Just last night we had the following conversation:
Hubby: We have all these phone books. I thought I might get rid of a few.
Me: Get rid of them all.
We're probably the last people to do so.
I replied that "I keep our phone books too just in case the power goes out or there are computer problems. I figure as soon as I throw out the phone books, we'll lose power and the computer will die!"
Well, last night the power went out just before 7:00, and I used our phone book for the first time in years. My first call was to Dominion Virginia Power to report the power outage. They already knew and told me over 4000 customers were out and that crews were on the way. The 4000 customers included Mamma Lucia and California Tortilla in the neighboring shopping center (Dominion didn’t tell me this). Seeing that the chicken in the stove still had about 30 minutes left when the power went out, we needed food quickly in order to survive the blackout. That’s where the phone book came in again.
Chick-Fil-A: Hello.
Me: Hi. Is this Chick-Fil-A?
Chick-Fil-A: Yes it is.
Me: Great. Do you have electricity?
Chick-Fil-A: Huh?
Me: Do you have power there?
Chick-Fil-A: What?
Me: We live a few miles from you and the power is out in the entire neighborhood. I just wanted to find out if you were open before I drove there.
Chick-Fil-A: Oh, OK. Yes, we have electricity.
Thank you, phone book!
A few other notes about Blackout 2008:
- We bought flashlights at Target just this past weekend because I thought we should have some.
- It’s very difficult to get a good workout on the treadmill without power.
- Nothing is more romantic than eating Chick-Fil-A by candlelight with the cat tryinig to jump on the table.
The power returned around 8:45.
Finally, I received a comment yesterday thanking me for the eye candy picture I posted of Derrick Inglut. To be fair, I feel l like I should post a picture of my favorite LPGA golfer, Erica Blasberg.
actually, running on the treadmill with no power is quite a workout!! it's like pushing a plow, i make a few of my clients do it in 45-90 second intervals.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how ridiculously high teeny little cats can jump? It's like they're catapulting themselves.
ReplyDeleteHa. CATapulting.
Glad you survived the blackout.
Damn, there's a Chick-Fil-A near your house? Lucky bastard
ReplyDeleteNow I wish I hadn't thrown the Yella Book away last week...
ReplyDeleteJason - I couldn't get past the warm-up stage. Take two steps forward; stop; walk backwards a few steps and repeat. Actually, I can see why this would work for some of your clients.
ReplyDeletelacochran - CATapulting? She'll be on for the 8:00 and 10:00 shows tonight. Please tip your waiter or waitress. :)
laclips - Chick-fil-A is great. I just wish they were open on Sundays.
LiLu - If this helps, I found these numbers in the regular telephone book not the Yellow one.