Post-Ike-itis

When I was invited to leave my job at BizRadio in May, I put together a list of things that I liked or disliked about being unemployed.
It was therapeutic for me, and hopefully entertaining for you.

Over the past two weeks, those of us living along the Upper Texas Gulf Coast have been challenged by the after effects of Hurricane Ike.

Not to go Andy Rooney on you, but I hate the word aftermath. It reminds me of afterbirth, only with numbers.
After effects I can live with...and after effects of the storm are what we have been living with, going on nearly three weeks.

So here are a few thoughts--pro and con--about living in a post-Ike era. Feel free to chime in below...

1.) The lack of electricity that rekindled the spark in our family and neighborhood relationships.

2.) The lack of electricity that I know is going to mitigate my power bill for September. Riiight.

3.) The lack of common-sense required to negotiated a four-way stop in an intersection where all the traffic lights are out.

This of course presumes common-sense prevailed when the lights worked, which it did not. Honest to Pete, today I got stuck behind some Mensa sitting in the left lane on Westhiemer--not the left turn lane--waiting to make a left turn.
The light was green.
Duh.

4.) The lack of distractions from things that run on electricity.

5.) The restful sleep that comes from going to bed when the sun goes down (sorry, Letterman.)

6.) The ability to navigate in a house lit only by flashlights and LED lamps running on batteries.

7.) The youthful look attained in a room illuminated by the light sources mentioned above.

I think I lost weight and wrinkles during Ike.
It's amazing how long one can go without Blue Bell. It was frightening when the lights came back on.
I think I liked me better in the dimness.

8.) The ability to subsist on things you never thought you'd buy, but did, because it's all the store had at the time that didn't require refrigeration.

9.) The skill of packing as much as possible into a 5-gallon ice chest--with 2-pounds of ice--and being able to secure the lid.

10.) The notion that a Centerpoint Energy truck would create the same level of hoopla and joyful exuberance of the IceCream truck, trolling through the neighborhood.

That's enough for now.
I am suffering from survivor's guilt, having had electricity back for two weeks, while I know there are some who cannot read this at home because their power is still out.

Perhaps we all gained a little depth and perspective in the days following the storm.
Think of it as a mass dress-rehearsal for National Night Out,
October 7.