bitterfig

On Monday night (08/04/08) my street got absolutely pounded by a couple of severe thunderstorms.  The first came at around 8:30 p.m.  The wind and rain was so strong I really thought the windows might break.  I thought the power might go out so I turned off the computer (stupid storm, I was trying to watch Life on Mars) and lit some candles.  A few minutes later the lights went out. 

 

There was a second storm during the night that was ever worse than the first.  Just a relentless bombardment of thunder and lightening that seemed to be directly overhead.  I don’t know what time it hit or how long it lasted because I had no watch or clock but it was fairly lengthy in duration.  I couldn’t sleep because it was so bright and loud so I ended up grabbing the sofa cushions and bedding down in the windowless bathroom till it ended and I actually dozed off for a while so it was going on for quite a while. 

 

On Tuesday morning there were two trees and a lamp post down as well as numerous clumps of fallen branches on roofs, porches, parked cars (one of which was completely caved in) and blocking the road and sidewalks.  The nearest stop light wasn’t functioning and there had been a direct lightening strike and a fire just a block to the South.  However the damage didn’t seem too widespread.  Just a few blocks away the power was working and there were just a few scattered branches. 

 

I had to work at 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. shift on Tuesday.  The power was still off when I left home a little after noon (I hung out in the library near the Market until it was time to start—unlike my apartment they had working timepieces and air conditioning).  I must admit I probably spent a large portion of my shift desperately hoping that I would not come home to a pitch black building. 

 

I am happy to say I didn’t have to.  When I got home the power was back on.  It’s been a long time since I’ve appreciated being able to turn on the lights or having a working refrigerator so much. 

Things are usually pretty quiet where I live however things have been sort of chaotic lately. 

 

Starting around last Saturday, a student film was being shot in the apartment under mine (I’m on the top floor of a 3 story building).  It was sort of exciting but also kind of a pain in the ass.  The film crew reserved the entire side of the street in front of my building so I couldn’t park there and the shoots went on till midnight many days and were LOUD, also when they were shooting I had to taking the narrow, cluttered back stairs into my apartment which involves negotiating three separate locks I’m not used to.  Also, let’s face it when I get home from work the last thing you want to deal with is a guy with a walkie talkie who makes me wait so he can check if it’s okay for me to go my apartment (“I’ve got the top floor tenant here, is it okay for me to send her up?”). 

 

I should have made an effort to talk to some of the people working on the film but I was too shy.  Also they seemed really busy and focused. 

 

They were shooting at other locations one night during the middle of the week, so you’d think things would go back to normal.  However on that night something happened at the low-income housing project across the street.  It was insane.  For about an hour there were people standing outside screaming at each other, even after the police came.  In the end at least six police cars came.  I have no idea what was going on but it seemed pretty crazy.