No Power

My house lost electricity today. This occurrence is frequent in my town, especially during snowstorms. No heat (brrrr), no television (gah!), and because we use a well, no running water. In this circumstance, even toilet water becomes precious. (In case this statement warrants clarification, I mean in terms of flushing, not drinking water.) Consequently, I was caught preparing to pee outdoors, you know, for conservation's sake, not the joy of writing dirty words in the snow.

I enjoy power outages as forced times to live simplistically. Reading by candlelight seems so appealing, but I could never bring myself to do that when I could otherwise be watching episodes of "Family Feud." During sophomore year, I had an assignment to spend a night without any electricity, providing me the excuse to read by candlelight, but I still didn't do it. Instead, I left all of the lights on, played on the internet, and made up my experience. Besides, creative writing is a far more valuable exercise.

Because my house is in the boonies, we're so low priority, it usually takes days before our electricity returns. For this reason, we make arrangements to stay at a family friend's house with other families. The idea of snuggling with other people and chatting with people I don't normally see, again, by candlelight, is exciting. Soon I realize that we're going to a house that still does have electricity, which actually makes a lot more sense than leaving one cold home for another. Still, it seems significantly less fun than I had anticipated.

Bzzzz. The power comes back on. Looks like we won't be heading for warmer pastures after all. With the electricity, I'm able to stay indoors all day, making no social contact whatsoever. And the reading by candlelight? Sure, I gave it some consideration, but I ultimately opt for watching nine consecutive episodes of Six Feet Under, much to my own chagrin. I may have power, but I have no willpower.