was) and need to put action to the words, "we should really put a new kit together".

I haven't heard any horror stories beyong massive traffic and commutes so maybe this will encourage people to plan. It made me realize I don't know if I could find immediate local news on Twitter and I know I don't any local radio stations at all. I do have flashlights and !!!!! Fire extinguishers (thanks, mom!)

Yeah, I was a little surprised that we had a battery-operated radio (and batteries!) I was not surprised that we had plenty of (scented) candles, or flashlights because I tend to buy cool flashlights sometimes. I thought all the stories of people making runs on stores to buy up all!the!water! (or food or what-have-you) were sort of ridiculous - I mean, even without a specific kit, we had food and water for at least a couple/few days. Made me wonder what percentage of people were convinced this was The Big One (Terrorists/2nd Coming/SciFi Trope/etc.)

Hmmm. I don't have any fire extinguishers...I must not have the same rep that some people do.

Sure. Shotgun house. And while I'm totally extroverted and love having people around, having people wlak through my rom would drive me bonkers...so I wouldn't MOVE IN. But having someone hanging out in the room next to mine? Yeah, no big. Though I probably would've already hung a curtain. Or arranged some sort of "OK I'm done int he kitchen and walking through now" signal.

perzactly.

BTW, Tom Scola is an excellent houseguest who is so bent on not bothering me that when I was in my bedroom this morning (door open), answering work emails, he texted me from the kitchen to ask about composting.

Scola is made of 100% pure awesome.

Also, my tooth/jaw is sore from all the drilling, grinding down, tinkering, etc., that the dentist had to do to prep my tooth for the crown and put the temporary crown on.

I feel like calling her voice mail and wailing into it "My tooth is SOOOOOOOOORE!!!!!!" But then she would just tell me that SHOUDN'T BE HAPPENING. So we would be at a stalemate.

Scola is made of 100% pure awesome.

It's true and I'm not just saying that because he bought me a pork belly bao yesterday and coffee cake today.

Scola and I went to The Escapist today! The fully endorsed-by-Michael-Chabon comic book store in the East Bay that bought up all the stock from the late lamented Comic Relief. And the store clerk was a charming young French dude who enthusiastically endorsed several little indie comics all around the store, then admitted that he had a sentimental attachment to the comic The Crow because his father had written the screenplay for the movie.