I've got the power

And the power is back. Going by my clock radio, it appears that the electricity was restored around 12:45 p.m. today, but I have one more adventure in no home power to dispense. Then I'll write about the socks...tomorrow.

Last night I needed to write movie reviews for work, and one laptop battery's capacity wasn't going to cut it. Internet access wasn't a necessity; a working wall outlet was. The easiest and closest spot was Starbucks. The place was empty when I entered, but before long other powerless, wandering souls streamed in. The music and conversations were too loud. I couldn't concentrate, so I packed up and headed to a bookstore.

At this point I had decided to chuck the writing and finish the toe on the sock. The coffee shop section of Borders seemed highly populated for 9p.m. on a Monday, but there were plenty of people looking for available sockets or anywhere that wasn't a darkened home. I plopped myself down, finished the sock, and then wondered where I could go next.

The answer, for any of you wondering what can provide light, power, and a quiet work space after the usual options have closed, is: Tim Horton's. The donut chain is open 24 hours, but as I found out, they don't lock the doors until 2 a.m. Perfect.

I bought a donut but not a coffee. Some evening java at Starbucks was already a bad idea if I wanted to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. Then I set up my computer, briefly tapped into some unsecured wi-fi ripe for the picking from a nearby salon, and pounded out a significant portion of what I needed to write. The only movement in the place was employees going out for smokes.

As I pulled into my apartment complex's parking lot, I again noticed how light the night sky seemed without illumination sources on the ground. The moon was stunningly bright and possessed beauty and power that is diminished when competing with our artificial light sources. I took some time to look at the stars and see if I could identify any constellations. I took an astronomy class in college--there's the liberal arts for you--but it's been ages since I thought much about what I learned then. The night sky was easier to scan without the light pollution, something that was a sore spot around here for those who didn't want to see the Big Ear Radio Observatory closed.

I was hoping to have power when I got home tonight, but when I drove up and saw that it was back, I had a little regret that I wouldn't be able to look up and marvel at what's overhead like I did last night.