It Never Ends

Stormlets have given way to Mega-storms.  Here I was, blissfully prepping for the open house to show my peeps my new abode (it was supposed to happen in January but kept getting delayed) when The Storm of the Century hit the night before the party.

I know it's an overused phrase, but it really was a big storm.  Mine was among 500,000 plus homes without power Friday night.  And Saturday.  And half of Sunday.

Normal view on a nice day

View after the storm

Street-level view

I saw much, much worse, but I feel so sorry for those people with trees on their houses and sidewalks ripped up with trees down I just didn't have the heart to stop and shoot pictures.

Of course, this all means that the party did NOT go without a hitch.  Girl-child had to let people in the door manually since the door wasn't working, and then she lead them up the stairs since the elevator wasn't working...in the dark because the lights weren't working ... until Elizabeth saved the day by having a flashlight in her bag (a good scout is always prepared - she qualifies as a good scout!).

The good news is I will no longer be hauling ice up the stairs, the bad news is that I have to throw out food.  I hate throwing out food.  And just for the record, I think there is no foodstuff more disgusting than an overripe banana that has been frozen and then thawed.

Weird meals abound when salvaging food during/after a power outage...
yes that's a ton of cocktail meatballs with corn for lunch

People brought things even though they were not supposed to ... and I received flowers from afar too.  The beer, wine, tea, soap, mixed nuts, chocolates, full-spectrum lightbulbs and vinegar (yes, vinegar - how clever was that?!?) will all be put to good use.  Oh, and I got a sack full of lace-weight yarn that I forgot to offer to the knitters, which means I'll have to take it to Knit Night.

Amazing box of flowers spotted in the lobby;  couldn't believe it when I saw my name on it!

Turned out to be a box of sunshine!

My new best friends - the guys from the electric company

One funny story... so I was fretting myself to distraction Saturday morning ... went to a coffee shop to get Internet ... went to two places to get ice because the first was already sold out ... went to Midtown Farmers Market for breakfast to get my mind off having 30 people over with no power ... was chatting at the market with a woman who politely asked, "So, do you have your top on inside-out on purpose?" to which I replied, "No! Only because I got dressed in the dark this morning!"  I'm happy to say I had my shirt on right-side-out by the time my guests arrived.

I Forgot to Mention

Girl-child took me to a Roller Derby in March...it was very entertaining!

TV

From the Associated Press:

Jan 21st, 2009 Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Jan. 12-18. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

1. (X) AFC Championship: Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh, CBS, 40.65 million viewers.
2. (1) "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox, 30.42 million viewers.
3. (1) "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 30.32 million viewers.
4. (X) AFC Championship postgame show, CBS, 25.44 million viewers.
5. (4) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 24.25 million viewers.
6. (5) "NCIS," CBS, 18.62 million viewers.
7. (8) "The Mentalist," CBS, 18.07 million viewers.
8. (12) "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 17.10 million viewers.
9. (X) "The Mentalist" (Sunday), CBS, 16.39 million viewers.
10. (15) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 15.83 million viewers.
11. (X) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (8 p.m. Thursday), CBS, 15.52 million viewers.
12. (11) "Criminal Minds," CBS, 13.78 million viewers.
13. (20) "Eleventh Hour," CBS, 13.16 million viewers.
14. (12) "Grey's Anatomy" (9 p.m. Thursday), ABC, 13.10 million viewers.
15. (9) "Desperate Housewives," ABC, 13.08 million viewers.
16. (14) "CSI: NY," CBS, 12.67 million viewers.
17. (18) "Without a Trace," CBS, 12.42 million viewers.
18. (17) "24," Fox, 12.31 million viewers.
19. (35) "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 11.81 million viewers.
20. (35) "How I Met Your Mother," CBS, 11.76 million viewers.
------
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.; CBS is a division of CBS Corp.; Fox is a unit of News Corp.; NBC is owned by General Electric Co.
********************************************************
This comes on the heels of Harlot's calendar - today's entry says that when people tell her they wished they had time to knit she wants to ask them what they watched on TV last night.

I have watched Grey's Anatomy a few times. That's it. Bones is on tonight; I watch that. I haven't even heard of some of them. What kind of a geek does that make me?

Perhaps the scariest part, though, is looking at the who owns what at the bottom. GE?