Ignorance is Bliss

According to The Seattle Times' web site, some 225,000 people were still without power this morning due to Thursday night’s storm. I was completely unaware, which kind of worries me. Have I become so wrapped up in my own little world that I failed to notice nature’s recent fury, and the unfortunate aftermath? That can’t be good.

When I think back, I vaguely remember that it was very windy Thursday night. But this had virtually no impact on my life, besides the fact that it took me more than an hour to get home from work on the bus. Then that night I woke up several times thinking, “Huh, that wind is really loud,” but then snuggled back down into the covers and dreamed. The next morning a co-worker's call informed me that since the power was out in upper Queen Anne, the busses weren’t running, and she would be more than happy to give me a ride to work. I took the free ride and didn’t think much of it.

But throughout the day I began hearing of more and more people without power. Almost all of my friends did not have to work on Friday due to power outages and bridge closures, and by the end of the day I had an Eastside friend call and ask if she could come over to my apartment and shower that evening. Her power had been knocked out and was not expected to return any time soon. Ironically, my particular block was the only one in Queen Anne that was never without electricity, although it returned to all the other neighborhood areas within 24 hours or so.

I also heard from my friend Steve, who works on the Eastside but had been allowed to leave at 3 p.m. because of nasty storm aftermath. When I spoke with him, he had been on the road for two hours, had gone less than five miles, and was almost out of gas. Traffic was gridlocked and every gas station was either out of gas or had a line a mile long. Crazy! Steve decided to go see a movie and wait it out for a few hours…

In return for the hot shower, I allowed Tara and Winston to take me to the Seattle Thunderbirds hockey game at Key Arena. Anyone who knows me well is aware that I grew up watching ice hockey with my dad, and it’s pretty much one of my very favorite sports to watch. We won the game 6-3, during which Tara and I gossiped and proceeded to drink more than just a little bit of vodka. We then headed down to Del Rey, at which point my memory gets a bit hazy. Poor Doug was forced to come and pick me up and pour me into bed around 1 a.m., and after we had breakfast on Saturday morning I spent the rest of the afternoon in bed.

Saturday night I went over to Lacey’s house to borrow some Mexican attire, and ended up spending the whole evening there watching movies and playing board games. Sobriety can be fun, sometimes! In return for my drunken Friday night ridiculousness, Doug drunk dialed me at 2 a.m. and I was forced (ok, not forced) to go pick him up. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep. Sunday I ran around like a crazy person in an attempt to organize my life before my trip to Mexico for Christmas. When I spoke to my mom that afternoon, I was shocked to find out that she still did not have power in Olympia! What?? People were still out of power? Interesting. I was not aware.

I was even more shocked to come into work this morning and discover that several of my Eastside-dwelling co-workers still have no electricity, and may remain that way until Thursday! Is this the world of modern technology or what?!? And it’s also completely unbelievable to me that there have been several deaths due to the storm and its aftermath. I really take nature (and my cozy little Queen Anne life) too much for granted. I feel bad that just because this event did not touch me I have been oblivious to the crap others have been going through since this past Thursday. Everyone knows how much it sucks to be without power.

I feel semi-guilty that I was obliviously burning candles by my bedside just for the fun of it this weekend, when other people had to for light. But I have to admit, I have been thoroughly enjoying my heat, hot water, and light. So if any of you Eastsiders would like to come over and shower or watch television, consider yourselves more than welcome. Good luck out there!