Post by papaof2 on Nov 25, 2023 7:41:23 GMT -6
www.nooutage.com/2004.htm
Things I learned since Isabel
Hampton Roads, VA - These are some humorous lessons gained from living through two weeks of power outages caused by Hurricane Isabel.
* Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill.
* No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't work without electricity.
* My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it.)
* Kids can survive 4 days or longer without a video game controller in their hands.
* Cats are even more annoying without power.
* He who has the biggest generator wins.
* Women can actually survive without doing their hair (you just wish they weren't around you.)
* A new method of non-lethal torture: showers without hot water.
* Dominion Virginia Power and VDOT [VA Dept of Transp.] are the same company (not really but their ability to plan are strikingly similar).
* There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.
* TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.
* A 7-pound bag of ice will chill six 12-ounce Budweisers to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14-pound turkey frozen for 8 more hours.
* There sure are a lot of trees around here!
* Flood plane drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong.
* Contrary to the beliefs of most natives in Hampton Roads, speed limits on roads without traffic lights do not increase.
* Aluminum siding, while aesthetically pleasing, is definitely not required.
* "Just because you're over 35 doesn't mean you can stay out as late as you want." (At least that's what the Hampton cops told me during curfew stop.)
* Crickets can increase their volume to overcome the sound of 14 generators.
* People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.
* When required, a Lincoln Continental will float; doesn't steer well but floats just the same.
* Some things do keep the mailman from his appointed rounds.
* Telemarketers function no matter what the weather is doing.
* Cell phones work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged.
* Twenty-seven of your neighbors are fed from a different transformer than you, and they are quick to point that out!
* Hampers were not made to contain such a volume.
* If I owned a store that sold only ice, chainsaws, gas and generators... I'd be rich.
* The price of a can of soup rises 200% in a storm.
* Your water front property can quickly become someone else's fishing hole.
* Tree service companies are underappreciated.
* I've learned what happens when you make fun of another state's blackout.
* MATH 101: 30 days in a month, minus 6 days without power equals a 30% higher electric bill
* Drywall is a compound word, take away the :dry" part and it's worthless.
* I can walk a lot farther than I thought.
* A 7-mile stretch of "new" road by the Coliseum doesn't drain properly... but wait, I learned that 2 months ago.
* Water will indeed fill the Midtown Tunnel if the floodgates aren't shut during a flood. I was pretty sure that was true, but it has now been proven.
www.mountainwings.com.
Things I learned since Isabel
Hampton Roads, VA - These are some humorous lessons gained from living through two weeks of power outages caused by Hurricane Isabel.
* Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill.
* No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't work without electricity.
* My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it.)
* Kids can survive 4 days or longer without a video game controller in their hands.
* Cats are even more annoying without power.
* He who has the biggest generator wins.
* Women can actually survive without doing their hair (you just wish they weren't around you.)
* A new method of non-lethal torture: showers without hot water.
* Dominion Virginia Power and VDOT [VA Dept of Transp.] are the same company (not really but their ability to plan are strikingly similar).
* There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.
* TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.
* A 7-pound bag of ice will chill six 12-ounce Budweisers to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14-pound turkey frozen for 8 more hours.
* There sure are a lot of trees around here!
* Flood plane drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong.
* Contrary to the beliefs of most natives in Hampton Roads, speed limits on roads without traffic lights do not increase.
* Aluminum siding, while aesthetically pleasing, is definitely not required.
* "Just because you're over 35 doesn't mean you can stay out as late as you want." (At least that's what the Hampton cops told me during curfew stop.)
* Crickets can increase their volume to overcome the sound of 14 generators.
* People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.
* When required, a Lincoln Continental will float; doesn't steer well but floats just the same.
* Some things do keep the mailman from his appointed rounds.
* Telemarketers function no matter what the weather is doing.
* Cell phones work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged.
* Twenty-seven of your neighbors are fed from a different transformer than you, and they are quick to point that out!
* Hampers were not made to contain such a volume.
* If I owned a store that sold only ice, chainsaws, gas and generators... I'd be rich.
* The price of a can of soup rises 200% in a storm.
* Your water front property can quickly become someone else's fishing hole.
* Tree service companies are underappreciated.
* I've learned what happens when you make fun of another state's blackout.
* MATH 101: 30 days in a month, minus 6 days without power equals a 30% higher electric bill
* Drywall is a compound word, take away the :dry" part and it's worthless.
* I can walk a lot farther than I thought.
* A 7-mile stretch of "new" road by the Coliseum doesn't drain properly... but wait, I learned that 2 months ago.
* Water will indeed fill the Midtown Tunnel if the floodgates aren't shut during a flood. I was pretty sure that was true, but it has now been proven.
www.mountainwings.com.
