Soggy Thursday

Here we go again. I awoke to rain and thunder and a little bit ago the lights flickered off and back on. It wasn't enough even to upset the multitude of clocks (TVs, VCR, Microwave, coffee pot, stereo, alarm clock, and the list goes on), but just enough to remind us how dependent we are on electricity. Those 29 hours without it earlier in the week were a lesson. Being in an all electric home, there was no hot water, no light, no cooking (or coffee), no TV, stereo, or computer. Most everyone in the building pulled together and pooled resources -- flashlights, food that could be eaten as is, radios with batteries, and even coffee. One of the residents has relatives nearby with a gas stove who brought multiple pots of hot water and instant coffee -- not my favorite, but a welcome treat in an emergency. It's also a good thing I mowed most of the lawn yesterday -- no mowing today.

Perhaps the funniest thing I encountered during the "blackout" was the recording from the power company. (isn't it amazing that 200,000 customers lost power but the power company was still running?). Its computer voice was telling me how to report a power outage and it was all making sense until it said, "you may also report your power outage on our website", and gave the URL. In thinking about it, if one had a battery back up AND the right kind of connection, maybe that would be possible. However my computer AND my internet connection both rely on -- you guessed it -- electricity!!! DUH! Well, someone must have got to them, because when I called later for an update, they had added "If you have internet access...."

The cell phone saga is just about behind me now. The new phone is becoming a little more familiar -- it's still got some things I haven't figured out, but I probably don't need all those bells and whistles anyway. The old phone gets disconnected on Sunday. If you are one of the folks who has that number, you should have received an email with the new number.

Well, today I have to cook a bunch of stuff that defrosted during the power outage. At least my freezer wasn't packed up like some. One woman I saw in the store yesterday had just bought a whole side of beef and lost it all. Let's hope she has good insurance.

And I see in the news that GW said "shit" and someone heard it. Now that really is news -- yeah, right. I've been saying that about his presidency since before he stole the election (I mean got elected). My first question when I heard the news byte was, "Was he talking about his approval rating?" But who cares if the president said that word? First of all, it's a word that lots of people use -- is it polite? Probably not, but it is common usage. Second, he had some expectation of privacy -- it was in a table conversation with his peers from other countries. Who knew (and why was there) a microphone was there to eavesdrop. Was someone expecting GW to come up with some brilliant statement? "G DUH-bya" hasn't been known for his brilliant statements thus far. If you are a Bush supporter (Now there's more than a few possible cracks there), I'm sorry. I konw it's not polite to pick on minority groups. We are all entitled to our own opinions and to state those as we feel led.

And wrapping up today's soggy post -- what's all the flap about the Pledge of Allegiance and the words "under God"? They weren't in the original and weren't added by an act of Congress until 1954. My question I guess is, "What is the government doing sticking their collective noses into theology?" No one can effectively legislate a belief system, and I don't sure don't need government sanction to believe in or pray to or talk about my beliefs. I think that "one nation under God" is at best a pipe dream at the moment. We are a divided nation and in many areas there is little evidence of any belief in a God of love and compassion. If we as a nation are going to profess a belief in God, then we as a nation had better be prepared to practice what that God teaches and proclaims -- inclusion, love, tolerance, peace, generosity, and several other things that many have forgotten about or ignored for too long.

Well, I guess I will get off my soapbox and end this for now. Take some time today to tell someone you love them -- it's good for what ails them and you will feel better too. CIAO!