Dark and Dreary

Into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary. . .
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Such was my day yesterday. It began sometime in the early mornings hours. The power started going on and off, on and off . . . that was annoying, since it woke me up a few times. But I was finally able to settle back down to sleep. When I woke up, the world was covered in a thin sheet of ice and the freezing rain was still falling. I turned on the TV to find that school was delayed by 2 hours. Fabulous. I was planning on babysitting for a friend that morning, so that made things a little tight, especially if I was planning on doing any work. I decided to set Soren the task of getting his Valentine's Day box put together while I got some work done. A good plan, right?

Except the power kept going on and off.

Anyone who knows anything about computers knows that it really is best if they are shut off the correct way. My computer experienced a dozen unexpected shut downs yesterday. I gave up for a bit and got Soren set for school. Then my friend called and said that it was so bad outside her house (ice) that she canceled her stuff and she didn't need me. I was relieved because that meant I could get some work done. So off Soren went to school and off I went, pajama clad, back to the computer.

Then the power went off again. Twice. So I decided to email my bosses and let the know that, until I had a more stable power situation, I would not be working. Except that when I was right in the middle of contacting one of them, the power went off again. Only this time, it did not go back on.

I was mildly stressed about this. You see, I don't think we truly realize how dependent we are on something until it goes away. My computer stores so much information that I would be very lost without it. Very. I had no way to contact my employers. But there was literally nothing I could do about it. The weather was still horrible outside, so I wasn't about to venture out. Instead, I grabbed my cell phone, a list of phone numbers, a book, and a flashlight and made some phone calls. Then I read for a while. Then I realized I should be GRATEFUL that the power was out and that is when I started enjoying myself. I just sat on the couch, snuggled up in my blankie, and read for an hour or so - relishing the freedom I was feeling.

But then it started to get really cold. Haha!

Soren got home about 4 1/2 hours after the power went out and we played cards by candlelight and then, after my toes started turning into ice, we got a hold of Alan and decided to take up the invite from my friend, Jen, to have dinner at their house. So we all headed over there, ate a yummy meal of soup and bread, and then the boys went to basketball. Jen and I went to a spa party which was actually not too bad. I got to soak my feet in warm water that had some sort of . . . stuff in it. This was very, very nice. Then there was lots of product being passed around to sooth, tighten, and do all kinds of other things to your skin.

I will save you all from my rant about anti-aging products and the cosmetic industry in general.

However, there were a few cool things. We'll see what happens.

By the time the boys were back from b'ball and I was back from the spa thing, we had power again. I was so glad we didn't have to sleep in the freezing cold.

I am, however, realizing how grateful I am for electricity. On so many levels.

Maybe now I will be motivated to take info from my computer off and put it on paper somewhere.

Ok, I've got to catch up on all the work I didn't get done yesterday.