Power Outage

Last night there was a power outage in Karlsruhe. I'm not sure what caused it, but we read that there was some kind of accident at the power station. Yikes. Sounds serious. So the power was out for about one hour, which is the longest power outage I've experienced in a while.

I am a bit embarrassed to say that when the power did not come on after about five minutes I started to become paranoid. What if this wasn't just a regular power outage but the start of something more sinister? I guess it doesn't help that I've been watching Jericho lately. (A TV show about the aftermath in a small town when the U.S. is attacked by multiple atomic bombs!)

It is so interesting when the power goes out. It really made me aware of my reliance on electricity. Obviously, the lights, the fridge (I was wondering if I was going to get an excuse to eat all the ice cream in the freezer), the stove and the heat. The last one was a bit frightening for me. Of course, here in Karlsruhe we would be fine with no heat. Sure it would get cold, but we are in an apartment building and the temperature doesn't drop nearly as low as it does in Calgary (I've heard about the -40 temps and my heart goes out to you).

But I also found it interesting how much I rely on electronic media for my entertainment. Of course I think about this reliance all the time (and chide myself almost all the time, but do it anyway). I couldn't email, post on this blog, watch at DVD or German TV show, up-load my photos, etc, etc. I felt restless for a few minutes and then settled in on the couch in the candle light and just felt my whole body relax. I tried to read for a while but it was too hard on my eyes, so I just sat there. My brain was able to rest from the constant onslaught of information.

Without the stimulation and sense of "connection" I get from the computer (perhaps a false sense of connection most of the time), I contemplated going outside to see what was going on and who else seemed to be affected by the outage. (Toby arrived home just then, so I didn't end up going out). But that's just it isn't it? When we don't have this addictive electronic media seducing us into spending hours and hours in front of the TV or computer we quickly discover that we want real connection. We feel bored just sitting idly. I experienced the same thing when we first arrived here. We didn't have a TV, books, internet, music. And I went out all the time and just walked, or sat in a cafe, explored the city.

Anyway, the power was restored and there was no nuclear catastrophe. We did end up going out and having a fun night visiting with some of Toby's coworkers Mario and Sergio. But will I change my ways? I wish I could say yes, but I've been "struggling" with this issue for ... well... years now I guess. I keep telling myself that when I get back to Canada things will be different! Friends in Calgary - I'll be depending you! Help keep me honest. Invite me out for a beer/coffee/walk/bike ride/poetry reading/film/concert/play/dinner party ... and I will do the same.