Blown away

My September 14 Blog 365 entry comes to you on the late side because the remnants of Hurricane Ike paid us a rude visit Sunday and knocked out my power...and the electric of approximately 300,000 other people in Franklin County. Last I knew, which was 10 a.m. Monday, it was still out. Going by reports that place nearly sixty percent of the power company's customers still being without service, I expect I'll be returning to a darkened apartment tonight.

The windstorm that blew into town was like nothing I've ever experienced. Before sitting down to watch the Bengals game on TV, I walked over to a Chinese restaurant to get some lunch. It was windy but not exceptionally so. An hour or so later I could hear and see the wind blowing a lot harder. I also could hear the shingles on the roof being ripped off and tree branches hitting the apartment building. This went on with varying levels of intensity until 9 p.m. The fastest wind measured in Columbus was 75 mph. Apparently the damage wreaked across Ohio was equivalent to a tornado hitting the entire state.

Now I can't say that I was terribly concerned because the building held up well. Some unexpected bangs on the walls and the shearing of shingles were disconcerting to hear, but it's not like a tree came crashing through. If all the building suffered was some lost shingles, no worries; however, having lived in an apartment where I had water leaking in from the ceiling, I am fretting about the potential for a repeat of that mess. One of the biggest breaks this area got was the absence of rain accompanying the wind.

I experienced brownouts throughout the afternoon, but a little after 6 p.m. the power went out and did not return. I'd been knitting the sock, which would have been done yesterday if not for the blackout, but had to stop when the apartment became too dark. I opened the blinds to both storm window doors on the west and east ends of my place to let in what outside light remained, but that didn't last long.

With all the talk of downed power lines, collapsing trees, and inoperative traffic lights, going out wasn't an option. So, what did I do with nothing to fix for dinner and nothing to keep me preoccupied? I ate a piece of leftover cake that I bought a week ago from the grocery and listened to the local AM radio station providing reports. Quite the exciting evening.

I laid on the floor and listened to locals tell their weather-related tales to the radio host. Then, some words from their sponsors, which tended toward the sham medical products that dominates so much of AM radio advertising. I noticed that the night sky wasn't as dark as it usually looks. Do all of our manmade lights turn it blacker? Yeah, I was pretty bored.

After four hours of talk radio chatter, I moved to the iPod, which lulled me enough that I started to feel tired. I woke up around 5:30 a.m. and clicked on the emergency radio to check if work was closed. The announcer mentioned some places and then directed us to their website for the full list. Hey genius, if I don't have power, chances are I can't go online.

I'm inconvenienced but, I must stress, not upset. Certainly I have nothing to complain about in comparison to what people down south are experiencing. I've lost temporary access to my things and routine, but both will be back eventually none the worst for wear. The power company says seven days or more, but surely where I am I'll have it back before then, right? At least work has the internet.

More on the second sock on Monday night if the electric is on, Tuesday if not...