2003-08-16 - 11:04 p.m.

First the lights flickered, then the office went dark. I figured it was our stupid bootleg office, and we went up to the roof to have a cigarette and see what was going on. And the streets were THRONGED with people. We came downstairs, I called my Mom, and we listened to the radio until they decided to close the office. And we joined the crowds heading downtown, but you know, it didn't seem so bad, once we heard 'transformer problem'. Not an attack, exhale. Still oddly reminiscent, though. And I got home, and climbed 11 hot flights, phone lines were jammed within the city, cell phones too, so I couldn't get in touch with the boyfriend, and I lit some candles and read a book until it got too dark, then wandered over to the window, debating running out to get something for dinner, but deciding against it. Surely we'd have the power on in a few hours. And, predictably, we bought a new radio alarm clock but no batteries, so even in the apartment I had no information, other than what I heard through the doormen (dressed not in uniform, as usual, grey suits with gold trim, but in shorts and tshirts to combat the heat.) The boyfriend finally got through, and was on his way home on foot, with his partner who was stranded. We did have cold water and beer, though, and at about 10 Len decided to stay, as there was still no power. But now we had the dinner issue.

In NYC, most people don't bulk grocery shop. There are a lot of reasons for this: carrying home tons of bags, the convenience of easy, cheap good food everywhere, fluctuating plans, and the fact that we do, usually, have at least one blackout a summer, due to all the air conditioning, etc.But usually they're quick.This means that, in case of an emergency such as this, I open my cabinets and refrigerator to find yogurt and milk going bad, english muffins (no toaster) beer, coke, tomato sauce, and flour. I did pretty well, all things considered - I did have a few good things, so I did fettucine with alfredo, prosciutto, and peas. We sat still in the dark, watching the dark streets, brilliant with the pinpoint lights of hundreds of flashlights. And a group of boys, a dozen or so, wearing brilliant blue glow necklaces, standing in front of Bigel0w. I leaned out the window, catching a little breeze, and people watched, and I looked up and realized that for the first time in a long, long time, you could see the stars in NYC. Wild. And we watched people, a hundred or so, stand in front of the Path station hoping for the trains to run.

So at about 11 I decided to go take a cold shower and go to bed - it was hot as hell, and I thought I'd stay cool with wet hair, so I went in and turned on the shower - nothing. Now. I can DEAL with no electricity. No water, not so much. After about two hours of sleep and five of tossing and turning, I got up and turned on the bathroom tap. Nope. So I called Deb at 7, to see if she had water, which she did, so I went over there to shower, stopping on the way at J0e Jr's, where there was a long line waiting for.. COFFEE! I have to admit, my first thought, after FUCK! no water! was 'if I don't get a cup of coffee I'm going to kill someone.' So as usual in crisis, we all bonded on line, and when someone thanked the owner for not price gauging, he got up on his soapbox. A slight, scrappy man with wispy grey hair and a big gap toothed gril, who wears a wife beater under his white apron, he waved his arms in the air, yelling, " I LOVE my business! I love my customers! Charge you two dollars for coffee? That don't make my life better....." Arms outstretched, beaming beatifically, like a Greek Jesus. Heh. Someone in line told me that they'd interviewed the old man that morning on the news, and he was still high on the attention. Funny.

It was actually very strange and surreal. Everything closed. No food to be had. No water, no ATMs, and I kick myself for no longer keeping cash at home, for not having food or fucking batteries. But then our luck changed, when a cop told us that there was power above 52nd Street, not a neighborhood I'm prone to visiting, but the lure of an air conditioned place where I could EAT. So we walked east, past two young doctors, who asked us where we got the coffee, and did we know where they could get food, and the F00d Emp0rium cooking cheeseburgers on a hibatchi at 8am, before the meat spoiled, and selling them for the rest of the day through the forced open door. The new coffee place on the corner was open, but had no coffee. He told us he didn't plan to open, just came down to empty the milk, when people started banging on the door, asking him to sell them yesterday's pastries, still in the case. He was floored, but subsequently the last thing I'd had to eat was a day old rice krispie treat as big as my head. So we took the bus uptown, cheering when we saw that the stoplights were working. We went to the ATM, to the diner for lunch, to Bergd0rfs, and to a snooty nail salon for manicures and pedicures. We were all talking, of course, about the blackout, and there was a remarkably calm bride whose reception place had no power, who informed us in her round of phone calls that power was back on in the Village. So we went home. All in all, I really don't think we have anything to complain about. And I, for one, am now thankful for the conveniences I take for granted. That almost no one else in the world has. And,mostly, thankful for being able to see those stars.

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