FYI

I woke up this morning to a house with no power.

No problem. I grab my gym bag and head to Planet Fitness.

But it takes me thirty minutes to get to the gym because the traffic lights are out, and once I'm there, I realize Planet Fitness has also been cut. I trudge through my workout anyway (no electrical power needed to lift a few weights!), but when it comes time to shower - still no electricity.

I am faced with a dilemma. I could go back home to shower - where at least I will have the sunshine streaming through my bathroom window to guide me in my eyeliner endeavors. Or I can attempt to shower in the dark, because - funnily enough - there are no windows in the women's locker room at the gym. I know the choice seems obvious, but with the traffic lights out, the detour back home will put me at least an hour late to the office, and even though I'm hardly 'on the clock,' I do try to be there by nine-thirty so as not to come across as the obnoxious freelancer who flits in and out at her whim (and as a former real estate agent, nine-thirty is the best I can do).

So I elect to shower in the dark. I use the light from my cell phone to guide me back to the showers, narrowly missing a far too close encounter with a very naked woman. "Excuse me!" I mumble as I shuffle my way further into the darkness. I choose the first shower I come to - fumbling for the door. This is trickier than I imagined. I feel for the shelf and set down my 2-in-1 Pantene along with my Philosophy face wash. I attempt to place my cell phone where it won't get wet but can still give off a bit of light.

I turn on the faucet. The cold water is the least of my worries, for my energy efficient cell phone has reverted to power saving mode and is no longer radiating light. I reach for the Pantene and hear my travel sized bottle of face wash tumble to the floor. Damnit! I grope the shelf for my cell phone but then realize I am going to destroy it with water. I turn off the faucet, find my cell, and use it to search for my face wash. Face wash retrieved, I reposition the cell phone and turn the faucet back on.

Let me assure you, the next few minutes are not pleasant, but I cope. With shampoo still in my hair, I wrap myself up in a towel and shuffle back to my locker which is basked in just enough light from the doorway to ensure that I don't put my underwear on backwards. Once dressed, I apply moisturizer before reaching for my make up bag. I feel my way to the mirror before realizing the absurdity of the attempt. I shove the make up back in my bag and head for the door. I'm sure I look ridiculous, but at least I don't smell bad.

I suffer the traffic until I reach a section of town where the traffic lights are still on. The tension leaves my body and I start to relax. A few minutes later, I arrive at the office. I throw my laptop bag over my shoulder and enter the office, smiling as I imagine how Karen and Laurel will laugh when I tell them about getting dressed in the dark.

I say hello to the receptionist and set up my laptop. I've just finished a few invoices and am about to open up my novel when...Zap.
No power.
You've got to be kidding me, right? But no one is kidding. The schedule that they neglected to share with the rest of us has Parktown North (my neighborhood) without power from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and Fourways (my office) without power from 10a.m. to 2 p.m.

The whole office grumbles. My sister-in-law announces that Florida is also having rolling blackouts, so we can all just shut up about living in a third world country. Someone then says the people they fired from Eskom (a South African power company) must have gone to work in Florida. I remain silent, but tell myself I must research said blackouts in Florida.

I work off my laptop's battery for another hour before it dies. I then pack up and head home, hoping the power is back on. It is; so I work from home the rest of the day.

Inconvenient? Yes.
Impossible? No.

But I just thought you should know.