F Hurricanes

Good morning!  Well it wasn't really a 'good' one, but it is in fact morning.  I have been without power for 4 days...that's right FOUR DAYS, 96 HOURS, 5,760 MINUTES and I'm ready to lose it.  My town has said that September 4th is the EARLIEST that power will be back on...THE EARLIEST!!!  Believe it or not, I have never dealt with a hurricane or it's aftermath...Actually, believe it because I live in Northern NJ and NOT on the coast. Needless to say, I have learned rather quickly how much I depend on electricity and how I would make a TERRIBLE Amish woman.

The worst part about having no electricity is having no hot water (I think this problem might actually be remedied in my house, but I haven't tested it out yet, so I'm not holding my breath). I don't even take cold showers while I'm camping, never the less in my own bathroom.  But on the bright side, at least now I know that taking a 6 minute shower is possible.

There are a few other things I have discovered that suck being done in the dark:

• Looking for something.  Anything.  It doesn't matter what you're trying to find, when you have to use a flashlight in one hand it becomes 1,000x's more stressful.
• Putting on make-up.  I never thought I needed 2 hands to apply make-up and who knows, I might not...but putting on  make-up with one hand and holding a flashlight in the other is frustrating to say the least.
• Letting the dog outside.  My backyard is PITCH black and my dog is scared of pretty much everything, so when he goes out, the flashlight and I follow.
• Cooking.  Lighting the stove with a match and cooking via candlelight actually makes me feel like I'm living in the 18th Century and who would want to live in the 18th Century? No one.  Also, I'm an idiot when it comes to cooking chicken, I can never tell when it's done with the lights on, forget when I'm holding a candle to the pan.
• Charging a cell phone.  I have been driving in circles for days trying to charge my phone.  There are only SO many places you can drive to and only SO long that you can drive without getting annoyed at yourself! And whenever you stop your circular journey, your phone only has one battery bar, how does that happen?!
• And the obvious: No TV or computer.  I keep the TV on ALL the time, 1/2 of the time I don't even watch it, but I like having the news on in the background while I read, clean, etc. Furthermore, I HATE working from my cell phone, it really stresses me out.  I like a computer screen where I can see everything in front of me.

I'll post pictures of some of my towns damage shortly. But in the mean time, while you're watching the Patriots/Giants game on Thursday, think of me.

Disclaimer: I understand that this was not nearly as bad as it could've been, I watched TV and learned about Katrina just like the rest of you.  I am extremely thankful that I only had a little bit of a basement flood and no other serious damage.