Some of you may think that I was taking some time off....I wish.
I have been trying to figure out how to function without power. Hurricane Sandy hit my town hard. I am extremely fortunate that my family and home are fine. My neighbors were not as lucky. Several of my friends have damage to their homes. It will be a long time before some of them can move back in.
To give you a quick overview...NO, we don't have a generator. I have turned down 3 offers. I have a high-efficiency heating system that supports the hot water, radiant floor heat, and furnace....so it is too complicated to plug into a portable generator. I could continue with other reasons, but trust me when I say it is too complicated. We have been sleeping in our home. It is too painful to leave our dog, Buster and once you snuggle under all the blankets, it is actually quite cozy. Getting up in the morning is the difficult part. Sadly, it is too cold for this to continue, so other arrangements will need to be made.
Gasoline rationing has begun. We have odd/even days, like the 70's. Today, it only took a half an hour to get gas. I feel fortunate...although I was in a hurry to go nowhere. Several days ago my In-Laws Fed Exed us some flashlights....thanks H & A! There have been a hundred acts of kindness like this, that keep me going. School was cancelled again, today. That is a total of 6 days of missed school.
I am currently sitting in my friend's home. She has power and Wi Fi....thanks Lisa!
As for Orange and Rockland Electric....YOU SUCK! You already know this because NY Governor Cuomo has told you this publicly, several times. Although you don't have the ability to update us with real and accurate estimations on the status of our power, you do have the time to put some idiot PR person on the radio to combat Cuomos' remarks. Obviously having an energy company that straddles three states (Norther NJ, Southern NY, and Eastern Pennsylvania) only benefits the energy company. Who fights for the people? My Governor, Christie is too busy at the shore. By the way, I was the one to call the police on your SLEEPING guard that sits in front of my home to warn people about the live wires in the street. Just curious....how does he warn people when he sleeps? This morning there were 4 of them standing around. Another example of funds well distributed.
Before I show you the devastation in my neighborhood, I thought it would be interesting to see how much the CEO of Orange & Rockland Electric made last year. The year that we lost power for 6 days.
Mr. William Longhi, CEO.....Total Compensation for 2011...$3,108,292.
Mr. Longhi, not updating your software system for "real time" "full transparency" information, as Governor Christie puts it, like your NJ counterparts is completely unacceptable. I am glad to see that you are on Twitter....tweet tweet.
And now for the devastation in my Hood
Thank you so much for all of your kind emals, thoughts, and prayers. I am overwhelmed by the outreach from all of you. I will be back as soon as possible.
For those of you who follow me on Twitter, I apologize for the series of harassing tweets that are about to come.
