Now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.... I'd love to tu-u-u-u-u-u-u-urn You-u-u-u-u-u-u- o-o-o-o-o-o-on.....Woke up... got outa bed....dragged a comb across my head.....
It's official. We are now in the midst of a drought. Farmers and ranchers are struggling to water crops and livestock. The average homeowner who lives outside the city limits is also struggling, since they, like we, rely on the rain to keep our water tanks full. As you drive the highway, you see water delivery trucks going everywhere. I talked to a lady at the Laundromat today who was told that the she'd have to wait three weeks for water. They're just that busy.
So there I was, sitting at a picnic table waiting for my laundry, when I overheard a worker at the True Value in Volcano (it's adjacent to the Laundromat) ask a passerby if she knew the cause of the blackout and how long it might last. Blackout? (Whatchu talkin' about, Willis?) I popped off the bench and hustled back to the washers and dryers, where I found a half dried clean load in the dryer and a half clean, sopping wet load in a washer. So I loaded the dripping towels into a plastic bag and the half dry stuff into the basket and headed home, hoping the power outage did not include my house. It did. Bummer. I dumped the wets into my washer and the half dries into the dryer and waited for the power to spin and tumble.
With the power out, I knew my electricity-powered cordless phones wouldn't work. I keep an old 80s vintage princess phone on hand for just such occasions. I plugged it in. Hmmmm.... it didn't work either. The phone line itself was out. After a romp with the dogs in the yard, I decided to bide my time by mowing the lawn. A spin on the tractor always does my mood some good.
When the power finally returned, the phones were still out. Ron is traveling with the cell phone (yes, we only have one...) so I cruised on down to a pay phone in Mountain View to call Hawaiian Telcom. The Telcom gal told me to unplug my cordless phones, wait five minutes, then replug to "reset" them. Hmmmm.... That did not explain the inoperable princess phone, but what the heck. I went home and tried it, three times. No luck. So it was back in the car and down to Mountain View.
The pay phones are right next to a public water spigot, where people seemed to be partying a little as they filled plastic jugs. Car doors were open and music was blasting. Folks were standing around, talking story and enjoying the balmy early evening air. I called Telcom again, and they took my info and said they'd continue testing my line, yadda yadda yadda. They'd have a technician out to fix the problem by no later than Saturday. Upon arriving home, the phone was working. Go figgah. Within minutes, it rang. It was Telcom on the line. They suggested that it sometimes takes awhile for the phones to "reset."
Why didn't my princess phone work?" I asked, since it has always worked before in a power outage.
"You might just want to check it again," said the gal on the line. "It's probably just old and finally died.
Nope. It didn't die. I checked. The princess still works fine. So it was something they did to get me back on line, suggesting to me that the original outage was on them.
With all my power outage woes behind me for the day, I thought I'd flop on the couch and watch some TV. As they say here in the islands, no can. The TV had died. I tried replugging it in to another outlet. I tried rebooting the cable box. The cable box works. The TV doesn't. It won't turn on. It has passed on. It has ceased to be. It is an ex-TV. It is pushing up the daisies. R.I.P. TV. I'm thinking it may have been fried when the power surged back on. Or maybe it's just the planned obsolescence built into cheap-ass Wal-Mart electronics. It's a good excuse to buy a new TV. I'll probably be springing for a few thousand gallons of water first, however. Bummahs.
My plumber friend from the gym was suppose to come fix my pipe today, but since my phone was out, I couldn't call him, nor could he call me, to get directions to the house. Again... bummahs. Maybe I can reschedule with him tomorrow.
Of course, Hopps always cheers me up when the day has been less than perfect. Check out the blurr caused by her tail wagging in the photo above. She's my girl!
That was my day. A hui hou. Aloha.
Comments