Lost Power Last Night!

Around 11pm, while I was getting ready for bed- and everyone else was already asleep, our power shut off suddenly. No clear explanation. I heard a lot of talking in the apartment upstairs, so I figured it was affecting them as well. I brought along a tiny Maglite, so I used that to take my contacts out, and to keep from stumbling around. I tried the breakers near the front door, as instructed by my office admin, to no avail.

Of course, as the girls woke up in the night, as they often do, they were upset by the almost complete darkness, which I have sampled for you..


So we were up with all four of them from 3am until 5 or 6. We made hand puppets on the wall with the flashlight. I overslept and was late for work. But it was fun, actually. Other buildings had their lights on, and I could hear the noises of the city more clearly.

In the end, it was the dishwasher and the washing machine going at the same time that triggered the problem, and a "master" breaker in the apartment's basement had to be reset. The owner, Franca, and her husband showed up mid-morning, and apologized profusely. They were headed off on a holiday cruise to Spain and Portugal, but wanted to make sure we were okay. It was just a little power outtage, already!

In fact, they came by yesterday because the toilet seat was loose, and they wanted to fix it before they left town. Her husband- forgetting his name (Ricardo? Sam? Henry?) went to the store, and Franca stayed for an hour visiting with Jess and Joyce. She insists we visit a particular restuarant she recommends, down by the beach. So that is our plan for dinner tonight.

Today I feel like I am already good friends with some of the technical guys here in the office. They took me out to coffee, and refused to let me pay for my own, and we talked about our plans for the weekend. I drank an espresso, sort of out of peer pressure, and to see if I like it anymore than I did three days ago. I don't think I will become a coffee drinker, though. These guys pay over 50% in taxes each year, before property tax. All medical, dental, and healthy retirement and education benefits, but just like us in the states, it's still too much to pay.