Powerful Weekend

Power is still patchy. This has been a "surely it can't get any worse" weekend. I knew it was a bad omen when the thunderstorm (that follows me) appeared. I cut my hair (right -->) a little too short too. See my classic deer in headlights look? Maybe were in monsoon season or something, because it hasn't stopped raining since and weather reports expect it to continue for over a week. I'd prefer to think it's bad karma following me.

Thursday, I volunteered to raise and release a baby goat. It died hours after I brought it home. Devastating. So I took it to campus for necropsy Friday morning, and my prof assured me that there was probably nothing I could have done. Still devastated, so I cut out of my last class to bury myself under the safety of my covers at home.

At one point I got up to eat something, but the power was still off so I didn't want to open the fridge. The mainstay of my diet has become canned green beans, chili, and Chef Boyardee, heated over an open flame. I fumbled to light my gas stove, but it would not light. I tried again and again, and decided that it must be out, so I gave up. With no electricity or fuel to cook with, I crawled back under my covers. At least I had water (I've been drinking the masses of bottled water I kept in storage for just such an occasion).

Around 6pm my friends started to worry about me, I was a bit hysterical over the goat, and came over. The power was still off, so they made me get up and go out to another friend's "BBQ" for dinner. BBQ here means hot dogs, not real meat. I'm on a "diet" anyway. Must squeeze into the bride's maid's dress that I took measurements for 6+ months ago. I'm sure it'll fit, but it doesn't hurt to be too thin. Sufficed to say, I only picked at the mayo covered macaroni and weenies. By the end of the night I did feel a bit better.

When I awoke on Saturday the power was on. What a bizarre and amazing feeling. I rushed to the laundry room to commence washing my unmentionables. The lab at school was open, so I went to practice, was there for an hour, then ran back home to put a new load in the dryer. Right about the time I was ready to leave, it started to pour... again... so I waited. Eventually I decided to brave the rain, and arrive back at school sopping wet.

The power was still on when I returned home after lab. So odd. I finished my laundry, then tended to my garden, which happens to be full of almost ripe cherry tomatoes, and fed the dogs. Exam after exam after exam had left my apartment in a disarray, so I cleaned until it was nap time, and crawled back under my covers. Mid afternoon I hauled my gas tank to a Shell to exchange it for $30EC. When i returned home to plug it back in, I discovered a leak. Any where else I could have taken it back immediately, but not here, they were closed until Monday. I don't even remember what I did Saturday night. Must not have been very exciting, but at least I had power (and water). I microwaved something for dinner.

Sunday the power was still on. Really getting odd now. I went jogging to campus and back to work up an appetite. I thought, just to be safe, I should rush to make myself a snack. As I walked over to the microwave with my cold plate of chili and rice, the power went out. I was INCHES away from it. I picked at the cold rice, but the chili couldn't cover the taste. Ah well. At least I had power and things living in my freezer were solid once more.

Several hours later, the power came back on. This time I microwaved green beans and studied a bit. Jossie and I discussed the power situation [the having of power, that is]. We wondered what cursed week of no power we would be subjected to in exchange for the power we had now. dread filled us. An entire 24 hours with power, that's just not possible after 2 weeks without. We settled back into our respective apartments and I turned on the mind numbing cable tv. I had to get another new remote because the one I'd brought from the states and had been using, had died. New remotes are always difficult at first.

I retreated to my room and surfed the Internet, caught up with a few friends. As time for bed neared, I saw a centipede near me! This was a baby one, but the centipedes here get as long as a foot (a solid 10 inches) and their bites put you in the hospital. They are much feared by the local population of veterinary students, especially since tales of their aggression are not without warrant. So where did this dang bug go but into my sheets. I couldn't find it either, the sneaky thing. My bed was neat (since I'd just made it), and my pillows were off, but it was still evading me. If I couldn't find it, I decided, I'd have to sleep on the couch or worse, with Jossie!

After much searching, I grabbed the can of BOP (extra strong pyretherin bug killer) and begun spraying my room, and the sheets on my bed. In a flash of terror and anger, it came at me! I managed to slam a book on it before it got near me, but that didn't kill it. No, it moved the heavy text toward me. I clamped onto it with forceps and watched it's jaws snap at me, dripping venom. These things really are that bad. When I was sure it was mostly dead, I tossed it in my neighbor's bushes, and headed back to bed.

Maybe it was the excitement, but I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, got up to have a snack, then tossed and turned some more. Then it occurred to me just how cold I was, so I put long pants on, got my wool blanket to go over my comforter, and plugged in my heating pad. Finally I was cozy in the 80F cold front.

Waking up this morning was difficult but I managed it. It was still raining and dreary. Jossie and I made it to class with time to spare before our power was again cut for the week. I managed to get a different tank of cooking gas, one without a leak, and brought it home. On the trip home however, and this exemplified my lack of brilliance on days that end in a Y, I decided to test it while driving, so I turned the lever to open the valve. Gas came rushing out and filled my not so safe car, and I had to pull over to shut the darn thing off. Made it home in one piece, with the dogs' help. We're thinking of attempting some pork chops, but are undecided (remember, I'm still on a diet).