two days in MoCo
Aug. 14th, 2010 01:09 amThursday
0700 - lights begin flickering, going out but coming back on again, etc.
0725 - lights go out and stay out.
0726 - rain, wind, thunder, lightning, apocalyptic happenings.
0729 - call Pepco's outage line to report the outage.
0735 - determine it is safe to shower, and I'd better do so while the water is still hot.
0750 - it stops raining.
0815 - put my shoes in a bag and my gumboots on my feet and head out to the car to drive to work, stopping for some breakfast en route because I'm not opening the refrigerator until the power is back on.
throughout the day - no word from Pepco on when they might be able to guess when my power will be back on.
at some point - speak to someone at Pepco and then someone at the Public Service Commission about identifying the specific location of the disruption each of the last three times my power has gone out (once for just a few hours, once for two nights, and now).
1300 - leave the office to go get stuck with needles and then see an orthodontist for a second opinion.
1730 - return home to darkness. Call my mother and fret about the orthodontist, and also about the power outage. Then call and book a hotel room.
1800 - reach the hotel. There is TV and internet there, and, eventually, pizza.
Friday
0700 - wake up, shower, dress, pack up my things, including packing out the leftover pizza in the plastic bag I could have used to line the ice bucket.
0900 - reach work.
afternoon - learn that ETR is 5pm. Rejoice a little bit.
1715 - leave work to go to group meeting for class project.
1815 - receive text message from building-neighbor letting me know power is back on. Rejoice a lot.
2100 - return home to darkness. Think about, but decide against, having a little cry. Call![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wordplay for approximately the sixth time to re-re-reverse (or something) decision to come stay at her power-restored place. Call Pepco: new ETR 11:30pm.
2105 - put another change of clothes in trunk of car as no confidence in ETR.
2106 - lights come on.
2110 - realize restoration is only partial: living room totally okay, kitchen in useless brownout. Kitchen light dim; electric kettle non-functional, never mind refrigerator. Despair.
2111 - call Pepco to report partial outage, as do not want them thinking work here is done. New ETR 12pm Sunday. Yell; apologize. Callwordplay in kind of brink-of-panic.
2113 - remember once bought heavy-duty major-appliance extension cord for this sort of occasion. Determine this is only six feet long and will not reach working outlet in living room.
2115 - head up to see if upstairs neighbor has longer cord to lend.
2117 - neighbor has no such cord. Chat for a while about fucking uselessness of Pepco. Learn that power was indeed back on when text message received, but went off again an hour and a half later approx. Promise to get him details of how to file complaint with Public Service Commission.
2130 - head to Target to get longer heavy-duty major-appliance extension cord.
2140 - begin to fret because handful of dark traffic lights and resulting long time spent at intersections making trip to Target longer than anticipated.
2145 - resolve to go to Harris Teeter (always open 24h) if Target closed; surely they have heavy-duty extension cords too.
2153 - park car at Target; run for door.
2154 - see that Mon-Sat Target is open until 11pm.
2208 - leave Target with two more six-foot extension cords as this was longest length available.
2235 - return home, daisy-chain extension cords, plug in refrigerator, listen to hum.
2245 - go towordplay's to drink pina coladas.
So I came home after a couple of pina coladas on account of I have another meeting tomorrow and it's easier to stay in my own place when I can. The lights and ceiling fans work in both bedrooms but not the dining room (light dim; ceiling fan v. slow). The lamps in the living room, and the outlet where the router is plugged, work fine, but not the outlet where the TV etc. are plugged. I've moved those to a vacant one that does work. The air conditioning is working. I have hot water. The overhead light in the kitchen comes on, but that's about it. I've plugged the refrigerator in to the same plug as the TV etc., and it's humming along, and the light inside it is full brightness, and it's cold in there, but I'm not sure how cold, or if the freezer is really freezing things, or what. The ice cubes are solid but the ice cream really isn't. Other things are frosty.
The crews really are working around the clock. I see them out there. They go where they're told to go and work until they've fixed whatever's there and then they go where they're told to go next. No issues with the crews. My issues are with the management, who don't seem to know who they've told to go where and when, and whose fault it is at least in part that it got this way in the first place. Why is it only the consumers around here who have heard of preventive maintenance?
0700 - lights begin flickering, going out but coming back on again, etc.
0725 - lights go out and stay out.
0726 - rain, wind, thunder, lightning, apocalyptic happenings.
0729 - call Pepco's outage line to report the outage.
0735 - determine it is safe to shower, and I'd better do so while the water is still hot.
0750 - it stops raining.
0815 - put my shoes in a bag and my gumboots on my feet and head out to the car to drive to work, stopping for some breakfast en route because I'm not opening the refrigerator until the power is back on.
throughout the day - no word from Pepco on when they might be able to guess when my power will be back on.
at some point - speak to someone at Pepco and then someone at the Public Service Commission about identifying the specific location of the disruption each of the last three times my power has gone out (once for just a few hours, once for two nights, and now).
1300 - leave the office to go get stuck with needles and then see an orthodontist for a second opinion.
1730 - return home to darkness. Call my mother and fret about the orthodontist, and also about the power outage. Then call and book a hotel room.
1800 - reach the hotel. There is TV and internet there, and, eventually, pizza.
Friday
0700 - wake up, shower, dress, pack up my things, including packing out the leftover pizza in the plastic bag I could have used to line the ice bucket.
0900 - reach work.
afternoon - learn that ETR is 5pm. Rejoice a little bit.
1715 - leave work to go to group meeting for class project.
1815 - receive text message from building-neighbor letting me know power is back on. Rejoice a lot.
2100 - return home to darkness. Think about, but decide against, having a little cry. Call
wordplay for approximately the sixth time to re-re-reverse (or something) decision to come stay at her power-restored place. Call Pepco: new ETR 11:30pm.2105 - put another change of clothes in trunk of car as no confidence in ETR.
2106 - lights come on.
2110 - realize restoration is only partial: living room totally okay, kitchen in useless brownout. Kitchen light dim; electric kettle non-functional, never mind refrigerator. Despair.
2111 - call Pepco to report partial outage, as do not want them thinking work here is done. New ETR 12pm Sunday. Yell; apologize. Call
wordplay in kind of brink-of-panic.2113 - remember once bought heavy-duty major-appliance extension cord for this sort of occasion. Determine this is only six feet long and will not reach working outlet in living room.
2115 - head up to see if upstairs neighbor has longer cord to lend.
2117 - neighbor has no such cord. Chat for a while about fucking uselessness of Pepco. Learn that power was indeed back on when text message received, but went off again an hour and a half later approx. Promise to get him details of how to file complaint with Public Service Commission.
2130 - head to Target to get longer heavy-duty major-appliance extension cord.
2140 - begin to fret because handful of dark traffic lights and resulting long time spent at intersections making trip to Target longer than anticipated.
2145 - resolve to go to Harris Teeter (always open 24h) if Target closed; surely they have heavy-duty extension cords too.
2153 - park car at Target; run for door.
2154 - see that Mon-Sat Target is open until 11pm.
2208 - leave Target with two more six-foot extension cords as this was longest length available.
2235 - return home, daisy-chain extension cords, plug in refrigerator, listen to hum.
2245 - go to
wordplay's to drink pina coladas.So I came home after a couple of pina coladas on account of I have another meeting tomorrow and it's easier to stay in my own place when I can. The lights and ceiling fans work in both bedrooms but not the dining room (light dim; ceiling fan v. slow). The lamps in the living room, and the outlet where the router is plugged, work fine, but not the outlet where the TV etc. are plugged. I've moved those to a vacant one that does work. The air conditioning is working. I have hot water. The overhead light in the kitchen comes on, but that's about it. I've plugged the refrigerator in to the same plug as the TV etc., and it's humming along, and the light inside it is full brightness, and it's cold in there, but I'm not sure how cold, or if the freezer is really freezing things, or what. The ice cubes are solid but the ice cream really isn't. Other things are frosty.
The crews really are working around the clock. I see them out there. They go where they're told to go and work until they've fixed whatever's there and then they go where they're told to go next. No issues with the crews. My issues are with the management, who don't seem to know who they've told to go where and when, and whose fault it is at least in part that it got this way in the first place. Why is it only the consumers around here who have heard of preventive maintenance?
