Sitting Here in the Dark and Cold (And 46 Years Ago Today)
A storm has hit the west coast - gusts up to 90 km/hour, snapping trees and the power has been out for almost an hour.
Now, we can do anything in the dark sweetheart....except I'm alone right now, so please write something titillating for this poor lonely woman (huddled under a blanket) with nothing but her computer to keep her attached to that slender thread of humanity.
This is all kinda eerie too because it was 46 years go today on "Good Friday" the "Great Alaskan Earthquake" struck. It was one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history (9.00 on the Riechter Scale) and caused a tsunami which struck as far away as California and Japan. The earthquake was a bit before my time, but my dad was in Alaska at the time (approximately 100 miles east of ANK) and said the earth shook so violently that it threw him to the floor. The control tower at the airport collapsed, killing the sole controller.
Mercifully, the death toll was relatively low because of Anchorage's relatively small population at the time, and the earthquake struck at a time when most were at home (5:36 p.m.)
What my dad remembered most was the hardiness and self-sufficiency of the Alaskan people who melted snow-water, hunted game, built fires and/or shared their gasoline for generators to keep themselves and their neighbours alive until sevices could be restored.
I am glad that most survived the Great Alaskan Quake, but darnnit it all, it seems I am always born too late. Y'all know the thing I have for those Alaskan bush pilots. What a delightfully cozy thought...being huddled in a snow-cabin somewhere with nothing but a bush pilot to keep me warm.
For now, I'll have to exist on your titillating stories, so please shoot them this way. Thank cripes I finally broke down and bought a laptop. This is only the second time I've had to rely on the battery, and I don't remember how long the battery is good fo
Well you may have storms and darkness but, look at it, at least you are in no danger of capsizing like Guam. I wonder what sort of keel the island has?
I would have posted this urgently needed news on the friendly, erudite and serious USA Hamsterwheel but felt I should take a lead from the senator's poker face.
There is comfort in knowing we are not the only ones who elect idiots.
Bare up Madam V2,a stiff upper lip and a bottle of Gordons Gin served we Englishmen well in such circumstances,after all we dont want the natives to see your resolve slipping do we.
Bare up Madam V2,a stiff upper lip and a bottle of Gordons Gin served we Englishmen well in such circumstances,after all we dont want the natives to see your resolve slipping do we.
Well said Sir and your gin recommendation a far safer one than drinking port in the dark. Heaven forfend that one might be confused by the stygian blackness and pass the port the wrong way. That would be a far greater cataclysm than any storm, earthquake or tsunami!
V2, looks like your battery ran out already - the way your post ended!!
Anyway, looks like you are having us on - you may have a battery in your laptop - but I bet there isn't one in your broadband router - you surely haven't posted via dial-up!!
Worst power outage we had here (central england) in my memory was 5 days. Amazing what you can cook on a coal fire - if you have to!! You have another 4 days and 23 hours to go to beat that - good luck.
Cheers, just about to sit down to a nice full english, central heating on at full blast, UFO
Setting the issue of the router's power source aside, if the laptop ran out of battery unexpectedly part way through a word, how was it subsequently possible to click the 'post' button?
No need seeking for sinister motives Gentlemen,perchance Madam V2 was simply making a puter funny to end her post rather like like the I'mnewtocomputerswhatdoesthislongkeyatthebottomdo?
Indeed, I too, have been caught out, in the past, when the electricity supply has ceased and, despite having a battery-supplied laptop. I have been unable to access the outside World due to lack of juice supplying the router.
Reminds me of the power cuts back in the 70s when, despite having gas-fired central heating, we were unable to make it work as it had an electric safety circuit which shut-down the gas supply when the power went off. Most annoying!
ha! that would not have stopped a bloke wi a shed and a tool box Mr G-C,bypassing safety features is my speciality. Bro Draper bought a new gas fire a couple of years ago, way over engineered as per usual these days, the ignition is controlled by a silicon chip somewhere in its bowels,press the button for so many seconds it beeps for so many seconds press it again and it beeps some more, get the button pressing timing wrong and it goes in the huff for ten minutes, finally figured out what the stupid beeps were for,they were to tell blind folks the fire was about to light or was lit,dunno what it does about deaf people. Anyway the bloody thing has broke down and refused to light about half a dozen times already and each time according to the engineer dispatched from some distance it was the electronics. Gonna be a expensive bit of kit when the warranty runs out. If'n yer cant light it with a match dont buy it.
