Welcome to the 4th World

Monday reminded us that we were in the midst of the summer season. More specifically, the boyfriend and I were shaken out of our AC dreams into a power outage.

Our building is pretty old, perhaps built in the 1920's. The wiring is old, the plumbing is old, even the elevator has accordion style doors.

So, as everyone who was home was blasting their AC on Monday, our 1 block lost power. At first, the boyfriend and I thought that perhaps we had too many appliances on, as we can't cook rice and microwave at the same time or have the AC on with any appliance being used in the kitchen. But as he opened the door to go to the basement (where the fuse boxes are), he realized it was at least building-wide if all the hallway and stairway lights were out.

At that point, the only logical thing to do was to sit outside, hoping for a slight breeze. And we weren't the only ones to think about doing so.

Gorgeous skies

In the approximately 1 hour that it took for the electric company to show up, we were able to watch several neighbors decide to walk around, brave the darkness of the stairway, and sit on our stoop with us.  It was perhaps the most amount of conversation I've had with my neighbors, which I think is a damn shame.

Perhaps this will inspire me to organize a BBQ and Meet and Greet with the neighbors before this summer's end.  Of course, that might require me to find BBQ supplies first, such as, oh, I don't know..a grill, perhaps?

As the sun continued to set, we chatted about how we were somewhat concerned about the fact that it was only our block that was affected, which included several apartment buildings and several business, including a laundromat and a restaurant/bar.   Interestingly, the block across the way seemed to be fine, and the electric company was working on the wiring across the way.

I applauded when they arrived

We also chatted about our concern that the traffic lights at the intersection were also out, and while at least 2 cop cars have driven past there were no cops making sure that accidents wouldn't happen.

No accidents, luckily

So, after about 2 hours of sitting outside, the power finally came on shortly after 9pm.  I know I walked away appreciating our electricity and access to resources.  But I was also reminded to appreciate the beauty of the summer evening and the others that share our space beneath it.