Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Certainly an odd day. Came home about three,
fire alarm blanging away, the tenant who accidentally
set it off poking the handle box with a fork
to make it stop. I told him it wasn't going to stop
until the fire dept arrived with the key. They came
(after a long ten minutes) & found the toggle switch inside
was loose from the guy messing with it,
so it kept going off. An electrician would have to come,
they could do nothing more. So it started ringing again.
I couldn't locate the landlord's cellphone number
& was preparing to call Edie to ask if I could sleep
on her couch in case the alarm kept ringing,
then it stopped. I figured it got fixed.
Then a line of big thunderstorms came through,
strobelight clouds, explosions, flickering lamp,
distant sirens, tropical downpours. The music died
then resurrected itself, a funky organ playing
"I say a little prayer for you." The room was stuffy
so when the lightning went away & the rain eased
I decided to go to out for an iced coffee.
The hallways were dark, & sitting on the lobby steps
were a guy who handymans around the building
& is moving in soon as the super, & little old man
who turned out to be the landlord's father.
They'd cut off the power to the fire alarm
& were waiting for the electrician. Meanwhile,
another big lightning storm came with street flooding,
lights flickered again. When the rain let up we looked
down the street & noticed the traffic was out - power outtage!
Fortunately, we're on a different grid. I opened my umbrella
& aimed for the coffee, but the power was out in Dunkin Donuts.
Beyond that. all the way to train station, everything.
Well, I'm always curious about unusual events
& situations (as long as they're not affecting me much),
so I walked to the big shopping district on Broad St.
& all of that was in blackout, including buildings
with elevators; the art deco Hersh Tower &
A senior citizen high rise. People standing in the doorways
of their businesses, too muggy to get excited.
I went into Dunkin' Donuts & said, "You don't need electric
to make me a medium iced coffee, cream no sugar,"
& got one, But they weren't yet giving stuff away,
like the Baskin Robbins mocha cappucino ice cream
slowly softening in the big round container.
Add YOUR comments here
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
fire alarm blanging away, the tenant who accidentally
set it off poking the handle box with a fork
to make it stop. I told him it wasn't going to stop
until the fire dept arrived with the key. They came
(after a long ten minutes) & found the toggle switch inside
was loose from the guy messing with it,
so it kept going off. An electrician would have to come,
they could do nothing more. So it started ringing again.
I couldn't locate the landlord's cellphone number
& was preparing to call Edie to ask if I could sleep
on her couch in case the alarm kept ringing,
then it stopped. I figured it got fixed.
Then a line of big thunderstorms came through,
strobelight clouds, explosions, flickering lamp,
distant sirens, tropical downpours. The music died
then resurrected itself, a funky organ playing
"I say a little prayer for you." The room was stuffy
so when the lightning went away & the rain eased
I decided to go to out for an iced coffee.
The hallways were dark, & sitting on the lobby steps
were a guy who handymans around the building
& is moving in soon as the super, & little old man
who turned out to be the landlord's father.
They'd cut off the power to the fire alarm
& were waiting for the electrician. Meanwhile,
another big lightning storm came with street flooding,
lights flickered again. When the rain let up we looked
down the street & noticed the traffic was out - power outtage!
Fortunately, we're on a different grid. I opened my umbrella
& aimed for the coffee, but the power was out in Dunkin Donuts.
Beyond that. all the way to train station, everything.
Well, I'm always curious about unusual events
& situations (as long as they're not affecting me much),
so I walked to the big shopping district on Broad St.
& all of that was in blackout, including buildings
with elevators; the art deco Hersh Tower &
A senior citizen high rise. People standing in the doorways
of their businesses, too muggy to get excited.
I went into Dunkin' Donuts & said, "You don't need electric
to make me a medium iced coffee, cream no sugar,"
& got one, But they weren't yet giving stuff away,
like the Baskin Robbins mocha cappucino ice cream
slowly softening in the big round container.
Add YOUR comments here
